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12 May 2011 16:41

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World: Syria’s Assad vows no firing on protests

  • So, would you trust this guy? That’s the question facing members of the Syrian opposition. Syria has been a hellish place for those protesting the Bashar al-Assad government of late, as live rounds have been fired into protests, many have been captured (and, given the human rights record there, almost certainly tortured), and even army soldiers who’ve refused to unload on civilians have been shot dead by the state police. Now, however, the opposition says that Assad has vowed there won’t be such attacks made on a planned protest on Friday. Forgive us if we’re skeptical, but Assad’s brutality is a cat that was let out of the bag a long time ago. source

25 Feb 2010 09:29

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U.S.: David Paterson’s staff also personally fraught with scandal

  • I’m glad you’re doing this, because I thought it was going to be swept under the table because he’s like a government official, and I have problems even calling the police because the state troopers kept calling me and harassing me to drop the charges, and I wouldn’t.
  • A woman accusing an aide of New York Gov. David Paterson of domestic abuse • Speaking at Family Court proceedings. The aide, David W. Johnson, reportedly has a history of altercations with women, and has now been suspended without pay. The reason this case is such a huge deal? Johnson – and Paterson himself – reportedly overstepped his bounds of power and got the State Police to pressure the woman do drop her case. That’s really bad, and Paterson has been quick to react in the wake of the fresh scandal. source

11 Jan 2009 09:26

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U.S.: Chaos on the New York interstate

  • What happened? Around 11:55 a.m. yesterday, a gunman opened fire at a state trooper in the middle of a section of Interstate 90 in East Greenbush N.Y., just southeast of Albany. The shooting caused an evacuation of the highway, as well as panic, as drivers attempted to get away from the scene.
  • On the scene Witness Carol Winn referred to the scene as “chaos.” “I heard a shot fired,” she said, “and then I thought maybe there was a deer in the road and someone had to shoot it to put it down. But then I heard more shots and saw people ducking down in their cars, and I knew something was wrong.”
  • The end resultThe gunman was shot and is now in custody of the state police. It was unclear whether he shot himself or if a police officer shot him. The section of I-90 where the shooting occurred remained closed for much of Saturday. source