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Pakistan Unhappy Over Reports US Drone Strikes Will Continue

"Leaders in Pakistan are outraged at reported U.S. plans to continue controversial drone strikes against suspected al-Qaida-linked sanctuaries on Pakistani soil. They are calling it 'close to a perpetual war,' and say it is exactly opposite to what President Barack Obama stated in his inaugural speech on Monday. U.S. drone strikes on targets in Pakistani regions along the border with Afghanistan remain highly controversial and are deeply unpopular in Pakistan. Pakistan publicly condemns the drone campaign and wants the U.S. to end it, saying that it not only violates the country's sovereignty, but that collateral damage caused by the strikes is fueling militancy in the region." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPakistan Unhappy Over Reports US Drone Strikes Will Continue

Obama ‘guidebook’ for targeted killings to include exemption for CIA drone strikes in Pakistan

"The administration of President Barack Obama is completing a counterterrorism manual that will establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations, The Washington Post reported. But citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the guidebook would contain a major exemption for the CIA’s campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan. This exemption will allow the Central Intelligence Agency to continue striking Al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan for a year or more before the agency is forced to comply with more stringent rules spelled out in the document. Between 2,627 and 3,457 people have been reportedly killed by US drones in Pakistan since 2004." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama ‘guidebook’ for targeted killings to include exemption for CIA drone strikes in Pakistan

Cameron targets terrorist ‘haven’ in Mali

"The Prime Minister said that Britain is now engaged in 'generational struggle' against al-Qaeda affiliates like the group behind last week’s Algerian hostage crisis, whose leadership is based in Mali. The National Security Council will today discuss boosting British assistance to the French intervention in Mali, he told MPs. Islamic militants who are threatening the government there raise the risk of 'a new terrorist haven developing on Europe’s doorstep,' Mr Cameron said. Mr Cameron also said that ministers could 'look again' at defence cuts and spend more on counter-terrorism capabilities and Special Forces like the SAS and SBS." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCameron targets terrorist ‘haven’ in Mali

Julian Assange calls WikiLeaks movie a ‘massive propaganda attack’

"Speaking to students at Britain’s prestigious Oxford University by videolink from the Ecuadoran embassy in London, Assange revealed that he had acquired a copy of the script for 'The Fifth Estate', due to be released in November. 'It is a lie upon lie. The movie is a massive propaganda attack on WikiLeaks and the character of my staff,' the Australian Internet activist told the audience at the university’s Oxford Union debating club. Assange, 41, also blasted the movie for 'fanning the flames' of war against Iran by implying that the Islamic republic was working on a nuclear bomb." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJulian Assange calls WikiLeaks movie a ‘massive propaganda attack’

Women in combat: Will they have to register for the draft?

"Now that the Pentagon is lifting its ban on women in combat, does this mean that women could potentially be drafted, too? 'The answer to that question is clearly yes,' says Anne Coughlin, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville. Once the combat exclusion policy is lifted, 'My belief is that if we open up combat arms to women, even on a voluntary basis, if there is a draft, we should be able to force women into those positions,' says retired Col. Peter Mansoor, a professor of military history at the Ohio State University in Columbus and a former US Army brigade commander who served two tours in Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWomen in combat: Will they have to register for the draft?

Egyptian protesters set fire to Muslim Brotherhood headquarters

"Egyptian protesters on Friday set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood party headquarters in the canal city of Ismailiya. Black smoke could be seen coming out of the windows of the apartment housing the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) offices, as Egyptians staged nationwide rallies against President Mohamed Morsi on the second anniversary of the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak and brought Islamists to power. The Muslim Brotherhood said protesters also attempted to storm one of its offices in the Cairo district of Tawfikiya." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian protesters set fire to Muslim Brotherhood headquarters

UN to investigate legality of U.S drone strikes

"A newly-announced UN inquiry into the rise of drone strikes and targeted killings around the world has drawn measured optimism and concerns from national security experts and the international human rights community. While 51 states possess the technology to use drones, according to Emmerson, the US is responsible for the vast majority of the world’s drone strikes and the practice of targeted killing has become a central component of the Obama administration’s efforts to combat al-Qaida. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, CIA drone strikes in Pakistan alone have resulted in as many as 3,461 deaths, including up to 891 civilians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUN to investigate legality of U.S drone strikes

NATO deploys Patriot as warplanes hit Syria capital

"NATO declared that a Patriot missile battery went operational on Turkey’s border with Syria on Saturday, as a watchdog reported regime warplanes launched raids on a Damascus district. Ankara and NATO have stressed the deployment is for defensive purposes only, while Damascus and its ally Moscow have criticised the measure. The US-made missiles can take out cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as aircraft. Britain, meanwhile, pledged a multi-million dollar aid package to help Syrian civilians, nearly half of which would be channelled through agencies in Jordan where a record 6,400 refugees arrived on Friday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNATO deploys Patriot as warplanes hit Syria capital

Rare trees turned into firewood as Syrian civilians struggle for warmth

"Beset by a freezing winter and stifling fuel and electricity shortages, Syrian civilians desperate to stay warm in a northern forest have no choice but to cut down trees for firewood. Once a tourist destination for Syrians and other Arabs across the Middle East, the formerly pristine national park to the north and west of the city of Idlib is being systematically stripped bare. Bald, muddy swathes of fresh-cut land now stretch in many directions, with men using chainsaws to bring trees down and dozens of pick-up trucks coming and going for loads of lumber." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRare trees turned into firewood as Syrian civilians struggle for warmth

Owner wins court battle against feds trying to seize his Tewksbury motel

"Caswell has been battling the government since September 2009 to save the motel his father built in 1955. The government sought to seize the motel using a civil asset forfeiture law that allows the government to seize property linked to drug crimes. The government introduced information about 15 specific drug-related incidents at the motel from 1994 to 2008, a period of time, the judge noted, when the motel had rented out 196,000 rooms. But Caswell has never been charged with — or even accused of — any criminal wrongdoing, the Globe reported in November." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOwner wins court battle against feds trying to seize his Tewksbury motel