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Email Comments 231 CAIRO — A car exploded in front of a Coptic Christian church as worshippers emerged from a New Year's Mass in the Egyptian city of Alexandria early Saturday, killing at least seven people, officials said.
After the blast, enraged Christians emerging from the church clashed with police and stormed a nearby mosque, prompting fights and volleys of stone throwing with Muslims, police and witnesses said – a sign of the sectarian anger that has been arising with greater frequency in Egypt.
Nearly 1,000 Christians were attending the Mass at the Saints Church in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, said a priest at the church, Father Mena Adel. The service had just ended, and worshippers were leaving the building when the blast went off, about a half-hour after midnight.
"I was inside the church and heard a huge explosion," Adel told The Associated Press. "People's bodies were in flames."
The blast came from a car parked outside the church, but police said they were still investigating whether the car had been rigged with explosives or if a bomb had been placed under it. Witnesses reported seeing the charred chassis of the destroyed car, with the remains of several bodies nearby and dozens wounded.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that seven people were killed and 24 wounded. Alexandria's governor, Adel Labib, put the death toll as high as 10.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Labib immediately blamed al-Qaida, pointing to recent threats by the terror group's branch in Iraq to attack Christians. It was not clear, however, if Labib had firm evidence, and he may have intended more to deny any homegrown Muslim-Christian tensions in Egypt.
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Email Comments 231 CAIRO — A car exploded... more
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Jeff Zimbalist, director of "Favela Rising," explores the Brazilian fashion industry through its young, beautiful models.Jeff Zimbalist, director of "Favela Rising," explores the Brazilian fashion... more
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Email Comments 110 TOKYO — A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 has struck in the Pacific Ocean off southern Japan.
Japan's Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning from the quake, which occurred about 130 kilometers (80.6 miles) off the southern coast of Chichi Island in the Pacific Ocean. The offshore quake struck at around 2:20 a.m. (1720 GMT) at the depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
The agency issued a tsunami alert of up to 2 meters (6 feet) for nearby islands and warnings of milder tsunami for the southern coasts on the main Japanese island.
A minor swelling of waves of about 30 centimeters (1 foot) was observed on the island's shorelines about 40 minutes after the quake, the agency said.
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Email Comments 110 TOKYO — A strong... more
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Tony Parker has filed his own divorce petition against Eva Longoria in Texas, TMZ has learned, and it has all the markings of a legal battle.Tony Parker has filed his own divorce petition against Eva Longoria in Texas, TMZ has... more
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The bodies of 21 babies, some with hospital identification tags around their tiny ankles, washed ashore on a river in eastern China and two mortuary workers were detained for allegedly dumping them.
News footage Tuesday showed the babies – at least one of whom was stuffed in a yellow plastic bag marked "medical waste" – strewn along a dirt riverbank near a highway overpass. A few wore diapers. All were caked in mud.
Some of the babies appeared several months old, while the official Xinhua News Agency said the bodies included fetuses.
Local residents and firefighters recovered the bodies Monday after they were discovered under a bridge spanning the Guangfu River on the outskirts of Jining in Shandong province.
Interviews with residents who made the grisly find were broadcast on the Web site of the Shandong Broadcasting Company. One said he thought a body was a toy, but then he spotted several others. Another expressed concern because the river is a source of drinking water for villagers living nearby.
Hospital ID tags on eight of the babies helped investigators trace them back to the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Xinhua reported.
Hospital mortuary workers Zhu Zhenyu and Wang Zhijun were sacked and taken away by police, Xinhua said, citing Jining government spokesman Gong Zhenhua. The babies' families had paid the pair to dispose of the bodies, but they instead dumped them at the river.
It was not clear whether Zhu and Wang dumped the bodies directly in the river or if they made an attempt to bury them.
