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Thai general denies military coup was planned

Full ArticleBBC News

26 Jun 2014

A senior Thai general has told the BBC that last month’s military coup had not been planned in advance. It comes after an opposition leader claimed the army had been discussing overthrowing the government for years. Lt Gen Chatchalerm Chalermsukh also said those detained by the military since the coup were being treated well. And he said
cc;” href=”http://article.wn.com/view/2014/06/26/Thai_general_denies_military_coup_was_planned/” target=”blank”>Thai soldiers walk after being deployed to guard in Bangkok's Victory Monument, Thailand, Sunday, June 8, 2014.





Ukraine foes cast doubt on ceasefire

Full ArticleBBC News 

25 Jun 2014

 

Both sides in the Ukraine conflict have cast doubt on a newly called ceasefire, following the downing of a military helicopter on Tuesday. Pro-Russia separatist leader Alexander Borodai said that in his view “there has been no ceasefire”. And Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko warned he may end the truce due to “constant…  
Ukrainian army soldiers move to a position near the village of Dovgenke, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine Tuesday, June 24, 2014.



Rebels agree to abide by cease-fire in Ukraine

Full ArticleThe Guardian 

24 Jun 2014

 

VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press= DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) â?? Pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine agreed Monday to respect a cease-fire declared by the Ukrainian president, raising hopes for an end to months of fighting that have killed hundreds and ravaged the country’s industrial heartland. The announcement came as the Russian and U.S.… 
Pro-Russian fighters gather at a ceremony of take the oath of allegiance to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, on Lenin square in the city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine Sunday, June 22, 2014.

Israeli Military Carries Out Airstrikes In Syria

ISRAEL

Al-Jazeera journalists jailed for seven years in Egypt

Full ArticleDigital Spy

23 Jun 2014
Three Al-Jazeera journalists have been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of supporting the Muslim BrotherhoodPeter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were convicted today (June 23) in Cairo, while nine defendants tried in absentia received 10-year sentences. © Rex Features / Sipa Press Al Jazeerastudios in Doha, Qatar 
FILE - In this Thursday, May 15, 2014 file photo, from left, Mohammed Fahmy, Canadian-Egyptian acting bureau chief of Al-Jazeera, Australian correspondent Peter Greste, and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed appear in a defendant's cage along with several other defendants during their trial on terror charges at a courtroom in Cairo. An Egyptian court is to deliver its verdict Monday, June 23, 2014 in the trial of three journalists for Al-Jazeera English on terrorism-related charges.



Sunni militants make major gains in western Iraq

Full ArticleSan Francisco Chronicle 

23 Jun 2014

 

Baghdad — Sunni militants have blitzed through the vast desert of western Iraq, capturing four towns and three border crossings and deepening the predicament of the Shiite-led government in Baghdad led by Nouri al-Maliki. The latest military victories – including two border posts captured Sunday, one along the frontier withJordan and the other… 
A fighter with the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) distributes a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book, to a driver in central northern city of Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, June 22, 2014.





FIFA: 2014 World Cup TV ratings break records around the world

World Cup 2014 fans







 

 

 

 

Karzai rejects situation in Afghanistan could get worse as Iraq

18 Jun 2014

 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai rejected that the situation in Afghanistan could worse as Iraq and dismissed the possibility of al Qaeda groups comeback in the country. President Karzai was speaking during an interview with… 
File - Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a press conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 14, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

‘WE CANNOT FIX IT’

HAIDAR HAMDANI via Getty Images

‘The Problem Belongs To The Region More Than It Does To Us’

 

 

 

 

7 Most Corrupt Countries in the World

Corruption is often cited as one of the biggest problems in governments across the world. Though many would like to dismiss it as a third-world problem or as an issue associated with the mobsters and gangsters of yesteryear, corruption is alive and kicking in more countries than you might think.

Transparency Inteds on a bigger share of the pie at any cost. Let’s take a closer look at the seven most corrupt countries in the world.rnational’s study of corruption found that two-thirds of the world’s nations scored below 50 on their corruption index, with the worst possible score being a 0 and the best, 100. While many developed countries posted fine scores — Denmark and New Zealand led the way, tied at 91 — a number of nations in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas lagged behind.

 

Oftentimes, the countries that experience the most corruption are those wracked by political and military strife. When conflicts occur, it becomes easier for government functions to break down, as everyone tries to get their hands on a bigger share of the pie at any cost. Let’s take a closer look at the seven most corrupt countries in the world.

 

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/albazi/

7. Iraq

 

 

 

 

 

Climate change will ‘cost world far more than estimated’

16 Jun 2014

 

Lord Stern, the world’s most authoritative climate economist, has issued a stark warning that the financial damage caused by global warming will be considerably greater than current models predict. This makes it more important than ever to take urgent and drastic action to curb climate change by reducing carbon emissions, he argues. Lord Stern, who… 
File - A view of the landscape near Uummannaq, Greenland, and the fastest moving glacier on the planet. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visits Uummannaq Greenland with the PM of Denmark and the PM of Greenland to witness the fastest moving glacier on the planet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVIDENCE OF A MASSACRE

AP

ISIS Militants Post Grisly Photos Of Killings.. Baghdad Bolsters Its Defenses.. Explosions Rock The Capital On Sunday

 

 

 

 

Iraq conflict: US considers talks with Iran

16 Jun 2014

 

Washington is considering direct talks with Iran on the security situation in Iraq, a US official has told the BBC. The move comes as US President Barack Obamaweighs up options on action to take in Iraq. Meanwhile the US condemned as “horrifying” photos posted online by Sunni militants that appear to show fighters massacring Iraqi… 

Shiite tribal fighters raise their weapons and chant slogans against the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, June 15, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

BRAVE DEMOCRACY

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Afghan Presidential Election Closes With Big Turnout Despite Militant Attacks

 

 

 

 

 

MILITANTS CLAIM MASS EXECUTION

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Blair: ‘Iraq invasion didn’t cause current crisis’

15 Jun 2014

 

Tony Blair last night accused critics of the war in Iraq of trying to “wilfully” claim the current crisis in the country is a result of the original invasion. In a 3,000-word essay, Mr Blair rejected claims that he was to blame, saying that if the West had not rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein, the crisis in the Middle East would be worse. “We have
File - Tony Blair, Representative of the Middle East Quartet (European Union, Russian Federation, United Nations and United States), addresses a press conference on the meeting of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee for Assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

 

 

THE RUSH TO JOIN THE FIGHT

AP

Iraqis Flock To Join Militias In Fight Against Insurgents… Chilling Reminder Of Sectarian War… UN: 300,000 In Iraq Became Refugees This Week… PANIC SWEEPS BAGHDAD…Reports Of Executions, Rapes, Kidnappings… Teetering Toward Civil War… American Allies Funding ISIS… FIRM: Obama Rules Out Ground Troops… ‘Urgently’ Considering Airstrikes… Decision Within Days… Iran Uneasy: Sends In Elite Units… Iraqis Who Fled Mosul Say They Prefer Militants To Government… 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ukrainian Forces Reclaim Port City, Stretch Of Russian Border From Rebels

 

 

 

 

THE BATTLE FOR IRAQ

IRAQ ON BRINK OF DISINTEGRATION… ISIS Fighters Eye Baghdad… Militants Seize 2 More Towns... Cleric Urges Shiites To Defend Country… Reports Of Executions, Rapes, Kidnappings… UN: 300,000 In Iraq Became Refugees This Week ISIS Fighters Seize Depots Holding 400,000 Items – AK-47s, Rockets, RPGs, Mortars…Obama Doesn’t Rule Out Bombing… Kerry Expects ‘Timely Decisions’… Americans Evacuated... REPORTS: Iran Sends In Troops…

 

 

 

 

ON THE BRINK OF DISINTEGRATION

Iraqi Kurds Seize Oil-Rich City Of Kirkuk.. Militants Surge Toward Baghdad..Vow To March On Capital.. ISIS Spokesman: ‘Scores To Be Settled’ With Government.. Taunts Iraqi PM: ‘You Lost A Historic Opportunity For Your People To Control Iraq, And The Shiites Will Always Curse You For As Long As You Live’ .. ISIS Unveils New Rules.. MAP: Where ISIS Is Gaining.. Turkey Negotiates Release Of Hostages In Iraq.. U.S. Leaders Meet To Discuss Crisis.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Cup 2014: Brazil set to kick-off tournament

12 Jun 2014

 

The 2014 Fifa World Cup begins on Thursday as hosts Brazil open the tournament against Croatia. The month-long tournament sees 32 nations compete for a place in the final in Rio on Sunday, 13 July. The opening match will be preceded by a ceremony in Sao Paulo that pays tribute to nature, people and football. “Let me tell you the time has… 

A Brazilian fan tries to tie his country's flag on top of his car, outside Arena de Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. The World Cup is set to open on June 12 with Brazil facing Croatia in Sao Paulo.

 

 

 

 

 

SHOW OF STRENGTH

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Islamist Insurgents Close In On Iraq’s Biggest Oil Refinery Day After Assault On Key Iraqi City.. Foreign Minister Calls For ‘Quick Response’ To The ‘Serious, Mortal’ Threat.. Militants Seize Windfall Of U.S. Arms With Fall Of Mosul
Inside ISIS, The Group That Just Took Over Iraq’s Second Biggest City

 

 

 

 

 

 

REUVEN RIVLIN
Meet Israel’s New President

 

 

 

 

 

Like Reagan, Obama Is Prisoner of Foreign Policy

10 Jun 2014

 

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling If denying reality to preserve a certain view of the world always leads to disastrous consequences, so does trying to remake reality through a mistaken foreign policy, namely preemptive wars, military occupations and hypocritical activities. Even now as those on the right condemn President Barack Obama… 
U.S. President Ronald Reagan tells reporters that "I'M not taking any more questions," during a news conference in the White House briefing room, Nov. 25, 1986.

