bombs in lebanon

Starting in 2004, a series of bombings and assassinations struck Lebanon, most of them in and around the capital, Beirut. This wave of bombings began with the assassination attempt on Marwan Hamadeh, then heated up with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14, 2005, which touched off the Cedar Revolution and the withdrawal of Syrian troops. After the massive protests following Hariri's killing, several more bombings hit Lebanon.

These bombings and assassinations came after September 2004, when the Lebanese Parliament was pressured by Syria to extend the term of Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud through a constitutional amendment.^[1] The MPs, journalists, and activists that opposed this term extension were subject to slander, harassment and, in many cases, assassination attempts.

Marwan Hamadeh assassination attempt

On October 1, 2004, a car bomb exploded next to the motorcade carrying Druze MP Marwan Hamadeh. Hamadeh was injured, but survived; his driver was killed. Hamadeh was a critic of Syria and a member of the opposition to President Émile Lahoud.

Rafiq Hariri assassination

Ministry of the Interior soldier guarding the site of the attack that killed former Prime Minister Hariri

A massive explosion on February 14, 2005, killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut, near the St. George Hotel. Also killed was the former Minister of the Economy, Bassel Fleihan, and 19 other people. About 220 others were wounded.

A group calling itself "The Nasra & Jihad Group in Greater Syria" claimed responsibility for the blast. The group had not been heard from before. A tape aired by Al Jazeera showed a bearded man, believed to be a Palestinian named Ahmad Abu Adas, claiming the attack. Adas' apartment was raided but he remains missing; however, it is now thought he was forced to admit to the plot and was killed by those who planned the assassination.According to the United Nations report by Detlev Mehlis, released October 20, 2005, the blast was the result of a truck bomb. A security camera captured a white Mitsubishi truck driving near Hariri's convoy moments before the blast; investigators determined this truck carried the explosives, estimated at 1,000 kg. Since Hariri's convoy had jamming devices meant to block remote control signals, the attack was carried out using a suicide bomber. The report cited a witness who said the bomber was an Iraqi who was led to believe his target was Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who had been in Beirut just days before

The report concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese officials planned the assassination beginning in mid-2004.

New Jdeideh bombing

A car bomb exploded in the New Jdeideh suburb of Beirut on March 19, 2005. The blast happened in a part-commercial, part-residential area, and wounded eleven people. Reports said that the driver had tried to park it in front of a bingo hall, and was turned away, so he parked it next to an apartment.

Kaslik bombing

On March 23 a bomb left in a leather bag exploded at the back entrance of the Kaslik shopping center in Jounieh. Two Indian and one Pakistan janitorwere killed, and two Sri Lankans and two Lebanese injured. The roof of the mall collapsed.

Sad el-Bouchrieh bombing

On March 26, a car bomb parked between two factories exploded in the Sad el-Bouchrieh area of Beirut, wounding six people. It caused a blaze which destroyed several workshops.

Broummana bombing

On April 1, a bomb ripped through the Rizk plaza in the Broummana resort village, 20 km (12 mi) east of Beirut. Twelve people were injured.

Jounieh bomb aftermath

Jounieh bombing

On May 7, a car bomb exploded between the Christian Sawt al Mahaba radio station and the Mar Yuhanna Church in Jounieh. The radio station was destroyed and the church suffered major damage. Twenty-two people were wounded.

Samir Kassir assassination

Anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir was assassinated on June 2 when a bomb detonated in his car outside his home in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district, a largely Christian residential area. Kassir was a front-page columnist for the al-Nahar newspaper, where he wrote columns criticizing the pro-Syrian regime.

George Hawi assassination

George Hawi, former Lebanese Communist Party leader and a critic of Syria, died when his car exploded as he was driving through Beirut's Wata Musaitbi district on June 21.

Elias Murr assassination attempt

A car bomb wounded the outgoing Lebanese defense minister, Elias Murr, as his motorcade drove through Beirut's Christian suburb of Antelias on July 12. Two people were killed and injuring 12 others. This attack was unique in the series of bombings in that Murr was considered a pro-Syrian figure.

Monot bombing

On July 22, a bomb exploded in a car parked in front of a restaurant on Monot Street in Beirut, wounding twelve people. The bomb was estimated to be 50 lb.

