Sammy Wanjiru aliposhinda London
Wanariadha mashuhuri duniani pamoja na wapenzi wa riadha wamekuwa wakielezea masikitiko yao kufuatia kifo cha ghafla cha bingwa wa Olimpiki wa mbio za Marathon, Samuel Wanjiru wa Kenya.
Mwanariadha huyo wa Kenya alifariki dunia Jumapili usiku nyumbani kwake akiwa na umri wa miaka 24.
Polisi wameeleza kuwa alianguka baada ya kuruka kutoka kwenye baraza la ghorofa ya kwanza nyumbani.
Wamesema mwanariadha huyo alikuja nyumbani usiku akiandamana na mwanamke mwingine, na baadaye mke wa Wanjiru- Triza Njeri alikuja akawakuta chumbani, na kwa hasira akafunga mlango wa chumba hicho huku akimwambia mumewe anakwenda kuwaarifu polisi.
Haijabainika ikiwa Wanjiru aliruka nje kujiua, au kumfuata mkewe, au kwenda kufungua mlango wa chumbani.
Polisi waliwahoji wanawake hao wawili kubaini kilichotokea.
Mwezi Desemba Wanjiru alishtakiwa kwa kutishia kumuua mkewe, kumiliki bunduki kinyume cha sheria na pia kumjeruhi mlinzi wa nyumbani.
Baada ya mkewe kuondolea mbali kesi inayomhusu walirudiana, na Wanjiru alitazamiwa kufika mahakamani kuhusiana na shtaka la kumiliki silaha kinyume cha sheria.
Sammy Wanjiru alikuwa na umri wa miaka 21 aliposhinda medali ya dhahabu kwenye michezo ya Olimpiki ya mwaka 2008 mjini Beijing , China, na akawa Mkenya wa kwanza kushinda dhahabu kwenye mbio za marathon za Olimpiki.
Chipukizi huyo aliibuka mwaka 2004 wakati huo akiwa na umri wa miaka 18 , aliposhinda mbio za marathon za Fukuoka nchini Japan.
Baada ya kushinda taji la Olimpiki, mwaka uliofuatia alishinda mbio za London na pia Chicago. Mwaka jana alitetea taji la Chicago.
Ilitazamiwa na wengi kwamba mwanariadha huyo angeweza kuvunja rekodi ya dunia ya mbio za Marathon ambayo kwa sasa inashikiliwa na Haile Gebreselassie wa Ethiopia.
Haile ameelezea masikitiko yake kufuatia kifo hicho.
''Najiuliza ikiwa sisi kama jamii ya wanariadha tungeweza kusaidia kuepusha tukio hilo.'', alisema Haile kwenye mtandao wa Twitter.
Katibu mkuu wa chama cha riadha nchini Kenya David Okeyo amesema kifo cha Wanjiru ni pigo kubwa kwa Kenya.
'' Alikuwa mwenye furaha na tulitazamia angevunja rekodi ya dunia ya mbio za marathon hivi karibuni'', alisema Okeyo.
Bingwa wa zamani wa dunia Paul Tergat pia kutoka Kenya amesema nchi hiyo imepoteza mwanariadha chipukizi mwenye kipaji.
'' Ni habari za kusikitisha sana, na ni pigo. Alikuwa mwenye umri mdogo na alikuwa na nafasi ya kukimbia kwa miaka mingi. '' alisema Tergat.
Waziri mkuu wa Kenya Raila Odinga amesema kifo cha Wanjiru ni pigo kubwa kwa matazamio ya Kenya ya kushinda medali ya dhahabu kwenye michezo ya Olimpiki ya mwaka ujao mjini London.
ICC yataka hati ya kukamatwa kwa Gaddafi
Libya
Mwendesha mashtaka wa mahakama ya kimataifa ya uhalifu wa kivita ICC inataka kutoa hati ya kukamatwa kwa kiongozi wa Libya Muammar Gaddafi na wengine wawili kwa uhalifu dhidi ya binadamu.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo alisema Kanali Gaddafi, mtoto wake wa kiume Seif al-Islam, na mkuu wa idara ya ujasusi Abdullah al-Sanusi wamehusika kwa "mashambulio yaliyopangwa kwa ufanisi na kutapakaa" kwa raia.
Majaji wa ICC bado wanatakiwa kuamua iwapo watoe hati ya kukamatwa kwao au la.
Serikali ya Libya tayari imesema itapuuza hatua hiyo.
Naibu waziri wa mambo ya nje Khalid Kaim alisema mahakama hiyo ni "mtoto wa Umoja wa Ulaya ulioandaliwa kwa ajili ya wanasiasa na viongozi wa Afrika" na shughuli zake "zinatia shaka".