 

 

 

 

 

ASSAD’S BIG DECLARATION

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Syrian President Announces Amnesty For Prisoners.. Details Still Unclear.. Syrian Lawmaker: The Decree Is ‘A Gift From The President’

 

 

Merkel and Cameron in battle over European Commission

10 Jun 2014

 

The leaders of SwedenGermany, Britain and the Netherlands are meeting at a mini-EU summit near Stockholm to try to reach a consensus on European reform. The controversial question of who is to head the European Commission is likely to be discussed, but not officially. UK PM David Cameron is expected to try to get leaders on-side to block… 
Four heads of government pose for photographers outside Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's summer residence Harpsund, South of Stockholm on Monday, June 9, 2014.

 

 

 

MILITANTS OVERRUN IRAQ’S SECOND LARGEST CITY

 
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‘What Happened Is A Disaster By Any Standard’

 

 

 

 

 

NEW CLASHES IN THE EAST

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rebel Stronghold In Eastern Ukraine Hit By Shelling.. Fighting Occurs One Day After New President Announces Start Of Ukraine-Russia-OSCE Negotiations

 

 

 

 

 

Pakistani Militants Attack Karachi Airport, 23 Dead

09 Jun 2014

 

VOA News Heavily-armed militants stormed the main airport in Karachi, PakistanSunday, leading to a five-hour gun battle with police and soldiers that left 23 people dead. Officials say all 10 gunmen were either shot by police or blew themselves up
Pakistani troops arrive at Jinnah International Airport following an attack by unknown gunmen disguised as police guards who stormed a terminal used for VIPs and cargo, Sunday night, June 8, 2014, in Karachi, Pakistan. The airport attack still was ongoing early Monday in Karachi, a sprawling port city on the southern coast of Pakistan, although officials said all the passengers had been evacuated.

 

 

EGYPT’S NEW PRESIDENT

 
KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images

Abdel-Fatah El-Sissi Swears In.. Former Military Chief Promises Stability..Egyptians Await Their Future

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayers and politics for Israelis and Palestinians

08 Jun 2014

 

During his whistle-stop tour of AmmanBethlehem and Jerusalem last month, PopeFrancis invited presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas to join him at the Vatican. “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer,” he stated, and the key question that has been on the minds of many ecumenical commentators is whether there is… 
Pope Francis, center, walks with Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, during an official arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, May 25, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

CHINA: ONE CONDITION COULD SEAL THE DEAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine And Russia Talk Way to End ‘Bloodshed’

07 Jun 2014

 

Ukraine‘s President-elect Petro Poroshenko has met his Russian counterpartVladimir Putin for informal talks on the sidelines of the D-Day commemorations inFrance, raising hopes of ending the continuing violence. The two men met for around 15 minutes on Friday to discuss resolving the most serious East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko

 

 

 

 

Hezbollah leader says war on Assad has failed

07 Jun 2014

 

The head of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has said opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has failed, after his victory in presidential elections on Tuesday. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, a staunch ally of Assad, said Syrians had prevented US plans to “confiscate” their will, in a speech… 
File - Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, speaks to the crowd in a rare public appearance during Ashura, that marks the death of Shiite Islam's Imam Hussein, in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013.

 

 

 

 

PATHS CROSS AT NORMANDY

 

 

 

 

 

ONE YEAR LATER 
How Edward Snowden Changed The World

 

 

 

 

 

Brazilians Are Not Going To Be Happy After The World Cup Ends

 

 

 

 

HUNDREDS MASSACRED

 

 

 

 

 

REWIRING THE CULTURE
The Startup Life In A Country That’s Just Getting Smartphones

 

 

 

 

 

 

G7 threatens to intensify sanctions on Russia over Ukraine crisis

05 Jun 2014

 

> • G7 leaders Wednesday urged Russia to complete its troop withdrawal from theUkrainian border. •The G7 countries urged Russia to recognize the results of the Ukrainian election. • G7 stood ready to intensify targeted sanctions against Russiaover Ukraine crisis. BRUSSELS, June 4 (Xinhua) — Group of seven (G7) leaders on Wednesday urged Russia to… 
President Barack Obama sits with, clockwise: European Council President Herman Van Rompuy; European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso; French President Francois Hollande; Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; British Prime Minister David Cameron; and German Chancellor Angela Merkel; as they participate in a G7 working dinner in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, June 4, 2014.

 

 

 

 

25 YEARS LATER
China Ups Security For Tiananmen Massacre Anniversary

 

 

 

 

 

Obama to hold talks with Ukraine’s Poroshenko in Warsaw

04 Jun 2014

 

US President Barack Obama is to discuss economic support for Ukraine when he meets President-elect Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw. Mr Obama has said he will offer US support as Kiev tries to settle a gas bill with Russian supplier Gazprom or risk a cut in supply. Ukraine’s struggling economy has been in recession since the middle of 2012. Mr Obama… 
Obama to hold talks with Ukraine's Poroshenko in Warsaw

 

 

 

President-elect Sisi tells Egyptians it is ‘time to work’ on rebuilding economy

04 Jun 2014

 

Egypt’s president-elect, the former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, told Egyptians it is now “time to work” to rebuild the economy after he was officially declared the landslide winner of last week’s election, restoring a career military man to the country’s top office. Thousands celebrated in public squares around the country with cheers,… 
In this July 22, 2013, file photo released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour, left, standing next to Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, listens to the national anthem during a medal ceremony at a military base east of Cairo.

 

 

 

Spain King Juan Carlos To Abdicate After 40 Years On The Throne In Favor Of Son

02 Jun 2014

 

MADRID (AP) — Spain‘s King Juan Carlos plans to abdicate and pave the way for his son, Crown Prince Felipe, to take over, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told the country Monday in an announcement broadcast nationwide. He did not say when Juan Carlos would abdicate because the government must now craft a law creating a legal mechanism for the… 
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy delivers a statement in the Moncloa Palace, Madrid, Spain, Monday, June 2, 2014

 

 

 

 

N.S.A. COLLECTING MILLIONS OF FACES FROM ONLINE IMAGES

 
AP

New Snowden Documents Reveal Vast Facial Recognition Program… Emails, Social Media All Vulnerable… Expanded Significantly Under Obama…

 

 

 

 

Royal Baby On The Way! Prince Albert and Princess Charlene Of Monaco Expecting First Child

31 May 2014

 

Prince George may have some competition soon as it has been announced thatPrince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco are expecting their first child together. In a joint statement, the royal couple, who married in… 
Prince Albert II of Monaco speaks to his bride Charlene Princess of Monaco on the balcony of the Monaco palace, after the civil wedding marriage ceremony, Friday, July 1, 20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine leader promises to punish separatists

30 May 2014
Ukraine‘s president-elect. Petro Poroshenko. has promised to punish pro-Russian rebels who shot down an army helicopter in the east of the country, killing 14 soldiers, including a general. The country‘s newly elected leader called the separatists, who brought down the helicopter gunship in Slovyansk, “terrorists” and “bandits”. The fighters shot
Ukrainian soldiers patrol on a checkpoint outside Slovyansk, Ukraine, Thursday, May 29, 2014. Rebels in eastern Ukraine shot down a government military helicopter Thursday amid heavy fighting around the eastern city of Slovyansk, killing 14 soldiers including a general, Ukraine's leader said.

 

 

 

 

Snowden: “Sometimes To Do The Right Thing You Have to Break a Law”

Snowden: "Sometimes To Do The Right Thing You Have to Break a Law"

Edward Snowden gave his first U.S. television interview to NBC’s Brian Williams last night, almost one year after he was first revealed as the NSA contractor who leaked documents about the U.S. government’s digital surveillance techniques.

Snowden has been in Russia since the country granted him a one-year asylum last August. Since then, he’s come under considerable fire from U.S. officials, particularly from Congressman Mike Rogers, who has accused Snowden of working under Russian influence. Snowden contends that this isn’t true.

“I have no relationship with the Russian government at all,” he told Williams.

 

 

 

‘THERE’S ONLY ONE CHOICE’

 

 

 

 

 

LAST PUSH

Jonathan Rashad via Getty Images

Egypt Attempts To Drive People To Polls.. Extends Elections.. Threatens Citizens With Fines If Don’t Vote.. Many Wary Or Have Lost Faith In Process

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post-Ukrainian Election Violence

28 May 2014

 

Billionaire oligarch mega-crook Petro Poroshenko is Ukraine‘s new president. Illegitimate coup-appointed officials anointed him. Sham election-rigging rubber-stamping followed. Fascism defeated democracy. Obama said “we commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections… 
Pro-Russian gunmen take positions near the airport, outside Donetsk, Ukraine, on Monday, May 26, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

China’s Crackdown On Activists Utilizes New Tactics

CHINA POLICE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko pledges ‘end to war’

26 May 2014

 

Petro Poroshenko, who looks set to win Ukraine‘s presidential election, says he wants to “end war and bring peace”. Official results are expected on Monday but exit polls suggest the billionaire confectionary magnate has won the election with about 56% of the vote. He said his first step as president would be to visit the eastern… 
Ukrainian presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko speaks during his press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, May 25, 2014.

 

 

 

 

POWER OF PRAYER

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pope Visits Israel’s Separation Wall… Prays For Peace In The Middle East…Invites Israeli And Palestinian Presidents To The Vatican

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke rises from Somalia’s parliament building after attack

Security forces killed at least three of the militants, a Somali lawmaker said. FILE PHOTO.
Security forces killed at least three of the militants, a Somali lawmaker said. FILE PHOTO.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Security forces moved in, exchanging gunfire with the attackers
  • A lawmaker blames Al-Shabaab for the attack

 

 

 

 

 

 




EVEN IF THEY COME HOME, 
THEIR TROUBLES MAY NOT BE OVER



UN approves sanctions on Boko Haram as search for Nigerian girls continues

Full ArticleSTL Today 

23 May 2014

 

UNITED NATIONS • The U.N. Security Council officially declared on Thursday thatBoko Haram is a terrorist group linked to al-Qaida and imposed sanctions against the Islamist militants who have carried out a wave of deadly attacks and the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in NigeriaU.S. Ambassador Samantha Powerwelcomed the council’s action,… 
File - A Nigerian policeman stands guard by burned out cars and houses, following an attack by suspected Islamic extremists - Boko Haram - in Kawuri, Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014.
photo: AP / Jossy Ola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRIME WAVE IN BRAZIL AHEAD OF WORLD CUP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE REPUBLIC IS STARTING TO SMELL

DIMITAR DILKOFF via Getty Images

In Ukraine, Chaos Follows Self-Declared Independence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Syrian al Qaeda reach foothills of Israeli-held Golan

22 May 2014

 

AMMAN (Reuters) – Atop the hill of Tel Ahmar just a few kilometers from Israeli forces on the Golan HeightsSyrian Islamist fighters hoist the al Qaeda flag and praise their mentor Osama bin Laden. One of the men, a leader of al Qaeda’s NusraFront, compares their battlefield – a lush agricultural region where dead soldiers lie on the ground near… 
File - Israeli soldiers of the Golani brigade adjust their weapons during training near the border with Syria in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014.

