| Hard News
23 "militants" killed in Khyber tribal region: Pak military:
A number of Taliban hideouts were destroyed by security forces, who also killed 23 members of the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam in Dawato, Bara Gate, Wocha Wona and Nakai areas of Khyber Agency, security officials said.
Bomb blast in Afghan market kills 2 children, wounds 4 others:
The governor's office for Khost province says in a statement that the bomb was hidden under a stall in the main bazaar in Sabari district. It went off Wednesday while a group of police officers were passing by.
Turkmenistan Selling Iranian Oil To Americans In Afghanistan?:
A new U.S. government report says that fuel for Afghanistan's security forces, paid for by the U.S., may include Iranian fuel in contravention of U.S. sanctions -- and implies that Turkmenistan may be to blame.
Syrian army: 2 killed in Israel 'research centre bombing':
The fighter jets of the Israeli enemy sneaked from the south of the Golan heights below the radar and attacked the research centre. The statement added that two people were killed and another five wounded in the bombing.
Syria army says Israel targeted military research center near Damascus:
"Israeli fighter jets violated our air space at dawn today and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence," the army's general command said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA.
Israeli aircraft fires missile along Lebanon-Syria border:
The Western official and a U.S. official said there is no indication the truck targeted by the Israeli strike was carrying chemical weapons - which have been under intense scrutiny by both the United States and Israel as the brutal, bloody civil conflict in Syria has intensified.
Syria top opposition leader says willing to negotiate with Assad:
Syria's top opposition leader declared on Wednesday that he is willing to negotiate with members of President Bashar Assad's regime to bring a peaceful end to the country's civil war, provoking an outcry from opposition groups that insist Assad must step down first.
Donors pledge $1.5bn for UN Syria aid operation:
King Abdullah of Jordan, which is hosting 224,000 refugees, warned its resources were "exhausted", adding: "We have reached the end of the line."
4 dead after attack on police in southern Yemen:
Motorcycle gunmen shot dead two police officers late Wednesday in the southern Yemeni town of Daleh, sparking a police manhunt that set off a clash with the suspects in which another officer and a civilian died, dpa reported with a link to Mareb Press Agency.
Yemen: Scores of children on prison hunger strike after minor sentenced to die:
"Executing juvenile offenders is expressly prohibited in Yemen's Penal Code and international human rights law - the Yemeni authorities must live up to their obligations and overturn this death sentence immediately," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
AP: IAEA inspectors at Iranian nuclear facility say no explosion -Source:
International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman Gill Tudor told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Iran's denial of "an incident" at the Fordo uranium enrichment plant is "consistent with our observations." [...]
Netanyahu hints Israel can't destroy Iran nuke program:
Israel can inflict 'significant damage' to Iranian facilities, but the US military is 'perfectly' capable of destroying them, PM says
Engineering consent for an attack on Iran: Hagel:
Window is closing on Iran and possibility of diplomacy:
Obama's nominee for defense secretary says Iran needs to show that it is prepared to negotiate seriously, and should face 'severe and growing consequences' if it continues to flout world demands.
Here Are 112 Pages of Chuck Hagel's Foreign-Policy Answers for the Senate:
A sizable roster of policy questions were submitted to Hagel to assess his views on everything form China to Iran to nuclear weapons to thoughts on energy management and security.
An example of 'hasbara.':
Chuck Hagel's colleague: So many Jews, so much disloyalty:
"In some countries, like the United States, Israel can rely upon a 'fifth column' of activist sympathizers to amplify its messages, to rebut and discredit statements that contradict its arguments, facts, and fabrications, and to impugn the moral standing of those who make such statements." Each and every one of these fifth columnists, wouldn't you know it, is Jewish.
Alan Hart: Anti-Semitism: What it IS and is NOT: Op-Ed:
QUOTE An anti-Semite used to be a person who disliked Jews. Now it is a person who Jews dislike UNQUOTE : Those are the words of my dear Jewish friend, Nazi (Auschwitz) holocaust survivor Dr. Hajo Myer. They are taken from page 179 of his magnificent book An Ethical Tradition Betrayed - The End of Judaism (published in 2007).
Graham: 'I'm Going to Block Hagel Until Panetta Testifies';
Sen. Graham said he'll block Hagel's confirmation hearings until outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testifies on Benghazi attacks.
Obama Nominee For CIA Director, Had Detailed Knowledge Of Torture :
John Brennan, President Barack Obama's nominee to head the CIA, had detailed, contemporaneous knowledge of the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" on captured terrorism suspects during an earlier stint as a top spy agency official, according to multiple sources familiar with official records.
Report: Meshal says Hamas accepts a two-state solution:
Hamas political leader in Damascus reportedly authorized King Abdullah of Jordan to convey his acceptance of two states for two peoples, based on the 1967 borders, to U.S. President Barack Obama.
EU, UN concerned by Israeli live fire against Palestinians:
The European Union and the United Nations expressed concern on Wednesday about Israel's use of lethal forces against Palestinians following a rise in fatal shootings.
