17 killed in Afghan bombing:
At
least 17 people, including 12 women and four children, were killed
Tuesday when their vehicle was struck by a bomb planted on the roadside
in the western Afghan province of Herat, officials said.
Afghanistan: UK forces in Helmand 'made matters worse', says report:
Study says 'ignorant' troops alienated local people and the Taliban are likely to try to retake the Afghanistan province
Pakistan: President's security officer among three killed in Karachi blast:
President
Asif Ali Zardari's chief security officer, Bilal Sheikh and two others
(Sheikh's driver, fruit vendor) were killed in a suicide blast
targeting his double cabin vehicle near the Binoria Town Mosque in the
Gurumandir area of the city on Wednesday.
Twelve Killed Across Iraq, including four women in Mosul:
In
Mosul, two soldiers were killed and two more were wounded in an I.E.D.
blast. Three women were killed during a home invasion. Gunmen killed a
woman.
Syrian rebels disperse food protest with gunfire:
Syrian
rebels fired into the air to disperse a protest by civilians in a
rebel-held district of Aleppo against a blockade preventing food and
medicine reaching government-held areas of the northern city, residents
said on Wednesday.
Syrian rebel blockade in Aleppo leaves thousands hungry: activists: -
Syrian
rebels have intensified their blockade of government-held areas in the
northern city of Aleppo, where residents now face severe food
shortages, opposition activists said on Tuesday.
Syrian rebels lose hope on promised US military aid:
Members
of the Syrian opposition said on Tuesday that they had given up hope
that the United States would deliver promised military aid to rebels as
war planes and artillery smashed the central city of Homs.
Saudi arms will arrive soon: Syria rebel chief:
The
new president of the main Syrian opposition group says he expected
advanced Saudi weapons will arrive in the country soon and change their
military situation, which he described as weak
Russia says Syrian rebels made sarin nerve gas used in Aleppo attack:
Russia's
UN ambassador said Tuesday that Russian experts determined that Syrian
rebels made sarin nerve gas and used it in a deadly chemical weapon
attack outside Aleppo in March.
Inquiry on Aleppo chemical attack met international standards, unlike West's - Lavrov:
Russia's
inquiry into the use of chemical weapons on Syrian territory was
carried out in full accordance with international standards, unlike a
similar evaluation by Western countries, says Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov.
Al-Qaida in Syria is most serious terrorist threat to UK, says report:
Intelligence and security committee report warns of catastrophic consequences should militants get hold of chemical weapons
Two dead after militants attack security checkpoint in Sinai:
The
official says the gunmen stormed the post in an area called Sadr
Haitan in central Sinai early Wednesday. He says six people were
wounded in the attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to brief the press.
Egypt: interim presidency appoints PM and vice-president:
Egypt's
military-backed interim presidency appointed the economist Hazem
el-Beblawi as prime minister and the internationally known opposition
leader, Mohamed ElBaradei, as vice-president.
Egypt's Brotherhood rejects cabinet offer:
The
Muslim Brotherhood has rejected an offer to join Egypt's transitional
cabinet, as new interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi announced he
would start work on forming an interim government once he meets liberal
leaders.
Egypt orders Brotherhood chief held, Mursi in 'safe place':
Egypt
on Wednesday ordered the arrest of the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme
leader Mohammed Badie over violence in Cairo that left dozens dead
while charging another 200 people over the bloodshed, judicial sources
said.
Amnesty slams Egypt army's 'disproportionate' use of force:
Amnesty
International said on Wednesday it had evidence pointing to the
"disproportionate" use of lethal force by Egyptian security forces, and
called for them to be reined in to avoid "disaster".
In talking about Egypt, Obama officials won't even mention the word 'coup' :
U.S.
officials went to great lengths Monday to avoid calling Egypt's abrupt
regime change a coup, a label that could force a suspension of aid to
the stalwart Arab ally at a time when the U.S. appears to be losing
leverage in conflicts across the Middle East.
Israel urged U.S. not to halt aid to Egypt, says top American official:
During
intensive Washington-Jerusalem coordination talks, Israeli leadership
warned U.S. officials military aid cut to Egypt would likely impact
negatively on Israel's security.
