Peter MacKay belts Elvis tune with troops

Car bomb kills 1, hurts 26 in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A Car Bomb exploded near an Afghan bank as police officers were picking up their paychecks, killing at least one person and injuring 26 others, officials said. The bomb was detonated in a Toyota Corolla about 500 yards from the Kabul Bank Monday, CNN reported. The casualties included 16 police officers and 10 civilians, the Kandahar Government Media and Information Center said. NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The East Coast blizzard dumped more snow on New Englan...

Deadliest year in decade for 101st Airborne
The 101st Airborne Division, a force in America’s major conflicts since World War II, is seeing its worst casualties in a decade as the U.S. surge in Afghanistan turns into the deadliest year in that war for the NATO coalition. The Army division known as the Screaming Eagles, formed ahead of the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy, has lost 104 men this year — or about 1 in 5 American Deaths in Afghanistan. That is close to a toll of 105 divisional Deaths in Iraq during a 2...

Suicide Car Bomb Kills 3 in South Afghan City
Like this Story? Share it: Some recent scenes from the War in Afghanistan as Obama's deadline to begin withdrawing Troops nears. (AP) Kandahar, Afghanistan - A Suicide car bombing in the heart of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Monday killed three and wounded 26 people, most of them policemen, authorities said. South Afghanistan, a traditional Taliban stronghold, has seen some of the worst fighting this year between the Militants and foreign and Afghan troops. President Hamid Karzai iss...

Three killed in suicide car bombing in Afghanistan
A Suicide car bombing in the heart of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Monday killed three and wounded 26 people, most of them policemen, authorities said. South Afghanistan, a traditional Taliban stronghold, has seen some of the worst fighting this year between the Militants and foreign and Afghan Troops. President Hamid Karzai issued a statement condemning the attack. The car exploded at midday near a police compound and a branch of Kabul Bank in the crowded center of the city, said N...

Stunt driver hurt on 'Hangover 2' set
Australia's Daily Telegraph said Scott McLean was hospitalized after the Dec. 17 accident and remains in a coma. McLean was hurt when two speeding cars crashed into each other, the newspaper said Monday. No other details on the accident or how the stunt relates to the film's plot were reported. Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms reprise their roles from "The Hangover" in the sequel. Los Angeles, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Alanis Morissette's publicist says the Canadian-born pop star gave bir...

Religion of peace alert: Turkish Muslim Troops Stop Church Services in Cyprus on Christmas, Defrock Priests
More anti-Christian, Islamic supremacism from the reislamicized Turks with imperialistic aspirations of an Ottoman Empire ... further showing that Pope Benedict XVI was right to oppose Turkey's joining the European Union. Clearly, Turkey is more aligned with Islamic suprmacism than European values: ... The local Cyprus TV and radio are reporting since Christmas evening that Troops in northern occupied Cyprus entered at least seven Greek Orthodox churches, stopped the worship services, threw out...

Christmas season blizzard slams the Northeast (Slideshow)
Much of the Northeast, including North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, is now under a State of Emergency as a blizzard sweeps over the area.  After declaring an emergency, a state becomes eligible for assistance from the National Guard and federal agencies.  Often a Governor will declare a national emergency ahead of the actual disaster to clear the way for aid.  In many of these states Snowfall is expected to total somewh...

Winter storm could strand air passengers for days
An East Coast blizzard that has shut down airports in New York and New England could leave passengers stranded for days. Hundreds of people were stuck Monday morning at the three major New York City-area airports. Port Authority spokeswoman Sara Beth Joren said they expected to reopen the runways in the afternoon. Airlines announced more than 1,000 canceled flights for Monday. Once the airports reopen, passengers will have a hard time finding open seats on later flights. Seats are already scarc...

Political Stories to Watch For in 2011
2010 was a big year in politics, but 2011 could be bigger. With Republicans taking control of the House, the two parties will once again split control of Washington (albeit unevenly) as President Obama and a herd of GOP aspirants gear up for the 2012 election. U.S. Troops will come home from Afghanistan, and Congressional Districts will be redrawn across the county after the 2010 Census, fixing some political fates for the next 10 years. As these major events unfold, 2011 could shape the politi...

Its Christmas Time in the Middle East
Holidays and family gathering can be tense, but for many Christians in the Middle East this Christmas brings about fear and persecution. The Middle East is a place of great contrasts and looking at the situation of Christians across the Middle East is a great example. This year in Iraq, there are  no Christmas celebrations, religious or otherwise. “Christmas mass has been cancelled as a consequence of the never-ending assassinations against Christians,” announced Louis Sako, the...

Bil Browning: The Christmas Miracle: An Update on Betsie Gallardo
When I put out the call on Thursday for a Christmas miracle for Betsie Gallardo, a young HIV+ Haitian woman dying of gallbladder Cancer in a Florida Prison for the crime of spitting at a Police Officer, readers came through in a heartbeat - and we have the beginnings of a miracle on our hands. Betsie's adoptive mother, a Transgender woman from Indiana, wrote asking for help after finding out Betsie was unable to eat and was being refused nutrition via IV drip; she's literally being starved to ...

Yeates parents leave flowers at scene
Joanna Yeates's parents, David and Theresa, lay flowers in Longwood Lane outside Bristol. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA The parents and boyfriend of Joanna Yeates this afternoon made an emotional visit to the roadside verge outside Bristol where the landscape architect's body was found on Christmas morning. Her father, David Yeates, laid a bouquet of yellow roses close to the spot while her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, placed red and white carnations alongside them. Yeates's mother, Theresa, was c...

