Iraq: 40 ISIL Members Killed in Al-Anbar in One Day:
In the first operation in Albu Faraj region in Anbar province, the Iraqi forces killed 15 terrorists and defused 27 bomb-laden cars. In the second operation in al-Hamriya region of Ramadi city, at least 18 terrorists were killed and nine bomb-laden vehicles were defused.
14 killed and injured in Iraq bombing:
Four policemen killed and ten others injured in a suicide bombing targeted police station in northwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police source said.
Iraq Seizes 2 US-Led Coalition Aircraft Carrying Arms Cargoes to Kurdistan:
"The inspection committee in Baghdad International Airport has found a huge number of rifles equipped with silencers, as well as light and mid-sized weapons," Zameli said. He noted that a Swedish and a Canadian airplanes were going to fly to Iraq's Kurdistan region, but they were seized after arms caroges were discovered.
Apparent Russian Syria strikes killed 23 civilians: Pro-rebel activist:
Among those killed in the Monday strikes on the Homs province town of Al-Qaryatain were three children and a woman, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Colonel Killed in Syria:
Colonel Mostafa Ezzatollah, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, died in the Syrian city of Aleppo while fighting against the Islamic State jihadists group and is the fourth Iranian senior military officer to die in the Syrian conflict in less than a month.
Syria army reopens road to govt.-held parts of Aleppo: State TV:
The road, the sole route into the government-held side of Syria's second city, was recaptured by the army 12 days after Daesh militants severed it, placing the government-held sector of Aleppo under siege.
Rebels down government air force plane in western Syria: activists:
Rebels shot down a Syrian government warplane with anti-aircraft fire Wednesday in the western province of Hama, forcing its pilot to eject, an activist group and an insurgent media spokesman said.
25,000-30,000 foreigners fighting for ISIS - Russian dep. defense minister:
Russia's Air Forces are striking only confirmed terrorist targets, such as Islamic State militants and are not after the so-called 'moderate' Syrian rebels, Russia's deputy defense minister said, revealing that ISIS employs up to 30,000 foreign extremists.
Iran says no co-operation with U.S. in 'fight against terrorists':
"Iran will not cooperate directly or indirectly with the United States," Ali Akbar Velayati was quoted as saying on Press TV after a meeting with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Tehran. "Iran will not accept any initiative regarding Syria without consultation with the country's government and people,"
Senators skeptical of ISIS war bill's chances:
"I think Democrats and a few Republicans have absolutely no clue as to the threats that we face," he said. "We're going to get attacked from Syria. That's where the next 9/11 is coming from. After that happens, and I pray that I'm wrong, everybody will take a different view." - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
David Cameron warned against Syria vote by Commons committee:
The Foreign Affairs Committee - which has a Conservative majority - said the prime minister should instead focus on efforts to end Syria's civil war. It also raised concerns about the legal basis for any UK action.
17 killed in clashes between Turkish forces, PKK militants:
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Turkish military said two soldiers and 15 PKK militants have been killed in the fresh wave of clashes between the two sides that broke out in the Daglica district of Hakkari Province, near the Iraqi border, a day earlier.
One man killed in clashes in southeast Turkey:
A 20-year-old man was shot dead in the town of Silvan, where authorities have ordered a 24-hour curfew in three neighborhoods for a second successive day, security officials said. Clashes between security forces and the PKK's youth wing continued throughout the day.
Turkey: journalists and political rivals arrested as Erdogan crackdown widens:
Magazine editors accused of coup plot and Gülenists detained in wake of Justice and Development party's resounding electoral victory
Aide says Erdogan may push for constitutional change:
The surprise win marked a turnaround for Erdogan, potentially allowing him to move ahead with plans to consolidate his grip on Turkish politics.
Yemeni forces kill a senior commander and dozens of Saudi troops:
According to a Tuesday report by Yemen's official Saba Net news agency, Yemeni forces also seized a military base used by Saudi forces in Ta'izz and killed a senior Saudi commander.
Palestinian killed, 2 Israelis injured in suspected vehicular attack:
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian Wednesday after he carried out a suspected vehicular attack that left two Israelis injured near the Halhul junction north of Hebron, emergency services and witnesses said.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad warn of 'new methods of resistance':
Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials warned Tuesday that the factions planned to launch new methods of resistance if Israel continued lethal force against Palestinians. In a rally organized by the Islamic movements in Gaza City, officials said that the groups would join the "Intifada" if the "occupation continues to execute Palestinians."
IDF intelligence chief: Palestinian despair, frustration are among reasons for terror wave:
Major General Herzi Halevi's assessment contradicts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's message which blames the attacks on incitement and ingrained hatred.
EU ambassador: 'Territory beyond the Green Line is not part of Israel,' defends settlement labeling :
Products produced over the pre-1967 lines are not "made in Israel" and cannot be labeled that way, European Union Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen said on Tuesday.
PLO Slams Honduras' President for Complicity in Israel's Abuses:
"Diplomatic recognition of the situation created in an attempt to annex our capital is a flagrant violation of international legislation," wrote Erekat in a letter to Hernandez, adding that the visit to Jerusalem suggested support for Israeli "colonization and apartheid."
