Press sounding Taps over Washington gun ban bill, hearing Tuesday

 

Washington CeaseFire president thinks gun owners are angry. 

According to an Agence France Press report, as many as 2,000 Karen have fled into the jungles of Burma in the wake of Burmese army attacks on their villages. The Free Burma Rangers have stated they do not believe that a major attack is underway, but that three villagers were killed in the attacks.

An unusual political irony is reaching a climax on the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka. The two proclaimed heroes of the recently-ended quarter century civil war, who are openly accusing each other of war crimes, are facing off in the country's presidential election Tuesday. The two Sinhalese Buddhists have focused their campaigns on persuading the minority, mostly Hindu, Tamils, who bore the brunt of the war, to vote for them. The election is being closely watched by international agencies and donor governments.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says a new arms control treaty with the United States is 95 percent complete, but that U.S. missile defense plans are still an issue. Mr. Medvedev said Sunday he is optimistic a new deal will be reached soon. But he called it "sly" to talk about cutting nuclear arms without talking about missile defense. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called U.S. plans for a missile defense system for Europe the main obstacle to a new arms treaty. U.S. officials say the arms control talks would only cover strategic offensive weapons.

The Haitian government says the confirmed death toll from the massive earthquake that devastated the capital nearly two weeks ago has risen to 150,000. Officials said Sunday the number does not include outlying areas such as Jacmel, where many other bodies are believed to be buried under rubble. Authorities have estimated that the final toll will reach 200,000.  The government officially called off search and rescue operations on Friday, but international rescue teams pulled a man from the rubble of a grocery store in Port-au-Prince on Saturday. Tim Callahan, an official with the U

The 3rd Emergency Response Unit arrested four individuals today during a joint security operation conducted in Bayji, located approximately 99 km southwest of Kirkuk, to arrest a suspected member of an AQI explosives cell. Based on a warrant issued by an Iraqi court, Iraqi Police and U.S.

Less than five days after he helped stop one of the largest insurgent attacks on Kabul since October, a member of the Afghan National Army 6th Kandak commando unit was recognized for his bravery by the ANA Chief of Staff. For his bravery and actions that day, General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi presented 1st Lt. Mentaz with a promotion and the Baryal Medal 1st State during the a commando graduation ceremony at Camp Morehead.

Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet is coordinating assets in support of search and rescue efforts Jan. 25 at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 409 at the request of the government of Lebanon and U.S. Department of State. Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET409 crashed shortly after take-off from Beirut International Airport en route to Ethiopia. Within hours, a U.S.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Two combat controllers from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123d Special Tactics Squadron have been hard at work since arriving here Jan. 16, setting up drop zones and helicopter landing zones, and providing airfield operations and air traffic control at Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport here. The Airmen are augmenting a special tactics team from the 720th Special Tactics Group, based at Hurlburt Field, Fla.