Zalka bombing

In the mostly Christian neighborhood of Zalka, on August 22, a bomb placed between a shopping center and a hotel damaged shops and windows, wounding eight people. It consisted of 20 to 30kg of TNT and was set on a timer.

Ali Ramez Tohme attempt

A bomb placed the car of Ali Ramez Tohme, a journalist and president of the Dar al-Haitham for Journalism, Printing and Press, exploded early on September 15 in the area of Mazboud. Tohme was not injured. The motive may have been a recent article by Tohme defending Rafiq Hariri.

Jeitawi bombing

An explosion, believed caused by a car bomb, rocked the largely Christian area of Ashrafieh on September 17. One person was killed and 23 injured. Two cars were blown up and buildings near the blast were severely damaged.

May Chidiac assassination attempt

Christian journalist and critic of Syria May Chidiac was seriously injured when a bomb exploded as she got into her car in Jounieh on September 25. She lost her left leg and arm. Chidiac was ananchor on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

Gebran Tueni assassination

A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker, Gebran Tueni, was killed by a car bomb on 12 December 2005. He had returned from France only a day earlier, where he had been staying for fear of assassination. Two other people were killed—his driver and a passerby—when a car bomb exploded as his motorcade drove through Mkalles, an industrial suburb of Beirut. Another 30 people were wounded in the bombing, and at least 10 vehicles were destroyed.

On 28 December 2005 Lebanese newspaper An Nahar reported that it had received a statement signed by "The Strugglers for the Unity and Freedom in al Sham," the group that claimed responsibility for the death of its former editor Gebran Tueni with a car bomb on 12 December 2005. The statement said outgoing UNIIIC chairman Mehlis was lucky to escape death and threatened any new chairman with assassination if he too implicated Syria.

2006

Layal Najib

Layal Najib, a freelance photographer for the Lebanese magazine Al Jaras and Agence France-Presse was killed as a result of Israeli missile attack on 23 July 2006 while she was travelling insouthern Lebanon.^[16]

Pierre Amine Gemayel

Pierre Amine Gemayel, anti-Syrian MP, son of Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel, nephew of assassinated President Bashir Gemayyel, and Minister of Industry at the time was shot dead in Beirut on 21 November 2006.

2007

Walid Eido

Walid Eido, another anti-Syrian MP, was killed by a car bomb on 13 June 2007, along with eight others, including his eldest son Khaled Eido.

Antoine Ghanem assassination

Anti-Syrian Lebanese MP Antoine Ghanem and four others were killed in a car bomb attack in a Christian suburb of Beirut on September 19, 2007.

Francois Elias Hajj assassination

Brigadier General François al-Hajj from the village of Rmaich was killed in a car bomb attack in Baabda, along with three other people, on December 12, 2007.

2008

Wissam Eid assassination

Capt. Wissam Eid, Lebanese Internal Security Forces senior terrorism investigator was assassinated on January 25, 2008. At the time of assassination, Eid was also Top Lebanese Investigator into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

Tripoli bombing

On August 13, 2008, sixteen people, including seven Lebanese soldiers, were killed by a bomb targeting a civilian bus in Tripoli.

Saleh Aridi assassination

A pro-Syrian Druze politician of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Saleh Aridi, was killed in a car bomb on September 10, 2008.

Second Tripoli bombing

On September 29, 2008, five people, including five soldiers, were killed, and 35 were injured, by a car bomb which destroyed a bus in Tripoli.

2012

Wissam al Hassan Assassination

19 October 2012, head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan was killed in a massive car bomb in Achrafieh, 128 were injured and 3 others died.

2013

Beir el-Abed Bombing

9 July 2013, a car bomb exploded in the district of Beir el-Abed that lies in southern Beirut. Approximately 50 people were wounded in the attack. The attack took place in a Hizballah stronghold, and the bombing is widely believed to be in retaliation to Hizballah's involvement in the Syrian Civil War.

Roueiss Bombing

15 August 2013, 27 people were killed and over 300 injured in an attack that targeted the Roueiss neighbourhood in south Beirut. The attack is believed to have been carried out through a car bomb. Similar to the Beir el-Abed bombing, this attack targeted a Hizballah stronghold.

Pre-Lahoud Term Extension

All the assassinations and bombings listed above occurred in the aftermath of the forced term extension of the pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud in September 2004. The events listed below had nothing to do with the extension of Emile Lahoud's Presidential term, and most of them occurred long before.

