Hard News
Pakistan : 15 killed in attack on 'militant chief' :
At least 15 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a militant commander's compound in a north-west Pakistani tribal region, officials say.
Imran Khan: Dialogue with Taliban: The Best of Difficult Options: Op-Ed:
The debacle of East Pakistan, which led to the breakup of our country, left me with a strong conviction that military operations are never a solution to any problem, least of all one involving one's own people.
Afghan mayor, deputy killed in Taliban ambush:
The two were gunned down in a Taliban ambush on Thursday as they were heading for the provincial capital of Lashkargah, Omar Zawak, a spokesman for Helmand's governor said.
Five killed in Iraq football field bombing:
A bomb exploded near a football field in Iraq on Thursday, killing five people and wounding at least 11, officials said.
Syrian rebels accused of village massacre:
"We found two mass graves with 140 bodies. They were not shot. They had their throats slit. About 105 people of different ages were kidnapped," he said.
Syria army retakes northern town: : Activists say:
Syria's army took back control of a strategic town in the northern province of Aleppo on Thursday after a weeks-long battle pitting troops against rebels, a monitoring group said.
Al-Qaeda-linked group advances on Syrian rebels near Turkey:
Al-Qaeda-linked fighters fought rival Syrian rebels near the border with Turkey Wednesday, activists said, in an outbreak of violence driven by the divisions between factions battling President Bashar Assad.
Special arms for Syria rebels fall into Nusra hands:
Some Saudi Arabian-supplied anti-tank missiles intended for mainstream Syrian rebels have inadvertently landed in the hands of the Al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, throwing plans to arm moderates via neighbor Jordan into question.
Syrian Islamists raid Aramaic-speaking Christian town of Sednaya: report:
Weeks after al-Qaeda-linked rebels seized the Christian town of Maaloula in northwest Syria, they now have captured Sednaya, an Aramaic-speaking village to the north of Damascus.
'Progress' on Syria inspections:
A team given the job of eliminating Syria's chemical weapons says it has made "encouraging initial progress" after talks with government officials.
Israel, Gulf states said discussing new alliance to stop Iran:
The Arab and Gulf states involved in the new talks have no diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, the report noted. A number of Sunni countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have been vocally opposed to Iran's nuclear program, placing them and Israel on the same side of the debate.
Hopes raised for US-Iran talks but hawks in Congress threaten any deal:
Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program could be undermined by a reluctance on the part of the US Congress to relax a complex network of economic sanctions, according to experts and diplomats monitoring forthcoming talks in Geneva.
Propaganda Alert:
Netanyahu says Iranian missiles could eventually reach U.S.: (Reuters) -
In his latest warning about Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Iran was working on intercontinental ballistic missiles that could one day hit the United States.
Iran's cyberwarfare czar is allegedly assassinated:
As the Middle East country beefs up its cyberforces, Mojtaba Ahmadi, the head of its Cyber War Headquarters, is said to be found with two bullet wounds near his heart.
Iran Guard Says Dead Official Wasn't Assassinated:
Iran's Revolutionary Guards rejected reports that the head of the country's cyber warfare program had been assassinated, saying only that it was probing the death of an employee it didn't identify.
Israel suspected of conducting terrorist attack inside Iran:
There are strong grounds to suspect that the killing of an Iranian cyber warfare commander outside Tehran in the last few days should be viewed in the context of an ongoing secret war that Israel has been conducting against Iran for several years.
Ethnic Cleansing : Israel's policy of destroying Palestinian homes:
While Palestinian Arabs comprise approximately 20% of the population of Israel, as non-Jews they are confined by law and zoning policies to just 3.5% of the land.
Russia's Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize:
Russian President Vladimir Putin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by an advocacy group that credits him with bringing about a peaceful resolution to the Syrian-U.S. dispute over chemical weapons.
Belarus President Lashes Out At Obama, Compares US 'Exceptionalism' To Nazism:
In the interview, which was shown in Belarus on Thursday, Lukashenko said he was surprised that Obama would promote such rhetoric, given he comes from a country "where black people were slaves not all that long ago."
Student killed in Egypt clashes:
A high school student was killed when opponents and supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi clashed in the city of Suez on Wednesday night, medical and security sources said.
Video shows Egypt generals plotting media gag:
New footage released by activists shows army top brass discussing ways to tighten control over country's media.