Alisema, Libya haikuitambua mahakama hiyo, kama ilivyo kwa nchi nyingi za Afrika na Marekani, na itapuuza tangazo lolote.
'Kiama Kuwa Jumamosi'
Mwisho wa dunia hatimaye umefika na huenda tusiione tena jumapili ya wiki ijayo, kwani dunia inafikia mwisho wake jumamosi kwa mujibu wa mchungaji wa kanisa moja la California nchini Marekani.
Mchungaji Harold Camping, wa California nchini Marekani ametabiri kuwa mwisho wa dunia ni mei 21 mwaka huu saa moja kamili usiku.
Mchungaji Camping kwa kutumia mahesabu ya tarehe na mafunzo ya biblia, ametabiri kuwa kiama kitakuwa jumamosi na miezi mitano baadae kwenye tarehe 21 oktoba, Mungu ataiteketeza dunia ambapo wakristo watapaishwa mbinguni kukutana na Yesu.
Mchungaji Camping ambaye anamiliki radio ya dini ya Christian Family Radio Network yenye mtandao mkubwa sana nchini Marekani na sehemu zingine dunia.
Radio yake inarusha matangazo kwa lugha 48 nchini Marekani na nchi zinginezo ikiwemo Afrika Kusini.
Mchungaji Camping mwenye umri wa miaka 89 ana wafuasi wengi sana duniani na amekuwa akipiga kampeni za kuwajulisha watu mwisho wa dunia kuwa ni mei 21.
Magari yenye mabango yenye ujumbe mwisho wa dunia mei 21 yamekuwa yakionekana sehemu mbalimbali za Marekani.
Anasema kuwa mwisho wa dunia ni mei 21 kwasababu itakuwa ni siku ya 722 500 tangu Yesu aliposulubiwa msalabani mnamo Aprili moja AD33 kwa mujibu wa mahesabu ya mchungaji Camping.
Camping anasema kuwa namba 722 500 ni muhimu sana kwa wakristo duniani kwani inapatikana kwa kuzizidisha namba tatu tukufu (5, 10, 17) mara mbili {5X10X17X5X10X17)}.
Hii sio mara ya kwanza kwa Mchungaji Camping kutabiri matukio makubwa duniani.
Septemba 6 mwaka 1994, Camping na wafuasi wake wengi walikusanyika mbele ya ukumbi wa Alameda wakisubiri kurudi kwa Yesu Kristo ambaye hakutokea.
Tangu wakati huo, Camping amesema kuwa wamefanya utafiti mkubwa sana na hivyo wana uhakika safari hii utabiri wao utakuwa sahihi.
Bw Mandela apiga kura mapema
Bw Nelson Mandela
Aliyekuwa rais Nelson Mandela amepiga kura nyumbani nchini Afrika kusini katika uchaguzi mdogo, siku mbili kabla, kama wengine ambao hawawezi kufika kwenye vituo vya kupiga kura.
Wakfu wake ulitoa picha zake kwa mara ya kwanza za shujaa huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 92 aliyepambana na ubaguzi wa rangi tangu alipokuwa amelazwa hospitalini mwezi Januari.
Alifuatana na mkewe, mtoto wake wa kike na mjukuu wake.
Hakuwahi kutokea hadharani tangu sherehe za kumalizika kwa Kombe la dunia Julai 2010.
Waandishi walisema anazidi kuonekana dhaifu mara chache anazoonekana tangu kujiuzulu kuonekana hadharani mwaka 2004.
Bw Mandela, anayejulikana na raia wa Afrika kusini kwa jina lake la ukoo Madiba, alifungwa gerezani miaka 27 na serikali iliyokuwa ikifuata sera za ubaguzi wa rangi.
Mshindi wa tuzo ya amani ya Nobel aliachiwa huru mwaka 1990 na kukiongoza chama cha African National Congress ANC katika ushindi wa kishindo mwaka 1994- mara ya kwanza kwa watu weusi walio wengi kuruhusiwa kupiga kura.
Aling'atuka kama rais mwaka 1999 lakini ANC imeweza kuendelea kuwa na wanachama wengi kwenye bunge la nchi hiyo
Wachina wafa maji- Dar
RAIA wa China, wamekufa maji baada ya kuzama wakati walipokuwa wakiogelea katika ufukwe wa Hoteli ya Kunduchi jijini Dar es Salaam.
Kamanda wa Polisi Kinondoni, Charles Kenyela amesema kuwa tukio hilo lilitokea jana mchana baada ya raia hao kukutwa ufukweni wakiwa wamefariki baada ya kuzidiwa na maji ya kina kirefu
Raia hao ni Wang Shi (23) na Liu Cheng ambaye umri wake haukuweza kufahamika mara moja na wenzao wengine walioweza kuokolewa walitambulika kwa majina ya.Wang Chun (37), Yan Hu (29) na Wu Ling (24).
