Fighter jets escorted a London-to-Washington, D.C., flight to Boston's Logan airport Wednesday after the pilot declared an emergency because an apparently claustrophobic passenger caused a disturbance, a federal official said.The federal security official said there was no indication of terrorism and denied reports that the woman had a screwdriver, matches and a note referring to al-Qaeda.The female passenger aboard United Flight 923 said she was claustrophobic and became very upset and got into some kind of confrontation with the flight crew, said George Naccara, federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration for Massachusetts' airport.The disturbance — coming just a week after authorities in London said they foiled a terror plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights — was enough to concern the pilot to issue an alert, which activated two fighter jets to escort the flight into Logan, Naccara said.... http://www.usatoday.com censor News |
Editor - 08:01:00 08-16-06 |
Bombings Kill at Least 19 in Baghdad |
Bombs killed at least 19 people in the Iraqi capital Wednesday, as British troops drove off dozens of gunmen who laid siege to the governor's office in the southern city of Basra, apparently to avenge a tribal leader killed the day before. In Baghdad, deputy Health Minister Adel Muhsin said about 3,500 Iraqis died last month in sectarian or political violence nationwide. Muhsin said he had no comparative figures for other months but added that the July figure was the highest monthly tally of the war. Last week, the ministry said about 1,500 violent deaths were reported in the Baghdad area alone in July. Eight people, most of them day laborers waiting for work, were killed when a bomb exploded about 11:10 a.m. in the Nahda district, ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6019003,00.html
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Editor - 08:00:00 08-16-06 |
In Western Iraq, Insurgency Is Gaining In Anbar province, U.S. acknowledges struggle against insurgents for the allegiance of Iraqis |
In the dusty plains of western Iraq, al-Qaida is gaining strength. Daily attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces are on the rise, and there is little sign of progress in persuading the population to support the national government. U.S. commanders acknowledge they are locked in struggle with insurgents for the allegiance of Iraq's youth."We're in a recruiting war with the insurgency," said Brig. Gen. Robert Neller, the deputy Marine commander in western Iraq.U.S. commanders have said privately that a military solution to the insurgency in Anbar is impossible, and what's needed is a political deal between the Sunni Arabs and the other religious and ethnic communities."This country needs a political solution _ not a military solution," one government worker told Marines who stopped by his home in Haditha. "Are we going to stay in this situation where you shoot them, they shoot you? We are the victims."... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/16/ap/world/mainD8JHI3P00.shtml
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Editor - 07:58:00 08-16-06 |
Britain Preparing to Pardon 306 Men Executed for Desertion or Cowardice During World War I |
"I cannot stand it." With those words, Pvt. Harry Farr refused to return to the trenches in 1916, and sealed his fate to be executed as a deserter. Ninety years later, the British government is preparing to pardon Farr and 305 other men who were hauled before firing squads in World War I for desertion or cowardice after summary trials. Britain is now formally acknowledging that many of the men succumbed to shell-shock from the horrors of trench warfare and the relentless roar of artillery. "The circumstances were terrible, and I believe it is better to acknowledge that injustices were clearly done in some cases, even if we cannot say which and to acknowledge that all these men were victims of war," Defense Secretary Des Browne said. John Hipkin, a retired teacher who founded the pressure group Shot at Dawn, said the government had relented in the face of three lawsuits brought by families.... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2319278
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Editor - 07:53:00 08-16-06 |
General to rule on Iraq rape case in September |
A U.S. general will decide next month whether to court-martial four U.S. soldiers for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the killing of her family in March, a U.S. military spokeswoman said on Wednesday. A U.S. military court in Baghdad that heard the rape case this month is reviewing the court documents and will submit its recommendations to Major General Thomas Turner, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, the spokeswoman said."The investigative officers are reviewing the case and have 30 days to put forward their recommendations," said Major Josslyn Aberle. "Major General Thomas Turner is the courts martial convening authority," she said.The Article 32 hearing -- the military's equivalent of a U.S. grand jury -- finished on August 10.... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060816/ts_nm/iraq_usa_dc
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Editor - 07:51:00 08-16-06 |
Israeli troops 'could be in southern Lebanon for months' |
Israel's military chief today said it could be months before Israeli troops left southern Lebanon if an international force did not arrive to take their place soon.Dan Halutz, the armed forces chief of staff, said the Israel Defence Force would stay in occupied areas until the 15,000-strong Unifil peacekeeping force could come in to prevent Hizbullah guerrillas from taking control."The deployment of Unifil troops in south Lebanon is likely to take several months," he told a parliamentary committee. "It is not clear exactly how many. Until then, IDF forces will be forced to stay in the field."He warned that the withdrawal would stop altogether is the Lebanese army was not deployed to control the border region within days... http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1851501,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
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Editor - 07:46:00 08-16-06 |
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post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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