 

 

‘WE ARE LOSING TIME’ 
Over A Third Of South Sudan’s Population To Face Starvation By Year’s End

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 May 2014

 

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling “The history of our revolution,” wrote John Adams, “will be one continued lie from one end to the other.” Although his statement was followed by a spiteful attack against Benjamin Franklin andGeorge Washington-people would only remember Dr. Franklin’s electrical rod smote the earth and out sprang… 
Local residents cast their ballots at a polling station in Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 11, 2014.

 

 

Thailand’s army imposes martial law, says it’s not a coup

20 May 2014

 

ELEANOR HALL: To Thailand, and according to its leaders, it’s not a coup. But in the early hours of this morning, the country’s military imposed martial law, saying it wanted to ensure peace and security after six months of anti-government protests. Thailand’s acting justice minister says the government is still running the country, but two weeks… 
Thai soldiers walk outside the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) building Tuesday, May 20, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

OVER 160,000

JOSEPH EID via Getty Images

Activists: The Death Toll In Syria’s War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted, 2015-19
  
wn.com

The organisation is expected that all free zones in the UAE will join the organisation by the end of 2014. World Free ZonesOrganisation launched in Dubai on Monday in the presence ofHis Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The organisation is a new non-profit entity operating as an association for all free zones in the world. It is registered in Geneva and its headquarters will be in Dubai.more »

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A PATH FORWARD

AP/Yonhap

South Korea’s President Gives First Televised Address Since Ferry Disaster.. ‘The Ultimate Responsibility For Not Properly Dealing With This Incident Is Mine’.. Vows To Disband Coast Guard And Root Out Corruption

 

 

 

 

GONE ROGUE

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Renegade General Attacks Libya’s Parliament.. Many Lawmakers Kidnapped.. Deadly Assault In The Country’s Capital

 

 

 

 

 

Afghanistan: Time for new blood

19 May 2014

 

The Afghan elections were hailed as a major victory for a country gripped by war and terror for over 35 years. Almost seven million voters – 36 percent of them women – came out to say a resounding “no” to the terror of the Taliban, and a clear “yes” to the ballot box. Yet the inconclusive results raise the danger of the return of several
File - Voters and electoral officers at at a polling station in Kabul, 4 April, 2014. Millions of Afghan women and men cast their ballots in Presidential and Provincial Council elections on 5 April, in an important step forward in their country’s first democratic transition of power.
photo: UN / Fardin Waezi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putin orders Russian troops back to bases after drills near Ukraine

19 May 2014

 

Ukraine crisis Reuters Image Caption: Russia‘s President Putin meets Tyumen Region Governor Yakushev at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi (reuters tickers) May 19, 2014 – 10:25 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putinhas ordered military forces to return to their permanent bases after drills in three regions bordering… 
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets the crowd during a visit to Sevastapol celebrating Victory Day and the 70th anniversary of Sevastopol’s liberation, 9 May, 2014.

 

 

 

 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai relieved his term is winding down

 

 

 

 

ANTI-CHINA RAMPAGE

VNEXPRESS via Getty Images

Thousands Flee Vietnam After Deadly Riots.. Fury Over Disputed Territory.. Mass Arrests Of Protesters

 

17 May 2014

 

France is to host a security summit on the threat from Boko Haram Islamists, after they abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria in April. Nigerian PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and other West African leaders will attend the talks in Paris. On Friday Mr Jonathan was due to… 
In this photo taken Monday, May 5, 2014, Nana Shettima, the wife of Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima, center, weeps as she speaks with school girls from the government secondary school Chibok that were kidnapped by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, and later escaped in Chibok Nigeria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hagel says US won’t let Iran build nuclear weapon

Associated Press
USA-ISRAEL/HAGEL
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  • (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pledged to Israeli leaders Friday that the U.S. “will do what we must” to prevent the Jewish state’s greatest fear of a nuclear-armed Iran

Hagel made the public pledge in a statement at talks in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister

 

Both men spoke of the disputed Iranian nuclear program, which is the topic of negotiations this week in Vienna

 Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I want to assure you of the United States’ commitment to ensuring Iran does not get a nuclear weapon — and that America will do what we must to live up to that commitment,” Hagel said.etween Western powers and Iran.

“We’ve been saying all along that Iran is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the international community,” Netanyahu said in a statement while standing beside Hagel.

He cited a United Nations report on what he called “Iran’s ongoing effort to deceive the international community to continue to develop ICBMs and to continue to violate its commitments of security council stipulations on forbidding it to develop certain parts of its nuclear program.”

“They continue to do that and I think that requires a very clear and firm policy on the part of world powers,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader said, “we must not let the ayatollahs win, we mustn’t let the foremost terrorist state of our time, Iran, develop the capability to produce nuclear weapons.”

Hagel was wrapping up a four-day Middle East visit that began Tuesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he met with defense leaders from Persian Gulf nations with longstanding security ties to the Unites States.

Hagel’s trip coincided with international talks in Vienna with Iran aimed at drafting a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program, which is a top-priority issue for the Gulf Arab states as well as for Israel.

The Iranian government says it has no intention of building a nuclear bomb.

Improving relations with Iran has been a high foreign policy priority for President Barack Obama, and the Vienna talks have raised hopes of meaningful progress on the nuclear issue

In Saudi Arabia Hagel said that “under no circumstance” will the U.S. sacrifice its allies’ interests in order to make a nuclear deal with Iran.

More broadly, Hagel’s talks in Saudi Arabia were intended to persuade the sometimes fractious Gulf states to collaborate on missile defense and other security initiatives. They agreed to meet more frequently to discuss these issues but announced no new steps toward an integrated air and missile defense system.

In Israel, Hagel made a brief visit Thursday to an air base where U.S. and Israeli forces were preparing to begin a missile defense exercise, dubbed Juniper Cobra, using computer simulation of potential attack scenarios and post-attack disaster responses.

Washington has been trying for more than two decades to get the Gulf states to do more collectively in their own defense, with limited results. Then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney began that push in 1991 in the aftermath of the Gulf War, which began when Iraq invaded a largely defenseless Kuwait and the U.S. came to its defense by deploying about 500,000 troops to the Gulf and drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Since then, many of the Gulf states have bought billions of dollars worth of American weaponry, including missile defense systems like the Patriot. But the defenses have not been integrated and thus have limited capabilities against a potential Iranian missile barrage.

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‘Friends of Syria’ group set for London talk

15 May 2014

 

Foreign ministers from 11 Western and Arab nations are due to meet in London to discuss new ways of supporting the Syrian opposition. The Friends of Syria group will also discuss the country’s dire humanitarian situation. US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry is among those attending. The meeting comes days after UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi… 
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Open Gaza’s seaport, end the blockade

15 May 2014

 

The nonchalance with which the West has been observing the slow decomposition of the Palestinian social fabric in Gaza in its eighth year of Israeli blockade amounts to a level of criminal complicity in the face of international law. The ongoing Israeli blockade – recently in full cooperation with Egypt – of the tiny coastal strip has been defined...
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Olmert joins list of convicted Israeli politicians

13 May 2014

 

Travel deals JERUSALEM – (AP) — Israel‘s ex-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday for his part in a wide-ranging bribery case. While he appears set to become the first Israeli prime minister to head to prison, he is the latest in a string of politicians sentenced to time behind bars. The following is a glance… 
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, center, leaves the sentence hearing in a corruption case, at Jerusalem's District Court

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘ALL OPTIONS ARE OPEN’

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12 May 2014

 

DONETSK/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine: Pro-Moscow rebels declared a resounding victory in a referendum on self-rule for eastern Ukraine, with some saying that meant independence and others eventual union with Russia as fighting flared in a conflict increasingly out of control. Organizers in the main region holding the makeshift vote on Sunday said nearly 90… 
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REFERENDUM TURNS TRAGIC

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THE REBEL REFERENDUM

 

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Will Iraq fall apart?

11 May 2014

 

We’ve heard it all before – Iraq is on the brink of disintegration. Sectarian tension and violence is spiking, al-Qaeda is running amok through the country and theKurds are threatening to break away. The post-Saddam political architecture has brought not democracy, but a new authoritarian strongman in the form of Nouri al-Maliki. As Iraq emerges… 
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Iran: Hardline anxiety over Rouhani grows more acute

11 May 2014

 

With the negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear deal reconvening next Tuesday in Vienna, a vocal minority of hardliners have turned up the heat on PresidentHassan Rouhani and his nuclear team, regarding them as too soft. Last weekend, the president’s opponents gathered at a meeting they called “We’re Worried”. They voiced…
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DUST EVERYWHERE. SHATTERED CONCRETE BRICKS. TOPPLED TELEPHONE POLES. AN APOCALYPTIC VISTA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POPE: ‘LEGITIMATE REDISTRIBUTION’ OF WEALTH

 

 

 

 

Snowden files are ’embarrassing indictment’ of British spying oversight

09 May 2014

 

All-party committee demands reforms to make security and intelligence services accountable in wake of disclosures The report says the current system of oversight of MI5MI6 and GCHQ, pictured, is ‘designed to scrutinise the work of George Smiley, not the 21st-century reality’. PhotographBarry Batchelor/PA Edward Snowden‘s disclosures of the… 
Edward Snowden talks during a simulcast conversation during the SXSW Interactive Festival on Monday, March 10, 2014, in Austin, Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

‘CAPITAL OF REVOLUTION’ TAKEN

YOUSSEF KARWASHAN via Getty Images

Assad’s Forces Secure Syria’s Homs After Years Of Fighting

 

 

 

 

Rebels evacuated from Homs, the cradle of Syrian uprising

08 May 2014

 

By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hundreds of Syrian rebels on Wednesday abandoned their last stronghold in the heart of Homs city, an epicenter of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, handing him a symbolic victory weeks before his likely re-election. Two convoys of buses snaked their way through the crumbling ruins of the besieged….
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian people gather at the site of one of two car bombs that exploded in the pro-government district of Zahra in the central Syrian city of Homs, Syria, Tuesday, April 29, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

ABUBAKAR SHEKAU
The Man Behind Nigeria’s Boko Haram

 

 

 

 

 

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08 May 2014

 

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US and UK prepare to send help to Nigeria to locate schoolgirls

07 May 2014

 

The United States government has said that it is preparing to send a team to help the Nigerian government find almost 300 girls kidnapped from their school byIslamic extremists last month. White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that the team would likely include military and law enforcement personnel and officials with experience in… 
Protestors march in front of the Nigerian embassy in northwest Washington, Tuesday, May 6, 2014, protesting the kidnapping of nearly 300 teenage schoolgirls, abducted from a school in the remote northeast of Nigeria three weeks ago.

