Shinwari tribal elders in eastern Afghanistan have complained to the central government in Kabul, about the increase of Islamic State (IS/ISIL/ISIS) militants in their communities, who are grabbing land and displacing the population.  Tribal leaders in eastern Nangarhar province have said that Islamic State (IS) militants have grabbed some land, and the people of the province are now being victimized by a war run by foreign spy agencies.

I don't talk about politics much here on the Slope of Hope, but it's a topic I find of great interest. Since 2016 is a U.S. Presidential election year, we're going to be absolutely buried in news, debates, advertisements, attacks, counter-attacks, and hip-deep in B.S.

I think the result of the election is actually pretty straightforward, since its outcome is dependent on the state of the world around us. From my point of view:

Official Washington’s neocon/liberal-hawk establishment is working itself into another lather over Iran, this time by hyping fears about a ballistic missile program as another backdoor way to sabotage the Iran-nuclear agreement, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar explains. By Paul R. Pillar There are several important things to understand about ballistic missiles and Iran, beyond the…

Outspoken UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who has received numerous death threats during his tenure as a European parliamentarian, spoke for the first time last night about being the victim of an assassination attempt after his car was sabotaged, causing a terrifying motorway crash. As The Daily Mail reports, Farage careered off a French road after a wheel on his Volvo came loose while he was driving from Brussels back to his home in Kent.

The Russian Navy’s new Lada-class ‘black hole’ submarine far exceeds its predecessor and can operate unnoticed beneath the waves due to its stealth capabilities. It is built by the Admiraty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia. The new sub is much quieter, has new and advanced combat systems and comes with an air-independent propulsion system. The submarine is designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, defense of naval bases, seashore and sea lanes, as well as for conducting reconnaissance.