Attacks kill 14 people in Iraq:
Insurgents
ambushed a police headquarters in northern Iraq early Wednesday,
killing at least nine policemen and extending the surge of attacks that
has killed more than 500 people this month alone, officials said.
Syrian rebels kill woman in attack on civilian convoy: activists:
Rebels
attacked a convoy of trucks and buses in northern Syria, activists
said on Wednesday, after Islamist militants had warned they would
target all vehicles on the road to stop the army from using its only
remaining route to Aleppo.
Syria: Disillusioned Rebels Drift Back to Take Assad Amnesty:
Disillusioned
by the Islamist twist that the "revolution" in Syria has taken,
exhausted after more than two years of conflict and feeling that they
are losing, growing numbers of rebels are signing up to a negotiated
amnesty offered by the Assad regime.
Kurdish group advancing toward northern Iraq border:
The
PYD which continues to clash with the El Nusra Front in northern Syria
has begun to advance toward the Arabiya Border Gate on the Syria-Iraq
border.
FSA would not allow Kurds autonomy: commander:
The
general commander of Free Syria Army (FSA), the main armed group of
Syria oppositions, said his army would not allow the Kurds to establish
autonomy in the north of the country.
Head of Syrian Jihadists: We Support an Islamic Caliphate:
The
leader of the jihadist Al-Nusra Front has declared that his group is
in favor of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Syria.
Syrian City of Raqqa Suffers Under Rebel Rule:
It
is worth bring attention to the governorate that is "ruled" by the
opposition, since it is the first actual model of an alternative
authority to the state. The opposition referred to here is not the
Syrian Coalition or its "temporary" government, but the Free Syrian
Army (FSA) brigades and the Religious Body to Support the Syrian
Revolution.
Assad govt blocking access to needy in Homs - Red Cross:
"Despite
lengthy negotiations with both sides, and three trips back and forth
between Damascus and Homs, we have still not received the go-ahead from
the Syrian authorities," he said.
UN chemical weapons experts arrives in Syria:
At
government invite, chemical weapons expert, UN disarmament chief
arrive in Damascus to hold preliminary talks with regime on chemical
attack probe
Russia says US drive to arm Syria rebels hurts chances for peace:
"If
our American partners are now focusing on arming the opposition and
are sharing plans... to strike Syrian government positions, then this,
of course, runs against agreements to hold a conference," he said.
IDF intel chief: Syria turning into jihadi center:
It
is attracting "thousands of radical jihadi activists from the area and
the world, who are basing themselves in the country, not only to
topple Assad, but also to promote the vision of an Islamic religious
state," he said.
Putin to offer advanced antimissiles to soothe Iran's S-300 grudge - report:
Russia
is offering Iran to purchase S-300VM Antey-2500 air defense systems,
according to defense industry sources. It's a cousin of the S-300
long-range surface-to-air missile family.
What a joke:
Indyk Returns as Kerry's Chief Negotiator :
Secretary
of State John Kerry is expected to name Martin Indyk as the U.S.
Representative to the Israel-Palestinian peace negotiation. Indyk has
been around this peace talk track before. He belongs to a small group
of Jewish diplomats who have specialized in Middle East negotiations.
Hamas: Egypt trying to restore rule over Gaza:
Hamas officials blame Fatah for "smear" campaign in Egypt press, decry Egyptian helicopter flights over Gaza Strip.
UN says Egypt crackdown closes 80 percent of Gaza smuggling tunnels:
About
80 percent of tunnels used to smuggle goods and arms into the Gaza
Strip from Egypt are "no longer functioning" due to a crackdown by the
Egyptian military after it ousted President Mohamed Morsi this month, a
UN official said on Tuesday.
Egypt clashes toll reaches 15:
The
toll in the clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted
president Mohamed Morsi in different parts of Egypt rose to 15 early
Wednesday, with 114 people injured. A police officer was killed and 24
people, mostly security personnel, suffered injuries in an overnight
blast targeting the security department headquarters in Mansoura city.
Egypt: aftermath of fatal clashes in Cairo - video:
Debris and blood remain on the streets of Cairo on Wednesday morning after a night of violence which left six people dead.