 

 

 

South Africa holds first “Born Free” election

07 May 2014

 

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Early morning voters hold up their identification documents as they queue to vote at a polling station that was burned down overnight in the politically-sensitive mining town of Bekkersdal, South Africa Wednesday, May 7, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Promise to end Muslim Brotherhood

06 May 2014

 

Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who removed Egypt‘s Islamist president and is poised to win the upcoming presidential election, has said theMuslim Brotherhood will never return as an organisation. Mr el-Sissi also accused the Brotherhood of using militant groups as cover to destabilise the country. Speaking the first TV interview… 
A bystander throws a tear gas canister that came back from the al-Azhar University campus after the canister was originally shot by the Egyptian security forces towards protesters at the school in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 2, 2014.

 

 

 

 

MAMMOTH MELT

 

Antarctic Thaw Could Raise Global Sea Levels By 10 Feet

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Moscow to give peace another chance

04 May 2014

 

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Ukraine’s PM has blamed the country’s security services for failing to stop violence in the southern city of Odessa that left more than 40 people dead. Michael Huang was on the phone to a friend in Kiev when the violence started.

 

_74634660_odessa

 

 

 

 

BATTLE FOR THE EAST

Scott Olson via Getty Images

Ukrainian Forces Clash With Pro-Russian Rebels.. Army Reclaims Key Sites..Dawn Assault Leaves Casualties On Both Sides

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russia, Ukraine agree on normal gas transit until May end

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03 May 2014

 

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Experts Think The Missing Malaysia Jet Recordings Were Edited

MAY 2, 2014, 

 

malaysiaREUTERS/Jason ReedA Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion returns to RAAF Pearce airbase from a search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 over the southern Indian Ocean, March 26, 2014.

 

Voice experts believe the audio recordings from missing Malaysia jet 370 were edited, according to Elizabeth Chuck of NBC News. 

At least two different audio sources recorded the tapes, the experts concluded, and one of those recordings may have been a digital recorder held up to a speaker.

The recordings were published for the first time on Thursday, and analysts who listened to the recordings told NBC that they noticed at least four clear breaks in the audio that indicated edits.

“It’s very strange,” audio-video forensic expert Ed Primeau of Primeau Forensics told NBC. “At approximately 1:14 … it sounds like someone is holding a digital recorder up to a speaker, so it’s a microphone-to-speaker transfer of that information. That’s a pretty big deal because it raises the first red flag about there possibly being some editing.”

Primeau and forensic audio examiner Kent Gibson detailed several other irregularities.

Gibson said that the tapes indicated that “Malaysian authorities or whoever presented this made edits for whatever reason.” He added that “it’s not the way to handle evidence,” but it also doesn’t necessarily imply anything about the investigation.

“Unfortunately, there are no smoking guns, except there are edits. And there are clear edits,” Gibson told NBC.

At 1:30 a.m. on March 8, the plane carrying 239 people dropped off air-traffic-control screens, less than an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. No one knows where it went after that. Investigators think it’s somewhere off the west coast of Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

Osama bin Laden: Three years after Abbottabad

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02 May 2014

 

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File - Kashmiri muslims offer funeral prayers in absentia for Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden in Srinagar on May 6, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine to get $17bn in IMF loans

Full ArticleAl Jazeera 

01 May 2014

 

The International Monetary Fund has approved a $17bn two-year loan programme for Ukraine, as Kiev continues to fight pro-Moscow separatists in the east of the country. Wednesday’s action by the IMF’s 24-member executive board, which includes representatives from Russia and the United States, opens the way for an immediate release of… 

 

 

 

 

‘I AM VOTING 
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Canary Wharf was possible target: convict

 

Skyline of Canary Wharf, viewed from the west. Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centers – alongside the traditional City of London – and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest (and tallest completed), One Canada Square.

Al-Qaeda considered an attack on London’s Canary Wharf just weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, a British terror convict, reportedly hugged by former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and allegedly dispatched to blow up a US jetliner, said on Monday. Al-Qaeda recruit Saajid Badat, 35, made the revelation while testifying against British cleric Abu Hamza, on trial in New York on multiple terror charges. Badat expanded on his earlier testimony last month at the trial of bin Laden’s son-in-law, when he said al-Qaeda had an almanac of the world’s tallest buildings. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept….more »

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rouhani defends plan for nuclear deal with West

Full ArticleNew Straits/Business Times 

30 Apr 2014

 

TEHRAN: President Hassan Rouhani defended a potential nuclear deal with the Weston Tuesday, insisting that an agreement would benefit the majority of Iranians, while encountering resistance. In a primetime interview lasting 90 minutes, Rouhani, who is under growing pressure from hardliners and hard-pressed citizens, stood by the steps taken… 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev after their meeting at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 9, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

India election: Modi votes as millions go to polls in seventh phase

Full ArticleBBC News 

30 Apr 2014

 

Narendra Modi, the man tipped to be India‘s next prime minister, has voted in hishome state of Gujarat in the seventh phase of India’s poll. He cast his vote at a school in the city of Ahmedabad. All 26 seats are up for grabs in the state on Wednesday. Transport hubs in the city are bursting with people returning to their homes to vote,… 

India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi displays his inked finger to supporters after casting his vote in Ahmadabad, India, Wednesday, April 30, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

‘Serbia not to be forced to choose Russia or EU membership’

Full ArticleNewstrack India 

29 Apr 2014

 

Tweet Belgrade, April 29 (IANSCatherine Ashton, the European Union‘s (EU) foreign policy chief, has assured Serbian officials that Serbia will not be pressured to choose between Russia and EU membership…. 

'Serbia not to be forced to choose Russia or EU membership'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egypt mass deaths: Muslim brotherhood leader Badie among hundreds sentenced to death

Full ArticleThe Independent 

28 Apr 2014

 

An Egyptian court has recommended the death sentence for the leader of theMuslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters, and handed down a final capital punishment ruling for 370… 

Egypt mass deaths: Muslim brotherhood leader Badie among hundreds sentenced to death

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suspected Russian Troops Are Running A ‘Rebel’ City In East Ukraine

 

 

 

SOUTH KOREAN PM RESIGNS

 

 

 

BACK TO THE BALLOT BOX

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No Majority Forces Second Round Of Voting In Afghan Election

 

 

‘WE HAVE FAILED’

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U.S. Confronts Consequences Of Underestimating North Korean Leader

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merkel Warns Putin: You Have Failed The Peace Process, And New Sanctions Are Coming

putin merkel


 

 

 

 

 

 

PEACE, INTERRUPTED

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Israel Suspends Peace Talks With Palestinians In Response To Unity Deal

 

 

 

 

 

 

All parties in Syria blocking aid, say Ban Ki-moon

Full ArticleBBC News 

24 Apr 2014

 

The UN Secretary General has accused all parties in Syria‘s civil war of “flagrant violations” of international law over the delivery of aid. Ban Ki-moon urged theSecurity Council to act to implement a resolution passed in February demanding greater access. In his second report to the council on the… 
This file photo released on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012 by the anti-government activist group Shaam News Network SNN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a man looks at destroyed buildings from Syrian forces shelling in Khaldiyeh, Homs, Syria.
photo: AP / Shaam News Network SNN

 

STILL SEVERED

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A Year After Deadly Collapse, Bangladesh’s Garment Industry Remains Broken

 

 

 

 

 

CRACKING DOWN

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Ukraine Relaunches ‘Anti-Terrorism Operation’ On Pro-Russians

 

 

 

 

 

BROKEN FINGERS.. FRANTIC CLIMBING

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Children’s Corpses Reveal Desperate Attempts To Escape Korean Ferry

 

 

 

 

Libya and the ICC: Courting chaos and confusion

Full ArticleAl Jazeera 

23 Apr 2014

 

The current jurisdictional stalemate concerning the on-going criminal proceedings against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and his younger brother, Saadi, has once again called into question the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The current position is certainly not that envisaged following the popular uprising in Libya, but… 
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U.S. WARNS RUSSIA:
You Have ‘Days, Not Weeks’ To Comply With Ukraine Accord

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANALYSIS: NATO Build Up in Poland Threatens International Stability

Full ArticleNovosti 

22 Apr 2014

 

WASHINGTON, April 22 (RIA Novosti), Lyudmila Chernova – NATO’s military build-up in Poland is a dangerous and provocative development which might lead to another Cuban Missile crisisProfessor Francis Boyle told RIA Novosti Tuesday. “This is an extremely dangerous and provocative development in the crisis between theUnited… 
ANALYSIS: NATO Build Up in Poland Threatens International Stability

 

 

 

 

 

‘Ethnic massacre’ leaves hundreds dead

Full ArticleIndependent online (SA) 

22 Apr 2014

 

New York – Rebels slaughtered hundreds of civilians when they seized the South Sudan oil hub of Bentiu, hunting down men, women and children who had sought refuge in a hospital, mosque and Catholic church, the United Nations said on Monday. Rebel troops overran Bentiu, the capital of the oil producing Unity State, on Tuesday. More than a million… 
‘Ethnic massacre’ leaves hundreds dead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China-Japan Tensions Are Getting Hotter

 

 

 

 

 

 

JIG IS UP: AGITATORS  ARE RUSSIAN MILITARY

KIEV, Ukraine — For two weeks, the mysteriously well-armed, professional gunmen known as “green men” have seized Ukrainian government sites in town after town, igniting a brush fire of separatist unrest across easternUkraine. Strenuous denials from the Kremlin have closely followed each accusation by Ukrainian officials that the world was witnessing a stealthy invasion by Russian forces.

