Hard News
14 Iraq border police killed at fake checkpoint: police: Militants set up a fake checkpoint in west Iraq and ambushed a convoy of border policemen on Wednesday, killing 14 and setting fire to the bodies of two of their victims, officials said. Report of chemical weapon production by terrorists in Iraq worries Russia: "The reports coming from Baghdad confirm the ever-rising urgency to execute maximum vigilance over the terrorists' attempts in Syria and Iraq to stage provocations using chemical materials with no reservations on possible civilian casualties," the ministry's Press and Information Department said in a statement. 10 people killed as Yemen launches assault on al Qaeda: A Yemeni military source said three soldiers, including the force commander, and at least seven militants were killed in the fighting at Ghail Bawazeer, north of the Hadramout provincial capital of al-Mukalla. Syrian army retakes key town of Qusair from rebels: Syrian state TV said a large number of rebels had died and many had surrendered. The rebels said they withdrew overnight in the face of a massive assault. Analysts: Qusayr fall gives Syria regime upper hand: The regime has "the advantage right now" while the rebels are "losing morale", said Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Center. "What Qusayr confirms is that the regime's fall is not inevitable and in fact, the rebels might actually lose," analyst Hamid told AFP. Syrian army retakes Golan crossing point from rebels: Hours after opposition victory over Assad regime forces at Quneitra, media reports indicate that Syrian soldiers have taken back border crossing; IDF tells Golan farmers to keep away from border after mortar shell lands nearby. Syria: President Assad's forces plan to re-take Aleppo: The opposition holds about half of the northern city, and a battle to retake it is likely to be bloody with the opposition aware that failure to hang on to their positions would be a setback. Idriss: Syria rebels ready to move battles into Lebanon: Salim Idriss, the commander of the Syrian rebel forces, warned Wednesday that fighters seeking to oust President Bashar Assad could target Hezbollah in Lebanon if authorities failed to put a stop to the resistance group's activities in Syria. Beheadings by Syrian Rebels Add to Atrocities, UN Says: Syrian opposition forces recruited a 14-year-old boy from Homs as a fighter and had a child take part in beheading two government soldiers, according to a United Nations report citing human-rights abuses by both sides in Syria's civil war. Russia: Syria rights report biased, silent on 'terrorist acts': The report by U.N. investigators noted torture, abductions and other abuses by insurgents, but "preferred not to qualify bombings carried out by rebels in Syrian cities as terrorist acts", the Russian statement said. Syrian war widens Sunni-Shia schism as foreign jihadis join fight for shrines: Syrian rebels say they respect all holy sites but damage to Sayyida Zeinab shrine has spurred 10,000 Shias to volunteer 'Tests prove Syria sarin use': France : Video report: - France says it has carried out tests which prove Syrian government forces have used nerve gas. Russia says reports of chemical arms in Syria must not bring intervention: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that reports chemical weapons have being used in Syria should not be used to justify foreign military intervention in the more than two-year-old conflict, reported Reuters. Bashar al-Assad is not the one really in control of Syria, claims cousin: "Bashar Assad is not his father, he did not build the regime he inherited it. "He people around his father are the ones sustaining, the Baath party the generals in the secret service and military, they are the ones who are really in control. U.S. missile defense system to remain in Jordan after training exercise there: Patriot batteries, which were deployed along the Turkish border this year, could be used to establish a no-fly zone in Syria. The Obama administration has been reluctant to intervene militarily in the civil war, but several U.S. lawmakers are pressing for Washington to play a more assertive role. US to deploy missiles, F-16s in Jordan for protection against Syria, official says: Washington is deploying one or two Patriot missile launchers on the northern border with Syria and a squadron of 12 to 24 F-16 warplanes as part of the international military maneuver "Eager Lion." Syrian MP: Assad's army gets green light to strike back at Israel: The Syrian regime army has the green light to respond to any future Israeli attack without referring back to its "leadership," a Syrian lawmaker has told a Lebanese television station, warning that Syria is ready for an "open war." US Calls Iran's Nuclear Reactor Plans 'Deeply Troubling': Iran hit back, saying the IAEA had had continuous access to Arak and that the United States, which accuses Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons capability, could not be trusted after going to war in Iraq over reports of weapons of mass destruction that were never found. Turkish soldier wounded by gunfire from Syria: A Turkish soldier was wounded in a clash with gunmen in a group of about 500 people trying to cross into Turkey from Syria, the Turkish military said on Thursday. Bulgaria now says Hezbollah's role in bus bombing unproven: Bulgaria said on Wednesday it only had an "indication" that Lebanon's Hezbollah might have been behind a deadly bus bombing in July and that this alone did not justify any European Union move to list it as a terrorist group. Striking workers join Turkey protest: Thousands of striking workers took to the streets of Turkey's cities, loudly joining calls for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down as mass protests against his