Reflections: Gaddafi, Mandela and “African Mercenaries”
Posted in Black-Arab Relations, Blacks and Racism, Countries: Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, Nelson Mandela, Reflections by the woyingi blogger on February 23, 2011
You can compare Libya’s Gaddafi to Tunisia’s Ben Ali and Egypt’s Mubarak but for those of you who are “anti-imperialists” there is a particularly disturbing lesson here because Gaddafi was supposed to be “one of the good guys”.
Unlike the cases of Ben Ali and Mubarak, the case of Gaddafi really bothers me because it is clear that he has been, and continues to be, protected by some sort of Anti-Imperialist Old Boys Club who talk about justice but don’t seem to actually want to hold themselves or their parties or their “brother leaders” accountable for following it.
Mandela and Gaddafi
It’s easy to point fingers as Western Imperialists but if you can’t be accountable to your own people you are just as bad, perhaps even worst, because you came to power claiming to bring justice and go around the world saying you and your governments are examples to follow!!!
Gaddafi was/is often touted by the left as the Fidel Castro of the Middle East. He saw himself as a natural successor to Nasser‘s vision of Pan-Arabism. He used Libya’s oil money to support groups fighting for self-determination (such as the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the African National Congress (ANC).
Nelson Mandela was instrumental in helping Gaddafi resolve the Lockerbie Affair and regain easy relations with countries like Britain and the United States. Mandela shrugged off criticisms within South Africa and internationally, particularly from the United States, when he reached out to Gaddafi. He had this to say to his critics: “Those who say I should not be here are without morals. This man helped us at a time when we were all alone, when those who say we should not come here were helping the enemy.” Clearly, Mandela’s support of Gaddafi is linked to Gaddafi’s support for the ANC during the Apartheid era.
Mandela was the first award winner of the Al Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights in 1989, an annual prize founded by Gaddafi himself (Other recipients include Lous Farrakhan, Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, and Turkey’s Erdogan). Mandela returned the gesture by bestowing one of South Africa’s highest honours, the Order of Good Hope, on Gaddafi in 1997.
Gaddafi turned away from Pan-Arabism (mainly because most Arab Nations couldn’t be bothered with his nonsense nor could they be manipulated by him because they had their own oil money) to Pan-Africanism (African countries are much poorer and lacked as much oil money and therefore were ripe for manipulation) He proposed the idea of the United States of Africa. The extent to which Gaddafi has been involved in financing conflicts in Africa is truly horrifying (Chad, Niger, Uganda, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo)
David Maynier of the Democratic Alliance, the official opposition to South Africa’s ruling Part the African National Congress (ANC) has accused the South African government of having sold sniper rifles to Libya, although South Africa’s Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu denies this.
Allegedly, African Mercenaries have been flown into Libya to attack protesters. Who are these African Mercenaries? The question might be asked “Aren’t Libyans Africans? That depends on who you ask. Often when the term African is used it means “Sub-Saharan” African ergo Black-Skinned. The fact that Gaddafi has many Sub-Saharan African Mercenaries at his disposal should come as no surprise. Such mercenaries have been trained in camps funded by the Libya Government across Sub-Saharan Africa. As Jose Gomez del Prado with the United Nations Human Rights Council states:
You can find, particularly in Africa, many people who’ve been in wars for many years. They don’t know anything else. They are cheap labour, ready to take the job for little money. They are trained killers.
But it’s important to not dehumanize these “mercenaries”. One of the central characters in Nigerian author Helon Habila’s novel Measuring Time is one of these mercenaries. He begins as just a young man looking to escape the dead-end poverty of life in his small village in Nigeria. He joins a Libyan-funded training camp and eventually ends up as a mercenary in Liberia. There, his conscience shaken to the core, he finds redemption. However, the poverty of these mercenaries doesn’t justify their violence against Libyans.
What really worries me is that preexisting prejudices against Blacks in Libya, given the long history of the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade, will erupt in violence against innocent Sub-Saharan African Migrant Workers in Libya who already face discrimination and harassment. In 2000, violence against Sub-Saharan African Migrant Workers by Libyan Citizens left allegedly 135 people dead. In an interview with the LA Times in 2000, one Ghanaian migrant worker had this to say about Gaddafi and the Libyan people:
“President Kadafi has a good idea, but his people don’t like blacks, and they don’t think they are Africans because of their skin color,” said Kwame Amponsah, 22. He spent three months in Libya before fleeing in October, returning to Ghana’s poor southwestern agricultural Brong-Ahafo region. As many as 80% of the nation’s returnees hail from this area, according to authorities.
