| Hard News
80 killed in clashes between rebel groups in Pakistan:
Ten rebels died in fighting today between the Taliban and a pro-government militant group in Khyber tribal region of north-west Pakistan, taking the toll in four days of clashes to more than 80.
Three Afghan brothers killed in US-led night raid:
An Afghan governor confirmed the operation and said the three brothers had been in a taxi when foreign forces opened fire on them in Lugar Province .
At least 19 killed in Yemen in two separate attacks:
A car bomb has killed at least 11 killed and injured 17 in Rida city, 100 miles south east of the Yemeni capital, Al Arabiya correspondent reported Monday. Also, a suicide bomber killed at least eight Yemeni soldiers on Monday after troops backed by tanks attacked an al-Qaeda stronghold, al-Bayda province
10 rebels killed in northeast Syria, clashes in capital: activists:
Ten rebels were killed in combat with government forces in Hasakeh, a majority-Kurdish city in northeast Syria, while fighting raged in a Damascus district on Monday, activists said.
With No Foreign Meddling, Syrian War Over in 2 Weeks - Assad:
The civil conflict in Syria can be over in two weeks if foreign fighters and weapons stop trickling in through the border with Turkey, the Al-Akhbar daily in Beirut quoted the Syrian president as say
Assad made "grave error" over reforms, Medvedev says:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a "grave, perhaps fatal error" by delaying political reforms, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said Sunday.
Netanyahu says Israel, US in sync on Syria:
PM tells visiting congressmen two governments practicing 'very close coordination' in monitoring Assad's chemical weapons
Gunmen kill 8 in northeastern Nigeria attack:
A spokesman for joint military and police forces in Borno state, the epicentre of a campaign of violence by Islamist sect Boko Haram, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, confirmed the attack on Gajigana town but did not have any further details.
Two killed in 'militant attack' on Algeria pipeline:
Two guards have been killed in an attack by militants on a gas pipeline in northern Algeria, officials say. Seven others were wounded when the Ain Chikh pipeline in the Djebahia region, some 120km (75 miles) east of the capital, Algiers, was blown up.
French official says military entered Timbuktu:
The chief French military spokesman says French forces have entered the north Malian town of Timbuktu after seizing the airport and roads leading to the fabled city overnight.
Timbuktu mayor: Mali rebels torched library of historic manuscripts:
Fleeing Islamist insurgents burnt two buildings containing priceless books as French-led troops approached, says mayor
Inside Gao - motorbikes, celebrations and 'liberté':
VideoWe drove into Gao on the back of a military pick up. I've never seen anything quite like it.
Tuareg rebels say control Kidal, Islamists gone:
Secular Malian Tuareg MNLA rebels said on Monday they were now in control of the northern town of Kidal after Islamist militant fighters abandoned it.
"The Malian army abuses marred the reconquest of the north":
Executions by bullets or machetes, bodies thrown into wells ... Twelve days after the start of the operation Serval designed to stop the spread of Islamist en route to the south of Mali, the testimonies of the atrocities committed by soldiers the Malian army is growing.
Mali Militants Shift Up Tactics As France's War Coalition Grows:
The aerial escalation has driven the expansion of the French-led coalition from just a handful of countries to more than a dozen. Nigerian and British combat planes and airlifters from several European and Middle Eastern states have joined the French aerial armada hunting militants in northern Mali.
British troops to join Mali mission:
David Cameron says UK will support French mission to drive Islamists out but insists forces will not engage in combat
US official: Mali intervention 'could take years':
"This is only the first phase. It is going to take time. I think people should not be into the illusion that it is going to be quick," said Yamamoto, the principal deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
U.S. Plans Base for Surveillance Drones in Northwest Africa:
The United States military command in Africa is preparing plans to establish a drone base in northwest Africa to increase unarmed surveillance missions on the local affiliate of Al Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups that American and other Western officials say pose a growing menace to the region.
Egypt opposition rejects Mohammed Morsi dialogue call:
The violence continued on Monday morning, with one man killed by gunfire near Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Egyptian protesters burning a Qatari flag in Tahrir Square:
In Egypt demonstrator blasted Qatar's interventions in Arab countries' internal affairs. Months ago, Qatari Emir had called Arab nations 'sheep.'
Massive Explosion Reported At Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility:
Reports of an explosion at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility have surfaced and are being both confirmed and denied by multiple sources.
Iran Rejects Report of Blast at Nuclear Site as Propaganda:
The Fordo site, where Iran carries out uranium enrichment, has drawn particular attention from Israel because it would be difficult to destroy in an air strike. Israel has said it may carry out such attacks in order to stop Iran's nuclear progress.
