Free Republic

Afghanistan close to anarchy, warns general · Nato commander's view in stark contrast to ministers' · Forces short of equipment and 'running out of time' Richard Norton-Taylor Saturday July 22, 2006 The Guardian (UK) British soldiers on patrol in Sangin, Helmand province. Photograph: Cpl Rob Knight/MoD/PA The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan yesterday described the situation in the country as "close to anarchy" with feuding foreign agencies and unethical private security companies compounding problems caused by local corruption. The stark warning came from Lieutenant General David Richards, head of Nato's international security force in Afghanistan, who warned that...

Islamists close in on Somalian government By David Blair in Baidoa (Filed: 14/07/2006) The ruined town of Baidoa, where ragged gunmen roam bullet-scarred streets, is Somalia's alternative capital. Pulverised buildings, choked with weeds, house the country's official government, which has a president, cabinet and 275-member parliament. Somali Islamic fighters in Baidoa Barely 150 miles away, Islamist extremists have seized most of Somalia's real capital, Mogadishu, and the surrounding territory. Baidoa, where the "transitional federal government" clings to notional power thanks to international sponsorship, may be the Islamists' next target. It took 14 peace conferences to create this threadbare administration and,...

Traders Sports, one of the biggest gun dealers in the state, hopes a hearing in U.S. District Court next week will keep them in business. Traders has been under scrutiny for several years by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), which is trying to shut down the gun dealer. The ATF decided to revoke Traders gun permit on June 1. After an audit in 2003, the ATF claims that Traders can’t account for 1,767 weapons, and that guns sold at Traders turn up in crimes at an alarming rate. ATF spokeswoman Marti McKee said she couldn’t comment on...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The government of Puerto Rico ran out of money Monday, forcing the U.S. commonwealth to close public schools and shut down government offices, putting almost 100,000 people out of work. The legislature and governor failed to reach a last-minute accord that would have averted the first-ever partial shutdown of the government in island history.

Self-destructing comet to flash close by 10:30 24 April 2006 NewScientist.com news service Kimm Groshong Astronomers will soon be treated to a close-up celestial show, with a fragmenting comet streaming across the sky in more than 30 chunks. Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 has been breaking up since 1995, but between 12 and 14 May will come closer to the Earth than any comet since 1983. Fortunately no threat is posed to Earth since, even at its closest, the nearest of the pieces will be twenty times more distant than the Moon. But astronomers around the world will take advantage of the...

CENTRE-left leader Romano Prodi has claimed a knife-edge victory in Italy's general election, but Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's allies dispute the result and are demanding a "scrupulous" check of the count. Twelve hours after polling stations closed, Mr Prodi declared his broad coalition had secured a majority in both houses of parliament and promised to unify Italy after a divisive, acrimonious election campaign. "We have won," he told flag-waving supporters who had waited until the early hours in a Rome square as the count ebbed and flowed in the closest election in modern Italian history. The centre-left said it was...

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2006 – U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley and Afghani Gen. Bismullah Khan met today and agreed that continued close cooperation between Afghan, coalition, NATO and Pakistani forces is essential to stabilizing Afghanistan and freeing the country of the Taliban and other terrorists. Freakley, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force-76, and Bismullah , who serves in the Afghan National Army, met in Khan's office at the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Their Afghan National Army arranged the meeting. The Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police have worked cooperatively with each other and with coalition and...

Rosemary Roberts: Close book on Black History MonthFriday, March 24, 2006 From time to time, this column focuses on local topics, so herewith are some observations: Let's start with Leonard Pitts Jr., the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose syndicated column appears in this newspaper. I'm a huge Leonard Pitts fan because he writes well, thinks deeply and gores sacred cows. Pitts was in Greensboro this week speaking to a sold-out audience at the UNCG Friends of the Libraries Annual Dinner. His topic, "Bearing Witness," pertained to racial issues. Pitts, who is African American, made a statement that made me want to...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders on Thursday scrambled to try to put together a massive public works bond deal in time to make the June ballot. "We are very, very close to coming to an agreement," Schwarzenegger said, emerging briefly from his office. "We have some hurdles still to overcome and some obstacles to overcome, but I have great hopes." He said negotiations might stretch through the weekend. The Senate's leader, meanwhile, said his house might vote on a bond bill Thursday night, even if a deal wasn't reached. "That's my intention...," said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata,...

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2006 – The United States always has planned to transfer authority for all detention facilities in Iraq to the Iraqis, but announcements regarding the imminent closure at the Abu Ghraib prison are premature, defense officials said today. News reports that the U.S. military intends to close Abu Ghraib within the next few months and to transfer its prisoners to other jails are inaccurate, officials said. There's no specific timetable for that transfer or for closure of the Baghdad prison, they said. Decisions regarding Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities in Iraq will be based largely on two...