Now, photographs and descriptions from eastern Ukraine endorsed by the Obama administration on Sunday suggest that many of the green men are indeed Russian military and intelligence forces — equipped in the same fashion as Russian special operations troops involved in annexing the Crimea region in February. Some of the men photographed in Ukraine have been identified in other photos clearly taken among Russian troops in other settings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biden Heading to Kyiv to Meet with Ukraine Leaders

Full ArticleVoa News 

21 Apr 2014

 

Reuters WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will meet with Ukraine‘s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyukduring a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, the White House said on Sunday. Biden arrives in Kyiv on Monday afternoon local time. He will meet with members of Ukraine’s parliament from different… 
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden waves as he arrives in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, Wednesday, July 22, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

EASTER TRUCE BROKEN

Shootout At Checkpoint In Eastern Ukraine Leaves At Least 3 Dead…Ukraine Forces Accuse Russia Of Staging Shooting: ‘Cynical Provocation’… Obama Goal: Make Russia A Pariah State

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 19 – Four French journalists held hostage in Syria found on border with Turkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘IT’S GETTING WORSE AND WORSE’

OZAN KOSE via Getty Images

‘No Other Government Has Been So Radical Against Women’

 

 

 

 

 

I DID IT

AP

Putin Admits Troops Were Deployed To Crimea… Says Russia Has Historical Claim To Eastern Ukraine… Calls It ‘New Russia’… Accuses Ukraine Of Committing ‘Grave Crime’… Doesn’t Rule Out Using Force… Ukrainian Security Forces Kill 3 Pro-Russian Protesters In Overnight Firefight

 

 

 

 

 

India struggles with rebel threats during election

Full ArticleTimes Union 

17 Apr 2014

 

RAJNANDGAON, India (AP) — Indians cast ballots Thursday on the biggest day of voting in the country’s weekslong general election, streaming into polling stations even in areas where rebels threatened violence over the plight of India’s marginalized and poor. Nationwide voting began April 7 and runs through May 12, with results for the 543-seat… 
Supporters during a joint  election rally of J&K National Conference and Congress party in Baramulla North Kashmir, 55 kms From Srinagar, India, Wednesday 16 April, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Putin warns of Ukraine civil war as Kiev moves on rebels

Full ArticleBBC News 

16 Apr 2014

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine is “on the verge of civil war” after Kiev sent in troops against pro-Russia separatists. Mr Putin, in a phone call to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, described the move as a “sharp escalation”. Ukraine announced the start of an “anti-terrorist operation” in the… 
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a Cabinet meeting in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Wednesday, April 9, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A LANDMARK VERDICT

ASSOCIATED PRESS

India’s Top Court Recognizes Third Gender Category

 

 

 

Ukraine crisis: Obama urges Putin to rein in separatists

Full ArticleBBC News 

15 Apr 2014

 

US President Barack Obama has urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to use his influence to make separatists in eastern Ukraine stand down. The phone call between the two leaders came as pro-Russian activists continued to occupy buildings in eastern towns. For his part, Mr Putin rejected accusations of Russian interference, calling the… 
Armed pro-Russian activists seize the Ukrainian regional administration building in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2014. A pro-Russian mob stormed a Ukrainian police station in Horlivka, another city near the Russian border.

 

 

 

 

 

GOING UNDER

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MH370 Search Turns To Robotic Submarine

 

 

 

 

 

 

TONGUE-TIED

Getty

The Media Is Still Dancing Around The Word ‘Torture’

 

 

 

 

 

 

WAKE UP, WORLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Syrians report poison gas attack

Full ArticleMSNBC 

13 Apr 2014

 

BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian government media and rebel forces said Saturday that poison gas had been used in a central village, injuring scores of people, while blaming each other for the attack. The main Western-backed opposition group, theSyrian National Coalition, said the poison gas attack Friday hurt… 
In this Friday, April 11, 2014 image made from amateur video, provided by Shams News Network, a loosely organized anti-Assad group based in and out of Syria that claim not to have any connection to Syrian opposition parties or any other states, and is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows a child crying as he sits on a bed with others, in Kfar Zeita, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Damascus, Syria. Syrian government media and rebel forces said Saturday, April 12, 2014 that poison gas had been used in the village on Friday, injuring scores of people, while blaming each other for the attack.

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine Launches ‘Anti-Terror Operation’

Full ArticleSkynews 

13 Apr 2014

 

Ukraine‘s interior minister has announced the start of an anti-terrorist operation in the eastern city of Slaviansk, where pro-Russian protesters are holding security buildings. The police headquarters in two cities near Donetsk – Slaviansk andKramatorsk – are now under the control of separatists after further unrest in the… 
Armed pro-Russian activists occupy the police station and build a barricade as people watch on, in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk on Saturday, April 12, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

French foreign minister on historic visit to Cuba

BY MARC FRANK

HAVANA Sat Apr 12, 2014

France's Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius leaves after the first cabinet meeting of the new government at the Elysee Palace in Paris, April 4, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius leaves after the first cabinet meeting of the new government at the Elysee Palace in Paris, April 4, 2014.

CREDIT: REUTERS/CHARLES PLATIAU

 

 

 

 

 

WAR IN BLACK AND WHITE
On The Front Lines With Syria’s Army

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G7 backs more sanctions if Russia escalates Ukraine crisis: US

Full ArticleKhaleej Times 

12 Apr 2014

 

Finance ministers and central bankers from around the world are in Washingtonfor the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund. A group of the world’s leading rich nations will support increasing… 
A group of pro-Russian activists warm themselves at a bonfire next to barricades in front of an entrance to the Ukrainian regional office of the Security Service in Luhansk, 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the Russian border, in Ukraine, Friday, April 11, 2014.
photo: AP / Igor Golovniov

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. refuses visa to Iranian ambassador to United Nations

Full ArticleDenver Post 

12 Apr 2014

 

White House press secretary Jay Carney speaks to reporters at the daily press briefing Friday about the U.S. not granting a visa to Tehran‘s pick for envoy to theUnited Nations. (Charles Dharapak, The Associated Press) WASHINGTON — In a rare diplomatic rebuke, the United States has blocked… 
File - A wide view of the Security Council during its meeting on non-proliferation to discuss the work of the Iran Sanctions Committee from December 2013 to March 2014.

 

 

 

 

Top NATO Commander: U.S. Troops May Be Sent To Eastern Europe

AP  | by  JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG
Posted: 
US TROOPS NATO

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRAPPLING FOR GAS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ukraine Turns To Europe After Putin’s Threats

 

 

 

 

Ukraine unrest will be resolved by force or talks in 48 hours, minister says

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Kerry and Lavrov discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine in two phone conversations
U.S. ambassador tweets pictures he says show Russian buildup
“We are always vigilant,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says of Russia’s moves
Ukraine’s acting interior minister says unrest in eastern region will be resolved in 48 hours

 

 

 

Politicians slug it out in India’s first social media election

Full ArticleCNN 

10 Apr 2014

 

April 10, 2014 — Updated 0337 GMT (1137 HKT) An official checks a voter’s identity card in Agartala, India, on Monday, April 7. India‘s general election will be held in stages over five weeks. Voters will elect 543 members to the lower house of parliament, which will then select the country’s next prime minister. Prime MinisterManmohan Singh is… 
Supporters listen to a speech by Senior Congress leader and Jammu and Kashmir Tourim Minister G.A Mir during an election campaign rally at Shahabad-Dooru 120 kms From South Kashmir, Srinagar, on Wednesday on 09, April 2014.

 

 

 

Will the violence in Iraq ever ebb?

Full ArticleAl Jazeera 

09 Apr 2014

 

Wire reports attested that anonymous gunmen near Baghdad kidnapped and later executed six men on April 6, while another 11 people were killed across the country. In what were routine assassinations, police investigators stumbled on the bodies, all with gunshot wounds to the head. No one claimed responsibility for these slayings, or for most of the… 
File - U.S. Army Soldiers with 4th Platoon, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo., and Iraqi national police search for anti-coalition forces in the area of Dora in southern Baghdad, Iraq, July 23, 2007.

 

 

 

FLASH POINT

Getty

Ukraine Reasserts Control Over Restive Area… Pro-Russians Declare Eastern Ukraine Region Independent…WATCH: Brawl Breaks Out In Parliament…

 

 

 

 

 

US Warns Russia Against Instigating Separatist Tensions in Ukraine

Full ArticleVoa News 

08 Apr 2014

 

Zlatica Hoke WASHINGTON — The United States has warned Russia against stirring separatist sentiment in eastern Ukraine, following unrest in several cities in recent days. U.S. officials said there are clear signs that pro-Russian demonstrations were orchestrated from outside. Meanwhile, recent events in Ukraine have emboldened Russian-speaking… 
People gather near a barricade with razor wires at the regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine, late Monday, April 7, 2014.

