AP source: Probe of Afghan civilian deaths focusing on about 10 members of Stryker brigade

AP source: Afghan probe focuses on Stryker brigade

WASHINGTON – About 10 members of an Army unit based at Fort Lewis, Wash., are under investigation for as many as three civilian deaths in Afghanistan, along with other potential wrongdoing, a senior military official said Monday.
The official did not have details of the investigation but confirmed that … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : AP source: Probe of Afghan civilian deaths focusing on about 10 members of Stryker brigade.

Manhattan DA taking new look at case of 6-year-old Etan Patz who disappeared 31 years ago

31-year-old case of missing NYC boy under review

NEW YORK – Six-year-old Etan Patz vanished on May 25, 1979. One of the most extensive missing-child searches was mounted to find him but two decades later, the boy was officially declared dead. No one has ever been arrested.
Now, the Manhattan district attorney’s office will take a fresh …. Original article  : Manhattan DA taking new look at case of 6-year-old Etan Patz who disappeared 31 years ago.

Former dictator Bouterse’s political party emerges as biggest parliament bloc in Suriname

Ex-dictator’s party biggest bloc in Suriname vote

PARAMARIBO, Suriname – Allies of former dictator Desi Bouterse have overtaken Suriname’s governing coalition in parliamentary elections, positioning him to run for president despite a pending trial in the execution of 15 opponents in the 1980s.
Bouterse, who previously was convicted by a Dutch court of drug trafficking, has declined … Read more >>.

Al Qaeda continues to plot from Pakistan: US

WASHINGTON – The top White House counterterrorism adviser says President Barack Obama has refocused US efforts on Afghanistan as “Al Qaeda continues to plot from the tribal regions along the border with Pakistan and inside of Pakistan.”

“The President’s strategy is unequivocal with regard to our posture,” John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security …. Read the original article  : Al Qaeda continues to plot from Pakistan: US.

Anti-whaling activist pleads guilty to 4 of 5 charges in Tokyo trial for disrupting whale hunt

Anti-whaling activist pleads guilty in Tokyo trial

TOKYO – An anti-whaling activist from New Zealand who boarded a Japanese whaling ship as part of a protest in February pleaded guilty Thursday to charges including trespassing and destruction of property, but denied that he committed assault.
Sea Shepherd activist Peter Bethune admitted in a Tokyo court that he …. Original source  : Anti-whaling activist pleads guilty to 4 of 5 charges in Tokyo trial for disrupting whale hunt.

Federal appeals court upholds Wyo. man’s conviction in daughter’s death

Appeals court upholds Wyo. man’s conviction

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A federal appeals court has ruled against a Northern Arapaho man who says the state of Wyoming lacked authority to prosecute him for murder in his daughter’s death.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Andrew John Yellowbear Jr.
Yellowbear is serving a life [..] Read the original article: here.

Calif. judge dismisses wrongful death lawsuit brought by parents of slain high school athlete

Calif. judge dismisses slain athlete lawsuit

LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by the parents of a high school football star who sued the sheriff’s department for releasing from jail an illegal immigrant suspected of killing their son.
Superior Court Judge Charles Palmer found Wednesday the law doesn’t support the …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Calif. judge dismisses wrongful death lawsuit brought by parents of slain high school athlete.

Colorado country club cuts ties with Uchiyama after he’s listed on USA Swimming banned list

Uchiyama no longer works at Colorado country club

Former USA Swimming national team director Everett Uchiyama no longer works for a Colorado club after his named turned up on a list of those under a lifetime ban from the national governing body.
Uchiyama was the aquatics director at the Country Club of Colorado, located about five miles … Read more »»».

Ark. police officers slain during traffic stop shootout remembered as dedicated to public

2 Ark. officers slain in roadside shootout mourned

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. – Two West Memphis police officers slain during a roadside shootout with an anti-government advocate and his son were remembered Monday as dedicated public servants and as loving fathers.
Hundreds of mourners, including family, friends, neighbors and their fellow law enforcement officers packed the West Memphis … Read more >>>.

Obama’s new national security strategy emphasizes global diplomacy, in contrast to Bush

Obama’s new security strategy breaks with Bush

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is breaking with the go-it-alone Bush years in a new strategy for keeping the nation safe, counting more on U.S. allies to tackle terrorism and other global problems. It’s an approach that already has proved tricky in practice.
The administration’s National Security Strategy, a summary …. Read the original article  : Obama’s new national security strategy emphasizes global diplomacy, in contrast to Bush.

