| Hard News
17 Afghan policemen killed:
A wave of
betrayal has left at least 17 Afghan policemen dead in the past 10 days
-- all slain in their sleep at the hands of those close to them.
5 "Insurgents" Killed in Attack on Afghan Outpost:
At least five
Taliban insurgents were killed in an attack on an Afghan National Army
outpost in the eastern Nuristan province Friday night, local officials
said.
Video Shown of Apparent Execution of Afghan Soldier:
In a
distressing video aired on national television stations here on
Thursday night, the Afghan National Army soldier first has his army
identity card stuck in his mouth and is then ordered to say his name
out loud, but can only mumble unintelligibly because of the card.
US scraps entire fleet of Afghan cargo planes:
Despite
spending nearly $600 million on the program, the U.S. is canceling the
contract for the aircraft and disposing of all 16 planes delivered to
the Afghan Air Force, the Journal reported.
Blast kills six on a bus in Pakistan: Video -
An explosion on a bus in the Pakistani city of Karachi has killed six people and wounded 48 others.
Obama regime kills 4 people in Pakistan:
An official
said eight missiles hit the house and the bodies were burnt beyond
recognition. "We have no information about the identity of those killed
in the missile strike," the official said.
3 Policemen gunned down in SW Pakistan:
The incident
took place in the Satellite Town of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan
province. Police sources told KUNA that a police mobile van was on
routine patrol when armed motorcyclists opened indiscriminate fire at
the van.
Obama regime kills 2 people in Yemen: :
The two men
were riding a motorcycle west of the coastal town of al-Sheher when the
pilotless aircraft fired at them, the official told Reuters
Gunmen kill Yemeni intelligence officer:
Lieutenant
Colonel Mutei Baqatyan, a member of the state security apparatus in the
city of Mukalla, was targeted by two gunmen on a motorbike, the
security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Syrian government forces seize Homs district from rebels:
The army moved
into Deir Ba'alba, a neighborhood on the northeastern edge of Homs,
they said, leaving the rebels controlling just the central
neighborhoods around the old city and the district of Khalidiyah,
immediately to the north.
Russia hopes 'reasonable' Syrian opposition will seek dialogue:
Moscow
representatives have already had contacts with the National Coalition
for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Lavrov said on Friday.
Now Russian diplomats are ready to meet for talks with the leader of
the group - Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib. The National Coalition does not
object to talks either, he added.
Syrian rebels reject Moscow invitation for peace talks:
Russia said it
was behind the efforts of UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, fresh from a
five-day trip to Damascus where he met Assad.
UN envoy Brahimi holds Syria peace talks in Moscow:
The UN and Arab
League special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, held talks on
Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as Moscow stepped
up its diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the 21-month conflict.
UN Syria "Peace Plan" a Fraud: Op-Ed:
The proposal of
a "transitional government" in the midst of what is in fact a foreign
invasion, funded, armed, and perpetuated openly by foreign interests
violates both Syria's sovereignty and the UN's own founding charter.
Syria jihadists accuse U.S. of keeping Assad in power;
"The continued
US and international support for prolonging the regime's lifespan by
giving extensions (for a political transition), sending observers and
trying to negotiate peace is clear to everyone," the group's leader,
Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, said in a voice recording posted online.
Only political process can save Syria from 'hell'-envoy:
The
international mediator seeking peace in Syria warned of "hell" if no
deal is struck to end 21 months of bloodshed, but his talks in Russia
capping a week of intense diplomacy brought no sign of a breakthrough.
Syrian rebels sidetracked by scramble for spoils of war:
Looting, feuds and divided loyalties threaten to destroy unity of fighters as war enters new phase.
Israel shrugs off Abbas threat to dismantle PA:
Palestinian leader has no intention of quitting, says Likud minister; Labor warns Israel will find no better partner
Arab League chief arrives in West Bank calls last 20 years of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations 'waste of time':
"Our next move
in agreement with the Palestinians and with full support from the Arab
countries and the European Union is to change the current formula (for
the peace process)," he added. "We cannot continue with the methods of
the last 20 years. It was a waste of time."
After cease-fire, Palestinians still suffer unjust controls:
Palestinians,
still live under occupation, and they are constrained by a damaging
Israeli blockade. Even the United Nations is affected. It needs to
apply to Israel for permission to buy construction materials for
schools. Remarkably, Israel often says no.
