Hard News
ISIS teens execute 25 soldiers in Syria's Palmyra:
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on Saturday released a grisly video showing 25 Syrian government soldiers being executed by teenagers in the ancient amphitheater in the city of Palmyra.
Syrian mosque blast kills at least 25 with al-Qaida links:
Opposition-based social media websites had conflicting casualty figures, with some saying more than 40 people were dead.
Syria army and Hezbollah in major assault near Damascus:
The Syrian army backed by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah launched an assult on the city of Zabadani, near Damascus, in a fresh push to seize the last rebel stronghold along Lebanon's border.
Syria rebels take army center in Aleppo: activists:
Syrian rebels have seized a strategic military center in government-held western Aleppo city, as fierce battles rage between the opposing sides, activists said Saturday.
ISIS looting Syrian, Iraqi sites on industrial scale: UNESCO:
ISIS militants are looting ancient sites across Iraq and Syria on an industrial scale and selling on treasures to middlemen to raise cash, Irina Bokova, the head of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO said Thursday.
Turkey reinforces Syria border, PM says no incursion planned:
Turkey has deployed additional troops and equipment along part of its border with Syria as fighting north of the city of Aleppo intensifies, security sources said, but Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there were no immediate plans for any incursion.
Bombings kill 19 people in and around Baghdad:
Police officials said the deadliest attack occurred Saturday night when a car bomb exploded on a commercial street in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Amil, killing nine people and wounding 24 others. Several shops and cars were damaged.
Yemeni man lost 27 family members in Saudi-led air strike:
Human Rights Watch report accuses Saudi Arabia of illegally bombing Yemen without adequate concern for the country's civilian population
US Kills 4 People in Yemen:
A drone attacked an army base held by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in southeastern Yemen in the early hours of Friday, killing four suspected militants, witnesses said.official.
Egypt: No Less Than 100 "Terrorists" Killed in Egypt - Armed Forces:
No less than 100 terrorists were killed by security forces in North Sinai on Wednesday, while 17 from the army were killed, the general command of Egypt's armed forces said.
Egypt says 25 "militants" killed in air strikes as Sisi inspects troops:
Egyptian warplanes killed 25 Islamist militants in North Sinai on Saturday, security sources said, as the Egyptian president visited the province after a major escalation of the conflict there.
Civilians killed in Egypt's Sinai battles:
Three children and a woman have been killed in two separate incidents in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, while Egyptian army launched new air strikes near Sheikh Zuweid killing 12 rebels and destroying weapons and explosives caches.
Egypt's Brotherhood calls for uprising after killings:
Muslim Brotherhood calls on supporters to "rise in revolt" after police kill 13 leading members in raid on Cairo home.
Israel giving Egyptian army free hand in Sinai, official says:
Israel has been giving the Egyptian military a free hand to operate in northern Sinai against local jihadist groups, voluntarily ignoring an annex to the 1979 Camp David Peace Accords banning the presence of significant Egyptian forces in the area, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Thursday.
Israel accuses Hamas of aiding Islamic State in Egypt:
An Israeli general has accused members of Hamas in Gaza of providing support to militants linked to Islamic State in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, where the Egyptian army has fought deadly battles with Islamist insurgents in recent days.
Senior Hamas Member Condemns Sinai Terrorism:
"We've worked hard to strengthen relations with Egypt which have indeed grown stronger. We are always interested in good relations with Egypt, and in this case only one side could break off the relations. I condemn the events in Sinai."
Islamic State threatens to topple Hamas in Gaza Strip in video statement:
The video statement, issued from an Islamic State stronghold in Syria, was a rare public challenge to Hamas, which has been cracking down on jihadis in Gaza who oppose its truces with Israel and reconciliation with the US-backed rival Palestinian faction Fatah.
The Myth of Hamas's Human Shields -
Video
Hamas official: PA detains 100 members in arrest raids:
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishaq said in a statement the detentions were a "stab in the back" for Palestinians during the holy month of Ramadan, referring to the move as a "favor" for Israel.
Obama Signs Trade Bill, That Includes Anti-BDS Measures, Into Law:
U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law the fast track trade bill - known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - that also contains landmark legislation combating the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement in Europe.
Hillary Clinton signals to Jewish donors: I'll be better for Israel:
Hillary Clinton is privately signaling to wealthy Jewish donors that - no matter the result of the Iranian nuclear negotiations - she will be a better friend to Israel than President Barack Obama.
UK complicit in Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people :
The latest official government figures, collated by War on Want, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), reveal that the UK approved £4 million worth of arms sales to Israel in the four months that followed last year's bombardment of Gaza.
