Hard News
Four family members killed in roadside bombing in western Afghanistan:
A
father and three of his children were killed Tuesday in a roadside
bombing in Farah province in western Afghanistan, a provincial official
said.
Two killed in Afghanistan as hundreds protest over US 'torture':
Hundreds
of Afghans blocked a major motorway south of Kabul carrying freshly
dug-up bodies they claimed were victims of torture by US special forces
and demanding the Americans be arrested, officials said.
Afghan colonel arrested amid probe into alleged US torture - report:
Kabul claims the culprit worked for the US Special Forces, torturing and killing on their behalf.
UK soldiers confess to Afghan civilian abuse:
Two
British soldiers have admitted abusing Afghan civilians, including a
child, at a court martial hearing in Germany. One racially abused an
Afghan man, while the other pleaded guilty to indecent behavior towards
a child.
Taliban assures Iran of accommodating all sides in any post-NATO set-up in Afghanistan:
Taliban
negotiators requested Iranian authorities not to support their
political rival, the Northern Alliance, in order to avoid civil war in
the war-torn nation following the NATO forces' withdrawal.
Pakistan: 4 people killed in Mastung blast:
At
least four people were killed, including two security personnel and
two others sustained injuries in a remote controlled bomb blast and
firing incidents in district Mastung and Quetta, on Monday.
Musharraf to leave for Dubai as part of deal with Nawaz: Shujaat:
Pakistan
Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has
claimed that former dictator Pervez Musharraf will soon leave for Dubai
or Saudi Arabia as a secret deal has been finalised between the former
president and incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom:
Since
the American-led invasion of 2003, Iraq has become one of the world's
top oil producers, and China is now its biggest customer.
Turkey: Defiant Erdogan denounces riots in Turkish cities:
"This
is a protest organized by extremist elements," Erdogan said before
departing on a trip to North Africa. "We will not give away anything to
those who live arm-in-arm with terrorism."
Deputy PM apologizes for excessive force used against peaceful protesters:
Turkish
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinç has apologized for the undue and
disproportionate force used by police against an initially peaceful
group of protesters in Taksim's Gezi Park in recent days.
'I thought I'd die': Turkish police brutality shocks & enrages protesters: Video -
The
unrest in Turkey has claimed a second life. Police, already facing
widespread criticism for using excessive force, are being accused of
being behind the killing of a 22-year-old man.
Turkey's Trade Unions Join Nationwide Anti-Govt Protests:
The
trade union of civil servants in Turkey has announced it is starting a
strike in support of the protest wave that has gripped the country
since last week. The strike has already started Tuesday with not many
people joining, but the trade union announced that a massive strike is
expected Wednesday.
Snipers kill two in Lebanon's Tripoli, security says:
Snipers
have shot dead two men in Tripoli, the Lebanese city wracked by a wave
of bloody violence linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria, a
security official said on Tuesday.
Lebanese army attempts to restore order in Tripoli:
The
Lebanese army deployed forces in Jabal Mohsen area in the northern
city of Tripoli, removing all road blocks and bunkers set up by armed
men, security reports cited by official media here said.
Two Hezbollah fighters including commander killed in Damascus clashes:
Clashes
between the Free Syrian Army and Hezbollah in the Damascus suburb of
Madhamiya on Monday have killed two members from the Lebanese Shi'ite
militia group, one of them being a field commander, activists said.
Shelling kills civilian near Russian embassy in Damascus: activists say :
"It
was recorded that five shells hit the Al-Adwi area of Damascus,"-
"Some of them struck near the Russian embassy, where sources reported
one civilian was killed and one member of the Syrian armed forces was
wounded."
Syrian army forces "rebels" from key Damascus district:
Syrian
troops expelled "rebels" from an important Damascus district Tuesday,
state media reported, bolstering the regime's hold on the capital.
UN rights team believes chemical weapons used in Syria:
The
U.N. commission said it examined four reported toxic attacks in March
and April but could not determine which side was behind them.
White House: More evidence needed on chemical weapons:
The
United States on Tuesday said it wanted evidence on the use of
chemical weapons in Syria after the French said there was evidence
sarin gas had been used, dpa reported.
Key bloc quits Syria opposition, slams leaders:
A
key bloc within Syria's main opposition National Coalition announced
its withdrawal from the body on Monday, accusing some leaders of
misusing funds and being motivated by personal ambition.
Assad backers reportedly make up 43 percent of dead in Syria: Activists say: :
The
new numbers provide a previously unseen view of the toll the civil war
has taken on communities that have supported the government. They also
cast doubt on the widely repeated assertion that the government of
President Bashar Assad is responsible for an overwhelming majority of
the deaths there.
