luni, 5 noiembrie 2007

Tom Cruise Rewards Scientology Honchos

Tom Cruise Rewards Scientology Honchos | Police Roll Dice on Atlantic City | Stoppard Learns to Rock and Roll | Sightings

Tom Cruise Rewards Scientology Honchos

Sunday night, Tom Cruise rewarded high-ranking members of the Church of Scientology with tickets to a private screening of his new movie, "Lions for Lambs."

This is the provocative anti-war movie which he executive-produced for United Artists with partner Paula Wagner.

I rather doubt that director Robert Redford, who's also a co-star, and Cruise's other co-star, Meryl Streep, had any idea that the screening room at the Museum of Modern Art and the cocktail party following was full of Scientologists, including the two big honchos of the New York division.
Source. FOXNEWS

U.S. Navy Helps Free Taiwanese Ship Held By Somali Pirates

NAIROBI, Kenya — The U.S. Navy on Monday helped free the fifth ship in a week hijacked by Somalia pirates, attempting to bring security to crucial shipping routes between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Pirates released the Taiwanese fishing vessel 5 1/2 months after seizing it. U.S. naval personnel have been telling the pirates by radio to abandon hijacked vessels, get back in their small skiffs and return to Somalia.

"We encourage pirates to leave the ships," said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. "We tell them, you get in the skiff, you leave, you do not take any hostages."

Robertson said the Navy was in contact with two remaining ships held by pirates in Somali waters.
Source. FOXNEWS

Bush Urges Musharraf to Hold Elections, Drop Army Post

WASHINGTON — President Bush urged Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to quickly return to civilian rule and immediately release the nearly 2,000 people detained since emergency rule was declared on Saturday.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the U.S. was "deeply disturbed" by Musharraf's emergency rule decree, Reuters reported.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday to underscore U.S. opposition to his decision to impose a state of emergency, a senior U.S. official said.
Source. FOX.

Pakistan crisis: 'It ain't easy' for U.S.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- Gen. Pervez Musharraf's declaration of martial law was a wake-up call for Washington, leaving the future alliance with the Pakistani president in question.

Even before Saturday's crackdown, U.S. State Department officials said they had struggled with what to do if Musharraf went through with his threat. They didn't know then, and they don't know now.

"Frankly, it ain't easy," one official said. "We are looking at our options, and none of them are good."

The United States has pushed for Musharraf to shed his army uniform and hold elections by January. And it repeatedly has told him that his cooperation in the war on terror is not a replacement for democratic reforms.
Source. CNN.

The High Standard of Single Talk

Former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, launched a web ad so aggressive towards Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, upon first viewing I thought it was put together by the Republican National Committee. (WATCH IT HERE).

And today Edwards will continue making his case against the former First Lady in such a fashion, saying in Iowa City, per remarks released by his campaign, that "Senator Clinton is voting like a hawk in Washington, while talking like a dove in Iowa and New Hampshire. We have seen this movie before. And it doesn't end well -- in fact, as we all know too well, in Iraq, it hasn't ended at all."
Source. ABC.

The challenge of breaking the Mafia

Italian police have arrested a man believed to the boss of the Sicilian Mafia, Salvatore Lo Piccolo, but the long war between the Italian state and the Mafia is far from over. With his son Sandro - who was also arrested - 65-year-old Lo Piccolo has been a major power-broker in Sicily despite having been on the run for nearly 25 years.

Nicknamed The Baron, he is believed by magistrates to have taken over from Bernardo Provenzano, who was the undisputed head of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra from 1995 until his arrest in 2006.

Provenzano had run the Corleone Mafia, which gained supremacy in the 1980s. It hailed from the town of the same name in central Sicily, immortalised as the birthplace of the Marlon Brando character in the film The Godfather.
Source. BBC.

Mitchell joins Montrose on loan

Falkirk defender Chris Mitchell has joined Montrose on a five-week loan.
Bairns boss John Hughes told the club's official website Mitchell would gain valuable experience at Links Park with the Third Division outfit.

"Chris has progressed well over the last few months and we see this move as the next part of his development to play first-team football," said Hughes.

Mitchell joined the Premier League club from Livingston on a pre-contract agreement in June, 2006.

Hughes said he rated the defender highly and stressed he was still part of the club's long-term plans.
Source. BBC.

India 242-5 (47 ovs) bt Pakistan 239-7 (50 ovs) by 5 wkts

Mahendra Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh hit half-centuries to inspire India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in their opening one-day match in Guwahati.

They put on 105, the aggressive Dhoni hitting eight fours in his 63, while Yuvraj fired six fours and a six in 58.

Both fell near the end but India got to their 240 target with 18 balls left.

Salman Butt gave Pakistan a good start with 50 from 57 balls and Mohammad Yousuf, dropped on nine, hit eight fours in a battling unbeaten 83.

The victory gave the hosts a vital early edge in the five-match series, which continues in Mohali on Thursday.

Pakistan's total of 239-7 having opted to bat first did not look sufficient, despite a slow pitch that made shot-making difficult.
Source. BBC.

Turkey PM in 'decisive' US talks

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Washington for what Ankara has called a decisive meeting with President George W Bush on Kurdish rebels in north Iraq.
Turkey has threatened to send troops across the border to hit bases used by the Kurdish PKK rebels unless the US and Iraq do more to stop attacks.

The Turkish government is under public pressure to use force against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).

But Washington has urged Ankara not to launch cross-border strikes.
Source. BBC.

Pakistan 'to keep elections date'

Pakistan's prime minister says national elections will be held as scheduled, despite President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule.
Elections are due by mid-January, but there were fears they might be abandoned because of the crisis.

Police have broken up street protests and hundreds of lawyers and opposition activists have been arrested.

The US said it was "deeply disturbed" by events and urged Gen Musharraf to return to civilian rule.
Source. BBC.