Report: Egypt's army planning to attack targets in Gaza:
The Egyptian army has planned military attacks on specific targets in the Gaza Strip in the event that the security situation in the northern Sinai peninsula deteriorates, a senior Egyptian security official told the Ma'an news agency.
Egyptians follow Mossad and CIA directions in Sinai:
Mossad logoAn Israeli website alleged to be close to the Mossad spy agency has claimed that the leader of the coup in Egypt, General Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi, receives intelligence on the movements of the Jihadists in Sinai from Mossad and America's CIA
African Migrant Boat Sinks Killing At Least 133 people:
The passengers were all believed to be Eritreans coming from Libya, the UN said.
Russia evacuates diplomats from Libya after 'mob' of gunmen target embassy:
Libyan security officials deem compound in Tripoli unsafe after yesterday's attack in which one man was killed and four injured
Libyans aren't enjoying equal rights:
Two years after the formal liberation of Libya on Oct. 23, 2011, a country very different from that envisioned in the Draft Constitutional Charter - a document that declared all Libyans to be equal before the law to enjoy equal civil and political rights - is emerging.
Madagascar mob kills Europeans over 'organ trafficking':
Two European men have been burnt to death in Madagascar by protesters who suspected they were trafficking human organs after a child went missing.
NSA chief's admission of misleading numbers adds to Obama administration blunders:
The chief of the National Security Agency admitted that officials put out numbers that vastly overstated the counterterrorism successes of the government's warrantless bulk collection of all Americans' phone records.
Edward Snowden should be put on kill list, joke US intelligence chiefs:
Former NSA and CIA chief and chair of House intelligence committee in jovial mood at 2013 Cybersecurity Summit
As F.B.I. Pursued Snowden, an E-Mail Service Stood Firm:
On Aug. 8, Mr. Levison closed Lavabit rather than, in his view, betray his promise of secure e-mail to his customers. The move, which he explained in a letter on his Web site, drew fervent support from civil libertarians but was seen by prosecutors as an act of defiance that fell just short of a crime.
NSA chief: Agency tried to track Americans via cellphones:
NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander told Congress on Wednesday that his spy agency ran tests in 2010 and 2011 to see if it was technically possible to gather U.S. cell-site data, which can show where a cellphone user traveled.
NSA planted bugs at Indian missions in D.C., U.N.:
The Permanent Mission of India at the United Nations and the embassy in Washington, DC - were targets of such sophisticated bugs implanted by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) that entire computer hard disks might have been copied by the American agency.
Golden Dawn party leader jailed before trial:
The Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos appeared before investigating magistrates and a prosecutor to respond to charges of founding and participating in a criminal organisation. Mihaloliakos has denied the charges against him.
Mexico City violence at Tlatelolco anniversary:
Riot police have clashed with protesters in Mexico City during a demonstration commemorating the 45th anniversary of a student massacre.
Violent gangs recruit kids from age 6 in Guatemala: -
Guatemala's gangs are using children as young as six to transport drugs and weapons among other crimes, a senior official said in an interview published Wednesday.
One Person Killed as US Capitol on lockdown:
According to ABC News, an attempt to ram the White House gates ended with shots fired, U.S. senators put under lockdown in the Capitol, and a female suspect dead. U.S. Capitol police said they had received reports of gunshots and one police officer has been injured.
Washington DC car chase: suspect shot dead after Capitol Hill lockdown:
Woman with a young child in her car attempted to breach a White House security checkpoint, prompting a car chase
Run Away, Run Away
The House of Representatives announces recess after shots fired at the Capitol
Video -
IMF: US Failure to Lift Debt Ceiling Could Damage World Economy:
Failure to raise the U.S. debt ceiling could damage not only the United States but the rest of the global economy, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said on Thursday.
Obama meets bank chiefs as economists warn of 'deep and dark recession':
President Obama met bank executives including Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein on Wednesday as economists, business leaders and European officials warned that the US government shutdown threatens to plunge the economy into a "deep and dark recession".
US shutdown a smokescreen for assault on Social Security, Medicare:
In an interview on day two of the partial shutdown of the US government, President Barack Obama offered talks on cutting basic social programs such as Medicare and Social Security in return for Republican support for funding federal operations and raising the national debt ceiling.
Citigroup fined $30 million for tip-off to big clients:
Massachusetts on Thursday fined Citigroup $30 million for improperly releasing market-sensitive information on an Apple supplier to large clients including hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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