| Hard News
Five killed in Pakistan blast:
At least five people were killed and three injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan's northwest tribal region of Orakzai Agency, Xinhua reported.
Afghan 'spy' killed over US drone strikes:
Militants on Wednesday dumped the mutilated body of a purported Afghan spy accused of collaborating on US drone strikes that killed a prominent warlord in Pakistan this month, officials said.
Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan:
A soldier was killed in a rebel attack on Polish troops in the Ghazni province in Afghanistan, press spokesman of the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command Miroslaw Ochyra said on Wednesday.
42 killed by suicide bomb at Iraq Shiite mosque:
The attack, which also left 75 people wounded, struck at the Sayid al-Shuhada mosque in Tuz Khurmatu, 175 kilometres (110 miles) north of Baghdad, and targeted the funeral of a relative of a politician who was killed a day earlier.
Obama regime kills another 7 People in Yemen: :
The officials say the drone attack took place Wednesday near the town of Khawlan, some 35 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of the capital. Military officials and tribal witnesses say the car was destroyed, and burnt bodies could be seen inside the wreckage.
UN to whitewash US drone strikes:
UN to examine UK and US drone strikes:
Strikes will be studied to assess extent of any civilian casualties, identity of militants targeted and legality of actions
Russia Criticizes Syria Rebel 'Obsession' With Assad Exit:
Russia's foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said on Wednesday that the main obstacle to peace in Syria is the opposition's "obsession with the idea of toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime."
Christians in Syria Fearful of FSA -Video -
Patriarch Exposes FSA Tactics
Destroying mosques of Shia Muslim in Syria:
Video
Syria: Attacks on Religious Sites Raise Tensions:
Armed opposition groups appeared to have deliberately destroyed religious sites in mixed areas of Northern Syria, in November and December 2012, Human Rights Watch said
War criminal :
Blair: Assad opposition 'increasingly led by extremists':
"If we don't help the sensible people opposed to Assad, this opposition to Assad will increasingly be led by the extreme groups - and is increasingly being led by the extreme groups," he warned.
Turkish protesters, angry at NATO missiles, attack German troops:
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB), affiliated to the Turkey Workers' Party, attacked the soldiers in the center of the city on Tuesday and tried to put sacks on their heads.
Russia warns Israel, West against attack on Iran:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted strongly at possible military action to stop Iran from developing an atomic bomb. In an election victory speech on Wednesday, he said preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons would be the main challenge for a new government.
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian woman in West :
Witnesses said Lubna Hanash and her companions were walking to al-Arroub College when men in Israeli military uniforms travelling in a civilian car shot at the group.
Abbas intimates that Israel wants to kill him:
PA head, in interview, also suggests Israel killed Arafat, says Zionism had links to Nazism before WWII;
Netanyahu in coalition talks after narrow win:
Ahmed Assaf, a spokesman for the Fatah movement, described the Palestinians as "the main losers from this duel between the racist right-wing parties."
North Nigeria violence leaves 23 dead:
At least 23 killed in two separate attacks believed to be carried out by armed group Boko Haram.
Mali conflict: Troops accused of 'summary executions':
Mali's army has carried out a "series of summary executions" as it fights to recapture the Islamist-controlled north, a rights group has said.
Mali war declared 'Islamic':
The government of Mali does not intend to leave religious affairs solely to Islamist militant groups; the Islamic Supreme Council publicly gave their blessing and support to France's military activities in the country. To prevent any religious backlash, the council has cast its judgment that the war is permissible.
U.S. on Algeria: We knew 'something big' was coming:
House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers said Sunday the United States received reports "something big" was going to target the West, but specifics were lacking and Algeria was a surprise.
Libya's security not better since Benghazi attack, expert says:
"The problem with Libya is that there were no boots on the ground after the revolution, and the Libyan army and Libyan police basically evaporated," said Lawrence. "Basically in Libya, you've got 1,700 militias running the country still and not much of the police or army infrastructure."
Former Special Forces Commander: Was U.S. Running Guns to Syrian Rebels Via Benghazi?
Retired Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, who worked with the CIA-told CNSNews.com in a video interview last week that he believes it is a reasonable supposition that the U.S. was supporting or planning to support the Syrian rebels via Benghazi, Libya.
On the day of his death, US ambassador to Libya warned that he was in danger:
Hours before US Ambassador Christopher Stevens died in a terrorist attack in Libya, he sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a cable warning that local militias were threatening to take away security officers guarding the US diplomats.
Re-Live Hillary Clinton's Long, Dramatic Benghazi Day on Capitol Hill:
Here you'll find our breakdown of the proceedings, featuring all the back-and-forth, important quotes now on the congressional record, video clips of the most heated moments, and some reactions from Twitter's chattering class
Google report reveals continued rise in US government requests for data:
According to its latest transparency report, the number of requests for private data Google received from US officials had increased by 136% by the end of 2012 from the second half of 2009, when the search firm first started collecting data.
General John Allen cleared in Petraeus sex scandal:
The Department of Defense has concluded their investigation of General John Allen and has determined that the top US commander in Afghanistan did not have an inappropriate relationship with a woman linked to former CIA chief Gen. David Petraeus.
Outrage grows as records reveal bishops covered-up California sex abuse:
Victims of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic clerics voiced anger after newly-released records showed church leaders discussing how to cover up priests' alleged crimes in California in the 1980s.
Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims:
The use of Sharia, or Islamic religious law, is growing in Britain, with thousands of Muslims using it to settle disputes each year, but women's groups and some others are objecting.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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