New flagpoles in Iran spark rumors of clandestine satellite jamming technology

Afghanistan presses Pakistan on Taliban releases

In Sinai: The Uprising of the Bedouin

UN’s Palestine vote divides Western allies

Following the UN vote recognizing Palestinian statehood, Israel said it would build new settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The government authorized the construction of 3,000 new homes and ordered preliminary work for thousands more.

Syrian fighting rages as rebels push for Damascus breakthough

Militant leader in Syria seeks Islamic state, says his men do not fear death

Fighting continued around the Damascus airport. The government said the route to the airport had been reopened, but the airport remained closed. The Internet outage continued for a second day.

Mursi takes on judges in battle over Egypt’s future

Tens of thousands of demonstrators returned to Cairo’s Tahrir Square for a third day. Demonstrators protested against a new draft constitution as well as President Morsi’s new powers.

Turkey lifts headscarf ban in religious schools

Government forces launched over 15 operations against the Kurdistan Communities Union, the alleged urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), detaining at least 87 people and arresting 34, including the deputy mayor of Iğdır province. Turkish forces killed eight PKK militants in Hakkari.

The Foreign Ministry called on Libyan citizens living abroad to refrain from attacking Libyan embassies. The 12 alleged homosexuals picked up by an Islamist militia are said to have suffered injuries at the hands of the militia.

Mali Islamists whip unmarried couples in public

Mali” Ansar Dine plays double game

Last week, Ansar Dine sent reinforcements to fight Tuareg rebels in Gao; the move was in violation of an agreement with ECOWAS. The African Union urged the UN to move immediately and approve military intervention against Islamist fighters in northern Mali.

Military action against al Qaida-linked extremists in Mali unlikely for months

Muslim Brotherhood Powers Through Opposition in Egypt

Israeli Success in Downing Hamas Rockets Has World’s Attention

Abubakar Shekau said he and his fighters support jihad in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Algeria, Libya, and Mali.

Defense Secretary Panetta said al Qaeda “continues to show up” in Afghanistan, where it is “looking for some kind of capability,” and that the US will continue to wage a counterterrorism mission against al Qaeda in Afghanistan after 2014. The Senate approved the imposition of new sanctions on Iran, to be added to the annual US defense bill.

Forgotten past: In the throes of neglect, Swat’s Buddhist heritage continues to crumble

Syria rebels using children in battle: HRW

Afghan Clerics Want Power To Issue Legally Binding Fatwas

Qatar sentences poet to life in prison for criticizing emir

US drones killed three “militants” in a strike in South Waziristan; the strike is the first in Pakistan in 36 days. Mullah Nazir was wounded in a suicide attack in Wana in South Waziristan; six people were killed in the blast.

Sweden too slow to counter terror: agency

The Taliban killed 10 civilians in a bus bombing in Uruzgan, four civilians in an IED attack in Ghazni, and one child in a bombing in Khost. Three Taliban fighters in Zabul reconciled with the government.
