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BAGHDAD/MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Hundreds of convicts, including senior
members of al Qaeda, broke out of Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail as comrades
launched a military-style assault to free them, authorities said on
Monday.
The deadly raid on the high-security jail happened as Sunni Muslim
militants are re-gaining momentum in their insurgency against the
Shi'ite-led government that came to power after the U.S. invasion to
oust Saddam Hussein.
Suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives to the gates of the
prison on the outskirts of Baghdad on Sunday night and blasted their
way into the compound, while gunmen attacked guards with mortars and
rocket-propelled grenades.
Other militants took up positions near the main road, fighting off
security reinforcements sent from Baghdad as several militants wearing
suicide vests entered the prison on foot to help free the inmates.
Ten policemen and four militants were killed in the ensuing clashes,
which continued until Monday morning, when military helicopters arrived,
helping to regain control.
By that time, hundreds of inmates had succeeded in fleeing Abu
Ghraib, the prison made notorious a decade ago by photographs showing
abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers.
"The number of escaped inmates has reached 500, most of them were
convicted senior members of al Qaeda and had received death sentences,"
Hakim Al-Zamili, a senior member of the security and defense committee
in parliament, told Reuters.
"The security forces arrested some of them, but the rest are still free."
One security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity: "It's
obviously a terrorist attack carried out by al Qaeda to free convicted
terrorists with al Qaeda."
A simultaneous attack on another prison, in Taji, around 20 km (12
miles) north of Baghdad, followed a similar pattern, but guards managed
to prevent any inmates escaping. Sixteen soldiers and six militants were
killed.
CONVOY ATTACK
Sunni insurgents, including the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of
Iraq, have been regaining strength in recent months and striking on an
almost daily basis against Shi'ite Muslims and security forces amongst
other targets.
The violence has raised fears of a return to full-blown conflict in a
country where Kurds, Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have yet to find a
stable way of sharing power.
In the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a
suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives behind a
military convoy in the eastern Kokchali district, killing at least 22
soldiers and three passers-by, police said.
Suicide bombings are the hallmark of al Qaeda, which has been
regrouping in Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city and capital of the
Sunni-dominated Nineveh province.
A separate attack in western Mosul killed four policemen, police said.
Relations between Islam's two main denominations have been put under
further strain from the civil war in Syria, which has drawn in Shi'ite
and Sunni fighters from Iraq and beyond to fight against each other.
Recent attacks have targeted mosques, amateur football matches,
shopping areas and cafes where people gather to socialize after breaking
their daily fast for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Nearly 600 people have been killed in militant attacks across Iraq so
far this month, according to violence monitoring group Iraq Body Count.
That is still well below the height of bloodletting in 2006-07, when the monthly death toll sometimes exceeded 3,000.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Suadad al-Salhy in Baghdad; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
ACLU Tells Obama Administration to Leave George Zimmerman Alone
The American Civil Liberties Union wrote a letter
to Secretary of Defense Eric Holder making clear its position on the
outcome of the Zimmerman trial, and expressing a sentiment that should
be permeating throughout the entire nation: the American judicial system
has spoken, we as a nation must honor that, and we must move forward.
Laura W. Murphy and Jesselyn McCurdy, respectively the director and
the senior legislative council to the ACLU's Washington Legislative
Office, plainly wrote: "A jury found Zimmerman not guilty, and that
should be the end of the criminal case." They are right; George
Zimmerman is a free man and there is no reason that he should remain
under public scrutiny, or, for that matter, in the public view.
Regardless of a person's beliefs about Mr. Zimmerman or what his
intentions may or may not have been, a court ensured that he has the
same rights as every other free person in the nation, and the ACLU is
right to reinforce that in their letter.
There is another dimension, however, that the ACLU touches on
pertaining to this case, which they do in a more forward-looking manner
than most others who have publicly lamented the tragedy of Trayvon
Martin's death. Despite common misperception, there is no substantial
proof that racial profiling was at the root of the tragedy. That said,
the ACLU makes a compelling case that the best way to ensure justice in
the future — and not just justice in courts, but civil justice on the
streets — is beginning with government officials and law enforcement.
Noting that "average citizens can be influenced by the conduct of law
enforcement, and problematic practices by public officials can increase
the likelihood of bad judgment and actions by private actors," the ACLU
makes a critical point. The reason that so many people across the
nation assume that George Zimmerman was motivated by racial bias is
because it is an undeniable occurrence in American society.
In its letter, the ACLU cites multiple cases where black, young men
have been victims of police shootings for no other reason than racism —
cases that are inexcusable. Instead of dwelling and speculating on
George Zimmerman, America and its leaders need to look at the practical
flaws in our society and fix them. That is the only way that progress
has ever been made, and it is the only way that progress will be made.
