Free Republic

When we give our Thanksgiving blessings around the dinner table on Thursday, let's all give thanks that we live in a country where ACORN's influence and accusations of election fraud are our greatest cause for concern: Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- Search teams pulled 24 more bodies out of shallow graves in the Philippines Tuesday bringing the death toll to 46 in a massacre linked to local elections, state-run media reported. The Philippine government declared a state of emergency in southern parts of the country following Monday's shooting, which government officials called the worse pre-election violence in the country's history. The...

MANILA, Philippines - Forty-three persons – including a politician about to file her and her brother’s certificates of candidacy (COCs), as well as journalists covering the event – were confirmed killed when heavily armed men waylaid the group on its way to the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Maguindanao. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Romero Brawner confirmed that as of yesterday afternoon, ground troops had recovered 21 bodies – 13 women and eight men – from the massacre site in Barangay Saniag, Ampatuan town. Supporters of Buluan Vice Mayor Toto Mangudadatu...

Not hard to figure out the inspiration for this one; frequently active and usually dangerous Mayon is set for another throat-clearing. Mayon erupting: Click for full-size: Mayon not erupting: Context image: Nice panorama (click for full-size):

Islam's "peace" deal for the Philippines: MOA AD Which stands for "Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domains" Which the authors of this Philippine commentary have refered to as the "Sultanic Verses". The commentary is an excellent analysis of the MOA AD, and adequately debunks the false Islamic claims and propaganda. In August 2008, the Philippine Supreme Court ruled the MOA AD un-constitutional. But the fight against appeasement is not over. Obama,the EU, and UN are pressing the Philippine government to sign an appeasement agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Mount Mayon volcano in the Philippines, which killed scores in an eruption 16 years ago, has spewed an ash plume leading to fears it may blow again.

TOKYO – President Barack Obama says he wants to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki sometime during his presidency but won't have time during this week's trip to Japan to go to the cities devastated by U.S. atomic bombs at the end of World War II. No sitting U.S. president has visited the two cities largely because of the controversy it could raise at home. In an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK that ran Tuesday, Obama said he would be unable to visit the cities on his trip to Japan this weekend due to time constraints but would be willing to do...

The Philippine government on Monday vowed to take revenge against Al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants after they dumped the severed head of a kidnapped school principal at a petrol station. The head of Gabriel Canizares was found inside a bag at the petrol station on the restive southern island of Jolo at dawn, 22 days after he was abducted, but the rest of his body remained missing, local police said.

Note: The following text is a quote: Philippines: Jihad against school principals This just in from our "This Is Why You're Poor" Department. Allah promised paradise to those who "slay and are slain" in the cause of jihad (Qur'an 9:111), but shooting your own society in the foot is also quite popular as a consequence. "Islamic rebels behead Philippine teacher: police," from Agence France-Presse, November 8: ZAMBOANGA, Philippines -- The severed head of a school principal who was abducted by Islamic militants in the troubled southern Philippines was dumped in a petrol station on Monday, authorities said. The head of...

Abducted and held hostage by bloodthirsty Abu Sayyaf Islamic terrorists for a whole year, Gracia Burnham doesn't hold much back in her book: In The Presence of My Enemies.The Abu Sayyaf is an Islamic terrorist group in the southern Philippines with ties to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.The horrible ordeal began in late May of 2001.Martin and Gracia Burnham were celebrating their 18th Wedding Anniversary at the Dos Palmas Resort, when they and several others were abducted and taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf.They were forced to experience and witness the most cruel sufferings and humiliation. Of fellow hostages and themselves.Throughout the ordeal, as Gracia Burnham...

Living With Osama bin Laden: First Wife Tells of Husband's Bid To Train His Sons As Suicide Bombers Daily Mail Reporter 12th October 2009 Osama bin Laden was a tyrant who trained his own children to be suicide bombers and murdered their pets, his first wife has revealed. In a new book about her time living with bin Laden, Najwa Ghanem has told how she gave birth to 11 of his 14 children because bin Laden said that Islam needed many warriors. And millionaire bin Laden would not allow any modern appliances in his home, even refusing his son medicine...

