NATO Airstrikes Kill 22 in Afghanistan:
At least 22 people were killed in two separate airstrikes launched by US-led foreign forces in the Afghan provinces of Paktia and Ghazni.
2 Afghans, 1 NATO Occupation Force Soldier, Killed In Separate Attacks :
Nangarhar Province's police spokesman, Hazrat Hussain, said an Afghan police officer and an intelligence agent were killed after an explosive-rigged bicycle was remotely detonated on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Jalalabad.
Afghanistan announces 30 year gas agreement from TAPI natural gas pipeline:
Afghanistan has announced it has signed a 30 year gas sales and purchase agreement for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline.
Gunmen kill 7 in Pakistan's restive Quetta:
The Hazaras -- members of a Shiite Muslim community that originated in Afghanistan -- were killed when four men on two motorcycles opened fire on their vehicle in central Quetta, Deputy Inspector-General Fayyaz Sumbal said. The victims died on the way to a hospital, while the attackers sped away, Sumbal said.
7 killed in insurgent attacks in Iraq:
Seven people were killed and 10 others wounded Tuesday in separate insurgent attacks in north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the police said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
Iraq sees biggest wave of violence in years:
More than 300 people have been killed in July alone in blasts at football fields, mosques and cafes
Assad's forces advance into rebel-held district of Damascus:
Syrian troops backed by tanks and artillery moved into a rebel-held district of Damascus on Monday, stepping up efforts to drive opposition fighters from the capital and build on battlefield gains elsewhere in the country, a rebel commander said.
Syria: Video shows the most horrible beheading by Islamists: Video -
After the video of the beheading of a Catholic priest in Syria by a group of jihadists, this video is even more horrible and even the term "disgusting" does not really describe the scenes one can see in this video at YouTube.
US-sent guns to Syria may be illegal :
According to the Wall Street Journal, President Obama's legal advisers have warned him since he first pledged support for the rebels that aiding them probably violates international law and could provoke a direct conflict with the Assad regime.
We've been left to die, say Syrian rebels:
Syria's top rebel commander accused Britain of betrayal last night after it abandoned plans to arm the Syrian opposition.
UK issues Syrian rebels chemical attack protection:
Britain says it is rushing to issue Syria's rebel fighters with chemical warfare protection, including escape hoods, drugs and chemical detector paper.
Written statement to Parliament: Gifting of chemical weapons protective equipment to the Syrian Opposition:
As I told the House on 10th July, we are faced with a growing and protracted crisis in Syria. We have to be prepared to do more to save lives. There is evidence of attacks using chemical weapons in Syria - including sarin. We believe that the use of chemical weapons is sanctioned and ordered by the Assad regime.
Russia says West delays UN probe of Syria weapons:
Russia is accusing the U.S., Britain and France of intentionally making a large number of groundless allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria in order to complicate efforts to arrange a U.N. investigation.
Chemical weapons 'clearly' used in Syria, likely by rebels, Russian experts tell UN:
Chemical weapons were "clearly" used in Syria - but most likely by Syrian rebels, not the Syrian army, according to Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations.
Syria claims discovery of chemical materials belonging to rebels:
Syria's state media said Sunday that the army has found chemical materials in a factory of Joubar, countryside of the capital Damascus, which is used by the armed rebels for making chemical weapons.
Yemen: Saudi Arabia recruits fighters for Syrian rebels:
Abu-Omar-al-ChechenThe kingdom of Saudi Arabia is being accused of supporting and encouraging Yemenis to go to war in Syria, by seducing them with financial gains according to Yemeni tribal sources.
Pakistan Taliban say no shift to Syria:
The Pakistani Taliban Tuesday rejected suggestions they were sending fighters to Syria, saying some have gone there independently but the movement's focus remained in Pakistan.
Report: Israel made sure no Russians in Latkia - then attacked:
Syrian news site Al Hakika quoted Turkish officials who said that a senior rebel source, Malik al-Kurdi, sent a message to the US that Yakhont missiles had arrived in Syria and Assad intended to give them to Hezbollah.
New Iran president backs Syria's Assad, Hezbollah:
The official IRNA news agency cited Hasan Rouhani as saying close Iranian-Syrian ties will be able to confront "enemies in the region, especially the Zionist regime," or Israel.
Russia, China block move by UN Security Council against Iran:
Russia and China have reportedly opposed a decision and thus prevented a move by a UN Security Council committee to expand the sanctions on Iran over the allegation that the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile tests have violated UN resolutions.
War criminal: John Bolton:
Israel should have attacked Iran 'yesterday':
Former US ambassador to the UN says every day that goes by "puts Israel in greater danger," urges Israel to stop waiting.
At least 7 dead in overnight clashes in Egypt's capital:
Clashes overnight between police and supporters of Egypt's ousted president left at least seven people dead, authorities said Tuesday, in the latest eruption of political violence on the country's streets since the military deposed the Islamist leader nearly two weeks ago.
Israel okays two Egypt battalions for Sinai:
Israel has given Egypt the go-ahead to deploy two battalions to the Sinai to tackle militants in the sensitive region where deployments are restricted by treaty, army radio reported Tuesday.
