Headlines:

• Jim Rogers; America must prepare for Financial Armageddon
• Global food crisis could hit very soon, according to food policy group
• Military intervention in Syria will lead to catastrophe - Lavrov, Russia' Foreign Minister
• Afghanistan: Since June 2012 more US soldiers have died from f suicide than active combat
• Kayani plays with words to conceal America's involvement in the upcoming operation in North Waziristan

Details:

Jim Rogers; America must prepare for Financial Armageddon:

In a riveting interview on CNBC, legendary investor Jim Rogers warned Americans to prepare for "Financial Armageddon," saying he fully expects the economy to implode after the U.S. election. Rogers, who for years has been an outspoken critic of the Feds policies of "Quantitative Easing," says the world is "drowning in too much debt." He put the blame squarely on U.S. and European governments for abusing their "license to print money." In the U.S. alone, the national debt has surged to nearly $16 trillion, that's more than $50,000 for every American man, woman and child. "[They] need to stop spending money they don't have," Rogers said. "The solution to too much debt is not more debt... What would make me very excited is if a few people [in the government] went bankrupt..." Rogers added.

Global food crisis could hit very soon, according to food policy group:

A global food crisis could hit very soon as corn crops in the U.S., the world's largest corn producer, have struggled due to extreme drought, the International Food Policy Research Institute told Bloomberg. Governments should act immediately to fix the problem, Shenggen Fan director-general of the institute, told Bloomberg. The U.S. should end its biofuel program that uses 40 percent of the nation's corn output, he told Bloomberg. Corn is used in everything from sweeteners to food to livestock feed. Corn prices jumped to a record $8.49 a bushel on Aug. 10 and are up 57 percent since June 15, according to Bloomberg. The increase helped push up global food inflation 6.2 percent in July from the previous month, the biggest jump since November 2009, as tracked by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. "The major problem is policy," Fan told Bloomberg. "Biofuel production has to be stopped. That actually pushed global food prices higher and many poor people, particularly women and children, have suffered."

Military intervention in Syria will lead to catastrophe - Lavrov, Russia' Foreign Minister:

Military action in Syria will lead to catastrophe, Russia's Foreign Minister has said. Russia opposes US demands for a no-fly zone over Syria, he said, adding that the solution to the ongoing conflict is the Geneva accord peace plan. The international community reached an agreement in Geneva in June calling for a transitional government in Syria to bring an end to ongoing and bloody conflict in the country. Different interpretations of the document began to emerge shortly after the accord was adopted, with Washington insisting that the document required that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leave power. Moscow contested this interpretation, saying the document made no such claim. "Statements, saying the document [Geneva accord] is as good as dead imply that someone seeks a pretext for military intervention. This is worrying as it can only lead to catastrophe in the region," Lavrov said in an interview with Sky News Arabic. Any proposal that stipulates the disarmament of only one party in the conflict was "unrealistic," he said, adding that "Such proposals are aimed at regime change and not at curtailing the conflict and saving Syrian lives." Russia does not support the Assad regime, but rather works in the interest of the Syrian people and regards ending the ongoing violence in the country as its priority, Lavrov said. Moscow also rejects the imposition of any no-fly zone over Syria as a violation of Syrian sovereignty, he said, referencing recent statements by Washington. Washington and Ankara are reviewing all possible measures to help rebels overthrow the embattled Assad government, including the implementation of a no-fly zone, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on August 12. "We do not feel isolated because of our stance on Syria, on the contrary we maintain political dialogue with everyone," Lavrov said, arguing that there is no single Arab country that would regard Russia as isolated.

Afghanistan: Since June 2012 more US soldiers have died from f suicide than active combat:

The U.S. Army just released this past month's suicide numbers. There were 38 potential suicides for the month of July, 26 occurring among active-duty soldiers and the remaining 12 suicides among the reserve and Guard components. These numbers, the highest reported by the U.S. Army since IAVA started tracking in January 2009, tragically underscore that despite the best efforts of the military, we still have a long battle against suicide ahead of us. So far, the Army has reported 187 total potential suicides in 2012. This includes 116 potential active-duty suicides and 71 among the reserve components. According to the Navy Times, one suicide is occurring every 27 hours. The Pentagon allocates $2 billion from its budget to mental health, nearly 4% of its annual $53 billion medical bill, but as of June 2012, more U.S. military personnel have died by suicide (2,676) since the war in Afghanistan began than have died fighting there (1,950).

Kayani plays with words to conceal America's involvement in the upcoming operation in North Waziristan

Ruling out joint operations with US forces in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency (NWA) tribal region, army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has made it clear that if necessary an operation could be undertaken by the country's own forces after making a decision on the basis of national interest and without any outside pressure. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Kayani conveyed the categorical standpoint during a meeting last night with General James N Mattis, Commander US CENTCOM during which both sides discussed matters of mutual interest at length, according to a military statement Friday. "COAS clearly reiterated Pakistan's oft repeated perspective: we might, if necessary, undertake operations in NWA, in the time frame of our choosing and determined only by our political and military requirements. It will never be a result of any outside pressure. Pakistan's national interest continues to be the prime consideration for any decision in this regard," said the statement. He "categorically dispelled the speculative reporting in US media, regarding understanding given to General John Allen, Commander ISAF about Pakistan Army's readiness to launch joint operations in North Waziristan Agency (NWA)," said the statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations. The COAS clarified Pakistan's position by referring to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement on July 3, 2012, in which she talked of "coordinated actions against terrorists who threaten Pakistan and the region." He pointed out that It is important to distinguish between ‘coordinated action' and ‘joint operation.' Coordinated action implies that Pakistan Army and ISAF conduct operation on respective sides of Pak-Afghan Border. For such actions, intelligence sharing is the mainstay of mutual cooperation. Contrarily a ‘joint operation' implies that the two forces are physically employed jointly on either side of the border. A ‘joint operation' in this sense "is unacceptable to the people and Armed Forces of Pakistan, hence, has always been our clearly stated red line," General Kayani stressed. The statement said both sides expressed satisfaction over the level of cooperation between the two militaries and resolved to continue it to further improve relations between the two countries. The clear-cut reiteration of Pakistani position by Kayani came amid a debate in the country following US media reports of an understanding on joint operations and a statement by Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta, that Pakistani military was set to launch an operation in NWA soon. The Foreign Office on Thursday also said no foreign troops would be allowed to operate on Pakistani territory. US has been demanding military action to neutralise sanctuaries of militants in North Waziristan, especially the Haqqani network blamed for attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan.