Hard News
At Least 12 People Killed by Bombs in Afghanistan: A minivan struck a roadside bomb, killing at least 10 people and wounding eight others, said Nayamatullah Khaliqi, the top government official in the Dehra Wood district. He said most of the dead were women and children. http://is.gd/XA7hei
Senate backs quicker withdrawal from Afghanistan: The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday for an accelerated withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan after more than a decade of fighting. Although the vote was on a nonbinding amendment to a defense policy bill, its significance could not be discounted amid the current discussions. http://is.gd/5jl7Ec
Panetta says U.S. to have "enduring presence" in Afghanistan; - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday the United States will have an "enduring presence" in Afghanistan even after the 2014 drawdown of combat forces, and troops will stay in that country to conduct counterterrorism missions. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/8040939.html
US Attack Kills 3 People In Pakistan: : Three persons were killed and four others sustained injuries when a US drone hit a vehicle in Barmal tehsil in South Waziristan Agency, local sources said on Thursday. http://is.gd/lEcv2V
US drone appears to miss target in South Waziristan: officials: A US drone fired two missiles into open fields in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt on Thursday, causing no apparent damage or casualties, local security officials said. http://is.gd/3j1UyR
Syria: 17 Lebanese Sunni fighters killed: Seventeen young Sunni men from the Lebanese city of Tripoli were killed on Friday in the Syrian border town of Tal Kalakh, a Lebanese security source and an Islamist leader said. http://is.gd/NVttEB
Syrian rebel films himself shooting 10 prisoners: New footage posted on the Internet appears to have been filmed by a Syrian rebel who points the camera along the barrel of his gun as he shoots 10 unarmed prisoners. http://is.gd/kOVupr
Militant leader in Syria seeks Islamic state: A leader of an al-Qaida-inspired militant group fighting the regime in Syria said his men do not fear death and they are determined to form an Islamic state. http://is.gd/5jRHhp
Egypt's draft constitution approved by Islamist-dominated assembly: Rushed vote to pass document inflames row between Mohamed Morsi and opposition http://is.gd/klrNVt
Disputed Articles in Egypt's Draft Constitution: The draft largely reflects the conservative vision of the Islamists, with articles that rights activists, liberals and Christians fear will lead to restrictions on the rights of women and minorities and civil liberties in general. - Here are some of the disputed articles: http://is.gd/4yS0th
Protesters, police clash in flashpoint Tunisia town: Protesters clashed with police in Tunisia's flashpoint town of Siliana, where violence has left hundreds wounded this week, as political instability mounts two years after the revolution. http://is.gd/OCY1qF
Tunisia's Jebali refuses to go: Tunisia's Islamist prime minister rejected calls for his resignation on Thursday after two days of violent protests against economic hardship, and he accused opposition parties of sowing disorder. http://is.gd/e0i3S3
Qatar, Arab Spring sponsor, jails poet for life: A court in Qatar, which has supported Arab uprisings abroad, jailed a local poet for life on Thursday for criticizing the emir and inciting revolt - a sentence that drew outrage and cries of hypocrisy from human rights groups. http://is.gd/ZncCXF
Brace yourselves: Arab Winter is coming (Op-Ed): Egypt is erupting once again. Syria is in flames. Libya is broken and leaderless and Tunisia's 'new' government is struggling to reinvent its country. Protests are once again the order of the day. Is this proof the Arab Spring has failed? http://rt.com/news/brace-for-arab-winter-oped-946/
Netanyahu: Abbas Speech Venomous, Israel Will Respond:"The world watched a defamatory and venomous speech that was full of mendacious propaganda against the IDF and the citizens of Israel. Someone who wants peace does not talk in such a manner," said the statement about Abbas's speech. http://is.gd/Cxr6X3
READ: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Addresses the United Nations: Here is the transcript of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' address to the U.N. General Assembly: http://is.gd/NTxwh5
Israel to build 3,000 (illegal) "settler" homes after UN vote: Israel has authorised the construction of 3,000 more housing units in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli media reports say. It is thought the homes are to be built in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. http://is.gd/eQNyga
White House brands new Israeli settlement expansion as 'counterproductive': THE White House said today a new Israeli settlement expansion plan was "counterproductive" and could make it harder to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. http://is.gd/ydqYy4
Canada recalling diplomats from Israel, West Bank and UN: Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, says they will be brought home to assess the implications of Thursday's UN General Assembly vote, which recognized the Palestinians as a non-membe. Canada strongly opposed the decision. http://is.gd/QVuDrA