Official statement from Kensington Palace on birth
The full statement from Kensington Palace:
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm.
The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz.
The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.
The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of
Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed
and are delighted with the news.
Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.
The good news is that both the boy and his mother are doing well.
She will be spending the night in hospital. Both families have been
informed.
So, the UK is going to have male monarchs for some time to come.
Updated
It's a boy
It's a boy.... Eight pounds and six ounces... born at 4.24pm.
Updated
It's emerged that a slight change has been to the manner in which details of the birth will be announced
Kensington Palace is going to issue a press release containing
details of the birth shortly before the signed medical bulletin leaves
the hospital from the front steps of the Lindo wing
This is to insure that the announcement is made "as quickly and simply as possible" according to Palace officials.
The announcement will still be posted on that much-awaited easel at a later stage though. See here for earlier
Here's the view of Peter Hunt:
Traditionally, the announcement of a royal birth like this one has
involved the placing of a proclamation on headed Buckingham Palace
foolscap on an easel behind the railings in the palace's forecourt after
the Queen and other members of both families have been informed.
This is the same easel used to announce Prince William's birth in 1982.
Updated
A snippet now from 'Charleswatch' and the Press Association reports
that the Prince of Wales was asked if there was any news as he left
Harewood House, near Leeds, tonight.
His reply:
No. You'll hear before I do, I suspect.
Perish the thought.
Updated
Another update from Maev Kennedy in Bucklebury, Kate's home village (Located on the map below, west of Reading):
Lit by occasional flashes of lightning, still only one topic of
conversation in Bucklebury. "Any news?" a passing dog walker calls.
The camera crews have now abandoned their disconsolate vigil under
the oak trees opposite the Bladebone pub which has been closed all day.
The Boot just down the hill is open, but there's even less chance of
enough signal there to pick up any news, should there be any news ...
Media Hypes Trayvon Martin Rallies – 99.999% Of America Ignores False Story…
by Ulsterman on
July 22, 2013 with
1 Comments in
News
Over the weekend all of the news
programs repeatedly showed footage of the “nationwide” Trayvon Martin
rallies. The real story though, is that despite wall-to-wall coverage
of the trial, followed by the self-serving “I am Trayvon” words of
President Obama, and the all-in attempts by MSNBC to ignite the
Zimmerman trial as some kind of revisiting of the Civil Rights Movement
in this country that took place over fifty years ago, the vast majority
of Americans ignored the story, ignored the protest rallies, and just
went on with life… (MSNBC threw a racism story party – but American just didn’t bother to show up…)
_______________________________________ Check out these facts regarding the non-event Trayvon Martin rallies via PJM:
According to Reuters,
in New York a grand total of 2000 people showed up Saturday to protest
in favor of Trayvon Martin in the George Zimmerman trial. That’s
.00024257 of the population of our most populous city. More New Yorkers show up for pizza at Ray’s between 6:00 and 6:05 in the evening. (Well, who knows? But you get my point.)
In our second most populous city, my hometown of Los Angeles, the results were even worse, according to the Los Angeles Times. A measly 400 people demonstrated. The totals in Miami, closest big city to the event, were 300.
In other words, the turnout was somewhere between minuscule and puny — maybe, at best,
fifteen thousand people nationwide in a country of 314 million. (You do
the math on that one…. Okay, I’ll do it. That’s .00005 of the
population.)
…So what are we to make of this astonishingly low attendance after
non-stop coverage on cable news and elsewhere, as if this trial were the
only serious issue confronting our country?
Could it be that the citizenry, including African-Americans,
supposedly so greatly injured, have seen through the media hype (what I
earlier called media pornography) and themselves realize this case is
simply an accidental, anomalous one-off and not that big of a deal?
I certainly hope so, because what we have been going through is a
form of national nervous breakdown, taking us rapidly backwards on race
relations, something that has improved consistently in our country over
the last fifty years.
What we do not need now is a “national conversation on
race.” That’s like taking a scab that’s slowly healing and, just when
it’s about to whither away, scratching it as hard as possible until the
wound comes back. LINK
Senators Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.), Marco Rubio (R.-Fla.), John McCain (R.-Ariz.)
(CNSNews.com) -- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--a Republican member of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” who co-sponsored
the Senate immigration bill and was one of 14 Republicans who
ultimately voted for it--was unaware that his own bill allows a person
to forge up to two passports without penalty.
“Under the Senate immigration bill, how many passports can someone
forge before it becomes a crime?” CNSNews.com asked Rubio Thursday on
Capitol Hill.
