Air strike kills 11 suspected Taliban militants in Afghanistan's Kandahar:
11 suspected Taliban militants were killed in an airstrike by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Ghorak district in Afghanistan's Nagarhar province on 17 October, Khaama Press reported.
Afghan villagers stone to death alleged bomber:
A man was killed by Afghan villagers because they believed he set off a bomb that killed 18 people on their way to a wedding on Sunday, officials have said.
Royal Marines court martial hears Afghan was still alive when he was shot:
Dr Nicholas Hunt said that although the Afghan was seriously injured and covered in blood he was clearly alive when a British serviceman shot him in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol.
Nine militants killed in attack in Pakistan:
At least nine militants were killed Monday night in clashes with security forces after an attack on a check post in Pakistan, media reported on Tuesday.
Tribal elder, 6 family members killed:
A pro-government tribal elder and six members of his family were killed when unknown gunmen stormed their home in southwest Pakistan early on Tuesday, officials said.
9 year old Pakistani girl among US drone strike victims to address Congress: Video - :
For the first time in its history, the US Congress is to hear directly from a family of survivors of an American drone strike in Pakistan. The main question is why their grand-mother was blown to pieces while looking after her garden.
Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As 16 killed in Iraq attacks:
At least 16 people were killed and 32 wounded in violent attacks witnessed in different parts of Iraq Monday, police said.
War-weary Iraqis scared to leave homes :
The bloodiest year since 2008 has left many Iraqis terrified of leaving their homes for fear of being killed by bombs or kidnapped.
Patrick Cockburn: Syria and Iraq disintegrating:
Well-armed and well-organised Al Qaeda-linked movements are launching attacks with suicide bombers from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Tigris River.
Rebels conduct new chemical weapons attack in Syria near Turkish border - report:
The toxic shell exploded near a Kurdish defense forces' checkpoint close to the border with Turkey in the city of Ras al-Ayn al-Hasakah.
Syrian troops retake Christian town from jihadists:
Syrian government forces retook a Christian town north of Damascus from al-Qaeda-linked rebels who seized control of part of it a week ago, touching off fierce clashes, state media and opposition activists said.
The Woman in Pants - Video -
Who has made you Pharaoh? If it is not people's fear!
Syria dismisses deputy PM after US talks:
Qadri Jamil was sacked after holding unauthorised meetings with US officials to discuss proposed Geneva talks.
Syria's Assad grants general amnesty:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad granted on Tuesday a general amnesty, covering crimes committed before Oct. 29, according to the state-run SANA news agency.
Neocons Push Israeli-Saudi Alliance: Op-Ed:
Early U.S. presidents warned against the dangers of "entangling alliances," prescient advice that the neocons want President Obama to ignore amid demands from Israel and Saudi Arabia that America tie itself up in the endless and bloody sectarian conflicts of the Middle East.
Israel's stance in talks the harshest: PLO:
Palestinian official says Israel's negotiating position in US-sponsored peace talks is the worst in more than 20 years.
Israeli attacks on Palestinian olive groves kept top secret by state:
Olive orchards are being destroyed in the West Bank, but defense and media officials have agreed yet again that everything should be done to respect the public's right not to know.
Israel roundly rapped during UN human rights review:
Typical of the speeches was the condemnation by Egypt's UN Ambassador Wafaa Bassem of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, and her nation's demand for the immediate release of all political prisoners and free movement for Palestinian refugees.
White House calls in Jewish leaders for urgent Iran briefing::
Amid an escalation of signals that the Obama and Netanyahu governments are parting ways on Iran strategy, the White House called in American Jewish leaders for a briefing on short notice.
Israel's premier tells visiting Nigerian president that nuclear armed Iran threatens Africa:
Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. The prime minister's office said Netanyahu told Jonathan that stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons is important to Nigeria, Africa and the world.
U.N. nuclear watchdog says Iran meeting 'very productive':
The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran held productive talks this week on how to advance a long-blocked inquiry into Iranian atomic activities and agreed to meet again in Tehran on Nov. 11, the two sides said in a rare joint statement on Tuesday.
Iran Nuclear Talks: New Proposal Pledges 'Practical Solution' To End Rift With U.N. Inspectors: -
Iran's new proposal to U.N. inspectors is practical and meant to "solve the issue", an Iranian envoy said before a second day of talks on Tuesday, a hint Tehran may cooperate more with an inquiry into suspected nuclear arms research in the country.
Iran gives activist actress 18-month sentence:
The reports came a day after authorities ordered the closure of the pro-reform Bahar daily for publishing a commentary on the Prophet Muhammad, citing a law authorizing media closures over articles deemed to violate Islamic values or insult Islam.
Attacks in Libya's Benghazi kill three: Security:
Three people have been shot dead in the eastern Libyan of Benghazi, where security forces also found the body of a kidnapped banker, security sources said Tuesday.
Russia tries to lure Egypt as a new ally in bid to boost military presence:
Russia is hoping to capitalize on the current difficulties America is experiencing in its relations in the Middle East, beginning with efforts to launch greater cooperation with Egypt that could result in Moscow gaining access to the country's Mediterranean ports.
Mursi rejects authority of Egypt court due to try him:
"No lawyers will be defending president Mohammad Mursi, neither Egyptians nor foreigners, because the president does not recognize the trial or any action and processes that result from the coup," the Anti-Coup Alliance, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement.