Police say three people who robbed a man's Oklahoma flat were caught by his wife in the Philippines, who saw them on the webcam the couple communicate with while apart. Midwest City police Chief Brandon Clabes says officers nabbed the three burglary suspects over the weekend after Maribel Chouinard spotted them and called her husband, an Air Force master sergeant at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. The husband called police, who found two teens near the apartment and later found the third suspect. Mr Clabes says all three were identified from a photo line-up e-mailed to Mrs Chouinard...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2009 – As the U.S. military continues to provide assistance to victims of storms and earthquakes in the Philippines and Indonesia, tsunami relief operations in American Samoa are tapering off, a Defense Department spokesman said here today. The humanitarian-relief operation in American Samoa “is essentially winding down,” Bryan Whitman told reporters. The U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean was hit by an earthquake-caused tsunami Sept. 29. Eleven C-17 cargo-plane missions provided nearly 700,000 pounds of supplies, blankets, electricity generators, vehicles and other help to American Samoans, Whitman said. A 14-member civil-support team from the Hawaii National Guard...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Japan, Oct. 2, 2009 – The U.S. military is providing critically needed disaster-relief supplies to mitigate suffering and prevent further loss of life in the wake of Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck the Philippines on Sept. 25. "Marines and sailors are working with the Philippine government to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the areas the Philippine government deems most in need," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. military personnel are delivering relief supplies to remote areas by way of air and ground, providing...

Roadside Bomb Blast Kills 2 Seabees, Filipino Soldier In PhilippinesSeptember 29, 2009 1:45 p.m. EST Windsor Genova - AHN News Writer Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Two American Seabees and a Filipino marine were killed Tuesday when the Humvee they were riding hit a roadside bomb in southern Philippines. Two Filipino soldiers were also wounded in the blast. Officials in Sulu province identified the U.S. servicemen as Staff Sergeant Jack Martin and Sergeant First Class Christopher Shaw. The two, escorted by the Filipino soldiers, were helping supervise the construction of an elementary school in Jolo island when they were killed at...

MANILA (Reuters) - One U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded in a landmine explosion in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, a Philippine army spokesman said. Lieutenant-Colonel Romeo Brawner said three Filipino soldiers were also wounded when the vehicle they were riding in struck an improvised landmine near Indanan town on the island of Jolo, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militants.

CNN) -- Downpours subsided temporarily in the Philippines on Sunday, a day after Tropical Storm Ketsana pummeled the capital Manila with its heaviest rainfall in more than 40 years.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The military assault against fleeing bandits in Sulu is continuing even after soldiers have overran their main camp. Major General Benjamin D. Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command chief, told BusinessWorld Sunday’s capture of the main Abu Sayyaf camp was a major blow to terrorism, citing the earlier capture of another main camp in neighboring Basilan province last August.... At least 17 bandits were immediately killed during the half-day clash, while others scattered and escaped. The bandits retaliated on Monday, ambushing a band of Marines who were headed to their base at 2 p.m. Eight soldiers and five bandits...

Eight Marine soldiers were killed Monday afternoon in an ambush staged by Abu Sayyaf bandits in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, military officials said. AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col, Romeo Brawner Jr, said troops from the 4th Marine Battalion Landing Team were on their way to their base when they were waylaid by the Abu Sayyaf at Sitio Talatac in Bato-bato village around 1:30 p.m. Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan, head of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 (MBLT 4), said his men were able to return fire, resulting to the death of five bandits. “Five died on...

Ever since the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, critics have contended that more people were involved than Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. A recent federal lawsuit alleges that Iraqi agents also played a role and McVeigh’s former defense attorney claims that prior to the bombing Nichols made contact with international terrorists. In a special report CBS 11’s Steve Narisi says the trail some investigators are following leads to the Philippines. “The U.S. Government has contended all along that any link between Nichols and Islamic extremists is strictly coincidental. During Nichols and McVeigh’s trial, the court didn’t allow...

Communist Group's Founder Says Ranks of Guerrillas to Grow More than 40 years after founding the Communist Party of the Philippines, a former literature professor who has long stayed outside his homeland says the party's military wing plans to significantly increase its armed capabilities in the next three years. Jose Maria Sison, who was imprisoned in 1977 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos and freed in 1986 by Corazon Aquino shortly after "People Power" put her in power, says the insurgency he seeded with Maoist ideas intends to use sympathizers to recruit 3,000 to 5,000 new guerrillas in impoverished rural areas. He...

Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is seen here surrounded by supporters a... People stop outside the house of the late Philippines president Corazon Aqu... File photo of Corazon Aquino, the wife of slain Philippines opposition lead... Benigno Aquino called Wednesday for another round of Philippines people power as he announced he would run for president to continue the work of his famed mother who overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Vowing to fight against corruption that pervades the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, Aquino said he would be a leader for all sectors of society and not just the rich. "I will be...

Zamboanga City, Philippines - Five people drowned and 63 were missing Sunday when a passenger ferry with 968 people aboard sunk in the southern Philippines, rescue officials said. The Superferry 9 sank hours after it listed to the right by 40 degrees off Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province, about 810 kilometres south of Manila. It was carrying 847 passengers, 117 crew and four sea marshals. The Office of Civil Defence said the ship's listing was "allegedly due to a hole in its hull." Commandant Real Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said 900 people were rescued by the coast guard, the...

