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A British pilot got shot between the eyes as he flew his Chinook helicopter into a firefight in Afghanistan - but he still managed to land safely and rescue all 20 people on board. Flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune, 28, was sent in to Helmand Province to rescue casualties as a ferocious battle raged between American and Afghan troops and Taliban rebels. As he approached the fire-zone the fighting was so intense he had to circle the area several times until it was safe to land

The ongoing tension between the Israeli delegation to the United Nations and the Al Jazeera bureau at the international organization headquarters has reached new heights recently. The Arab network's chief UN correspondent, Khaled Dawoud, has accused the Israeli delegation of discriminatory policies and harassment. The Israeli diplomats, for their part, have accused Dawoud of disruptive behavior and of exploiting press conferences and events with Israeli officials as a podium to bash Israel.

Bush hosts dinner to end bitter feud between key allies in war on terror By Francis Harris in Washington and Harry Mount in New York (Filed: 27/09/2006) President George W Bush was struggling last night to calm fierce and increasingly personal exchanges between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan, key allies in America's war on terror. With tensions rising between President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Mr Bush asked both to dinner at the White House this evening in an attempt to help defuse a damaging row. Afghanistan President Karzai with US President Bush "You...

Link between El Niños and droughts in India< Sid Perkins Scientists report that droughts in India are associated with a particular type of El Niño, the climate phenomenon marked by increased sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific. The rainy season in India occurs in June, July, and August. Between 1871 and 2002, central India experienced 10 severe summertime droughts, says Martin Hoerling, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo. Every one of those dry spells occurred during an El Niño, he notes. However, not all El Niños during that 132-year period caused droughts—in 13 cases,...

WASHINGTON - A sun shines on Dan Yu's back, alongside a swimming koi fish. A tree soon may grow on his arm. "Your body's an empty canvas, so you almost want to continue to add to it," said Yu, 28, as he showed off his tattoos. A generation or two ago, Yu's tattoos — to say nothing of his pierced nose — probably would have placed him in a select company of soldiers, sailors, bikers and carnival workers. But no longer: The American University employee is among about 36 percent of Americans age 18 to 29 with at least one...

CAIRO, Egypt - When terrorists blew themselves up in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula this week, the radical Palestinian group Hamas quickly joined Arab governments and Western leaders in condemning a "criminal attack against all human values." Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood called the bombings "aggression on human souls created by God." The denunciations were unexpectedly harsh from the Islamic fundamentalist groups — Hamas has killed hundreds of Israeli civilians in suicide bombings, and the Brotherhood is determined to impose an Islamic government — but experts agree that radical Muslim organizations want to distance themselves from al-Qaida. The widening rift largely has not...

BOSTON - Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts raised cash for his campaign committee on Monday in what is shaping up as enemy territory — the home state of potential 2008 presidential rival John McCain of Arizona. Romney held a fundraiser in Phoenix, a foray that Romney's staff says highlights his ability to compete in Southwestern and Mountain states. They are home not only to McCain and a coveted bloc of Republican-leaning voters, but also many of Romney's fellow Mormons. It is McCain whom Romney singled out when the governor announced in December he would not seek a second term...

History between the cracks Ancient pottery from Vanuatu might shed light on the last great human migration, writes Deborah Smith. TAKARONGA KUAUTONGA carefully examines the shape, colour and patterns on the ancient fragments of pottery. "It's like a big jigsaw puzzle," he says, as he patiently pieces them together. The 3000-year-old pot he is reconstructing was unearthed, along with 25 headless human skeletons, at a burial site in Vanuatu - the oldest graveyard discovered so far in the South Pacific. Intricately decorated, it is one of four rare, well-preserved items of Lapita pottery - three pots and a dish -...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Williams and an Iraqi soldier talk to local citizens in Ad Dwar, Iraq, Feb. 10, 2006, about the suspects on the “most-wanted” poster they are handing out. Williams is assigned to psychological operations, 2nd Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Walter E. van Ochten More Photos Posters Bridge Gap Between Iraqi Army, Locals Armed with leaflets and posters, Iraqi troops take to the streets of Ad Dawr, giving local Iraqis the opportunity to interact with their soldiers. By Sgt 1st Class Walter E. van Ochten 133rd Mobile Public Affairs...

