Bush- Blair
Legacy Continues As -
49
killed in Iraq: -
Suicide
bombings and other attacks killed 30 people in Iraq Wednesday, and authorities
found the bodies of 19 others shot dead in Baghdad, scenes eerily reminiscent of
the country's gruesome sectarian war.
Ten
years after the invasion: Iraq helpless under rain of terror:
Saddam Hussein
may have gone but, for many poor Iraqis, little has improved. Now a devastating
flood has left villagers homeless and there is precious little government
support
Spoils of war:
Maliki
inaugurates branch of Standard Chartered Bank in Iraq:
"Maliki
mentioned in his inauguration speech that "We are witnessing an important
turning point in the economic field where the entry of international banks in
Iraq will support the construction process through meeting all required banking
services."
Syria:
Video Of Children Fleeing Shelling:
A group of
youngsters run for their lives after an explosion behind them but thousands of
children have died in the conflict.
Inside
Syria: Al-Qaeda Was Here:
A tour through
the newly won territory gives a rare look at life under the extremists - and a
window into their vision for Syria. "It's a black-and-white world for them. You
can become their enemy very fast."
Turkey,
Iran call for Syria ceasefire before Geneva two talks -
report:
"All our
efforts are to end the conflict and for a ceasefire if possible, even before the
Geneva 2 conference takes place," said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif at a news conference in Tehran with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu.
Syrian
govt says will not surrender power at Geneva:
Syrian
authorities will attend talks in January aimed at resolving the civil war but
will not succumb to Western demands for President Bashar Al Assad to step aside,
a foreign ministry source said on Wednesday.
Bush- Blair
Legacy Continues As -
49
killed in Iraq: -
Suicide
bombings and other attacks killed 30 people in Iraq Wednesday, and authorities
found the bodies of 19 others shot dead in Baghdad, scenes eerily reminiscent of
the country's gruesome sectarian war.
Ten
years after the invasion: Iraq helpless under rain of terror:
Saddam Hussein
may have gone but, for many poor Iraqis, little has improved. Now a devastating
flood has left villagers homeless and there is precious little government
support
Spoils of war:
Maliki
inaugurates branch of Standard Chartered Bank in Iraq:
"Maliki
mentioned in his inauguration speech that "We are witnessing an important
turning point in the economic field where the entry of international banks in
Iraq will support the construction process through meeting all required banking
services."
Syria:
Video Of Children Fleeing Shelling:
A group of
youngsters run for their lives after an explosion behind them but thousands of
children have died in the conflict.
Inside
Syria: Al-Qaeda Was Here:
A tour through
the newly won territory gives a rare look at life under the extremists - and a
window into their vision for Syria. "It's a black-and-white world for them. You
can become their enemy very fast."
Turkey,
Iran call for Syria ceasefire before Geneva two talks -
report:
"All our
efforts are to end the conflict and for a ceasefire if possible, even before the
Geneva 2 conference takes place," said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif at a news conference in Tehran with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu.
Syrian
govt says will not surrender power at Geneva:
Syrian
authorities will attend talks in January aimed at resolving the civil war but
will not succumb to Western demands for President Bashar Al Assad to step aside,
a foreign ministry source said on Wednesday.
Syrian
Rebels Shun Geneva Peace Talks:
The commander
of the rebel Free Syrian Army says his group will not participate in a peace
conference planned for January in Geneva and intends to pursue its fight to
topple President Bashar al-Assad regardless.
Iran:
Construction will continue at Arak nuclear site:
Iranian FM says
"no new nuclear fuel will be produced," no new components will be installed, but
Iran will continue heavy-water reactor construction.
Obama
adviser urges Israel not to strike at Iran:
President
Barack Obama's close aide and deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes
encouraged Israel to give the negotiations a chance, and warned that military
action could be counterproductive.
Clashes
in Hebron after funeral for 3 men killed by Israel: -
Clashes broke
out across the Hebron district on Wednesday as thousands of mourners gathered to
take part in funeral processions for three Palestinians shot dead by Israeli
forces a day earlier.
