By Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online, December 22, 2010
American intelligence assesses that al-Qaeda is a significantly weakened force, yet developments in Pakistan indicate otherwise. The powerful Laskhar-e-Jhangvi, an anti-Shi'ite group, has now become a part of al-Qaeda's global operations, and they could be bolstered by anti-Pakistan Baloch insurgents.
At least 60 more are wounded in the attack near the Afghan border
By Zulfiqar Ali and Laura King, Special to the Los Angeles Times, December 25, 2010
Reporting from Peshawar and Kabul — A suicide bomber dressed in an all-enveloping burka struck a crowded food distribution center in Pakistan's volatile tribal region Saturday, killing at least 42 people and injuring more than 60 others...
President warns of new terror campaign By Alcuin Papa, Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 28, 2010
MANILA, Philippines—The police on Monday stepped up security in Metro Manila and other urban centers following the Christmas Day bombing of a Catholic church on Jolo Island that wounded a priest and 10 churchgoers.
President Aquino expressed concern the bombing was carried out during Mass in the chapel inside a police camp in the capital town of Jolo in Sulu....
Nigerian Villages and Churches Are Struck in Deadly Attacks Reuters, December 25, 2010
JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) — Explosions in Nigeria’s central region killed 32 people on Friday, and six people died in attacks on two churches in the northeast of the country, officials said Saturday.
On Friday night, a series of bombs were detonated during Christmas Eve celebrations in villages near the central city of Jos, killing at least 32 people, the state police commissioner said; more than 50 were wounded in the attacks.....
By Senay Boztas, The Independent, December 26, 2010
The two Swedish women who accuse Julian Assange of sex crimes are not pawns of the CIA but WikiLeaks supporters seeking justice for a violation of their "sexual integrity", their lawyer, Claes Borgstrom, has said.
By Lisa Lerer and Laura Litvan, Bloomberg News, Dec 22, 2010
However history judges the 535 men and women in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate the past two years, one thing is certain: The 111th Congress made more law affecting more Americans since the “Great Society” legislation of the 1960s....
..."When it's all going to be said and done, Harry Reid has eaten our lunch," Graham said on Fox News radio. "This has been a capitulation in two weeks of dramatic proportions of policies that wouldn't have passed in the new Congress."...
By Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post Foreign Service, December 21, 2010
NAIROBI - Kenya and Uganda ramped up security along their borders and in their capitals Tuesday amid concerns that Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants were linked to a bus explosion in Nairobi on Monday night that killed two people, including the attacker, and injured dozens....
The Pew Resarch Center published two reports on those comparative studies topics on December 14. They really are a must read for those who are interested in "FDR values." Whether you agree with the conclusions or not, they clarify some of the arguments about where that infamous group, "the American people," were compared to where they are now:
By David Espo, Associated Press, December 20, 2010
WASHINGTON --After a monthslong blockade, Senate Republicans have agreed to let at least 19 of President Barack Obama's non-controversial judicial nominees win confirmation in the waning days of the congressional session in exchange for a commitment by Democrats not to seek votes on four others, according to officials familiar with the deal.....
By Lyubov Probina, Bloomberg News, December 20, 2010
Russian authorities detained four men who arrived at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on a flight from Istanbul with $20 million in cash.
Three Azeri citizens and one Iranian attempted to enter the country without declaring the $14.5 million and 4.1 million euros ($5.4 million) they carried in four suitcases and four backpacks....
By Amy Teibel, Associated Press, December 20, 2010
TEHRAN -- Iran's supreme leader has rejected any ruling by a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri even before the verdict has been issued.
The tribunal based in the Netherlands is expected to imminently indict members of Lebanon's Hezbollah....
A rare event not seen in 372 years will occur early Tuesday morning, when a total lunar eclipse coincides with the winter solstice. While you can't see the solstice, the eclipse promises to be an amazing spectacle.
And if that's not enough, a minor meteor shower is expected to send a few shooting stars through the darkened sky during the height of the eclipse....
By Kate Zernike, New York Times, December 20, 2010
The same people driving the lawsuits that seek to dismantle the Obama administration’s health care overhaul have set their sights on an even bigger target: a constitutional amendment that would allow a vote of the states to overturn any act of Congress.
