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After 13 Years, US-Led Afghanistan War Is Officially Over But Nightmare Goes On

Archives for December 2014

Key Decisions On Drones Likely From Congress

The FAA is expected to propose restricting drones weighing less than 55 pounds to altitudes below 400 feet, forbid nighttime flights and require drones be kept within sight of their operators.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

Members of the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office search and rescue team fly their search and rescue drone during a demonstration, in Brigham City, Utah. (AP Photo) WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant

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The EU Shifting Its Strategy On Syria, Iraq And Fighting ISIS

After the United States abandoned the idea of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stepping down and enhanced security coordination with the Syrian army against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it appears the Europeans began some time ago a series of meetings to change their policy on Syria.

Al Akhbar
By Al Akhbar
Syria_0

Civil defense members inspect the debris of a building collapsed after Syrian air forces' 'vacuum bomb' attack, killed six people, three of them children, and wounded 40 others, in Ain Tarma town of Damascus, Syria on December 26, 2014. Anadolu Agency/Ebu Muhammed Geneva – A European official told Al-Akhbar about the proceedings of an

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Assata Shakur: A Pawn In The US-Cuba Game?

How will the thawing of decades of chilly U.S.-Cuba relations impact a former rights activist who has lived in exile on the tiny island nation since she was sprung from prison — where she was serving a life sentence for murder — over three decades ago?

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
Joanne Chesimard

In this April 25, 1977 file photo, Joanne Chesimard, a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, leaves Middlesex County courthouse in New Brunswick, N.J.  Now known as Assata Shakur, she was convicted in 1977 of killing a New Jersey state trooper four years earlier, in a case that drew international attention. She was sentenced

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Why Palestinian Statehood Poses Such A Threat To Israel

“Israel fears Palestine, as its existence simply denies and poses a challenge to its territorial claims. Everything Israel has done since 1948 has been toward the annihilation of Palestine. There is no tip-toeing around it. Of course Tel Aviv will oppose Palestine’s statehood claim.”

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014. Israel's prime minister said Sunday that the public expects the government to "return to normal conduct" and hinted at the possibility of early elections if his coalition does not overcome a crisis linked to a contentious nationality

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FOIA Reform: How To Kill A Bill And Get Away With It

Congress isn’t the only entity to blame for the death of a bill to improve the Freedom of Information Act to create greater government transparency — the president and the media weren’t fighting for it, either.

Sean Nevins
By Sean Nevins

Thomas Whittington, a Chicago area tour guide, familiarizes himself with the one of many exhibits at the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) WASHINGTON --- On Thursday evening, the 113th Congress (Jan. 3, 2013 – Jan. 3, 2015) closed shop and will be remembered as the least productive in American

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Bahrain Adopts Israel Strategy To Alter Demographics

The Bahraini ruling family have been naturalizing foreigners since 2012 in an attempt to change the demographics of the country.

Al Akhbar
By Al Akhbar

Riot police detain a Bahraini anti-government protester in Manama, Bahrain, Monday, Dec.17, 2012. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali) Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab accused Bahrain’s ruling family of seeking to change Bahrain’s demography by adopting a strategy similar to that used by the UK in the creation of Israel. Talking

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