Currently, the number of Sub-Saharan African Migrant Workers living in Libya is estimated at over 1 million (Libya has a population of over 6 million). They often work in sectors such as construction and agriculture.
I pray for the freedom of Libya’s people and the safety and security of the migrant workers living there.
Further Reading:
Muammar Gaddafi
WikiLeaks cables: A guide to Gaddafi’s ‘famously fractious’ family (2011 article in The Guardian available online)
Gaddafi Urges Pan-African State (2007 article from BBC News available online)
Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights Website
Human Rights Watch: Libya: Security Forces Kill 84 Over Three Days
Gaddafi and Mandela: Brother Leaders
Mandela Welcomes Brother Leader Gaddafi (article from BBC News available online)
Strategic Moral diplomacy: Mandela, Qaddafi and the Lockerbie Negotiations by Lyn Boyd Judson (2005 essay University of South California)
A Medal of Good Hope: Mandela, Gaddafi and the Lockerbie Negotiations by Lyn Boyd Judson (2004 essay from the University of Southern California)
Sub-Saharan African Migrant Workers in Libya
Migrant Workers from Ghana Flee Libya, Cite Racism (LA Times article 2000 available online)
Libya`s post-sanctions boom makes it African El Dorado (2009 article available online)
Has Gaddafi unleashed a mercenary force on Libya? by David Smith (2011 article from The Guardian available online)
Trans-Saharan Migration to North Africa and the EU: Historical Roots and Current Trends by Hein de Haas (2006 article available online)
Ebola imeuwa mtu Uganda
Msichana wa miaka 12 amekufa nchini Uganda kutokana na virusi vya Ebola, kwenye mji kaskazini ya Kampala.
Afisa wa serikali anayehusika na afya ya jamii, Dr Anthony Mbonye, alisema ukaguzi uliofanywa kwenye maabara umethibitisha kuwa msichana huyo akiugua Ebola, na kwamba anahofia watu wengine wataambukizwa ugonjwa huo, na wao wanajitahidi kuudhibiti:
Dr Mbonye alitoa ushauri huu kwa watu wa Uganda ili kujikinga na ugonjwa huo unaouwa:
"Wanaogusa maiti ya watu waliokufa kutokana na Ebola, lazima wajikinge kwa kuvaa vitu vya kuwahifadhi, na maiti wazikwe haraka, na kusifanywe karamu na mkusanyiko mazikoni.
Na tunawaomba watu wasile nyama ya mzoga hasa nyama ya tumbile.
Wizara ya afya inawaomba watu kuwa watulivu kama inavowezekana, kwa sababu hatua tulizochukua zitadhibiti ugonjwa huo."
Waumini wakuta kufuli mlangoni mwa kanisa, washindwa kusali
WAUMNI wa Kanisa la Aglikana Mazizini Ukonga jijini Da es Salaam, jana wamejikuta wakishindwa kupata haki yao ya msingi ya kuabudu kanisani hapo baada ya kukuta kanisa hilo limefungwa huku askari waliokuwa na silaha kulizunguka kanisa hilo kwa ulin
Waumini hao walishangazwa na hatua hiyo na kujikuta wakizagaa karibu na eneo la kanisa hilo baada ya Askofu Mkuu wa Kanisa hilo kufunga kanisa hilo kwa kile kilichodaiwa ni utovu wa nidhamu kutoka kwa waumini hao
Askofu Mkuu wa Kanisa la Anglikana Tanzania, Valentino Mokiwa alifunga Kanisa hilo baada ya waumini hao kumkataa mchungaji aliyemchagua kwenda kuongoa kanisa hilo kwa madai hawamkubali kiimani
Askari waliovalia sare waliokuwa na silaha waliwazuia waumini hao kusogea kanisani hapo na wakitoa maelezo kuwa hakutakuwa na ibada kanisani hapo kwa kile kilichodaiwa Mokiwa kulifunga kanisa hilo.
Padri Julius Lugendo aliteuliwa na Askofu Mokiwa na kukabidhiwa Kanisa la Mtakatifu Paulo Ukonga-Mazizini na waumini hapo kutoafiki uteuzi wake na kuibuka kikundi cha watu 15 kutokana kanisani humo kuleta uchochezi dhidi ya padri huyo.
Hivyo kutokana na hali hiyo, Askofu Mkuu wa Dayosisi ya Dar es Salaam, Valentino Mokiwa amelifunga kwa kuwa kunaweza kutokea madhara ndani ya kanisa hilo na waumini wake.
Awali mgogoro kanisani hapo uliibuka Machi mwaka huu baada ya waumini kumkataa Mchungaji aliyekuwa akiongoza kanisa hilo John Makanyaga kukutwa akikiuka masharti ya kanisa hilo.