Israeli Defense Minister: No Russian S-300 to Syria before 2014:
Yaalon
said that Russia cannot deliver the air defense system S-300 to Syria
before the year of 2014. He also acknowledged for the first time that
the Zionist entit has field hospittal in the occupied Golan Heights to
treat the foriegn-backed militants fighting the Syrian government.
S-300 missiles not yet sent to Syria, Putin says:
Speaking
after a Russia-European Union summit in the Ural Mountains city of
Yekaterinburg, Putin defended the S-300 deal, saying it complies with
the international law, but added that Russia hasn't yet fulfilled it.
Kerry to U.S. Jews: Next Few Days Will Determine Middle East Fate for Decades:
The
U.S. secretary of state said the best way to guarantee Israel's
security would be by reaching a two-state solution, and that one state
for two peoples is simply an unrealistic scenario for both sides.
Palestinians refuse bribe:
Palestinians Not Counting On Kerry's $4 Billion:
Al-Monitor
has learned that the Palestinian leadership decided after internal
deliberations to tell Kerry that it would not give up its demand to
launch negotiations based on the 1967 borders at any price.
Palestinians to Pursue Israel at UN If Talks Fail:
The
chief Palestinian negotiator said Tuesday that the West Bank
government is ready to resume its campaign to join U.N. and other
international bodies in order to prosecute Israel.
Jane's: U.S.-Built $25-Million Base for Israel: Op-Ed:
None
of the media stories except mine remarked upon the strangeness of the
U.S. government building highly-sensitive military facilities for
Israel that could exacerbate regional tensions and conflict.
How Israel Buys US Politicians:
Bill Clinton Israel speech to net $500K:
The
Jewish National Fund is paying former President Bill Clinton half a
million dollars to make a 45-minute speech in honor of Israeli
President Shimon Peres' 90th birthday, according to a new report. The
former president is also slated to receive the President's Award from
Peres on June 19.
'Superland segregation policy in place for 2-3 years':
The
policy of separating between Arab and Jewish students at the Superland
amusement park in Rishon Lezion has been in place for more than two
years, according to testimony by Superland deputy CEO Hanni Baruch at
the Knesset's Education, Culture, and Sports Committee on Monday.
An act of war:
Obama signs executive order imposing harsher sanctions against Iran:
The
president approved sanctions against people who do business with
Iran's auto sector, which the White House said was a major source of
revenue for Tehran.
Egypt court sentences at least 15 Americans in absentia in NGO case, jails one:
Judge
Makram Awad also ordered the closure of the NGOs, including the
U.S.-based International Republican Institute and the National
Democratic Institute.
Bahrain court sentences 3 protesters from 5 to 15 years in jail:
The
government has been trying to suppress the uprising by introducing
stricter penalties. One of the best-known cases of human rights abuses
in Bahrain is that of activist Nabeel Rajab, who has been serving a
three-year term in jail since August 2012 for openly criticizing the
regime.
Satellite Pictures Show Another Revolution Waiting To Happen In Bahrain:
Bahrain's
poor and overcrowded Shiite majority learned what a raw deal they were
getting in 2006, when they saw satellite images of lavish palaces and
empty land owned by the Sunni monarchy. Following a brutal and largely
ignored crackdown on protests, however, the housing crisis has only
gotten worse.
Transcripts: day 1 of Bradley Manning's court martial -
Russian Official: FBI Missed Boston Warning:
A
senior Russian official said Tuesday that the Boston Marathon bombings
could have been prevented if American officials had followed through
with Russian intelligence.
Republicans Block Shutdown of Guantanamo Prison:
The
Republican majority of the U.S. House of Representatives reinforced
its pressure on the government today by presenting a bill that blocks
shutting down the naval base in Guantanamo.
Exonerated Chicago man claims police tortured him into confession:
After
spending 24 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, a Chicago
man has filed a lawsuit claiming that police subjected him to violent
torture methods that made him urinate blood to force him to make a
false confession.
For Obama's ex-aides, it's time to cash in on experience:
The
decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline is a
political headache for President Obama. But to five of his former
aides, it represents a business opportunity.
IRS Paid Speaker $17,000 to Paint Michael Jordan at Event:
The
tax agency spent about $49 million on 225 conferences from fiscal 2010
to 2012, including $4 million on the Anaheim, California meeting, said
the inspector general report released today.
Surprise Factory Downturn Holds Back U.S. Growth: Economy:
Across-the-board
federal budget cuts and overseas markets that are struggling to
rebound will probably continue to curb manufacturing, which accounts
for about 12 percent of the economy.
The Feds Seized Another Bitcoin Site:
This
comes on the heels of the feds shutting down Liberty Reserve, the
charges against which contained language seemingly directed at all
other digital currencies, including Bitcoin.
'Cheese is from plants' - study reveals child confusion:
Almost
a third of UK primary pupils think cheese is made from plants and a
quarter think fish fingers come from chicken or pigs, suggests a
survey.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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