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A line of Los Angeles Police officers on Crenshaw Boulevard stood between a coalition of Minutemen and black activists, and a larger group of pro-immigrant marchers in Leimert Park today. Officers, some in riot gear, some in shorts and on bicycles, lined the usually-busy boulevard street. At 3:50 p.m., LAPD officials declared the anti- immigrant rally to be an illegal assemble, as its parade permit had expired, and a short time later arrested activist anti-immigration activist Ted Hayes. LAPD brass earlier had declared a tactical alert to muster enough officers to keep the two sides apart. And police, mindful...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2006 -- The situation in Iraq would be much worse “if not for the American heroes that are out on the street every day in Baghdad and across (Iraq),” the commander of combat troops in Iraq said today. “In the debate over the events happening in Iraq, I think that some people have lost sight of the daily acts of heroism that our servicemembers perform here in the name of service to our nation and to freedom,” said Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq. Chiarelli, who gives up command Dec. 14,...

LONDON: British Sikhs have stepped up their attack on the UK's politically-correct policy of lumping Sikhs and Hindus with the omnibus tag 'Asian' instead of clearly identifying Muslims as the offenders when needed, just 48 hours after a Scottish Sikh teenager was viciously attacked by a white gang and forced to submit to having his long hair hacked off. In a loaded attack on British political correctness, Sikh leaders blamed the Edinburgh incident on the UK's refusal to identify Asian Muslims as perpetrators of crime. Instead, said the Sikh Federation, Britain's only Sikh political party, racist offenders against whites are...

Rapid ... commandos secure Dili airport as the first members of the force touch down Welcome ... East Timorese have been happy to welcome the biggest single Australian military deployment since the 1999 Interfet operation Airlift ... troop transport planes have been used to evacuate Australians from the danger zone Recovery ... troops have brought much-needed medical equipment and supplies with them Welcome ... troops' arrival was enthusiastically welcomed by locals, including this group at Dili airport Commitment ... "It's a big thing to send 1300 troops in. It's a very foolish, short-sighted thing to pull them out before...

Are you in favour of legalising euthanasia? Join the debate DOCTORS issued a united plea against legalising “mercy killings” for the first time yesterday, before a crucial parliamentary vote that would allow patients to choose when to die. The Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners abandoned their neutral stance on euthanasia, after an RCP survey that showed three quarters of the profession opposed a change in the law even for a tiny number of terminally ill people. Among palliative care doctors, 95.4 per cent opposed a change in the law. But backers of the Assisted...

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Jan. 29, 2006 – For more than a year, Albanian army Maj. Ilirjan Balliu has served as the senior national representative for Albania with the 63-nation coalition organized to combat global terrorism. Shortly after his arrival to U.S. Central Command here, Balliu had breakfast with a U.S. military officer. As the two shared conversation and coffee, the U.S. officer revealed what was on his mind. "'If you would have told me years ago that I would have been sitting at a U.S. military base, eating and talking to an Albanian military officer, I wouldn't have...

The Stakes in Roberts's Nomination by BRUCE SHAPIRO [posted online on July 20, 2005] Judge John Roberts is a white male who has spent his entire adult life in Washington. Those facts themselves mean nothing, but they do beg a question: What could be so compelling about Judge Roberts as a Supreme Court candidate that the White House was willing to forswear all claims on ethnic diversity and all geographical political advantage, not to mention the express desire of Laura Bush and countless other women to see a nominee of their gender? To understand Judge Roberts's unique appeal, forget for...

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The head of the U.S. Border Patrol says his agency is hampered by its inability to put up permanent checkpoints on roads in southeastern Arizona. David Aguilar told a Senate hearing Thursday that no similar prohibition exists in other border states, but appropriations provisions have required that all checkpoints be temporary and be moved every two weeks in Arizona. Critics say permanent checkpoints, which force motorists to pull off roads leading away from the border for inspections, disrupt trade and traffic. But Aguilar said they have proven effective in other states. Congressman Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., is behind the provisions that...

Norway, a major oil exporter, is prepared to help Iraq build up its oil industry by sharing experience, training and technology, a deputy minister said Tuesday. "There is real interest in doing this and getting it going this year," Norwegian Deputy Minister of International Development Leiv Lunde told The Associated Press. (snip)

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Former congresswoman Tillie Fowler passed away this morning, two days after suffering a brain hemorrhage. According to co-workers, she suffered the brain hemorrhage at her home in Jacksonville Monday. Fowler was at St. Vincent's hospital with her husband Buck by her side. Her daughters, Tillie Anne and Elizabeth, were also there. Tillie Fowler graduated from Emory University, where she received both her B.A. and law degree. Before moving to Jacksonville in 1971, she served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Robert G. Stephens, Jr. from Georgia and was General Counsel in the White House Office of...

