Hard News
Death toll in Syria blasts climbs to 54 as warplane downed: Simultaneous car bombings killed more than 50 civilians and left a trail of destruction in a town near Syria's capital Wednesday, as rebels downed a second military aircraft in as many days. http://is.gd/SWqLwC
Missile downs Syria army chopper for first time: Pro-rebel activists say: Syrian rebels downed an army helicopter with a ground-to-air missile for the first time on Tuesday as it was on a strafing run around a besieged base in the northwest. http://is.gd/WGfYs7
Russian PM slams France, West over interference in Syrian affairs: The Russian premier further criticized the intervention of western powers in the affairs of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the arming of rebel groups in the region by saying that it "is absolutely unacceptable" under "international law". http://is.gd/PH7S7W
30 killed in Iraq attacks: Car bombs exploded near three mosques shortly after nightfall in the capital, killing 21. Later, police said a third car bomb exploded, killing seven Shiite worshippers and wounding 21 others in Shula neighbourhood in northern Baghdad. http://is.gd/BSzqlf
Gunmen kill seven members of Iraqi family: Gunmen armed with silenced weapons attacked a house in a town north of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing seven members of a family, including three young children, security officials and a medic said. http://is.gd/HUhu3U
Six killed in bomb attacks in tense Kirkuk province: Car, roadside bombs kill six people in Kirkuk province a day after Baghdad, Kurdistan reached deal to ease tensions in northern Iraq. http://is.gd/iac6te
Afghanistan: 6 Civilians Killed in Helmand Roadside Blasts: A blast on Wednesday morning killed four civilians from the one family when their Mazda car hit a hidden improvised explosive device in the Nowzad district around 8:00AM, district governor Sayed Murad Agha said. http://is.gd/eMMMtq
3 Afghan soldiers killed, 4 injured in Badghis province:Local authorities in western Badghis province of Afghanistan on Wednesday announced at least 7 Afghan national army soldiers were killed or injured in Moqor district. http://is.gd/dDUP3C
The spoils of war: Kabul Bank smuggled millions of dollars abroad: Hundreds of millions of dollars from Kabul Bank were spirited out of Afghanistan - some smuggled in airline food trays - to bank accounts in more than two dozen countries, according to an independent review released on Wednesday about massive fraud that led to the collapse of the nation's largest financial institution. http://is.gd/q9Soeb
Afghan president's brother walked away with tens of millions after Ponzi scheme siphoned $861M from Kabul Bank: audit: Afghanistan's biggest private bank orchestrated a massive fraud scheme from its founding, with US$861-million diverted to a clique of beneficiaries including the president's brother, a British-funded audit has found. http://is.gd/6r8RBx
Kabul Politics Block Bank Probe: Political interference has impeded an investigation into the collapse of Afghanistan's largest private lender, with some investors, including President Hamid Karzai's brother Mahmood, escaping scrutiny, a joint Afghan-international watchdog said in a report released Wednesday. http://is.gd/s6bNSW
Saudi diplomat shot dead in Yemen: The killing was the latest in a series of attacks on officials and politicians in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, which is battling Islamist militants with US assistance. http://is.gd/eXtaxK
Israel breaks ceasefire? Israeli troops shoot 5 Palestinians, seize 9: GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Officials in Gaza said Israeli troops shot and wounded five Palestinians along the border Wednesday and arrested nine fisherman at sea, a week after the two sides agreed a truce. http://is.gd/woTaiC
The Mainstream Media's Biased Coverage of the Gaza Blockade: Op-Ed: The ceasefire text said that "opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods... shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire." But, more than 100 hours later, we're still waiting for word of actual progress. http://is.gd/jGuqRu
50 Children Killed and 450 Injured in Israeli Attack on Gaza: Video report: As people dig out of the rubble, a Palestinian doctor says civilians were targeted by Israeli attack http://is.gd/lBAQ1a
Police order Palestinian workers off buses to West Bank, at request of Israeli "settlers": :Settlers say these Palestinians pose a security risk; Transportation Ministry says it is considering adding bus lines between West Bank roadblocks and central Israel; these would be geared toward Palestinian laborers. http://is.gd/5A6xpR
