Hard News
Bomb kills five in southern Afghanistan: At least five people, including two women, were killed when a bomb targeting an army vehicle exploded in southern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said. http://is.gd/NzCIZi
NATO Occupation Force Soldier Killed In Southern Afghanistan: A NATO soldier has been killed in an insurgent attack in Afghanistan's south, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement posted on its website late on Sunday. http://is.gd/xhJlDZ
Airstrike kills 12 in Syrian border town: Activists: Among the dead were four civilians and eight rebels, the Britain-based watchdog said. http://is.gd/tOMgG9
Lebanese army clashes with Syrian rebels on border: The clash occurred when a Lebanese border patrol spotted the rebel fighters along the border and the rebels opened fire to prevent the patrol from approaching, a Lebanese military source said. http://is.gd/wEXL3g
Al Qaida-linked group Syria rebels once denied now key to anti-Assad victories: Not only does the group still conduct suicide bombings that have killed hundreds, but they've proved to be critical to the rebels' military advance. In battle after battle across the country, Nusra and similar groups do the heaviest frontline fighting. http://is.gd/lGI0mJ
Manufacturing Consent For An Attack On Syria? US official: Syria moving chemical weapons components: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, reiterated President Barack Obama's declaration that Syrian action on chemical weapons was a "red line" for the United States that would prompt action. "We have made our views very clear: This is a red line for the United States," Clinton told reporters. http://is.gd/yymOvu
Manufacturing Consent For An Attack On Syria? Report: Syria Combining Chemicals for Sarin Gas: Engineers working for Assad are combining the two chemical precursors needed to weaponize sarin gas, says U.S. official. http://is.gd/mtqbLz
Israel sought Jordanian permission to destroy chemical weapons sites in Syria: Israel has asked Jordan for permission to bomb Syrian chemical weapons sites twice in the past two months, US magazine the Atlantic has reported. http://is.gd/uRoH6w
Syria Stresses It Won't Use Any Chemical Weapons: The Ministry source slammed the US for being the first country in history to use nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, calling on it to stop fabricating such things. http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=135834
UN pulling staff from Syria, violence near capital: Fighting between rebels and government forces raged near the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, forcing an inbound commercial jet to turn back while the U.N. said it was withdrawing staff because of deteriorating security conditions. http://is.gd/LgPtZp
Turkey Scrambles Fighter Jets as Syrian Violence Flares on Border:Syrians run for cover as smoke rises over the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain after an airstrike, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar. The strikes, and Turkey's response, came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Istanbul for talks. http://is.gd/rBgW8g
Russia warns Turkey over deployment of NATO missiles on Syria border: "Creating additional capabilities on the border does not defuse the situation but on the contrary exacerbates it," Putin said in a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after talks in Istanbul on Monday. http://is.gd/lfgxQK
Missiles on Turkish border prelude to NATO interference: Larijani: Speaking at a Monday press conference in the Iranian capital city, Tehran, Larijani voiced Iran's opposition to deployment of NATO Patriot missiles along Turkey's 900-km border with Syria, saying the scenario is a prelude to NATO's intervention in the region. http://is.gd/iNEvVR
Turkey to keep buying Iran's gas despite sanctions: Turkey will continue to buy natural gas from Iran despite the prospect of tighter US sanctions, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, indicating the measures are not likely to have much impact on the countries' gold-for-gas trade. http://is.gd/Zsbdhy
US boosts number of spy drone flights over Iran: The Wall Street Journal alleges this week that the US has ramped-up its number of spy drone missions over the Bushehr nuclear reactor ever since fuel rods were unexpectedly discharged from the facility in October, just two months after the facility became fully operational. http://rt.com/usa/news/us-drone-iran-surveillance-165/
Palestinian killed by Israeli fire N. West Bank: A Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in Allar village north of Tulkarm city of the West Bank, it was reported here Monday. http://is.gd/biQ2Nl
Showing contempt for international law: Israel expedites plan for 1,700 illegal housing units in occupied East Jerusalem: The controversial "settlement" construction in Ramat Shlomo was approved in March 2010, during a visit by U.S. VP Joe Biden; Israel decides to accelerate plans in response to PA's UN upgrade. http://is.gd/HUEcvW
Israel Illegal Building Plan Prompts Diplomatic Protest by 5 Nations: Britain, France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their countries on Monday to protest Israel's plans for increased settlement construction, an unusually sharp diplomatic step that reflected the growing frustration abroad with Israel's policies on the Palestinian issue. http://is.gd/0W5QF7
Canada plays down Israeli illegal settlement criticism: Canada stood apart Monday from some major allies, the U.S. included, in refusing to condemn Israeli plans for new illegal settlements. http://is.gd/xtZPPe
Mahmoud Abbas' real "accomplishment" was not the UN vote on Palestine: Op-Ed: The Palestinian president has accomplished more for Israel than he has for Palestine. http://is.gd/fBrx3O
Australian surveillance 'out of control': 20% increase in 1 year; Access to private data has increased by 20 per cent by Australia's law enforcement and government agencies - and with no warrant. Australians are 26 times more prone to be placed under surveillance than people in other countries, local media report. http://rt.com/news/australia-surveillance-phone-internet-145/
Facebook accused of massive 'data grab' with new service that automatically uploads your phone pictures: Whether or not users decide share the photos on their public newsfeed, Facebook itself will still have access. http://is.gd/njQBfC
Drones to use US airspace as safety record questioned: A newly-released internal investigation by the US Air Force has shown a plague of non-mission-related accidents involving drones in its foreign operations. Meanwhile, Washington is pushing ahead with plans to allow drones into US civil airspace. http://rt.com/news/drones-pentagon-us-airspace-056/
The Biggest Bank Bailouts in History (#2 Is Happening Right Now): At $10 billion in a $18 billion economy, bailing out its banks will cost Cyprus a stunning 56 percent of GDP http://is.gd/gI9KzE
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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