 A U.S. helicopter went down Friday in Iraq for the fourth time in two weeks, and America's top general acknowledged that its aircraft were increasingly in danger from ground fire. Witnesses and local police said two helicopters were flying together when gunmen opened fire, sending one of the aircraft crashing to the ground, smoke trailing behind it, near Taji, an air base just north of Baghdad. Maj. David Small, a spokesman at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., confirmed that a helicopter had gone down, but said he had no other details. Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday that clearly, "ground fire … has been more effective against our helicopters in the last couple weeks." The comments marked the first time a military official has publicly acknowledged the recent crashes were caused by ground fire. "I've taken a hard look at that, don't know whether or not this is statistically what's going to happen over time, ...
http://abcnews.go.com
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Editor - 09:45:00 02-02-07
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 US warns of worsening Iraq crisis |
The security situation in Iraq will get worse unless action is taken to reverse increasing communal and insurgent clashes, a US intelligence report says. The National Intelligence Estimate, produced by 16 US spy agencies, cites sectarian violence as the main threat. The report uses the controversial term "civil war" to describe key elements of the conflict, but says it does not adequately reflect its complexities. The report was described as "tough but fair" by a White House spokesman. US national security advisor Steve Hadley said the report, presented to President George W Bush on Thursday, was "a tough look at Iraq". But he said it was "not at war" with the president's new strategy on Iraq, announced last month, of sending 21,500 additional troops to the region. The report said: "The term civil war does not adequately capture the complexity of the conflict... Nonetheless the term civil war accurately describes key elements." ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6324767.stm
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Editor - 09:43:00 02-02-07
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| Global warming probably caused by human activity, U.N. report says |
A United Nations report issued today by the world's top climate scientists said global warning was "very likely" man-made and would bring higher temperatures and a steady rise in sea levels for centuries.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which which issued the report, was created in 1988 and releases its assessments every five or six years. The panel include scientists from 113 countries."Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widspread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level," said the IPCC report.It said this would "continue for centuries" regardless of how much the world slows or reduces its greenhouse gas emissions. ...
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2007-02-02-climatechange_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 09:40:00 02-02-07
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| Somali attacks kill 5, Islamist opposes peace force |
A senior Islamist leader on Friday rejected the prospect of African peacekeepers for Somalia, as fresh violence in the capital killed five civilians and underscored the continued threat in the war-ravaged country.Resident Adey Malim Nur confirmed both his sons were killed in mortar attacks late on Thursday. Three others were previously known to have died from the attack near the presidential palace. "My older son was standing outside the house when a mortar hit him in the stomach, my other son was inside," Nur said. The Somali government said those behind the attack were probably militants from the Islamist movement ousted from Mogadishu after a six-month rule of most of south Somalia. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2844702
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Editor - 09:39:00 02-02-07
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| Vigilante farmer, 74, charged after chasing thief He faces more serious charges than thief after holding man at gunpoint |
A farmer who chased down a thief and held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived now faces a more serious charge than the thief himself. Kenneth Englund, 74, was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. The thief, who the sheriff said admitted stealing about $5 worth of gasoline from Englund’s neighbor, was charged with misdemeanor theft. Sheriff Mike Ammend said people can’t take the law into their own hands, and that Englund’s actions were “an invitation to a shootout. There’s so many things that could have gone wrong here.” On Oct. 15, Englund pointed a gun at Christian Harris Smith, 28, and a woman at the vacant farm next to Englund’s place in Bradford Township. He then chased their vehicle at speeds of 70 mph, according to the criminal complaint. A 3-year-old child was in the vehicle. During the chase, Englund used a cell phone to call the sheriff’s office and asked if he should “blow them away,” according to the complaint. His shotgun turned out to be unloaded....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16942458/
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Editor - 09:37:00 02-02-07
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| GOP warns not to tamper with minimum wage bill |
are warning Democrats not to tamper with Senate-passed minimum wage legislation, saying the bill's mix of $8.3 billion in tax breaks and a $2.10 an hour wage hike offers the right economic and political balance.The Senate, in a 94-3 vote Thursday, passed an increase in the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. The bill also would extend small business tax cuts, close off some corporate tax loopholes and rein in executive compensation.Labor leaders and many Democrats, however, would like to strip the tax provisions from the bill and only send the minimum wage increase to President Bush for his signature. A House version, passed last month, contains no tax measures....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/02/minimum.wage.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us
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Editor - 09:35:00 02-02-07
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