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Hard News
Pakistan: 8 militants killed in Orakzai clash:
At
least two security forces personnel were injured and eight militants
killed on Wednesday in a clash between militants and security forces in
Dabori area of Orakzai tribal region.
Murder Inc.
Obama's drone war kills 'others,' not just al Qaida leaders:
The
documents show that drone operators weren't always certain who they
were killing despite the administration's guarantees of the accuracy of
the CIA's targeting intelligence and its assertions that civilian
casualties have been "exceedingly rare.
Four Afghan policemen killed in bomb blast:
Four
policemen were killed and two others injured when their vehicle hit a
roadside bomb in south-western Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday.
US occupation force troops open fire on civilian bus in Herat, 2 killed or injured:
The incident took place after the civilian bus got close to the convoy of the US troops.
Iraq: Three policemen killed in north:
The
Wednesday afternoon attack took place when gunmen in a speeding car
fired on policemen manning a checkpoint in the former al-Qaida
stronghold city of Mosul
Iraq's "most wanted": Where are they now?:
Ten years after the fall of Baghdad, Al Jazeera looks at what became of the Iraq invasion's top players.
Dead man talking:
Audio emerges from allegedly dead Al Qaida chief:
Most
of the message is directed against Saudi Arabia, which Al Shihri
accuses of allowing Americans to attack "the faithful of Yemen" from
their soil.
Syrian "rebels"pledges allegiance to al-Qaeda:
The
leader of the al-Nusra Front, a jihadist group fighting in Syria, has
pledged allegiance to the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Celebrating the Unification of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (Syria) - Video -
"Let
us declare, relying on Allah, the cancelation of the name "The Islamic
State of Iraq" and the cancelation of the name "Jabhat al-Nusrah" and
blending them under one name: "The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shaam,"
and also the unification of the banner, the Banner of the Islamic
State."
Syrian "rebels" disown Syrian "rebels:
The
mainstream Syrian rebel command distanced itself from the jihadist
Nusra Front Tuesday after Al-Qaeda in neighboring Iraq confirmed that
it spawned and supervised the group.
Syrian "rebel" Colonel Defends Jabhat al-Nusra: Video -
Marginalizing them will only increase their fame and power.
Kerry Says U.S. Is Considering More Support For "Rebel" Fighters:
Mr.
Kerry made the remarks at a news conference at Ben-Gurion
International Airport in Israel as he completed three days of meetings
with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
In Syria, some brace for the next war:
"Fighting
is unavoidable," said Abu Mansour, a commander with the rebel Free
Syrian Army's Farouq Brigades, whose men clashed last month with those
of the extremist Jabhat al-Nusra movement in the border town of Tal
Abiyad, one of several instances in which the tensions have erupted
into violence. "If it doesn't happen today, it will happen tomorrow."
The Bombing of al-Bara: Video - [Warning: Graphic violence]
Olly
Lambert was filming an interview with a Syrian rebel leader in the
village of al-Bara, a regime airstrike hit barely 300 meters from where
he was standing. He kept the cameras rolling
Syrian opposition group accuses rebel unit of torture: -
The
pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday accused a
rebel battalion of torturing civilians and extorting money from them
in Syria's northern city of Aleppo.
Syria's Jihadists face test of government in eastern city:
Hardline Islamist brigades patrol streets abandoned by police. A
religious court has replaced a collapsed judicial system, and
minorities have fled, according to civic activists in Raqqa, the
largest city to fall to the opposition
Libya arms fueling conflicts in Syria, Mali and beyond: U.N. experts:
The
experts said transfers of arms to Syria - where a two-year-old civil
war has killed more than 70,000 people - had been organized from
various locations in Libya, including Misrata and Benghazi, via Turkey
or northern Lebanon.
Militias drain Libya's coffers:
The
addition of tens of thousands of armed revolutionaries to the state
payroll in Libya has helped swell the public sector salaries bill this
year to $16bn - more than double the $6.6bn allocated in the 2010
budget under Muammer Gaddafi
Mozambique : At least 7 killed, 13 wounded :
Mozambican
authorities say they have made some arrests after recent attacks and
fighting between police and alleged members of an opposition group
killed at least seven people.
Doublespeak:
Obama approves US military assistance to Somalia:
Mr
Obama issued a memo to Secretary of State John Kerry saying it would
"strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace"
Somalia acknowledges rape by soldiers:
After
months of denial, Somalia's government has for the first time
acknowledged that its security forces were involved in rape cases that
drew an international outcry by human rights groups.
Qatar buys Egypt:
Qatar offers Egypt $3bn in aid:
Gas-rich
Qatar has already announced an aid package of $5bn to Egypt,
comprising an outright grant of $1bn and $4bn in bank deposits.
US, S. Korea on high alert in anticipation of Pyongyang's missile launch:
The
Combined Forces Command is effectively at Watchcon 2 status ready to
tackle a "vital threat" from North Korea; Yonhap news agency reported
citing an anonymous senior military official. If the next upgrade
occurs, the nations will be in a state of war.
War criminal:
Cheney: US in 'deep doo doo' with North Korea:
Former
Vice President Dick Cheney discussed tensions on the Korean peninsula
with Republican leaders in Congress in a closed-door meeting Tuesday,
warning them that the United States was in danger.
