http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/foreign-news/ en-us Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:14:47 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416801/posts The approach of the new year might be an appropriate time to summarize what I have learned in researching the several books and articles that I have written this decade. That I came to own -- or even break -- many of the stories involved, although satisfying to me, should appall any ordinary citizen. These stories were too big for a responsible media to miss.  They became mine as a result of what I call the "ABETTO Syndrome."  For at least the last generation, the left in general, and the media in particular, have been turning A Blind Eye To... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416801/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:14:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416800/posts KANEOHE, Hawaii (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Monday strongly condemned Iran's crackdown on protesters and called on the Islamic regime to immediately free those "unjustly detained." "The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens," Obama said in Hawaii where he is on vacation. "We call for the immediate release of all who have been unjustly detained within Iran," Obama said. Obama promised to stand behind Iranians during the "extraordinary events," saying that he was "confident that history will be on the side of those who seek... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416800/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:14:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416792/posts After all it was a massive security gap that got exposed. A Nigerian claiming links to Al-Queda tried to set off an incendiary device on a plane that was landing in Detroit on Christmas Day in “an attempted act of terrorism”, according to a White House official. But America needs to find the answer to a very basic question after right wing racist rule of eight years by the neo cons. What made Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab become a terrorist? Unless this questions is answered the attempt to act as terrorists may never go away. Think about a simple scenario. Abdul... India Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416792/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:41:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416786/posts Iran arrested at least ten leading opposition figures yesterday, 24 hours after eight people were killed in anti-government protests.The Norooz website said three advisers to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi had been detained, along with seven pro-reform politicians.Jaras, another opposition website, said police fired teargas to disperse Mousavi supporters who gathered to express their condolences over the death of his nephew, who was killed in Sunday's protests. The tables are turned: Opposition demonstrators get the better of riot police after yesterday's protests turned to violence. Eight people were either gunned down or beaten to death by the end of the day... Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416786/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:09:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416775/posts THIS was the year of Barack Obama, and by extension, of America. But if we thought we knew who he was last January, by year’s end we weren’t so certain. We expected him to wrestle the helm of the great ship of state, inflect its course, end the wars, rebuild the economy and confound the lobbies and special interest groups who determine how business is done in Washington. With a strong Democratic majority in Congress, we expected him to see through groundbreaking legislation on healthcare and climate change. An Irish diplomat recalls the tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy at the... The Irish Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416775/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:23:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416774/posts Jasper Schuringa, a passenger on Northwest Flight 253, who helped apprehend Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, gives an eyewitness account. Video YouTube/CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416774/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:18:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416772/posts More than 400 members of an international aid convoy to Gaza declared a hunger strike on Sunday to protest Egypt's refusal to allow them entry into the Hamas-ruled territory via the Red Sea. Amongst the hunger strikers is an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who came from the U.S. to participate in the planned Gaza Freedom March to commemorate last year's Gaza war. HaAretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416772/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:16:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416765/posts Apparently the fellows in al Qaeda took as a personal insult Secretary of Homeland Anxiety Janet Napolitano's comment Sunday that their role in the foiled Detroit airliner bombing wasn't clear but would be investigated. Yesterday, al Qaeda's ascendant franchise in the Arabian peninsula saved Secretary Napolitano the trouble of plowing through all the layers of the national-security bureaucracy for an answer. The terrorist organization put out a pointed statement not only claiming responsibility but also mocking the U.S.'s ability to stop them. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, they said, "dealt a huge blow to the myth of American and global intelligence services... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416765/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:05:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416763/posts Karachi, 28 Dec. (AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Riots erupted in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Monday when a suicide attack killed at least 30 people and injured at least 80 during a Shia Muslim procession to mark the Ashura festival. It was the third and largest attack on a Shia congregation in Pakistan in the past three days. Hundreds of people had been part of the procession at the time of the bomb attack. Immediately after the explosion, marchers turned their anger on security forces and emergency workers. Pakistan's security forces had been on high... adnkronos.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416763/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:02:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416760/posts A charity campaigner has become the first black high sheriff since the post was created 1,000 years ago. Peaches Golding will take the ceremonial office of Bristol's High Sheriff in March. The 56-year-old, who is regional director of Prince Charles's Business in the Community charity, will be expected to attend all royal visits in the area. She can also act as a returning officer in Parliamentary elections. Mrs Golding, whose charitable work involves building relations between minority ethnic communities and society, said she was 'absolutely thrilled'. 'I hope to use the title to have good influence over things in the... Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416760/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:56:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416750/posts The United States' recent request for a public clarification from National Security Adviser Uzi Arad following the IDF's killing of three wanted Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists in Nablus is unusual and raises questions. Arad's reported need to explain to his US counterparts the defensive nature of the IDF operation several days after the Iranian-backed terror cell's murder of Rabbi Meir Chai, a father of seven, seems exceptional. This IDF operation was no different than hundreds of other actions against Palestinian terror groups that have murdered well over 1,000 Israeli civilians since the Palestinian Authority launched the Aksa war of terror... JPost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416750/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:38:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416746/posts You just can't make up how brazen this crowd is. One week ago, President Obama quietly signed an executive order that makes an international police force immune from the restraints of American law. National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416746/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:34:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416742/posts This is Dr. James Manning's most recent video and well worth the listen. Below I have typed a transcription which is partially paraphrased. Reverend Manning says that Al Qaeda doesn't fail and he suspects that the terrorist attack on Christmas Day is new psychological warfare. He said if Al Qaeda wanted that