Hard News
Nigeria: 20 killed, houses destroyed as gunmen attack Benue communities: No fewer than 20 people Weekend lost their lives and several property destroyed in Okpancheni and Ekwo area of Agatu local government of Benue state when unknown gunmen numbering about 19 invaded the area. Libya: Car bomb near Benghazi hospital 'kills 15': Libyan security official Abdel-Salam al-Barghathi said the car was parked outside a bakery near the city's main hospital when the blast occurred and the fatalities included three children. In Benghazi, CIA Trusted Local Militia That Melted Away: CIA officers at the Benghazi mission's annex had responsibility for vetting the Libyan militia that they counted on, but failed to arrive, as one of the first responders on the night of the 9-11 anniversary attacks last September Darfur rebel-faction leader killed in Chad: Mohamed Bashar, who signed peace deal with Sudan last month, killed by rival Justice and Equality Movement fighters. Jihadist leader threatens war against Tunisia government: "To the tyrants who think they are Islamists... know that the stupid things you are doing are dragging you to war," said Abu Iyadh, the fugitive leader of Ansar al-Sharia who is wanted by the police over deadly unrest last year. Afghanistan: 25 Insurgents Killed: The insurgents were killed in an operation by Afghan forces which were conducted yesterday. Afghanistan: 10 killed and 12 injured as blast rocks Kandahar: Provincial security chief Gen. Abdul Razaq confirming the report said at least 10 civilians including 7 women were killed and 12 others, all women and children were injured. Propaganda alert: US must take Pakistan drone concerns seriously: Nawaz Sharif: "Drones are indeed a challenge to our sovereignty. Of course we have taken this matter up very seriously and also spoken to the Americans during our meetings," he said. Libya: Car bomb near Benghazi hospital 'kills 15': Libyan security official Abdel-Salam al-Barghathi said the car was parked outside a bakery near the city's main hospital when the blast occurred and the fatalities included three children. Darfur rebel-faction leader killed in Chad: Mohamed Bashar, who signed peace deal with Sudan last month, killed by rival Justice and Equality Movement fighters. Jihadist leader threatens war against Tunisia government: "To the tyrants who think they are Islamists... know that the stupid things you are doing are dragging you to war," said Abu Iyadh, the fugitive leader of Ansar al-Sharia who is wanted by the police over deadly unrest last year. 800 Tunisian Islamists fighting in Syria: Tunisian Foreign Minister Othmane Jarandi told AFP on Saturday that some 800 Tunisians are fighting in Islamist rebel ranks in Syria and said the country would work to repatriate its citizens taken prisoner there. Geraldo Rivera: My Sources Tell Me Benghazi Was About Running Missiles to Syrian Rebels: Geraldo Rivera said Friday that his sources tell him the U.S. was involved in a secret mission in Libya to arm the Syrian rebels, which was the reason for the initial secrecy about the attack in Benghazi. Syrian army takes villages near Qusayr: officer: Syrian troops captured three villages in the strategic Qusayr area of Homs province on Monday, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP. Syria army liberates disputed southern town, says activist group: Syrian troops have taken control of a town near the main road linking the capital, Damascus, with Jordan, an advance in the regime's campaign to drive rebels from the south, an activist group has said. Syria Christian village breathes easier as army advances : The advance of regime troops on the rebel stronghold of Al-Qusayr in central Syria has come as a relief for at least one village, mostly-Christian, nestled on the shores of Lake Quttina. US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford poses with "rebel" leader : Video - : Ambassador Ford entered Northern Syria on May 9th to meet with various "resistance" leaders to discuss the current situation. Syria/Lebanon: Syrian-Lebanese antiquities-for-arms trade: Armed groups are managing to fund their fighting through looting, smuggling and selling antiquities; the other has gathered further testimony from illicit antiquities traders that (at least some of) the armed groups who are selling or bartering antiquities for guns are the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Al Qaeda's £168million cocaine smugglers: terror group flooding Britain with drugs: Al Qaeda has teamed up with other terror groups to smuggle cocaine to Britain, the Sunday People has discovered. One plot involved a