rule intensified. Dozens arrested in Turkey for tweeting about protest: Turkish police have detained at least 25 Twitter users for allegedly spreading false reports, as anti-government demonstrations in Turkey continue for a sixth day. On the Front Lines in Turkey: 10 Photos From the Anti-Government Protests Turkey Protests: List Of Demands Presented As Unrest Intensifies: The activist group denounced Erdogan's "vexing'' style and urged the government to halt Taksim Square redevelopment plans, ban the use of tear gas by police, the immediate release of all detained protesters and the lifting of restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. Turkey angry at US comments on protests: Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu tells US Secretary of State John Kerry that Turkey is 'not a second-class democracy'. Two blasts kill six civilians in southern Afghan province: At least six civilians died in two explosions in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. Afghans Say New Bodies Have Been Found Near a Former U.S. Base: Soon after family members found what they believe are the bodies of the last three people still missing out of 17 Afghan men detained by an American Special Forces team in Wardak Province, another tragedy found them: they said one person was killed and another was critically wounded on Tuesday when Afghan Army troops opened fire on the family members Afghan arrest puts spotlight on US special forces: AN AFGHAN army colonel has been arrested for illegally handing prisoners to a man working with a US special forces team that was accused of torture and killings in the country's Wardak province. US soldier expected to plead guilty to killing 16 Afghan civillians during raids: The American soldier charged with killing 16 Afghan civilians during nighttime raids on two slumbering villages last year is expected to recount the horrific slaughter in a military courtroom Wednesday when he pleads guilty to avoid the death penalty. Afghans angry at 'lenient' Robert Bales massacre sentence: Residents of Afghan villages where a US soldier went on a rampage last year have reacted with anger that he has escaped the death penalty. Most of the victims were women or children, and many of them were shot in the head. Some of the bodies were piled up and burnt. Pakistan: New PM wants US drone strikes to end: "We respect the sovereignty of others and they should also respect our sovereignty and independence. This campaign should come to an end," he said, calling for a comprehensive strategy to root out extremism. US drone attacks are further radicalising Pakistan: Op-Ed: President Obama might believe he is rooting out terrorists, but the drone attacks in Pakistan are also creating more radicals 'America is our worst enemy': Pakistani victim of US drone strike speaks out: A review of classified US intelligence records has revealed that the CIA could not confirm the identity of about one-quarter of those killed by drone strikes in Pakistan during a period spanning 2010 and 2011. 2 Tunisian soldiers killed in blast near Algerian border: The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on soldiers pursuing militant Islamists along the border. Mali army 'clashes with separatist MNLA rebels': It is the first time the Malian army has fought against the Tuareg separatists since France intervened militarily in January. The separatists have said they will not allow the Malian authorities into Kidal ahead of the poll. Al Qaeda weapons expert: U.S. ambassador to Libya killed by lethal injection: An FBI spokeswoman indicated that the bureau is aware of the claim but declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation into the Benghazi attacks. WikiLeaks' Assange says leaker Manning is 'political prisoner' in show trial: Julian Assange, founder of the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, says that Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of aiding the enemy by leaking military secrets, is "the most prominent political prisoner in modern U.S. history" whose alleged crime is "telling the truth." Adrian Lamo tells Manning trial about six days of chats with accused leaker: Hacker comes face-to-face with the US soldier he turned in as trial focuses on Manning's state of mind and motivations Transcripts from Bradley Manning's Trial: Here: Freedom of the Press Foundation has crowd-sourced funding to place a professional stenographer in the media room covering the trial. We will post full transcripts shortly after each day's proceedings end. Honduras: When will the US stop funding death squads?: Op-Ed: It is time for the US to stop aid to Honduras as there is credible evidence of human rights abuses Amnesty: Mexico 'failing to tackle disappearances': "Disappearances in Mexico have become commonplace because federal and state authorities have tolerated and refused to clamp down on them," Amnesty says in a new report. Official figures say 26,000 people have gone missing since December 2006 UK: Muswell Hill Mosque Set On Fire In Suspected EDL Attack: Police said they were treating the blaze as suspicious amid reports that EDL graffiti was found daubed on the charred building in what could be another revenge attack for the killing of Lee Rigby in Woolwich. Texas: Cops Fired After Video Captures Them Beating Black Woman:. Video: Cunningham violently grabbed Diggles by the hair and slams her head into a counter. The officers then slam Diggles to the ground. One of the officers tried to drag her to the jail cell Proof the IRS Didn't Target Just Conservatives: Almost one third of the tax-exemption applications selected for additional scrutiny by the IRS were from groups that were not conservative.
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"Let us be peace and joy" Tom Feeley | 
