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	<title>Tondan</title>
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	<link>http://www.tondan.com</link>
	<description>News and Views...</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:55:45 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Photos: Somalia&#8217;s Al-Shabaab Islamic Militia Display Corpse of Murdered French Commando Commander</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2013/01/photos-somalias-al-shabaab-islamic-militia-display-corpse-of-murdered-french-commando-commander/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=photos-somalias-al-shabaab-islamic-militia-display-corpse-of-murdered-french-commando-commander</link>
		<comments>http://www.tondan.com/2013/01/photos-somalias-al-shabaab-islamic-militia-display-corpse-of-murdered-french-commando-commander/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:55:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Charlie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Al-Shabaab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Somalia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan The Al-Shabaab Mujahideen put out the following press release along with photos of the murdered French Commando Commander (NSFW Photos at bottom of page):  The French rescue operation in Bulo-Marer, Lower Shabelle region, not only failed to secure the release of Dennis Alex but also resulted in the death of several of the French forces and injured many more. Among those severely injured during the botched operation was the French commander leading the operation. The commander was deserted by his comrades after a fierce firefight and subsequently captured by the Mujahideen. HSM paramedic teams arrived at the scene shortly after the firefight had ended and transferred him to a hospital at the base, but he succumbed to his injuries hours later. The Mujahideen recovered several weapons and the soldier’s gear from the scene of battle and later also managed to retrieve valuable information from the soldier before his death. The body of the soldier is still within the custody of the Mujahideen. Harakat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen has also today reached a unanimous verdict on the fate of Dennis Alex after three and a half years in captivity. The details of that verdict and some background information of the events leading up to the failed rescue operation will be published in the coming hours Insha&#8217;allah. Press Office Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen Follow @Tondan]]></description>
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		<title>Dad Refuses To Backdown in Case of Soldier Who Was Shot In Head After Discovering Wife&#8217;s Lesbian Affair</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/dad-refuses-to-backdown-in-case-of-soldier-who-was-shot-in-head-after-discovering-wifes-lesbian-affair/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=dad-refuses-to-backdown-in-case-of-soldier-who-was-shot-in-head-after-discovering-wifes-lesbian-affair</link>
		<comments>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/dad-refuses-to-backdown-in-case-of-soldier-who-was-shot-in-head-after-discovering-wifes-lesbian-affair/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:43:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alpha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Army]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baghdad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Suicide]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10715</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan &#160; The father of a Queens-born Army sergeant murdered in Iraq is taking the Army’s stalled investigation into his own hands. Kevin Green — whose son LaShawn Evans was shot in the head on Valentine’s Day 2011 after discovering that his fellow soldier wife was having a lesbian affair with another officer — has filed papers in Brooklyn Federal Court demanding the preservation of cell phone and text messages from devices belonging to Evans; his wife, Florinda Evans, and LaShawn’s mother-in-law from Jan. 1, 2011, to Sept. 1, 2011. “I made my son a promise that I would honor him and fight till I know what happened,” Green told the Daily News. The Army initially ruled Evans’ death a suicide, but the crime was reclassified as a murder six months later. That’s where the investigation remains. “We cannot think of any good reason why the Army has not provided the father of one of their soldiers with information about a death they ruled a homicide,” said lawyer Jeffrey Schwartz. An Army spokesman confirmed Evans’ death remains under investigation. Little is known beyond the basics of the crime: Evans, 24, was found dead in his wife’s barracks with a rifle next to his body and a blanket over his head. Green was told by Army officials that Florinda Evans and another unidentified soldier were present at the death scene. About one month earlier, LaShawn Evans had caught his wife, who had served with him in Baghdad, in bed with a female soldier. The couple separated after that, according to Green. But LaShawn Evans was moving on with his life, this dad said. He reupped for four more years in the military and was about to be shipped back to Fort Riley in Kansas — and there was no hint of depression over his wife’s infidelity, which was reported to Army officials, Green said. “My son was the happiest kid in the world,” Green said. “His last message on Facebook was, ‘I love you pop. I’ll see you on Friday.’ ” That was five days before he died.Green said his daughter-in-law refused to speak with him at the funeral and has not allowed him to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Syrian rebels say they&#8217;ve captured military base that has anti-aircraft weapons</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/syrian-rebels-say-theyve-captured-military-base-that-has-anti-aircraft-weap/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=syrian-rebels-say-theyve-captured-military-base-that-has-anti-aircraft-weap</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:36:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Delta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10717</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan &#160; Syrian rebels have seized a military base in the country&#8217;s north, capturing weapons they hope will repel air raids by President Bashar Assad&#8217;s forces, rebels said on Sunday. Under cover of rain and fog, Col. Anas Ibrahim Abu Zeid led 200 fighters in a four-hour operation to take over the 135 Infantry Brigade base in the village of Hawa, a mostly Kurdish area in northern Aleppo province, on Saturday, they said, as they showed the base to journalists. The rebels found about 150 soldiers at the base, though it can hold up to 3,000 troops, Abu Zeid said. Between 10 to 15 soldiers were taken prisoner, he said. They would not say what happened to the other troops, although a Reuters journalist saw at least one corpse. The rebels said they lost six of their men. The weapons were hidden in secret locations in Aleppo&#8217;s countryside, where the majority of the rebels fighting in this part of the country are from. At a warehouse in a residential area down a narrow street, rebels showed off two .57mm field guns and three 14-1/2 mm anti-aircraft guns. The weapons, which could be dated back to World War Two, looked like they had never been used. The guns were still greased and wrapped in brown paper. &#8220;We can now take down planes and helicopters &#8230; by using more than one anti-aircraft gun to guarantee superior firepower at the same time on the target,&#8221; Abu Zeid, a bearded man with specks of grey dressed in army combat gear, told Reuters. Rebel momentum The capture of artillery and anti-aircraft guns has been a turning point for the rebels, who have gained momentum in recent months, seizing swathes of territory in northern Syria and surrounding key army bases and airports across the country. Assad has relied increasingly on airpower to repel advances by the rebels, who do not have the firepower to take on Assad&#8217;s helicopters, MiGs and Sukhoi jets. Abu Zeid, who defected from Assad&#8217;s brother&#8217;s 4th Mechanised Division in February, said they made the raid after intelligence a plane would drop ammunition for the weapons the next day. Also seized were several dozen wooden boxes of [...]]]></description>
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		<title>AMBUSH! Two NY Firefighters Shot To Death In Ambush Set By Arsonist</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/ambush-two-ny-firefighters-shot-to-death-in-ambush-set-by-arsonist/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ambush-two-ny-firefighters-shot-to-death-in-ambush-set-by-arsonist</link>
		<comments>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/ambush-two-ny-firefighters-shot-to-death-in-ambush-set-by-arsonist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Dec 2012 18:51:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Charlie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ambush]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefighters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NY]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10716</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan A gunman ambushed four volunteer firefighters responding to an intense pre-dawn house fire Monday morning outside Rochester, N.Y., killing two before ending up dead himself, authorities said. Police used an armored vehicle to evacuate more than 30 nearby residents. The gunman fired at the firefighters when they arrived shortly after 5:30 a.m. at the blaze near the Lake Ontario shore in Webster, town Police Chief Gerald Pickering said. The first Webster police officer who arrived chased the suspect and exchanged gunfire with him, authorities said. &#8220;It does appear it was a trap&#8221; for the first responders to the fire, Pickering said at a news conference. Authorities didn&#8217;t say how the gunman died or whether anyone might have died in the fire itself. One of the dead firefighters was also a town police lieutenant; it wasn&#8217;t clear whether he returned fire. An off-duty police officer who was driving by was injured by shrapnel, Pickering said. The fire started in one home and spread to two others and a car, officials said. The gunfire initially kept firefighters from battling the blazes. Police say four homes were destroyed and four damaged. The West Webster Fire District learned of the fire early Monday after a report of a car and house on fire on Lake Road, on a narrow peninsula where Irondequoit Bay meets Lake Ontario, Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O&#8217;Flynn said. The fire appeared from a distance as a pulsating ball of flame glowing against the early morning sky, flames licking into treetops and reflecting on the water, with huge bursts of smoke billowing away in a brisk wind. Two of the firefighters arrived on a fire engine and two in their own vehicles, Pickering said. After the gunman fired, one of the wounded men managed to flee, but the other three couldn&#8217;t because of flying gunfire. A police armored vehicle was used to recover two of the men, and eventually it evacuated 33 people from nearby homes, the police chief said. The dead men were identified as Police Lt. Michael Chiapperini, 43, the Webster Police Department&#8217;s public information officer; and Tomasz Kaczowka, also a 911 dispatcher, whose age was not released. Pickering described Chiapperini as [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Road Rage In Houston- Woman Executed In Barrage of Bullets Fired By Angry Driver</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/road-rage-in-houston-woman-executed-in-barrage-of-bullets-fired-by-angry-driver/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=road-rage-in-houston-woman-executed-in-barrage-of-bullets-fired-by-angry-driver</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 04:04:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Houston]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Road Rage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan