| Hard News
49 killed as helicopters 'attack', Mali Islamists militants in Algeria:
At least 20 Islamist gunmen calling themselves the 'Battalion of Blood' raided a compound near an Algerian gas field on Wednesday, taking dozens of hostages. They also killed a British citizen and an Algerian in an assault on a bus.
France increases troop deployment to Mali:
Soldiers on the ground doubled to 1,400, as Chad sends combat troops and EU agrees to provide military training mission.
French agent 'executed' by al-Shabab:
Somali armed group says it will release video of execution "any time it decides" after announcing death of the hostage.
African Union troops killed 7 civilian:
African Union troops mistakenly opened fire on a religious school while pursuing militants, killing five children and two adults, a Somali legislator said Thursday.
US to officially recognise Somalia government:
"When the secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognise the Somali government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years," Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson told reporters.
Libya mulls curfew for violence-hit Benghazi:
Libya is considering imposing a curfew on the violence-wracked eastern city of Benghazi, its prime minister said on Wednesday, a day after a car bomb killed a police officer there.
Six bombers killed, many civilians injured in Kabul blast:
At least six suicide attackers were killed and some 30 civilians wounded as a Townace-type car full of explosives was blown up close to the NDS compound here in Kabul, an official and a statement from the ministry of interior compound said Wednesday.
Insider Attack: Afghan police kill commander in Kandahar:
Afghan local policeAccording to local authorities in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, a local police officer opened fire on his commander and killed him.
NATO occupation force solider killed in Afghanistan:
A NATO solider was killed in the south of the country yesterday evening. BNA quoting from NATO press statement, the soldier was killed in attack of armed Taliban.
Marine who urinated on Afghan to be demoted:
Edward W Deptola, a US sergeant, to be demoted one rank in plea deal after urinating on the corpse of a Taliban fighter.
3 Pakistani Taliban killed in uprising of people in Kunar:
The clash took place between the residents of the three villages and Pakistani Taliban when 4 residents of the area arrested by Taliban on charges of spying.
Government in talks with Tahirul Qadri:
Earlier, Qadri had given the government a 'last deadline' of until 3 pm to meet his demands which he had later extended to 3:45 pm. At the time, he had also stated that talks could only be held with President Asif Ali Zardari. However, the government had constituted a committee to hold talks with the TMQ chief.
More than 100 killed in Syrian village near Homs, according to activists:
Dead were 'burnt inside of homes while others were killed with knives'
Syria sets conditions for talks with opposition; "...
We are even ready to negotiate with armed groups that tend to lay down their weapons because they are the children of the Syria who have been misled by the plots of the enemies, and our aim is to return them to our national society," said al-Halqi in a Wednesday farewell meeting with Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi .
17 killed in third day of deadly Iraq attacks:
A spate of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims across Iraq killed 17 people on Thursday, the latest in a spike in unrest amid weeks of anti-government protests and a political crisis engulfing the country.
Qaeda suspects kill top Yemen security official:
Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen on a motorbike have shot dead a high-ranking security official in Yemen's Dhammar province, south of Sanaa, the official Saba news agency reported on Thursday.
US ex-commander: We can't stop Iran's nuclear program:
Admiral William Fallon, former head of U.S. Central Command, warns that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would take weeks, and would only set Tehran back a few years * IAEA inspectors in talks with Iran for second day over disputed nuclear program.
Iran may step away from petrodollars: -
Tehran can escape international sanctions pressure by moving away from a budget dependent on petrodollars, the Iranian president said.
Israeli army 'provoked Palestinian teenager and then shot him':
A Palestinian schoolboy killed by Israeli gunfire near the West Bank separation barrier had been reacting to insults shouted by soldiers with loudhailers before he was shot, eyewitnesses have said.
Obama, Netanyahu seem headed for US-Israel clash:
Israel's premier on Wednesday dismissed President Barack Obama's reported displeasure with his hard-line policies toward the Palestinians, a sisgn that the two could be headed for a showdown.
Chuck Hagel nomination hearing set for Jan. 31:
Hagel faces strong opposition from some Republican senators, who are critical of his past statements on Israel and Iran. But the former Nebraska senator got a significant boost Tuesday when Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the No. 3 Democrat and most senior Jewish senator, announced his support for the nomination.
Russia Says World Is Nearing Currency War ;
The world is on the brink of a fresh "currency war," Russia warned, as European policy makers joined Japan in bemoaning the economic cost of rising exchange rates. "Japan is weakening the yen and other countries may follow," Alexei Ulyukayev, first deputy chairman of Russia's central bank, said
IMF approves next tranche of bailout money to Greece:
The IMF executive board announced its decision late on Wednesday after a long delay drawn out by Greece's political crisis that arose from the economic recession. The next tranche scheduled to be disbursed is worth 3.24 billion euros ($4.31 billion).
World Bank Slashes Global Growth Forecasts for 2013:
Economies around the world are still facing a struggle towards recovery, despite improved conditions in financial markets, the World Bank said Wednesday, as it sharply cut its global growth outlook for 2013.
BofA sees recession threat from 'few weeks' at debt ceiling:
The U.S. economy could slip into recession even if the Treasury pays some of its obligations in the event Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling, Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists wrote Wednesday.
Campaign To Overturn Citizens United:
The LA City Council voted Wednesday to draft ballot language for voters to weigh in on whether they believe there should be limits on campaign spending and whether corporations should have the same rights as people.
Good news: Florida Senate panel votes to ban spying with drones:
A Florida Senate panel says police should be banned from using drones to spy on citizens. A bill (SB 92) that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from gathering evidence or other information flew through the Criminal Justice Committee with a unanimous vote Tuesday.
Can the DEA Hide a Surveillance Camera on Your Land? :
A US district court judge ruled in the case last fall that it was okay for the DEA to enter the rural property without a warrant and install surveillance cameras that were used to help convict five members of a family on charges they were growing marijuana.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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