A woman who left her purse in a taxi got it back — with $13,300 inside — thanks to a Long Island cabby, the cab company said. The passenger who got into Glenn Scher's cab with two companions outside St. Catherine's Hospital in Commack at 2 a.m. Sunday had just lost her husband, who died after he suffered a heart attack the day before, a dispatcher at Lindy's Taxi said yesterday.

Islamic terrorists executed 59 year-old Margaret Hassan who had lived in Iraq for thirty years, married an Iraqi and become a citizen herself, and who had devoted her entire life to helping the Iraqi people. For weeks the terrorists tormented this woman physically and psychologically before putting a bullet through her blindfolded head.

On the wing of an Apache By Cpl. Benjamin Cossel, 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- For two Apache Longbow pilots, the night of Oct. 16 was just a regular night flying a reconnaissance mission around southern Baghdad. A distorted cry for help came across the emergency radio shattering the chatter of all other communications. They recognized the call sign, they recognized the area and a few minutes later, they were in route to perform what would become a heroic rescue. “I really couldn’t make out at first what was going on. The transmission over the...

    Official U.S. Navy file photo of amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). View Larger Download HiRes   Successful AT/FP Evaluation Ensures Kearsarge Crew’s Ability to Defend ItselfStory Number: NNS041101-03Release Date: 11/1/2004 3:02:00 PMBy Journalist 3rd Class Liz Baross, USS Kearsarge Public AffairsNORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- USS Kearsarge’s (LHD 3) Anti-terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) programs, training and crew were put to the test Oct. 18-22, successfully completing Afloat Training Group (ATG) Atlantic’s AT/FP Phase III evaluation. The evaluation, which consisted of a series of drills and scenarios covering the gamut of AT/FP issues, tested the crew’s ability to...

  This Week in Photos  -    Week of 10/29 Training with the Navy OVER FLORIDA - F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 62nd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., fly over southern Florida during a flight from Luke to Key West, Fla., recently. The 62nd FS deployed to Naval Air Station Key West to fly training missions with Navy F-18 pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen) Download Full Image --------------------------------   Q   A watchful eye   CAMP BULLIS, Texas -- Airman 1st Class Jason Johnston and Senior Airman Adam Dermish provide watch for their fire...

Defender Challenge U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Dustin McPhillips fires an M240B machine gun on Fort Huachuca, Ariz., Oct.15, 2004. McPhillips is assigned to the 568th Security Forces Squadron, based on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and he is representing the U.S. Air Forces in Europe team in the 2004 Defender Challenge competition, held on Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The competition pits teams from major Air Force commands against one another over a series of events to include marksmanship, tactics and physical fitness. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin D. Pyle 6666666666666666 U.S. Air Force Senior Airman...

Medical Task Force A member of Task Force Victory checks an Afghan woman's heartbeat at the women and children's medical clinic in the village of Jegdalek, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2004. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Patricia Sinnettlllllllllllllll Task Force Pirate and Task Force Victory soldiers assist at the veterinary clinic in the village of Jegdalek, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2004. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Patricia Sinnett lllllllllllllll A member of Task Force Victory treats a patient at the men's and children's medical clinic in the village of Jegdalek, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2004. U.S. Army photo by 1st...

U.S. Army Engineers Develop Facilities For Afghan Security Forces By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2004 -- A U.S. military official outlined progress today on how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is using its know-how to provide headquarters buildings, barracks and training facilities for Afghanistan's security forces. "We are pleased to be here in Afghanistan applying our expertise in civil works and military construction programs for the benefit of the Afghan people," said Army Col. John O'Dowd, commander of the Afghanistan Engineer District, during a Combined Forces Command Afghanistan press conference. The U.S. Army...

  This Week in Photos  -    Week of 10/22   Searching for the challenge FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- Senior Airman Chris Clawson sets up a base of fire during a tactics training exercise here recently. Members of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Defender Challenge team are spending three weeks here in preparation for the 2004 Defender Challenge competition. Defender Challenge, held at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is an annual security forces competition.  more Download Full Image --------------------------------   Q   Mission not impossible INDIAN SPRINGS AIR FORCE AUXILIARY FIELD, Nev. -- Two pararescuemen descend from an HH-60 Pave Hawk...