1951

• 1951, July 17 - Several months after leaving office, Lebanon's first post-independence Prime Minister Riad al-Solh was assassinated in Amman, Jordan by a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

1975

• 1975, March 6 - The Sunni politician and Sidon leader Maarouf Saad died. He was shot down on February 26, 1975 during a demonstration in Sidon. His death is considered to be a partial trigger for the start of the civil war.

1977

• 1977, March 16 - Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt killed close to his home in the Chouf area. Though it has not been proved in court, the assassination is largely blamed on Syria.

1979

• 1978, June 13 - Tony Franjieh, son of former president Suleiman Franjieh killed in his own house by militiamen of the Lebanese Kataeb party. This incident is known as Ehden massacre.

1982

• 1982, September 14 - President-elect Bashir Gemayel killed by Habib Shartouni, a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. His brother Amin Gemayel became president of Lebanon instead.

1983

• 1983, April 18 - The American Embassy in Beirut was bombed. 63 people, including 17 Americans lost their lives in this attack.

• 1983, October 23- The Beirut barracks bombing killed more than 200 American and French armed forces personnel.

1985

• 1985, March 8- More than 80 were killed and 200 injured in a blast in the city.

1987

• 1987, June 1 - Prime Minister Rashid Karami killed by bomb during a helicopter flight.

1989

• 1989, May 16 - Head of Sunni community in Lebanon, Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled killed by car bomb in Beirut. The assassination is largely blamed on Syria.

• 1989, November 22 - President René Mouawad, the second President of Lebanon to be killed by Syria was killed by a car bomb, three weeks after becoming president.

1990

• 1990, October 21 - Leader of the National Liberal Party Dany Chamoun shot dead in suburb of Beirut.

1992

• 1992, February 16 - Leader of Hezbollah Abbas al-Musawi killed by Israel in Jibsheet, a town in the South of Lebanon.

2002

• 2002, January 24 - Former Lebanese Forces intelligence officer, Syrian ally, former Lebanese government minister and member of parliament, and one of the planners of the Sabra and Shatilamassacre, Elie Hobeika was assassinated on January 24, 2002 car bombing in the Beirut suburb of Hazmieh.

in the end we say: where were are we going to? and what next... now everyday waking up on bombs... day by day, saying today we wake up but tomorrow we don't...this religion wars: what next?!?!

What christmas is about...

i realised christmas is about happiness family and faith ... it's not the gifts or santa or whatever you think ... it's about this:

Merry christmas

Here we are: merry christmas everyone... May this year be special and full of amazing surprises that will blow you mind!

Christmas spirit...

How to Get Yourself Into the Christmas Spirit

So i was surfing down the internet and though: where is that christmas spirit we used to have? What happened to it? Sometimes it's hard when you grow older, because you lose the touch of the wondrous Christmas Spirit. Maybe you're not too old--you felt it last year--but this year with money being tight, you can't make your house feel the way it did, you feel a sense of loss, and you can't feel that special feeling. I'll tell you one thing, EVERYONE deserves to feel that special Christmas feeling, nothing can compare to it, so read this article and with time you will begin to feel it, like you once did before.

1Turn on some Christmas music. Great songs such as "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, "O Holy Night" by Josh Groban and "Believe" by Josh Groban are great examples, and they will help you lift your spirit.

2Make a batch of Christmas cookies; make sugar cookies, and decorate it your own way with frosting, sprinkles, etc., to bring out the Christmas fun.

3Hang up Christmas ornaments. When you focus on the ornaments, and just on getting it done, it's not fun. But when you have fun, dance with the Christmas music, put a garland up, put little trinkets of Santa Claus, angels and whatnot. You will see, you will have fun.

4Get out of the house. Go to special stores like Macy's and Target and shop in the Christmas aisles, and have fun picking out what stuff you could possibly need. When you see other spirit around you, you're more likely to have that special feeling once again.

5Learn a Christmas song, one that you've never heard before, or one that is your favorite. Print it off the internet and sing the verses quietly to yourself at work, or at the store.

6Put up your tree early. It doesn't matter if you put it up after you read this article, or in a few days, just get it up early. That way, you can decorate the tree and have fun with it, expressing your creativity and feeling like your really into the spirit.

