| Hard News
21 Pakistan soldiers 'executed' by Taliban militants:
One man was badly
wounded but survived, along with another who managed to escape. The
others were reportedly tied up, blindfolded and shot in the head. Local
tribesmen found their bodies and tipped off security forces.
Pakistan: 19 killed in attack on Shiites:
A suicide bomber
driving a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a bus carrying
Shiite Muslim pilgrims in southwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing 19
people, a government official and eyewitnesses said.
Record number of Afghan soldiers killed in 2012:
More than 1,000
Afghan soldiers died in action this year, the highest since the Taliban
insurgency began, as the army assumes more responsibility before NATO
forces withdraw in 2014, officials said Sunday
NATO occupation force soldier killed in Afghanistan: -
A roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan Saturday resulted in the death of a NATO service member, officials said.
11 children killed in Syria bombardments:
Pro-rebel activists
say: Syrian troops bombarded rebel bastions near the capital on Sunday a
day after at least 32 civilians including 11 children were killed by
air strikes and artillery fire in the Damascus area, a watchdog said.
Russia blames Syrian opposition for failure to halt conflict:
Russia's foreign
minister declared a deadlock Saturday in the latest efforts to resolve
the Syrian crisis, blaming the Syrian opposition for refusing to
negotiate with the government and reiterating that Moscow will not
force President Bashar al-Assad to leave.
Russia sends landing ships to Syria: report:
A Russian warship
carrying a marines unit has left its Black Sea port for Syria amid
preparations for a possible evacuation of nationals living and working
in the strife-torn country, news reports said Sunday.
Obama regime kills another 3 people in Yemen:
In the fourth such
attack in a week, a US drone strike has killed three suspected al-Qaeda
militants in the central Yemen province of Al-Bayda, according to a
local official.
Drone War Spurs Militants to Deadly Reprisals:
They are dead men
talking, and they know it. Gulping nervously, the prisoners stare into
the video camera, spilling tales of intrigue, betrayal and paid
espionage on behalf of the United States. Some speak in trembling
voices, a glint of fear in their eyes. Others look resigned. All plead
for their lives.
Al Qaeda offers reward for murder of US Ambassador to Yemen:
Al Qaeda has put up a
reward of 3kg of gold for whoever manages to kill America's Jewish
ambassador to the Yemen, Gerald Feirstein.
Israel's Lieberman vows talks only if Abbas goes:
"Only after his
disappearance from the leadership of the Palestinian Authority will it
be possible to renew the diplomatic process," Haaretz daily's website
quoted him as saying in a statement.
Egypt allows building material into Gaza:
Thousands of tons of
building materials such as cement and steel began crossing into the
Gaza Strip on Saturday, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said,
temporarily easing a five-year blockade on the coastal territory.
5 killed as Nigerian troops battle "Islamists":
Nigerian soldiers
killed four suspected extremists and lost one policeman in the latest
crackdown on the Islamist Boko Haram group in the country's restive
northeast, the military said on Sunday.
US troops to aid staff evacuation:
President Barack
Obama said 50 US troops have deployed to the African country of Chad to
help evacuate US citizens and embassy personnel from the neighbouring
Central African Republic's capital of Bangui in the face of rebel
advances toward the city.
Mali: The 'gentle' face of al-Qaeda:
An exclusive report from inside northern Mali.
'Tsunami bomb': N.Z. archive secrets revealed:
"Project Seal", a top-secret US-New Zealand attempt to create a doomsday device to rival the nuclear bomb.
Venezuela says it deported alleged French agent: -
Venezuelan
authorities said Saturday that they had deported a man they described
as a French intelligence agent who was jailed for alleged involvement
in a plot to assassinate President Hugo Chavez.
Belgium to charge Church of Scientology with fraud and extortion - reports:
After a long lasting
legal battle Belgium prosecutors demand to label the Church of
Scientology as a criminal organization and charge it and its leaders
with extortion, fraud, privacy breaches, and the illegal practice of
medicine.
Woman Accused of Hate-Crime Murder in Subway Push:
A 31-year-old woman
was arrested on Saturday and charged with second-degree murder as a
hate crime in connection with the death of a man who was pushed onto
the tracks of an elevated subway station in Queens and crushed by an
oncoming train.
Judge rebuffs feds' secret arguments on no-fly list:
A federal judge in
California has rejected the Obama administration's effort to use secret
arguments and evidence to defeat a lawsuit relating to the so-called
no-fly list designed to keep suspected terrorists off of airline
flights.
'Major setback' in fiscal cliff talks:
Negotiations between
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
have suffered a "major setback" after Republicans demanded the
inclusion of a new method for calculating entitlement benefits as part
of the fiscal cliff package, according to Democratic sources.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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