Hard News
50 IS jihadists killed in Kobane in 24 hours:
At least 50 Islamic State group jihadists have been killed in the past 24 hours in clashes, suicide bombings and US-led air strikes in Syria's Kobane, a monitor said on Sunday.
Syria airstrikes kill 'at least 19':
Syrian government aircraft have targeted a southern town with a series of airstrikes, killing at least a dozen people including women and children, activists said.
Islamic State militants attack Kobane from Turkey for the first time - indicating besieged Syrian town is totally surrounded:
Nawaf Khalil, a spokesman for Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party, said the terror group 'used to attack the town from three sides. Today, they are attacking from four sides'.
Inside Kobani: Devastation Mixed With Optimism:
An exclusive report shot by a videojournalist inside Kobani offered a rare, in-depth glimpse of the horrendous destruction that more than two months of fighting has inflicted on the Kurdish town in northern Syria by the Turkish border.
US warplanes bombard Isis capital with 30 air strikes in Raqqa :
Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moualem, said that the jihadist group would not be tackled unless Turkey was made to tighten its border controls and told a Beirut-based TV programme: "All the indications say that (Isis) today, after two months of coalition air strikes, is not weaker."
Israel intel punches holes in US strategy against Islamic State:
An 80-page study conducted by the Tel Aviv-based Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorist Information Centre believes that both declared and undeclared political and military objectives of the US against ISIS seem unrealistic and suffers from a series of weaknesses.
Propaganda alert:
U.S. will use psych evaluations, stress tests to screen Syrian rebels for training:
The U.S. military will subject Syrian rebels taking part in a new training program to psychological evaluations, biometrics checks and stress tests under a screening plan that goes well beyond the steps the United States normally takes to vet foreign soldiers, a sign of the risks the Obama administration faces as it expands support for armed groups in Syria.
Report: Russia to supply Syria with S-300 missiles:
Russia will give Syria the S-300 missile defense system. In the past reports of such a transfer strained Western-Russia relations, and led to an all time low in Russia's relations with the US.
Iraq airstrikes kill 17 in areas held by Islamic State:
Seventeen people were killed in Iraq on Saturday in air strikes targeting areas controlled by Islamic State militants, witnesses and an intelligence official said.
Sunni bloc warns against arming tribes, militia groups:
Iraq's Sunni-majority al-Watanya bloc warned that arming tribes and militia groups by the state would lead to a civil war and that weapons should only be in the hands of government forces.
How corrupt is Iraq's military? -
This is the force that George W. Bush kept U.S. troops in Iraq to train. It is the force that President Obama has been relying on to contain ISIS fighters. And it is a force that is substantially responsible for the ability of ISIS to get weapons:
Iraqi PM's Graft Probe Finds 50,000 'Ghost Soldiers':
'Ghost soldiers', literally translated from Arabic as 'space men', are soldiers listed on the payroll of Iraq's security forces, but do not actually exist.
Islamic State has a 'dirty bomb' says British jihadi;
Claims 40kg of URANIUM was taken from Iraqi university
Protester Killed as Thousands Rally for Independence in Southern Yemen:
Yemeni police shot dead a protester and wounded four others as southern separatists marched today towards the governorate building in the south's main city of Aden, activists said.
Qaeda claims bomb attack on US embassy in Yemen:
Al-Qaeda has claimed it detonated two bombs outside the US embassy in Sanaa, killing several guards, a US-based monitoring group said on Saturday.
Putin confirms support for independent Palestinian state:
"Russia has consistently advocated in favor of the earliest execution of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians for establishment of an independent, contiguous and viable state," Putin said in a letter sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Saturday.
Pope to wrap up Turkey visit:
Francis meets spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, a day after taking part in prayer at Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Saudis risk playing with fire in shale-price showdown as crude crashes:
Saudi Arabia and the core Opec states are taking an immense political gamble by letting crude oil prices crash to $66 a barrel, if their aim is to shake out the weakest shale producers in the US.
Mosque attack killed 100, wounded 135 in Nigeria's Kano
Libya: 450 Killed In Benghazi After 45 Days Of Fighting:
The official added that the victims included 200 troops allied to retired general (CIA) Khalifa Haftar, who has been leading the army's campaign against Libya's Islamists.
Hunger emergency grows in Libya:
The displaced are scattered around 35 towns or cities and according to local authorities and NGOs, are in dire need of shelter, health care, food, water and other basic commodities."
Two killed in anti-Mubarak protests in Egypt:
At least two people were killed and 13 others injured late Saturday in clashes between Egyptian police and protesters after a court dropped murder charges against ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the Health Ministry said.
Murder charges against Egypt's Mubarak dismissed:
A judge dismissed murder charges Saturday against former President Hosni Mubarak and acquitted his security chief over the killing of protesters during Egypt's 2011 uprising, crushing any hope of a judicial reckoning on behalf of the hundreds victims of the revolt that toppled him.
WHO reports sharp rise in Ebola deaths:
New toll of 6,928 shows a leap of about 1,200 since Wednesday and appears to include previously unreported deaths.
11 "militants" killed in Pakistan airstrikes:
Pakistani fighter jets pounded the Taliban hideouts in restive northwestern tribal region, killing at least 21 militants, officials said today.
South African family killed in Taliban attack on Kabul:
The latest Taliban strike in Kabul killed a South African father and his two children, Afghan officials said Sunday, as the city police chief resigned after at least nine militant attacks in two weeks.
Pakistan's Imran Khan plans 'shutdowns':
Opposition politician threatens to shut down cities and whole country in phases to protest against government.
Hong Kong protesters face off with police:
Several protesters injured in clashes with police, who tried to prevent them from blocking government buildings.
Russian Military Equipment Not Seen Crossing Ukrainian Border: OSCE:
Chief Observer of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Observer Mission said that monitors from OSCE have not seen any Russian military equipment crossing the Ukrainian border.
Russian humanitarian convoy returns home after delivering relief aid to eastern Ukraine:
Trucks of the Russian emergencies ministry have returned to Russia's southern Rostov region after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Oleg Voronov, a deputy chief of the Russian
MH17 Witnesses Tell BBC They Saw Ukrainian Jet. BBC Deletes Video:
Shortly after the tragedy, a BBC Russian correspondent interviewed numerous eyewitnesses who described seeing a second aircraft in the sky moments before MH17's fatal crash. The BBC pulled the report. Why?
Mother of German MH17 crash victim sues Ukraine in EU court:
The mother of a victim killed in the Malaysian plane crash in eastern Ukraine has started legal proceedings to sue the Ukrainian authorities in the European Court of Human Rights, demanding about $1 million for pain and suffering.
Thousands protest against Russian health cuts:
Thousands of Russians have staged marches in Moscow and other cities in protest at health reforms which include plans to close hospitals and cut jobs.
Legal Loophole Lets Germany Spy on Own Citizens:
German lawmakers probing the surveillance activities of the U.S. National Security Agency have uncovered a legal loophole that allows the country's foreign intelligence agency to spy on its own citizens.
Swiss 'reject immigration curbs':
Voters in Switzerland have decisively rejected a proposal to cut net immigration to no more than 0.2% of the population, partial results suggest.
Theresa May says tens of thousands held as modern slaves in Britain:
The shocking number of people held in conditions of slavery in modern Britain has been revealed by the Home Secretary
Leaked email: Save the Children trying to "contain" damage from Tony Blair award:
A leaked internal email to staff from the international charity's chief executive Jasmine Whitbread does not indicate, however, that the charity intends to withdraw the "Global Legacy Award" Blair received at a glittering New York gala on 19 November.
Save the Children boss 'disappointed' over Tony Blair award row:
The leadership of Save the Children has acknowledged that the row over the global legacy award presented to Tony Blair has been a "painful" experience, and has appointed a team to try to contain staff anger.
Civil Liberties in Peril Down Under: Australia and New Zealand, have been cracking down on the press:
Australia has passed sweeping secrecy laws, while police officers in New Zealand recently raided the home of a reporter who had published information regarding a government scandal.
Mexican President Peña Nieto announces police-state plan as more bodies are discovered:
Eleven decapitated bodies were found on Thursday, November 27. The bodies had been dumped near Colula, Guerrero.
Colombia rebels free captured general:
General Ruben Dario Alzate, who was captured two weeks ago, is freed along with a captain and an attorney.
Ferguson: Prosecutor Manipulates Grand Jury Process to Shield Officer: Op-Ed:
You know the fix is in when a suspect who shot an unarmed man voluntarily provides four hours of un-cross examined testimony to a grand jury without taking the Fifth.
Ferguson police officer resigned on safety concerns, lawyer says:
The police officer who shot an unarmed teenager to death this summer in a St. Louis suburb decided to resign from the force because of threats against fellow officers after a grand jury decided not to indict him, his lawyer said on Sunday.
"The Best Slave Is A Slave That Doesn't Know He's A Slave" - America Today In 4 Pictures:
This is why America is in the shape that it's in...
Do We Own Our Stuff, or Does Our Stuff Own Us?:
I think the answer is clear: our stuff owns us, not the other way around
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