UN
votes overwhelmingly on five decisions on the Question of Palestine:
The United
Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted five draft resolutions on
the Question of Palestine. This year's number of countries to vote in favour of
draft resolutions on the Question of Palestine has increased compared to last
year.
Over 40
suspected Boko Haram members killed in Borno:
More than 40
suspected Boko Haram Islamist sect members were Wednesday killed in a Military
raid involving air strikes and ground troops of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army in
Bita village area along Damboa-Gwoza road of Borno state.
3
soldiers killed as Libyan army fights Islamists in Benghazi:
Libya's army
clashed with Islamist militants in the eastern city of Benghazi early on
Wednesday and three soldiers were shot dead, security and medical officials
said.
Libya
struggles to pay salaries, more clashes erupt:
Libya's Prime
Minister Ali Zeidan said today his government will be unable to pay public
salaries and may have to seek loans if armed militias blockading oilfields and
ports continue to choke off crude shipments.
Prominent militant
leader killed in Sinai offensive:
Egypt's army
spokesperson says three militants, including prominent leader Abu-Mounir, were
killed Tuesday in a joint police-army offensive in Sinai
Egypt
court hands 14 Brotherhood women 11-year jail terms: Sources:
An Egyptian
court on Wednesday sentenced 14 women from the Muslim Brotherhood to 11 years in
jail after convicting them of belonging to a "terrorist organisation," judicial
sources said.
Egyptian secular
activists arrested under new protest law:
Arrests follow
return of secular protesters to streets in significant numbers for first time
since fall of Mohamed Morsi
China
asserts control over air zone despite US B-52 flights:
"The Chinese
government has the will and ability to defend our national sovereignty and
security," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular press
briefing.
33
armed "Taliban militants" killed in Afghan operations:
Afghan police
keep order after a protest in KabulAt least 33 Taliban militants were killed
during military operations conducted by Afghan national security forces in
various provinces of Afghanistan during the past 24 hours.
6
Afghan soldiers killed in blasts:
Six Afghan army
soldiers were killed and six others wounded in separate roadside bomb attacks
over the last 24 hours, said the country's Defense Ministry on Wednesday
evening.
Six Aid
Workers Killed in Faryab:
Six Afghan
staffers of the French Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED)
were shot dead by militants on Wednesday in northern Faryab province, local
officials said.
US
looks to bypass Karzai on Afghanistan security deal, sources say:
U.S. officials
seeking to resolve a tense standoff with Afghan President Hamid Karzai were
exploring on Tuesday whether they could bypass him and get other senior
officials to sign a security deal authorizing American troops to remain in the
country after 2014.
Five
policemen killed in Pakistan firing:
At least five
policemen were killed and one person was injured in two separate incidents of
firing at police mobiles in Hyderabad city of Pakistan's Sindh province Tuesday
night, Xinhua reported.
Pakistan urges end
to drone strikes in UN General Assembly:
Pakistan called
for the immediate cessation of "illegal" US drone strikes on its territory,
after a UN committee unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday that underscores
the need for an international agreement on legal questions involving the use of
remotely piloted aircraft
NATO
supply trucks still stuck in Pakistan:
Trucks carrying
NATO troop supplies to Afghanistan remained stuck in Pakistan on Tuesday as
concern lingered about demonstrators seeking to stop the vehicles in protest of
U.S. drone strikes, Pakistani transportation officials said.
Pakistani Party
Identifies Man It Says Is C.I.A. Station Chief:
The political
party of the former cricket star Imran Khan on Wednesday identified a man it
described as the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Pakistan, in an
escalation of Mr. Khan's campaign to end American drone strikes in the
country.
'Hostile' aircraft
could be shot down in new air zone: Chinese air force general:
A PLA air force
general has warned that any foreign aircraft disobeying warnings and deemed to
be "hostile" could be shot down in China's newly-established air defence
identification zone (ADIZ), Chinese media reported on Wednesday.