7Give a gift, it doesn't matter to who. But take time with the gift, wrap it, and make your own card, add a special poem.

8Spend time with family and friends. This probably is the most important way to feeling happy. Make some cookies, and invite a few over, and watch a Christmas movie such as "White Christmas".

tree of jewels!

11-million-dollar Christmas treeDUBAI (AFP) - Christmas has come in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a glitzy hotel unveiled a bejewelled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars. It is the "most expensive Christmas tree ever," with a "value of over 11 million dollars," said Hans Olbertz, general manager of Emirates Palace hotel, at its inauguration.The 13-metre (40-foot) faux evergreen, located in the gold leaf-bedecked rotunda of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights. But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery draped around the tree's branches are what give it a record value.An Emirati man walks past an 11-million-dollar Christmas tree at the Emirates Palace hotel. AFPIt holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones, said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery. "The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars -- I think 11.4, 11.5.""Probably, this will be another" Dubai entry into the Guinness book of world records, Olbertz said, adding that Emirates Palace planned to contact the organisation about the tree which is to stay until the end of the year.Asked if the tree might offend religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the local population is Muslim, Olbertz said he did not think it would. "It's a very liberal country," he said.Like other hotels in the United Arab Emirates, it has had a Christmas tree up in previous years. But this year, "we said we have to do something different," and the hotel's marketing team hatched the plan, said Olbertz.The tree is not the first extravagant offering from Emirates Palace -- a massive, dome-topped hotel sitting amid fountains and carefully manicured lawns. The hotel, which bills itself as seven-star, in February introduced a package for a seven-day stay priced at one million dollars.Takers of the package have a private butler and a chauffeur-driven Maybach luxury car at their disposal during their stay, as well as a private jet available for trips to other countries in the region.And in May, the hotel opened a gold vending machine, becoming the first place outside Germany to install "gold to go, the world's first gold vending machine," said Ex Oriente Lux AG, the German company behind the machine.

Handicaps

Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.

Intellectual disability (ID), once called mental retardation, is characterized by below-average intelligence or mental ability and a lack of skills necessary for day-to-day living. People with intellectual disabilities can and do learn new skills, but they learn them more slowly. There are varying degrees of intellectual disability, from mild to profound.

What is intellectual disability?

Someone with intellectual disability has limitations in two areas. These areas are:

• Intellectual functioning. Also known as IQ, this refers to a person’s ability to learn, reason, make decisions, and solve problems.
• Adaptive behaviors. These are skills necessary for day-to-day life, such as being able to communicate effectively, interact with others, and take care of oneself.

IQ (intelligence quotient) is measured by an IQ test. The average IQ is 100. A person is considered intellectually disabled if he or she has an IQ of less than 70 to 75.

The law prohibits employers from firing, refusing to hire or 

rehire, or otherwise discriminating, against a “qualified” person 

with a disability on the basis of disability. To be “qualified”, a 

person must be able to perform the essential functions of the 

job, either with or without a reasonable accommodation. 

Examples of work-place reasonable accommodations that 

may be appropriate include: a flexible work schedule, 

providing a reader, providing ergonomic or technological 

equipment, or transfer to an office in an accessible location. 

Employers are not required to provide an accommodation that 

would eliminate an essential function of an employee’s job or 

would pose an “undue hardship” for the employer. An 

accommodation is provided at the employer’s expense, unless 

the employer can demonstrate that it would pose an undue 

financial hardship. The law applies to employers with 15 or 

more employees. 

Section 501 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act governs direct-employment by the federal government. This section of the law prohibits discrimination and requires adoption of affirmative action plans for hiring, placement, and advancement of individuals with disabilities within federal agencies and the U.S. Postal Service.

Section 503 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act prohibits 

discrimination based on disability and requires affirmative 

action in hiring persons with disabilities when the employer 

has a contract or subcontract with the federal government in 

excess of $10,000. 

Why dogs and cats?

"Eat cats and dogs", imam tells starving Syrians!

An imam in a rebel-held district of Damascus has issued a fatwa allowing residents to eat cats and dogs, in a desperate bid to ward off starvation after months under siege by the Assad regime.

Salah al-Khatib, the cleric who issued the edict, said he had been left with no choice but to lift the usual restrictions under Islamic law, after government forces and pro-regime militias choked off food and medical supplies to three rebel-held suburbs of Damascus and to a camp housing Palestinian refugees.