A Muslim separatist rebel wanted for arson and bombings has been arrested in the southern Philippines, police said on Saturday. Smawtin Basilan, who is a member of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and who had a 12,000-dollar bounty on his head, was arrested at his home in Midsayap town Wednesday, police said. Basilan is believed to be a top lieutenant of MILF commander Ameril Umbrakato, one of two MILF leaders wanted for large-scale attacks on several mostly Christian towns and provinces in the south in August last year. The attacks led to the deaths of over 300 people...

Note: The following text is a quote: Madhatta Haipe Extradited to U.S. for 1995 Hostage Taking Involving U.S. and Philippine Citizens WASHINGTON—The Justice Department today announced that Madhatta Haipe, a citizen of the Philippines, has been extradited from the Philippines to face trial in the District of Columbia for various crimes relating to the hostage taking of U.S. and Philippine citizens in 1995. Haipe was arrested Aug. 27 upon his arrival in the United States and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in federal court in the District of Columbia to face a seven-count indictment filed on...

The estimated 600 American special forces in Mindanao are active participants in combat operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the Basilan and Sulu provinces against Abu Sayyaf bandits, former Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian, a whistle-blower on anomalies in the periodic holding of war exercises in the country involving American soldiers, said yesterday. Malacañang has insisted the 600 US troops stationed in Mindanao are not engaged in combat which is prohibited under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). "There were reports that they were actually embedded in the troops who are conducting actual operation or engagement," Gadian, who...

A carnivorous pitcher plant that eats rats and insects has been discovered in the Philippines and named after Sir David Attenborough. The plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is believed to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes. The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines. They were inspired to search for the plant after word that it is existed came from two Christian missionaries who described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher in 2000 after they climbed the mountain. Mr...

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — President Gloria Arroyo had called for the "annihilation" of Muslim extremists in the southern Philippines after 23 soldiers died in a bloody battle, her defence minister said Saturday. "The war against terror must be pursued. The annihilation of the Abu Sayyaf must be done," Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro quoted Arroyo as saying. She had also warned that members of the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who joined in the slaughter of the soldiers, would be hunted down despite a ceasefire with the rebel group, Teodoro said. Arroyo made the remarks in Zamboanga, where she visited...

Philippine troops suffered some of their worst losses in an offensive against al-Qaida-linked militants on a southern island in which at least 23 soldiers and 20 guerrillas were killed, officials said Thursday. Troops continued to scour the battlefield following clashes Wednesday with Abu Sayyaf militants in two of their jungle camps on Basilan Island, and the tally of slain guerrillas could rise, said regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino. "It was a slugfest," Dolorfino told The Associated Press by telephone. "It was really close-quarter fighting so we couldn't use our artillery," he said, adding troops were pursuing small pockets...

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino has passed away. She was 76. Her son Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III confirmed that she died of cardio-respiratory arrest at exactly 3:18 a.m. Saturday at the Makati Medical Center. Mrs. Aquino has been diagnosed with colon cancer early in 2008 and has been confined at the Makati Medical Center for more than a month. Mrs. Aquino, widow of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., will be remembered as an icon of democracy, having led a military-backed popular revolt in 1986 that ousted a dictator who ruled the country for 20 years. At about...

Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, whose "People Power" movement pushed out longtime strongman Ferdinand Marcos less than three years after her husband's assassination, has died at age 76, her family announced Saturday. Aquino, the first woman to lead the Philippines, had been battling colon cancer since March 2008 and died of cardio-respiratory arrest at 3:18 a.m. Saturday (3:18 p.m. Friday ET), said Mai Mislang, a spokeswoman for her son, Philippine Sen. Benigno Aquino III. Funeral arrangments were being set up, Mislang said. And Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has announced a 10-day mourning period for the former president, said Ray...

Former Philippines President Corazon Aquino has died at the age of 76, her family has said. She had been suffering from colon cancer for more than a year and recently announced she was refusing further treatment. Her family had said she was leaving her fate to God, prompting church services offering prayers for her health. Mrs Aquino became president when the 1986 "people power" uprising deposed former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. "Our mother peacefully passed away at 0318 [1918 GMT Friday] of cardio-respiratory arrest," Mrs Aquino's son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr, told the media. "She would have wanted us to thank...