Two Egyptian soldiers killed in Sinai: security:
One
soldier died of a bullet wound to the chest after gunmen fired at a
checkpoint near the north Sinai town of EL-Arish, the officials said.
Another soldier was shot dead several hours later in an attack on a
water truck belonging to the army in El-Arish.
Egyptian General Calls for Mass Demonstrations:
The
commander of the armed forces on Wednesday called on Egyptians to hold
mass demonstrations on Friday that he said would give the army a
"mandate" to fight violence and terrorism, a call for popular action
that seemed to contradict the military's repeated assertions that it
would not interfere in politics.
In case you missed it:
US Bankrolled Anti-Morsi Activists:
Documents reveal US money trail to Egyptian groups that pressed for president's removal.
Tales of witnesses to Cairo massacre back pro-Morsi version:
The
stories of nine occupants of the apartment buildings whom McClatchy
interviewed seem to back the protesters' version of events, even though
many of those residents said they had little sympathy for Morsi and
had grown frustrated with the protesters' constant chants, which had
gone on for days.
US delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt delayed:
Shipment
of four F-16 fighter jets destined for Egypt on Tuesday as part of a
US military aid deal has been delayed while the Obama administration
considers to evaluate the situation on the ground.
95 killed in Guinea clashes:
A
government spokesperson says recent clashes in Guinea's southeast
forest region killed 95 and injured hundreds, a significant increase
over numbers provided last week.
Eastern Congo rebel group charges that civilians were killed in army strikes on military camp:
Army
helicopters struck civilians during an attack targeting the M23 rebels
in eastern Congo on Wednesday, according to the group's president and a
resident.
One killed, several wounded in Somalia car bomb: police:
At
least one person was killed and several others were wounded Wednesday
when a car bomb exploded in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, the latest in a
string of attacks, police said.
Pakistan: 4 killed, 35 injured in gun-and-bomb attack on ISI office in Sukkur:
At
least four people have died and 35 were injured in two suicide
bombings and exchange of fire that took place at an office of the
Inter-Services Intelligence in sukkur's Barrage Colony on Wednesday.
Leaked Pakistani Report on U.S. Drone War Undermines Claims of Low Civilian Toll : Video -
The
Pakistani report investigates 75 CIA drone strikes and five operations
by NATO between 2006 and 2009. It finds that the attacks left at least
746 people dead, including at least 147 civilians, 94 of them children
White House urges Congress to reject moves to curb NSA surveillance:
Obama administration alarmed by vote on 'Amash amendment' aimed at blocking blanket surveillance of phone records
House forces vote on amendment that would limit NSA bulk surveillance:
Opposition
to bulk surveillance swells with vote that would 'end authority for
blanket collection of records under the Patriot Act'
NSA Calls Emergency Private Briefing To Lobby Against Justin Amash Amendment Curtailing Its Power:
The
National Security Agency called for a "top secret" meeting with
members of the House on Tuesday to lobby against the first House
amendment to challenge the agency's authority to cull broad swaths of
communications data, according to an invitation circulated in Congress.
Wyden on NSA Domestic Surveillances: Video -
In
his speech Wyden warns that "if we don't seize this unique moment in
history to reform our surveillance laws and practices, we will all live
to regret it."
Report: Snowden has document to enter Russia:
Russian
state news agency says US leaker Edward Snowden has been granted a
document that allows him to leave the transit zone of a Moscow airport
and enter Russia.
Bradley Manning's Nobel Peace Prize: Please sign this petition to the Norwegian Nobel Committee:
No
individual has done more to push back against what Martin Luther King
Jr. called "the madness of militarism" than Bradley Manning. And right
now, remaining in prison and facing relentless prosecution by the U.S.
government, no one is more in need of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mexico violence leaves 22 dead in Michoacan:
Gunmen blocked roads and ambushed police as fighting intensifies between police and drug cartel in western Mexico
'Dead' Mexican poll winner Lenin Carballido arrested:
A
Mexican man who won a mayoral election even though he had been
certified as dead, has been arrested on suspicion of providing false
testimony.
Pope's visit to Brazil met with protests:
Brazilian
police have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of
protesters in Rio de Janeiro rallying against the vast amount of public
funds spent on Pope Francis' visit to the country.
