
Intense fighting continues in east Ukraine as Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the US commander of US forces in Europe, claims Russia provided drones to the pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine. These drones are obstructing Ukraine’s communications with troops on the ground.
by Mary Chastain31 Jan 2015, 10:23 AM PST0

The FBI has added a former Venezuelan ambassador to Lebanon and Syria to their Terrorism “Seeking Information” list, after evidence indicated that Ghazi Nasr al Din was using his position to help fundraise for the Shiite terror group Hezbollah.
by Frances Martel31 Jan 2015, 8:34 AM PST0

When the hastily written interim report was read aloud before all the bishops gathered for the Vatican marriage summit last October, it was met with consternation and disapproval. At the time, it was generally assumed that Pope Francis had never seen the text, but now the Cardinal in charge of organizing the summit has claimed that the document was “seen and approved by the Pope.”
by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.31 Jan 2015, 7:37 AM PST0

Hezbollah backs down from war with Israel; Clashes between Nusra front and Free Syrian Army spreading in Syria; Jundallah takes credit for massive mosque attack in Pakistan; Egypt’s military begins ‘wide military offensives’ in North Sinai; Greece clashes with eurogroup ‘No more bailout, no more troika!’; In Denmark you are now paid to take out a mortgage
by John J. Xenakis31 Jan 2015, 6:59 AM PST0

Authorities in Mumbai, India, arrested Shirin Dalvi, editor of the Uru Daily Avadhnama newspaper, for printing a cartoon from Charlie Hebdo. It appeared on the front page of the January 17 edition. Residents in Mumbra in Thane complained to the police about the cartoon.
by Mary Chastain30 Jan 2015, 7:52 PM PST0

When trying to make sense of Barack Obama’s foreign policy, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that a great deal of it has been meant to reward, placate, or at least avoid angering Iran.
by John Hayward30 Jan 2015, 7:07 PM PST0

When the mayor of Paris threatened to sue Fox News for “slandering” her city by reporting on Muslim-dominated “no-go zones,” liberal media outlets forgot their own years of reporting on those zones to bash their hated right-leaning cable news adversary. Among the longtime observers who pushed back against no-go zone denialism is author Mark Steyn, who has mentioned these hostile, unassimilated communities in his columns and books for years.
by John Hayward30 Jan 2015, 6:22 PM PST0

The Obama administration “has given the Iranians 80 percent of what they want” in the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program with the P5+1 nations, according to an Israel Channel 10 news report.
by Jordan Schachtel30 Jan 2015, 1:44 PM PST0

A German carnival that planned a Charlie Hebdo float in its parade has dropped the idea in light of the January 7 Paris terror attack on the satirical magazine’s headquarters.
by AWR Hawkins30 Jan 2015, 1:04 PM PST0

The shortages in Venezuela have become so severe that even long-time Chavistas–supporters of the socialist government of the now deceased Hugo Chavez–are reaching a breaking point.
by John Sexton30 Jan 2015, 12:33 PM PST0

Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman further cemented his hold on power, with a sweeping shakeup that saw two sons of the late King Abdullah fired, and the heads of intelligence and other key agencies replaced alongside a cabinet shuffle.
by AFP30 Jan 2015, 11:54 AM PST0

Police armed with pistols in heavily gun-controlled European countries are realizing a hard lesson fast–jihadists with no respect for the law are side-stepping gun control and stockpiling weapons that will give them the upper hand in a standoff with officers.
by AWR Hawkins30 Jan 2015, 11:32 AM PST0

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, hailed as a moderate voice andwelcomed by officials in the Obama administration just this week, issued separate statements on its English and Arabic websites this week that appear to contradict each other.
by The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT)30 Jan 2015, 11:30 AM PST0

With the anniversary of the arrest of opposition party leader Leopoldo López approaching, the Venezuelan government has approved new legislation which would allow the Bolivarian National Guard to use “potentially lethal force” against protesters calling for the fully free exercise of the freedoms of expression and assembly.
by Frances Martel30 Jan 2015, 11:27 AM PST0

Dutch authorities have released few details about the bizarre case of 19-year-old Tarik Zahzah’s attack on the main news studio of television station NOS on Thursday. To get the obvious question out of the way first, the police say there is no evidence that Zahzah, who is half-Egyptian, acted on behalf of organized terrorism.
by John Hayward30 Jan 2015, 11:22 AM PST0

Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, now known as the Sinai Province after pledging loyalty to the Islamic State (ISIS), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Thursday throughout the Sinai that resulted in the deaths of dozens.
by Jordan Schachtel30 Jan 2015, 11:17 AM PST0

Israel’s Likud Party has petitioned the country’s elections committee to ban the Obama-connected V15 (Victory 2015) organization that is allegedly working together with another group, OneVoice, in an attempt to sabotage Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances at reelection.
by Jordan Schachtel30 Jan 2015, 10:59 AM PST0

A Saudi Imam has followed the footsteps of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and delivered an extensive sermon proclaiming that Muslims had initially discovered America, and that Christopher Columbus’ voyage there was a plot to kill pre-Columbian Muslims.
by John Hayward30 Jan 2015, 10:43 AM PST0

In my years of working with victims of Boko Haram terrorism in northern Nigeria, I have never seen anyone like him. After the mass abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls, I have worked closely with about 20 who escaped, half of whom I have placed in US schools. Although it is now nine months since the April attack, not one of them escaped after that first week.
by Emmanuel Ogebe30 Jan 2015, 10:24 AM PST0

The former head of security for Venezuela’s Second in Command has defected to the United States, accused his old boss of running an international drug cartel, and now claims that deceased dictator Hugo Chávez Frías died months before the official announcement of his death, hidden from the public eye by current Venezuelan leaders who used his name to pass legislation convenient for them under Chávez’s name.
by Frances Martel30 Jan 2015, 9:59 AM PST0

Nigerian authorities claim Boko Haram plans to use livestock, with the help of young males, as suicide bombers.
by Mary Chastain30 Jan 2015, 9:36 AM PST0

As Armenians are gearing up to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has “mistakenly” published a picture of the Armenian Genocide Monument amidst a collage of photos in a 2015 calendar.
by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.30 Jan 2015, 9:11 AM PST0

Panicked Cubans concerned that President Obama’s concessions to the Castro regime will lead to changes in refugee status conferred on those who escaped the island have triggered a dramatic increase in the influx of Cuban refugees in the past three months.
by Frances Martel30 Jan 2015, 8:06 AM PST0

The Vatican has announced a new program of giving free haircuts, showers, and even a shave to Rome’s homeless population, a report says. This month the new services were added to last year’s announcement that church officials were adding showering facilities in
by Warner Todd Huston30 Jan 2015, 7:45 AM PST0

While speaking at Turkey’s Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Ankara, and addressing members of his country’s Jewish community on Wednesday, Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek took the opportunity to use the memorializing moment to attack Israel for the war against Hamas in Gaza this past summer.
by Adelle Nazarian30 Jan 2015, 7:33 AM PST0