Israel to demolish Palestinian neighborhood:
A Ma'an reporter said about 200 Palestinians live in the neighborhood which is located to the west of a large Israeli military base called Anatot.
Israel to return $100 million in withheld funds to Palestinians:
The sum is roughly a third of the funds Israel is meant to have transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) since November under interim peace accords, but has instead kept.
Forced contraception of Jewish Ethopian women:
Ethiopian women have been given injections of Depo-Provera without sufficient understanding of the purpose or side effects of the drug. Some Ethiopian women in transit camps were refused entry to the country if they refused the injection, and others wrongly believed they were being inoculated against disease
Israel drops sharply in annual press freedom ranking:
IDF, which 'deliberately targeted journalists' during Gaza op, pushes Israel down to No. 112; 'Palestine' slightly improves
Sunday Times editor apologises over Benjamin Netanyahu cartoon:
Martin Ivens says Gerald Scarfe 'crossed a line' with image of Israeli prime minister published on Holocaust Memorial Day
The US-born soldier fighting for Israel: 'Women should have the privilege':
The 21-year-old spends her days and nights patrolling the harsh desert landscape through which the Israeli-Egyptian border runs, wielding a gun, trained and ready to kill in defence of "her country".
Hasbara? Morsi moves to play down vitriolic remarks against Jews:
Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi has said vitriolic remarks he made against Jews and Zionists in 2010 had been taken out of context and said he was not against the Jewish faith.
Egyptians, police clash near Tahrir Square: Video -
Clashes between protesters and police continued for a seventh day near Tahrir square in Cairo in the worst stretch of violence since President Mohamed Mursi took office last June.
Egypt eases curfew as Mursi appeals for calm:
Egyptian authorities scaled back a curfew imposed by President Mohammad Mursi, and the Islamist leader cut short a visit to Europe Wednesday to deal with the deadliest violence in the seven months since he took power.
Mali conflict: France says its troops now in Kidal:
Haminy Maiga, the interim president of the Kidal regional assembly, told the Associated Press news agency: "The French arrived at 9:30pm [Tuesday] aboard four planes. Afterwards they took the airport and then entered the town and there was no combat.
Mali conflict: Sandstorm 'blocks' French troops advance:
The troops remained "blocked" at the airport in Kidal, the French defence minister said.
Niger agrees to US drones on its territory:
Niger has given permission for US surveillance drones to be stationed on its territory to improve intelligence on al Qaeda-linked fighters in northern Mali and the wider Sahara, according to a senior government source.
Julian Assange to run for Australian Senate seat
"In the House of Representatives we get to choose between US lackey party number one and US lackey party number two - between the major parties.
"So it will be great to `Assange' the Senate for some Aussie oversight."
Gillard sets Australia poll date of 14 September:
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called a general election for 14 September. Ms Gillard said that she would ask Governor-General Quentin Bryce to order that parliament be dissolved on 12 August.
Colombia set to decriminalise ecstasy:
Under current laws, people caught in possession of cocaine and marijuana for personal use are not prosecuted.
Gabrielle Giffords Urges Senate: 'Be Courageous' on Gun Control:
Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, whose congressional career was ended by a bullet wound to her head, opened a Senate hearing on gun violence Wednesday by telling the panel, "Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important."
Fact or fiction?
Americans largely back combat role for women: poll:
Sixty-six percent of those polled said they support letting women serve in ground units that engage in close combat, while 26 percent are opposed, according to the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Washington Post.
Russia scraps law enforcement deal with U.S. in new blow to ties:
An order to end the deal, signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, was posted on the government's website. It said the agreement, under which Washington provides financial assistance for law enforcement and drugs control programs, "does not address current realities and has exhausted its potential".
Germany Moves To Relocate Gold From New York Fed to Bundesbank :
Video -
Clashes in Athens as protesters break into govt. building:
Austerity enraged protesters broke into a government building and threatened the labor minister, Wednesday. Riot police then intervened with tear gas, batons and pepper spray, with one person taken to hospital.
Canada will slip back into recession in 2013:
Across the world's largest developed economies: the United States, Europe, Japan, Britain. Europe seems most likely to deliver a nasty shock this year . The list of broken states requiring official support continues to grow: Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain and, most recently, Cyprus. Europe's problems will worsen as larger countries like France and Italy deteriorate.
US slips back into recession:
The US economy unexpectedly took its biggest plunge in more than three years last quarter, contracting at an annual rate of 0.1 percent and indicating a new level of vulnerability for the economy.
U.S. Economy Shrinks 0.1%, 1st Time in 3 1/2 Years:
The U.S. economy shrank from October through December for the first time since the recession ended, hurt by the biggest cut in defense spending in 40 years, fewer exports and sluggish growth in company stockpiles.
NYPD cops handcuff and interrogate boy, 7, over missing $5, family claims:
This kid was no killer - but some callous Bronx cops sure treated him like one. Instead of earning himself a simple trip to the principal's office, a terrified 7-year-old boy was hauled out of class, handcuffed like a hardened criminal and "interrogated" by police for a grueling 10 hours - all over a playground dispute
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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