http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wot-news/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 06:25:31 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286327/posts A leftist candidate backed by an array of political parties successfully staved off his far-right opponent in a mayoral race Sunday that the National Front had hope would start its comeback. Other parties, from communists to President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives, rallied behind Daniel Duquenne whom voters designated the new mayor of Henin-Beaumont, a former mining town in northern France, in a runoff race. The victor was sprayed with tear gas minutes after the results were announced, a police officer said by telephone, confirming reports on France-Info radio and the French TV station iTele. Duquenne was not injured and the aggressor... TAIWAN NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286327/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 06:25:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286277/posts 35 Years After by Ari Bussel While in Israel, I was invited to visit the old cemetery of Tsfat. Major restoration work is taking place there, alongside a hillside spread with stones. Underneath are hundreds of graves. Over the centuries, their tombstones became rubble, washed away by rain, exposing some of the graves underneath. This was my opportunity to learn that all tombstones in a Jewish cemetery face East, thus all headrests are aligned, row after row, toward Jerusalem. A separate section of the cemetery is the final resting place of a group of school children murdered 35 years ago... "Postcards from Israel - Postcards from America" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286277/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 04:08:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286221/posts CAIRO — An important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment. A statement by the group, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum, represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate,... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286221/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:39:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286167/posts 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... The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286167/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 23:56:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286135/posts WASHINGTON, July 5, 2009 – Additional American troops in Afghanistan are making it possible to institute the new strategy in the country, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union program, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said Operation Khanjar, which means Strike of the Sword, will challenge the Taliban and al-Qaida in the Helmand River valley in southern Afghanistan. The area has been a terrorist safe haven and which has most of the opium poppy cultivation in the country. “This is really the most concentrated area for opium growing and we expect... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286135/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 22:04:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286128/posts Capt. Dorothy Watkins and Spc. Joshua Watkins, both of Hazleton, Pa., are deployed to Camp Taji, a base camp north of Baghdad, with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard. Photo by Jon Soles, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. TAJI — One Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier has two ways he can address Capt. Dorothy Watkins. He can call her ma'am or he can call her mom. Spc. Joshua Watkins and his mother, Capt. Watkins, are both serving here with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. The mother and son from Hazleton, Pa., are... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286128/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 21:56:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286123/posts Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher (right) and Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher share some laughs with U.S. servicemembers during a National Football League coaches USO tour of Iraq, at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, July 2. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Edwin L. Wriston, Joint Combat Camera Center – Iraq. KIRKUK — It was a long line for Soldiers and Airmen, but awaiting them at the end were legendary NFL coaches ready to sign photos, shirts or anything else you could scribble a signature on. The coaches, who included New York Giants’ Coach Tom Coughlin, Baltimore Ravens’... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286123/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 21:52:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286065/posts Canadian soldier dies in Quebec hospital from injuries sustained in AfghanistanCLS NR–09.001 - July 5, 2009OTTAWA– A Canadian soldier who recently sustained serious injuries in Afghanistan passed away in a Quebec hospital yesterday. The deceased is Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud from the 2e Batallion, Royal 22e Régiment based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, near Quebec City. At approximately 9:15 a.m. Kandahar time on June 23, 2009, Master-Corporal Michaud was seriously injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his dismounted patrol in Panjwayi District, southwest of Kandahar City. Master-Corporal Michaud was evacuated by helicopter to the coalition medical facility at... DND/Canadian Forces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286065/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 19:50:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286009/posts The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites. Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility. The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials. timesonline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286009/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:49:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285896/posts FOUR US sailors have been assaulted while on shore leave in Perth - with one slashed across the face with scissors. WA police said a group of sailors were walking through Perth train station about 1am (WST) this morning when they were confronted by six people. ` "Three males and three females have yelled abuse at the sailors and as they tried to walk past them, one sailor was punched in the face,'' said police spokeswoman Ros Weatherall ``An altercation occurred and four sailors were assaulted, with one male struck in the face with a pair of scissors.'' news.com.au http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285896/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 13:41:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285864/posts Muslims apparently angered because a Christian man driving a tractor reportedly tried to pass a Muslim on a motorcycle have rampaged in one village in Pakistan, destroying Christians' homes and throwing acid on women and children as they fled, according to a new report from Barnabas Aid. The ministry reported that the violence this week happened in the village of Bahmani Walla in Punjab state in Pakistan, which is dominated by Islamic influences. The report said 600 Muslims used gasoline bombs to vandalize 117 homes belonging to Christians – including 48 damaged by fire, and sabotage water pumps and cut... WND http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285864/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 12:41:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285880/posts For years, Democrats clamored for the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, using the prison to pummel President George W. Bush for abusing his authority, violating domestic and international law, and tarnishing the reputation of the United States... Now lawmakers are making it nearly impossible for President Obama to close the notorious prison by year's end, as he promised to do. Ms. Feinstein, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and 88 other senators -- including every Republican -- voted to attach to a must-pass, supplemental war spending bill several provisions that tie the president's hands. Ms.... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285880/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 13:06:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285845/posts After his reelection as Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad extends an invitation to his American counterpart Barack Obama for a debate before the eyes of the world. Addressing Iranian heads of medical universities on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad offered to debate President Obama at the United Nations headquarters in New York before the eyes of all nations of the world. President Ahmadinejad had previously urged a debate with former US president George W. Bush. The Iranian president wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush in 2006 that touched on religious values, history and international relations. The letter was viewed as an offer... Press TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285845/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 12:01:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285818/posts Former congresswoman and current crazywoman Cynthia McKinney is spending a little time in an Israeli hoosegow this week. Only a matter of time, you say? Well, she isn't there because of the time her father blamed her electoral defeat on the "J-E-W-S." Nor, as far as we can tell, is it due to her habit of roughing up cops—although there's no official word about her demeanor when her Greek-flagged Gaza-blockade runner was boarded by the aforementioned J-E-W-S in uniform. McKinney found herself in dangerous waters as part of her new affiliation with the Green Party (she was their presidential nominee... Reason http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285818/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 09:59:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285772/posts Former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney, who is in an Israeli jail for trying to take humanitarian aid to Gaza, says the White House has done nothing to secure her release. Speaking to Press TV from inside the Israeli jail, she said US taxpayers paid for Israel's 22-day war on the Gaza Strip. “Operation Cast Lead was made possible by the US taxpayers' gift to the Israeli war machine in the form of F16s, helicopters gunship, white phosphorous, depleted uranium, cluster bombs and anything that kills," she told Press TV from inside the Israeli jail on Saturday. McKinney has been in... Iran Press TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285772/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 05:08:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285719/posts There's a new building in town, and it isn't a military barracks or a hospital. It's a Tourist Information Center. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285719/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 01:56:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285645/posts The soldiers expressed their gratitude over and over to the NFL coaches who made the trip to Iraq. "They kept thanking us," said the Tennessee Titans' Jeff Fisher. "We kept thanking them." Fisher, the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin, the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden are taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour over the Fourth of July weekend. A world they knew only through the distant glimpses of news reports turned very real for the coaches as they met with hundreds of soldiers in three... Southern Ledger, USO, various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285645/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 22:16:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285630/posts Syria's first lady has put out the welcome mat for the Obamas, a further sign that the once frosty relations between the two nations is thawing. In an interview with Britain's Sky News, Asma al Assad envisioned her husband, Bashar, and Barack Obama joining forces. "The fact is President Obama is young," al Assad said, "and President Assad is also very young as well, so maybe it is time for these young leaders to make a difference in the world." Asma was born in London and moved to Damascus after marrying Bashar al Assad nine years ago. Last week, the... CBS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285630/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:46:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285619/posts KEYSER, W.Va. – More than two years since leaving her prison cell, the woman who became the grinning face of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal spends most of her days confined to the four walls of her home. Former Army reservist Lynndie England hasn't landed a job in numerous tries: When one restaurant manager considered hiring her, other employees threatened to quit. AP via Yahoo! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285619/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:17:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285579/posts Three African countries on Friday signed an accord to build a 10-billion-dollar trans-Saharan gas pipeline linking vast reserves in Nigeria to Europe. Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285579/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 19:48:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285549/posts MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will grant President Barack Obama permission next week to ship U.S. weapons supplies across its territory, or through its airspace, en route to Afghanistan, sources on both sides told Reuters on Saturday. The transit deal will open up an important corridor for the United States as it steps up its Afghan war against Taliban insurgents by sending in more troops. Routes via Pakistan have come under attack by militants. It will be one of the main agreements signed during Obama's Moscow summit next week with Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev, the sources said. "The agreement will include... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285549/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 18:30:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285543/posts NAWA, Afghanistan – Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Marines carry 50-100 pounds (23-45 kilograms) on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands. Few even realized the date was July 4, ... a world away from the strenuous task Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285543/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 18:13:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285509/posts An Iraqi city worker prepares to unload new trash containers to be distributed to local citizens of Basrah, July 1. Approximately 12,000 trash containers were delivered that day, with a total of 350,000 to be delivered in the near future. Photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente, 4th Infantry Division. BASRAH — U.S. Soldiers and members of the Basrah Provincial Reconstruction Team joined Governor Sheltag Aboud al-Mayah here as he distributed the first trash can to a city family, July 1. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, coordinated with the local government to provide trash cans to residents here as... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285509/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:21:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285505/posts KIRKUK — "If terrorists knew this explosion would have unified Arabs, Turks, and Christians, they wouldn't have done it," said Mayor Talib of Taza, referring to a truck bomb attack here in June. "It has united us!" Representatives from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and Kirkuk's Provincial Reconstruction Team traveled to Taza, June 27, to assist in the recovery. Capt. Nathan Jennings, a company commander with 2nd BCT, met with Talib. According to Jennings, the purpose of the visit was to assess the security situation in the city, deliver much needed water, and examine a tent city... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285505/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:17:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285504/posts A hilltop view of the ancient city of Babylon, where King Nebuchadnezzar II, whose life spanned 630-562 B.C., built his hanging gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Photo by Maj. Mike Feeney, 172nd Infantry Brigade. HILLAH — Soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Brigade are enabling documentarians, historians and preservationists as they work to ensure ancient Iraqi history is preserved and documented in Babil province. The Soldiers provide these experts transportation and security as they conduct site surveys of Babylon, an ancient city near the modern city of HillahThe Babil Provincial Reconstruction Team hosted the World Monuments Fund... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285504/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:13:12 GMT