 

 

 

 

Nehru-Gandhi heir and populist Hindu nationalist face off in Indian election

By Tim Hume, CNN
April 7, 2014
Watch this video

Biggest election world has ever seen

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • India’s general election will take five weeks and is the biggest election in history
  • 814 million — more than combined populations of the U.S. and Western Europe — are eligible to vote
  • The race pits a controversial but popular Hindu nationalist against a member of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty
  • Analysts are describing the vote as India’s most significant in decades

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netanyahu: Israel wants peace talks but “not at any price”

BY JEFFREY HELLER

JERUSALEM Sun Apr 6, 2014

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits after delivering a statement in Jerusalem November 21, 2012. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High turnout, little violence for Afghan presidential elections

Full ArticleDenver Post 

06 Apr 2014

 

An Afghan villager carries materials for Saturday’s election over his shoulders as he hikes to his village Friday along a country road high in the mountains of ShutulDistrict in northern Afghanistan. (Shah MaraiAFP/Getty Images) KABUL — They huddled in the rain under plastic sheeting. They ignored death threats and rattling firefights…. 
An Afghan man casts his vote at a polling station in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 5, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Historic presidential poll begins in Afghanistan

Full ArticleThe Hindu 

05 Apr 2014

 

Afghanistan began voting Saturday for a new president amid fears of violence and insecurity. Thousands of Afghans lined up at polling centres in Kabul from early morning to cast their ballots. “This is a very good day for Afghans. People… 
Afghan citizens go to the polls to exercise their constitutional right to vote in presidential and provincial council elections.

 

 

 

 

 

Putin’s Patriotism is Phony, His Desperation is Real

Russia’s president is gambling the future of his country to consolidate his grip on power. But his economy is in peril and the people who support him today may well revile him tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘DEVASTATING MILESTONE’
There Are Now A Million Syrian Refugees In Lebanon

 

 

 

 

 

Huge security as Afghan presidential election looms

Full ArticleBBC News 

04 Apr 2014

 

There is a huge security operation in Afghanistan as presidential candidates prepare for Saturday’s vote. The new president will succeed Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since the 2001 fall of the Taliban but is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. It should be the first time that power is democratically… 
Huge security as Afghan presidential election looms

 

 

 

 

 

Palestinian U.N. moves designed to avoid U.S. retaliation

BY NOAH BROWNING

RAMALLAH, West Bank Thu Apr 3, 2014

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with Palestinian leadership in the West Bank City of Ramallah April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

 

 

 

Why Turkey Was Planning A False Flag Operation In Syria

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/02/2014

You’ve probably heard about the recent leaked conversations involving Turkey. It was stunning to hear the highest-ranking Turks casually discussing how to provoke a false flag incident that would justify a large military intervention in Syria. This is a big deal because Turkish troops in Syria opens the door to NATO troops in Syria, which drastically expands the conflict. In case you didn’t know, a false flag is an incident that is designed to deceive people into thinking it was actually carried out by someone else. The same tactic is used by the world’s militaries and intelligence services to nefarious effect. Many believe the Reichstag fire incident that allowed Hitler to drastically expand his power was a false flag operation. So, why would the Turks propose doing such a thing in Syria?

 

 

 

 

RUSSIA WANTS ANSWERS

 

 

 

 

 

Pakistan’s Musharraf survives bomb attack

Full ArticleAl Jazeera 

03 Apr 2014

 

Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is on trial for treason, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt as a bomb went off shortly before his convoy was due to pass, police said. The bomb was planted on Musharraf‘s route from an army hospital where he has been staying since January to his home early on Thursday on the outskirts of… 
Pakistani security personnel are on alert during a court proceeding against former President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, March 31, 2014.

 

 

 

 

‘A TRAGEDY’
Ousted President Says Crimea Should Be Part Of Ukraine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold War paradigm well suited to Crimea

Full ArticleAsia Times 

02 Apr 2014

 

By Urvashi Aneja Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. if you are interested in contributing. Recent events inUkraine have set off a slew of commentary about the start of a new cold war. Politicians and the media have highlighted the illegitimacy of the Crimeanreferendum and Russia‘s… 
Russian solders prepare to move a Russian tank T-72B at the Ostryakovo railway station not far from Simferopol, Crimea, Monday, March 31, 2014.





Kerry in Israel attempting to salvage peace talks

Full ArticleChina Daily 

01 Apr 2014

 

JERUSALEM – US Secretary of State John Kerry met late Monday night with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in a last ditch effort to save the deteriorating peace talks. Kerry landed earlier on Monday evening in an unplanned visit in Israel amid a crisis over the issue of Palestinian prisoners‘ release, a… 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Thursday, May 23, 2013.





Nato meets to seek solutions over Ukraine crisis

01 Apr 2014

 

Nato is to meet today to seek ways to further ease tensions with Russia over Ukrainea day after President Vladimir Putin began withdrawing forces stationed on his neighbour’s border. Foreign ministers from North Atlantic Treaty Organisationcountries are convening in Brussels to discuss the fallout from Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Mr Putin told… 
A self-defense activist performs military exercises at a military training ground outside Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, March 31, 2014.





Martin Armstrong Warns This Is The Age Of Civil Unrest

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2014This is no plain modern event with civil unrest erupting because of an interconnected world. These are grassroots uprisings cross-fertilized perhaps from a world contagion yet they often have similarities – corrupt governments. Turkey, Ukraine, Thailand, Venezuela and Bosnia-Herzegovina are all middle-income democracies with elected leaders besieged by people angry at misgovernment, corruption and economic sclerosis. These days it is no longer just dictators who have something to fear from the crowd. This is the promise of Marxism that centralized planning and false promises are coming home and governments are too corrupt and incompetent to deliver what they have claimed for decades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russia presses call for federal Ukraine

31 Mar 2014

 

Four hours of US-Russia talks have failed to find a breakthrough on the crisis inUkraine, with the US demanding Russian troop withdrawals and Russia calling for a federal Ukraine. The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and his US counterpart, John Kerry, said talks late on Sunday were… 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before the start of their meeting at the Russian Ambassador's Residence to discuss Ukraine, in Paris, Sunday March 30, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLIMATE CLASHES

Getty

UN Report Warns Of Escalating Civil Wars, Violence As Earth Warms

 

 

BRAZIL POLICE INVADE SLUMS AHEAD OF WORLD CUP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLUELESS CAMPAIGN
‘There is a gap between what goes on in the mind of the Syrian president and reality’

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putin Calls Obama to Discuss Ukraine Crisis

29 Mar 2014

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin called U.S. President Barack Obama Friday to discuss a U.S. proposal for resolving the crisis in UkraineThe White House saysObama suggested that Putin offer a written response to the proposed diplomatic solution presented to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by Secretary of State John Kerry earlier in the week. A… 
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a Security Council meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 28, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russia Completes Military Takeover of Crimea

Full ArticleVoa News 

29 Mar 2014

 

Zlatica Hoke WASHINGTON — Russia has completed its military takeover of Crimea, as the Ukraine crisis continues. There also are reports that Moscow is amassing military forces on Russia’s borders with Ukraine. Western leaders are calling for a de-escalation of tensions and a diplomatic solution to the crisis. U.S. PresidentBarack Obama urged… 
Members of the Crimean self defense forces gather for their morning briefing prior to a patrol duty near Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin's statue in the background in Simferopol, Crimea, early Thursday, March 27, 2014.

 

 

 

Salman Rushdie and Other Authors Urge Turkey to Lift Twitter Ban

The Cinema Society And Links Of London Host A Screening Of Fox Searchlight Pictures' "Dom Hemingway" - Outside Arrivals
Salman Rushdie is among dozens of writers urging Turkey to lift its social media banJim Spellman — WireImage

Dozens of famous writers have signed a letter protesting the country’s moves to block Internet sites

Dozens of notable authors have signed a joint letter from PEN International and English PENthat urges Turkey to reverse its nationwide ban on Twitter. The social media site was blocked last week after audio recordings suggesting corruption among the country’s officials were leaked. Earlier in March, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an had stated that he would not “leave this nation at the mercy of YouTube and Facebook,” and on Thursday Turkish media outlets reported that YouTube had also been blocked in the country as well.

The letter, which champions “the freedom of words,” was signed by illustrious writers from Turkey and around the world, including Orhan Pamuk, Zadie Smith, Salman Rushdie, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Atwood and Karl Ove Knausgård, among others.

The open letter begins:

We, the signatories named below, are writers from around the world who love, live and breathe words. We are united in our belief that freedom of expression is a universal and fundamental human right. We hereby express our grave concern with regard to “the freedom of words” in Turkey today.

As human beings we connect both within and across borders through words, written and spoken. A free exchange of ideas is essential for democracy, as well as for creativity, empathy and tolerance. As shown in a recent PEN report on last year’s protests,Turkey has a wide range of free expression issues, from criminal defamation to self-censorship within the mainstream media and from police violence against journalists to a narrowing sphere for freedom of expression on the internet.

Turkey ranks 154th among 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index. To this day, translators, editors, publishers, poets and writers face criminal proceedings and even imprisonment for legitimate expression under a variety of legislative fetters.

The letter goes on to urge Turkish authorities “to remember that this beautiful country will be stronger and happier when, and if, it appreciates pluralism, diversity and the freedom of words.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REPORT: NEARLY 50,000 RUSSIANS READY TO STRIKE

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Obama: ‘It May Be That They’ve Got Additional Plans’… 
Deposed President Calls For Independence Votes Throughout Ukraine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China Doesn’t Back Russia’s Invasion Of Crimea — And That’s A Big Problem For Putin

The Telegraph
AMBROSE EVANS-PRITCHARD, THE TELEGRAPH
MAR. 27, 2014, 
Vladimir Putin G-8AP Photo/Matt Dunham, PoolRussian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a media conference after a G-8 summit at the Lough Erne golf resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

 


 

 

 

 

 

‘A MOMENTOUS ACT OF COURAGE’
Philippines Signs Historic Peace Deal With Muslim Rebel Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHURCH MEETS STATE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW LEAD

Satellite Images Show More Than 100 Objects That May Be From Plane.. Vary In Size.. Australia’s PM: Crash Zone ‘Closer To Australia Than Anywhere Else’..Relatives Distraught.. Accuse Malaysia Of ‘Delays And Deception’

 

 

 

Air Pollution ‘Kills 7 Million People Worldwide’

25 Mar 2014

 

Air pollution killed an estimated seven million people worldwide in 2012, the UN health agency has said. Pollution over Amritsar in northern India New research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found pollution, ranging from cooking fires to car fumes, was linked to one in eight deaths in 2012. Maria Neira, the WHO’s public and… 
Two joggers wearing protective masks run past a Police officer controlling a vehicle on the Concorde square in Paris, Monday, March 17, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

TIME TO TALK

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Obama Begins Crisis Conversations.. G7 Leaders Hold Emergency Talks.. Russia Sanctions On Agenda.. ‘Europeans Are Committed To Do Something’..Russian Troops Seize Crimea Marine Base, Shots Fired.. Ukrainian FM: Possibility Of War ‘Very High’ And ‘Growing’..

