TresSugar

Front Page: Suicide Attacks Kill at Least 75 People in Iraq

TresSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:46 -0700

Two suicide-bomb attacks in Iraq killed at least 75 people today and injured 113. They targeted a quiet residential neighborhood and Iranian tourists. - New York Times
Amidst this wave of violence, the suspected leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq was arrested. - AP
President Obama is pushing for more legal protections for Americans who use credit cards. - San Jose Mercury News
Voter turnout in South Africa has been huge. ANC, the ruling party, looks headed for an easy victory. - LA Times
Wildfires in Myrtle Beach, SC, have destroyed homes near the popular beach area. - AP
A Senate intelligence report shows that Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney approved waterboarding as early as 2002. - CNN
Fox News anchor Shepard Smith got so passionate yesterday condemning torture that one of his expletives had to be bleeped. - Huffington Post

Rape Used to Recruit More Than 80 Female Suicide Bombers

LibertySugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:56 -0800

Her nickname is Um al-Mumenin - it means "mother of all believers" - and she was arrested for recruiting more than 80 women to be suicide bombers and masterminding 28 bombings throughout Iraq.

While violence has eased throughout the struggling country, the number of women carrying out suicide bombings has sharply risen according to US military numbers: 36 women in 2008 compared to eight in 2007. Unlike men who are promised everlasting paradise for martyrdom, there is little in it for women. The unsuspecting middle-age madam capitalized on this inequity by orchestrating rapes, only to convince women afterward that suicide bombing was the only way to escape their shame.

Women are ideal candidates because the long, flowing black robes they traditionally wear glide through security. The fact that most checkpoints are guarded by men, who allow them to pass without being searched, only makes things easier.

For now, the only relief in sight is that the US military is recruiting women for Iraqi security who can search women and, hopefully, counter the threat.

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Front Page: India Nuclear Deal Approved, Suicide Bombers Strike End of Ramadan, Vice Presidential Debate Tonight

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:56:41 -0700

India Nuclear Deal Approved:
In addition to passing the Bailout Bill last night which caused the European markets to rise, the US Senate voted 86-13 to approve a nuclear deal with India. The vote moves to end a 30-year ban on nuclear trade with India. The deal gives India access to civilian nuclear technology which critics say will expand its nuclear industry without having to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Suicide Bombers Strike End of Ramadan:
In Baghdad as Muslims marked the close of Ramadan, suicide bombers attacked two Shi'ite mosques during morning prayers, killing at least 20 people. The attacks were part of a second wave of violence this week culminating in the Id al-Fitr feast. No one has claimed responsibility but some in the crowd believe Sunni extremists were to blame.

Vice Presidential Debate Tonight:
Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden face off in their only debate tonight in St. Louis, MO. The event starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be moderated by PBS's Gwen Ifill. The debate has been much anticipated and we'll be gearing up for it today, as well as here tonight live-commenting during the debate.

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Front Page: Chinese Milk Toll Rises, Embassy Attack Kills 16, House Passes Offshore Drilling

CitizenSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:00:40 -0700

Chinese Milk Toll Rises:
Twenty-two brands of Chinese baby formula have been found to contain toxic levels of melamine. The tainted milk has sickened 6,200 babies and killed three, the toll five times higher than previously announced. Those diagnosed with "acute kidney failure" numbers 158, and the Chinese health minister says they will all receive free health care.
Embassy Attack Kills 16:
An attack by Islamist militants on the US Embassy in Yemen has left 16 people dead. The second strike on the highly secured compound in six months, a group called Jihad in Yemen has claimed responsibility. Fierce gunfire erupted after a suicide bomber detonated a car at the entrance. The embassy spokesman said, "We are very aware that there is a continuing threat here and we are continuously reevaluating our security status."
House Passes Offshore Drilling:
The US House of Representatives passed legislation this morning that lifts the ban on offshore drilling and opens much of the coastline to exploration. The vote was 236-189 in favor of the plan which gives individual states the option to explore between 50 and 100 miles from their shores, and completely opens areas 100 miles out.

