Hard News
Six Afghani policemen killed at checkpoint:
District chief Nayamatullah Samim said that the policemen's bodies were discovered in the shelter near their checkpoint Wednesday night in Musa Qala district of Helmand province, after they did not check in with their superiors. Two other officers assigned to the checkpoint were missing, along with vehicles and weapons.
Fact or fiction?
50 Taliban militants killed in Afghan operations: MOI:
Taliban killed in Afghan operationsAfghan interior ministry officials on Thursday announced at least 50 Taliban militants were killed during military operations across the country.
U.N. says 93,000 killed in Syrian conflict:
"The true number of those killed is potentially much higher," Pillay said.
Syria Islamists celebrate killing of 60 people in Shiite village: Video - Warning -
Sunni Islamist rebels celebrated the killing of some 60 Shiites, mostly pro-regime fighters, and burned their homes in eastern Syria, according to video distributed by a group monitoring the civil war.
Over 6000 foreign militants killed in Syria:
According to the Lebanese Al Manar TV, citing reliable reports from European research centers, more than 40,000 of foreign militants are fighting in a massive insurgency in Syria which has torn the country apart in more than two years.
Sunni Clerics Call for Jihad Against Syria's Assad, Allies:
A congress of leading Sunni Muslim clerics issued a call to holy war on Thursday against the Damascus government and its Shi'ite allies, hardening sectarian confrontation across the Middle East over the Syrian conflict.
Obama answers the call:
Obama to step up military support of Syrian rebels:
"This is going to be different in both scope and scale in terms of what we are providing," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser.
Bill Clinton: Barack Obama making 'mistake' staying out of Syria:
Bill Clinton has urged greater US intervention in Syria, warning that Barack Obama is making "big mistake" by staying out of the conflict that has now cost at least 93,000 lives.
Mortars fired at Damascus airport, delays 3 flights:
Rebels fired two mortar rounds at Damascus international airport on Thursday, delaying two landings and one take-off, Syrian state television cited Transport Minister Mahmoud Said as saying.
France, Saudi Arabia Increase Syria Coordination Post-Qusair:
The battle for Aleppo, for which the Syrian army is preparing, has become a joint French-Saudi concern. Another concern that French Foreign Minister with Saudi intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal was how to avoid turning the upcoming Geneva conference into a defeat of the Syrian opposition.
Israel moving ahead with new illegal settler housing:
Israel is moving forward with plans to build more than 1,000 homes in two small isolated illegal Jewish settlements deep in the occupied West Bank, a spokesman said Thursday, as Palestinian officials complained that Israel is undercutting U.S. peace efforts at a sensitive time.
Mossad chief made secret visit to Turkey, asked to meet Erdogan:
During the meeting, Pardo and Fidan discussed the situation in Syria, the Iranian nuclear program and the demonstrations and protests against Erdogan in Turkey.
Turkey PM gives 'final warning' to protesters:
Sticking to his trademark defiant tone, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also rejected condemnation by the European Parliament over the excessive use of force by Turkish riot police against demonstrators.
'Everyone Is Afraid': Erdogan Regime Cows Embattled Media:
There are more journalists in prison in Turkey than in any other country. Prime Minister Erdogan tolerates no criticism, and aggressive prosecution of journalists on often questionable charges has fostered an atmosphere of anxiety and self-censorship.
Turkish TV channels fined for live coverage of protests:
Turkey's TV watchdog fined four TV channels over their live coverage of the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, citing that the broadcasts were "harming the physical, moral and mental development of children and young people."
Suspense, anticipation grips Tehran in the final hours ahead of polls:
Iranians go to the polls Friday to elect a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who would be entrusted with tackling tough economic conditions and overseeing the country's frayed relations with the international community.
Silvio Berlusconi 'asked Italy's secret service to kill Muammar Gaddafi':
The paper claims, however, that with Gaddafi's star waning, the tycoon-premier decided it was time to switch sides, after years in which he had led Italy's obsequious overtures to the eccentric North African despot in order to win big oil deals.