Saudi prince to visit Israel in unprecedented overture :
In fact, Israel and Saudi Arabia have held five secret meetings since the beginning of 2014 to discuss the common threat the Islamic Republic posses to the region
Tentative agreement on sanctions relief for Iran reached in Vienna - sources:
A tentative agreement between six world powers and Iran has been reached that includes sanctions relief for Tehran, AP reported Saturday, citing diplomatic sources. Sanctions has been one of the most difficult issues at the talks, sources say.
Iran Air Flight 655:
In an act that the US would call terrorism if committed by any other country, the USS Vicennes blew an Iranian commercial airliner out of the sky on July 3, 1988. We have never even apologized or accepted legal liability.
200 killed as female suicide bombers cause heavy casualties in NE Nigeria village: residents:
Several female suicide bombers blew themselves up in the midst of fleeing residents in a northeast Nigerian village, continuing a series of attacks that have killed some 200 people in just three days, witnesses said Saturday.
29 villagers killed by fleeing Boko Haram:
A detachment of fleeing Boko Haram terrorists has attacked a Borno community, killing at least 29 persons, a local official said.
10 civilians killed in 3 car bombs in Libya:
The bombings, which went off Friday evening, set off clashes between militants belonging to the Islamic State's local affiliate and al-Qaida-linked militias that continued into Saturday afternoon.
Five UN peacekeepers killed when convoy attacked in Mali:
Five U.N. peacekeepers were killed and another six severely wounded in an attack on their convoy in northern Mali, a spokesperson for the country's U.N. peacekeeping mission said Thursday.
France suspends two of its soldiers in Burkina Faso over child sex abuse:
Allegations include abuse of five-year-old girl, police say, and follow alleged sex abuse scandal involving French troops in Central African Republic
Tunisia declares state of emergency after hotel attack: state media:
Tunisia's emergency law temporarily gives the government more executive flexibility, hands the army and police more authority, and restricts certain rights such as the right to public assembly.
Tunisia attack: Officials were warned of an imminent terrorist attack in Sousse - but did nothing:
The Tunisian interior ministry received an alert in May of an imminent attack in Sousse, but failed to act on the information, the head of a security watchdog has told The Independent.
30 Afghan Police Personnel Killed in Taliban Attacks:
At least 30 Afghan police personnel have been killed in heavy clashes that broke out between Taliban militants and security forces in Afghanistan's eastern Wardak province
Putin tells Obama he wants dialogue based on equality and respect:
Putin expressed confidence that Russia and the United States could find solutions to the most complicated international issues and meet global threats and challenges together if they based their relationship on the principles of equality and respect for each other's interests, the Kremlin added.
Greek bank official dismisses 'haircut' report as "baseless":
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Greek banks were preparing contingency plans for a possible "haircut" on deposits amid fears of financial collapse, a report the country's banking association said was "completely baseless".
Greek finance minister accuses creditors of 'terrorism':
Yanis Varoufakis accused Athens' creditors of "terrorism" and of having intentions to humiliate the Greeks.
Top economists see 'No' vote as Greece's least-worst choice:
While polls in Greece show the country evenly divided going into Sunday's crucial bailout referendum, some of the world's top economists are united in arguing that a 'No' result is the country's best - or least-worst - choice.
Greece crisis live:
Germany suggests Greece could exit eurozone 'temporarily'
An Attack on Press Freedom: SPIEGEL Targeted by US Intelligence:
The sources said US intelligence services had determined the existence of intensive contacts between SPIEGEL reporters and the German government and decided to intervene because those communications were viewed as damaging to the United States' interests.
WikiLeaks founder Assange denied asylum in France:
In an open letter to French President Francois Hollande published in the newspaper "Le Monde" on Friday, Assange asked to be given asylum in France as a "humanitarian and symbolic gesture." - Hollande swiftly said no to the request, with his office releasing a statement hours after the open letter was published.
UK: Tories to Gut Inheritance Tax, Deepen Austerity :
The Tories plan on presenting a budget with tax cuts for wealthy households, and welfare cuts for the poor, according to leaks.
WikiLeaks: U.S. wiretapped Brazilian presidents:
The U.S. National Security Agency wiretapped several key Brazilian government officials including President Dilma Rousseff, her secretary and her chief of staff, according to WikiLeaks documents disclosed Saturday.
News outlets hype terror threat:
FBI, Homeland Security warn of July 4th terror attacks by ISIS:
A U.S. official told USA Today that there is no specific threat of attack at this time, but that Independence Day's powerful symbolism makes celebrations around the date appealing targets for members of the Islamic State and other extremists.
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