Hard News
31 fighters from ISIL killed in Syria:
At least 31 fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) Sunday were killed and dozens wounded in the air strikes launched by forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad in Raqqa city and the surrounding areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Australia to take 4,400 refugees from Syria, Iraq :
The minister said a minimum of 2,200 places would be for Iraqis, including ethnic and religious minorities fleeing the violence in the north of the country. "The government has also committed a minimum of 2,200 places for Syrians, including those now living in desperate conditions in countries such as Lebanon," he added.
Iraqi forces retake part of strategic Mosul Dam as U.S. bombs ISIS strongholds:
Kurdish forces retook part of Iraq's largest dam after battling Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham fighters in nearby villages in an attempt to push back the Sunni-Muslim insurgents from the north with the help of U.S. airstrikes.
Iraqi Kurds battle Islamic State fighters:
Peshmerga forces recapture towns near Mosul dam, seized by fighters earlier this month, as US air strikes continue.
Inside The Islamic State: Video -
In the first week of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in northern Iraq, encroaching on Kurdish territory and sending Christians and other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged.
Isis: a portrait of the menace that is sweeping my homeland: Analysis
The avalanche of Isis is powerful and it is not difficult to see that worse is still to come. Beyond these military and practical factors, it is important to view the Isis phenomenon as part of two wider trends within Sunni Islam that will make Isis a long-term ideological menace, even if it is reined in militarily.
Five 'Qaeda', three Yemen troops killed:
Five suspected Al-Qaeda militants and three Yemeni troops died in clashes Sunday in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, scene of many recent attacks on the army, a local official said.
US kills three "suspected" al Qaeda militants in Yemen: official:
"The three armed men were traveling in a vehicle along a desert stretch between Yemen and Saudi Arabia's border when the drone shot two rockets at them. All three are dead," the local official said.
Hamas: The failure to fulfil our people's demands makes the truce unattainable:
The Hamas Movement said that Israel's refusal to accept the "just" humanitarian demands of the Palestinian people in Gaza makes it difficult to reach a truce deal with it.
Israel's Long-Term Goal Is To Exterminate Palestinian Population By Genocide:
According to Mnar Muhawesh, Editor in chief of Mint Press News, Israel's actions amount to Israel being a terrorist and apartheid state actively engaged in genocide.
225 Jewish Survivors of Nazi Genocide Condemn the Massacre of Palestinians:
225 Jewish survivors and descendents of Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide have signed a letter condemning Israel's massacre in Gaza and calling for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people. In the letter, they also speak out against the abuse of their histories to promote the dehumanization of Palestinians.
Israeli court allows protesters to picket Palestinian-Jewish wedding:
Mahmoud Mansour, 26, a Palestinian from Jaffa, has had to hire dozens of security guards after an anti-Arab group, Lehava, published details of his wedding reception online and called for Israelis to come and picket the wedding hall.
Activists declare first victory as Israeli ship delays docking at Oakland:
San Francisco Bay Area Palestine activists have declared their first victory in attempting to prevent the offloading of an Israeli cargo vessel at the Oakland Port
Tesco store trashed by Gaza protesters:
Demonstrators, who want the supermarket to stop selling Israeli food, entered Tesco in Hodge Hill, Birmingham, threw produce to the floor and shouted at staff and shoppers.
18 Taliban Militants Killed, 20 Injured in Afghan Army Operations:
At least 18 Taliban militants including their local commanders were killed following counter-terrorism operations in the past 24 hours across Afghanistan.
Over 700 Taliban militants attack check posts in Logar province:
According to local authorities in central Logar province of Afghanistan, at least 5 Taliban militants were killed following clashes with the security forces in this province. The officials further added nearly 750 Taliban militants launched coordinated attacks on security check posts in Azra district early Sunday morning.
Thousands of Protesters Demand Re-Vote in Pakistan:
Anti-government cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri and Pakistan's most famous cricket player, Imran Khan, have led dual mass protests that have disrupted life across Islamabad. They demand Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif step down over alleged fraud in the country's May 2013 election, something Sharif has refused to do.
Ten Civilians Killed in Donetsk in Last 24 Hours - City Council:
"A total of 10 civilians died and eight received injuries of various severity in one day on August 16 as a result of military action in Donetsk... The situation in the city remains tense. According to the residents, shots from heavy weapons can be occasionally heard in all districts," the City Council said in a statement.
Ukrainian army captures police station in Lugansk:
The Ukrainian government forces have taken control of a regional police headquarters in the eastern city of Lugansk after fierce fighting with pro-Russia forces, an army spokesman says.
Ukrainian fighter plane shot down by pro-Russia rebels:
The French president, François Hollande, called for Ukraine to show "restraint and good judgment" in its military operations
Ukraine officially recognizes Russian aid convoy as humanitarian:
The ICRC will be supervising the delivery of the aid and will go ahead after it receives security guarantees from the warring sides in Ukraine.
'At least 34' massacred in Central Africa:
Local sources say suspected ex-Seleka rebels killed at least 34 people ahead of arrival of new peacekeeping force.
Suicide bomber attacks U.N. base in northern Mali, kills two: -
Two U.N. peacekeepers were killed and nine others injured in a suicide attack on a patrol base in northern Mali, the U.N. peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) said on Saturday.
Warring militias fight for Libya's capital:
Violence forces thousands to flee as rival militias battle for control of Libya's capital, Tripoli.
Chadian troops rescue 85 Nigerian hostages from Boko Haram:
Dozens of Boko Haram insurgents stormed the Doron Baga fishing and farming village on the shores of Lake Chad late Sunday through Monday and took away 97 young men and boys plus several women, residents said. The raiders killed 28 residents and burned scores of homes, according to residents.
Gangs, guns and Judas Priest: the secret history of a US-inflicted border crisis:
Central America didn't always have a gang epidemic. We exported that
Missouri governor points finger at Ferguson police chief for new violence:
The governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, on Sunday effectively blamed the local police chief in Ferguson for the renewed violence in the city at the weekend after the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager by a patrol officer a week earlier.
Neighbor live-tweeted Brown shooting; may be damning evidence against officer:
A Ferguson, MO man live-tweeted the shooting death of Michael Brown last Saturday with a raw account that contradicts what police reported to the media - Brown was shot twice in the back and five times in the front, according to the witness' tweets.
One person shot and seven others arrested after curfew in Ferguson, Missouri:
One person was shot and critically wounded and seven arrested early on Sunday as police in Ferguson, Missouri, clashed with protesters when a curfew was imposed following days of unrest over a black teenager being shot dead by a white police officer.
What I Did After Police Killed My Son:
After police in Kenosha, Wis., shot my 21-year-old son to death outside his house ten years ago - and then immediately cleared themselves of all wrongdoing - an African-American man approached me and said: "If they can shoot a white boy like a dog, imagine what we've been going through."
"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
| 
