Iraqi forces retake town seized by gunmen, 48 killed:
Iraqi security forces retook control of a town in Iraq's province of Salahudin, which had been seized by gunmen about a week ago, an army commander said Friday, adding 48 gunmen were killed and 37 others arrested.
Militants kill at least 9 troops in eastern Iraq:
A police officer says two bombs targeted a four-vehicle patrol Saturday in the town of al-Saadiyah, 140 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Baghdad. He says militants opened fire on the troops after the bombing.
3 Iraqis Killed, 17 Injured in Tikrit Blasts:
Three Iraqis were killed and 17 others injured in attacks Saturday in the Northern city of Tikrit, a security official said.
2 gunmen killed while emplacing IED northern Baghdad:
The security forces killed two gunmen while emplacing an Improvised Explosive Device of northern Baghdad.
Iraq announces 72-hour truce in Fallujah:
Halt in military operations come weeks after gunmen took control of city and parts of Anbar province.
U.N. Security Council unanimously approves Syria aid access resolution:
The U.N. Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution to boost humanitarian access in Syria that threatens to take "further steps" in the case of non-compliance, demands cross-border aid access and condemns rights abuses by the Syrian government and opposition armed groups.
Suicide bomber kills three in e. Lebanon:
A suicide car bombing targeting an Army post in the northeastern town of Hermel killed three including two soldiers and wounded 17 other people Saturday, a security source told The Daily Star.
Syria regime warplanes raid rebel stronghold:
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that in the northeast, Kurdish fighters seized the town of Tal Barak from jihadists.
Syrian troops capture areas along Israeli Golan Heights:
Syrian forces launch offensive south of Quneitra as UN Security Council calls for humanitarian aid access everywhere in Syria
Russians fall into line and back urgent aid for war-torn country:
The United Nations Security Council came together yesterday behind a resolution calling for both the Assad regime and opposition forces in Syria's civil war to provide immediate access to deliver aid to the millions in desperate need of help.
Saudi Arabia Offers Pakistan $200m to Shift Policy towards Syria:
Last week, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who is Deputy Prime Minister and also holds the portfolio of Minister for Defense, traveled to Islamabad for talks on bilateral and regional matters.
Syria opposition leader praises Benjamin Netanyahu:
Muhammad Badie told Israel Radio Friday that the Syrian opposition is grateful to Netanyahu for his February 18 tour to a field hospital in the (occupied) Golan Heights.
Kerry's framework unacceptable to Abbas, says official:
After two-day bilateral meeting in Paris, Ramallah rejects US proposals, particularly recognition of Israel as a Jewish state
Israeli TV report on new US anti-incitement bill misses the mark:
Channel 2 predicts passage of a bill conditioning US funding to Palestinians on a drop in "incitement"
Turkey : Meeting behind closed doors exposed:
A number of photos were leaked on Friday in a Turkish daily, and document meetings attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Yasin al-Qadi -- a Saudi Arabian businessman who is on the US Treasury Department's "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" list -- and the Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan.
Pakistani helicopters kill 9 "militants" at training facility:
The strikes came as a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban rejected a government demand that the militant movement halt attacks, saying the government should be first to announce a cease-fire.
Indian parliament votes to create new Telangana state:
The Congress is portraying the creation of Telangana as a triumph for democracy and a blow to social inequality. These are cynical lies from a government that has pursued "free market" policies that have brought untold wealth to a tiny layer of capitalists, while condemning India's workers and toilers to grinding poverty
Bomb kills Libyan commando in country's east:
Libyan officials say a bomb planted in the car of a commando has killed him, in yet another attack in the country's restive east.
Police attacked with grenade at Tunisian consulate in Libya:
Gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a police car parked in front of the Tunisian consulate in Libya's eastern Benghazi city on Saturday, security officials said.
Egypt's Mohamed Morsi urges 'revolution' from caged dock:
A defiant Morsi had interrupted past hearings to declare that he was still Egypt's president, having been democratically elected a year before his overthrow. "The revolution of the people won't stop -- continue your peaceful revolution," he said from the dock on Saturday.
