Hard News
Iraq: 60 killed, some 100 injured in multiple blast in Baghdad:
At least 60 Iraqi people were killed and nearly 100 injured in a series of bombings in Baghdad on Monday, an interior ministry source said.
Maliki: Iraqi army subject to attacks by Nusra Front at borders with Syria: :
The Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki revealed on Monday that the Iraqi army forces were subject to attacks from the Nusra Front at the Iraqi-Syrian borders.
42 people killed as Lebanese commandos seize complex of militant preacher:
Lebanese commandos seized Monday a complex belonging to Sheikh Ahmad Assir in the southern coastal city of Sidon, in the second day of clashes between the military and gunmen loyal to the militant preacher that have claimed the lives of at least 17 soldiers and more than 25 gunmen.
Gunmen run rampant in Tripoli:
Gunmen have been roaming the streets of the northern city of Tripoli on Monday morning in a show of support to Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, reported the National News Agency.
Assad Must Go: Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs :
When Israel debates whether the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad is "good or bad for the Jews," it should consider the devastating impact his ouster would have on Israel's sole strategic foe, Iran, Shine said. - Assad remaining in power would be far worse than his ouster, although that position has not yet been adopted as official Israeli policy.
Israeli air force attacks Gaza Strip:
The Israeli air force (IAF) attacked targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, following rocket fire from the Palestinian territory into southern Israel, sources from both sides of the conflict said.
Egypt's crackdown on Gaza tunnels takes economic toll on Palestinians:
Amid intensified crackdown on smuggling tunnels, prices of commodities such as cement and fuel are soaring.
Egypt's president denounces sectarian killings:
President Mohammed Mursi's office on Monday condemned the killing of four Shiite Muslims by a Sunni mob, reportedly incited by ultraconservative Salafis, in a village near Cairo.
US to provide training for Yemen police force:
This new rapprochement between Sana'a and Washington comes less than a week after Yemeni officials confirmed the arrivals of American troops to Yemen.
Fact or fiction?
ISAF says 33 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan:
Security forces killed 33 Taliban "enemies" and wounded three during an operation in southern Afghanistan's Urozgan province, military officials said.
Seven Police Officers Killed in Uruzgan Bomb Blast:
The incident took place in the Chenarto district of the province, when a police vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
Nato Occupation Force Soldier Killed In IED Attack in Eastern Afghanistan:
"An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an IED attack in eastern Afghanistan today," said a statement released by Isaf on Sunday.
5 soldiers killed, 6 hurt in militant attack in Indian Kashmir:
In a major attack, five Indian soldiers were killed and six others injured when militants attacked an Indian army convoy in Indian administered Kashmir on Monday evening.
Edward Snowden's location unclear after Moscow airport confusion - live updates:
Farcical scene as Snowden apparently misses Cuba flight - Ecuador: processing Snowden's asylum request.
Assange: Snowden, Manning victims of Obama's war on whistleblowers - Video -
"The current status of Mr Snowden and Harrison is that both are healthy and safe and they are in contact with their legal teams," the WikiLeaks founder said. "Snowden is not a traitor, he is not a spy he is a whistleblower who told the public the important truth," he pointed out.
Snowden receives refugee document of passage from Ecuador: Julian Assange :
Such papers did not necessarily mean that Snowden would be granted asylum in Ecuador, Assange said.
Pelosi booed for saying NSA leaker Snowden violated the law:
Pelosi received the loudest boos and heckles from the crowd when she said Snowden had run afoul of the law by leaking documents to the media on a pair of secret NSA surveillance programs.
Rand Paul: DNI James Clapper lied, Edward Snowden told the truth - Video -
"I do think that when history looks at this, they are going to contrast the behavior James Clapper, our national intelligence director, with Edward Snowden," - "Mr. Clapper lied in Congress, in defiance of the law, in the name of security. Mr. Snowden told the truth in the name of privacy. So I think there will be a judgment, because both of them broke of the law."
A White House petition to pardon Edward Snowden
George Monbio: How can we invest our trust in a government that spies on us? Op-Ed:
We should not fear some Orwellian future state where we're subjected to total electronic scrutiny - it's our present reality
Canada enacts law threatening masked protesters with ten-year jail terms:
Legislation that gives the Canadian state draconian and arbitrary powers to suppress protests became law last week after approval
UK and China sign three year currency swap to make business in Yuan:
Currency-swap agreements allow central banks to swap currencies and can be used by firms to settle trade in local currencies rather than in US dollars, as happens now, since China's currency is not fully convertible to other currencies.
