Afghan women on the march
John Kerry / Politico
Secretary of State John Kerry discusses the role that a woman in Afghanistan, Roya Mahboob, is playing in shaping the country’s future.

Shell’s World-First Floating LNG Plant Coming Together in Leaps and Bounds
Energy Tribune
Shell is building the world’s first floating LNG plant off at Samsung’s Geoje Island shipyard in South Korea. It will displace the need for gas pipelines and onshore processing facilities.

Typhoon relief effort boosts U.S. soft power in Asia region
CNN
The USS George Washington is leading Operation Damayan, a relief effort for the Philippines after the recent natural disaster. Such actions are likely to boost US soft power in the region.

Amid Nuclear Talks, Iran Pushes Diplomacy Online
NPR
Iran has websites and twitter accounts in English in an effort to win over a Western audience over its nuclear program.

Top Syrian rebel commander Abdul Qadir al-Saleh dies
BBC
Abdul Qadir Al-Saleh, leader of Liwa al-Tahwid, died after sustaining injuries in an air-strike.

More storms like Typhoon Haiyan may finally make our leaders act on climate change
Jeffrey D. Sachs / Washington Post
Despite the millions that oil and gas lobbies have spent on covering the truth about climate change,  more natural disasters like Typhoon Haiyan may cause the public to wake up and demand action on climate change.

Obama to update Senate leaders on Iran talks on Tuesday
Reuters
President Obama will meet with Senators from both sides of the aisle ahead of a meeting in Geneva with Iran and six major world powers.

Merkel: Trust With Us Needs To Be Rebuilt
AP
Recent allegations that the NSA had wiretapped the German Chancellor’s personal phone has created a rift in US-German relations.

U.S.-Afghan security pact hits impasse as time runs out
Reuters
The issue of whether foreign troops can search Afghan houses after NATO’s mission ends next year has created an impasse between US and Afghan leaders as they seek to create a security pact.

Hagel Scolds Strategic Command for Recent Behavior Lapses
National Journal
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel criticized the military’s nuclear weapons command for recent behavioral lapses.

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