January 11, 2013

France launches air strikes in Mali against Islamist rebels

Source: Reuters

PARIS/BAMAKO - France carried out air strikes against Islamist rebels in Mali on Friday as it began a military intervention intended to halt a drive southward by the militants who control the country's desert north.

Western governments, particularly former colonial power France, voiced alarm after the al Qaeda-linked rebel alliance captured the central Malian town of Konna on Thursday, a gateway towards the capital Bamako 600 km (375 miles) further south.

President Francois Hollande said France would not stand by to watch the rebels push southward. Paris, the leading advocate for foreign intervention in Mali, has repeatedly warned that Islamists' seizure of the country's north in April gave them a base to attack the West.

"We are faced with blatant aggression that is threatening Mali's very existence. France cannot accept this," Hollande said in a New Year speech to diplomats and journalists.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/us-mali-rebels-idUSBRE90912Q20130111

January 11, 2013

France 'ready' for Mali military intervention

Source: Al Jazeera



President Francois Hollande has said France is ready to intervene to stop al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Mali who have been moving toward the capital, Bamako.

The forceful yet ambiguous announcement by the leader of France, the former colonial overseer in West Africa, came on Friday after Mali's interim president Dioncounda Traore had appealed for French help in stopping the rebels' advance.

The Malian army is already being backed by foreign military personnel in a fresh counter-offensive against Islamists, a Mali government official told the AFP news agency.

"European military, including French, are present in Mali to repel any southward advance by the Islamists," the official told AFP on Friday. "We will not reveal their number, nor where they are based, nor what equipment they have.

Read more: http://aje.me/TOQDAX

January 11, 2013

How many old timers are left in the Gungeon?

It must look like Night of the Living Dead in there now.

January 11, 2013

Turf War Feared After Syrian Rebel Leader Killed

Source: Reuters

Amman - The killing of a senior Islamist rebel commander near Syria’s border with Turkey could indicate a turf war between armed groups that will hamper their struggle to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sources told Reuters. Thaer al-Waqqas, northern commander of al-Farouq Brigades, one of Syria’s largest rebel groups, was shot dead at a rebel-held position in the town of Sermin, a few kilometers from Turkey, early on Wednesday morning, rebel sources said.

Al-Waqqas, they said, had been suspected of involvement in the killing four months ago of Firas al-Absi, a main jihadist leader in al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which Washington dubbed a terrorist organisation in December.

In addition to chronic supply problems and a shortage of financing and heavy weapons, the lack of unity among Syria’s rebels has held back their efforts to dislodge Assad’s forces.

“The assassins came in a white car, disembarked and riddled Waqqas with bullets as he was at a food supply depot,” one of the rebels said. He said suspicion immediately turned on Nusra. “Absi’s brother is a commander in (the city of) Homs. He vowed revenge for Firas, and it seems that he has carried out his promise,” the rebel said.

Read more: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/turf-war-feared-after-syrian-rebel-leader-killed/565393

January 11, 2013

SYRIAN REBELS SEIZE KEY AIR BASE, ACTIVISTS SAY

Source: AP

BEIRUT -- Islamic militants seeking to topple President Bashar Assad took full control of a strategic northwestern air base Friday in a significant blow to government forces, activists said.

The Taftanaz air base in the northern Idlib province is considered the biggest field in the country's north for helicopters used to bomb rebel-held areas and deliver supplies to government troops.

Rebels from the al-Qaida affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamic groups have been fighting for weeks for control of the sprawling facility and broke into it on Wednesday evening. Activists said the rebels seized control of buildings, ammunition and military equipment after ferocious fighting at dawn.

"As of now, the rebels are in full control of the air base," said Idlib-based activist Mohammad Kanaan.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_SYRIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

January 11, 2013

Ha ha ha

AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service

At Fri Jan 11, 2013, 05:04 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

Song?... Cue up the Brady Campaign theme music... http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2164803

REASON FOR ALERT:

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/? com=aboutus#communitystandards" target="_blank">Community Standards</a>.)

ALERTER'S COMMENTS:

NRA troll. Hide this shit to lock this poster out of this thread.

JURY RESULTS

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Fri Jan 11, 2013, 05:08 AM, and the Jury voted 4-2 to HIDE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT and said: Is this grave dancing on an elementary school shooting???
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT and said: Right wing gun nut fuckhead shouldn't be allowed to post to this site.
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

January 10, 2013

NFL star Junior Seau suffered from brain disease often associated with repeated blows to the head

By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
January 10, 2013

Junior Seau, one of the NFL's best and fiercest players for two decades, suffered from a degenerative brain disease often associated with repeated blows to the head when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday.

The NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., said Seau's brain revealed abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. It said that the study included unidentified brains, one of which was Seau's, and that the findings on Seau were similar to autopsies of people "with exposure to repetitive head injuries."

Seau's family requested the analysis of his brain.

The star linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San Diego, Miami and New England before retiring in 2009. He died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound.

He joins a list of several dozen football players who were found to have CTE. Boston University's center for study of the disease reported last month that 34 former pro players and nine who played only college football suffered from CTE.

More: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=18178139

January 10, 2013

US suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation

It's not the frequency of the attacks that stands out -- it's the lethality

BY KEVIN FREKING
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jan 9, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) —The United States suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation, due in part to the widespread possession of firearms and the practice of storing them at home in a place that is often unlocked, according to a report released Wednesday by two of the nation’s leading health research institutions.

Gun violence is just one of many factors contributing to lower U.S. life expectancy, but the finding took on urgency because the report comes less than a month after the shooting deaths of 26 people at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

The United States has about six violent deaths per 100,000 residents. None of the 16 other countries included in the review came anywhere close to that ratio. Finland was closest to the U.S. ranking with slightly more than two violent deaths per 100,000 residents.

For many years, Americans have been dying at younger ages that people in almost all other wealthy countries. In addition to the impact of gun violence, Americans consume the most calories among peer countries and get involved in more accidents that involve alcohol. The U.S. also suffers higher rates of drug-related deaths, infant mortality and AIDS.

More: http://www.salon.com/2013/01/09/us_suffers_far_more_violent_deaths_than_any_other_wealthy_nation/

January 10, 2013

FBI probes cyber threats against Steubenville sheriff

Source: CBS News



STEUBENVILLE, OHIO - The FBI is investigating cyber threats in an eastern Ohio city that include death threats against the local sheriff's family and an email that apparently shut down the police chief's computer.

The threats are part of a series of online messages that have targeted individuals and authorities in Steubenville amid increased attention over two high school football players who are facing rape charges.

Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said Wednesday he'd provided the FBI a copy of an anonymous Facebook post in which someone threatened to kill his family.

Steubenville Police Chief William McCafferty said he gave the FBI an email that he had opened Wednesday morning, which then disabled his computer.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57563173/fbi-probes-cyber-threats-against-steubenville-sheriff/

January 10, 2013

Eric Holder to stay on as attorney general

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Eric Holder, a lightning rod of criticism from Republicans, is staying on in his job as President Barack Obama starts his second term.

A White House official said on Wednesday that Holder is among the Cabinet members who will remain in their position. He has been working on Vice President Joe Biden's task force on finding ways to reduce gun violence after last month's mass killing in Newtown, Connecticut.

It is rare for an attorney general to serve more than four years.

The country's top law enforcement officer has been the target of fierce criticism from Republicans, who tried to oust him after a botched department operation called "Fast and Furious" that targeted gun trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/09/us-usa-cabinet-holder-idUSBRE9081BW20130109