Libya: tensions between government and militias come to a head:
Militias urged to disband after Libya Shield killed protesters in Benghazi last week, but government lacks means to enforce this
Defense Secretary Panetta visits U.S. base in Djibouti:
To grasp the changes that are rapidly transforming the American military presence in the Middle East and nearby environs, consider that in a few days there will be more U.S. troops based here, in a tiny country on the Horn of Africa, than in Iraq.
Ethiopian parliament votes to strip Egypt of rights to majority of Nile water:
Ethiopia's parliament has unanimously ratified a treaty that strips Egypt of its right to the lion's share of the Nile river waters, raising the political temperature in a dispute between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the construction of a dam.
Guantánamo doctors must refuse to force-feed hunger strikers - physicians:
A group of senior American doctors has called on military physicians at Guantánamo Bay to refuse to work in a mass force-feeding programme that is being used to keep hunger-striking detainees alive.
Pressure builds on US over Hong Kong civilian hacking allegations:
Pro-Beijing politicians demand US answer allegations it hacked into targets including territory's businesses and universities
Sen. Johanns presses NSA chief about electronic surveillance program (AUDIO):
"For example, could you check and see what that person is Googling? Could you check and see who that person is emailing?" Johanns asked Alexander. - "So the answer to the question is, yes," Johanns stated.
How the Government Deceived Congress in the Debate over Surveillance Powers:
It's clear Congress has been deceived and DNI Clapper and the Administration should come clean on how, when, and why they scoop up the phone and Internet records of millions of Americans.
More lies:
NSA chief: Surveillance helped stop "dozens" of threats:
The widespread surveillance programs exposed to the public last week have helped the National Security Agency stop dozens of terrorist threats, the NSA chief told Congress Wednesday.
NSA surveillance played little role in foiling terror plots, experts say:
Obama administration says NSA data helped make arrests in two important cases - but critics say that simply isn't true
Greenwald Rages Against GOP Rep. Over Calls To Prosecute Journalists: Video -
"I was really staggered that a United States congressman, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, actually could go on national television and make up an accusation, literally fabricated out of whole cloth"
Was A Telecom CEO Sent To Prison Because He Resisted NSA?;
Even before 9/11, the National Security Agency went to Qwest Communications and asked it to turn over Americans' phone records without a warrant. Under the leadership of then-CEO Joseph P. Nacchio, and on the advice of lawyers, Qwest refused.
Germans accuse U.S. of Stasi tactics before Obama visit:
German outrage over a U.S. Internet spying program has broken out ahead of a visit by Barack Obama, with ministers demanding the president provide a full explanation when he lands in Berlin next week and one official likening the tactics to those of the East German Stasi.
Yes, U.S. authorities can spy on EU cloud data. Here's how:
EU citizens and businesses are warned against using the cloud over the risk that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies can obtain your personal records. Here's how the U.S. can acquire your data, even if you're based in the EU.
Europeans 'shocked and angry' by 'unaccountable' American surveillance:
The recent NSA leaks have awakened many Europeans to the "disturbing" privacy violations regularly committed by the US that their own governments facilitated and may have benefited from, Jim Killock, the executive director of Open Rights Group
Twitter must disclose authors of anti-Semitic tweets, French appeals court rules:
Government says adhering to French law is "not optional" for social media site
General strike in Greece over state TV closure:
More than 10,000 protesters rallied outside Greece's public broadcasting headquarters Thursday in support of fired staff, who for a third day occupied the building to continue broadcasts in defiance of the government.
Immigrant deaths rise with militarization of US-Mexican border:
The New York Times reported Tuesday that since January 2010, at least 15 Mexican citizens have been killed by US border patrol agents shooting into Mexico, a sovereign country
US Drug War Props Corrupt Mexican Ruling Class: Video - John Ackerman:
Last two Mexican presidents relied on US support for legitimacy not found in polls
Elite Stock Traders Are Getting Access To Data Before Everyone Else:
Time after time ahead of major news, there seems to be someone who knows something before it happens - there seem to be trades that hit too hard and fast before the news is actually made.
"This Is Morally Wrong": Watch Elizabeth Warren on GOP and Student Loans: Video -
Sen. Elizabeth Warren slammed Republicans for blocking a bill that would give Americans relief on their student loan debt.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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