How did 37 prisoners come to die at Cairo prison Abu Zaabal?:
Testimonies for the first time reveal police cruelty and a subsequent cover-up
Nine killed as protests rock Venezuela:
At least nine people died in Venezuela in the wave of protests against the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro, officials said Friday.
Venezuela sends troops to violence-hit state:
Paratroopers ordered into Tachira, near Colombian border, as anti-government protesters prepare more demonstrations.
Maduro: Kerry remarks give violence 'green light':
John Kerry threatens Venezuela with more violence, with his statements gives the green light to violent groups to attack our people," Maduro wrote.
Venezuela: Violence caused by opposition, not government:
The slant of Venezuela's private media and the international media on what is happening in Venezuela is clear: The government is responsible for the violence.
Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro seeks talks with Obama:
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has invited US President Barack Obama to join him in talks aimed at resolving the problems between the two countries. Mr Maduro said the meeting would help "put the truth out on the table".
Protest Coverage in Haiti and Venezuela Reveals U.S. Media Hypocrisy: Op-Ed:
The media coverage of the events unfolding in Venezuela provides a troubling example of how the imperial ambitions of the United States can magnify crises-especially when contrasted with the current political situation in Haiti.
Fact or Propaganda?
Ukraine's Yanukovich refused exit from country:
Armed men had tried to bribe border staff at Donetsk airport in the east of the country to allow the charter flight to take off but they had refused, the agency, quoting an aide of the head of the state border service, said.
Ukraine Parliament Votes To Dismiss President:
The Ukrainian Parliament has declared President Viktor Yanukovich unable to carry out his duties, setting an early election for May 25. The resolution was passed by deputies in the assembly who applauded and sang the national anthem.
Yanukovich accuses opposition of coup d'etat, calls on EU to fulfill obligations:
" I'm not going to leave the country," Yanukovich said in an interview with local UBR TV channel. "I'm not going to resign. I'm a legitimately elected president."
Ukraine's western pro-European cities warn they could break away:
Police no longer seen on streets in Lviv while local troops say they will refuse to carry out certain commands
Leaders in east Ukraine vote to take control of their areas:
Leaders of mainly Russian-speaking regions of eastern Ukraine, challenged the legitimacy of the national parliament on Saturday and said they were taking control of their territories.
'I'll be fighting Jews and Russians till I die':
Notorious Ukrainian right-wing militants aiming for power
Exposed: Ukrainian 'Protesters' Backed by Kony 2012-Style Scam:
Viral video produced by company linked to 'regime change' NGO
U.S., Mexican officials arrest drug kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman:
The head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel was captured overnight by U.S. and Mexican authorities at a hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico, the Associated Press has learned.
Happy Valentine's, from Gitmo:
Imprisoned in Guant�namo Bay, detainee Younous Chekkouri thinks of his beloved wife Abla
Leaked documents show how US authorities hounded WikiLeaks:
Secret documents published by journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Gallagher show how the US and British intelligence agencies, the NSA and GCHQ, were used against the news leaks website and its founder, Julian Assange.
Judge: All right for NYPD to spy on Muslim-Americans;
not all right for Journalists to reveal it: A federal judge ruled Thursday that the NYPD's secret spying on Muslims in schools, restaurants, and mosques with no evidence of wrongdoing is perfectly legal, and it was the media's exposure of this surveillance that was the real cause of harm.
'Alarming!' NY state steps up surveillance on...kids :
New York state authorities are planning to step-up surveillance - this time, on school kids. The program, which is to be launched state-wide, is supposed to gather information on students starting from the age of five.
Job losses sweep through Australian economy:
Unemployment data released last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found joblessness has reached a ten-year high.
Detroit bankruptcy plan: A savage assault on the working class:
The plan includes huge cuts in city worker pensions and health care, pledges full payment for secured bondholders and outlines plans for the privatization of city services and assets
Plan to split California into six states gains ground: -
A plan to divide California into six separate US states is closer to making it on to a November ballot, with organizers gaining approval to collect signatures.
Some vitamin supplements raise risk of cancer in men, research shows:
Men have been warned not to take a pair of popular vitamin and mineral supplements after research showed they can dramatically increase the risk of life-threatening prostate cancer.