Gilad Atzmon: The End of Jewish Power: OP-Ed : For months, Israel gave the impression that it was ready and willing to attack Iran nuclear facilities, only to have to admit, even to itself, that it lacked both the means and guts to do so. Israel then launched a lethal attack on the people of Gaza. It called up 75.000 IDF reservists, only to find out that it didn't have the stomach to face Palestinian resistance. http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/the-end-of-jewish-power-1.html
US to build $100 million nuclear bunker near Tel Aviv: According to the Washington Post, the ultra-secretive, five-story underground facility will be named "Site 911" and will have classrooms, an auditorium, a laboratory, shock-resistant doors and protection from non-ionizing radiation. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6580
U.S. Senate votes 94-0 to expand sanctions on Iran energy, shipping: The U.S. Senate resoundingly approved new sanctions on trade with Iran's energy, port, shipping and ship-building sectors on Friday, its latest effort to ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. http://is.gd/PnDB5M
Iran may quit anti-nuclear arms pact if attacked: Soltanieh: Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, also suggested Iran in such a case could kick out IAEA inspectors and install its uranium enrichment centrifuges in "more secure" places. http://is.gd/oIun9g
UK withholds aid to Rwanda in light of Congo DRC allegations: Justine Greening stops release of £21m in budget support to Kigali after Democratic Republic of Congo conflict escalates http://is.gd/ecLxGA
Mau Mau massacre cover-up detailed in newly-opened secret files: Documents reveal how British officials concocted cover story to explain death of men killed by prison guards in Kenya http://is.gd/izdrio
Autonomous US stealth drone completes 1st test launch: The US Navy has executed the first launch of a stealth drone set to be the first robot aircraft piloted by artificial intelligence. The "killer robot" might be the next step in the development of machines with the power to decide who lives or dies. https://rt.com/usa/news/us-drone-launch-autonomous-986/
Accused WikiLeaks Whistleblower Bradley Manning Testifies He Thought He Would "Die in Custody": Speaking Thursday at a pretrial proceeding, Manning revealed the emotional tumult he experienced while imprisoned in Kuwait after his arrest in 2010, saying, "I remember thinking, 'I'm going to die.' http://is.gd/uXeqfo
Report from the US Gulag: Jose Padilla resentencing put off eight weeks:A U.S. judge has delayed sentencing for Jose Padilla, allowing visits from his family for the first time in years. A federal appeals court has ordered a new sentencing hearing that could lengthen his term. http://is.gd/wJyy4a
Tutu protests Nobel Peace Prize for EU: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and two other Nobel Peace laureates have written to the foundation in protest at the decision to award the 2012 prize to the European Union. http://is.gd/eofHTh
Strauss-Kahn, NY maid settle assault case for '$6 million': Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Nafissitou Diallo, the New York hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her last year, will settle out of court for $6 million, French media reports said on Friday. http://is.gd/d7sKwY
Brazilian megaproject in Mozambique set to displace millions of peasants: The Brazilian government and private sector are collaborating with Japan to push a large-scale agribusiness project in Northern Mozambique. The project, will make 14 million hectares of land available to Brazilian agribusiness companies for the production of soybeans, maize and other commodity crops that will be exported by Japanese multinationals. http://is.gd/v6iQ56
High Food Costs Boost Supply Risk as World Hunger Grows: High and volatile global food prices have become the "new norm," creating increased risk for supplies at a time when 12 percent of the population remains chronically undernourished, the World Bank said. http://is.gd/4jgStq
Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world (and USA is 16th!) In 1988 America came top of a rank of 50 countries according to where it would be best to be born in the world. http://is.gd/p5QoEe
Italy Unemployment Rose to Highest in 13 Years in October: Italy's unemployment rate rose more than expected in October to the highest level in 13 years as businesses refrain from hiring after the recession entered its second year. http://is.gd/J3CBDS
Only 3 U.S. Cities Fully Recovered from 2007 Recession: Dallas and Pittsburgh are two of only three U.S. cities that have staged a full economic recovery from the 2007-09 recession and experiencing growth, according to a report. http://is.gd/Z2aGKS
One-day strike by fast-food workers at McDonald's, Burger King and other restaurants is just the beginning: The hope is to unionize low-paid service workers, with the goal of a $15-an-hour living wage, coalition members say. http://is.gd/mAhtSb
Fracking Our Food Supply : Op-Ed: Farmers need clean water, clean air and clean soil to produce healthful food. But as the largest private landholders in shale areas across the nation, farmers are disproportionately being approached by energy companies eager to extract oil and gas from beneath their properties. Already, some are regretting it. http://www.thenation.com/article/171504/fracking-our-food-supply#
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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