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Front Page: Spanish Plane Crash Possible Cause, Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 60, Rice Surprise Visit to Iraq

CitizenSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:56:58 -0700

Spanish Plane Crash Possible Cause:
The plane that crashed in Madrid yesterday and killed 153 people, including two babies and 20 children, had reported an overheated air intake valve before the first attempt at takeoff. The problem was reported and the equipment turned off to fix it. It's not known if this is the only factor in Spain's worst air disaster in almost 25 years.

Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 60:
Killing 60 and wounding dozens more, a suicide bomber attacked Pakistan's largest military munitions plant. The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility. The violence comes amid political uncertainty in the country following the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf earlier this week.

Rice Surprise Visit to Iraq:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice surprised Baghdad with a visit to discuss the future of US forces in Iraq. Amid negotiations over the timing of the final withdrawal of US forces, reports suggest that a compromise draft agreement of the plan is being considered by both governments. RIce will meet with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki during her visit.

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Front Page: Suicide Blasts Rip Iraq, Olympics Sold Out, Arrest in Tennessee Church Shooting

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:03:57 -0700

Suicide Blasts Rip Iraq:
Suicide Bombers struck twice in Iraq, leaving 47 dead and 240 injured. In Baghdad as Shia pilgrims paraded through on their way to a shrine, female bombers detonated leaving 25 dead. The pilgrimage will bring more than 1 million worshippers. In Kirkuk, a suicide bomber hit a crowd of Kurdish protesters, killing 22. Iraqi security forces have been deployed.

Olympics Sold Out:
Despite continuing problems with pollution, the events for the Olympics events in Beijing are all sold out. This could be the earliest the Games have reached capacity. Some tickets for events in other cities are still available. 6.8 million tickets have been sold so far - in Athens in 2004, only two-thirds of the tickets sold.

Arrest in Tennessee Church Shooting:
A man who opened fire with a shotgun in a Knoxville, TN, church during a children's performance of Annie, has been captured. The attack left two dead and seven wounded. Police have charged Jim Adkisson with first-degree murder. The performance had just begun when he opened fire. One witness said she thought, "oh, my God, that’s not part of the play."

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Front Page: Guantanamo Secret Footage, Suicide Attack Kills Iraqi Recruits, Bush Press Conference

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:06:43 -0700

Guantanamo Secret Footage:
A secretly filmed tape of a detainee being questioned at the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay has just been released. The video shows 16-year-old detainee, Omar Khadr, being questioned by Canadian officials about events that led to his capture by US forces. The Canadian detainee is accused of throwing a grenade resulting in a US soldier's death in Afghanistan in 2002. In the video, he can be heard repeatedly chanting, "help me". The tape was released by Khadr's lawyers after a Supreme Court ruling that key evidence be released that would allow a full defense of the charges he's facing, and they're hoping the tape will cause PM Harper to demand that the US not prosecute Khadr.

Suicide Attack Kills Iraqi Recruits:
Two suicide bombers dressed as army recruits detonated at an Iraqi base this morning killing at least 35 Iraqi recruits and wounding 63. The bombers were wearing belts packed with explosives as they infiltrated a crowd of more than 200 recruits and exploded about 30 seconds apart in front of the headquarters of an Iraqi brigade where the recruits had gathered.
Bush Press Conference:
US President George W. Bush is set to speak in moments (10:20 a.m. ET) with an opening statement on steps he has taken to fix the economy. The White House said, "he will talk about the overall state of the economy," and, "the president will talk about steps his administration has taken to stabilize the housing and financial markets." The news conference is expected to overlap Barack Obama's proclaimed major policy address on Iraq, scheduled for 10:45 a.m.

Front Page: Heat Wave to Hit Fires, Bombing in Kabul Kills 40, Injuries in Running of the Bulls

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:55:19 -0700

Heat Wave to Hit Fires:
Firefighters in California brace for an impending heat wave set to make containing one of the 1,700 fires sparked since June 21, much harder. Cooler, damper weekend temperatures had helped firefighters working to bring the Santa Barbara fires under control are set to end, while 2,600 homes are still evacuated. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday the fires had burnt over half a million acres and killed one firefighter. Drought conditions combined with human encroachment into forest areas - bringing with them, carelessness, has stretched the fire season from four to six or seven months. Officials are having to prepare for the longer more intense season.