Three top hospital officials were sacked or suspended and the government ordered the Jining Municipal Health Bureau to make a public apology, Xinhua said.
more at attackofthenews.blogspot.comThe bodies of 21 babies, some with hospital identification tags around their tiny... more
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WASHINGTON — An Iranian nuclear scientist who had been reported missing since last summer has defected to the U.S. and is assisting the CIA in its efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program, ABC News reported Tuesday.
The scientist, Shahram Amiri, has been resettled in the U.S., according to the report.
The CIA had no comment on the report, a spokesman said.
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he hopes international sanctions against Iran for pursuing its nuclear ambitions will be in place this spring. Iran maintains that its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes and not to develop weapons.
Amiri, who worked at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, an institution closely connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, disappeared last June while in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage. While his disappearance led to speculation that he had defected and was assisting the West in its efforts to keep track of Iran's nuclear program, the foreign minister for Iran accused the U.S. of helping to kidnap him.
Citing people briefed on the intelligence operation, ABC News said Amiri's disappearance was part of a long-planned CIA operation to persuade him to defect. The CIA reportedly approached Amiri in Iran through an intermediary who made an offer of resettlement on behalf of the United States, ABC News said.
Amiri has been extensively debriefed since his defection, according to the report, and has helped to confirm U.S. intelligence assessments about the Iranian nuclear program.WASHINGTON — An Iranian nuclear scientist who had been reported missing since... more
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Brian Westbrook was released Tuesday, ending an eight-year career with the Eagles during which he racked up nearly 6,000 rushing yards and more than 3,800 receiving yards. Naturally, ESPN sought an interview with the former All-Pro running back, and they appeared to secure one.
That is until "Brian Westbrook" actually spoke on SportsCenter. The caller's real identity is Captain Janks from the Howard Stern Show, and it took less than 30 seconds of speaking before the impostor said that he has "nothing but respect for head coach Andy Reid and I look forward to a future of worshipping the prostate of Howard Stern."
SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt reacted humorously to viewers, saying, "Oh boy, we got that, huh. So that worked out well." A pause ensued before he passed the baton to co-anchor Steve Levy with a casual "hi." Scroll down for video of the exchange.
WATCH:
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Angie Sanselmente Valencia is a stunning young lingerie model who, authorities believe, is also the leader of the one of the world's largest drug gangs.
As the Telegraph reports, an international arrest warrant has been issued for 30-year-old Valencia, who is believed to be on the run in either Mexico or Argentina.
Bringing a little glamor to the world of smuggling, Valencia is said to have recruited beautiful models to smuggle the drugs from South America to Europe. According to the Sun, Valencia has described the women working for her as "unsuspicious, beautiful angels." Authorities caught on to Valencia after one of these 'angels' was busted at an airport in Buenos Aires with 55kg of coke last month and decided to talk to authorities.
The entrepreneurial Valencia had apparently been dating a notorious Mexican drug lord known as "The Monster," but had broken up with him last year in order to start her own drug-smuggling operation.
Some details on how the operation worked, from the Daily Mail
more at attackofthenews.blogspot.comAngie Sanselmente Valencia is a stunning young lingerie model who, authorities... more
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Comedian/Actor Marlon Wayans has been tapped to star in the lead role as the legendary comedian Richard Pryor in the biopic “Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?”
Eddie Murphy, who was originally asked to play the role, gave the green light for Marlon to take the lead.
"You need to be lucky in life, but it's also what you do with your luck," Wayans said, "This is like an invitation to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for me, and I've never been more excited in my life than when I got the role. I want to be in dramas, I want to produce, I want to write and I want to prove I can handle a role such as this one."
The film which is currently in production, chronicles the life of the late comedian and is slated for a 2011 release date.