Mchungaji huyo aliyeanza kuleta mgogoro kanisani hapo alikutwa na waumini wake akiwa baa na mwanamke akinywa bia kitu ambacho ni kinyume cha imani yao.
Kanisa hilo limefungwa wka muda usiojulikana huku ukitafutwa ufumbuzi juu ya migogoro hiiyo.
Sudan Kaskazini inashinda Kordofan
Serikali ya Sudan imeshinda katika uchaguzi wa gavana katika jimbo muhimu, kwenye uchaguzi ambao ulianiwa vikali na chama kinachotawala Sudan Kusini.
Jimbo la Kordofan Kusini lina mafuta mengi ya Sudan Kaskazini, lakini piya lina watu wengi wa kabila la Wanubi, ambao wengi walipigana pamoja na Sudan Kusini katika vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe, vilivomalizika mwaka wa 2005.
Gavana aliyechaguliwa, Ahmed Haroun, anasakwa na Mahakama ya Uhalifu ya Kimataifa, ICC, kwa tuhuma za uhalifu wakati wa vita.
Sudan Kusini inatarajiwa kupata uhuru kutoka Sudan Kaskazini, mwezi wa July.
Aua mke na mwenyewe kujinyonga
MWANAUME Lucas Makomelo [55] amemuua mke wake na kisha mwenyewe kujiua huko kata ya Nala mkoani Dodoma.
Akitoa taarifa hiyo kwa waandishi wa habari, Kamanda wa Polisi Mkoa wa Dodoma, Zelothe Stephen, alisema tukio hilo lilitokea mwishoni mwa wiki mkoani humo majira ya saa 1.
Chanzo cha vifo hivyo inadaiwa kuwa, ni kutoelewana baina yao
Kamanda huyo alisema, miili yao ilikutwa ndani kwao ikiwa uchi wa mnyama na kusadikiwa mume huyo alijinyonga baada ya kumuua mkewe.
Afya ya mke wa Bw Mubarak yaridhisha
Mke wa Rais wa Misri aliyeondolewa madarakani Hosni Mubarak anaendelea kupata nafuu hospitalini kufuatia kuugua baada ya kuambiwa atatiwa kizuizini wakati wa kuhojiwa juu ya ulaji rushwa.
Ripoti za awali zilisema Suzanne Mubarak, mwenye umri wa miaka 70, alipata mshtuko wa moyo lakini baadhi ya maafisa wamesema alishikwa na "woga".
Hali ya Bi Mubarak imeimarika katika hospitali ya Sharm el-Sheikh.
Bw Mubarak anakabiliwa na madai ya "kupata mali kinyume cha sheria". Bw Mubarak alidhaniwa kupata mshtuko wa moyo alipohojiwa kwa mara ya kwanza mwezi Aprili.
Mubarak aliyekuwa rais, na kushikilia madaraka kwa miaka 30 na kuachia mwezi Februari baada ya wiki kadhaa za maandamano, kwa sasa anapata matibabu katika hospitali ya Sharm el-Sheikh akiwa chini ya ulinzi.
Pia anashutumiwa kuhusika katika mauaji ya waandamanaji waliopinga uongozi wake.
Kiongozi huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 83 ametiwa chini ya ulinzi kwenye hospitali tangu kuanza kupata matatizo ya moyo. Kizuizi chake kimeongezwa kwa siku 15 siku ya Ijumaa.
Bin Laden family condemns killing, while wife says one son escaped
Osama bin Laden's family is taking center stage in the fallout over his death.
Yesterday, the al Qaeda leader's sons denounced what they called their father's "arbitrary killing." Meanwhile, Pakistani officials believe one of bin Laden's sons--perhaps one known as "the Crown Prince of Terror"--may be missing after escaping from the U.S. raid.
In a statement, bin Laden's sons questioned why their father "was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that the truth is revealed to the people of the world." It is not known how many of bin Laden's numerous sons (there are believed to be as many as 17) endorsed the statement.
"We maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems," the statement continued, adding that "justice must be seen to be done."
President Obama has rejected suggestions that the killing was improper, telling "60 Minutes" that anyone who questioned whether bin Laden deserved his fate "needs to have their head examined."
The sons' statement, which also called for bin Laden's three wives and several children to be released from custody, is said to have been prepared at the direction of Omar bin Laden, 30.
Omar bin Laden, a metals trader who has been living in Cairo, appears at pains to disassociate himself from his father's belief in political violence. "We want to remind the world that Omar bin Laden, the fourth-born son of our father, always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father, that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked under any circumstances," the statement said.