plane out of the air, it would have happened. He said that he feels that Al Qaeda did not want the plane out of the air because it would have forced Obama to go to war, just like President Bush. Obama would have been forced to go... ATLAH Video http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416742/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:21:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416744/posts Condemned Briton's 'Heartbroken' Family Beg For Compassion from China The family of Akmal Shaikh, the British man condemned to death in China, have made a last-minute appeal to the Chinese authorities to show mercy. By David Eimer in Beijing 28 Dec 2009 Akmal Shaikh, a British national who is facing the death penalty in China for possession of heroin Photo: AFP/GETTY Mr Shaikh is due to be executed in Urumqi at 10.30am Tuesday morning local time for heroin smuggling. "We're here to plead for clemency and we hope the Chinese government shows compassion. His life is in their hands now,"... Telegraph(UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416744/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:26:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416741/posts This attack demonstrates al Qaeda's sophistication and adaptation. The tactic Mr. Abdulmutallab used to bring the explosive onto Flight 253 will be particularly difficult to thwart. Shoe-bomber Richard Reid's failed attack forced air travelers to grow accustomed to removing footwear in airports; the impact of the "crotch bomb" on airline passengers can only be imagined. Once that's in place, killers could just move on to concealing bombs in more difficult-to-search places. In fact, they already have. In August, high-profile terror suspect Abdullah Asieri wounded Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia's counterterrorism chief, after smuggling a pound of high explosives and... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416741/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:21:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416731/posts You just can't make up how brazen this crowd is. One week ago, President Obama quietly signed an executive order that makes an international police force immune from the restraints of American law. National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416731/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:58:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416726/posts KAILUA, Hawaii, Dec 28 (Reuters) - A wing of al Qaeda claimed responsibility on Monday for a failed Christmas Day attack on a U.S.-bound passenger plane, and President Barack Obama vowed to bring "every element" of U.S. power against those who threaten Americans' safety. In a statement posted on Islamist websites, the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said the attempt was to avenge U.S. attacks on its members in Yemen. The group said it had provided the Nigerian suspect in the failed airliner bombing with a "technically advanced device" but that it did not detonate because of a... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416726/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:38:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416725/posts FAILED plane bomber Umar Abdulmutallab has bragged to FBI agents that there are more young men plotting to launch attacks on the West. The 23-year-old Nigerian has told security chiefs of a sinister network in Yemen who are ready and waiting to strike. The reports come after The Sun revealed that cops fear that 25 British-born Muslims are plotting to bomb Western airliners. The fanatics, in five groups, are now training at secret terror camps in Yemen. It was there London-educated Abdulmutallab prepared for his Christmas Day bid to blow up a US jet. The British extremists in Yemen are... TheSun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416725/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:37:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416721/posts Everyone in Asia will be talking about Beijing's arrogance. In the last half year, Chinese officials, both in public pronouncements and in private conversations, have been displaying a new-found assertiveness--as if they own the century. They just dressed-down Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Even if he deserved it--he didn't--Beijing's officials would never have done that before. In 2010, they will become insufferable. Asians, especially, will begin complaining. The Unconventional Wisdom Protests will get out of hand in China. Everyone believes they don't matter, at least as far as the political system is concerned. Yet Beijing's leaders are becoming especially worried.... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416721/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:22:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416716/posts In Online Posts Apparently by Detroit Suspect, Religious Ideals Collide By Philip Rucker and Julie Tate December 29, 2009 The 23-year-old Nigerian man accused of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an American airliner apparently turned to the Internet for counseling and companionship, writing in an online forum that he was "lonely" and had "never found a true Muslim friend." "I have no one to speak too [sic]," read a posting from January 2005, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was attending boarding school. "No one to consult, no one to support me and I feel depressed and lonely. I do not... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416716/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:18:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416705/posts December 28, 2009 Obama Extends Hand, But America's Critics Keep Fists Clenched FOXNews.com President Obama's repeated attempts to reach out to America's fiercest critics have ended on a sour note this year, with leaders of these nations lining up to criticize the commander-in-chief. In the realm of diplomacy with America's detractors, President Obama ends his first year in office much as George W. Bush ended his last -- unloved. Obama appeared to "extend a hand," as he said he would do in his inauguration speech, but he didn't find many "willing to unclench (their) fist" in return. Again and again,... FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416705/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:01:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416704/posts Gitmo recidivism comes back to bite us directly. Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the al Qaeda plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet over Detroit were released by the U.S. from the Guantanamo prison in November, 2007, according to American officials and Department of Defense documents. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Northwest bombing in a Monday statement that vowed more attacks on Americans. American officials agreed to send the two terrorists from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia where they entered into an "art therapy rehabilitation program" and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials.... JihadWatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416704/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:59:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416702/posts <p>With a few Republicans already criticizing the Obama administration over the failed alleged terrorist attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound flight -- Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R) has taken issue with President Obama's silence so far -- it's worth noting that some Republicans have acted in ways that the previous administration would have attacked for being soft on terrorism.</p> MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416702/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:56:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416699/posts ABC has the pictures of Umar Farouk Abdulmutalla's underwear: And you can see for yourself none of the present day security at our airports would of protected us against that, except the technology our Congress is attempting to ban: Privacy advocates, for example, have tried to stop or at least slow the introduction of advanced checkpoint screening devices that use so-called millimeter waves to create an image of a passenger’s body, so officers can see under clothing to determine if a weapon or explosive has been hidden. Security officers, in a private area, review the images, which are not stored.... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416699/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:52:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416696/posts I don't know whether our NATO "allies," whom we defended from Russia for over one half of the century, have Sep 11 memorials. We are sill building ours. But Israel has one. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416696/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:48:36 GMT