Netanyahu Is Bringing a $4.5 Billion-a-Year Arms Wish List to Obama:
The Israel Defense Forces has prepared wish lists that would raise U.S. allocations for the decade starting in 2018 to as much as $5 billion a year from the current $3.1 billion, Eisenstadt said, suggesting $4.5 billion "would be a nice compromise."
Israel orders aircraft carrier as part of US military aid package:
According to the newspaper the list included a modern aircraft carrier and a squadron of F-15 aircrafts as well as material assistance to support Israel's anti-ballistic missile system, Arrow 3.
Somalia: Al Shabaab Ambushes Army Convoy, 40 Killed:
Between 35-40 people confirmed killed in a deadly ambush on Somali army convoy in Lower Shabelle region by heavily armed Al shabaab militants, spokesman said.
Bomb attack leaves 12 dead, 20 injured in Egypt's restive Sinai:
At least twelve people, among them civilians, have lost their lives and 20 others sustained injuries in a car bomb explosion that targeted security personnel in Egypt's volatile Sinai Peninsula.
Britain: Evidence suggests Russian jet downed by bomb; flights suspended:
Evidence suggests a Russian jet that crashed over Egypt's Sinai desert may have been brought down by a bomb, the British government said Wednesday, suspending flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula as a precaution.
Sinai plane crash: unusual sounds on cockpit recordings, says Russian news agency:
Cockpit recordings from the Metrojet flight that crashed in the Sinai desert reveal unusual sounds at the moment the plane went off the radar, but no distress call from the pilots, according to Russian media reports.
China warns US against further South China Sea patrols:
China's defense minister has urged the US not to threaten its sovereignty as well as the nation's security interests following last week's incident involving a US naval patrol in the South China Sea.
China initiates Taiwan meeting as South China Sea tensions rise:
The talks between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, who is soon to retire, will also be seen as part of China's anticipated pushback following last week's high-profile American naval challenge to its island-building activities in the South China Sea.
In Ireland, Officials Seek to Decriminalize Cocaine and Heroin:
Ireland will seek to decriminalize the use of drugs like cocaine and heroin, a minister announced Monday. The country's minister for drugs strategy, Aodhan O Riordain, said a major shake-up to drugs policy, including the introduction of supervised injection rooms, could take place as early as next year.
UK: Corbyn: Sissi Arrival in UK 'Shows Contempt for Human Rights':
The Labour party leader said the arrival of the Egyptian president in London "makes a mockery of government claims to be promoting peace and justice in the region."
UK: Jeremy Corbyn condemns 'unacceptable' Kaufman claims over 'Jewish money' influencing Tories on Israel:
Gerald Kaufman, who is himself Jewish, had said "Jewish money, Jewish donations to the Conservative Party" had led to a pro-Israel "bias" in the Conservatives.
UK: Police plan Westminster lockdown ahead of 'Million Mask March':
Thousands of extra police officers and rigid public order rules will be brought into Westminster on Thursday night over fears the London leg of the global "Million Mask March" against austerity and state surveillance could spill over into civil unrest.
'Smokescreen' allegations over rendition flights probe:
A human rights group has criticised the "smokescreen" surrounding the ongoing probe into CIA rendition flights landing at Scottish airports. Amnesty International's Naomi McAuliffe said "excessive secrecy" was "fuelling the national security threat".
Details of UK website visits 'to be stored for year':
The internet activity of everyone in Britain will have to be stored for a year by service providers, under new surveillance law plans. Police and intelligence officers will be able to see the names of sites people have visited without a warrant, Home Secretary Theresa May said.
Europe, Still Angry at U.S. Spying, Prepares to Increase Its Own:
Just as the United States is taking a first step toward placating European privacy concerns about U.S. surveillance, several European countries are passing laws dramatically expanding their own spy programs.
From behind bars, Manning pens sweeping surveillance reform bill:
The sweeping legislation would abolish the shadowy court used to oversee American intelligence operations and release much of its work to the public.
El Chapo 'Places' Wreaths on Graves in a Sinaloan Cemetery:
Mexican fugitive drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman allegedly placed at least three huge wreaths in as many graves in a cemetery in Culiacan, the capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa, where many infamous drug traffickers are buried, according to various news reports.
Death rate soars for middle-aged US workers:
A study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences documents a sharp rise in the mortality rate for white, middle-aged working-class Americans over the past fifteen years.
10-year jump in life expectancy for rich nations, US lags: OECD:
Rich countries have gained more than 10 years in life expectancy on average since 1970, a study released by the OECD said on Wednesday, but the United States has slumped to near the bottom. The US - at 78.8 years - was 27th in life expectancy at birth among the 34 countries
US: California Awards $500 Million to Build, Expand Jails:
A California agency has awarded US$500 million in financing that will allow more than a dozen counties to expand existing jails and construct new ones, despite an 11 percent drop in the state's jail population over the last year.
Seattle will become the first place in the U.S. to try taxpayer-funded "democracy vouchers.":
I-122 supporters said that financing of Seattle elections is dominated by a wealthy elite, with half of the contributions to 2013 candidates from just 1,686 donors.
Poll: Trump and Carson lead nationally, Bush fades:
The Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday found Trump taking 24 percent support, followed by Carson at 23 percent. Bush takes only 4 percent support, down from 10 percent in September.