Russia warns against stoking N.Korea tensions:
"One
just shouldn't scare anyone with military maneuvers and there's a
chance that everything will calm down," he added in Russian, without
specifying which countries he believed were carrying out such military
exercises.
George Galloway vs Professor Anthony Glees on North Korea:
Audio -
British parliament recalled to pay tribute to Thatcher:
"To
show its respect, the Speaker has agreed to recall Parliament on
Wednesday for a special session in which tributes will be paid," said
Prime Minister David Cameron, who cut short a visit to Europe to return
to Britain after the news of Thatcher's death was announced.
MPs should be free to criticise Margaret Thatcher, says Labour veteran:
A
veteran Labour MP who was first elected to parliament in 1966 has said
members of his party should be free to criticise the "brutal contempt"
with which Margaret Thatcher treated millions of working people.
Rust sets in on The Ironic Lady: Margaret Thatcher, Supposed Champion of 'Freedom and Democracy', and Her Dictator Friends:
Thatcher
was a staunch supporter of many of the world's most brutal regimes,
propping up and arming war criminals and dictators in service to
Western imperialism, anti-Communism and neoliberal hegemony.
'Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead' reaches midweek top ten following Margaret Thatcher's death :
Those
who saw her death as a cause for celebration have prompted a download
surge for the track. Within 48 hours of the former Prime Minister's
death, the song has entered the official UK chart at number 10.
Judge orders prosecution to prove that Bradley Manning intended to 'aid the enemy':
A
US military judge says the government must prove that Army Private
Bradley Manning intended to aid the enemy when he released hundreds of
thousands of sensitive files to WikiLeaks.
Force feeding is torture:
Guantanamo Hunger Striker, Attempted Suicide, Lawyer Says:
A
Guantanamo detainee who had been on a hunger strike for 43 days tried
to kill himself in solitary confinement in March, his lawyer told The
Huffington Post.
International Committee of the Red Cross failed to be involved, report on what is happening in Gitmo;
Part
of the reason why the Guantanamo Bay hunger strike is being neglected
is because the International Committee of the Red Cross is favoring one
side, which is not the side of the prisoners, Barry Wingard, military
attorney for Gitmo inmates said.
"Guantanamo is America's moral failure":
The
hunger strike that has spread since early February among the 166
detainees still at Guantanamo Bay is again exposing the lawlessness of
the system that marooned them there.
Golden Cage: US blows $800k per Gitmo inmate each year ;
Demonstrations
are planned on Thursday across the U.S. in support of the Guantanamo
inmates, and to push for the notorious facility to be shut down. But,
as Gayane Chickakyan reports, the Pentagon's only pumping more cash
into keeping it open.
Tens of thousands march for peace in Colombia after decades of conflict:
At
noon, church bells rang throughout the country in remembrance of the
victims of the conflict, which include an estimated 70,000 dead, as
many as 50,000 disappeared, and more than four million internal
refugees.
Capriles Attacks Venezuelan Electoral Council, Refuses to Sign Document: -
Tonight
rightwing candidate Henrique Capriles said that he will not sign a
National Electoral Council (CNE) document to guarantee that he would
recognise the results of the 14 April presidential elections.
Death penalty 'becoming thing of the past', says Amnesty:
The five countries carrying out most executions remain China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the US.
Noam Chomsky - Why Marijuana is Illegal and Tobacco is Legal : Video -
George Carlin - Death Penalty and Drugs In USA - Video
China Trade Balance Unexpectedly Turns To Deficit As Imports Surge:
China
unexpectedly reported a trade deficit for March amid a surge in
imports and a weaker expansion in exports, official data showed
Wednesday. Separately, Fitch Ratings downgraded the country's local
currency sovereign rating on Tuesday, citing surging credit growth in
the country.
Cyprus To Sell €400 Million In Gold, About 75% Of Its Total Holdings, To Finance Part Of Its Bailout:
Curious
why every bank and their grandmother, and most recently Goldman today,
has been lining up to push the price of gold as low as possible?
Here's why:
FBI
investigate secret recording of US Senate Republican Leader planning
mental health smear of opponent and actress Ashley Judd :
The
recording, hears Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell discussing
ways to exploit Ms Judd's previous problems with depression at a
meeting in February at his Louisville campaign headquarters. Ms Judd
later decided not to run for Mr McConnell's Kentucky seat.
Secrets of FBI Smartphone Surveillance Tool Revealed in Court Fight:
A
legal fight over the government's use of a secret surveillance tool
has provided new insight into how the controversial tool works and the
extent to which Verizon Wireless aided federal agents in using it to
track a suspect.
Fed sent minutes early to staffers, trade groups:
The
Federal Reserve on Wednesday confessed to sending out market-moving
minutes from the last interest-rate-setting meeting to Hill staffers
and trade groups a day early.
In Congress, nearly half the members are millionaires:
The Senate's median net worth is $2.63 million. The House's is $756,00.
Millionaire Freshmen Make Congress Even Wealthier:
According
to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, the median
estimated net worth of the incoming freshmen is almost exactly $1
million more than that of the typical American household.
The mole people:
Police find 'homeless city' where vagrants - including kids - live in labyrinth of tunnels 25ft below Kansas City:
===
"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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