Bombing in Kabul Kills 40:
In what's thought to be the deadliest attack in Kabul yet, a suicide bomber has killed at least 40 people and injured 140 today at the gates of the Indian Embassy in the capital of Afghanistan. The attacker plowed a car into two Indian diplomatic vehicles as they entered the gates of the embassy before detonating. Witness say the blast wrecked several other cars and flung body parts and bloodstained pieces of clothing among the wreckage.
Injuries in Running of the Bulls:
At least nine have been injured and one killed during the running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain. Four of the injured were foreign tourists. The nine-day festival that's been held since 1591, began yesterday and the run itself lasted four minutes. It's thought that 13 people have been killed during the controversial tradition since record keeping began in 1924.

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What Motivates Female Suicide Bombers?

LibertySugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:13 -0700

Last week's terrorist bombing in Iraq, carried out by a woman, made many of you question the logic behind suicide bombings. While men are still far more likely to be suicide bombers than women, more and more women are ready to die and ready to kill. Male or female, the endgame is always the same, but what leads them to a crowded square with a bomb strapped on is not.

Time magazine tells the story of Hasna Maryi, a suicide bomber who found her calling after her brother died en route to his mission when a fellow jihadis's belt prematurely exploded. She was devastated: he would never be a martyr. His only path to salvation, she decided, was for her to complete his mission. Religion was not her motive (she hardly cracked the Koran growing up), but redemption was.

Hasna's story is not an anomaly. Research findings reported in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism found female suicide terrorists were more motivated by personal reasons and more likely to be recruited through peer influence, exploitation, and self-promotion than men, who found their fury in religion and nationalism and were recruited through religious persuasion.

In eJournal USA (as in paid for by the US government, just a disclosure . . .) the article "Women As Victims and Victimizers" examines the complicated question of why? To find out, read more.

What's in it for women? After all men are promised 72 virgins and everlasting paradise. Do women get 72 male virgins? No, of course not. Earthly motives, rather than celestial rewards, appear to inspire - or more likely corner - women into the role.

In fact, the most reliable predictor of a woman's involvement in terrorism is her relationship with a terrorist. Here's how it might happen:

The loss of a loved one, usually the dominant male in their life.
A need to reinvent self because of alleged or real sexual misconduct.
An inability to conceive children or not being considered marriage material.
A desire to improve the status of women in society.
A need to prove that they are just as dedicated as men to the cause.

Women's motivations are undeniably complex and should not be disregarded as pure emotion. But do explanations like these help you understand female bombers? Are they truly different than men? Could it be that these women are already suicidal and their culture provides an acceptable context - even an admirable cause - for them to die?

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Front Page: North Korea Declares Nuclear Program, Iraq Bombings, Immigration Raid

CitizenSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:02:25 -0700

North Korea Declares Nuclear Program:
North Korea has submitted for inspection the long-awaited declaration of the extent of its nuclear program. Immediately after the move, the Bush administration announced it would remove the country, formerly on the "axis of evil" list, from the list of states who sponsor terrorism, as well as lifting commercial restriction on the country. President Bush said, "this can be a moment of opportunity for North Korea. If it continues to make the right choices it can repair its relationship with the international community."

Attack Kills 33 in Iraq:
At least 33 people have been killed in two massive bombings in Iraq today, including 18 people hit by a car bomb in the northern city of Mosul. The US military gave initial reports from Mosul saying that another 71 civilians and nine policemen were wounded. The second attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, killing the mayor and 14 senior members of an anti-Qaeda group. US commanders have said that Mosul is the country's last urban stronghold of al-Qaeda.
Immigration Raid Leads to 160 Arrests:
Federal immigration agents raided a used clothing plant in Houston, leading to 160 arrests, 70 percent of whom were women. The raid was the largest ever in the area, and the second major raid in Houston in the past two months. Two hundred immigration agents were involved in what was part of a yearlong investigation. A lawyer for the company said, “We want to abide by the law, and we're going to abide by the law. If we have an illegal employee, we don’t know it. No way. Tell us what the law is, and we’ll obey it.”

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