Children 'used in suicide attacks'
By Kristin Roberts in Washington
March 21, 2007 05:16am
Article from: Reuters
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•      Fears of new tactic to get through checkpoints
•      Children left inside car to lower suspicions
•      Chemical bombings have also increased
A US general today said Iraqi insurgents used children in a suicide attack this weekend, raising worries that the insurgency has adopted a new tactic to get through security checkpoints with bombs.
Major General Michael Barbero, deputy director for regional operations in the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, said adults in a vehicle with two children in the backseat were allowed through a Baghdad checkpoint. The adults then abandoned the vehicle and detonated it with the children still inside, he said.
"Children in the backseat lower suspicion, we let it move through," he said. "They parked the vehicle, the adults run out and detonate it with the children in the back."
"The brutality and ruthless nature of this enemy hasn't changed," Gen Barbero said.
The general called that incident a new tactic, but noted US forces had only seen one such occurrence involving children.
The use of chemical bombings has increased and become a tool of the insurgency, as the three chlorine bombs detonated this past weekend brought the total to six such bombings since January, the General said.
High-profile suicide and car bomb attacks by Sunnis against Shiites also have not abated, Gen Barbero said.
But he said increased forces in Iraq's capital had yielded some success, such as a reduction in murders and executions of civilians. He also said hundreds of families have returned to Baghdad and the number of tips from Iraqi civilians about insurgent activity hit its highest mark ever in February.
Gen Barbero's comments come as Congress considers measures that attempt to force a timeline on the Bush administration to withdraw US troops.
The General said improving security will "take time and determination" and said: "We need to take a long-term view."
The United States has plans in place to send more than 21,500 additional troops to Baghdad and Anbar - the most violent areas of Iraq. Many of the troops have already arrived and all of the US brigades promised for Baghdad will be in place by June, as targeted, Gen Barbero said.
The aim of the increase, according to US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and military officials, is to establish enough security to give Iraq's Government "breathing room" to make political and economic progress.
That strategy, however, has been criticised by some lawmakers in Washington. Republican Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat who chairs the US House of Representatives' armed services committee, for example, said violence between Sunnis and Shiites will worsen when the United States leaves Iraq, regardless of when that pull-out occurs.
"Should there be a redeployment now, six months from now, two years from now, the sectarian violence will increase," Mr Skelton said today. "It's inevitable."
Asked about the Shiite militia led by radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Gen Barbero declined to say whether US forces were in negotiations with the group.
"I think where we are with the leaders of this movement's at a pretty delicate point and I probably don't want to talk anymore about his followers, where we are in our relationship with them," Gen Barbero said. "That's probably best left unsaid."
But the general said US and Iraqi forces were operating freely in Baghdad's Sadr City, a Shiite militia stronghold, and that he believed the cleric was still in Iran.


There is an AMAZING link up with child sacrifice and a certain character named ishmael in the Old testament. 



Man who ripped wife's eyes out jailed
From correspondents in Nimes, France
March 21, 2007 06:28am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
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A MAN who ripped out his wife's eyes in a fit of rage was sentenced by a French court to 30 years behind bars today.
Mohamed Hadfi, 31, tore out his 23-year-old wife Samira Bari's eyes following a heated argument in their apartment in the southern French city of Nimes in July 2003 after she refused to have sex with him.
Ms Bari, who had demanded a divorce before the attack, was permanently blinded.
Hadfi, a Moroccan, initially fled to Germany. He was finally arrested and sent back to France, where he was indicted for "acts of torture and barbarity leading to a permanent disability".
Prosecutor Dominique Tourette demanded that Hadfi be sentenced to 30 years in prison, two thirds of which must be served in full, calling the defendant a "diabolic torturer".
Once his sentence is served, Hadfi will be deported and barred from ever returning to France.
His lawyer Jean-Pierre Cabanes meanwhile insisted there were extenuating circumstances.
"This is the result of a marriage that was arranged, not chosen," he said, pointing to the gulf separating his client, who came from southern Morocco, and his young wife, who had grown up in France.
Mr Cabanes begged the jury for leniency, claiming his client's action "appeared to stem from a mental illness

Hey - look, he is called mohammad - prob a muslim !!

since this is a "today's news" thread, i thought i should post articles from today's paper. feel free to comment on any of them if u like.

and don't worry auzgurl, but this is supposed to be a thread about the news, so it doesn't have to be a muslim bashing one. there are so many non-muslim related news pieces out there as well.

Anna Nicole baby paternity ruling
March 21, 2007 12:00

A JUDGE has ordered a DNA test on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the baby's father.