Another day, another gaffe. A few minutes ago in a joint appearance with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, Obama stepped in it again.David Jackson of USA Today provides the details in his White House pool report:Obama praised Arroyo for her efforts to fight terrorism, and her help in dealing with the problems of Burma and North Korea. He noted the Philippines is hosting a conference next year on nuclear non-proliferation. "We're going to have a busy agenda together," Obama said. He said the Philippines is a small country, but, to use a boxing metaphor, it "punches above its weight...

MANILA, Philippines—The military Sunday vowed to crush the extremist Abu Sayyaf group by the end of the year. "We are confident we can handle this problem of the Abu Sayyaf," said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. He said the military will launch an "all-out effort" to defeat the al-Qaida-linked group responsible for the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines. Following the release last week of Italian Eugenio Vagni, the last of three International Committee of the Red Cross workers abducted by the Abu Sayyaf on Jan. 15, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. ordered...

Reston ebolavirus (Rebov) has only been seen in monkeys and humans previously and, unlike other types of Ebola, it is not known to cause illness in people. Researchers say it is theoretically possible for the virus to mutate in pigs into a form that might sicken people. The Philippines had tested 141 people, the researchers said, and six of them who either worked on pig farms or with swine products were found with antibodies to the Ebola-Reston virus, which means they might have been infected by pigs at some time. However, they showed no signs of illness. Rebov belongs to...

Legazpi City (10 July) -- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has raised today Mayon Volcano's alert status from Level 1 (low level unrest) to Level 2 (moderate unrest) after it manifested increasing volcanic quakes, swelling of its edifice and intense crater glow. Phivolcs said parameters monitored since last month indicated an increase in the current activity of the volcano, manifesting low frequency volcanic earthquakes rising to a higher level signifying possible movement of magma beneath the volcano edifice at shallow depth. The hoisting of Alert Level 2 signifies a state of unrest which could lead to ash explosions...

Suspected Muslim guerrillas detonated a bomb near a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding 46. The bomb exploded outside the Immaculate Conception cathedral in Cotabato city as churchgoers were attending Mass. Two people were killed instantly in the attack and three others, including a militiaman, later died in hospitals, military officials said. Among the wounded were six soldiers and militiamen who were in an army van that passed by the cathedral when the device, fashioned from a mortar round, exploded, Cotabato city Mayor Muslimin Sema said. The improvised explosive, which...

Note: The following text is a quote: June 24, 2009 46 street gang members and associates arrested in New Jersey-wide operation ICE works with local law enforcement agencies to make arrests NEWARK, N.J. - Forty-six gang members and associates were arrested as a result of a statewide public safety initiative in New Jersey led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Investigation in Newark. The operation ended June 20. Each of those arrested were targeted for their membership, participation or association with violent street gangs. The success of the operation dubbed "Community Shield" was the result of an...

A period of twelve long years since 1983 was filled with thrills and challenges. Our spiritual journey, along with arduous research and painful struggles, was nonetheless edifying. The plight led us providentially to the Great Church of Jesus Christ. Our prayers and petition were heard. Our group leader received sacerdotal formation from His Grace Bishop Sotirios of Seoul and, in God’s time, Rev. Father Philemon was canonically ordained to the priesthood by His Eminence Metropolitan Dionysios of New Zealand at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral on April 2, 1995. On the following Sunday during the Patriarchal Liturgy, Fr. Philemon received a...

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. Arrest of Kenyan Exposes Massive Global Arms Trade The East African Africa News February 25, 2002 Monday Kenya L AST WEEKEND'S arrest of Kenyan-born Sanjivan Ruprah, who is alleged to be a part of a major arms smuggling operation to Africa, has brought into the open the extent of the multi-million dollar illegal business. The whereabouts of Bout remain unknown. Some media reports say he is in Moscow, while others say he is in the Congo or the United Arab Emirates. An international ...

17 June 2009 INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME PLACES THE TERRORIST ENTERPRISE AT RISK... ...and involvement in terrorism similarly endangers the criminal enterprise. Either way it's a win-win situation if you are in law enforcement or counter-terrorism. This at least is my initial reaction to the case of the Global Jihad and the phone phreaks in the Philippines.

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the southern Philippines this afternoon, geological agencies reported. The Hong Kong Observatory said the quake occurred 2:03 p.m. local time (0603 GMT). The epicenter was initially determined to be 5.4 degrees north latitude and 126.4 degrees east longitude, about 210 km south-southeast of Davao, Mindanao. Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey recorded the quake at 01:58 local time (05:58 GMT). The quake was located 160 kilometers east-southeast of General Santos, Mindanao or 1,185 kilometers south-southeast of Manila, at an depth of 75.8 kilometers. No casualties or damage have been reported in...