EU takes tougher stance on illegal Israeli "settlements":
Directive will prohibit EU states from signing deals with Israel unless settlement exclusion clause is included
Legacy of US' 1958 Lebanon invasion: Op-Ed:
First American invasion of the Middle East 55 years ago set the stage for further intervention.
Gunmen kill Libya brigade commander:
Gunmen in a vehicle have shot dead a commander of a Libyan air force brigade in the eastern city of Derna, Lana news agency said on Tuesday
Dutch hostages seized in Yemen warn of execution: Video -
In a YouTube video, Judith Spiegel and Boudewijn Berendsen said they had "a big problem", urging Dutch authorities to act to secure their release.
Fact or fiction?
Panama finds 'undeclared weapons' on North Korean ship:
Panama has detained a North Korean-flagged ship coming from Cuba as it approached the Panama Canal with undeclared weapons, President Ricardo Martinelli said.
Honduras Shaken by High-Profile Murders:
Honduran society remains shocked at the tragic fate of Aníbal Barrow, a journalist and university professor whose body was dismembered and scattered around a lake in Villanueva, in the northern province of Cortés.
Mexico Zetas leader Miguel Angel Trevino captured:
Mexican marines have captured one of the world's most notorious drug-gang leaders in a raid near the US border. Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, 40, head of the Zetas cartel, was intercepted with two lieutenants in a pick-up truck near Nuevo Laredo.
Man linked to Norwegian mass killer Breivik arrested in France:
A neo-Nazi linked to Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was arrested in southwestern France on Tuesday after his wife bought four rifles, raising suspicions he could turn to violence, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
Russia receives Snowden temporary asylum request:
The Russian Migration Service confirmed it has received whistleblower Edward Snowden's application for temporary asylum. It can take authorities up to three months to consider his request. In the meantime, Snowden may be transferred to a refugee center.
Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize:
A Swedish sociology professor has nominated Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that awarding the former NSA employee would correct Nobel Committee's mistake in giving the award to President Barack Obama in 2009.
New Utah NSA Spy Center Needs 1.7 Million Gallons Of Water A Day:
Though it is kind of sad that prisons and spy centers are the country's new major infrastructure projects. One of the consequences of neoliberalism is that many people are employed to protect other people's ill-gotten gains
New Evidence Suggests Muslim Convicted of Terrorism Charges Was Falsely Identified as Al Qaeda Agent:
Yassin Aref was convicted of terrorism charges that included conspiring to aid a terrorist group, providing support for a weapon of mass destruction, money-laundering and material support for a foreign terrorist organization after being arrested in an FBI sting operation in Albany, New York in 2006
California protesters block freeway, raid Wal-Mart in wake of Zimmerman verdict:
Protesters ran through Los Angeles streets Monday night, breaking windows, attacking people on sidewalks and at one point raiding a Wal-Mart store, while others blocked a major freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area in the third night of demonstrations in California over George Zimmerman's Florida acquittal
Georgia stays execution of mentally disabled prisoner:
A mentally ill prisoner who was scheduled for execution in Georgia on Monday has been granted a stay of execution by a judge. Major questions were raised over the execution, which appeared to be in stark contrast with the Eighth Amendment.
War criminal toasts war criminal:
Obama toasts Bush: 'We are surely a kinder and gentler nation because of you': Video -
"But given the humility that's defined your life, I suspect it's harder for you to see something that's clear to everybody else around you, and that's how bright a light you shine." "On behalf of all of us, let me just say that we are surely a kinder and gentler nation because of you, and we can't thank you enough," Obama added.
US ends ban on 'domestic propaganda':
It's being branded by proponents as an attempt at transparency, but critics of a new law say the United States government just got the green-light to use propaganda made for foreign audiences on the American public.
Greece Hit by General Strike to Protest Austerity:
Thousands of Greeks walked off the job Tuesday in a 24-hour general strike called by unions opposing a new round of austerity measures that the government has vowed to enact at the urging of the country's foreign creditors.
Thomas Ferguson: Why Spitzer's Return Terrifies Big Finance: Op-Ed:
You didn't have to be in New York to feel the shudder on Wall Street when Eliot Spitzer announced that he was running for New York City Comptroller. It was enough to read between the lines of just about any financial paper in the world.
The Case for a Corporate Homicide Law:
The law allows prosecutors to bring homicide charges against the corporation for the death of workers or consumers. Similar laws are being debated in New Zealand and Australia.
Photo ID Law on Trial in Pennsylvania: What's at Stake for Our Democracy:
Margaret Pennington, a 90-year-old Chester County resident and lifelong voter, votes by going to her polling place two blocks away. She also no longer drives and depends on her daughter to take her around.
Climate Scientists Give New Prediction of Sea Level Change:
In a new report, climate change scientists predict that for each one degree Celsius of increase in global temperature, sea levels will rise 2.3 meters. They say their estimate may be accurate for as long as the next 2,000 years.
Japanese Nuclear Plant May Have Been Leaking for Two Years:
In unusually candid comments, Shunichi Tanaka, the head of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, also said that neither his staff nor the plant's operator knew exactly where the leaks were coming from, or how to stop them.