A road-rage confrontation left a 30-year-old woman dead and her killer facing a murder charge after the victim was shot in the head in far southwest Harris County early Thursday morning. Veronica Soto was discovered fatally shot about 12:30 a.m. at 7703 Las Brisas near Paso Real, according to the Harris County Sheriff&#8217;s Office. Investigators later determined the gunfire erupted as Soto and her husband were in their vehicle and he got into an argument with people in two other cars. The argument escalated when the Sotos&#8217; vehicle was boxed in by the other drivers. Then a passenger in one of the other vehicles got out and went to his nearby home. He grabbed a rifle, came back outside and opened fire on the Sotos as they drove away. Several bullets hit the rear of the Sotos&#8217; car. Soto, who was a passenger in the front seat, was wounded in the head. She died at the scene. No other injuries were reported. Investigators later learned the identity of the gunman. The 20-year-old man admitted his role in the shooting when investigators questioned him about it. He was taken into custody. Deputies said charges have not been filed so far, but the gunman is expected to be charged with murder. The Chronicle has not named him because he has not been formally charged yet. Embedded Link Road-rage shooting leaves woman dead Follow @Tondan]]></description>
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		<title>Ikea Monkey&#8217;s Owner Says He Is &#8220;Like A Little Child&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/ikea-monkeys-owner-says-he-is-like-a-little-child/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ikea-monkeys-owner-says-he-is-like-a-little-child</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:02:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alpha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ikea Monkey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10661</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan The owner of a monkey that was confiscated after it escaped and ran around the car park of a Toronto Ikea has been speaking to the BBC about her relationship with the primate. Yasmin Nakhuda described her pet as &#8220;very special&#8221; and said that he was &#8220;like a little child&#8221;. Animal control officers captured Darwin and he was placed in a primate sanctuary, but his owner is unhappy about this and determined to regain custody of her pet.   Owner&#8217;s anger over Ikea monkey Follow @Tondan]]></description>
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		<title>Road Rage in California- Man Shot in the Head </title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/road-rage-in-california-man-shot-in-the-head/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=road-rage-in-california-man-shot-in-the-head</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 02:01:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Delta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10662</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan A man was hospitalized after being struck in the head in a car-to-car shooting in Whittier on Thursday. Whittier police responded to a single-vehicle accident around 6 a.m. at Workman Mill Road and Beverly Boulevard. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man who had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The victim, a man in his 40s, was coherent and speaking, authorities said. Police determined that the shooting happened on Beverly Boulevard between Citrus Avenue and Floral Drive. The bullet went through the victim’s head rest and into his skull, according to police. He was hospitalized in unknown condition. The suspect escaped in an SUV, but no vehicle description was immediately available. Police are investigating the shooting as a road-rage incident. They do not believe it was gang-related.   Man Shot in the Head in Whittier Road Rage Incident Follow @Tondan]]></description>
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		<title>Thieves Target Canada&#8217;s Maple Syrup OPEC</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/thieves-target-canadas-maple-syrup-opec/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=thieves-target-canadas-maple-syrup-opec</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 01:01:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Charlie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10663</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan It was an inside job of sorts. Thieves with access to a warehouse and a careful plan loaded up trucks and, over time, made off with $18 million of a valuable commodity. The question is what was more unusual: that the commodity in question was maple syrup, or that it came from something called the global strategic maple syrup reserve, run by what amounts to a Canadian cartel. On Tuesday, the police in Quebec arrested three men in connection with the theft from the warehouse, which is southwest of Quebec City. The authorities are searching for five others suspected of being involved, and law enforcement agencies in other parts of Canada and the United States are trying to recover some of the stolen syrup. Both the size and the international scope of the theft underscore Quebec’s outsize position in the maple syrup industry. Depending on the year, the province can produce more than three-quarters of the world’s supply. And its marketing organization appears to have taken some tips from the producers of another valuable liquid commodity when it comes to exploiting market dominance. “It’s like OPEC,” said Simon Trépanier, acting general manager of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. “We’re not producing all the maple syrup in the world. But by producing 70 to 78 percent, we have the ability to adjust the quantity that is in the marketplace.” Since 1999, Quebec’s maple syrup industry has used a marketing system found in other Canadian agricultural sectors, particularly dairy and poultry. Put simply, the supply management system sets strict quotas for producers and, in the case of maple