| Hard News
Pakistan: Bombings kill 101, injure 200:
At
least 101 people were killed in bombings in two cities in Pakistan on
Thursday, officials said, with most casualties caused by sectarian
attacks in the city of Quetta.
India 'provoked Kashmir clash after woman crossed LoC':
Two
Indian soldiers died on Tuesday after what Delhi says was a Pakistani
raid, days after Pakistan said one of its soldiers died in an Indian
attack.
India rejects UN probe of soldiers' killings at LoC:
India
on Thursday rejected "any suggestion" that the UN investigate the
killing of two soldiers at the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir--an
attack which it blames on Pakistan.
4 "Taliban commanders" killed, arrested in Afghanistan:
Four
local commanders of armed Taliban were killed in military operations
by Afghan and NATO forces in Afghanistan last night and this morning.
Afghan Amnesty Program Falls Short, Leaving Ex-Insurgents Regretful and Angry:
"The moment I feel like I can move, I will go back to the mountains, rearm myself and fight you again,"
Misplaced Secrecy on Targeted Killings:
For
years, President Obama has been stretching executive power to claim
that the authorization to use military force against Al Qaeda gives him
the unilateral authority to order people killed away from any
battlefield without judicial oversight or public accountability - even
when the target is an American citizen.
Ex-Guantanamo Bay inmates say 'Zero Dark Thirty' is aimed at excusing torture of US detainees:
Iraqi-born
Bisher al-Rawi and Libyan-born Omar Deghayes - who was partially
blinded after what he said was an American guard's attempt to gouge out
his eyes - said the movie legitimizes abuse.
14 dead after car bomb explosion in Iraq:
An
Iraqi security source said a car explosion that rocked Baghdad has
killed 14 and injured many others. IraqiNews.com said the blast
Thursday morning killed three civilians and 11 others.
Force from Baghdad deployed east of Falluja, Anbar Council requests Arab League, UN to interfere:
Organizer at Anbar protest, Khamees al-Mohana, affirmed that a military force coming from Baghdad has camped east of Falluja.
More than one million killed and : Iraq War Poll Finds Most Americans Think War Was "Mistake":
According
to the survey, 52 percent of Americans think it was a mistake for the
U.S. to send troops to Iraq in 2003, while 31 percent say it was not.
In addition, 55 percent of respondents said the war was not worth
fighting, and only 27 percent said it was.
He died for a lie:
A Navy SEAL's tragic secret: Video -
When Navy SEAL Robert Guzzo returned from Iraq, he feared seeking treatment for PTSD would endanger his career.
KBR, Guilty In Iraq Negligence, Wants Taxpayers To Foot The Bill:
In
November, a jury found KBR, the military's largest contractor, guilty
of negligence in the poisoning of a dozen soldiers, and ordered the
company to pay $85 million in damages. KBR says taxpayers should be on
the hook for the verdict, as well as more than $15 million the company
has spent in its failed legal defense
PKK Executions In Paris: Kurdistan Workers Party Founder, Killed In France :
Three
Kurdish women, including one of the founders of a militant group
battling Turkish troops since 1984, were slain in Paris, French
officials said Thursday. Angry Kurds immediately flooded the area, with
some claiming the killings were a "political assassination."
Theories Link Paris Murders to Kurdish Peace Moves:
The
killings prompted instant speculation that the execution-style triple
killing was linked to an attempt to disrupt peace talks between Turkey
and a jailed Kurdish guerrilla leader. The negotiations, are an effort
to persuade the rebels to disarm, possibly in exchange for amnesty for
their senior commanders and greater rights for Turkey's Kurdish
minority.
Brahimi does not see Assad in Syria future:
International peace envoy says he does not see President Bashar al-Assad being part of a transitional government.
Brahimi accused of 'flagrant bias' by Damascus:
Damascus
denounced the international envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, as "flagrantly
biased" today, casting doubt on how long the UN-Arab League mediator
can pursue his peace mission.
Engineering consent for an attack on Syria:
Will the US stop helping al-Qaida in Syria?:
By
empowering legitimate groups with the firepower to achieve results,
Obama could have removed the space for al-Qaida to operate.
Senators urge White House to impose no-fly zone over Syria:
The
U.S. should make use of "Patriot missile batteries en route to Turkey,
to protect people in northern Syria from Assad's aerial attacks."
Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joseph Lieberman
(I-CT) argue
Saudi Arabia mulling over changing approach to Syria: Report:
The
consolidation of Syrian military's positions across the country and
the withdrawal of foreign-backed militants from their strongholds have
fuelled speculations that Saudi Arabia is considering shifting its
policy towards Syria, a report says.
Gunmen kill Yemeni who mediated with Al-Qaeda: sources:
A
Yemeni tribal leader who mediated between the government and Al-Qaeda
was killed at a checkpoint ambush in Abyan province in the country's
south on Thursday, official and tribal sources said.
Oil surges on Saudi output cut:
Brent
crude oil rose more than $1 to a 12-week high today after news of a
sharp cut in Saudi oil production, an explosion in Yemen that halted
most of the country's oil exports and bullish Chinese trade data.
US supported Gulf rulers take sharper aim at Web dissent:
If
the Arab Spring uprisings represented the coming of age for social
media activism in the Middle East, then the Gulf Arab rulers who have
ridden out the upheavals appear to be mounting their own
counterrevolution.
Act of war: :
Australia announces new Iran sanctions:
They
include a ban on transactions between Australian and Iranian banks, a
ban on the export of materials linked to Iran's nuclear program and a
ban on the import of natural gas from the country.
As Fatah, Hamas meet, PM vows not to cede land:
Netanyahu
slams Abbas for meeting "terrorists trying to annihilate Israel,"
asserts Hamas would seize any territory Israel evacuates.
Palestinian leader rejects deal on Syria refugees:
Abbas
said Ban was told Israel "agreed to the return of those refugees to
Gaza and the West Bank, but on condition that each refugee ... sign a
statement that he doesn't have the right of return (to Israel)."
4 people killed in Libya:
Four
people were killed in clashes against a brigade linked to the Libyan
army in the southern town of Kufra, a military official told AFP on
Wednesday.
Libya PM threatens force to protect oil sector:
Zeidan warns he will use force tosecure vital oil installations that have become protesters' bargaining chip.
Fighters clash with army in central Mali:
Islamist
armed group Ansar Dine, among the groups occupying the north of Mali
for nine months, has taken control of the central Malian city of Kona
in Mopti province, reports said.
Harper has lost the will to venture into Mali:
The
hard knocks of the military mission in Afghanistan made Mr. Harper
think of dusty ground fights like Mali as politically unprofitable and
possibly unwinnable.
Canada: Justice will remain absent:
Since
before confederation, Canada has pursued a single policy objective vis
à vis Indigenous peoples; make them go away by making them like
everyone else.
Idle No More: Indigenous Uprising Sweeps North America:
Idle
No More has organized the largest mass mobilizations of indigenous
people in recent history. What sparked it off and what's coming next?
77 percent of Americans strongly disapprove of Congress:
Nearly
80 percent of Americans say they believe Washington is causing
"serious harm to the country," shedding further light on the low
approval ratings of the most recent US Congress and the widespread
pessimism regarding the country's future.
Student wounded in California school shooting:
Shooting comes as US Vice President Joe Biden meets with National Rifle Association about tackling gun violence.
Families grieve as Chicago killings increase:
Community organiser Darius McGraw was one of more than 500 people killed in the US' deadliest city in 2012.
All out of ammo: US cops can't stay stocked up as gun and bullet sales soar:
A
spike in gun and ammunition sales has caused a nationwide shortage
that has delayed police training exercises and is putting a substantial
amount of weaponry in civilian hands.
Blumenthal calls for background checks to buy ammo:
U.S.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he wants legislation that would require
instant background checks for the sale of gun ammunition. He is
expected to take up the proposal once Congress reconvenes.
Why Americans are dying earlier than their international peers:
Despite
spending more per person on health care than any other country,
Americans are getting sicker and dying younger than our international
peers -- a problem persisting across all ages and both genders,
according to a new report.
New data show 1 in 4 children in US on food stamps in FY 2011:
Approximately 15.5 million additional recipients have been added to the SNAP rolls since the beginning of 2009.
Obama nominates Jack Lew as new Treasury chief:
Senate
approves appointment of Orthodox Jewish White House chief of staff to
replace Timothy Geithner; Obama says Lew, a "man of deep and devout
faith" knows how to express US values.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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