| Hard News
47 killed in clashes between Malian troops, rebels: ministry: Mali's government said the attackers are members of the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) formed in late 2011, and boosted by the return of heavily armed Tuareg rebels from Libya's conflict.
http://bit.ly/Af3fy1
Students rough up Libya's NTC vice president: The deputy head of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) was roughed up on Thursday by university students in the eastern city of Benghazi, in a rare incident that indicates a growing popular discontent with Libya's new rulers.
http://on.msnbc.com/zB7Hx2
Inside story of the UK's secret mission to beat Gaddafi: British special forces were deployed on the ground in order to help the UK's allies - the Libyan revolutionaries often called the National Transitional Council or NTC. Those with a knowledge of the programme insist "they did a tremendous job" and contributed to the final collapse of the Gaddafi regime.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16573516
Nato accused of war crimes in Libya: New report criticises Western forces for bombing civilian targets in Sirte during conflict
http://ind.pn/wdWxEK
After a year of Arab upheaval, Islamists are biggest winners:
The United States and other Western powers - along with Arab liberals and religious minorities - are watching with alarm as conservative Muslim politicians have filled the power vacuums left by the rebellions in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
http://bit.ly/xspV2y
Nigeria's Kano rocked by multiple explosions: The BBC's Yusuf Yakasai in the city says there is pandemonium with people running all over the place and plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Our reporter says there is also a shoot-out going on at the police's state head office in the east of the city.
http://bbc.in/xvQonM
Six marines killed in Afghanistan helicopter "crash": The CH-53 sea stallion went down Thursday in Helmand province.
http://bit.ly/weaJwF
Sarkozy Weighs Afghan Withdrawal After Soldier Kills 4 French Troops: President Nicolas Sarkozy of France suspended military operations as part of the American-led coalition in Afghanistan on Friday and said he was considering an early pullout of his nation's forces after a man in Afghan Army uniform shot and killed four French soldiers.
http://nyti.ms/xxvaoS
Afghanistan's Soldiers Step Up Killings of Allied Occupation Forces : -
American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight alongside and train, in attacks motivated by deep-seated animosity between the supposedly allied forces, according to American and Afghan officers and a classified coalition report.
http://bit.ly/zlVocM
Coalition limits details on troops killed by Afghans: Military commanders in Afghanistan have stopped making public the number of allied troops killed by Afghan soldiers and police, a measure of the trustworthiness of a force that is to take over security from U.S.-led forces.
http://usat.ly/wI0Ed0
US forces kill 3 Afghan civilians: The victims, among them a teacher, died in the Achin district of the province, located some 120 kilometers (74 miles) east of the country's capital Kabul, on Friday morning when American forces launched a raid in the area.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222067.html
Why Obama's 'targeted killing' is worse than Bush's torture: Both are legally prohibited but speciously justified by the White House. The difference? Obama's policy kills innocent bystanders
http://bit.ly/Avwqxz
Cost of supplying Afghan War increases 600% since Pakistan closed border: Using a Northern route to supply the Afghan War costs the United States $104 million dollars a month, an increase of $87 million from the $17 million it cost Washington when supplies were mainly sent through Pakistani territory, the AP report said.
http://exm.nr/z1yTbm
Yemen: 3 soldiers killed in attack in south: A security official says three Yemeni soldiers were killed when assailants opened fire on their checkpoint in a southern port city.
http://bit.ly/zQ2wne
Yemen 'amends' proposed immunity law:
Draft law extends complete immunity for outgoing president, but his aides may now be tried for criminal acts.
http://bit.ly/wBSWhB
Officials: U.S. seeks new home for Yemen's Saleh: The Obama administration is engaged in an intensive effort with Yemen's embattled strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh to find him a new home, preferably not in the United States.
http://bit.ly/ww2GJ7
Anti-assad Movements Invoke No-fly Zone Over Syria: The Syrian National Council has issued calls for the UN Security Council to establish a no-fly zone in Syria
http://yhoo.it/wzRkFR
Engineering Consent For An Attack On Iran : UN watchdog urges full Iran cooperation in nuclear probe:
'What we know suggests the development of nuclear weapons,' Amano says.
http://bit.ly/wMluSi
Iran says ready for nuclear talks with world powers: FM: Iran is ready for multifaceted talks with world powers despite the recent assassination of an Iranian nuclear official, Salehi was quoted as saying.
http://bit.ly/wKyyhf
Act of war:
Iran Central Bank Assets Said to Face European Union Freeze:
European Union governments reached a preliminary agreement to freeze the assets of Iran's central bank, building on planned restrictions that will center on an oil embargo, said an EU diplomat with knowledge of the matter.
http://bit.ly/AkvJVC
Netanyahu pressuring Europe to embargo Iran oil; Netanyahu on Thursday said that he was putting pressure on European countries to immediately impose an embargo on Iranian oil, and not to delay it until July.