Rival groups in Egypt reject transition plan:
Muslim Brotherhood says proposed timetable would take country "back to zero" while opposition bloc NSF denounces decree.
Saudi Arabia and UAE to lend Egypt up to $8 billion:
The
United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will give Egypt money in the
wake of its political and economic crisis. The UAE will provide Cairo
with $1 billion and lend it a further $2 billion, while Saudi Arabia
will give Egypt a $5 billion aid package.
The Egyptian army and Palestinian Authority join forces to punish Gaza:
Since
being installed into power through a military coup, anti-Morsi
elements have stepped up their campaign of scapegoating, baselessly
accusing Palestinians of serving as armed mercenaries for the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Egypt's coup does not bode well for Palestinians:
Hamas
is indeed in trouble. In a very short time, it has lost major regional
allies. Iran, Syria and Hezbollah no longer support the group, because
of its position on Syria. The Muslim Brotherhood, which lifted Hamas's
years-long international isolation, is gone from electoral politics.
Amnesty accuses Israel of judicial bullying:
Rights group issues scathing attack on trial of Palestinian women over weekly protests against West Bank settlement.
Iran claims to have mobile S-200 SAMs:
Iran
has produced a mobile version of the S-200 (SA-5 'Gammon')
surface-to-air missile (SAM) and upgraded the system to shorten its
reaction time and improve its performance against individual fighters,
air defence chief Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili has told Iranian
media organisations.
Senate Set to Confirm New FBI Head Who OK'd Waterboarding, Defends Mass Spying, Indefinite Detention:
Former
Bush administration Deputy Attorney General James Comey refused to
criticize the broad, ongoing collection of the phone records of
Americans and defended the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens deemed
to be enemy combatants.
The NSA Has Inserted Its Code Into Android OS, Or Three Quarters Of All Smartphones:
Over
a decade ago, it was discovered that the NSA embedded backdoor access
into Windows 95, and likely into virtually all other subsequent
internet connected, desktop-based operating systems.
NSA spied on Latin America for energy and military intel:
Colombia
is a top priority for the US, registering the most spy activity, with
Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil following closely behind. In addition,
Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Paraguay,
Chile, Peru and El Salvador are under surveillance, though to a lesser
degree.
Mexico demands information on US spying operations:
Mexico
has demanded Washington to provide "broad information" about a leaked
report that it was among Latin American nations monitored by US spy
agencies.
Glenn Greenwald: Snowden: I never gave any information to Chinese or Russian governments:
As a new poll shows widespread American approval for him, the NSA whistleblower vehemently denies media claims
Poll: Most Americans call Snowden a whistle-blower, not a traitor:
In
a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, a majority of
respondents - 55 percent - say Snowden, the computer analyst who leaked
top-secret National Security Agency documents, is a whistle-blower.
Just 34 percent sided with numerous members of Congress calling
Snowden's actions treasonous.
Key witness in Bradley Manning trial: Guantánamo files just 'baseball cards':
Former chief prosecutor Colonel Morris Davis says WikiLeaks detainee files contained information already available publicly
Experts: Obama's plan to predict future leakers unproven, unlikely to work:
President
Barack Obama has ordered federal employees to report suspicious
actions of their colleagues based on behavioral profiling techniques
that are not scientifically proven to work, according to experts and
government documents.
Man arrested after crashing car into U.S. embassy in Australia:
Emergency
services, including a bomb disposal squad, were at the scene as a
precaution after the incident occurred at about 6 p.m. (0700 GMT)
Detectives were talking to the 30-year-old arrested man, a police
spokesman said. No injuries were reported.
Unapproved GM rice found in US exports to over 30 countries:
A
new report has revealed that the rice supply in at least 30 countries
may have already been contaminated with genetically modified strains
from US exports, thereby threatening worldwide contamination.
Wal-Mart Will Not Open D.C. Stores if Forced to Pay Living Wages, Claims 'Business Discrimination':
Poor
giant Wal-Mart is threatening to abandon plans to open three locations
in Washington, D.C. if the city enacts a living wage bill targeting
superstores for fair pay
