Carronade The Yankee Sailor Carronade

The Sea is a choosy mistress. She takes the men that come to her and weighs them and measures them. The ones she adores, she keeps; the ones she hates, she destroys. The rest she casts back to land. I count myself among the adored, for I am Her willing Captive.

FLASH TRAFFIC:
I've relocated to a new Yankee Sailor.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Daily Read Board - 30JUN05

United States

2 Iraqis held trying to cross Mexico border - Two Iraqis who paid alien smugglers in Mexico to help them gain illegal entry to the United States were arrested yesterday by Mexican authorities in a border town near San Diego.

U.S. Said to Get Gitmo Info on al-Qaida - WASHINGTON (AP) - Some terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who have been silent for several years are now providing information about al-Qaida, a U.S. general said Wednesday.

Health funds for veterans misjudged - The Bush administration yesterday admitted that it badly miscalculated health care spending for veterans this year and agreed to send Congress an emergency spending request to make up a shortfall of at least $1 billion.

China's buildup causing 'concern' - The Pentagon is debating how to field the right mix of weapons to deal with China's growing military power, a top Air Force general said yesterday.

Chinese President Visits Russia for Talks - MOSCOW (AP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Russia on Thursday and is expected to bolster ties with Beijing's former rival in hopes of quadrupling their trade turnover to up to $80 billion a year by 2010.

Report: China Traffic Dispute Becomes Riot - BEIJING (AP) - A traffic dispute in eastern China erupted into a riot as angry crowds battled police, burned cars and smashed windows at a police station, news reports said Wednesday. There were no deaths but six police officers were injured, the reports said.

China Journalists Seek Colleagues' Release - SHANGHAI, China (AP) - In a bold challenge to rigid government media controls, Chinese journalists have petitioned for the release of two colleagues jailed after aggressive reporting that was believed to have angered local officials.

White House to Tighten Syria Finances - WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration, turning up the heat on Syria, moved Thursday to block the financial assets of the country's interior minister and its chief of military intelligence for Lebanon.

Wars take toll on Army officers' marriages - NEW YORK (AP) -- The Army is now on the offensive against another enemy: a divorce rate that has soared in the past three years as longer and more frequent war zone deployments place extra strain on couples.

Army Surpasses Its June Recruiting Goals but Says Much Work Remains - The Army has exceeded its monthly nationwide recruiting goals for June, stopping a four-month slide and giving recruiters hope as they try to make up a significant deficit in the remaining three months of the fiscal year.

General Encourages Military Recruitment - WASHINGTON (AP) - America's parents should not stand in the way of sons and daughters who want to join the military, but should let them follow their patriotic instincts, the nation's No. 2 general said Wednesday.

International

Italy Knew About Plan To Grab Suspect - The previously undisclosed Italian involvement undercuts the accusation that the CIA slipped into the country unannounced and uninvited to kidnap an Italian resident off the street.

Iran leader linked to '79 embassy crisis - Americans held in the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Iran said yesterday they clearly recall Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad playing a central role in the takeover, interrogating captives and demanding harsher treatment for the hostages.

Al-Jaafari predicts Syrian cooperation - LONDON -- Iraqi Prime Minster Ibrahim al-Jaafari expressed confidence that a radical shift in the Syrian role in supporting and financing terrorist missions in Iraq was imminent.

Secular Shiites in Iraq Seek Autonomy in Oil-Rich South - The push by powerful Shiite politicians for an autonomous region in southern Iraq poses a direct challenge to the nation's central authority.

U.S.-Led Forces Detain Suspected Militants - BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S.-led forces detained more than a dozen suspected militants in a counterinsurgency sweep through western Anbar province as part of a sustained effort to disrupt the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, the military said Thursday.

Iraqis Divided Over U.S. Troop Pullout - BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - For engineering professor Moayad Yasin al-Samaraie, President Bush's pledge to keep U.S. troops in Iraq until their mission is complete was the promise of order over chaos.

Lebanese Lawmakers Nominate Prime Minister - BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanon's newly victorious anti-Syrian lawmakers on Wednesday nominated a former finance minister known for his pro-market policies to be the country's next prime minister.

India, U.S. strengthen defense ties - Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who concluded a four-day visit to Washington yesterday, signed an agreement on defense ties and called for relaxation of U.S. restrictions on civilian nuclear technology transfers to India.

Colombia Navy Members Arrested Over Drugs - BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Twelve members of Colombia's navy were arrested after raids uncovered drug-making chemicals and documents linking them to cocaine smuggling groups, authorities said Wednesday.