Thailand:
Parliament on lock-down for no-confidence vote: Video report -
Police were in
heavy presence at the National Assembly of Thailand where members of Parliament
are debating a no-confidence vote against President Yingluck
Shinawatra,
Protesters force
evacuation of 'Thai FBI', aim to invade every ministry:
Thousands of
protesters in Thailand have forced the closure of several government ministries
and vowed to take over government offices nationwide in a bid to force embattled
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from power.
Teen
caught in 'fake war on terror' contrived by U.S. spy agencies:
On Tuesday, a
court filing by Daoud's attorneys characterizes U.S. spy agencies as outlaw arms
of the government that snagged the west suburban teenager in a dummied-up bomb
plot. The nation's intelligence gathering agencies, they believe, are operating
in what amounts to a fourth, runaway, branch of government.
Judge
Suspends Sentencing Of Would-Be Bomber After NSA Revelations:
The sentencing of a Somali-American man
convicted of trying to bomb a holiday tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore.,
in 2010 has been put on hold indefinitely. That move comes just days after the
Justice Department notified his lawyers that part of the case against him had
been "derived from" secret NSA electronic surveillance.
Fact or
fiction?
Spies
worry over "doomsday" cache stashed by ex-NSA contractor Snowden:
One source
described the cache of still unpublished material as Snowden's "insurance
policy" against arrest or physical harm.
How The
FBI Actually Does Much Of The NSA's Spying, But Is Keeping That Quiet:
For all the
focus on the NSA of late, a few folks have been trying to remind everyone that
the FBI is heavily involved in all of this and, in many ways, has an equally bad
if not worse record in abusing the rights of Americans.
Thousands protest
against tough new official secrets law in Japan:
Critics say
proposed secrets act would stifle information on issues such as the Fukushima
nuclear crisis
Leakers, privacy
activists find new home in Berlin: :
An
international cadre of privacy advocates is settling in Germany's once-divided
capital, saying they feel safer here than they do in the United States or
Britain, where authorities have vowed to prosecute leakers of official
secrets.
How In
Five Short Years, China Humiliated The World's Central Banks:
China has
expanded its financial balance sheet by 50% more than the assets of all global
central banks combined!
Bitcoin
Tops $1000:
Having broken
above $900 yesterday to new record highs (and a 100% gain in a week), the crypto
currency is not looking back now. On what is higher than average volume this
morning, Bitcoin just broke above the magic $1000 level for the first time (at
$1025).
UK:
Cameron targets welfare benefits for EU migrants:
Prime Minister
David Cameron has proposed a swath of benefit cuts and "free movement"
restrictions to EU migrants in a bid to shore up the UK's social welfare system,
as a fresh wave of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants are set to arrive on British
soil.
UK:
Britain's state pension one of the worst in the world:
Of the 34
countries in the OECD, only Mexico had a worse rate at 29 per cent compared to a
54 per cent average across the rest of the bloc.
UK;
Figures show number admitted to hospital with malnutrition has almost doubled
since 2008:
Bradford West
MP George Galloway asked for the statistics in response to concerns of
constituents he says have to choose between food or heating. And yesterday those
figures were revealed to him by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
US
banks could face legal charges of over $100 billion: :
The fallout
from the subprime mortgage crisis continues to plague U.S. banks, according to
Standard and Poor's, with the ratings agency estimating billions of dollars in
extra litigation fees may hit major lenders.
Poll:
Most Americans Unhappy About Economy, Fear Losing Their Jobs:
Among those
with jobs, 62 percent said they worry about losing their jobs because of the
economy, including 32 percent who worry "a lot" and 30 percent who worry "a
little."
Cross-border
shopping promotes inequality:
Twelve years
ago, author Barbara Ehrenreich described what it's like to be poor in America
after taking low-wage jobs at a big-box retail outlet, a diner, a long-term-care
home, and a housekeeping service.
We're
Not Broke - We've Been Robbed: Op-Ed:
Slashing
government spending now is just going to make our nation poorer.
