Reports that Russia has opened a new front in the war in eastern Ukraine Thursday between pro-Russia separatists and the new government of President Petro Poroshenko have led to widespread condemnation.

U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking to reporters in Washington, said Russia’s actions are leaving it isolated from the international community.

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Obama said he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and both leaders agreed Russia must face consequences for its actions.

“We agree — if there was ever any doubt — that Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine,” Obama said. “The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatists are trained by Russia, they are armed by Russia, they are funded by Russia.”

“Russia has repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territory of Ukraine,” he added.

Obama stopped short of calling it an invasion, and said that a military action from the West is not on the table.

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Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas announced Tuesday that a “lasting” ceasefire deal had been reached with Israel to end the seven-week-long conflict in Gaza. An Israeli official confirmed that a truce deal had been reached.

“We announce the Palestinian leadership’s agreement to Egypt’s call for a comprehensive and lasting truce, beginning at 7pm (4pm GMT) today,” Abbas said in a televised address at the start of a leadership meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

An Israeli official confirmed that a deal on an “unlimited” truce had been reached.

“Israel has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a complete and unlimited-in-time ceasefire. Israel accepted already the Egyptian proposal on July 15. Israel has always supported an unconditional, open-ended ceasefire,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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French President Francois Hollande dissolves government over feud.

French President Francois Hollande dissolved the government on Monday after an open feud in his Cabinet over the country’s stagnant economy.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls offered up his Socialist government’s resignation after accusing the economy minister of crossing a line with his blunt criticism of the government’s policies. Hollande accepted the resignation and ordered Valls to form a new government by Tuesday.

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This is not about Furguson, look at the bigger picture, what do you think will happen when the government checks stop? By the 3rd or 4th of the month, with no food, no cigarettes, and the rent not paid, there will be rioting and looting in every state in the country. Where I live, you can’t get into the Post office, the Grocery store or the Liquor store on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and depending on how the weekend falls the 4th and 5th day of each month……If you are employed and pay your own bills, prepare to defend even lifes little things like water and your shelter, and if you depend on the Government for EVERYTHING you need to survive, be prepared to accept the consequences for your actions while in search of food, shelter!!

Document: Army preparing to use lethal force against “unarmed civilians” during “full scale riots” in U.S.

A document released by the U.S. Army details preparations for “full scale riots” within the United States during which troops may be forced to engage in a “lethal response” to deal with unruly crowds of demonstrators. The appearance of the document amidst growing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, with the National Guard now being called in to deal with the disorder, is an ominous coincidence. The 132-page document, titled U.S. Army Techniques Publication 3-39.33: Civil Disturbances (PDF), was written in April 2014 and recently obtained by Public Intelligence. The document makes it clear that the techniques detailed therein are to be applied both outside and inside the “continental United States (CONUS)” in the event of “unruly and violent crowds” where it is “necessary to quell riots and restore public order.

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Beloved actor Robin Williams was found dead on Monday, police reported.

He was 63.

The apparent cause of death was suicide by asphyxiation, authorities said. According to his publicist, Williams had been battling severe depression and spent time in rehab as recently as July.

Police said that Williams was found unconscious around noon in his home in Tiburon, California, near San Francisco.

Williams was best known for his starring roles in classic comedies like “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Jumanji,” but also in acclaimed dramas such as “Dead Poets Society.” He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dr. Sean Maguire in “Good Will Hunting.” He rose to fame while playing Mork the alien in the TV show “Mork & Mindy,” a “Happy Days” spinoff.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – A prominent CNN commentator, the top two political reporters for The Huffington Post, a Reuters reporter, the editor of The Nation magazine, a producer for Al Jazeera America television, a U.S. News & World Report columnist, and approximately two dozen Huffington Post contributors are among the more than 1,000 members of Gamechanger Salon.

top secretFounded by leftwing activist Billy Wimsatt, the group is a secretive digital gathering of writers, opinion leaders, activists and political hands who share information, ideas and strategy via a closed Google group.

The group’s existence was discovered by Media Trackers through an open records request filed with a University of Wisconsin professor who happened to be a member of the network.

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) quietly changed regulations to allow more undocumented immigrants to keep their taxpayer status through a program that is rife with fraud and abuse, and to delay deactivation of immigrant taxpayer status until 2016.

The IRS now prevents peoples’ Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) from automatically expiring after five years as previously mandated. Now immigrants can keep their ITIN so long as they pay taxes at least once in a five-year period.

IRS loophole for illegals’ children costs taxpayers billions

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The situation in Gaza explained with a map by lemondefr

Israel withdrew its last forces from Gaza on Tuesday, as a 72-hour ceasefire between the country and Palestinian militants went into effect. Nearly 2,000 people have lost their lives in a month of fighting, a majority of them civilians.

The violence in Gaza can be painstakingly difficult to comprehend, both on an emotional level and from a historical perspective. The French newspaper Le Monde therefore created a video with an illustrative map of the Gaza Strip and its surrounding that puts the current round of fighting into context.

The video, translated into English, explains key aspects of Gaza’s history, geography, economical situation and political scene, as well as its relations with Israel.

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