Hamas Commemorates 25th Anniversary
Stephen LendmanPalestine
Page Two
Egypt’s Morsi annuls most of contested decree, stays firm on Dec. 15 referendum
• Washington PostEgyptian President Mohamed Morsi early Sunday annulled most of an extraordinary Nov. 22 decree that gave him near-absolute power and has plunged this nation into a deeply divisive political crisis.
Raid rescues U.S. citizen kidnapped by Afghan Taliban
• ReutersA U.S. citizen who was abducted by Taliban insurgents was rescued by U.S. forces in an operation in eastern Afghanistan early on Sunday, NATO-led forces said. The American, Dr. Dilip Joseph, had been abducted in Kabul province. It gave few details.
Syrian Bombs Are Now Filled With Chemicals — And Could Be Up for Grabs
• http://www.wired.com, By Noah ShachtmanThe Bashir Assad regime in Syria is loading of some of its weapons with deadly nerve agents, and mixing together the chemical precursors needed to carry out a sarin-laced attack.
Obama Plans African Wars
Stephen LendmanObama
Blackwater becomes new landlord in Afghanistan for US Special Forces
• http://chrisinmaryville.net/As President Obama insists on a speedy end to the war in Afghanistan, his administration has other plans. A facility owned by the private security force once known as Blackwater has been awarded a $22 million contract to house US troops through 2015.
Iraqi Insurgents Once Mounted Rockets On Their Heads
• Wired.comIraq’s insurgents made all sorts of homemade weapons in their seven-year tangle with the U.S. military.
UN Nuclear Chief: Alleged Iranian Weapons Testing Site May Not Contain Any Evidence
• antiwar.comYukiya Amano claims Iran may have cleaned up alleged evidence of weapons development at Parchin
Hamas leader ends long exile, visits Gaza Strip
• ReutersHamas leader Khaled Meshaal ended decades of exile on Friday with a triumphal first ever visit to the Gaza Strip that underscored the Islamist group's growing confidence following its latest conflict with Israel.
Rebels circle Damascus airport; Russia, U.S. downbeat
• ReutersRebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared Damascus International Airport a battle zone on Friday, while Moscow and Washington both sounded downbeat about the prospects of a diplomatic push to end the conflict.
Protesters surge around Egypt's presidential palace
• ReutersTens of thousands of Egyptian protesters surged around President Mohamed Mursi's palace in Cairo on Friday after breaking through barbed wire barricades and climbing onto army tanks guarding the premises.
Middle East on the Boil
Stephen Lendmananti-war
Netanyahu's Israel
Stephen LendmanIsrael
Wider Chaos Feared as Syrian Rebels Clash With Kurds
• New York TimesThe convoy of gun trucks waving the flag of the Syrian rebels whizzed through the Syrian village of Ras al-Ain rushed in to battle the ethnic Kurds.
Pentagon planning for multinational military operation in Mali
• www.washingtonpost.comU.S. military planners have begun to help organize a multinational proxy force to intervene next year in Mali, the famine-stricken, coup-wracked African country that has become a magnet for Islamist extremists, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Here's What Life Is Really Like In Post-Apocalyptic Afghanistan
• http://www.businessinsider.com, Geoffrey IngersollPeople told me I was crazy for doing it. I hadn't even opened the package containing my shiny new NYU Master's in Journalism and I was already heading to Afghanistan.
US Aircraft Carrier’s Arrival Near Syria Sparks War Fears
• news.antiwar.comThe USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has reportedly arrived off the coast of Syria in recent days, having passed through the Suez Canal and joined a team of other ships loitering off the coast in the event President Obama orders a US invasion of Syria.
Israel Rejects UN Call to Open Nuke Program to Inspections
• news.antiwar.comIsraeli FM spokesman called the overwhelming global consensus 'meaningless'
Afghan Children Legitimate Targets, Says U.S. Lt. Col., As They Might Have "Hostile Intent
• http://reason.com, Brian DohertyWhen the war gets to this level--whether or not we believe the Army's assertions that the kids it's killing in Afghanistan deserved it--it's time to rethink whether you are winning hearts and minds
Reality Check: Is Iran Really Plotting an Attack on U.S. Soil? 12/2/12
• http://www.youtube.com, BenSwannArchiveThe Obama Administration's Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, warned a Senate committee Tuesday about the new threat of Iran, that the country is now willing to step up aggression toward the west, and even willing to carry out terror a
NASA's 'Spooky Plane' Is On The Way Back To The US After Its Afghanistan Mission
• Business InsiderIt's been far too long since we've checked in with our friend David Cenciotti at The Aviationist and we're never disappointed with what his readers send his way.
Chemical hype behind Patriot games on Syria border
• http://www.youtube.com, by RussiaTodayNATO foreign ministers have approved the deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey.
Corruption in Israel
Stephen LendmanIsrael
Israel: Heading for a Political Cliff?
Stephen LendmanIsrael
U.S. reducing plans for large CIA/Merc force in post-2014 Afghanistan
• Washington PostThe Obama administration has ordered significant cutbacks in initial plans for a robust U.S. civilian presence in Afghanistan after U.S. combat troops withdraw two years from now, according to U.S. officials.
Weapons Sent to Libyan Rebels With U.S. Approval Fell Into Islamist Hands
• New York TimesThe Obama administration secretly gave its blessing to arms shipments to Libyan rebels from Qatar last year, but American officials later grew alarmed as evidence grew that Qatar was turning some of the weapons over to Islamic militants,
One dead, scores injured as Bangladeshi police use live ammunition on protesters
• RT.comAt least one person has been killed and scores injured and detained by police as a protest organized by Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party turned violent, with police reportedly using live ammunition against the rioters.
Israel and Iran Are Key to Nuclear-Free Middle East
• Common DreamsA recent UN General Assembly resolution renews attention on the need to create a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.
NATO votes to deploy Patriot missiles on Turkey-Syria border
• http://rt.comNATO foreign ministers have voted to approve Ankara’s request for Patriot missiles to be deployed on the Turkey-Syria border. Ankara requested the deployment over fears that Syria could attack with missiles and chemical weapons.
Israel Gives Chutzpah New Meaning
Stephen LendmanIsrael
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