 

 

 

 

Big climate report: Warming is big risk for people

24 Mar 2014

 

If you think of climate change as a hazard for some far-off polar bears years from now, you’re mistaken. That’s the message from top climate scientists gathering inJapan this week to assess the impact of global warming. In fact, they will say, the dangers of a warming Earth are immediate and very human. “The polar bear is us,” says Patricia Romero… 
File - A local man takes advantage of the World Food Programme (WFP)’s food-and-cash for work programme in the village of Dan Kada, Maradi Region, Niger, November, 2011, after poor harvests brought on by drought.

 

 

 

 

 

Egypt: The Revolution’s Last Stand

 

Students continue to protest en masse at Egyptian universities, but the military and security forces are closing in on them.

CAIRO, Egypt—To the extent the Egyptian revolution that started in Tahrir Square more than three years ago still survives at all, it does so on university campuses. And all sides know that is where it will live—or where it will die…

 

 

 

 

 

 

TURKISH TWITTER WAR

AP

Turkey Expands Internet Restrictions.. Prime Minister Erdogan: Twitter ‘Biased And Prejudiced’.. Turkish President Opposes Crackdown, Calls Ban ‘Unacceptable’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MH370 Malaysia plane: Search enters third week

22 Mar 2014

 

The search for the missing Malaysia Airways plane with 239 people on board has now entered its third week. International search teams moved their focus to the southern Indian Ocean three days ago after apparent sightings of debris, but nothing has been found. Flight MH370 dropped out of contact an hour after leavingKuala Lumpur en route to… 
A Sailor assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 46 prepares to launch a P-3C Orion before its mission to assist in search and rescue operations for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, 17 March, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Did Russia and Crimea’s Referendum De-Genocide Ukraine?

Full ArticleWorldNews.com 

21 Mar 2014

 

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling Until Raphael Lemkin, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe who became a Polish-Jewish jurist at Nuremburg, formulated a term to describe “the intentional destruction of national groups on the basis of their collective identity,”(1) “genocide” was merely “a crime without a name.”(2) But because of… 
A resident cycles past soldiers in unmarked uniforms standing guard outside the Ukrainian Military Prosecutor's Office in Simferopol, Crimea, Thursday, March 20, 2014.

Turkey blocks access to Twitter

21 Mar 2014

 

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has restricted access to Twitter hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to “root out” the social media network where wiretapped recordings have been leaked, damaging the government’s reputation ahead of local elections. Many users trying to… 
Turkey blocks access to Twitter

 

 

 

 

Ukraine crisis: Russia faces fresh sanctions over Crimea

Full ArticleBBC News 

20 Mar 2014

 

European Union leaders are due to meet in Brussels to discuss further targeted sanctions in response to Russian moves to annex Crimea. It comes as UN chief Ban Ki-moon visits Russian leaders in Moscow to urge a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Tensions are rising in Crimea after pro-Russia forces seized two naval bases including Ukraine‘s… 
Crimean self-defense force members sit atop an APC with a Russian flag outside the Ukrainian navy headquarters stormed by Crimean self-defense forces in Sevastopol, Crimea, Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

UKRAINE FLEES

Troops To Leave Crimea… WATCH: Russia Storms The Gates…Takes Another Crimea Base… COLD: Warns It May Change Stance On Iran… Obama Rules Out Military Involvement… Biden Warns Moscow…

RUSSIA STORMS THE GATES

AP

Troops Backed By Unarmed Volunteers Take Ukraine Navy HQ In Crimea, Raise Russian Flag… Ukrainian Troops Walk Out… Russia Races To Ratify Treaty… Neighboring Countries Skeptical Of Putin ‘Assurance’… Biden Sticks Up For NATO Allies… 

 

 

 

 

Putin claims Crimea as part of Russia, rails against West

19 Mar 2014

 

Putin Claims Crimea as Part of Russia, Railing Against Slights From the West PhotosJoin the Discussion (EDS: REPEATING for all needing: SUBS throughout for a complete writethru to RECAST, RESTRUCTURE and ADD detail; RECODES as a Page1 story; ADDS photo numbers to art note; ADDS note for related stories; SUBS byline and contributor note; SUBS… 
Pro-Russian people react while watching a live broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on Crimea in Sevastopol, Crimea, Tuesday, March 18, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

CRIMEA IS OURS!

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV via Getty Images

ANNEXED… Lashes Out At West… JOKESTER: Claims Russia Did Not Invade…Gets Standing Ovation… Says Russia Doesn’t Want Any More Of Ukraine… Biden Vows More Sanctions… Merkel: ‘Against International Law’… 

 

What’s Happening

 

A Plausible Scenario Of What Happened To Flight 370

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2014

Malaysia missing plane
The homes of the two pilots are searched as it is confirmed one of them spoke the final words heard from flight MH370.

The scenario that best fits the facts is a spontaneously initiated “drastic political protest” by the captain that went awry.

At long last, a plausible scenario of what happened to Flight 370 has emerged. By plausible I mean that the scenario fits all the known facts.

The key piece of evidence has finally been released by Malaysian authorities: Pilot Spoke to Air Controllers After Shutoff of Data System (NYT.com).

This proves that one of the pilots turned off the ACARS communications link and then reported to air traffic control (ATC) as if all was normal. Twelve minutes later, one of the pilots switched off the aircraft’s transponder, which transmits the aircraft’s altitude and location.

This sequence of events more or less proves that one of the pilots was in charge of the aircraft. Given the lack of evidence of duress, this sequence strongly suggests one of the pilots was executing a plan of his own rather than following orders of hijackers.

Given the strong political views of the captain and his mastery of the Boeing 777, all evidence points to the captain as the pilot who turned off the communication links and was in command of the aircraft thereafter.

Post-disappearance moves suggest sophisticated handling, experts say (CBSnews.com)

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 search grows as pilots face increased scrutiny (CNN.com)

Though early reports on the captain were limited to neutral comments by peers that he was a nice guy and a devout family man, the strength of his opposition to the current regime in Malaysia is now coming to light:
‘Democracy is dead’: ‘Fanatical’ missing airliner pilot pictured wearing political slogan T-shirt (Daily Mail)
  

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a father-of-three, was said to be a ‘fanatical’ supporter of the country’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – jailed for homosexuality just hours before the jet disappeared.

 

It has also been revealed that the pilot’s wife and three children moved out of the family home the day before the plane went missing.
Anwar Ibrahim is a broadly popular democracy icon and former deputy prime minister whose prosecution on a charge of sodomy is seen by many Malaysians as political persecution.

 

‘Colleagues made it clear to us that he was someone who held strong political beliefs and was strident in his support for Anwar Ibrahim,’ another investigation source said. ‘We were told by one colleague he was obsessed with politics.’

What makes this significant is the Malaysian authorities’ attempts to suppress this possible motive.

Malaysian officials initially appeared keen not to direct any suspicion towards Zaharie or his co-pilot, 27-year-old Fariq Abdul Hamid, who was last week revealed to have invited two women passengers into the cockpit and smoked on an earlier flight to Phuket. 

But evidence of the way the plane’s transponder and communication systems were disabled and the way the plane was expertly flown over the Indian Ocean apparently using navigational waypoints meant only a skilled aviator could have been at the controls. Investigators were also baffled by why, if hijackers took over the plane, there was no Mayday call or signal from the two pilots to say the cockpit had been breached.

Thus we have motive and clear evidence that it was the captain, not the co-pilot, who was in command of Flight 370. Enraged by the Soviet-style show-trial and imprisonment of his political hero, the captain may have “sabotaged the flight as a form of drastic political protest.” Flight 370: Was Hijacking The Pilot’s Political Revenge?

Now add in that neither the co-pilot nor the captain requested each other, and it seems increasing likely that the captain was making it up as he went along, applying his deep knowledge of the aircraft and navigation to sketch out a makeshift initial plan that was dynamically modified along the way.

I think we can easily trace a plausible series of steps the captain initially took, and then speculate knowledgeably about the challenges and decision trees that arose later in the flight.

The first challenge would be to render the co-pilot unable to contest his control of the aircraft. The easiest way would have been to dissolve a sedative in a beverage and coax the co-pilot into drinking the Mickey Finn.

The “mumbling co-pilot” heard by the airline pilot flying to Japan who radioed Flight 370 offers tantalizing (if scant) evidence of this. (Interestingly, that pilot was confident he spoke with the co-pilot, not the captain.)

Alternatively, the co-pilot fought for control of the aircraft, one explanation of the abrupt climb to 45,000, well above the aircraft’s designed ceiling.

If there was a struggle, clearly the co-pilot lost that battle or had already been incapacitated by other means.

Another explanation for the climb to 45,000 feet and the subsequent drop to 23,000 feet is that the captain sought to deprive the passengers of oxygen for long enough to render them unconscious but not long enough to kill them.

Given the profile of the captain that is emerging, I see little evidence of a personality who would set out to kill everyone on board, including himself. I believe the evidence strongly suggests a political motive, to embarrass the Malaysian government and perhaps to do so by seeking asylum in another country.

Once again, the key here is to understand the incomplete nature of the captain’s plan: after the initial phase was successful–turning off the ACARS and transponder, incapacitating the co-pilot, and moving beyond the range of Malaysia’s military radar– a number of destinations might have occurred to the captain. It’s important to note that flying was not just the captain’s vocation, it was also his hobby. I think it is safe to say his life revolved around aviation and flying. 

Data showing the number of plausible runways where the plane could have touched down – which need to be at least 5,000ft – offer a baffling number of potential locations.

 
 

According to a map drawn up by U.S. radio station WNYC, there are 634 locations which could fit, from Australia to the Maldives to Pakistan.
However, the true number is likely to be even higher, as estimates of how far the plane could have travelled have been increased since the calculations were carried out.

