Hard News
Gunmen attack Baghdad liquor stores, 12 killed:
Gunmen using silenced weapons attacked at least nine liquor stores in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 12 people, police and medical sources said.
1st Kurdish fighters enter Iraq from Turkey:
Bringing their rifles and hand grenades, the first Kurdish fighters crossed Tuesday from Turkey into northern Iraq as part of a peace deal to end a long uprising despite Iraqi objections to the transfer.
Syria rebels lose control of key town on road between Jordan and Damascus:
Syrian troops have taken full control of a town near the highway linking the capital Damascus with Jordan, a new advance in the regime's campaign to drive rebels from the strategic south, an activist group said Monday.
Abandoned arms as Syria rebels pull back near Qusayr:
Abandoned machineguns and tunnels filled with mattresses and food are all that remains of the rebel presence in the Syrian village of Western Dumayna as the army tightens the noose around the adjacent town of Qusayr.
Weapons, ammunition shipments slowing to Syria's moderate rebel factions:
Disagreements among the countries backing the rebels in Syria have led to a drop in weapons shipments, leaving rebels vulnerable to a government military offensive. Saudi Arabia has stopped sending weapons via Turkey and has shifted its supply channels to northern Jordan.
Fact or fiction?
Saudis explore Iranian options for Syria & Lebanon in talks with Iran's Salehi:
Saudi Arabia has decided to explore dialogue with its great regional rival Iran for ending the Syrian conflict and assuring Lebanon's political future, debkafile's Gulf sources report. They have given up on US policy for Syria in view of Russian and Iranian unbending support for Bashar Assad;
Hundreds of armed groups hold swathes of north Syria: ICRC:
Syria's rebels are fragmented into hundreds of armed groups who control swathes of the north, while government forces appear to have consolidated their hold on the capital, a senior Red Cross official said on Monday.
Syria demands rebels leave or get killed:
Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said Monday that the armed rebels in Syria have two options "return to where they came from, or to be killed".
Outrage at Syrian rebel shown 'eating soldier's heart':
The desecration and mutilation of a killed person is definitely a war crime," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, told the BBC. "This one particularly disturbing because of the sectarian nature of the language used by Abu Sakkar."
Syria rebel defends gruesome video as revenge: report:
"I have another video clip... In the clip I am sawing another shabiha with a saw. The saw we use to cut trees. I sawed him in small pieces and large ones,"
Syria: "Rebels" kill prisoner: Video
- Warning -
UK to double aid to Syria "rebels": PM:
THE UK will double the non-lethal military support for Syrian opposition rebels to help them withstand an "onslaught" from Bashar al-Assad's "regime", Prime Minister David Cameron says.
Assad's fate proves sticking point for talks:
"If President Assad decides to miscalculate again about that, as he has miscalculated about his own country's future over the course of the last years, it is clear the opposition will be receiving additional support, there will be additional efforts made and unfortunately the violence will not end," Kerry said.
Syria: Assad Still Popular In Parts Of Country:
Sky News' Tim Marshall in Latakia, Syria, says parts of the population still back Mr Assad - and Western leaders should take note.
Syrians losing patience, confidence in revolution:
"At first, I believed in the revolution because I believe in civil rights, but now the revolution is going in a different direction, and Islamist groups are spreading all over the country," Kador says.
Arab League says Syria seat not given to opposition:
The vacant Syrian seat at the Arab League has not been given to the opposition, even though its leader addressed the bloc's last summit, the League's secretary general said on Tuesday.
Putin Warns Netanyahu, Against Aggravating Syria Crisis:
The remark appeared intended as a warning against foreign military intervention or arming the rebels fighting against Syrian forces.
As Netanyahu meets Putin, report suggests S-300 already in Syria:
According to the London-based Arab paper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Russia has already transported the missiles to Syria, Israeli media outlet Walla reported Tuesday. According to the report, attributed to a Syrian military official, the missile batteries are not yet operational, and are currently under full Russian supervision.
Turkish MP blames Al Nusra for border town attack:
"This was the work of a very professional terrorist organisation," said Mr Ediboglu, who represents Hatay in parliament, told The National by telephone. "It looks like an Al Qaeda-style attack," he said, adding that Al Nusra had a strong presence on the Syrian side of the border region.
13 detained for Turkish bombings, death toll rises to 51:
Turkey's prime minister says authorities have detained four more people in connection with two car bomb attacks in a Turkish town near the Syrian border, bringing the number of suspects in custody to 13.
Turkey: Israel to compensate only those who drop lawsuits:
Deputy PM Arinc confirms reconciliation agreement will obligate families of Marmara raid victims to drop lawsuits against IDF officers. Families' rep: Inappropriate to talk compensation prior to removal of Gaza blockade
ICC prosecutor opens initial probe into Gaza flotilla:
"My office will be conducting a preliminary examination in order to establish whether the criteria for opening an investigation are met," Bensouda said in a statement issued from the court based in The Hague
Hamas: Unity government to be formed in 3 months:
Fatah and Hamas agreed Tuesday to form a unity government within three months, a senior Hamas official said.
Israeli troops attack Bethlehem rally:
As the rally arrived in the old town of al-Khader and headed to the bypass Israeli road, Rt. 60, Israeli soldiers attacked the rally with tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets.
