Hard News
South Sudan's military says 163 killed in battle:
Col. Philip Aguer said Thursday that the battle earlier this week was fierce. He said the government counted 143 dead bodies from a militia group. Aguer said 20 government forces were killed and 70 were wounded.
Unknown assailants storm Tahrir Square protesters, leave 2 injured:
Armed men on motorcycles and pickup trucks attack protesters and remove barriers in Tahrir Square
I Witnessed A Brutal Beating From A Hotel Overlooking Cairo's Tahrir Square:
After the bangs people ran down the street below the balcony, and at the end of the running group, a small band of men carried another man, who dangled from their arms bleeding.
52 armed Taliban killed in Afghanistan;
Afghan and coalition forces in joint operations across Afghanistan killed 52 Taliban insurgents over a 24-hour period, the Afghan Ministry of Interior said.
Afghan teen stabs US occupation force soldier to death in eastern Afghanistan:
Haji Zalmai Khan, governor of the Ghani Khel District, said the 14-year-old assailant had fled the scene after approaching the solider and stabbing him.
Afghan villagers flee their homes, blame US drones:
Barely able to walk even with a cane, Ghulam Rasool says he padlocked his front door, handed over the keys and his three cows to a neighbor and fled his mountain home in the middle of the night to escape relentless airstrikes from U.S. drones
Activists plan month of protest over Obama's 'kill' policy:
Organisers keen to build on renewed focus of president's targeted killing programme by holding series of protests in April
China occupying parts of Kashmir':
A Kashmiri leader has revealed that China is in occupation of parts of Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Aksai Chin, despite not being a party to any of these land ownership disputes.
Syrian "rebels" kill 15 in 'ttack on Damascus University:
The college is in Baramkeh, a central Damascus suburb where mortar attacks by rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad have intensified this week.
AP: "Master plan" underway to help Syria rebels take Damascus with U.S.-approved airlifts of heavy weapons:
A carefully prepared covert operation is arming rebels, involving Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, with the United States and other Western governments consulting
Fierce battles in Damascus outskirts: activists:
Fresh battles raged Thursday in flashpoint districts on the outskirts of Damascus, activists said, while army tanks pounded insurgent enclaves near the Syrian capital.
Syrian rebels attack army checkpoints in south:
Activists say Syrian rebels are attacking army checkpoints in and around a key southern town that is a gateway to Damascus.
Syria state TV show victims of another 'chemical attack': - Video
- Warning -
Jabhat al-nusra gives a speech over the headless body of a Syrian soldier: Video
- Warning -
The jihadist groups 'running the show' in Syria:
Mounting evidence suggests that radical Islamist and jihadist groups, some with direct links to al-Qaeda, are increasingly in control of the opposition and "running the show" in key parts of the country
Syria: 'up to 100' British Muslims fighting in war;
Up to 100 British Muslims are fighting in Syria's civil war amid fears some could return home to carry out terrorist attacks, senior intelligence chiefs disclosed yesterday.
US Army veteran charged with fighting with al-Qaida in Syria, using weapon of mass destruction:
Eric Harroun of Phoenix was charged Thursday in federal court in northern Virginia with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the U.S. An affidavit states Harroun has been engaged in military action in Syria, siding with rebel forces against the Syrian government
In Pictures: Darayya: Syria's Stalingrad:
Darayya used to be a wealthy suburb with abundant shops. Insurgents were convinced that the local Sunnis would support them. But they left.
Iranian plane set on fire in Syria:
An Iranian cargo plane was set on fire in the Syrian capital of Damascus, where clashes are underway between the government forces and armed opposition, Al Arabiya TV channel reported on Thursday.
Giving Syrian opposition seats at Arab League is 'illegal, indefensible' - Moscow:
The Arab League's move to hand the Syrian opposition the country's official seat at a summit in Doha and the decision to give military backing to the rebels are both against international law, Moscow has said.
Algerian Foreign Minister: Handing Syria's AL Seat to "Opposition" Is Inconsistent with AL Charter:
Algerian Foreign Minister, Murad Madlassi, stressed in a televised statement on Wednesday his country's reservation on handing Syria's seat at the Arab League (AL) to the "Syrian opposition" in violation of the AL Charter.
Ladsous "Armed Groups are a Fact in Golan" - Video
Israel supports Syrian "rebels" -
IDF Builds Field Hospital for Syrians in Golan Heights:
At least 11 Syrian fighters have been treated in Israel over the past month for wounds sustained in battle from the savage civil war taking place between opposition forces and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Strange?
Israel sends more medics to border with Syria:
A military official said on Thursday there have been "numerous incidents" in recent months in which Syrians wounded in the fighting in their country arrived at the frontier for first aid from Israeli medics.
Less than 1% of state land in occupied West Bank allocated to Palestinians:
Over the past 33 years, Jewish settlers reportedly received some 99,000 acres of state lands as opposed to 2,150 for Arabs
Palestinian journalist jailed for 'reviling' Abbas on Facebook:
Mamdouh Hamamreh arrested and tried under Jordanian law after uploading picture comparing PA leader to TV villain
Turkish artillery fired into north Iraq: sources:
Turkish forces fired artillery shells into north Iraq, apparently in a bid to intimidate Kurdish rebels with whom Ankara is in peace talks, security sources and rebels told AFP on Thursday.
Gitmo inmates claim being denied drinking water as White House breaks silence:
A group of human rights lawyers filed an emergency motion with a federal court in Washington, describing the alleged mistreatment: "The reality is that these men are slowly withering away and we as a country need to take immediate action," Denver-based human rights lawyer Mari Newman said, according to AP.
Court rejects challenges to Gitmo trial secrecy:
The appeals court overseeing the military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay has rejected, at least for now, an effort by media organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge an order governing secrecy in one of the terrorism courts.
Assange legal shakeup: Prosecutor walks, Supreme Court judge to speak out on case:
The lead Swedish prosecutor pursuing sexual assault charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is no longer handling the case, media reports revealed. Her departure comes as a top Swedish judge is set to speak publicly on the 'Assange affair.'
US deploys bombers amid Korea tensions:
The deployment of B-2 bombers on Thursday followed North Korea's decision to cut a military hotline with the South, breaking the last direct communication link between the two countries at a time of heightened military tensions.
Putin orders surprise military exercises:
Up to 7,000 troops and 36 ships to take part in large-scale exercises in Black Sea.
Russia to ban cash transactions over $10,000:
The government plans to slash the amount of cash in domestic trade.
BRICS Nations Plan New Bank to Bypass World Bank, IMF:
The BRICS nations, which have combined foreign-currency reserves of $4.4 trillion and account for 43 percent of the world's population, are seeking greater sway in global finance to match their rising economic power. They have called for an overhaul of management of the World Bank and IMF
RBS and Lloyds have overstated (Lied) their capital:
The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) of the Bank of England has identified that UK banks have overstated their capital by £52bn after examining their balance sheets.
Not Even Gold Will Save You From What Is Coming: Marc Faber:
My concern is that we are going to have a systemic crisis where it is going to be very difficult to hide. Even in gold, it will be difficult to hide.
JPMorgan Chase Faces Full-Court Press of Federal Investigations:
At least two board members are worried about the mounting problems, and some top executives fear that the bank's relationships in Washington have frayed as JPMorgan becomes a focus of federal investigations.
Cyprus banks reopen - but stock exchange will remain closed:
Small queues as bank staff turn up for work early in Nicosia and cash is delivered under heavy security.
Cyprus to limit cash, credit-card use abroad: report:
Cyprus is to impose a ban on cashing cheques and limit the amount of cash that can be taken out of the country under a series of measures to avert a run on its s crippled banks, a Greek newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Slovenia faces contagion from Cyprus as banking crisis deepens:
Slovenia's borrowing costs have rocketed over recent days as it grapples with a festering financial crisis, becoming the first victim of contagion from Cyprus.
When Will Deposit Haircuts Take Place In Other European Countries?:
When will such days of reckoning happen? Ask the Cypriots: they had no idea they would wake up one day with virtually all of their deposits over €100,000 wiped out.
German Unemployment Unexpectedly Rises Amid Euro Crisis:
The number of people out of work increased a seasonally adjusted 13,000 to 2.94 million, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. Economists had predicted a decline of 2,000
Consumer Confidence Cools as U.S. Jobless Claims Rise:
Confidence among U.S. consumers fell to a six-week low and claims for jobless benefits rose more than forecast, highlighting the risks to the economy posed by federal government budget cuts.
Jobless claims rise. More than 5 million on unemployment rolls.:
Initial jobless claims increase 16,000 to reach 357,000. Continued unemployment claims keep declining, but nearly 5.4 million Americans are still on state or federal unemployment rolls.
U.S. New Home Sales Fall More Than Expected In February:
The report said new home sales fell 4.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 411,000 in February from the revised January rate of 431,000.
Homeless Turn to New Jersey's "Tent City": Video
It's something you see too often in developing countries. But this tent encampment is in Lakewood, New Jersey - an hour's drive from Manhattan. They call it Tent City.
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