Some of my leftist friends have one thing in common with the Muslims now sacking foreign embassies: a fundamental lack of understanding as to how democracy works, and how precious it is. The leftists have grown up knowing nothing but freedom and opulence, and take things like the Bill of Rights, Federalist Papers, and Constitution for granted (if they have even read these hallowed documents). The Muslim radicals (Islamists) are throwing lit jugs full of gasoline at Danish embassies because they have known nothing except Big Brother (One Newspaper, One Nation, One Religion, One World), and do not even know...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2006 – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today highlighted the importance of promoting a more cooperative working relationship between American diplomats and the U.S. military in order to achieve global objectives. "Over the past 15 years, as violent state failure has become a greater global threat, our military has borne a disproportionate share of post-conflict responsibilities because we have not had the standing civilian capability to play our part fully," she said in a speech at Georgetown University here. "This was true in Somalia, in Haiti, in Bosnia, in Kosovo and it is still partially true in...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2006 – Vice President Dick Cheney today praised U.S. servicemembers and vowed victory in the war against terror, calling the global conflict a struggle between civil societies and barbarism. "The war on terror is a battle for the future of civilization," Cheney told servicemembers gathered at the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. "It's a battle worth fighting. It's a battle we are going to win," he said. Cheney recalled his pre-Christmas trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he thanked deployed U.S. servicemembers "for all they've done to bring freedom, stability and peace to...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2005 – The U.S. is determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes like Syria and Iran, President Bush said here today. Speaking to the Joint Armed Forces Officers' Wives Luncheon at Bolling Air Force Base, Bush said that these governments have a long history of collaboration with terrorists and deserve no patience from the victims of terror. "Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has chosen to be an enemy of civilization," Bush said. "The civilized world must hold those regimes to account." The U.N. Security Council will hear...

BOGOTA (AP) - Rival fans clashed at a domestic soccer match in the Colombian capital late Wednesday, killing one person and wounding 23. Edison Andres Garzon died of injuries sustained during the riots that erupted after America de Cali defeated Santa Fe 5-2 in a Colombian first division game, firefighters said. Garzon, 20, was struck in the head and his body thrown over a balcony in Bogota's El Campin stadium, Garzon's cousin, Andrea Hernandez, told local radio. Most of the wounded were treated on the spot. The violence started when up to 100 Santa Fe fans angry over the referee's...

SOUTH BEND — A former aide at Greene Intermediate Center is in jail after her arrest Tuesday on nine felony charges related to inappropriate sexual activities with special education students she supervised. Schmeca White, 27, of the 800 block of Huey Street, was taken into custody at her home shortly before noon Tuesday. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ken Cotter said White is accused of performing various sexual acts or causing students to perform sex acts in a classroom during their lunch period. The reported incidents occurred during November and December while the teacher with whom White worked was away from the...

When it comes to the law of unintended consequences, the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance "reform" is rapidly becoming a legal phenomenon. The latest example comes courtesy of the Federal Election Commission, where officials are being asked to extend the law to the very people it is supposed to empower: individual citizens. snip The problem facing the FEC is that McCain-Feingold broadly restricts coordination with, and contributions to, political candidates. So what is the agency to do with all those people who use their Web sites to praise a candidate? Computers and Web access cost money, which could be construed as a financial...

Field between Tecate, Ensenada yields tools By Sandra Dibble UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER February 16, 2005 TIJUANA – For the first time in Baja California, archaeologists have found significant evidence of hunters who settled the region between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, known as INAH, announced the recent recovery of more than 150 stone knives, spearheads, cutting utensils and other carved items from an open field between Tecate and Ensenada. The items are being linked to the San Dieguito people acknowledged as the earliest settlers of the region. San Dieguito sites have been amply...

In April 2004, followers of Iraqi Shi‘ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr launched a well-coordinated uprising across southern Iraq. While Western media focused on events in Sadr City, Najaf, and Karbala, violence occurred elsewhere as well. A Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) source forwarded the following after-action report regarding violence in the town of Al-Kut, the capital of the Wassit governorate and home to the Ukrainian contingent.The unclassified report, written by a coalition security contractor, highlights dysfunction between regional coalition offices and the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters in Baghdad, as well as tension between diplomats and security officers. The summary faulted a British...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

On November 8, 2004, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the Bush administration had improperly ignored the Geneva Conventions in establishing military commissions to try detainees at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. naval base as war criminals. Ted Lapkin's timely article delves into the complexities of the Geneva Conventions, and how much they should apply to the war on terrorism. —The Editors. From Manhattan to Mindanao, Islamist zealots draw no distinction between combatants and non-combatants. Jihadists target women, children, and the elderly without even the pretence of discrimination. In June 2004, an Al-Qaeda affiliated group distributed a video proudly documenting...