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Posted on Mon, Nov. 17, 2003 U.S. Army stages massive show of force in Saddam's hometownJIM GOMEZAssociated Press TIKRIT, Iraq - Hundreds of U.S. troops in tanks and assault vehicles marched through the crowded downtown area of Saddam Hussein's hometown on Monday in a show of force intended to deliver a stern warning that armed resistance would not be tolerated.For nearly two hours, M-1 tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and Humvees rumbled through the center of Tikrit, past shops and public markets, drawing crowds of onlookers and clogging traffic across the city of 120,000 people.Convoys of Humvees bearing American soldiers...

VANCOUVER -- When the oil tank he was trying to dismantle exploded in his back yard, the blast of flames was so fierce it set fire to Ole Laursen's clothes and hair and seared his skin. The 80-year-old man, whom police describe as "tough as nails," put out the flames that engulfed him, made his way inside -- and ran a cool bath to relieve the pain. Later, he treated his wounds. Only then, 90 minutes later, did he call the non-emergency number for police and ask about an ambulance. When the emergency crews arrived, he walked out to greet...

<p>With the Legislature deadlocked over whether to raise taxes to help bridge a $38 billion deficit, the prospect of a work force earning $5.15 an hour is real. That reality has some state workers throwing up their arms in disgust.</p>

America and Japan to 'get tough' on North Korea By Scott Lindlaw in Crawford, Texas 24 May 2003 President George Bush and the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, said yesterday that "tougher measures" would be taken against North Korea if nuclear tensions escalated. The US President said he and Mr Koizumi viewed the nuclear crisis in "exactly the same way" - an absolute unwillingness to see Pyongyang become a nuclear-armed power. "We will not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea," Mr Bush said in a joint appearance with Mr Koizumi after a summit at the President's ranch in Texas. Mr...

<p>NEW York's highest- rated radio talk-show hosts loaded their Scuds on opponents of the war yesterday.</p> <p>And if you were looking for a debate on "Operation Iraqi Freedom," fuhgeddaboudit.</p> <p>"I'm not messing with people who want to say this attack is illegal, it's not warranted, it's not justified - I'm not going to argue with you people anymore," WABC's Rush Limbaugh warned listeners yesterday.</p>

Weight loss program?

George W Bush, who two years ago was an almost untested politician expected to govern as a centrist, emerged yesterday as a truly radical President determined to pursue his own ambitious agenda at home and abroad. This year's State of the Union Address was all the more extraordinary because it came against a backcloth of increasing domestic uncertainty about the American economy and a chorus of criticism from Europe over his drive towards war with Iraq. But while Mr Bush's popularity ratings had dipped to 60 per cent and Democrats had begun to sense he was no longer invincible, the...

<p>TOUGH times require tough decisions, Gov. Gray Davis said twice this week. Maybe soon he will say what some of them are.</p> <p>The time for revelation had not arrived, evidently, in either Davis' inaugural speech Monday or his State of the State oration on Wednesday.</p>

While his fellow citizens are struggling with record electricity prices and pensioners turn off their heat during a bitter winter for fear of huge bills, Sverre Furumo has nearly gotten used to life without charges. Sverre Furumo does miss electricity, but he has learned to thrive in chilly conditions. PHOTO: Ole Magnus Rapp Dusk falls early in a northern winter. Temperatures have gone as low as -33C, and lamplight is not enough to read by. PHOTO: Ole Magnus Rapp For the third year in a row, 62-year- old Furumo will be fighting the elements to stay warm and content in...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 September 30 D. rad Bacteria: Candidate Astronauts Credit: Michael Daly (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences), DOE Explanation: These bacteria could survive on another planet. In an Earth lab, Deinococcus radiodurans (D. rad) survive extreme levels of radiation, extreme temperatures, dehydration, and exposure to genotoxic chemicals. Amazingly, they even have the ability to repair their own DNA, usually with 48 hours. Known as an extremophile, bacteria...

Tough little microbe may be Martian Russian scientists have suggested that a bug known for its resistance to radiation may have come from Mars. Tests show it would have taken longer than the 3.8 billion years that life has been present on Earth to evolve such a resistance. They say Deinococcus radiodurans may have arrived from a higher radiation environment on pieces of meteorite. The study was carried out by a team from the Ioffe Physio-Technical Institute in St Petersburg. The microbe has baffled scientists because it can withstand several thousand times the lethal dose for humans. The Ioffe team...

Dutch minister unveils tough measures against illegal immigrants Andrew Osborn in Brussels Saturday August 17, 2002 The Guardian Still riding the wave of anti-immigration sentiment espoused by the murdered populist politician Pim Fortuyn, the Netherlands announced new measures yesterday which will turn it into one of Europe's least welcoming places for those seeking sanctuary. In a television interview which has alarmed anti-racism groups, Hilbrand Nawijn, the new immigration minister, said that illegal immigrants should be locked up in disused military barracks for two months and have their social security payments cut by 90%. A former head of the immigration service,...

Saturday, 10 August, 2002, 07:01 GMT 08:01 UK Malaysia canes illegal immigrants Many illegal migrants work in the construction industry Malaysian courts have ordered seven illegal immigrants to be jailed and caned in the first cases to be tried under the country's tough new immigration laws. Seven men, aged between 22 and 38, were convicted of staying in Malaysia without valid documents under legislation which came into effect at the end of July. Indonesians protested against the new laws Four Indonesians were sentenced to two stokes of the cane. Another Indonesian and two Bangladeshis were ordered to be whipped once....

Denmark passes tough immigration laws Denmark's parliament has tightened its already strict immigration and asylum laws. Refugees will now need seven instead of three years of residence to be granted Danish citizenship. And they won't be allowed to claim Denmark's generous social benefits before that. Fewer refugees will get political asylum and it will be harder for immigrants to bring in family members under the new rules. Refugees will also be repatriated when it becomes safe in their homelands and will face case reviews if they leave Denmark. The laws fulfill a campaign promise of the centre-right government coalition of...