It continued: "Despite the difficulty of publicly disagreeing with our father, he never hesitated to condemn any violent attacks made by anyone, and expressed sorrow for the victims of any and all attacks."
In a separate statement posted on a jihadist website yesterday, the sons accused President Obama of ordering "a criminal mission" that "obliterated an entire defenseless family ... contrary to the most basic human sentiment."
And they objected to the decision to bury their father at sea, which some Islamic scholars also have questioned. "It is unacceptable--humanely and religiously--to dispose of a person with such importance and status among his people, by throwing his body into the sea in that way, which demeans and humiliates his family and his supporters and which challenges religious provisions and feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims," the statement read.
Separately, ABC News reports that one of bin Laden's wives, who was captured in the U.S. raid, has told Pakistani investigators that one of the terror leader's sons escaped and is missing. Pakistani officials are said to have done a head count, and to believe it's true, though U.S. officials say they're confident no one escaped during or after the raid.
"Out of 21, one person is not accounted for," a Pakistani intelligence official told ABC. "I believe that's the son."
Pakistani investigators are probing whether the son could be 22-year-old Hamza bin Laden, known as "The Crown Prince of Terror." Hamza was credited with writing a poem praising the 2005 London bombings, and was accused by Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto of attempting to assassinate her. Bhutto was killed by Islamic extremists in 2007.
Bin Laden's wives are currently being questioned by Pakistani investigators in a safe house. It's not clear if U.S. officials will be given the chance to question them directly.
Pentagon: US has questioned bin Laden's widows
WASHINGTON – U.S. authorities are using interviews with Osama bin Laden's wives and video of the assault on his Pakistan compound to piece together details of the raid that killed the terrorist leader.
After days of wrangling with Pakistani leaders, U.S. intelligence officials were finally given access to bin Laden's three wives and were allowed to question them in an effort to gather more information about life in the compound, Pentagon officials said.
Another detail also emerged Friday: U.S. officials say pornography was among the computerized documents that U.S. raiders seized during their assault on the hideout. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe intelligence matters, conceded they did not know who the large stash of material belonged to or whether bin Laden had seen it.
U.S. defense officials, meanwhile, are considering measures to ensure the security of the Navy SEAL team that stormed the walled fortress in Abbottabad on May 2 and killed the world's most wanted terrorist.
The three bin Laden widows who survived the raid were taken into Pakistani custody. The White House has said it was important that the U.S. be allowed to interview them as they could provide information about bin Laden's life in his compound.
But the Islamic practice of segregating women from men means the wives probably would not have been present for meetings or discussions about al-Qaida operations.
Still, with bin Laden's trusted couriers dead, the women could offer rare details about bin Laden, particularly his life over the past few years as the manhunt for him wore on.
U.S. intelligence and military analysts have also been examining footage from cameras mounted in the helmets of the Navy SEALs, capturing a minute-by-minute account of the operation.
The video will provide a more detailed and accurate picture of the raid, compared to early information that relied on the first reports from members of the elite team, both during the operation and interviews with them afterward.
U.S. military officials have cautioned that the initial reports can often be wrong, blurred by the fog of battle and conclusions based on split second sighting or sounds.
That proved true in this case as details pouring out in the first 48 hours after the raid — including who was in the compound, who was killed, and how much resistance the commandos met — were repeatedly refined and corrected.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan and White House press secretary Jay Carney would not discuss what the wives said during the questioning. It was not clear whether the interviews will continue.
The sparse details about those interviews reflect a growing concern by military officials about the flood of information that has come out about the raid and the secretive Navy SEALs who made it all possible.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during a meeting with Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., that when he met with the team last week they expressed concerns about the security of their families.
"Frankly, a week ago Sunday, in the Situation Room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden," Gates told Marines at Camp Lejeune. "That all fell apart on Monday — the next day."
Gates added, "We are looking at what measures can be taken to pump up the security."
He said there has been a consistent effort to protect the identities of those who participated in the raid — which also included elite Army pilots who flew the daring mission. They are members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers.
How to Retire on Social Security Alone
Dan Curtis expects Social Security to be his largest source of retirement income. The 52-year-old patient advocate for a health insurance company has a few thousand dollars in a 401(k), but finds it difficult to save on a salary of $38,000 a year, before taxes, in Minneapolis. He is also paying off $20,000 in student loan debt and providing child support payments for his two children. "My retirement future feels pretty uncertain," he says. "If I could make another $10,000 or $12,000 a year, I could probably put some money away."
While it's generally a good idea to supplement your Social Security income with a traditional pension or personal savings, millions of people count on Social Security as their primary source of retirement income. Just over a third (34 percent) of retirees age 65 and older got 90 percent or more of their retirement income from Social Security in 2008. And the majority of retirees age 65 and older (64 percent) get at least half of their retirement income in the form of a Social Security payment.
