Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced an inquiry Monday into the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, hoping to dispel criticism that the army and government bungled the campaign but falling short of demands for an independent probe with the authority to dismiss top officials.The decision was likely to further enrage critics who say that Olmert and other top officials should be the focus of the investigation, not overseeing it."We don't have the luxury to invest years examining the past. What we need is a businesslike, professional investigation that gets to the root of the problem quickly," Olmert said in a speech in the northern city of Haifa, where he spoke to leaders of communities damaged by Hezbollah rockets.He also said he did not want to put the army in a position of "self-flagellation."... http://www.usatoday.com censor News |
Editor - 12:43:00 08-28-06 |
Karr's Confession Collapses No DNA Match, No JonBenet Charges Against Suspect |
DNA from John Mark Karr does not match the DNA samples taken from the crime scene in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case, CBS News Denver affiliate KCNC reports. As a result of the finding, charges against Karr will not be filed, CBS News has learned. Previous reports say samples of Karr's saliva and hair were taken in Boulder after his arrival on Thursday. Those samples were tested over the weekend inside the Denver Police Department's Crime lab. Earlier Monday, an attorney for Karr demanded that the state turn over all evidence related to DNA in the 1996 case Monday, just a few hours ahead of Karr first Colorado court appearance. Among other things, Seth Temin's court filing asked for a clear description of any biological evidence, including how much is left and how it is being stored... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/28/national/main1941420.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1941420
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Editor - 12:15:00 08-28-06 |
Shi'ite militia and Iraqi troops in fierce clashes |
At least 20 Iraqi soldiers were killed in street fighting with Shi'ite militiamen in the town of Diwaniya on Monday, some of the bloodiest clashes yet among rival factions in Shi'ite Muslim southern Iraq. Further underlining the deadly challenges facing the 100-day-old national unity government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a suicide car bomber in Baghdad killed 13 policemen and wounded 62 other people outside the Interior Ministry.Maliki has vowed to disarm all militias, including those of fellow Shi'ite Islamists with seats in the coalition cabinet. But U.S.-trained government forces face an uphill task.The Defense Ministry, local officials and the Mehdi Army of populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gave conflicting accounts of battles overnight and into the day in Diwaniya, a normally placid provincial capital, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad.... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060828/ts_nm/iraq_dc
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Editor - 11:04:00 08-28-06 |
Tough streets await Iraq's NATO-trained cadets |
The proud mothers tossed candies, the passing-out band played martial music and the officer cadets swore allegiance to the national flag. But commanders at the NATO-supervised military academy in Baghdad, modeled on Britain's Sandhurst, said nothing can prepare the newly graduated soldiers for Iraq's mean streets. "No military doctrine in the world says you are going to face terrorists in your neighborhoods, streets and houses. Iraq is absolutely unique," said Brigadier Imad Mohammed, director of Baghdad's Rustamiya military academy. "Our cadets are going to face a situation that cannot be expressed in military language. They will have to learn it in their daily life. I cannot bluff and say they are completely trained," he said. Outside the academy's walls, two dozen Iraqi soldiers were killed on Monday in fierce street fighting with Shi'ite militiamen in the city of Diwaniya in some of the bloodiest clashes yet among rival factions in Shi'ite southern Iraq. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2365910
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Editor - 10:44:00 08-28-06 |
Thera eruption was bigger still |
The second largest volcanic eruption in human history was much larger than previously thought, scientists say. The Bronze Age eruption of Thera near mainland Greece would have devastated ancient civilisations in the region. Ash would likely have plunged much of the Mediterranean into darkness, and tsunami would have wrecked local ports. A survey around what is now the island arc of Santorini shows volcanic pumice to a depth of 80m covering the ocean floor for 20-30km in all directions. By examining echoes from volcanic deposits on the ocean floor, researchers have shown that the Aegean eruption of Thera 3,600 years ago may have propelled 60 cubic km of magma out of the volcano's crater. The new estimates suggest that the blast was half as large again as had earlier been supposed. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5287124.stm
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Editor - 10:42:00 08-28-06 |
Vietnam dissident 'to be freed' |
The Vietnamese authorities have told diplomats they will free a prominent democracy activist and other dissidents ahead of a visit by US President Bush. Activist Pham Hong Son was jailed over four years ago after he translated and distributed an article on democracy. Observers see the move as an attempt to placate critics before a series of crucial votes in the US Congress. The release is part of a general amnesty of some 5,300 prisoners to mark National Day on 2 September. Pham Hong Son was top of the lists of Vietnamese dissidents compiled by the United States and the European Union. He had been sentenced to five years in jail after downloading an article about democracy from the US State Department website, translating it into Vietnamese and publishing it online. According to relatives he is currently in poor health. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5292258.stm
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Editor - 10:38:00 08-28-06 |
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post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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