staggering four tons of the illegal drug with a street value of £168million. US, Britain seek to 'increase pressure' on Assad: US President Barack Obama said Monday that he and British Prime Minister David Cameron had agreed to "increase the pressure" on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with his departure the goal. Syria opposition to "consult" allies over US-Russia initiative: George Sabra, head of the SNC, said Monday his coalition wants to consult with its allies, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, before making a decision. In Pictures: Reyhanli Car-Bombings in Turkey - Warning - Syria denies responsibility for Turkey bombings: A Syrian minister on Sunday denied accusations that Damascus was behind a bomb attack in a Turkish town that left dozens dead, a day after Ankara blamed supporters of President Bashar al-Assad for the blasts. Erdogan is a murderer, claims Syrian minister after deadly car bombings: Syria's information minister has blamed Turkey's government for deadly car bombings near the Syrian border and branded Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a "murderer", state-run Russian TV company RT reported. Turkey': Protesters blame Erdogan and FSA for Bombings in Reyhanli : Video - The people of Antakya blame Erdogan terrorist supporting foreign policy for the bombings in Reyhanli. 12 people killed in Iraq's violence: In northern Iraq, the police found five bodies in execution- style near the town of Hamam al-Alil in southern Mosul city, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The organization behind illegal West Bank outpost construction: With friends in high places, law-evading ploys and piles of money in the bank, veteran settler leader Ze'ev Hever and his organization Amana are seemingly immune to Israeli legal action. Revealed: Netanyahu's secret talks with the Palestinians: Netanyahu seemed ready to renew negotiations within the framework of two states based on the June 4, 1967, lines. But the prime minister subsequently backed away from the contacts and the channel was discontinued. Red Cross says 3 workers kidnapped in Yemen: The three are alive and "hopefully unharmed," and the organization is negotiating for their release. She says she assumes the kidnappers might be the same group involved in a similar incident last week. US committing grave mistake on Venezuela, Maduro says: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the United States has made a 'grave mistake' in refusing to acknowledge his victory in the recent presidential election. Gitmo Lawyer Speaks Out: Video - In this interview with WeAreChange, Remes gives us a look at the current situation in gitmo, the start of the hunger strike and some of the personal stories of the detainees he represented. Grassroots campaigns can stop fracking one town at a time: City councils and local activists have stymied shale gas mining in New York, and could prove an example for others to follow Steinmetz $9 Billion Fortune at Risk in Soros-Backed Probe: BSG Resources Ltd., the diamond producer controlled by Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz, was among those firms that came calling starting in 2005. The perks allegedly offered: A gift of a $60,000 diamond-studded gold watch and the promise of a $2.5 million commission to Conte's wife if BSGR got the mining license. In 2008, BSGR was awarded the license. Europe Eases Corporate Tax Dodge as Worker Burdens Rise: George Osborne said he would lower the U.K.'s corporate tax rate to 21 percent, below Germany and France, from 28 percent in 2010. A month after that, the U.K. cut the rate further, to less than 6 percent, on profit attributed to offshore arms that make loans to other units. Spain Home Expropriation Plans Seen Violating EU Bailout: Spanish politicians trying to cushion the blows of austerity plan to seize foreclosed homes to house the needy, discouraging foreign investment and threatening to violate terms of the European bailout of the country's banks. U.S. Business Inventories Come In Flat For Second Straight Month: With a drop in retail inventories offsetting an increase in wholesale inventories, the Commerce Department released a report on Monday showing that U.S. business inventories unexpectedly came in unchanged in the month of March. Young U.S. workers are worse off than in parts of Europe: According to a new report, the jobless rate for 15- to 24-year olds in the richest countries is at a decades-long high and isn't expected to drop much in the next few years.
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"Let us be peace and joy" Tom Feeley | 
