Hard News
25 "militants" killed in Afghan operations:
Twenty-five Taliban militants have been killed and 14 wounded in a series of military operations in Afghanistan, said the country's Interior Ministry on Wednesday.
5 Afghan police killed in attack:
Five members of the Afghan Local Police have been shot dead by their fellow officers in the country's southern province of Helmand.
Four US occupation force soldiers killed in Afghanistan:
The NATO led force in a brief statement announced the coalition deaths but did not reveal the victims nor the exact location of the attack.
President Karzai to boycott talks with Taliban unless the process is "Afghan-led":
His statement came a day after the US agreed to talk to the Taliban in Qatar, where the militants have a new office. In protest, he also said he would suspend talks on the US presence in Afghanistan after Nato leaves in 2014.
29 killed, 57 injured in suicide blast in NW Pakistan:
At least 29 people including a member of provincial assembly were killed and 57 others injured in a bomb blast that targeted a funeral gathering in Pakistan's northwestern district of Mardan on Tuesday, local media and officials said.
Armchair Warriors:
Drone Pilots: "Overpaid, Underworked, and Bored":
Mike's morning commute to the battlefield begins with his usual Egg McMuffin and black coffee from a McDonald's drive-through window in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Nigeria violence 'kills 48' people:
Gunmen have killed 48 people in an attack on a village in Nigeria's Zamfara state, an official says. They arrived before dawn riding motorbikes, a state spokesman said.
They then climbed a hill overlooking the village and opened fire indiscriminately before carrying out house-to-house attacks, he said.
Somalia: 16 people killed as militants infiltrate UN's office:
Seven al-Qaida-linked gunmen detonated a pick-up truck rigged with explosives at the gate of the U.N. compound in Somalia's capital Wednesday, launching a bombs-and-gunfire assault that saw militants pour into the complex, killing at least nine people, including three foreigners, officials said.
Iraq suicide bomber kills 5 ahead of vote:
A suicide bombing in northern Iraq on Wednesday killed the leader of a provincial political party and four relatives, officials said, on the eve of elections his bloc was to participate in.
Three people killed in northern Yemen bombing: official:
The attack occurred in Saada, a town near the border with Saudi Arabia and about 130 km (80 mile) north of the capital, Sanaa. Saada has been under the control of Houthi rebels for several years.
Syrian rebels claim attack on Shias in Lebanon:
A Syrian rebel unit has claimed responsibility in a video for killing four Shia men in Lebanon this week as Syria's civil war spills into its smaller, religiously divided neighbour.
Syrian forces launches multiple offensives against rebels in north:
Rebel bases near a military air base in Aleppo and other rebel outposts across Syria's north were pounded by attacks late Tuesday, as forces loyal to the Syrian government stepped up their campaign against their opposition.
Obama: Striking Syria carries risk of hitting chemical weapons sites:
Obama further expressed skepticism over whether setting a no-fly zone or waging a major military offensive against Damascus would save lives or change balance of power on the battlefield.
US supervises war games in Jordan :
Under the watchful eye of stern-faced American advisers, hundreds of U.S.-trained Jordanian commandos fanned across this dusty desert plain, holding war games that could eventually form the basis of an assault in Syria.
Senators pledge 'full support' for 'decisive' military action in Syria:
Syria is at a "critical juncture" and the United States must do what it can to reverse Assad's recent gains on the ground, the chairmen of the Foreign Relations and Armed Forces panels, Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.), wrote in a letter to Obama along with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Pentagon Shoots Down Kerry's Syria Airstrike Plan:
Dempsey informed Kerry that the Air Force could not simply drop a few bombs, or fire a few missiles, at targets inside Syria: To be safe, the U.S. would have to neutralize Syria's integrated air-defense system, an operation that would require 700 or more sorties.
Models for possible Syria intervention:
Western states have been edging towards more direct support for President Bashar al-Assad's opponents, with the US now saying it will provide military aid to rebels. Here, Jonathan Eyal of the Royal United Services Institute looks at recent examples of Western military action that could provide models for intervention, if diplomacy fails.
Vladimir Putin on Syria at G8: Do You Want to Supply Arms to People who Eat their Enemies' Organs?: - Video -
Russian President Vladimir Putin offers a scathing put-down in response to David Cameron's vain attempt to portray the Syrian "rebels" that the West is now officially arming as fighting for secularism and democracy.