“How many--you can’t forge any passports,” Rubio replied. ”That’s a federal crime now.”
CNSNews.com: “It’s actually a part of the bill
that it’s up, that you can do two, and three and on it’s a crime. Why
would that be a part of it?” Rubio: “Well, first of all, I think what you’re
talking about is the way the law is described vis-a-vis, umm, waivers
that people can get. And as I said, I mean, there are elements of that
bill that continue to be, need to be improved, and I myself have
disagreements about the way the waiver structure was put in the bill,
and my hope is that it can be improved through the House process when
they do their own bill.”
However, Section 3707 of the immigration bill (S. 744) is titled, "Reform of Passport, Visa and Immigration Fraud Offenses." It makes
no mention of any “waivers," but it does specifically amend Section
1541 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, which currently requires criminal
penalties for issuing “any” unauthorized passports. As amended by S.
744--the Senate immigration bill Rubio co-sponsored--a person would not
be dealt criminal penalties until they forged "3 or more passports." Printed on Page 777 of the bill, the language says: "SEC. 3707. REFORM OF PASSPORT, VISA, AND IMMIGRATION FRAUD OFFENSES. "(a) TRAFFICKING IN PASSPORTS.—Section 1541 of title 18, United
States Code, is amended to read as follows: § 1541. Trafficking in
passports (a) MULTIPLE PASSPORTS.—Subject to subsection (b), any person
who, during any period of 3 years or less, knowingly—(1) and without
lawful authority produces, issues, or transfers 3 or more passports; (2)
forges, counterfeits, alters, or falsely makes 3 or more
passports; ‘(3) secures, possesses, uses, receives, buys, sells, or
distributes 3 or more passports, knowing the passports to be forged,
counterfeited, altered, falsely made, stolen, procured by fraud, or
produced or issued without lawful authority; or (4) completes, mails,
prepares, presents, signs, or submits 3 or more applications for a
United States passport, knowing the applications to contain any
materially false statement or representation, shall be fined under this
title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both." (See S 744.pdf)
The immigration reform bill passed the Senate June 27 on a 68-32
vote. All 52 Democrats, 2 independents, and 13 Republicans besides Rubio
voted for passage, including Senators Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Kelly
Ayotte (N.H.), Jeff Chisea (N.J.), Susan Collins (Me.), Bob Corker
(Tenn.), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah),
Dean Heller (Nev.), John Hoeven (N.D.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), John MicCain
(Ariz,) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
- See
more at:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/rubio-didnt-know-his-own-bill-allows-someone-forge-2-passports-its-crime#sthash.v6LwCmVb.DBCWfcuO.dpuf
Is the IRS scandal about to explode in Obama's Face?
Did Obama close ally keep him in the dark?
Credits:
Newly released information shows a very close relationship between President Obama and his man at the IRS,
who delayed the Tea party applications. William Wilkins is a long time
donor to the democratic party and once fought a case against the IRS in
which he defended Jerimiah Wright and the Trinity Church in 2008.
Wilkins was a registered lobbyist for Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale
and Dorr since 1988, and was also a member of the Tax Practice Group,
where he counseled nonprofits on compliance. As a lobbyist, he spread
money around to both republicans and democrats, but Wilkins worked for
the democrats from 1981 to 1988 as democratic counsel for the Senate
Finance Committee.
Wilkins has donated money to the following democrats: Lloyd bensen,
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Max Bauchus, David Pryor, Bill Bradley, Tom
Foley, J.J. Pickle, Paul Simon, John Kerry, John Breaux, Tom Daschle,
Dianne Feinstein, Robert Abrams, George Mitchell, Cody Graves, Vic
Fazio, Paul Sarbanes, Barbara Kennelly, Bruce Vento, Chris Dodd, Patrick
Leahy, Charlie Rangel, Kent Conrad, Tim Johnson, Jack Reed, Blanche
Lincoln, Jeff Bingaman, Sherrod Brown, Jay Rockefeller, Brad Miller, Ken
Salazar, and Bob Graham.
Wilkins was informed of the IRS probe and accusations of targeting of Tea party groups at least by August 4th, 2011.
That raises serious doubts on the president's credibility, as it's
inconceivable that his man and longtime loyal democratic donor would
leave him in the dark.
In 2008, Wilkins represented Jerimiah Wright in a case brought by the
IRS, alleging that they had violated their tax exempt status in 2008,
in a case that could have proved problematic for then presidential
candidate, Barack Obama.
Wilkins took the case pro bono. Shortly after being inaugurated ,
Barack Obama named Wilkins as the new Chief Counsel of the IRS.
This is the first evidence showing a clear link between the president and the IRS scandal.
