NSA PROGRAMS ALLEGEDLY HELPED FOIL A BOMB PLOT TARGETING THE NY STOCK EXCHANGE *

THAT'S WHAT THE DEPUTY FBI DIR TOLD A HOUSE INTEL CMTE ON TUES *

THE NSA'S CHIEF SAYS THE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS HAVE HELPED PREVENT MORE THAN 50 POTENTIAL TERROR ATTACKS SINCE 9/11 *

WHISTLEBLOWER EDWARD SNOWDEN LEAKED INFO ON THE ONCE-SECRET PROGRAMS TO THE MEDIA TWO WKS AGO *

FOUR U.S. TROOPS KILLED IN AN ATTACK ON BAGRAM AIR BASE IN AFGHANISTAN *

THE TALIBAN IS CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY *

TUESDAY'S ATTACK CAME JUST HOURS AFTER THE GROUP ANNOUNCED IT WOULD HOLD FORMAL TALKS WITH THE U.S. *

AFGHAN PRES HAMID KARZAI IS PROTESTING THE NEGOTIATIONS BY SUSPENDING HIS OWN TALKS WITH THE U.S. *

SEN CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA) SAYS THE IRS IS ABOUT TO PAY $70 MIL IN EMPLOYEE BONUSES *

THAT'S DESPITE A WH DIRECTIVE TO CANCEL DISCRETIONARY BONUSES BECAUSE OF AUTOMATIC SPENDING CUTS, ACCORDING TO THE GOP SEN *

THE IRS SAYS IT'S NEGOTIATING WITH THE EMPLOYEES' UNION OVER THE MATTER *

PRES OBAMA SAYS IT'S NO SURPRISE THERE'S FRICTION IN EARLY EFFORTS TO LAUNCH PEACE TALKS BETWEEN THE TALIBAN AND AFGHANISTAN'S GOVT *

OBAMA SAYS THE TALIBAN AND THE AFGHAN GOVT DISTRUST EACH OTHER AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING *

OBAMA SAYS EVEN THOUGH THE WAR IS STILL ONGOING, THERE MUST BE A PARALLEL TRACK TO POLITICAL RECONCILIATION *

OBAMA SAYS ONLY AFGHANS CAN DECIDE WHETHER THE RECONCILIATION PROCESS CAN START WHILE THE WAR IS CONTINUING *

AL QAEDA-LINKED AL-SHABAB TERROR GROUP ATTACK ON THE MAIN UN COMPOUND IN SOMALIA ENDS *

OFFICIALS SAY TERRORISTS DETONATED MULTIPLE BOMBS AND BREACHED THE COMPOUND IN MOGADISHU, SPARKING GUN BATTLES WITH SECURITY FORCES THAT KILLED AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE *

OFFICIALS SAY ALL UN PERSONNEL WHO REACHED THE COMPOUND'S SECURE BUNKER SURVIVED *

AL-SHABAB EARLIER CLAIMED THAT IT WAS IN CONTROL OF THE COMPOUND *

FORMER INVESTIGATORS OF THE TWA FLIGHT 800 CRASH OFF LONG ISLAND ARE CALLING ON THE NTSB TO RE-EXAMINE THE CASE *

RETIRED INVESTIGATORS CLAIM THAT FINDINGS WERE "FALSIFIED" *

NTSB CONCLUDED FLIGHT 800 WAS DESTROYED BY A CENTER FUEL TANK EXPLOSION, LIKELY CAUSED BY A SPARK FROM A SHORT-CIRCUIT IN THE PLANE'S WIRING *

1996 CRASH OF THE PARIS-BOUND FLIGHT KILLED 230 PEOPLE *

JAPAN'S NUCLEAR WATCHDOG FORMALLY APPROVES A SET OF NEW SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS *

MOVE PAVES THE WAY FOR THE REOPENING OF FACILITIES SHUT DOWN SINCE THE FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI DISASTER *