This is "not because it is religiously permitted, but because it is a reflection of the reality we are suffering", Mr Khatib told AFP on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in these areas, some of them living under siege for more than a year. Residents have told The Telegraph that as food has run out, they have been forced in recent weeks to survive on stray dogs, rotting animal carcasses, tree leaves and weeds.

"I have watched the poorer families eat stray dogs because they have nothing else," said Ehab, a resident of the Yarmouk camp, speaking to The Telegraph via Skype. "There is no food here now."

Everyone must eat in order to live. Most of us think that what we eat, and the way they eat it, is the normal or correct pattern. Therefore anyone who eats different things is considered odd. Until relatively recently, human societies were localised and had their own localised eating habits. In the 20^th and 21^st centuries, globalization has led to culinary conflicts as one culture's delicacy is another culture's taboo. To some the cat is a legitimate food source. Others find the concept of cat-eating abhorrent. Is it right for cat-loving countries to impose their cultural values on cat-eating societies?

Over the last 10 months Syrian government troops have been steadily reducing the amount of supplies allowed into these areas.

Some years ago, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation show "Witness" explored the exploitation of animals and the great love of pets, especially in western countries. The show documented the worst and the best that people mete out to animals. Many Canadians and Americans were most horrified at the segments showing how cats and dogs, companion animals in the west, were raised for slaughter and food in certain South East Asian countries.

Previously a British TV programme had shown the preparation of cat at restaurants in part of China. The diner selected a cat and observed its preparation. The conscious cat was thrown into boiling water then dumped in a pail of cold water. This made skinning easier. Some "boiled" cats were alive and moving feebly when dumped in cold water. Some were still moving during skinning and would ultimately have bled to death, perhaps during evisceration. The Chinese place great emphasis on freshness of food hence the live skinning of food animals. I spoke to a Chinese colleague who said that the word for "animal" in his native tongue translates as "moving thing" - animals are considered no more sentient than vegetables.

Why not using the solar energie...?!

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from thesun, is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating,solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity,solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.[1][2]Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solardepending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air. One such innovation in solar technology that has home and business owners excited is the use of shingles that are actually adapted photovoltaic cells made into roof shingles. They are normally black in color and blend in beautifully with the look of your home.In closing, consider this…solar energy is abundant and if we can save 75 – 90% of the energy we use, we could use that money to transition to a renewable-based economy. A project like this could provide decades of employment, increased national security and a way to invigorate some of our rural economies.People everywhere are opting for a greener lifestyle, and in time the reduction in utility bills will make the investment of a solar energy system pay for itself. Our economy will improve as a result of our conversion to wind or solar energy. If home and business owners received help from the government in the initial expense of the transition, more people would be excited to jump on the “green” bandwagon. Misconception #3: Solar Energy is Too ExpensiveWhat’s expensive are power plants…and we all know who absorbs the majority of those costs! In reality, it’s less expensive to install a solar system than to connect to the grid if you are more than 500 yards from the connection. If we got wiser about our energy usage, the money we’d save would pay for our transition to a solar-based energy system. Each year our country continues to spend more on research for conventional energy s than on renewable ones. 

illegal immigration

The unauthorized resident immigrant population is defined as all foreign-born non-citizens who are not legal residents. Most unauthorized residents either entered the United States without inspection or were admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were required to leave. . ."

- United States Department of Homeland Security

"Nearly half of the 12 million-plus illegal aliens in America arrived legally with temporary, non-immigrant visas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that a 'substantial' percentage of America’s illegal population is made up of visa overstays — their estimates range from 27 to 57 percent. . ."    -

 David Seminara, CIS Fellow

Illegal immigration refers to the migration of people across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destined country.

Illegal immigration is overwhelmingly upward, from a poorer to a richer country, and one measurable factor is the ‘push-pull’ incentive - the quality of life in the host country against the home country. But it is also noted that illegal immigrants tend not to be the poorest within their populations.

There are currently approximately 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Illegal immigration occurs principally from countries with lower socio-economic circumstances to countries with higher socio-economic circumstances, where people are perceived to have greater economic opportunities and quality of life.