Making Fun of Pelosi
Monday, December 27, 2010 By Rich Galen I am writing this as the Mullings Director of Standards & Practices and I wend our way from Southeastern Ohio to Southern California. We are not in the line of fire of the snowstorm which is bearing down on the East Coast, but it made me think about how cold it has been in Your Nation's Capital this month. According to Weather.com the average temperatures for Washington, DC in December are highs of 47 and a lows of 32. In December of the year foll...

Snow-Bound In Boston? 'Snowloko' Is Today's Tweet To Follow
What is this? Media outlets throughout the Northeast and New England are trying to stay on top of the news about this weekend's blizzard and are looking for reports from readers and listeners about what's going on. Our friends at WBUR are live-blogging and say that on Twitter, "the hash tag that seems to have caught on is #snowloko — a reference to that banned alcoholic beverage. People are also using #BOSnow and #BostonSnow." "Drinking hot coffee, watching the snow and working from home. ...

Snow-Bound In Boston? 'Snowloko' Is Today's Tweet To Follow
What is this? Media outlets throughout the Northeast and New England are trying to stay on top of the news about this weekend's blizzard and are looking for reports from readers and listeners about what's going on. Our friends at WBUR are live-blogging and say that on Twitter, "the hash tag that seems to have caught on is #snowloko — a reference to that banned alcoholic beverage. People are also using #BOSnow and #BostonSnow." "Drinking hot coffee, watching the snow and working from home. ...

On the Radar: Blizzard in Northeast U.S., bomb blocked in Italy
Baby, it's cold outside : Travelers in the northeastern U.S. are stuck Monday because several major airports are closed due to blizzard conditions. All three airports in the New York City area are shuttered, and blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of New England. More than 2,500 flights have been canceled across the country since the storm began, airline representatives said. Watch for live weather and flight updates in New York and Philly on CNN. Italy Embassy bomb : Police in Italy ...

Afghanistan: Misunderstander of Islam murders three in jihad-martyrdom suicide bombing
Apparently the bomber somehow got the crazy idea that the Qur'an's promise of Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for Allah (9:111) meant that Paradise was promised to those who "kill and are killed" for Allah. "Suicide Car Bomb kills 3 in south Afghan city," by Mirwais Khan for Associated Press, December 27: Kandahar, Afghanistan - A suicide car bombing in the heart of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Monday killed three and wounded 26 people, most of them policemen, authoritie...

Germany Debates Afghanistan: Merkel Government Splitahead of Mandate Vote
Most in Germany would like to see their Troops return home from Afghanistan as soon as possible -- and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has adopted the position as his own. But many in the government of Chancellor Merkel disagree and Westerwelle has powerful detractors. First it was about shoes and then it was about a deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan. Twice within four days, German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was the focus of debate in Berlin. And, once again, it came...

UN maps show security worsening in Afghanistan...
A Pentagon report mandated by Congress drew similar conclusions when it was released last month. It said attacks were up 70% since 2009 and threefold since 2007. As a result of the continued violence, the Taliban still threaten the Afghan government, according to the report. The White House's National Security Council declined to comment. The director of communications for the U.N. in Afghanistan, Kieran Dwyer, said he couldn't comment on classified maps. But, he said, "in the course of 2010, th...

Afghanistan wants autonomy
US and other international powers. That must be why the government in Afghanistan denounced a NATPO night Raid which killed to people. The government there accused the Western forces of violating agreements governing the security of the Afghan capital.   U.S. Military, which makes up the majority of the foreign force, over the use of night raids. Afghan officials say such raids often result in accidental Civilian Deaths. The incident also underscored jurisdictional disputes that are likel...

'Little Fockers' Wins Weekend Box Office, 'Gulliver's Travels' Flops
NEW YORK — On a weekend when Hollywood competed with Christmas gatherings and fierce snow storms in the Northeast and Southeast, "Little Fockers" was no. 1 at the Box Office. The third installment of the Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro series of in-law comedy was to earn $34 million over the three-day weekend, and $48.3 million since opening on Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday. That was less than the debut of the 2004 sequel, "Meet the Fockers," which opened to $46.1 million, ...

East Coast Travelers Are Warned: It's Getting Nasty
At this point, all three Metro New York airports are effectively closed. Newark and Kennedy are officially closed. LaGuardia is technically open, but virtually all flights have been cancelled and there are few people around. Philadelphia and Boston are in slightly better shape, which isn't saying much. Surprisingly, though, the three Metro Washington area airports—National, Dulles and BWI—have been operating throughout the day. The Airlines have cancelled thousands of flights today a...

1 charge may be dropped in Afghan killings
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- One of three Afghanistan Murder charges against a U.S. Army sergeant may be dropped, sources close to the case told The Seattle Times. After months of hearings at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Col. Thomas Malloy, a judge advocate, is recommending that one of the Murder charges against Sgt. Calvin Gibbs be dropped because it could be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, the Times reported. Gibbs was the leader of a unit accused of murd...

Rotten weather stalls post-Christmas sales
Nothing frustrates a nervous retailer looking for a big return during post-Christmas sales than the depression that comes from a massive East Coast snowstorm that shuts down the Shopping Malls and keeps shoppers home for the day. After the best Holiday Season since 2007, Retailers from the Southeast to New England looked outside as blizzard-level snowstorms struck.  With forecasts calling for up to 20 inches of snow in Philadelphia and Boston the post-holiday shopping mood was mired in snow...

Snowstorm chills end of holiday shopping season
By Phil Wahba NEW YORK | Mon Dec 27, 2010 9:05am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A major snowstorm on the East Coast kept many people away from malls on the day after Christmas, casting a pall on the final act of the holiday shopping season. Holiday sales are predicted to rise significantly from 2009 and represent the best spending in three years. Clear weather during most of the period between U.S. Thanksgiving Day on November 25 and Christmas also helped. The weekend's blizzard conditions, which s...