| New Evidence Suggests Smoking Pot Just Might Help Veterans with PTSD Posted: 24 Dec 2013 02:24 PM PST  Although there's nothing definitive—yet—there's growing evidence that marijuana is effective in treating PTSD. Experiments with animals involving tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, have shown the chemical to be effective on the areas of the brain that regulate fear and anxiety. Unsurprisingly, researchers—and undoubtedly many laymen—have suspected that marijuana might be effective in treating PTSD, but there was little evidence about its usefulness until fairly recently. One is the brain itself, which uses the chemicals to regulate a variety of brain cells.
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| Pope marks first Christmas as crowds go to Bethlehem Posted: 24 Dec 2013 01:53 PM PST  Pope Francis held his first Christmas Eve mass in the Vatican on Tuesday by highlighting the role played by humble shepherds in the Nativity as thousands flocked to the historic site of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem. At the service in St Peter's Basilica, the 77-year-old leader of the world's Catholics said that local shepherds were the first to witness the holy birth "because they were among the last, the outcast". The Argentine pope, who was elected this year after his predecessor Benedict XVI's momentous resignation, also called on Catholic believers to open their hearts and to struggle against the "spirit of darkness". Francis has repeatedly warned about rising rates of anti-Christian violence and as he spoke Christians from ancient communities in Syria flee its civil war and others struggle to rebuild after the devastating typhoon that struck the Philippines this year.
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| Jimmy Stewart museum rebounds from adversity Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:27 AM PST  INDIANA, Pa. (AP) — For a time it looked like the Jimmy Stewart Museum wasn't going to make it.
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| Appeal to Help Veteran's Dog Prompts Outpouring of Donations Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:20 AM PST  A modest appeal to save an Iraq War veteran's severely injured dog has prompted an outpouring of support from animal lovers around the world, garnering enough donations to help other pets in need as well. After being hit by a snow plow truck on Dec....
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| Marine gets adopted in Christmas Eve ceremony Posted: 24 Dec 2013 08:58 AM PST  MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — Lance Cpl. Christopher Mohedano-Hernandez found special significance in being formally adopted during a Christmas Eve ceremony held in a suburban New York courtroom.
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| Shi'ites finish Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq under tight security Posted: 24 Dec 2013 07:40 AM PST  By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite Muslims observed the holy day of Arbaeen in the Iraqi city of Kerbala on Tuesday under heavy security after a string of attacks killed scores of people over the past week. Guarded by tens of thousands of Iraqi police and soldiers backed by armored vehicles and military helicopters, pilgrims poured into the Shi'ite holy city, many after making a long journey by foot. Iraq's Shi'ite-led government has tightened security for Arbaeen and an earlier ritual, Ashura, in recent years, but a peaceful event was especially important this year for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ahead of April parliamentary elections. "We deployed highly trained forces to form defensive cordons around Kerbala to abort any possible terrorist attack," Major-General Othman al-Ghanimi, chief commander of the Iraqi army in Kerbala told Reuters.
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| Jerusalem patriarch urges 'just' Israel-Palestinian solution Posted: 24 Dec 2013 07:18 AM PST  Bethlehem (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem called on Tuesday for a "just and equitable solution" to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for reconciliation in the Middle East. Monsignor Fuad Twal issued his plea in a homily he is to deliver at Christmas Eve midnight mass in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. The service will be attended by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and other dignitaries. Addressing Abbas, he said "we pray for you and for your mission in finding a just and equitable solution to the present conflict, for Palestinian unity, for the peace and prosperity of your country.
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| Qaeda-linked group claims attack on Iraq TV station Posted: 24 Dec 2013 06:01 AM PST  An Al-Qaeda-linked militant group claimed an attack on an Iraqi television station headquarters that killed five journalists, while the UN and US Tuesday condemned the targeting of media in Iraq. At the direction of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's "war ministry," militants attacked "the headquarters of the Salaheddin satellite (channel) which... distorts the facts and fights the Sunni people," the group said on online jihadist forums. The attack killed five of the channel's journalists -- the chief news editor, a copy editor, a producer, a presenter and the archives manager -- and wounded five more employees. Iraq has come in for repeated criticism over the lack of media freedom and the number of unsolved killings of journalists.
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| Preacher in Jordan trial appeals to Syria jihadis Posted: 24 Dec 2013 05:40 AM PST  AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A radical preacher deported from Britain who faces terrorism charges in his native Jordan appealed Tuesday to al-Qaida fighters in Syria to unite their ranks and end infighting.