Schools close as week-long Arctic storm takes hold By Auslan Cramb Scottish Correspondent (Filed: 01/03/2006) More than 150 schools were closed yesterday and dozens of roads were blocked by snow as Arctic weather hit parts of Britain. Walkers brave the elements at Scarborough, North Yorks, where a severe weather warning had been issued While many central areas enjoyed uninterrupted winter sunshine, the north of Scotland and the East Coast experienced some of the heaviest snowfall of the winter. The northerly air stream, which is expected to last for most of the week, hit Orkney and Shetland, where all schools were...

Dennis Kelly, president of the teachers' union, said Friday he doesn't think teachers will agree to a raise of less than 10 percent. Many plan to gather today near City Hall to hold a "Grade-In for Justice" where they will grade papers on the street to show how hard they work and that they deserve a raise. Teachers affected by the closures and mergers will be given jobs elsewhere in the district.Dennis Kelly, president of the teachers' union, said Friday he doesn't think teachers will agree to a raise of less than 10 percent. Many plan to gather today near...

Now aristocrats will be evicted for living too close to Mugabe By Peta Thornycroft in Harare (Filed: 20/01/2006) Owners of property next to President Robert Mugabe's retirement mansion have received written warning that their houses will be confiscated by the state. The move represents the first time Zimbabwe's elite, both black and white, have suffered at first hand. President Mugabe's £6m palace is nearing completion Millions of Zimbabweans were affected by last year's "clearances" of urban shantytowns and much of the rural population hit by Mr Mugabe's war on white farmers. But, until now, many members of the aristocracy have...

This close to voting Friday, December 30, 2005 One of the hallmarks of a working democracy is that elections happen when they're scheduled to happen. But while special elections are now set in three parishes damaged by recent hurricanes -- Jefferson, St. Bernard and Acadia -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco has ordered an indefinite delay in New Orleans' regular citywide elections, which had been scheduled for Feb. 4 and March 4. Not surprisingly, the matter ended up in federal court. And while U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle declined to set an election date, he did say he was "this close" to...

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) -- The United States is closing its consulate in this violence-wracked border city for a week following a shootout in which assailants used machine guns, grenades and even a rocket launcher to attack a home, the U.S. Ambassador said Friday evening. In a statement from Mexico City, Tony Garza said "in light of this alarming incident and continued violence along the border, I have decided to suspend all operations except for emergency services for American citizens," for one week beginning Aug. 1. He said temporarily closing the consulate would allow officials to "access the security situation...

LOS ANGELES - Mayor James Hahn and Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa were nearly deadlocked in early returns Tuesday as the incumbent struggled to hold his job despite a City Hall fundraising scandal and Villaraigosa sought to become the city's first Hispanic mayor since the 19th century. Unofficial tally of mail-in ballots showed Villaraigosa with 61,435 votes, or 51 percent, to 58,045, or 49 percent, for Hahn. Returns from polling places had yet to be counted. Hahn beat Villaraigosa in a runoff four years ago, then delivered on his promise to cut crime. But the incumbent was damaged by allegations that his...

WASHINGTON – The Marine Corps commandant casually acknowledged Tuesday something that would have been considered unthinkable only a few years ago – the Marines offered to close the San Diego Recruit Depot in this current base closure and realignment process. But Gen. Michael Hagee told the independent closure commission that the proposal was dropped because the cost of moving the historic training post from its location next to Lindbergh Field outweighed the possible savings. Hagee's comments were the first indication that the Marines had changed their previous strong opposition to losing the San Diego boot camp, which has been creating...

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon wants to close the Army's century-old hospital at Walter Reed Medical Center, the world-renowned facility in the nation's capital that has treated presidents and foreign leaders as well as soldiers and veterans. The proposal is part of a broad reordering of the military's system for medical education, research and care, which the Pentagon says suffers from a mismatch of needs and resources. Inpatient services would be curtailed at some military bases, and some facilities would be consolidated. Under the plan, the shuttering of Walter Reed would involve moving some of its staff and services to an...

One of the Pentagon's best-kept secrets will be let out of the bag this week, and thousands of Southern Arizonans are holding their breath to see what happens. The Defense Department is expected to announce by Friday which military bases it plans to shut down in a major round of base closings that could eliminate dozens of the country's 425 defense installations. Arizona's major installations, including Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Sierra Vista's Fort Huachuca, are expected to dodge the base-closing bullet. They could even grow, absorbing troops and missions from facilities that close in the Base Realignment and...