[See 10 Essential Sources of Retirement Income.]
Getting by on Social Security alone or with a small amount of savings will generally require some cost-cutting. The average monthly Social Security check was $1,178.80 in March 2011. A duel-earner couple each receiving the average benefit would receive just $28,291.20 annually, which would be adjusted each year for inflation. Here's a look at how you can still retire when Social Security is your primary source of retirement income.
Maximize your benefit. If Social Security is going to be your biggest source of retirement income, you want to boost your benefit as much as possible. Your highest 35 earnings years are factored into your Social Security payout. Getting raises, working a second part-time job, or even delaying retirement could boost your benefits because higher-earning years later in your career will cancel out years in your teens or twenties when you didn't earn as much. Your payout also varies based on the date you first sign up for benefits. "If you can wait until your full retirement age rather than taking it at age 62, oftentimes, depending on your health and longevity, that is going to be much more advantageous," says Kathryn Nusbaum, a certified financial planner for Middle America Planning in Pittsburgh, Penn. Your payment will increase for each year you delay claiming between ages 62 and 70.
Test out a smaller budget. Get an estimate of how much your Social Security payments will be at the age you plan to retire, and practice living on that amount before you actually leave your job. "The people who seem to weather it the best are those individuals who go into it intentionally understanding that they have to live within their means," says Nusbaum. "You will not be getting a new car or going on fancy trips, but maybe a trip to the Olive Garden with a coupon." To live on this new, likely smaller, budget you will need to eliminate as many expenses as possible, including your mortgage, car loans, and credit card or other debt. Some people also start gardens to reduce food costs, cancel unnecessary or duplicative TV and phone services, and begin to find low-cost or free entertainment. "Discretionary spending, like entertainment expenses, is going to need to be whittled as much as possible, so it's free concerts and the public library," says Jill Gianola, a certified financial planner and owner of Gianola Financial Planning in Springfield, Ohio.
Minimize your housing expenses. Paying off your mortgage eliminates one of your biggest expenses and will allow your limited budget to stretch much further in retirement. You can also control your housing costs by downsizing to a smaller home or a more inexpensive neighborhood and pocketing the price difference. In some cases, you can also lower your property tax bill or maintenance expenses by moving to a smaller abode.
[See 10 Places to Retire on Social Security Alone.]
Tap your home equity. Homeowners have a built-in emergency fund if unexpected expenses occur in retirement. "If you own a home and there is equity in it, you can always have that to fall back on," says Nusbaum. Retirees who are at least age 62 with no mortgage or only a small mortgage left to pay off may be eligible for a reverse mortgage. This type of loan generally does not require repayment as long as you continue to live in that home for the rest of your life, keep up the house, and pay the property taxes. However, if you later wish to move, you must repay the lender the principal value of the loan, plus interest and fees. And only the equity remaining in the home after the loan is completely repaid will be passed on to your heirs.
Continue to work. Even a small amount of extra income could make you much more comfortable in retirement. "Even if you cannot continue at the job that you had, certainly look into part-time work to supplement your income for a few years," says Gianola. "The best solution is to try to get some sort of a paycheck for a few more years, because it will allow you to stash away some extra money." You can work and claim Social Security benefits at the same time, but if you claim early and earn too much, some of your benefit will be temporarily withheld. Workers under their full retirement age, which is typically age 66 or 67, can earn up to $14,160 without penalty in 2011. "If you are 62, you could get a part-time job making $10,000 or $12,000 a year and still get your Social Security checks," says Gianola. After that, 50 cents of each dollar you earn will be deducted from your Social Security payments. The year you reach your full retirement age, the earnings limit jumps to $37,680 and the penalty is decreased to 33 cents withheld from each dollar you earn above the limit. After your full retirement age, there is no reduction in your payments for working and receiving benefits at the same time.
[See How to Save for Retirement on a Low Income.]
Consider your children. Some older adults move in with their children or other relatives to cut costs for both parties. "Some children are buying homes that have a mother-in-law suite and the parents are selling their homes and turning over the proceeds to the child," says Gianola. Approximately 49 million Americans lived in a household that contained at least two adult generations in 2008, up significantly from 28 million people living in multigenerational households in 1980, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census data. Curtis wonders if he will one day need help from his two children, who are currently ages 10 and 15. "I have no idea if they will ever be in a position to help me or their mother if we needed it," he says. "I'm not really a person who wants to need to be helped."
Opening of floodgates empties many Cajun towns
BUTTE LAROSE, La. – Cajun-country towns in the path of Mississippi River floodwaters were all but deserted Monday as residents heeded warnings to seek higher ground after a major floodgate was opened for the first time in four decades.