US-Israeli efforts to dilute wording of UN resolution on Palestinian membership fails: Haaretz has reported that U.S.-Israeli efforts to dilute the text of a resolution recognising Palestine as a non-state member of the UN has failed. President Mahmoud Abbas is due to present the bid to the General Assembly on Thursday, 29th November. http://is.gd/gzD9e3
Yasser Arafat's remains exhumed in murder inquiry: Swiss, French and Russian experts were given samples to establish whether his death in Paris in 2004 at the age of 75 was the result of poisoning before the tomb was resealed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20501945
PA says will take Israel to ICC if tests prove Arafat assassinated: The Palestinian Authority will start legal proceedings against Israel at the International Criminal Court if forensic tests prove that President Yasser Arafat was murdered, chief investigator Tawfiq Tirawi said Tuesday. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=542616
France warns Palestinians against taking Israel to ICC: Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius acknowledged it would be within the Palestinians' rights to join the ICC and pursue Israel should they win recognition as a non-member state at the United Nations. But such a move would be counter-productive, he added. http://is.gd/PbCjLu
Shame on Australia: Australia to abstain re Palestinian UN status: The Prime Minister has avoided a caucus revolt over the controversial Palestinian question. She's proposing that Australia abstain in the United Nations resolution later this week to grant the Palestinian Authority observer status in the UN. http://is.gd/sbQDK9
Hamas chief Meshaal due in Gaza next week: sources: Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal is to make his first-ever visit to the Gaza Strip at the end of next week, accompanied by top officials, a senior Hamas source said on Wednesday. http://is.gd/lBEtbB
Egyptian courts suspend work to protest Morsi move: Egypt's highest appeal courts suspended their work Wednesday to protest presidential decrees that gave the country's Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi nearly absolute powers, state television reported, deepening the turmoil roiling the country since the decrees were announced last week. http://www.goupstate.com/article/20121128/API/1211280661
Egypt Islamists to rally on Saturday for Mursi: The Muslim Brotherhood and hardline Salafi parties will hold protests across Egypt on Saturday in support of President Mohamed Mursi, who is facing a wave of unrest over a decree that expanded his powers. http://is.gd/FDRtVQ
Egypt court sentences 8 to death over prophet film: An Egyptian court convicted in absentia Wednesday seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor, sentencing them to death on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that had sparked riots in parts of the Muslim world. http://is.gd/Z37wXH
Congo M23 rebels say started withdrawing forces: Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have started withdrawing from towns captured since last week from government troops, following a deal brokered by Uganda, their military leader said on Wednesday. http://is.gd/2u4UAw
Bradley Manning: marine commander warned detention was inappropriate: Manning spent nine months at Quantico - three times the maximum Choike thought appropriate. The soldier's treatment there prompted international protests from the UN, Amnesty International and other organisations that likened it to torture. http://is.gd/wsiBmq
Suit Planned Over Death of Man C.I.A. Drugged: Nearly 60 years after the death of a government scientist who had been given LSD by the Central Intelligence Agency without his knowledge, his family says it plans to sue the government, alleging that he was murdered and did not commit suicide as the C.I.A. has long maintained. http://is.gd/ejTqG8
Big Tobacco ordered to issue big apology: A US federal judge has ordered tobacco firms to publicly admit to deceiving the public. An advertising campaign to be paid for by the industry is required. It will force firms to adopt specially-chosen 'slogans' that spell out the dangers of smoking. https://rt.com/usa/news/us-judge-forces-tobacco-confession-758/
$3.4B Indian lawsuit ends, disbursements to begin: After nearly 17 years of courtroom arguments, congressional negotiations and Indian Country bickering, hundreds of thousands of Native Americans could see the first payments of a $3.4 billion U.S. government settlement by the end of the year, plaintiffs' attorneys said Monday. http://is.gd/NoTJHl
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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