The instruction will be a step forward in a wrangle that has intensified since Smith's death, with at least four parties claiming to be the father.

Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the Playboy playmate who asked the judge to order the test on six-month-old Dannielynn, pumped his fists in the air and jumped up and down as he emerged from the closed hearing in a Bahamas courtroom.

"I feel great," he said. "It's been a good day in court for me."

Deborah Rose, an attorney for Smith's mother Virgie Arthur, confirmed the judge ordered the test but she and others who attended the hearing declined to describe the proceedings.

Authorities left the building after the hearing and could immediately be reached for comment.

The two front-runners claiming to be the father are Birkhead and Smith's husband, lawyer Howard K Stern.

Paternity has also been claimed by a bodyguard of the star, Alex Denk, and Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband Prince Frederic von Anhalt - who says he had a ten-year fling with the star.

Also adding to the paternity debate was Smith's half-sister Donna Hogan who claimed frozen sperm from the actress' late billionaire husband J. Howard Marshall could have been used to impregnate Smith.

Smith's most recent companion Stern, who is listed as the father on the girl's birth certificate, left the courthouse in a black SUV as Birkhead greeted a crowd of cheering tourists.

Smith, 39, died after collapsing at a Florida hotel. Authorities have not disclosed the cause.

Stern has been caring for the girl in the gated, waterfront Bahamas home where he lived with Smith in the months before she died.

The Bahamian courts have ordered Stern not to leave the country with the girl before a custody ruling.

The only two being taken seriously in the paternity wrangle are Birkhead and Stern. Birkhead has been fighting to prove he's the father since late last year.

Birkhead, Stern and Arthur - who was estranged from her daughter - have been waging a war to win custody of the child since Smith's sudden and squalid death in a Florida hotel last month.

The tragedy is still shrouded in mystery, with the cause of death believed to be drugs - although police are still investigating and recently said they have not ruled out murder.

It came just months after Smith's adult son died, apparently of adrugs overdose, in the model's hospital room as she slept following the birth of Dannielynn.

Observers have suggested the claims of paternity and custody are more about securing access to Dannielynn's hefty inheritance than providing love.

Arthur wants to take Dannielynn from Stern, arguing she could provide a more stable home. She did not speak as she left the courthouse and left in a white limousine.

The girl - full name Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern - could inherit millions from the estate of Smith's late husband, Texas oil tycoon Marshall.

Smith had been fighting his family over his estimated $US500 million ($A623 million) fortune since his death in 1995.

A Los Angeles judge issued an order in December for Anna Nicole Smith to bring her daughter to California for paternity tests, but previous efforts by Birkhead's legal team to secure a DNA sample have not been successful.  

Last month, Von Anhalt also filed legal documents seeking a DNA test to determine if he is the father.

I'm not arrogant, says Howard

March 21, 2007 12:00

PRIME Minister John Howard has said he is surprised by a poll finding that seven in 10 voters think he is arrogant, saying he has nothing to be arrogant about.

The Newspoll of more than 1200 voters found that 68 per cent thought Mr Howard was arrogant, compared to 29 per cent for Labor leader Kevin Rudd.

Only 50 per cent thought Mr Howard was in touch with the electorate, compared to 76 per cent for Mr Rudd, and fewer than half (49 per cent) thought Mr Howard was trustworthy.

"I've got to say this, I don't have anything to be arrogant about - not at the moment, politically, nothing at all," Mr Howard has said on Southern Cross Broadcasting.

"I mean, it's the most counter-intuitive finding in a poll I've read in years.  I look at all the other polls and they say I'm a country mile behind.

"I can tell you, I don't feel very arrogant, I don't behave in an arrogant manner."

Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce has said the poll is wrong and Mr Howard cannot be expected to do "somersaults down the corridor" to prove to people he is not arrogant.

He has said the Prime Minister is efficient and business-like.

"He can't be the all-singing, all-dancing, hugging and kissing and doing somersaults down the corridor to make people feel happy," the Queensland senator has said.

"He's got to run a country and with that has got to come a sense of decorum and a sense of gravitas of the position that you've got.

"I want to see the boss running the show which is what we've got."

Public opinion

Mr Howard has said he has strong views and is prepared to argue his case and go against public opinion on important issues.

"But I do listen to people, and I may not end up agreeing with them, I don't always, and I think the job of leader is to listen and lead, and not always just count to 51 per cent and say that's where I'm going to go," he said.

"On occasions you've got to swim against the tide. I did it on Iraq, I did it on the GST ... I believe in what we're doing, and if at the end of the day the judgment of the Australian people is (against us) ... I have to accept that."