Jewish extremists torch cars, desecrate mosque in Israel:
Suspected Jewish extremists set fire to three cars and sprayed racist graffiti on a mosque in northern Israel overnight Monday, Israeli media reported.
British lawyer fined for anti-Semitic rant:
A British lawyer who said she "cannot stand Jewish people" during an office rant was found guilty of discrimination by a disciplinary panel.
Egypt's parliament follows Jordan's in call to expel Israeli envoy:
Less than a week after the Jordanian parliament voted in favor of expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman, Egypt's upper house followed suit, demanding the ambassador's "immediate banishment" from Cairo.
US to boycott UN Conference on Disarmament:
The conference is struggling to craft a deal on nuclear disarmament, preventing arms from spreading to outer space and halting the development of other weapons of mass destruction.
4 U.S. occupation force soldiers killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan:
The blast that hit the American convoy took place in the Zhari district of Kandahar province, said NATO spokesman Col. Thomas Collins
At least 3 'killed' in Afghan bazaar attack:
A bomb hidden in a parked motorcycle has exploded in Afghanistan's Garmsir district in Helmand, killing at least three people and wounding seven.
NATO: 3 occupation force troops killed in Afghanistan attack:
A truck bombing Monday killed three coalition service members in southern Afghanistan, NATO said in a statement. A local official said the attack targeted a base operated by troops from Georgia.
Leaving Afghanistan Is a $7 Billion Moving Task for U.S.:
It will require sending Humvees, helicopters, drones and 12 1/2-ton mine-resistant vehicles home by rail and truck networks stretching from Karachi to ports in the Baltic Sea.
'Corrupt' Afghan MPs are named in parliament:
Afghan lawmakers accused of corruption have been named in parliament by Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal, triggering noisy cheering and applause in the lower house.
Iran expresses regret for killing Afghan migrants:
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Aragchi said yesterday, "We express regret while offering sympathy to relatives of victims if innocent people were harmed when passing through Iran illegally."
Pakistani Court Accuses U.S. of War Crimes for Drone Strikes:
Could the U.S., who perennial accuses its enemies of war crimes soon face those accusations itself before the UN? That possibility appears increasingly likely following a landmark Pakistani court ruling.
Video suggests higher Bangladesh protest toll: Video -
"Independent news sources put the figure at approximately 50 dead, with others succumbing to injuries later," HRW said in a statement on Saturday.
3 killed as deadly car bombing hits Libya's Benghazi:
A car bomb has exploded outside a major hospital in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more, according to official sources.
US pulls diplomats out of Libya:
Libya protests prompt Washington to evacuate some staff and put its troops on alert
Nigeria president declares state of emergency:
Admitting Islamic extremists now control some of his nation's villages and towns, Nigeria's president declared a state of emergency Tuesday across the country's troubled northeast, promising to send more troops to fight what he said is now an open rebellion.
N Korea slams US aircraft carrier's arrival in S Korea:
North Korea has criticised the arrival of the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South for a joint drill as an "extremely reckless" provocation and a rehearsal for war against the communist state.
Russian FSB Detains U.S. Diplomat Accused of Spying:
Russia's security services say they detained a U.S. diplomat they claim is a CIA agent after they caught him red-handed trying to recruit a Russian agent.
Venezuela launches massive street security operation:
Under operation "Safe Homeland", 3,000 soldiers will patrol the streets of the capital Caracas and other cities. President Maduro said the plan would bring peace to Venezuela, which has one of the highest homicide rates in South America.
Guantanamo : Doctors, Nurses Made to Brutally Force-Feedings On Prisoners :
The 30-page manual states that nurses and doctors are essentially on hand to carry out the military policy. These force-feedings are carried out by these medical professionals regardless of whether the prisoner grants consent.
Report: Canada could see indigenous uprising:
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
AP Phone Records Seized By Justice Department As War On Leaks Continues:
The Associated Press revealed Monday that the Justice Department secretly obtained two months of reporter and editor phone records from the spring of 2012, the latest and most illustrative example of the Obama administration's unprecedented war on leaks.
Here's the story the AP suspects led to sweeping Justice Dept. subpoena:
The Department of Justice secretly obtained Associated Press phone records from 20 different phone lines over two months, according to the news agency. The subpoenaed phones records included personal and office lines for several national security reporters and editors as well as "the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery."
Justice Department Subpoena of AP Journalists Shows Need to Protect Calling Records:
It no longer makes sense to treat calling records and other metadata related to our communications as if they aren't fully protected by the Constitution.
AP, IRS, Benghazi: how can Americans trust President Obama now?: Op-Ed -
The only 'political circus' is all the controversies in the Obama administration. Republicans and America want answers
Holder Discloses IRS Criminal Probe:
He said he ordered the investigation Friday, after the IRS apologized for what it said was inappropriate scrutiny of tax-exemption requests by conservative groups with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names.
In a world gone crazy:
Traveler from Saudi Arabia arrested at Detroit Metro with pressure cooker:
His nephew says the case is a misunderstanding, and that his uncle was bringing him the pressure cooker so he could make lamb.
Europeans disillusioned and divided by debt crisis, survey finds:
Public faith in European unity has slumped as people become increasingly gloomy about economic conditions, according to Washington-based Pew Institute.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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