Iraq mass protests mount pressure on Maliki:
Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims take part in largest day yet in week of rallies against allegedly sectarian policies.
Ali Ismail Abbas, Iraqi Boy Hit by American Missile 10 Years Later:
The first and
last time I saw Ali Abbas was in 2003. Ali, a then-12-year-old boy
whose home had been hit by an American missile. His father, mother,
brother and 11 other relatives had been killed. A neighbor found Ali in
the rubble, improbably still alive.
Seven Suspected Militants Killed in Dagestan :
Law enforcement
officers have killed at least seven suspected militants in the Russian
North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, a law enforcement source said.
At Least 15 Killed in Sect Attack in North Nigeria:
Gunmen
suspected to belong to a radical Islamist sect attacked a village in
northeast Nigeria, tying up men, women and children before slitting
their throats, killing at least 15 in the troubled region's latest
attack, witnesses said Saturday.
Rebels in Central African Republic seize another city:
Rebels in
Central African Republic (CAR) have continued their advance, seizing
the city of Sibut, 185km from Bangui, the capital, a government
official has confirmed.
Protests against militias in Benghazi:
Some 2,000
people rallied in Libya's second city Benghazi yesterday to demand that
militias made up of former rebels who helped oust dictator Muammar
Gaddafi disband and join the army or police.
Morsi warns against unrest, tells Egypt to focus on economy:
Mohammed Morsi
said all sides must "realize the needs of the moment" and work only
through "mature democracy while avoiding violence." He said violence
from any faction was "totally rejected."
India mourns death of gang-rape victim:
Protesters gather in New Delhi to pay their respects to gang-rape victim who died from organ failure in Singapore.
Russia's ban on US adoption isn't about children's rights:
The
uncomfortable truth is that underneath the posturing, Vladimir Putin
has a point. The international adoption trade is a shady business - the
perfect micro-example of how America's concept of itself as a
benevolent superpower is so often at odds with reality.
'US, Russia plunging into new Cold War':
Tit-for-tat
moves between Russia and the US are plunging the two nations into a new
Cold War, says Russia expert Stephen Cohen. Washington's longtime
policy towards Moscow is to blame for the growing tensions.
Senate Renews Controversial Law Which Allows Warrantless Wiretapping Of US Citizens:
The Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act, approved by the House of Representatives
in September, passed the Senate with a 73-23 vote and broad bipartisan
support, and now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.
How They Voted: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress :
A bill to extend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 for five years
The NRA Myth of Arming the Good Guys;
Mass shootings in the US are on the rise-and ordinary citizens with guns don't stop them.
Verizon patents targeted advertising method that determines if viewers are laughing, cuddling, sleeping or singing:
Verizon (NYSE:
VZ) has filed a patent application for targeting ads to viewers based
on information collected from infrared cameras and microphones that
would be able to detect conversations, people, objects and even animals
that are near a TV.
France repeals 75% tax on high income:
France's
Constitutional Council has annulled a 75% tax rate on income above 1mn
euros due to be introduced in 2013, which has already forced a number
of wealthy residents to leave the country.
Bolivia nationalizes Spanish-owned electrical utilities:
It was the
latest in a series of such seizures by the Bolivian government. Back in
May Bolivias nationalized a subsidiary of another Spanish power group,
Red Electrica Corporacion.
Executives at collapsed Iceland bank jailed for fraud:
Two former
executives at an Icelandic bank which collapsed in the 2008 financial
meltdown were sentenced to jail on Friday for fraud which led to a 53
million euro loss, in the first major trial of Icelandic bankers linked
to the crisis.
Ron Paul: Republicans And Democrats Pretend They're Fighting:
Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) Joins CNBC's Money in Motion to discuss the impending fiscal cliff.
U.S. pending home sales hit 2-1/2 year high in November:
Pending home sales were up 9.8 percent in the 12 months through November.
Warren Buffett: 'America Has Faced A Lot Tougher Problems Than This One':
"The United
States is richer than it's ever been. We have $50,000 or so of GDP per
person. But we've overpromised and we've also undertaxed to some
extent, so we find ourselves with this great fiscal imbalance
Dismal holiday sales belie talk of US "recovery":
US retail sales
over the holiday shopping period grew at the slowest pace since the
depths of the 2008 recession, according to a report released Tuesday by
MasterCard Inc.'s SpendingPulse unit.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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