BEIJING (AP) — A state-run newspaper said Monday that a Chinese submarine's reported collision with an underwater sonar apparatus towed by a U.S. destroyer last week in the South China Sea was likely an accident. The official China Daily cited Chinese military experts as saying the submarine's collision with the sonar array connected to the USS John S. McCain while sailing near the Philippines probably occurred due to a misjudgment of distance. Yin Zhuo, a senior researcher with the People's Liberation Army's Navy Equipment Research Center, said the American destroyer appeared to have failed to detect the submarine, while the...

NEWARK, N.J.—An Indictment was unsealed today against three individuals who allegedly hacked into the telephone systems of large corporations and entities in the United States and abroad and sold information about the compromised telephone systems to Pakistani nationals residing in Italy, Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr. announced. In conjunction with the unsealing of the Indictment, Italian law enforcement conducted searches of approximately 10 locations in four regions of Italy and arrested the financiers of the hacking activity. Those financiers allegedly used the information to transmit over 12 million minutes of telephone calls valued at more than $55 million...

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/art-bell-s-wife-denied-u-s-visa Art Bell's Wife Denied U.S. Visa June 06, 2009 Art Bell's Wife Denied U.S. Visa Airyn Bell, wife of radio talk show legend Art Bell, has been denied a U.S. Visa. Read about their incredible struggle against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). [Click the image on the left for proof the USCIS received the necessary documents from the Bells.] Please also help Art plead his wife's case. Contact the President and his staff at whitehouse.gov. Here's the letter Art Bell wrote to Senator Harry Reid on behalf of his wife Airyn Bell: My name is Arthur W....

The Russian parliament and media refer to him merely as a “Russian businessman.” But to much of the rest of the world, Viktor Bout is known as the “Merchant of Death,” the most notorious member of the dark fraternity of global weapons traffickers who arm terrorist organizations, as well as the tyrannical regimes and brutal warlords and militias responsible for horrendous genocidal slaughters over the past two decades. Since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, in an elaborate U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting, Viktor Bout has been in Bangkok’s Klong Prem Special Prison awaiting trial. The U.S. Department of...

Carlos Conde, a Manila-based freelance journalist who writes primarily for the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and other publications (and infrequently for Asia Sentinel) discovered Monday to his shock that his name had appeared on an "order of battle" apparently prepared by the intelligence staff of the 10th Infantry Division in Southern Mindanao. Conde, in a formal statement to the press, said he wasn't completely sure what that meant, but the implications are that the 100 names on the list are marked for assassination. One of the 100 was killed last year. In March, the New York-based Committee...

Filipino Militants Behead Kidnapped Farmer: Police By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: May 17, 2009 ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine police recovered the severed head of a farm owner kidnapped by Muslim militants and authorities said Monday he was likely beheaded because his family failed to pay ransom. Doroteo Gonzales, 61, was snatched by gunmen April 25 from his house in southern Zamboanga city and brought to nearby Basilan Island, where al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels are holding at least five other people in a surge of ransom kidnappings. The gunmen were believed to have links to the Abu Sayyaf, and Gonzales...

MANILA, Philippines — Actor Alec Baldwin's joke about getting a Filipino mail-order bride provoked a sharp response in the Philippines, with one senator saying Monday that the "30 Rock" star faces violence if he ever visits. Baldwin, 51, who is divorced with a teenage daughter, said in a May 12 interview on "The Late Show" with David Letterman that he would love to have more children. The Emmy-winning actor quipped that he was "thinking about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point ... or a Russian one." Baldwin has been involved in a bitter dispute with his ex-wife, Oscar-winning...

MANILA, Philippines, May 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A group of Catholic medical professionals based in the Philippines has stated that condom promotion has failed to curb the spread of AIDS.  The group said that it agreed with a widely-criticized recent statement by Pope Benedict XVI in which he endorsed a renewed respect for sexuality in facing the AIDS epidemic, rather than condom use. "Condoms are highly dangerous," said Yolly Eileen Gamutam, head of Asia's Catholic Association of Doctors, Nurses and Health Professionals (ACIM-Asia), in an article on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website. "If we are promoting truthful public information...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, May 11, 2009 – Eighty-six soldiers and civilians stationed here “joined” efforts with Minnesota National Guard soldiers in Minnesota to participate in the 12th Annual Bataan Memorial March yesterday. A soldier marches through Iraq’s desert heat during the Bataan Memorial March held on Contingency Operating Base Basra, May 10, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Jungels   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The event honors veterans who were victims of the Bataan Death March, a war crime in which 78,000 servicemembers were forced to march more than 55 miles from the Bataan...