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=254378
Israel says ... Iran isn't building a nuclear weapon: Israel shares the US and European views of Iran: That it isn't seeking a nuclear weapon at the moment.
http://bit.ly/xPFes8
Russia warns that Iran strike could trigger 'chain reaction': Russia strongly criticised Western belligerence towards Syria and Iran yesterday, saying that a military assault on the Iranian regime could cause a "chain reaction" that would destabilise the entire world.
http://ind.pn/A1aoNF
Another Us Carrier Arrives In The Strait Of Hormuz: The U.S. sent another aircraft carrier to the Arabian Sea off the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Abraham Lincoln joined its sister ship, the carrier USS John Stennis, to test Iran's warning against any carrier sailing through the Persian Gulf.
http://bit.ly/xIEV8G
Pentagon 'prepared': US set for Operation Iranian Freedom?: American troops in the Persian Gulf region do not require any build-up for a possible military conflict with Iran, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday. "We are not making any special steps at this point in order to deal with the situation. Why? Because, frankly, we are fully prepared to deal with that situation now," Panetta explained.
http://rt.com/news/iran-conflict-us-ready-179/
Complaint Filed with U.N. Special Rapporteur Alleges Interference with Spanish Judicial Process: U.S. and Spanish Authorities Attempted to Stop Cases Seeking Accountability of U.S. Officials for Torture and Unlawful Killing
http://bit.ly/xtfmlF
Hamas urges end to Israel-Palestinian talks after West Bank arrests: Hamas urged President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to suspend exploratory peace talks with Israel following Israel's arrest of two Hamas legislators, and to stop his cooperation on West Bank security with the Israelis.
http://bit.ly/ydxIkz
Thailand officially recognizes Palestinian statehood: Thai Foreign Ministry says government informed Palestinian delegation and all UN member states that it 'has given recognition to the state of Palestine.'
http://bit.ly/wLvQEh
Britain pulls the plug on Iran's Press TV: Iranian news channel Press TV will disappear from British television screens on Friday after Britain's media regulator revoked its licence in a move that could fuel diplomatic tensions with the Islamic nation.
http://bit.ly/zNeJfC
Exclusive: Gingrich Lacks Moral Character to Be President, Ex-Wife Says: Marianne Gingrich, a self-described conservative Republican, said she is coming forward now so voters can know what she knows about Gingrich.
http://abcn.ws/w1ZB1U
Gingrich attacks 'vicious' media in US debate US Republican presidential hopeful denies during South Carolina debate that he asked second wife for an "open marriage".
http://bit.ly/ydYej7
Feds shut down file-sharing site one day after Web protest: The Justice Department seized Megaupload.com, one of the world's most popular file-sharing sites, and several of its related sites on Thursday. Prosecutors charged seven employees of Megaupload with criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit racketeering and other charges. Each faces up to 55 years in prison.
http://bit.ly/zvvqM4
The spoils of war:
Active-Duty Soldiers Take Their Own Lives at Record Rate: The Army also reported a sharp increase, nearly 30 percent, in violent sex crimes last year by active-duty troops. More than half of the victims were active-duty female soldiers ages 18 to 21.
http://nyti.ms/y9ecKb
Congressmen Who Received Money for SOPA Vote: Here is a list of Congressional politicians in favor of the bill known as SOPA and PIPA and the amounts of money they received from the SOPA backers who bought their favor in voting yes for both bills.
http://bit.ly/x7Aajf
How the Keystone Pipeline Died-And How to Bury It For Good: Grassroots strategies paid off for the climate movement in a big way.
http://bit.ly/xteu2x
Romney Lashes Out at Occupy Heckler -- VIDEO: Romney was walking the rope line outside of his headquarters in Charleston, S.C., on Thursday when a person off camera asked, "What would you do to support the 99 percent, seeing as how you're part of the 1 percent?"
http://bit.ly/yf1oWF
"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley | 