Sheriff's deputies and National Guardsmen have been showing up at residents' front doors and telling them to leave since the Morganza spillway was opened Saturday to divert the bulging Mississippi's water away from the heavily populated cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
On Monday, 75-year-old Leif Montin watched a truck tow away a storage pod containing most of the furniture he and his wife have in their home in Butte Larose, a community emptied by residents fleeing the rising waters.
"I guess you guys are ready to get out of here," the driver said to Montin.
"Yep. Pretty much," responded Montin, who plans to spend a few more nights in the house or a nearby camp before leaving town.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama flew to Memphis, Tenn., on Monday and met with families affected when the river flooded there as well as local officials, first responders and volunteers.
Days ago, many of the towns in Cajun country bustled with activity as people filled sandbags and cleared out belongings. By Monday, areas were virtually empty as the water from the Mississippi River, swollen by snowmelt and heavy rains, slowly rolled across the Atchafalaya River basin. A hand-painted sign in front a deserted Butte Larose home said it all: "My slice of heaven force-flooded straight to hell. God help us all."
The floodwaters could reach depths of 20 feet in the coming weeks, though levels were nowhere close to that yet in Butte Larose and nearby towns that lie about 50 miles downstream of the Morganza. Water hadn't reached Montin's home, but a canal behind it has been rising by about a foot a day since the Morganza was opened. He's trying to remain optimistic that his house won't take on too much damage.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed," he said.
Elsewhere, in an effort to keep a major shipping connection between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River open, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved in a fifth dredge to dig sediment out of the Southwest Pass. A high river brings a huge amount of sediment and the dredges were being used to keep the 45-foot channel needed for deep-draft shipping.
Over the weekend, the Port of New Orleans said it had been told by the Coast Guard that shipping probably would continue largely unhindered on the lower Mississippi.
About 30 miles north of Butte Larose in the town of Melville, Mary Ryder, her fiance and her fiance's father were loading up a trailer Sunday with as many belongings as they could fit to drive over the levee to stay with relatives on the other side of town. Ryder lives in a mandatory evacuation area, where water is starting to creep into backyards. They worried about what might happen if a broader evacuation is ordered.
"They say we have to leave town. We have nowhere to go," she said. "What are we going to do? I have no idea. We need help up here."
The spillway's opening diverted water from the two major Louisiana cities — along with chemical plants and oil refineries along the Mississippi's lower reaches — easing pressure on the levees there in the hope of avoiding potentially catastrophic floods.
That choice angers John Muse, who drove from Lafayette to Melville to help his 86-year-old father-in-law Clovis Cole move his belongs. He said officials seem to be paying more attention to the concerns of Baton Rouge and New Orleans than people who live in the basin.
"They hurt a lot of feelings by putting that water in here like they did," he said. "What's happening here, I'll tell ya, it's not fair."
It will be at least a week before the Mississippi River crest arrives at the Morganza spillway, where officials opened two massive gates on Saturday and another two Sunday. There are 125 in all. The Mississippi has broken river-level records that had held since the 1920s in some places. The Morganza was last opened in 1973.
The Army Corps of Engineers has taken drastic steps to prevent flooding. Engineers blew up a levee in Missouri — inundating an estimated 200 square miles of farmland and damaging or destroying about 100 homes — to take the pressure off floodwalls protecting the town of Cairo, Ill., population 2,800.
The Morganza flooding is more controlled, however, and residents are warned each year that the spillway could be opened. A spillway at the 7,000-foot Bonnet Carre structure in Louisiana also has been opened.
It seemed animals didn't want to be stuck anywhere: Deer, hogs and rabbits have started running from the water flowing near the floodgates, said Lt. Col. Joey Broussard of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. An electronic sign on Interstate 10 warned of a possible animal exodus: "Wildlife crossing possible. Use caution," it read.
Despite the mandatory evacuation order, Krotz Springs town clerk Suzanne Bellau said it was unlikely the sheriff's office would force people to leave. For most, the worst part was wondering what may happen. National Guardsmen were building a second levee to bolster protection for the town.
"It's the unknown, that's the problem," Bellau said. "Is it going to come into their homes or not? And the people who are leaving, what are they coming back to?"
Bernadine Turner, who lives in a mandatory evacuation zone near Krotz Springs, had been moving things out over the weekend and was still working on it Monday.
"They're going to let us go and come until the water starts coming up," the 49-year-old said. "We're hoping it's still a few days away."
The bayou flowing through their backyard showed little signs of rising. But Turner said a heavy rainstorm is enough to drive water into their yard, so she was taking no chances.
"There's no doubt it's going to come up. We don't have flood insurance and most people here don't. Man, it would be hard to start all over," she said.
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