Putin: Russia won't rule out new arms supplies to Syria :
President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia would not rule out sending fresh arms to the Syrian regime and warned the West against arming "criminals" in the rebellion. "If we conclude such contracts, then we will deliver on such contracts," he told reporters after a G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
Iran Denies Plans to Send Troops to Help Syria's Assad:
The Independent on Sunday, citing "pro-Iranian sources," reported on June 16 that Iran, Syria's strategic ally, has decided to send 4,000 troops to Syria. Iran "has proposed opening up a new 'Syrian' front on the Golan Heights against Israel" to help prop up the Assad regime, the paper said.
Most Turks Do Not Support Erdogan's Syria Policy:
The Erdogan government's ability to push aggressively against the Assad regime has been seriously curtailed. Many analysts agree that public dissatisfaction with Ankara's Syria policy, especially after the Reyhanli bombings, fed the sentiments leading to the nationwide demonstrations.
Egypt seen to give nod toward jihadis on Syria:
In recent days, a string of clerics have called for jihad in Syria, with some calling for volunteers to go fight against President Bashar Assad's regime.
Egypt : Girl's death puts spotlight on genital mutilation:
"We have been brought up according to certain morals. It shows good upbringing, a way of controlling a girl's sexual desire."
Lavrov: Iran ready to stop 20% enrichment:
He said Iran has confirmed that it is ready to halt production of uranium enriched to 20%. He did not give details, but said the sextet of international negotiators should make "substantial reciprocal steps."
Netanyahu: Israel won't accept less than total halt of Iran's nuclear enrichment:
"We cannot accept anything less than the total cessation of all enrichment of nuclear materials at all levels, removal from Iran of all enriched nuclear material, closure of Iran's illicit nuclear facilities," Netanyahu said during a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird.
Israel seeks $5b US loan guarantees for advanced weaponry - report:
Israel's Defense Ministry will ask the US to guarantee $5 billion in bridge loans that Israel plans taking from US commercial banks to finance procurement of advanced weapons systems that the Obama administration is offering Israel including the Osprey aircraft-helicopter and smart munitions.
China asks U.S. to explain Internet surveillance:
"We believe the United States should pay attention to the international community's concerns and demands and give the international community the necessary explanation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily briefing.
The F.B.I. Deemed Agents Faultless in 150 Shootings:
From 1993 to early 2011, F.B.I. agents fatally shot about 70 "subjects" and wounded about 80 others - and every one of those episodes was deemed justified, according to interviews and internal F.B.I. records obtained by The New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
FBI director admits domestic use of drones for surveillance:
The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress early Wednesday.
'Tell your boss I owe him another friggin' beer:'
Hot mic catches NSA boss praising FBI chiefs for supportive testimony on surveillance programs
Google demands US government removes gag-orders from surveillance requests:
Google filed legal papers with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday in an attempt to provide the American public with more knowledge about the government's ongoing requests for personal data.
Exclusive: Whistleblower Says State Department Trying to Bully Her Into Silence:
The State Department investigator who accused colleagues last week of using drugs, soliciting prostitutes, and having sex with minors says that Foggy Bottom is now engaged in an "intimidation" campaign to stop her.
Global refugee numbers at 19-year high:
UN's refugee agency says 45.2 million people remain displaced from their homes due to worldwide conflicts.
Brazil sends national force to control protest trouble:
Brazil's government says it will deploy a national security force to five major cities after a wave of protests which has seen almost a quarter of a million people demand better public services.
Brazil rage spills onto the streets: LIVE UPDATES:
Brazil has entered a second week of mass protests, with hundreds of thousands turning out in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and elsewhere. Unrest left at least 100 injured and resulted in over 250 arrests on Monday.
Free speech in police state USA:
Gun-loving heckler Tasered after harassing shooting survivor: Video -
A gun enthusiast was tackled, Tasered and arrested by police at a Concord, New Hampshire gun control rally on Tuesday night after he repeatedly harassed a speaker who was calling for all gun buyers to undergo background checks.
Climate change threatens trouble in the near future, World Bank says:
The World Bank is beginning to commit billions of dollars to flood prevention, water management and other projects to help major Asian cities avoid the expected impact of climate change, a dramatic example of how short the horizon has become to alleviate the effects of global warming.
Ron Paul: Dollar Will Collapse, Gold Will "Go To Infinity": Video -
Appearing on CNBC, former Congressman Ron Paul warned that if the US continues on its current course, the dollar will collapse, and gold will literally be priceless.
IBM Said to Start U.S. Job Cuts Today Amid Global Reduction:
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), the world's largest computer-services provider, began cutting U.S. jobs today as part of a global restructuring plan announced in April, a person familiar with the move said.
US mulls cutting back on welfare meals:
Congress debating future of programme that helped an estimated 50 million Americans last year.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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