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AL ASAD, Iraq (May 9, 2006) -- The Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducted training April 25, in Al Asad, Iraq, to enhance their skills under varied conditions. The CBRN Marines have in place an incident response team to deal with situations that involve the use of the four agents. "We've taken traditional Nuclear, Biological and Chemical doctrine and modified it for use in a nontraditional NBC threat environment," said Sgt. Chad W. Jenkins, response team leader, CBRN, from Portland, Ore. "Here, we have to stay ready to defend...

Scandals may blunt Dem attacks on GOPAnalysts say recent allegations erode Democrats' hopes to claim the moral high ground By BENNETT ROTH Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau May 5, 2006, 11:15PM WASHINGTON - For months, congressional Democrats have accused Republicans of fostering a "culture of corruption" that led to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal as well as the bribery conviction of Rep. Randy Cunningham of California. But the Democrats' plans to use corruption as a campaign issue have been undercut by the highlighting in the last few days of questionable conduct in the party's own ranks, according to political...

[ . . . ] The publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad by the Danish newspaper in September eventually sparked violent demonstration in the Islamic world, where millions were offended by the caricatures. . . Then things quieted down again and the crisis seemed to have passed. But has it? A special issue of the online journal of Ansar al-Sunna, which means "Supporters of Sunni Islam," could respark the flames. The online journal has taken the unprecedented step of listing dozens of European newspapers that reprinted the Muhammad cartoons. . . Terrorism experts who follow the site believe the...

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2006 – Combat operations continue in Iraq as U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces engaged enemy fighters after two attacks in recent days. Coalition forces killed eight insurgents when they responded to an insurgent attack in central Ramadi today. U.S. Marines from 2nd Battalion, 28th Brigade Combat Team, were attacked multiple times with rocket-propelled grenades, medium machine-gun fire, and small-arms fire from a building near the Ramadi government center. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire, heavy machine-gun fire, grenades, and ground-launched precision-guided munitions. No coalition or civilian casualties resulted from the incident. Elsewhere, a homicide bomber attacked a...

Iran 'attacks Iraq Kurdish area' Iraq has accused Iranian forces of entering Iraqi territory and shelling Kurdish rebel positions in the north. Iranian troops bombed border areas near the town of Hajj Umran before crossing into Iraq, the defence ministry in Baghdad said on Sunday. It said the Iranians targeted the PKK, a Kurdish group that has waged a 15-year insurgency against Turkey. The PKK is believed to have links with anti-Iranian Kurdish fighters. There are no details on casualties. The Iraqi defence ministry also says Iran launched a similar attack on Kurdish rebel positions in the same area on...

US academic attacks Britain's hidden 'white supremacy' By James Langton (Filed: 30/04/2006) White supremacy is "alive and well in Britain", according to one of America's leading black academics. Speaking before next week's local elections, which could see an unprecedented surge of support for the far-Right British National Party, Prof Cornel West said that white people in Britain have failed to embrace the black community. 'You have a legacy of white supremacy tied to colonial history' In an exclusive interview, the best-selling author, who is a household name on race relations in the United States, said: "Britain is a paradoxical place...

World Cup fans warned of race attacks By Bojan Pancevski in Berlin (Filed: 30/04/2006) Black visitors to the World Cup in Germany are being warned to stay clear of parts of the country where they could be at risk of racist attacks. A "no-go" map, with a focus on the capital Berlin, will be posted on a website and printed in brochures for distribution to thousands of visitors of African and Asian origin. The document was drawn up by the Africa Council, an umbrella organisation of African community groups and activists in Germany, following concern over an incident on Easter...

TIKRIT, Iraq, April 27, 2006 – Iraqi security forces quickly responded to a series of attacks today in Baqubah in eastern Diyala province, leaving 21 enemy dead and capturing 43. The attacks began in southern Baqubah in the afternoon when the Buhriz police station and five police checkpoints were simultaneously attacked with mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, and small-arms fire. Iraqi soldiers and police killed 17 and detained 28 responsible for the attacks. One Iraqi soldier was killed and two were wounded. Four Iraqi police were wounded. In Dali Abbas, more than 100 terrorists with mortar rounds, RPGs and small arms...

A 29-year-old Farisita man suffered bruises and possible nerve damage to his neck and shoulder this week when he tangled with a black bear on a private ranch near Stonewall about 25 miles west of Trinidad. Harold Cerda stopped to use an outhouse on the ranch. While he was away from his car, a bear climbed through an open window and started to eat Cerda's lunch that was on the front seat. As Cerda came out of the outhouse, the bear was walking in his direction and took a swing at Cerda, knocking him down. Michael Seraphin, spokesman for the...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Australia warned Thursday of a high threat of terrorist attacks in the Afghan capital during celebrations marking the overthrow of communist rule by mujahedeen fighters. Friday commemorations of the 1992 overthrow of the communist-backed government in Kabul could result in an "extremely dangerous security situation and the very high threat of terrorist attack," the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said. "We continue to receive a stream of reporting indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets including places frequented by foreigners," the department said. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul posted a warning Thursday advising...

