jznavy's blog

When U.S. and Iraqi forces swept into Baghdad's Sadr City slum this week, they were unsuccessfully chasing one of the most dangerous men in the city — a rogue Shiite militiaman who is a hero to his fighters and a feared killer to the capital's Sunni population.

Two of the wanted man's neighbors said the Mahdi Army militia commander, known as Abu Diraa, Arabic for Father of the Shield, is actually Ismail al-Lami, the father of at least a dozen children from two marriages. One of his children, a teenager called Haidar, was wounded in the pre-dawn raid Wednesday.  Read More »

Anheuser-Busch has admitted losing sales to Heineken Premium Light, a low-calorie beer introduced by the Dutch brewer this year, highlighting the growth of imported beers in the US.

Heineken Premium Light has become a powerful presence in the premium end of the US beer market since its launch, helped by a $50m marketing campaign.

The Dutch beer is among a widening range of premium import beers luring US drinkers away from traditional American brands.  Read More »

Australians living in the United States are spooked because of rumors of a ban on Vegemite. Recent media reports from Down Under have claimed that U.S. customs officials have started searching for the spread. The U.S. government denies that the Aussie delicacy will be banned. What's in Vegemite, anyway?  Read More »

Coral reef experts heard dire predictions for the underwater kingdoms, including one estimate that 60 percent of the world’s coral reefs could die in less than 25 years due to pollutants and global warming.

Sea temperatures are rising, weakening the reefs’ resistance to increased pollutants, such as runoff from construction sites and toxins from boat paints. The fragile reefs are hosts to countless marine plants and animals.  Read More »

Dick Cheney, US vice-president, has endorsed the use of "water boarding" for terror suspects and confirmed that the controversial interrogation technique was used on Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, the senior al-Qaeda operative now being held at Guantánamo Bay.

Cheney was responding to a radio interviewer from North Dakota station WDAY who asked whether water boarding, which involves simulated drowning, was a "no-brainer" if the information it yielded would save American lives. "It's a no-brainer for me,"  Cheney replied.  Read More »

A mother whose 13-year-old daughter nearly died from an infection caused by a bellybutton piercing was sentenced Thursday to 2½ years in prison for failing to seek medical attention for several weeks as the child grew sicker.

The girl wrote to the judge seeking leniency for Deborah Robinson, who was convicted this month of wantonly or recklessly permitting substantial bodily injury to a child under 14. She could have received five years.  Read More »

Lance Bass' boyfriend, Reichen Lehmkuhl, says he and the former NSYNC star have been dealing with threats ignited by his new memoir about the trials of being gay while serving in the military.

"We have to be very protective," Lehmkuhl tells the TV show "Inside Edition" in an interview that was to air Wednesday.

"I am not going to hide," says the former Air Force captain. "There are threats that come in from people who do not want me to be so public and expose what is going on in the military."  Read More »

The father of the baby boy Madonna is trying to adopt said he is afraid criticism of the adoption will persuade the singer to drop her efforts and he urged her Thursday not to get angry.

Yohane Banda, the biological father of 13-month old David Banda, was reacting to Madonna's appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Thursday in which the pop star said she had done nothing wrong, had not used her celebrity to influence Malawian officials and wants to give the boy a better life. She also said she feared the criticism she has received in the media could discourage others from adopting from Africa.  Read More »