Mr Howard said when governments were doing badly in the polls generally, they tended to get marked down on everything.

Tasmanian Liberal MP Michael Ferguson was standing by his leader today.

"John Howard's my hero, he remains so," Mr Ferguson has said.

Hi auzgurl,

How have you been ? Much better forum here, thanks.

Was just reporting the news. made no comment against anyone at all !!
Thought america bashing was the popular thing to do ??
Silly me, I am often "unfashionable".

Take care

Skeptic - you're going so fast we haven't time to comment.  In regard to Anna Nicole's baby - I hope it turns out to be Stern - the lawyer.  He sounds about the most competent of the lot.

In regard to Howard's arrogance - what's new?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Mixed-messages-put-babies-at-risk/2007/07/01/1183228952783.html

New parents are being given inconsistent advice about sleeping positions for their babies that could be putting some at risk of suffocation, top child health experts warn.

Specialists from SIDS and Kids, and Kidsafe say some organisations continue to advise parents to use dangerous V-shaped pillows that can suffocate babies who slip down between the two arms.

Parental help lines are also advising mums and dads to sleep in the same bed with their children, despite the potential danger of suffocation, University of Adelaide pathology expert Professor Roger Byard wrote in the Medical Journal of Australia.

"Despite these clear messages, deaths continue to occur in SA, and V-shaped pillows are still being sold in a local obstetric hospital," wrote the specialists.

Ms Cairns said she was advised unequivocally on a helpline to share a bed with her new baby, despite the proven dangers.

"No mention was made of the potential danger of suffocation if parents are physically large, intoxicated, sedated, or simply exhausted, or if the infant is placed between the parents under bedcovers," Ms Cairns said.

"Perhaps another question to ask is: 'What responsibility do organisations and employees bear if an infant dies as a result of parents following such advice?'," he said.

The family of this unfortunate woman have been quick to point the finger at other people, yet surely they are the most responsible for the situation. Who would leave a sick relative who depends on the power supply to stay alive in a house with no backup electricity that was behind on it's bills to the electricity company? Who would trust the electricity company's bureacracy that much? Most houses experience a power cut due to natural causes about once a year anyway.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Powercut-womans-family-slams-police/2007/06/04/1180809383376.html

The family of a New Zealand woman with a life-threatening heart condition, who died shortly after her electricity was disconnected, have lashed out at the police investigation into her death.

The 45-year-old mother of four with cardiomyopathy, could not work because of her condition and was dependent on an electrically-powered oxygen machine to breath.

Although she had been making payments, Mercury Energy disconnected the supply to Folole Muliaga's Auckland home on May 29 because she owed $NZ168 ($A150) on her bill.

Spokesman for the Muliaga family, Brenden Sheehan, said police were insensitive, failed to understand Samoan culture, and leaked information to the media ahead of official findings.

At the moment, Australians who want to buy food that is not laced with poisons and hormones and does not harm the environment are not protected by law, because there are no legal standards for labelling food 'organic'. As well as damaging our ecosystems and our health, this harms export industries because organically grown food has no meaningful certification. The NSW government is looking into this, but we need a national approach. The last thing we need is a different set of standards for each state. The industry is worth $400 million in NSW alone.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Call-for-domestic-organic-food-standard/2007/03/05/1172943347671.html

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Organic food benefits, costs questioned

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Organic-food-benefits-costs-questioned/2007/07/29/1185647719045.html

The jury is out on the health and taste benefits of pricey organic food, consumer watchdog Choice says.

It's not known if organic food is nutritionally better and more research is required, according to Choice.

Meanwhile, shoppers are paying up to three times more for organic produce, believing it tastes better, has no chemical residue and is healthier than non-organic food.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said the watchdog supported the development of a domestic standard and enforcement framework for organic goods.

Among Choice's value picks for organic food were tomatoes, apples and chickens. However, organic carrots and eggs did not rate as well.

Organic cherry tomatoes can cost about the same as conventional non-organic varieties but they have more concentrated flavour and more beneficial phytochemicals and vitamins.

A survey found 20 per cent of conventional tomatoes had at least one pesticide residue on them.

Over half the conventional apples tested had pesticide residue, which could make forking out up to $8 a kilogram worthwhile compared to $2 to $5 for the standard fruit.

Certified organic chickens are normally twice the price of non-organic birds, but they are free-range and fed at least 95 per cent organic food and have no antibiotics.

Eggs laid by organic free-range chickens cost $9 a dozen, which is a 200 per cent premium on non-organic eggs.

Organic carrots were more than double the price of standard carrots with tests finding only one in 21 samples of non-organic carrots with chemical residue.