Here is the best current map of the possible routes of Flight 370. I have added the decision tree the captain faced: either fly north and seek political asylum or a remote landing site or fly south and search for a remote landing site.

If the co-pilot had regained control of the aircraft, either alone or with the aid of crew and passengers, he would have first turned on the ACARS and transponder and sent a Mayday signal. Since this didn’t happen, we can be confident that the captain was in command of Flight 370 for the duration of the flight–roughly 7.5 hours.

While we don’t know if the aircraft landed at some point, we do know the last ping to the satellite was at 8:11 a.m., roughly 6 hours after the last military radar contact.

Here are some other points to consider:

The fact that the Malaysian authorities withheld the sequence of events in the cockpit strongly suggest that they quickly identified the potential for a political motivation for the flight deviation and sought to suppress speculation along this line of inquiry.

This also explains why they withheld the military radar data for three days, and their continuing reluctance to share information or come clean about what they know. They fear the truth, and with good reason.

The captain’s home flight simulator suggests that he may well have practiced all sorts of landing scenarios, just out of curiosity or to sharpen his skills in outlier situations. Think about it: if you already have over 18,000 hours in the cockpits of advanced aircraft, you’re not going to practice conventional landings you could do in your sleep. That would be beyond boring to someone of his experience.

Given the few hours the captain had to assemble his plan, it is likely that once the initial phase was successful, he might have changed his mind, perhaps more than once.

Given his long experience in aviation, I think it very likely that he knew that the primary and military radars in the region were usually turned off at night. Off-the-record confirmations of this have come from Thailand and Indian officials with knowledge of radar covering the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Thus it is not surprising there were no primary radar sightings in the region: most or perhaps all of the radars were turned off.

It’s also worth noting that most of the primary radars in the region have limited ranges–100 miles or less appears to be average. It is more than possible to thread a flight through the gaps in coverage, even if the radars were active.

Let’s assume my speculation is accurate and the captain had no intention of crashing the 777 and killing all on board. As I noted in my first entry on Flight 370, if that was his intention (or simply suicide), why fly for hours? Despite his best intentions, he may have encountered some problem that he responded to incorrectly; it’s even possible that he missed his intended destination or became confused about his location.

The scenario that best fits the facts is a spontaneously initiated “drastic political protest” by the captain that went awry, despite his intentions and experience.

One last thought: since the U.S. must monitor potential airborne threats and nuclear explosions virtually everywhere on the planet (with the exception of Antarctica), why wouldn’t the U.S. have wide-aperture thermal imaging assets in space? And if the U.S. has space-based thermal imaging assets, would they be so low quality that the heat signature from two large jet engines would not show up? That seems unlikely.

Since it has long been known that the U.S. has “wired the oceans for sound,” (SUBMARINES, SECRETS, AND SPIES – NOVA/PBS) it’s also likely that the sound of a large aircraft hitting the water would also have been detected, regardless of the remoteness of the location.

All of which is to say that it seems probable that the global and space-based intelligence gathering assets of the U.S. recorded some sort of signals that could provide clues to the final resting spot of Flight 370.

 

 

 

 

US Investigators Believe Missing Malaysia Plane Is West Of Australia In Indian Ocean

 

 

 

 

Australia takes over southern arc of search for missing Malaysian plane

17 Mar 2014

 

SYDNEY, March 17 (Reuters) – Australia has accepted a request from Malaysia to take charge of the “southern vector” of the search for a Malaysia Airlines jetliner missing for more than a week with 239 people on board, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday. Abbott said he had offered additional surveillance resources to bolster the two… 
A Malaysian military soldier petrols the viewing gallery of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport where dedication boards with well wishes and messages for people involved with the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370 is displayed, Sunday, March 16, 2014 in Sepang, Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine crisis: EU ponders Russia sanctions over Crimea vote

17 Mar 2014

 

EU foreign ministers are due to discuss further sanctions against Russia after a Moscow-backed referendum in Crimea backed a split from Ukraine. The 28-member bloc is considering a visa ban and an asset freeze against a number ofRussian officials. More than 95% of Crimean voters backed joining Russia, local officials said. Moscow says it will… 


Pro-Russian people celebrate in the central square in Sevastopol, Ukraine, late Sunday, March 16, 2014. Russian flags fluttered above jubilant crowds Sunday after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRIMEA VOTES
Live Updates On The Crisis In Ukraine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egyptian militants outwit army in Sinai battlefield

16 Mar 2014

 

AL-LAFITAAT (Egypt): Egypt’s army says it is crushing Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula, but in the region’s villages and towns a victory for the state feels a long way off. In a rare visit to eight villages in Northern Sinai last week, a Reuters reporter saw widespread destruction caused by army operations, but also found evidence… 
In this file photo taken Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, Egyptian security forces inspect the site of a suicide car bombing on a security headquarters in the southern Sinai town of el-Tor, Egypt.

 

 

 

 

Crimea Referendum Strains East-West Relations

16 Mar 2014

 

16 March 2014, 4:57 Crimea Referendum Strains East-West Relations Tweet TheCrimean people will vote in an referendum widely expected to transfer control of the Black Sea region from Ukraine to Moscow, despite an outcry and threat of sanctions from the West. The vote, dismissed by Kiev and Western governments as illegal, has triggered the worst… 
A man holds a child under Crimean flags as pro-Russian people attend a rally in Lenin Square, in Simferopol, Ukraine, Saturday, March 15, 2014.

 

 

 

IT WAS ‘DELIBERATE’!

Malaysia Prime Minister: Someone On Plane Steered It Off Course…Transponder Was Disabled… Investigation ‘Entering New Phase’… U.S. Official: Key Evidence Of ‘Human Intervention’… WSJ: ‘Sharpened On Sabotage’… REPORT: Bizarre Altitude Changes While Under Pilot Control… May Have Flown For 7 Hours… As Far North As Kazakhstan… Pilot’s Home Searched… 

 

 

 

 

Judge: Enough evidence to convict bin Laden kin

15 Mar 2014

 

NEW YORK (AP) â?? A judge says he thinks there’s more than enough proof that would allow a jury to convict Osama bin Laden‘s son-in-law and al-Qaida spokesman of conspiring to kill… 
In this courtroom sketch, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, center, is flanked by his legal team Monday, March 3, 2014 during jury selection at the start of his trial in New York on charges that he conspired to kill Americans and support terrorists in his role as al-Qaida's spokesman after the Sept. 11 attacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYRIAN CIVIL WAR: 4 Years, 146,000 Dead, And No End In Sight

15 Mar 2014

 

See Also Syria‘s civil war enters a fourth year Saturday, with at least 146,000 people dead, millions more homeless, cities and historical treasures in ruins, the economy devastated and no end in sight. On March 15, 2011, just weeks after popular uprisings toppled dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, protests erupted in Syria’s southern city of Daraa… 
Free Syrian Army fighter carry the body of their comrade away from the front line during clashes against Syrian Army in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012.

 

 

Saudis hardened by wars in Syria, Iraq join al Qaeda in Yemen

14 Mar 2014

 

Arab Spring Reuters March 14, 2014 – 14:20 By Rania El Gamal SANAA (Reuters) – Dozens of Saudi Islamist militants have left the battlefields of Syria and Iraq forYemen, where their experience appears to have contributed to a spate of lethal al Qaeda attacks, a senior Yemeni security official said. The influx detected in the last few months is… 
In this Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014 file picture, a gunman holds a rocket-propelled grenade during clashes with Iraqi security forces in Fallujah, Iraq. With a new label - the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - the global terror network al-Qaida is positioning itself as a vanguard defending a persecuted Sunni community against Shiite-dominated governments across Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

 

 

 

 

 

FOUL PLAY FEARS GROW
Sources: Evidence Suggests Plane Was Deliberately Flown Off Course

Getty

May Have Been Steered Toward Andaman Islands… REPORTS: Could Have Flown For Hours After Last Contact… Satellites Picked Up ‘Pings’ From Jet After It Went Missing… U.S. Sends In Destroyer… REPORT: Indications That Transponders Were Manually Shut Off… Co-Pilot Wasn’t Reckless, Friends And Family Say…Passengers’ Heartbreaking Stories Revealed…

 

 

Russia vows to veto US draft on Ukraine at UN

Russia vows to veto US draft on Ukraine at UN

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Berlin could have blocked even such modest retaliation. But it did not. This new tack reflects — what? For one, Germany is no longer threatened by Soviet shock armies ensconced at the gates of Hamburg. Second, the Kremlin’s gas weapon — Germany gets about 37 percent of its gas from Gazprom — has become a bit blunt. The EU’s reserves are overflowing, and farther down the line beckons America’s gas bonanza. Third, the Germans are watching the U.S., their old “security lender of the last resort,” going into retraction mode. Hence, a fresh look at self-help.

 

 

 

Where The Russian Troops Are – The Full “Pre-Takeover” Infographic

Submitted  on 03/13/2014

Russian troops_0

We provide this map showing the latest distribution of Russian military forces along the Ukraine borders so that readers can make up their own mind if, as John Kerry says, “Russia doesn’t yet have forces for Ukraine Takeover.

  • KERRY SAYS `CONTINGENCIES’ IF RUSSIA MOVED INTO EAST UKRAINE

 

 

 

 

China Warns West Not To Enforce Sanctions Against Russia

Sanctions could lead to retaliatory action, and that would trigger a spiral with unforeseeable consequences,” warns China’s envoy to Germany adding that “we don’t see any point in sanctions.” On the heels of Merkel’s warning that Russia risked “massive” political and economic damage if it did not change course, Reuters reports ambassador Shi Mingde urged patience saying “the door is still open” for diplomacy (though we suspect it is not) ahead of this weekend’s referendum. Russia’s Deputy Economy Minister Alexei Likhachev responded by promising “symmetrical” sanctions by Moscow. So now we have China joining the fray more aggressively.

 

 

 

 

Did lost plane keep flying?

Watch this video

Conflicting reports on Flight 370’s fate

  • Malaysian authorities say claims plane flew for hours “inaccurate”
  • No trace of wreckage found
  • Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared early Saturday
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