Egypt judges withdraw from Brotherhood chief's trial:
The three judges presiding in the trial of Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie and his aides withdrew from the proceedings on Tuesday, citing "reasons of conscience".
Video: China unveils nuclear submarine fleet:
The first nuclear submarine fleet from PLA North China Sea Fleet carried out a military drill as shown by footage released lately. The drill was aimed at testing the maneuver capability of the fleet in deep-sea navigation, long-distance operation, submarine communication and coordination with other battleships.
Glenn Greenwald: Spying not about terror:
"What we revealed is that this spying system is devoted not to terrorists, but is directed to innocent people around the world," Greenwald told CNN's Christiane Amanpour
NSA's Mideast spying 'intense' amid regional upheaval, say experts:
Leaked documents disclosed earlier this week revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted 125 billion phone calls and SMS messages in January 2013, many of them originating in the Middle East.
French and Spanish intelligence aided NSA spying -US Says:
Electronic surveillance which the European media and politicians blamed on the NSA was also carried out by their own intelligence services, as part of a wide-ranging allied security effort, according to US officials.
Spain calls in U.S. ambassador to complain of spying:
His summons followed complaints from other European capitals, including those in France, Germany, Italy and Sweden, over allegations of intercepts by the NSA of government and citizen phone calls.
Spanish prosecutors look into U.S. spying claims:
The office said Tuesday the inquiry aims to establish whether a crime was committed and if Spain should consider opening a formal investigation. The inquiry may take weeks.
In public relation exercise:
Feinstein vows 'total review' of NSA:
Feinstein has been one of the NSA's staunchest congressional defenders amid the uproar over its phone records surveillance, but she said that the spying on foreign leaders without President Obama's knowledge was a "big problem."
Administration Official Rebuts Feinstein Claim That White House Will No Longer Spy On Allies:
"The statement that '...collection on our allies will not continue...' is not accurate," a senior administration offiicial says.
White House OKd spying on allies, U.S. intelligence officials say:
NSA and other U.S. intelligence agency staff members are said to be angry at President Obama for denying knowledge of the spying.
NSA oversight dismissed as 'illusory' as anger intensifies in Europe and beyond:
"If every country were to engage in surveillance as pervasive as the NSA, we would soon live in a state ... with no refuge for the world's dissidents, journalists and human rights defenders,"
Cowards:
U.N. Will Censure Illegal Spying, But Not U.S.: -
When the 193-member General Assembly adopts a resolution next month censuring the illegal electronic surveillance of governments and world leaders by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), the U.N.'s highest policy-making body will spare the United States from public condemnation despite its culpability in widespread wiretapping.
War criminal:
Dick Cheney on surveillance:
'You never know what you're going to need': Former vice-president accepts NSA spying on foreign leaders and domestic public, calling US 'vulnerable, as shown on 9/11'
Commission finds 'systematic violation of human rights' at Guantanamo Bay:
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Monday demanded the United States explain abuses allegedly committed at Guantanamo prison, especially its practice of force-feeding inmates on hunger strike.
Ohio to Execute Man with Experimental Drug Cocktail:
Those drugs are included in Ohio's untested backup execution method, which requires them to be injected directly into an inmate's muscle. No state has put a prisoner to death with those drugs in any fashion.
The Most Important Labor Strike in the World Is Happening Right Now:
Millions of workers across Indonesia are joining a national strike this week to press for a higher minimum wage and universal health coverage. This is actually a big deal for Americans, not that any of us are paying a lick of attention.
½ UK children in poverty live in cold, damp homes:
The study of 2,000 10-17-year-olds by the Children's Society charity revealed that 76 percent of British children are "often worried" about how much money the family had. More than 53 percent said their home was too cold last winter and 24 percent said it was "much colder" than they would have liked.
Toxic US corporate culture 'unchanged': watchdog: -
Five years after the US financial crisis forced the massive government TARP bailout, the US corporate culture remains toxic and breeding crime, the watchdog for the bailout program said Tuesday.
CBS: More Than Two Million Americans Being Dropped From Their Health Insurance Plans:
CBS This Morning reported Tuesday more than two million Americans will not be able to renew their current health insurance policies because of Obamacare. That is said to be more than triple the number of people buying insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
15 Ways The United States Is The Best (At Being The Worst) :
Out of 173 countries studied, 168 guarantee leave for women who give birth to a child; 98 of those countries offer 14 or more weeks of paid leave. So this leaves the US in the company of Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland as the only countries which guarantee no paid leave for mothers in the work force.
Cutting food stamps: The ruthlessness of the American ruling class:
Food assistance benefits for over 45 million Americans will be slashed starting this Friday, in the first-ever nationwide reduction in benefits under the US government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), popularly known as food stamps.
Insanity?
Megachurch pastor defends megamansion as gift from God:
"I have always tried to make this a church where you could be proud of your church," Furtick said, which earned him a standing ovation from the congregation. The pastor delivered his sermon to a packed sanctuary at the church's Blakeney location while worshipers at seven other campuses watched via live stream video.
Tom DeLay: I'm back and I'm on a mission from God:
The man known as "The Hammer" for his aggressive negotiating style spent more than $12 million in legal fees in order to avoid jail time.
Ancient skeletons challenge modern religion in 'humanity's cradle':
For deeply religious Kenya - dubbed the 'cradle of mankind' for the wealth of early hominid fossils dug up from its soil showing man's evolution - the famous remains challenge literal teachings of Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs.