Hard News
Mass grave found in Tal Afar and several homes detonated in Mosul: "On the outskirts of Tal Afar, locals found a mass grave of 70 Iraqi army soldiers on Monday," Saeed Mamuzini, a media officer for the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) 17th branch in Mosul, told Rudaw.
Carter, Dempsey paint bleak picture of Iraq situation:
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter conceded that the U.S. did not move quickly enough to arm Iraqi Security Forces in their struggle against ISIS, and disclosed that the U.S. will train just 7,000 of the 24,000 Iraqi troops it had expected to by the fall due to a lack of recruits.
'Iraq is no more': Congress, Pentagon coming to terms with 3-way split:
Carter said the Defense Department does consider a future that involves three Iraqs, not one. The nation could be split into a Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite territory
New Isis video shows hostages decapitated, blown up or drowned :
Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters.
Kurds 'capture Syrian town north of Raqqa':
Kurdish fighters in northern Syria say they have captured a key town from Islamic State, just 50km (30 miles) from the group's headquarters at Raqqa. The Kurds' rapid advance through Raqqa province continued on Monday with the fall of Brigade 93, a base which IS captured from the Syrian military last year
Pentagon pays Syrians $400 per month to fight ISIL:
The Pentagon has begun paying modest stipends to the Syrian mercenaries it hopes to field in the fight against Islamic State militants, the military confirmed Monday.
Syria Asks Western Countries Like US Not To Shed 'Crocodile Tears' For Its People:
Syria accused the United States and some of its European allies of a double standard for demanding a halt to airstrikes on Aleppo. The Syrian Foreign Ministry accused the West of ignoring the fact Syria is fighting extremists and "shedding crocodile tears" for the people of Syria.
Druzi Minority Blocks Transfer of Terrorists Wounded in Syrian Battles for Treatment in Israel:
The Druzi youth in Syria's Golan Heights stood up to the Israeli forces and blocked the road to the Israeli army ambulances carrying the terrorists injured in battles in Syria for treatment in Israel.
One Syrian killed in Druze attack on IDF ambulance carrying wounded rebels:
One Syrian militant was beaten to death and one was wounded in very serious-to-critical condition after Druze protesters attacked Monday night an Israel Defense Forces ambulance in northern Israel carrying Syrian members of armed militias wounded in the civil war there. Two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded.
39 killed, dozens wounded in south Yemen clashes:
In Aden, Yemen's second city, seven civilians killed and 94 were wounded after Shiite Huthi rebels fired rockets on neighbourhoods controlled by troops loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, the city's health chief Al-Khader Laswar told AFP.
Israeli forces shoot, injure 2 Palestinians in southern Gaza:
Israeli forces were reported to have opened fire intermittently on Palestinian civilians near the border
"Balance" in UN Gaza report can't hide massive Israeli war crimes:
There can be no surprise that the UN Human Rights Council's independent investigation of Israel's assault on Gaza last summer found evidence of massive and systematic war crimes.
In Israel, we walk amongst killers and torturers:
In our homes, our streets and our places of work and entertainment, there are thousands of people who killed and tortured thousands of other people or supervised their killing and torture
France suggests U.N. peace plan, Israel unequivocally objects:
The French peace proposal reportedly would have three components: a return to direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, a committee of representatives from world and regional powers to facilitate the negotiations, and a United Nations Security Council resolution that would set a timetable for the process.
Abbas to French FM: Only those who 'recognize the state of Israel' allowed in unity government :
"[Abbas] told me this government of national unity could only include women and men who recognize Israel, renounce violence and who are in agreement with the principles of the Quartet," Fabius said at a press conference in Ramallah.
Hundreds of Ethiopian-Israelis clash with police in Tel Aviv protest:
Demonstrators protest 'police racism,' and deride decision to close criminal investigation into police officer who manhandled an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier.
WikiLeaks 'Saudi Cables': Gulf States were willing to pay $10bn for Mubarak's release:
An undated cable, labeled "top secret," quotes an unnamed Egyptian official saying the Muslim Brotherhood would agree to release Mubarak in exchange for $10 billion "since the Egyptian people will not benefit from his imprisonment."
Egyptian Forces Kill 22 Suspected Militants Outside Mosque In North Sinai:
Security forces killed 22 suspected militants in North Sinai on Monday, security sources said, adding that those killed planned to target security forces.
Nigeria: Bomb at fish market kills at least 20;
At least 20 people have been killed after female suicide bombers attacked a fish market in Nigeria's north-eastern city of Maiduguri, eyewitnesses have told the BBC.
Nigeria's Buhari says government is short of money:
Nigeria's treasury is "virtually empty", President Muhammadu Buhari has said. He vowed to recover billions of dollars "stolen" under previous administrations.
Airstrike kills 15 IS affiliates in Libya's Sirte:
"A warplane attacked a location of IS militants in Noflia town, some 120 km east of Sirte, killing 15 militants and injuring 10 others," a source for the 166 Battalion militia of the Islamist militant Libya Dawn told Xinhua.
Migrant killed and another injured after 'Libyan patrol boat' opens fire on crowded vessel :
One migrant was killed and another seriously injured after unidentified persons opened fire on their rubber dinghy while travelling in Libyan waters, according to reports.
Rwanda angry over London arrest of spy chief Karenzi Karake:
The Rwandan government has branded the arrest of its intelligence chief Karenzi Karake as "an outrage". Gen Karake, 54, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, accused of ordering massacres in the wake of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
Ebola Returns to Sierra Leone Capital After Weeks of No New Cases:
Two new cases of the deadly Ebola virus have been recorded in Sierra Leone's capital city of Freetown, about three weeks after the most recent new cases were found, underscoring the difficulty of ridding the region of the disease.
Afghanistan: 14 insurgents killed in raids:
Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that Afghan National Police (ANP) in collaboration with Afghan National Army (ANA) and National Directorate of Security (NDS) has conducted clearance operations against insurgents in different areas of Uruzgan, Farah, Kunduz and Helmand provinces. In these operations 14 rebels were eliminated and eight others injured.
7 gunmen killed as Taliban attack Afghan parliament:
All seven Taliban militants who staged a spectacular attack on the Afghan parliament on Monday were killed in a battle with security forces that also left 21 people wounded.
US kills six people in Afghanistan:
At least six suspected Taliban fighters, including an alleged commander have been killed in a U.S. drone airstrike in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a provincial police official said Monday.
Taliban has a major northern Afghan city within its grasp for the first time since 2001:
Taliban forces converge on Kunduz: The government in Kabul has dispatched reinforcements, including Afghan special forces and their U.S. advisers and trainers, to try to repel the insurgents and rescue about 75 soldiers and police officers trapped inside their district base.
Afghanistan's security on the brink of collapse:
The Taliban attacks on the Afghan parliament and the northern city of Kunduz are a reflection of the fragile security situation prevailing in the country. DW examines.
Pakistan heatwave: Emergency measures as toll nears 700:
Pakistan's prime minister has called for emergency measures as the death toll from a heatwave in southern Sindh province reached nearly 700. The army is also being deployed to help set up heat stroke centres, with temperatures reaching 45C (113F).
Australia prepares new citizenship laws:
Australia says it will reveal new laws stripping citizenship from dual nationals engaged in terrorism. The laws would also strip citizenship from dual nationals who engaged in terrorism inside Australia. The government said changes to the Australian Citizenship Act would be introduced to parliament on Wednesday.
NATO May Station 40,000 Troops Near Russian Border; US To Supply Aircraft, Weapons:
The proposal would mark a significant increase in the number of NATO troops in the region, as there were just 4,000 troops there in 2014
US deploying 250 military vehicles 'including Abrams tanks' to Europe near Russian border:
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania will be hosting the new hardware, and it will be possible to move it around for exercises, Carter said as he stood with his Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts on a visit to Tallinn.
Pro war propaganda:
US nuclear missile commander says Vladimir Putin's actions echo those of Nazi Germany in the 1930s :
"Some of the actions by Russia recently we haven't seen since the 1930s, when whole countries were annexed and borders were changed by decree."
EU extends Russia sanctions to 2016:
"Russia naturally considers these sanctions groundless, unlawful. And we have never been the initiators of the sanction measures," President Putin's press secretary was quoted as saying by Russia's Echo Mosvky radio station.
Boeing's 747 Jumbo Boosted by $7.4 Billion Order From Russia:
Boeing Co. said it struck a $7.4 billion deal to sell 747-8 freighters to Russia's Volga-Dnepr Group, providing a much-needed boost to the jumbo-jet program amid flagging demand for four-engine aircraft.
Greece: The ball is in Europe's court on debt deal:
Tsipras presented a proposal on Monday that was expected to be reviewed by Thursday when all 28 EU leaders will meet to consider the offer.
Greece defends 'harsh' reforms it promised creditors:
Greece's government defended Tuesday the billions worth of "harsh" new budget savings it has offered in talks with creditors, as some of the governing party's own lawmakers spoke out against them.
Over 2,700 migrants rescued in Mediterranean - Italy coast guard:
Ships patrolling the Mediterranean plucked more than 2,700 migrants from overcrowded and unsafe boats on Monday and rescue operations are continuing, Italy's coast guard said on Tuesday.
Calais migrants seek to exploit port strike:
A strike has forced the suspension of services through the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France, as hundreds of migrants try to board UK-bound lorries amid the chaos.
UK: Children fleeing warzones illegally held in adult detention centers, investigation finds:
Vulnerable children fleeing warzones in the Middle East are being wrongly classified as over-18s and imprisoned in adult detention centers, despite the government having outlawed child detention, a report has said.
'Epidemic of food riots' could trigger society collapse by 2040, warn scientists:
With the global demand for food on the rise, our society could collapse as soon as in 2040 due to fatal food shortages and "unprecedented epidemic of food riots," if counter measures are not taken, researchers have warned.
Corporations Win Again: Senate Passes Obamatrade Fast-Track Bill:
Union leaders warn enabling Fast-Track prematurely would "compound its expected negative impacts, leaving U.S. workers in the lurch and depriving the U.S. manufacturing sector of vital tools necessary to combat unfair trade."
Trump Surges in Popularity in N.H., Taking Second Place in Suffolk Poll :
The New York developer and reality television star is second among 2016 presidential candidates in a new Suffolk University poll of New Hampshire Republicans - behind only former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Green Party's Jill Stein Announces She Is Running for President:
"I am running with the only national party that does not take corporate funding." Stein, a physician and activist who first ran in 2012, outlines her platform
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