ALL BUT TWO OF JAPAN'S 50 REACTORS HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN SINCE THE MARCH 2011 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI TRIGGERED MELTDOWNS AND RADIATION LEAKS AT FUKUSHIMA, LOCATED ABOUT 160 MILES NORTHEAST OF TOKYO *

FBI TO CONTINUE DIGGING TODAY IN SUBURBAN DETROIT FOR THE REMAINS OF FORMER TEAMSTERS LEADER JIMMY HOFFA *

AUTHORITIES HAVE PURSUED MULTIPLE LEADS INTO HOFFA'S WHEREABOUTS SINCE HIS DISAPPEARANCE 38 YEARS AGO *

LATEST TIP CAME FROM REPUTED MAFIA CAPTAIN TONY ZERILLI, WHO SAYS HOFFA WAS BURIED BENEATH A CONCRETE SLAB IN A BARN IN OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, NORTH OF DETROIT *

OTHER THEORIES ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF HOFFA'S REMAINS HAVE SUGGESTED HE WAS ENTOMBED IN CONCRETE AT GIANTS STADIUM IN NJ, GROUND UP AND THROWN IN A FL SWAMP OR OBLITERATED IN A MOB-OWNED FAT-RENDERING PLANT *

UN REFUGEE AGENCY SAYS SYRIA'S CIVIL WAR HELPED PUSH THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES AND THOSE DISPLACED BY CONFLICT WITHIN THEIR OWN NATIONS TO AN 18-YEAR HIGH OF 45.2 MIL LAST YEAR *

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 18 ACCOUNT FOR 46% OF REFUGEES WORLDWIDE *

ADVISER TO PALESTINIAN PRES MAHMOUD ABBAS' FATAH MOVEMENT SAYS HE WANTS ABBAS TO STICK TO LONG-STANDING DEMANDS FOR RESUMING TALKS WITH ISRAEL *

ABBAS HAS SAID HE CAN'T NEGOTIATE UNLESS ISRAEL STOPS BUILDING IN SETTLEMENTS OR ACCEPTS ITS 1967 FRONTIER AS A STARTING POINT FOR BORDER TALKS *

ISRAEL HAS REJECTED THOSE DEMANDS *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY IS EXPECTED IN THE REGION NEXT WEEK TO TRY TO RESTART TALKS, WHICH BROKE OFF IN 2008 *

INDIA'S PRIME MIN MANMOHAN SINGH SAYS THE DEATH TOLL FROM FLOODING THIS WEEK IN THE NORTHERN STATE OF UTTRAKHAND HAD SURPASSED 100 AND COULD RISE SUBSTANTIALLY *

OFFICIALS SAY NEARLY 12,000 HINDU PILGRIMS STRANDED IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA BY MONSOON RAINS AND LANDSLIDES HAVE BEEN EVACUATED, ADDING NEARLY 63,000 PEOPLE REMAIN CUT OFF *

FLOODING IS AN ANNUAL OCCURRENCE IN INDIA, WHICH DEPENDS ON MONSOON RAINS TO SUSTAIN AGRICULTURE *

HOWEVER, SOME AREAS HAVE RECEIVED 14 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PAST WEEK, NEARLY FIVE TIMES THE AVERAGE FOR THE TIME PERIOD *

MEXICAN AUTHORITIES IN THE RESORT CITY OF PLAYA DEL CARMEN ARREST A FORMER UNIV PROFESSOR WHO WAS ON THE FBI'S MOST WANTED LIST *

64-YR-OLD WALTER LEE WILLIAMS IS WANTED ON CHARGES OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN AND TRAVELING ABROAD FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACTS WITH KIDS *

FED ARREST WARRANT WAS ISSUED FOR WILLIAMS IN APRIL *

UNTIL 2011, HE WAS A TENURED PROFESSOR AT THE UNIV OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHERE HIS FIELD OF STUDY WAS GENDER DEVELOPMENT *