Egypt Bombings Linked to Earlier Attacks Wednesday April 26, 2006 11:31 PM By WILLA THAYER Associated Press Writer CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Two suicide attackers targeting international peacekeepers and police blew themselves up Wednesday, two days after nearly simultaneous bombings killed at least 21 people at a resort in the Sinai Peninula. Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adly said all the blasts this week were linked to terror attacks against Sinai resorts last year and in 2004. ``The information we have indicates that (the perpetrators) are Sinai Bedouin, and the latest operations are linked to the previous attacks,'' el-Adly told state...

Bin Laden justifies attacks on westerners in new tape By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 24/04/2006) Osama Bin Laden accused the West yesterday of waging a war against Islam and justified attacks on western civilians because they had elected governments that are fighting in Muslim countries. Bin Laden's threats came as John Reid, the Defence Secretary, confirmed that the 3,500 British troops in Afghanistan would launch pre-emptive strikes against Taliban and al-Qa'eda forces if it was necessary to safeguard soldiers' lives. Bin Laden: new threats In a latest tape recording attributed to the al-Qa'eda leader, who is believed to...

people including two small children and a police officer were attacked Saturday afternoon by pit bull. The incident happened in front of a house on Maplehurst Street in DeKalb County, witnesses said. Neighbors said the attacked was unprovoked but the dog's owner told police that several neighborhood children had been harassing the animal. A neighbor said the pit bull first attacked the dog owner's daughter, then tuned and bit him in the arm after he stepped in to defend the child. Witnesses said the animal later attacked two other children and their mother before police arrived. An aunt of the...

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2006 – Afghan and coalition forces detained eight insurgents in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today and thwarted two terrorist attacks yesterday in Kunar province, military officials reported. The eight insurgents were detained during a combat operation in the Maywand district of Kandahar province today. The joint operatives raided a compound in Dukah village, detaining suspected narcotics traffickers and confiscating weapons. A U.S. attack helicopter provided close-air support during the mission. Coalition forces continued to improve security in Kunar province late yesterday by killing five terrorists after a patrol spotted seven enemy fighters maneuvering in the open, west of...

A Sand Springs woman is badly bitten by her neighbor's two pit bulls Thursday night, while she was in her living room. She thinks the dogs were after her two daschunds when they came crashing through the screen door and as News on 6 reporter Steve Berg explains, she got caught in the middle. Teresa Willis is covered with bruises and bites after a terrifying encounter with her next-door neighbors' two pit bulls. "To put it mildly, it was extremely terrifying." It all happened as she was sitting in her living room. It was a mild evening so she slid...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2006 – Iraqi security and coalition forces responded to several attacks in the Baghdad and Ramada areas of Iraq today, officials reported. An Iraqi army patrol was fired upon at about 3:50 a.m. today in Adhamiyah, a neighborhood in north Baghdad, starting a protracted firefight that raged through to the early afternoon. At about 7:45 a.m. an estimated 50 gunmen attacked a combined checkpoint of Iraqi police and U.S. forces, resulting in a call for assistance. A force consisting of five companies of soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army, and two quick-reaction force platoons from Multinational...

A black bear was caught in a forest recreation area Sunday and was being sent to a veterinary school to determine if it was the same animal that attacked a family, killing a 6-year-old girl. Authorities found a bear in the same trap where they detected paw prints on Saturday in the remote Cherokee National Forest Chilhowee Recreation Area... The bear, which was captured near the site of the attack, looked to be the same weight as the 350- to 400-pound bear that attacked a mother and her two children on a trail in the recreation area on Thursday... The...

KDKA) AMBRIDGE A Beaver County man is upset because he says police didn't have to kill his dog. Kevin Corlew of Ambridge says police shot his one-year-old pit bull on Saturday. Police tell KDKA that they received complaints from neighbors the dog was loose. When officers tried to restrain the dog, they say the animal charged at a boy and then at an officer. Then, an officer shot the dog. Corlew says the dog was harmless.

Authorities hunted Friday for a black bear that picked up a 2-year-old boy in its mouth and mauled his mother, critically injuring them before killing the child's 6-year-old sister. Witnesses told authorities the bear picked up the boy in its mouth while the mother and other visitors tried to fend it off with sticks and rocks, said Dan Hicks, a spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. When the bear attacked, the girl ran away, authorities said. Rescuers found the girl's body about 100 yards down the trail from the falls. A bear was standing over her. "Allegedly, after the...

Escaped pit bulls struck fear in the hearts of Stansbury Park children Friday as they walked home from school. Five children were injured in the attacks, though none of the injuries were fatal. Both dogs were shot dead in a showdown with sheriff's deputies after several witnesses reported the attacks. "[The dogs] started traveling and made their way to the golf course," Tooele County Sheriff Frank Park said. "There they met a 13 year old and a 6 year old by the golf course ... They were cutting across the golf course after school ... The dogs charged them and...