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| Preacher in Jordan trial appeals on Syria jihadis Posted: 24 Dec 2013 04:19 AM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A radical preacher deported from Britain who faces terrorism charges in his native Jordan has appealed to al-Qaida fighters in Syria to unite their ranks and end infighting. |
| Exclusive: China commits $6.5 billion for Pakistani nuclear project Posted: 24 Dec 2013 04:17 AM PST  By Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - China has committed $6.5 billion to finance the construction of a major nuclear power project in Pakistan's port city of Karachi as it seeks to strengthen ties with its strategic partner, Pakistani officials said. Financing documents seen by Reuters showed China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) has promised to grant a loan of at least $6.5 billion to finance the project which will have two reactors with a capacity of 1,100 megawatts each. "China has complete confidence in Pakistan's capacity to run a nuclear power plant with all checks in place," said Ansar Parvez, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission which runs the civilian nuclear program.
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| Radical preacher in Jordan trial Posted: 24 Dec 2013 04:15 AM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A radical preacher deported from Britain who faces terrorism charges in his native Jordan has appealed to al-Qaida fighters in Syria to unite their ranks and end infighting. |
| Bomb hits Iraq defence minister's convoy, wounds two Posted: 24 Dec 2013 03:20 AM PST  A bomb struck the acting Iraqi defence minister's convoy west of Baghdad on Tuesday, wounding two of his guards, the ministry said. The roadside bomb hit Saadun al-Dulaimi's convoy as it travelled between Fallujah and Ramadi, "wounding two of his guards and damaging one of the vehicles," the ministry said on its website. It did not specify whether or not Dulaimi was travelling in the convoy, but a senior defence ministry official told AFP that he was not present at the time of the attack. The bombing comes after five senior officers, among them a divisional commander, and 10 other soldiers were killed on Saturday during an operation against militants in Anbar, the same province in which Dulaimi's convoy was travelling when it was attacked.
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| Iraq's defense minister unhurt in roadside bombing Posted: 24 Dec 2013 03:02 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials say a roadside bombing has targeted Iraq's acting defense minister who was unharmed in the explosion, which wounded two of his guards. |
| How the Arab Spring Sees America Posted: 24 Dec 2013 02:45 AM PST  After America's support of the Arab Spring rebellions and its nuclear deal with Iran, Middle East governments say they've lost faith in the U.S. as an ally.
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| Shiites pack Iraq shrine city for mourning rituals Posted: 24 Dec 2013 01:38 AM PST  Karbala (Iraq) (AFP) - Shiites from around Iraq and the world flooded the shrine city of Karbala on Tuesday for the peak of annual Arbaeen mourning rituals amid tight security after attacks killed dozens. The central Iraq city saw millions of visitors over the 40-day period of mourning that follows the annual commemoration of the death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Hussein, who was slain by the forces of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD. Karbala provincial council chief Nusaif al-Khatabi told AFP that 20 million people from some 40 countries made pilgrimages to Karbala this year, among them about one million Arabs and foreigners. Last year around 18 million people made pilgrimages to Karbala, where Hussein is buried.
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| Faces of Religion Posted: 24 Dec 2013 12:00 AM PST I wouldn't volunteer to be Phil Robertson's speechwriter. But with Christmas arriving, it's worth pausing a moment to consider two other faces of Christianity today. Many who are hostile to religion are eager to portray the "Duck Dynasty" star's comments about homosexuality as the essence of Christianity. Because the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin akin to adultery, the argument goes, the Bible is clearly bigoted, and those who quote the relevant verses are morally objectionable as well. |
| 'Duck Dynasty' and the New Blacklist Posted: 24 Dec 2013 12:00 AM PST Methodist pastor Frank Schaefer, defrocked for officiating at the same-sex marriage of his son, refused to recant, and joined a Dupont Circle congregation, declaring from the pulpit to repeated ovations Sunday, "Change is coming" to the United Methodist Church. Yet these were skirmishes alongside the culture war clash last week over the remarks to GQ magazine of Phil Robertson, patriarch of the clan of "Duck Dynasty," the wildly popular show on A&E. Using crude terms, but biblically correct arguments, Robertson told GQ what he thought of homosexuality and moral relativism. The homosexual lobby GLAAD swiftly demanded that Robertson be purged from "Duck Dynasty." And A&E suspended him indefinitely. |
| Brent stays above $111 on South Sudan conflict Posted: 23 Dec 2013 11:23 PM PST By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude stayed above $111 a barrel on Tuesday as conflict in South Sudan threatened its oil output at a time when production cuts in Libya are already curbing global supply. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is up 7.5 percent for the year, narrowing its gap with Brent which widened to almost $20 earlier this year, as more pipelines diverted oil away from the contract's delivery point in Cushing, Oklahoma, reducing a supply glut. February Brent crude had edged down 1 cent to $111.55 a barrel by 0607 GMT, while WTI for February delivery slipped 21 cents to $98.70. "In countries like South Sudan ... there's always a risk to production although the market doesn't appear to be reacting much to it at the moment," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. |