Richard Pryor, who passed away in 2005 after complications for Multiple Sclerosis, is hailed as one of the most prolific comedians of our time. Although most known for his stand up comedy and feature films, Pryor was also a featured writer on the hit 70's sitcom “Sanford and Son” along side comedic genius Paul Mooney
attackofthenews.blogspot.comComedian/Actor Marlon Wayans has been tapped to star in the lead role as the legendary... more
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It's been FOREVER since we've seen Angelina Jolie with her father, Jon Voight, but alas -- they were together in Italy today
The famous father/daughter duo were spotted getting off a taxi boat in Venice, along with Zahara and Brad Pitt (that's his right hand in the photo above).
Jolie and Voight have been estranged for years, but no one can fight when they're in Venice. Ciao!
attackofthenews.blogspot.comIt's been FOREVER since we've seen Angelina Jolie with her father, Jon... more
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attackofthenews.blogspot.com watch as this loud mouth inserts foot into mouth, as this Santa look guy beats the crap outta him.attackofthenews.blogspot.com watch as this loud mouth inserts foot into mouth, as this... more
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Top Taliban commander captured in secret raid. The Taliban's top military commander has been captured in Pakistan in a joint operation by Pakistani and U.S. intelligence forces, The New York Times reported.
AP reports:
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, described as the No. 2 behind Taliban founder and Osama bin Laden associate Mullah Muhammad Omar, has been in Pakistan's custody for several days...
Baradar was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in a raid by Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, with CIA operatives accompanying the Pakistanis, the Times reported. Pakistan has been leading the interrogation of Baradar, but Americans were also involved, it said.
Baradar heads the Taliban's military council and was elevated in the body after the 2006 death of military chief Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Usmani. Baradar is known to coordinate the movement's military operations throughout the south and southwest of Afghanistan. His area of direct responsibility stretches over Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.
If confirmed, Baradar's arrest would be a major setback for the Taliban.
He may also have information on the whereabouts of Omar and bin Laden.more news at attackofthenew.blogspot.com
Top Taliban commander captured in secret... more
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NEAR MARJAH, Afghanistan — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines and Afghan troops swooped down on the Taliban-held town of Marjah before dawn on Saturday, launching a long-expected attack to re-establish government control and undermine support for the militants in their southern heartland.
The attack on Marjah climaxed the biggest joint Afghan-international offensive of the war and is the largest combat operation since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 U.S. reinforcements here last December to turn the tide of the war.
Marine commanders say they expect between 400 to 1,000 insurgents to be holed up inside this southern Afghan town of 80,000 people in Helmand province, including more than 100 foreign fighters. Marjah is the biggest southern town under Taliban control and the linchpin of the militants' logistical and opium-smuggling network.
"The first wave of choppers has landed inside Marjah. The operation has begun," said Capt. Joshua Winfrey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, which was at the forefront of the attack.
Several hundred U.S. Marines and some Afghan troops were in the first wave of troops, flying over minefields the militants are believed to have planted around the town, 360 miles (610 kilometers) southwest of Kabul.
The operation, codenamed "Moshtarak," or Together, was described as the biggest joint offensive of the Afghan war. Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, the commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, says 15,000 troops were involved, including some 7,500 troops fighting in Marjah and British forces to the north in the district of Nad Ali.
The helicopter assault was preceded by illumination flares which were fired over the town about 2 a.m. In the pitch darkness of a moonless night, the roar of helicopters could be heard overhead, flying in assault troops from multiple locations.
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The white flash of Hellfire and Tow missiles could be seen exploding over the town as flares illuminated the darkness to help assault troops spot targets in the town.
Once the town is secured, NATO hopes to rush in aid and restore public services in a bid to win support among the estimated 125,000 people who live in Marjah and surrounding villages. The Afghans' ability to restore those services is crucial to the success of the operation and to preventing the Taliban from returning.NEAR MARJAH, Afghanistan — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines and Afghan troops... more
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Share Comments 64 Angelina Jolie is back from a three-day trip to Haiti, where she visited an SOS Villages camp for orphans among other good deeds.
While she was there Angelina spoke via satellite with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, who asked if she wanted to adopt a Haitian child.
