Victoria Nuland in a bugged phone conversation with Geoffrey Pyat (US ambassador to Ukraine) has clearly shown intrusion into Ukraine's internal affairs by a USA diplomat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv7qy7jot30). Her conduct is contributing to destabilization within the country and escalation of violence which is claiming lives. Foreign interference heavily contributed to civil war in former Yugoslavia 20 years ago, which resulted in 140,000 deaths. Let's not repeat this mistake again, let Ukraine fix internal issues on their own.

vENEZUELA AN ITS PEOPLE NEED THE SUPPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO STOP THE cASTROS FROM CONTROLLING OUR COUNTRY (I AM A VENEZUELAN BORN US CITIZEN). CUBA OR THE CASTROS WITH THE WEALTH OF VENEZUELA CAN DO MUCH HARM IN OTHER LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES. THE STRATEGIC POSITION OF VENEZUELA IN THE NORTHERN OF SOUTH AMERICA IS OF THE GREATEST IMPORTANCE AS WELL AS IT NATURAL RESOURCES SUCH AS OIL, IRON, GOLD, DIAMOND, BAUXITE, ETC.

Have you heard? Our government is negotiating a pact with Afghanistan that could keep U.S. soldiers on the ground there through 2024. It's beyond time to bring our troops home and finally end the war in Afghanistan. I've proposed bipartisan legislation that calls for a simple standard: Congress must approve any troop presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014. Tell the White House: Without a new authorization from Congress, our troops must come home by the end of 2014. Afghanistan has already been our nation's longest war, even though we long ago achieved the original mission. Rather than commit to another decade, let's end the war. Sign my petition: It's time to bring our men and women in uniform home from Afghanistan. Let Congress vote. Senator Jeff Merkley

Last November, the United States and our partners in the international community reached a breakthrough agreement with Iran that allows negotiations to begin that can remove from Iran the ability to covertly obtain a nuclear weapon without resorting to military action.  The six-month deal provides unprecedented daily access to nuclear facilities in Iran, while halting or reversing important components of their current nuclear program. In exchange, the United States will provide limited and immediately revocable relief from some sanctions that leaves in place existing severe restrictions on their oil and banking industries.  Some will argue that we cannot trust Iran — but we do not need to trust Iran to choose to give these negotiations a real chance. Any final agreement will provide the U.S. and our partners with unprecedented access to their nuclear program to prove, on a daily basis, that their intentions are purely benign. If Iran walks away from the negotiating table in bad faith, then the Senate should debate new sanctions. But now, let’s give the Obama Administration and their partners the room to work out a peaceful resolution to this long-festering crisis before voting on any additional sanctions or other efforts that would undermine diplomacy.

The yearly joint military exercises between US and South Korea have created escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula Last year there was a sharp increase in tension between South and North Korea with the North Koreans readying missiles for launch and the US sending nuclear capable B-2 Stealth Bombers. The North Korean government has sent an open letter last month asking for cancellation of the 2014 joint US-South Korea military exercises. Although the US and South Korea claim these exercises are "defensive" in nature, It simply defies logic. South Korea spends three times as much on their military than North Korea. US spends more on their military than the rest of the world combined. Who should be on the defensive? President Obama. Please stop the militarization of the Korean peninsula and start a diplomatic process by cancelling the exercises and use the opportunity to find a peaceful solution.

Iran and the middle east are extremely important to the interests of the U.S. and the rest of the world. We have finally gotten a significant breakthrough in diplomacy and we must continue--it is the only real alternative to military action as the primary tool for guiding foreign policy.

Tsunami of Human Rights Violations in Balochistan, as revealed by the unearthing of mass grave in Tootak area of Khuzdar.

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, provides, in Article 19, that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Our ineffective, decades-old broken relationship with Cuba is a result of the Cold War, where Cuban government was responsible for allowing Russians to invade their government and place missiles there. Our government continues this relationship and embargo on Cuba with no purpose, denying Americans the right to travel to Cuba, and allowing for 11 million Cubans, our next-door-neighbors to be persecuted by their government. Cuba is the second worst offender of unjust imprisonments, behind China. China? China is the worst offender of unjust imprisonments and yet our very intimate trading partner. Why do we keep Cuba on the list of terrorist countries just for a decade-old grudge initiated by the Russian government? If we really wanted to prevent terrorism in (or from) Cuba, we would begin the process of fixing the relationship and end the embargo to truly impact and end the government regime in Cuba. Opening trade with Cuba would guarantee not only freedoms for Cubans, but would also benefit both countries' economies, as Cuba has resources like Cuban tobacco, sugar, and Cuban coffee, which are resources that we lack. We must denounce the government, not the people of Cuba. By taking these steps to normalize relations with Cuba, we would have more influence on the country, and could pressure the government to change, or encourage the people to begin their fight for freedom. But we must first open the door...

President Obama is trying to negotiate a peaceful solution to Iran’s nuclear program, but a bill introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) forcing devastating new sanctions against Iran could undermine those negotiations and result in military action. Even worse: 58 other senators—including 15 other Democrats—have joined with Menendez by co-sponsoring his bill. Right now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is stopping this bill from passing. As majority leader, he has prevented this bill from coming to a vote on the floor of the Senate—effectively keeping negotiations alive and keeping war off the table for now. Sign the petition from Daily Kos, the Nation, USAction, Code Pink and Win Without War telling Harry Reid: Thank you for standing strong against pro-war senators. Please continue to stand strong and we’ll have your back.

We appreciate that President Obama has opened the door part way for travel to Cuba. His remarks in Miami in November suggest he is preparing to take the next step: “we have to be creative. And we have to be thoughtful. And we have to continue to update our policies” Ten days later Secretary of State Kerry, speaking to the Inter-American Dialog at the hall of the Organization of American States, added specificity: “We are committed to this human interchange, and in the United States we believe that our people are actually our best ambassadors. They are ambassadors of our ideals, of our values, of our beliefs.” One year ago Cuba gave greater freedom of travel to it citizens than Americans possess when it abolished rules requiring government authorization to come to the US. The President has the power by granting general licenses to enable non-tourist purposeful travel (with no application required) for every organization, travel agent and tour operator, as well as for individual Americans who cannot afford or do not like group tours or who wish to make additional trips independently for professional or personal reasons. This is the same freedom he has already given to Cuban Americans, universities and religious organizations. By extending it to the rest of us, President Obama will embrace the convictions of two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of Cuban Americans, and liberate US policy from control by a diminishing minority. [for further background: http://thehavananote.com/2013/12/maximizing_potential_travel ]

The New Jersey Coalition For Fair Elections in El Salvador was started by members of Pax Christi, several prominent Labor Unions and concerned citizens to advocate for neutrality in the upcoming Feb 2, 2014 elections in El Salvador.

Christians rejoicing in the streets and happy that gays are being imprisoned for life, beaten to death, burned in street and murdered. For no other reason but they are gay.