Bond Fund Outflows Hit Record Level on Tapering Fears:
"Fund investors are unloading bonds at a record pace. The combined outflow of $47.2 billion is the highest in any month on record, handily eclipsing the previous record of $41.8 billion in October 2008," said TrimTabs CEO David Santschi, in a report released on Monday.
76% of Americans Are Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck:
Roughly three-quarters of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, with little to no emergency savings, according to a survey released by Bankrate.com Monday.
Traffic ticket money to fund future police pay raises:
An Atlanta police source told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri there are concerns that linking pay raises to tickets creates an indirect quota system
Hard News - June 23, 2013
21 killed in separate attacks in Iraq:
A suicide bomber kills at least 13 people at a Shi'ite mosque north of Baghdad, after three other attacks leave eight dead
Report: Man who executed Saddam Hussein killed in Iraq:
One of the executioners involved in the hanging of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been killed, the outlawed Baath Party said in a statement on Friday. While not providing a date for when the executioner was killed, the statement identified him as Mohammed Nassif al-Maliki, who allegedly appeared in the video of Saddam's execution.
Rebel attack kills 7 people as fighting rages :
In Damascus on Sunday, rebels launched an attack on a police post in the northern part of the city, which left four policemen and three fighters dead, a watchdog said.
Blasts kill 5 in Damascus:
Local media reports that a suicide bombing went off behind a bakery shop in the Northeast Damascus district of Rukin Addien. The attack may have been targeting a nearby police station.
No proof who used chemical weapons: UN:
THE head of a UN human rights investigation on Syria said it was still impossible to tell for sure who has used chemical weapons in the country's devastating conflict.
Qatar: Friends of Syria agree on 'secret' measures to arm rebels:
The 11 main countries which form the "Friends of Syria" coalition agrees "to provide urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies," according to Reuters.
Syria's rebel leader urges extremist fighters to unify in return for weapons:,
The Free Syrian Army has offered powerful Islamist rebel groups a share of advanced new weapons if they unify under the FSA banner.
U.S. gives Syrian rebels missile training in secret camps:
Covert training bases were set up in Jordan and Turkey months before President Obama approved plans to arm the opposition fighting to oust Syria's President Assad, U.S. officials and rebel leaders claim.
Fact or fiction:
Turkey shuts US-NATO arms corridor to Syrian rebels :
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan phoned President Barack Obama in Berlin Wednesday, June 19, to report his sudden decision to shut down the Turkish corridor for the transfer of US and NATO arms to the Syrian rebels.
Report: Jordan transfers military vehicles to Syrian rebels:
The A-Sharq Saudi newspaper reported that Jordan allowed a shipment of heavy military vehicles be transported through its territory to rebel forces in Syria. At the same time, the Jordanian army boosted its forces near the Syrian border.
US army in Jordan expands to '1000 troops':
"The total comes to about 1000" troops, up from about 250 personnel that have been in place for months, a US defence official said on condition of anonymity.
Two Qatari officers transferred chemical materials used by terrorists in Khan al-Assal: Report:
The newspaper pointed out that the transfer of chemical substances was done with the knowledge of Ankara, according to security information disclosed by an intelligence apparatus of a certain regional state.
Turkey protests put strain on Syria planning:
As the United States needs Turkey's help to get weapons into the hands of those fighters, Erdogan faces the threat of more street protests the moment he pursues unpopular policies.
Clashes in Lebanon kill at least 3 as Syrian conflict spreads:
Clashes broke out in the southern Lebanon city of Sidon on Sunday, claiming the lives of at least three army soldiers and stoking fears that violence triggered by the war in Syria will increasingly engulf its smaller neighbor.
Two shot dead as Egypt readies for opposition rallies:
A man was shot dead in overnight clashes north of Cairo between supporters and opponents of Egypt's Islamist government, security sources said, raising tensions ahead of big opposition rallies planned next Sunday.
"Iran and American Foreign Policy: Where Did the U.S. Go Wrong?" : Video -
Noam Chomsky and Flynt and Hillary Leverett, authors of the controversial "Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
10 tourists killed by Pakistani militants:
At least a dozen Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot to death overnight a Pakistani and 10 foreign tourists, including an American, who were visiting one of the world's highest mountains in a remote area of northern Pakistan that has been largely peaceful, officials said Sunday.
Michael Hastings Sent Email About FBI Probe Hours Before Death :
Hours before dying in a fiery car crash, award-winning journalist Michael Hastings sent an email to his colleagues, warning that federal authorities were interviewing his friends and that he needed to go "off the rada[r]" for a bit.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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