Former Miss Russia appears in court after being charged with forging painkiller prescription

Former Miss Russia appears in court on drug charge

NEW YORK – A former Miss Russia has appeared in a New York City court on charges she forged a prescription for painkillers on a pad stolen from her psychiatrist’s office.
Anna Malova’s attorneys asked for an August court date so they could work out a drug treatment …. Source article  : Former Miss Russia appears in court after being charged with forging painkiller prescription.

Peruvian judge grants house arrest to Lori Berenson after 15 years in prison for aiding rebels

Peru judge grants New York woman house arrest

LIMA, Peru – A Peruvian judge has granted house arrest to 40-year-old Lori Berenson, a New York woman who has served 15 years in prison for aiding leftist rebels.
Judge Jessica Leon issued an order Tuesday for the conditional release of Berenson, who gave birth to a son a … Read : Peruvian judge grants house arrest to Lori Berenson after 15 years in prison for aiding rebels.

Phoenix police officer fatally shot while investigating suspicious vehicle call

Phoenix police officer fatally shot
PHOENIX – A Phoenix police officer shot and killed early Wednesday while investigating a suspicious vehicle was a 29-year-old married father of two young children, authorities said.

Officer Travis Murphy’s wife had given birth just two weeks ago to the couple’s second child, police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump said.
Murphy and his partner … Read more : Phoenix police officer fatally shot while investigating suspicious vehicle call.

NY-born man accused of trying to form mini al-Qaida terror cell is held without bail

NY man accused of seeking mini terror cell is held

NEW YORK – A native New Yorker accused of conspiring to join al-Qaida returned to the United States from Yemen after pledging allegiance to the terror group and tried to start his own “mini al-Qaida cell,” a prosecutor said Wednesday.
The latest allegation against Wesam El-Hanafi came …. Original article  : NY-born man accused of trying to form mini al-Qaida terror cell is held without bail.

Times Square plot: 11th suspect held in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – Pakistani officials have detained an 11th person in connection with the botched attempt of bombing New York’s Times Square early this month, CNN reported quoting a Pakistani intelligence source.

The man, identified as Qamar Ejaz, is the brother of Adnan Ejaz, a former major in Pakistani army who is already in custody for having [..] Read the original article: here.

Former SoCal senior home worker sentenced to life for torturing, taunting elderly

Ex-caregiver sentenced to life for torture, abuse

LOS ANGELES – A former caregiver convicted of torturing, taunting and body-slamming frail and elderly patients at an upscale California retirement home was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
Cesar Ulloa, 21, was convicted in April of one count of torture and seven counts of elder abuse. He was sentenced … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Former SoCal senior home worker sentenced to life for torturing, taunting elderly.

Alleged victim: Pleased about release of banned list, wants USA Swimming to do more

Alleged victim: Pleased Uchiyama’s ban made public

A woman who accused former USA Swimming national team director Everett Uchiyama of sexual abuse tells The Associated Press that officials need to do more than publicize his lifetime ban.
She spoke on condition of anonymity because she signed a confidential agreement with USA Swimming in 2006. That agreement led …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Aborted tobacco sting at Ohio governor’s home produces enduring political fallout

Aborted sting at official residence dogs Ohio guv

COLUMBUS, Ohio – While the governor entertained John Glenn at his official residence in a posh suburb, law enforcers planned to descend on a supplier of contraband tobacco skulking around the perimeter in an attempt to drop goods to a prison inmate working there.
It was a scene Gov. …. Source  : Aborted tobacco sting at Ohio governor’s home produces enduring political fallout.

Ohio dairy farm worker accused of beating cows with crowbars, charged with animal cruelty

Ohio dairy farm worker charged with animal cruelty

CLEVELAND – An Ohio dairy farm worker has been charged with 12 counts of cruelty to animals after a welfare group released a video it says shows him and others beating cows with crowbars and pitchforks.
Marysville prosecutor Tim Aslaner (AH’-slan-eer) says Billy Joe Gregg Jr. is jailed in …. Source article  : Ohio dairy farm worker accused of beating cows with crowbars, charged with animal cruelty.

Student from DC pleads guilty to impersonating FBI agent at Montana airport, saying he had gun

DC man pleads to impersonating FBI agent in Mont.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A 19-year-old Washington, D.C., man who was arrested at a Montana airport has pleaded guilty to impersonating an FBI agent and saying he had a gun in his carry-on bag to see how personnel would respond.
Malik Hannabal Shabazz was arrested March 5 at …. Original article  : Student from DC pleads guilty to impersonating FBI agent at Montana airport, saying he had gun.