When potential immigrants believe the probability and benefits of successfully migrating to the destination country are greater than the costs, illegal immigration becomes an option. The benefits taken into account include not only expected improvements in income and living conditions, but also expectations in relation to potential future residential permits, where illegal immigrants are given a path to naturalization or citizenship. The costs may include restrictions on living as an illegal immigrant in the destination country, leaving family and ways of life behind, and the probability of being detained and resulting sanctions.

Some support for this claim can be seen in a Pew Hispanic Center poll of over 3,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico in the US, which found that 79% would voluntarily join a temporary worker program that allowed them to work legally for several years but then required them to leave.

Jeans in iran:Benjamin Netanyahu ridiculed over suggestion Iranians are banned from wearing jeans

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have sought to win over Iranians in an interview with British Persian-language television, but a casual assertion that they were banned from wearing jeans won only gentle ridicule from some of his audience.

Mr Netanyahu has watched with some concern a diplomatic drive by new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to build warmer ties with the United States and other Western powers and achieve an easing of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

But his statements in an interview with the BBC Persian television on the need for Iran to end its uranium enrichment programme were somewhat overshadowed by his comments on fashion freedoms allowed to Iranians by their government.

"I think if the Iranian people had freedom, they would wear jeans, listen to Western music, and have free elections," Mr Netanyahu said in the interview, which was dubbed into Persian and released late on Saturday.

That statement drew a barbed reaction from Iran where, though women are required to cover their hair and wear loose clothing in public, jeans are not forbidden. Much Western music is illegal, but people find a way to listen to it at home.

N.C.A.:F.B.I in britain

The National Crime Agency (NCA) started its work on Monday, armed with an annual budget of nearly half a billion pounds to tackle serious and organised crime involving some 37,000 criminals.

More than 4,000 NCA officers will tackle crime under four commands - organised crime, economic crime, border policing and child exploitation and online protection - alongside a National Cyber Crime Unit.

Asked if the new law enforcement arm would be able to bring the fight to the "higher echelons" of organised crime, NCA director general Keith Bristow said: "To be clear, there will be no one beyond the reach of law enforcement or beyond the reach of the NCA.

"Those people involved in the most horrible activities can expect the most comprehensive and robust response."

The launch of the NCA spells the end of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which is to be absorbed into the new organisation.

Proposals for the new agency were first unveiled by Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2010 as part of a broader shake-up of UK policing.

It's day 3 of the government shutdown, and the office copier is out of toner. When will this madness end?

‘Green Card’ to be abolished by US government!'

The annual diversity visa lottery commonly known as the Green Card is on the chopping board and would be abolished if Congress endorses a measure passed late last week by lawmakers in the lower house.

The House of Representatives voted Friday to cancel the annual diversity visa lottery and give those immigration visas to foreigners who earn advanced degrees from American universities, the Washington Times reported on Monday. This is the first major immigration bill passed by Republicans since the elections.

 The paper says that the 245-139 vote was a test of the GOP’s plan to tackle immigration piecemeal, and while the bill passed, the strong opposition from Democrats suggests that Republicans’ strategy will face difficult hurdles. If Congress passes the law, it would be a big blow to thousands of Kenyans who harbor dreams of migrating to the US to start a new life.

 This is in view of the fact that the program was meant to benefit people in countries and regions that have a low level of immigration to the US. Africa has been a major beneficiary since the program started. Thousands of Kenyans apply and enter the lottery every year with an estimated five thousands qualifying and migrating to the US annually.

And while the chief selling point of the bill was to boost green cards given to science, technology, engineering and technology students, the bigger fight came over Republicans’ plans to cancel the diversity visa lottery, which the GOP argues is rife with fraud.

“We want to put to the head of the line the people who, every single one of them that comes, net creates jobs,” Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, who managed the bill on the House floor is reported to have said.

Democrats, though, objected to making immigration a zero-sum equation, where any new visas would have to come at the expense of existing lines of immigration.

“I can’t support a bill that pits immigrant communities against each other,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House immigration subcommittee.

She also said that it’s not a one-to-one exchange, and immigration would actually decrease under the GOP bill.

While all 55,000 diversity visas are used every year, she said statistics from the National Science Foundation show that there are only about 30,000 students a year who would even qualify.

After Hispanics were credited with helping boost President Obama win elections, both parties have been eager to find ways to tackle immigration.