syrup, requires them to sell their product through the federation. The sap that becomes maple syrup after being boiled down often flows for only a short period each spring. Weather changes can introduce wild fluctuations in how much emerges from sugar maple trees. Strategic syrup reserve? To maintain stable and high prices, the federation stockpiles every drop its members produce beyond their quota. During bad seasons, it dips into that supply. “In the States you have the strategic oil reserve,” Mr. Trépanier said, continuing with his petroleum analogy. “Mother Nature is not generous every year, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Ahmad Fakhouri, Syrian state TV news anchor disguises himself to flee from Assad</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/ahmad-fakhouri-syrian-state-tv-news-anchor-disguises-himself-to-flee-from-assad/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ahmad-fakhouri-syrian-state-tv-news-anchor-disguises-himself-to-flee-from-assad</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:53:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10664</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan &#160; Ahmad Fakhouri, known by many as one of the most famous news anchors on Syrian state TV, declared that he defected from the Syrian regime 9 months ago when he suddenly upped and left his job at the Syrian satellite channel. In disguise, he lived in Damascus for six months until he was able to smuggle his wife, daughter, parents, his sister, and one of his two brothers through Beirut airport to Cairo, then followed them to Cairo where he lives now without work. Fakhouri told Al Arabiya in a telephone interview this week that he succeeded so well in disguising himself that nobody but his own family could recognize him. He rented an apartment close to his old neighborhood in Damascus and used many disguises, fearing that the intelligence forces would recognize him. “Once, I shaved my hair to become bald, and then I grew a moustache and wore dark glasses. Another time, I grew my beard so nobody could recognize me,” he said. Fakhouri ,35 years old, is a husband and father of an 18-month- old baby. His father Abdulraheem Fakhouri was the head of the radio and TV center in the province of Hama before retiring last year at the start of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule. Fakhouri, who provided Al Arabiya with some of his pictures while he was disguised in Cairo, said that he’s not one of the most famous presenters in Syria as described by some, but the well-known by Syrians. He said he saw Assad only once at the beginning of 2012, while he was covering his visit to Austria and Slovakia, and didn’t speak to him during that trip. He noted that he has enough money to cover his needs and his family in Cairo for three months only, and that he rented an apartment in Cairo, choosing the Egyptian capital because “the cost of living is lower, unlike nearby Istanbul or Beirut” as he said. Fakhouri hopes to find a job in an Arabic satellite channel. “Not because I am defector from the regime media … I want to work at a credible TV station which will give me the opportunity [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Putin Avoids Questions on Ban To End Adoption of Russian Children By U.S Citizens</title>
		<link>http://www.tondan.com/2012/12/putin-avoids-questions-on-ban-to-end-adoption-of-russian-children-by-u-s/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=putin-avoids-questions-on-ban-to-end-adoption-of-russian-children-by-u-s</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:40:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NewsJunkie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alpha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tondan.com/?p=10654</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Follow @Tondan &#160; Russian President Vladimir Putin dodged numerous questions Thursday about efforts of some Russian lawmakers to cut off U.S. adoptions of Russian children. At his first major news conference since his return to the presidency in May, Putin seemed to sidestep the adoption issue, repeatedly telling reporters that he had yet to study the ban in depth. “I do not know details. I have not seen the text. I need to take a look at it. I will do that today or tomorrow,” he said at one point. “I will make a decision depending on what is written there,” he continued, declining to say if he would sign such a ban. Russia is the third most-popular country for Americans looking to adopt children. About 45,000 Russian children have been adopted by U.S. parents since the fall of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991. Putin said he believed that most Americans trying to adopt children were “decent and honest people.” Putin did, however, express strong support for the broader bill that is making its way through the lower house of parliament, which, by imposing reciprocal sanctions on American human rights abusers, including those accused of abusing Russian adopted children, signals retaliation for a set of human rights sanctions passed by the U.S. Congress earlier  this month. Putin blasted U.S. courts for treating those accused of abusing Russian adopted children too leniently, and criticized U.S. officials for failing to properly set up a new adoption agreement between the two countries that would give Russian officials access to adopted children who were allegedly abused. Members of the ruling United Russia Party added the adoption ban as an amendment before a second reading of the bill on Wednesday. It faces a third and final reading as early as Friday, but it still requires the support of the upper house of parliament, as well as Putin’s signature before it becomes law. Since its introduction, several human rights advocates have complained that the measure is playing politics with the lives of orphans. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came out against the adoption ban earlier this week, calling it “wrong” and adding that foreign adoption was a legal [...]]]></description>
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