U.S. does not believe media reports about blast at Iranian enrichment plant:
"We have no information to confirm the allegations in the report and we do not believe the report is credible," Carney said. "We don't believe those are credible reports."
Israel: Iran slowing nuclear program, won't have bomb before 2015:
"Previous assessments were built on a set of data that has since shifted," said one Israeli intelligence officer, who spoke to McClatchy only on the condition that he not be identified. He said that in addition to a series of "mishaps" that interrupted work at Iran's nuclear facilities, Iranian officials appeared to have slowed the program on their own.
Israel Girds for Attacks as Syria Falls Apart:
At least one Iron Dome missile defense battery was deployed Sunday in northern Israel amid reports of intense security consultations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Syria and the possibility of chemical weapons falling into the hands of Islamist rebels or being transferred to the militant group Hezbollah.
Assad: We Regained the Upper Hand:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told visitors that the Syrian army "regained the initiative on the ground to a very high degree and achieved important results, which will come to light soon." "Externally funded armed groups received several hard blows recently," Assad added.
Michael Scheuer: Israel owns the Congress -
Video
Iran has launched monkey into space, claims news agency:
Kavoshgar rocket reached height of more than 75 miles and 'returned its shipment intact', news agency reports
Argentina and Iran agree truth commission:
Argentina and Iran are to jointly set up a commission to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (Amia) Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires.The commission will be made up of five independent judges, none of whom will be from either Argentina or Iran. Jewish organisation were reported to be vehemently opposed to the move.
Abbas: Liberman threatened to assassinate me:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel's former foreign minister of threatening to assassinate him, adding that he is defenseless in the face of Israeli threats.
World 'must respect' Palestinian reconciliation: Hamas:
Exiled Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said on Monday the world "must respect" Palestinian reconciliation talks, after meeting King Abdullah II in Jordan, a palace statement said. "I am optimistic about the Palestinian reconciliation. " Meshaal was quoted as saying after meeting the king in Amman.
Israel uses deadly weapons on unarmed Palestinian protesters - watchdog:
Israel is using lethal force on unarmed Palestinian protesters in the West Bank, according to the latest report by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. It says 56 people were killed in the clashes, with an average age of 18.
UAE accuses 94 of plot to seize power:
The United Arab Emirates has referred 94 nationals to court on charges of plotting to seize power in the oil-rich Gulf state, saying they sought financial aid from the Muslim Brotherhood.
France 'totally bankrupt', says labour minister Michel Sapin:
France's labour minister sent the country into a state of shock on Monday after he described the nation as "totally bankrupt".
UK: London: Extremists plaster East End in posters declaring Sharia Law zone:
Threatening posters have put up across the East End declaring parts of Tower Hamlets as zones operating under strict Islamic law.
Iceland Wins Major Case Over Failed Bank:
On Monday, the court upheld the country's refusal to promptly cover the losses of British and Dutch depositors who had put more than $10 billion in Icesave, the bankrupt online offshoot of a failed Icelandic bank.
Clash trashes Dominican Republic's opposition party offices:
Rival groups of PRD members exchanged gunfire, hurled stones and chairs at each other, leaving eight wounded, one of them seriously, prompting antiriot police to disperse a first wave with tear gas.
Former CIA officer: Jail sentence a 'badge of honor':
NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the case and Kiriakou says he leaked the information to speak out against torture, calling himself a "whistleblower."
LA sheriff's deputies shot unarmed Latino father of 2 in the back 7 times:
"How am I supposed to explain to my daughters that their father was murdered by the police, the people who they are supposed to go to for protection," asked Rosanna de la Trinidad three days after her husband was killed.
Pentagon to boost cybersecurity force fivefold:
In an interview, a senior defense official said that the "national mission" teams would focus their efforts overseas and that any actions they took would be directed outside U.S. networks - unless the teams were asked to provide assistance to another agency with domestic authority, such as the FBI.
11 Body Parts Defense Researchers Will Use to Track You:
Cell phones that can identify you by how you walk. Fingerprint scanners that work from 25 feet away. Radars that pick up your heartbeat from behind concrete walls. Algorithms that can tell identical twins apart
Unauthorized unlocking of mobile phones set to be illegal in U.S.:
Unlocking phones gives users the ability to freely skirt things such as roaming fees while traveling abroad or paying exorbitant fees for using other carrier services.
Immigration reform: US senators in bipartisan deal:
The framework calls for a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US, while tightening border security.
Arizona Republicans Propose Bill That Would Not Allow Atheists To Graduate High School:
A group of Arizona politicians - all Republicans, of course - have proposed a law (House Bill 2467) requiring public high school students to recite the following oath in order to graduate:
===
"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
| 