"I'm always open to children around the world. We're that kind of a family; Brad and I talk about that," she said. "But that's not what we're focusing on at this time, by any means. We're not here for that."
attackofthenews.blogspot.comShare Comments 64 Angelina Jolie is back from a three-day trip to Haiti, where she... more
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A global bank tax could soon be agreed by the world's leading economies as a response to last year's financial crisis, Gordon Brown said today.
"Support is building" for a deal to potentially tax the international financial services sector to the tune of tens of billions of pounds, the prime minister said in an interview in today's Financial Times.
Brown said he hoped a deal would be hammered out at the G20 summit in Canada in June, glossing over the possibility that he may not be in charge by then.
He insisted he was not attacking banks or their wealthy employees for ideological reasons, but to raise funds.
The prime minister said those with the "broadest shoulders" should pay more, and insisted that the tax would raise "a substantial amount of money". But he admitted that many high flyers would do their best to avoid paying, and so the amount raised would be "not as high as you would like it to be".
He defended the new 50p top rate of tax, saying the government did not want to introduce it, but that needs must. "We have no desire to have a tax rate that is higher than necessary," he said.
Quite how a global tax would work is unclear, but Brown said he thought the International Monetary Fund would propose a method that would be "somewhat different" from the tax on wholesale funding proposed by Barack Obama.
The US president disagreed with Brown earlier in the year after he proposed that the state should take a cut of bank transactions – a Tobin tax – but the IMF is thought to be considering alternatives, such as a tax on bank profits, turnover or remuneration.
Brown also said he wanted to build up Britain's universities. "There are 1,000 universities being built in India and we want to be part of this educational export. I think that education will be perhaps our biggest export in 20 years' time," he told the Financial Times.
While Brown looks to the future, he continues to face criticism. Lance Price, deputy to Tony Blair's communications director Alastair Campbell, has written a highly critical book about Brown's leadership.
In a series of interviews with current and former No 10 staff, Price paints a damaging portrait of the way Brown runs government. He describes the prime minister "shouting at staff, jabbing an angry finger, throwing down papers, kicking the furniture".
In the book, Where Power Lies. Prime Ministers v the Media, Price quotes aides who claim Brown is obsessed with controlling hour-by-hour media coverage and shows "extraordinary flashes of anger" when a news story runs out of control. Others accuse him of allowing his staff to undermine ministers, including the chancellor, Alistair Darling, by briefing against them to the media.
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Newt Gingrich tried on Wednesday to brush off the glaring gaffe he made this week when he insisted that the Bush administration was right to read shoe bomber Richard Reid his Miranda rights because Reid was an American citizen.
But in doing so, the former GOP House Speaker only made the hole deeper.
In a post on his Twitter page, Gingrich explained that when he made the Reid comment to the Daily Show's Jon Stewart his reference was actually Jose Padilla. Reid, after all, is a British citizen. Padilla is American.
But Gingrich wasn't done there. In a dig at the Obama White House, he added to the tail end of his tweet: "Treating terrorists like criminals wrong no matter who is Pres."
That's a standard GOP talking point, and yet when President Bush moved the Padilla case from a military setting to the criminal system, it was Gingrich who came to his defense despite conservative howls, a Democratic source points out.
Appearing on Fox News in November 2005, the former speaker said the following when asked whether it was "a loss" for the Bush White House to have tried Padilla in civilian courts after holding him for three-and-a-half years as an enemy combatant.
"Well, I think if they believe they have enough evidence to convict him, going through the process of convicting him and holding him, I suspect, may be for the rest of his life without parole would not be -- would hardly be seen as a loss," Gingrich said.
attackofthenews.blogspot.comNewt Gingrich tried on Wednesday to brush off the glaring gaffe he made this week when... more
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Vallejo, California rapper E-40 has announced he will release his 13th and 14th album on the same date this March.
The veteran rapper has assembled an all-star lineup for the two releases, titled Revenue Retrievin’ The Day Shift and Revenue Retrievin’ The Night Shift.
Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, Mistah Fab, Gucci Mane, B-Legit, Messy Marv, Clyde Carson, TurfTalk, E-40’s son Droop-E and a host of others are featured on the 38 brand new tracks from E-40.
Producers on both discs include Jazze Pha, YV, J. Valentine and Bobby V.
The album is a family affair as well, as E-40 also inked a deal with Heavy On The Grind Entertainment, the record label owned by his son Droop-E, which is distributed by EMI.
"I'm excited about this album, it’s been a year since I dropped The Ball Street Journal,” E40 told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “It marks an important independent business venture for me. This way, I am able to go back to the basics and run my own campaign."
Due to the fact that nine songs from E40’s last commercial release The Ball Street Journal leaked prior to that album’s release, EMI is taking serious measures to ensure the security of the rapper’s latest effort.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide commercial services for E-40. He has had a massive impact on Hip-Hop in the Bay area and beyond and we're extremely excited to partner with him on the next phase of his career," added Dominic Pandiscia, Senior Vice President & General Manager - EMI Label Services.
Revenue Retrievin’ The Day Shift and Revenue Retrievin’ The Night Shift are due in stores on March 30th.
attackofthenews.blogspot.comVallejo, California rapper E-40 has announced he will release his 13th and 14th album... more
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watchdog and Middle Class advocate Elizabeth Warren has accused Wall Street CEOs of abusing consumer trust and challenged them to step up and support financial reform -- for the nation's benefit as well as their own.
In an opinion piece to be published in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Warren writes:
For years, Wall Street CEOs have thrown away customer trust like so much worthless trash.
Banks and brokers have sold deceptive mortgages for more than a decade. Financial wizards made billions by packaging and repackaging those loans into securities. And federal regulators played the role of lookout at a bank robbery, holding back anyone who tried to stop the massive looting from middle-class families. When they weren't selling deceptive mortgages, Wall Street invented new credit card tricks and clever overdraft fees.
The Harvard Law professor and TARP overseer added that the bankers "squandered what little trust was left" when they took taxpayer bailouts.
The piece, titled "Wall Street's Race to the Bottom," explains how bankers can reclaim that trust: by supporting a strong consumer protection agency designed to root out the kinds of abuses that helped lead to the financial crisis. Long supported by Warren, this new agency would protect borrowers from abusive lenders by policing mortgages, credit cards and personal loans.
President Barack Obama proposed the agency last year as part of a set of comprehensive financial reforms. The House of Representatives passed a bill in December to create it.
Bankers, however, argue that the agency will add another layer of bureaucracy to government and increase costs, which would ultimately be passed on to consumers seeking credit. Simply put, banks -- especially the big ones -- despise the very idea of such an agency.
As proposed by Warren and Obama, the agency could protect consumers by writing and enforcing robust rules. Right now, that authority is split among seven regulators that also are charged with overseeing the health of individual banks and the broader financial system.
more at attackofthenews.blogspot.comwatchdog and Middle Class advocate Elizabeth Warren has accused Wall Street CEOs of... more
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Press
MIAMI -- The New Orleans Saints stymied Peyton Manning, then intercepted him to seal the Super Bowl, rallying to beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night.
Tracy Porter intercepted a pass from Manning -- of all people -- and sprinted 74 yards for a touchdown and a 31-17 lead with 3:12 left. Playing in the Super Bowl for the first time, the Saints went on a 31-7 run after falling behind 10-0 early.
MVP Drew Brees went 32 for 39 for 288 yards for the Saints, tying Tom Brady's Super Bowl record for completions.
Brees went 7 for 7 on the drive that put New Orleans ahead to stay, with the score coming on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey.
Manning's interception was the game's lone turnover, and he was rolled to the turf trying in vain to tackle Porter.
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MIAMI -- The New Orleans Saints stymied Peyton Manning, then intercepted him to... more
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