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6A Daily News – Saturday, August 24, 2013 WORLD BRIEFING Army psychiatrist convicted of murder for Fort Hood shooting, eligible for death penalty FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — A military jury on Friday convicted Maj. Nidal Hasan in the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, making the Army psychiatrist eligible for the death penalty in the shocking assault against American troops by one of their own on home soil. There was never any doubt that Hasan was the gunman. He acknowledged to the jury that he was the one who pulled the trigger on fellow soldiers as they prepared to deploy overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan. And he barely defended himself during a three-week trial. The unanimous decision on all 13 counts of premeditated murder made Hasan eligible for execution in the sentencing phase that begins Monday. Hasan, who said he acted to protect Muslim insurgents abroad from American aggression, did not react to the verdict, looking straight at jurors as they announced their findings. After the hearing, relatives of the dead and wounded fought back tears. Some smiled and warmly patted each other's shoulders as they left court. Because Hasan never denied his actions, the court-martial was always less about a conviction than it was about ensuring he received a death sentence. From the beginning, the federal government has sought to execute Hasan, believing that any sentence short of a lethal injection would deprive the military and the families of the dead of the justice they have sought for nearly four years. of rocket fire that raised flashes of light from the suburbs. At times, three or four plumes of smoke could be seen billowing on the horizon. Afghans dissatisfied with Bales' sentence JOINT BASE LEWISMCCHORD, Wash. (AP) — The U.S. soldier who massacred 16 Afghan civilians last year in one of the worst atrocities of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole — the most severe sentence possible, but one that left surviving victims and relatives of the dead deeply unsatisfied. ''We wanted this murderer to be executed,'' said Hajji Mohammad Wazir, who lost 11 family members in the attack by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. ''We were brought all the way from Afghanistan to see if justice would be served. Not our way — justice was served the American way.'' Bales, 40, pleaded guilty in June in a deal to avoid the death penalty for his March 11, 2012, raids near his remote outpost in Kandahar province, when he stalked through mudwalled compounds and shot 22 people — 17 of them women and children. Some screamed for mercy, while others didn't even have a chance to get out of bed. The soldier showed no emotion as the sentence was announced at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle. His mother, sitting in the front row of the court, bowed her head, rocked in her seat, and wept. Suicide bombing in Baghdad AP photo An Afghan villager holds his head as he and others attend a news conference following a sentencing hearing for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on Friday. Bales, who massacred 16 Afghan civilians in 2012 in one of the worst atrocities of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole. demands for a swift probe into an alleged chemical weapons attack that has injected new vigor into calls for international military action in Syria's civil war. The U.S., Britain, France and other countries have pressed for a team of United Nations inspectors already in Syria to be granted immediate access to the sites of Wednesday's purported gas attack that activists say killed more than 130 people. In an attempt to push things along, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is dispatching his disarmament chief to Damascus to press President Bashar Assad's regime to agree to an investigation. Timing is vital, experts say, because the more time passes, the harder it is to detect what chemicals — if any — were used. Immediate access also would allow inspectors to collect blood and soil samples themselves and safeguard the chain of custody of and the integrity of the investigation. But in the chaos and violence of Syria's civil war, safe passage to the eastern Damascus suburbs in question would be difficult. That was made clear on Friday, as government artillery on the Qassioun plateau overlooking Damascus pounded those suburbs in the heaviest strikes in days. Booms from the artillery echoed over the city every few minutes, along with several rounds Sugar Shack Amazing Finds PHYSICIAN REFERRAL Terry and his crew would like to say "Thank You" to all of our loyal customers, we appreciate your business, and to those who haven't tried us, come on in, we'd love to meet you! 50% Red Tag Russia urges Syria to let UN experts investigate BEIRUT (AP) — Russia on Friday added its diplomatic weight to ....C.A.F.E.... 607 Main Street, Red Bluff • 530-527-0772 Open Mon-Sat 6:30am - 3:00pm NEW & USED FURNITURE & MUCH, MUCH MORE! SALE Two Locations - 30,000 square feet RED BLUFF 530-917-1138 REDDING 530-917-7797 22660 Antelope Blvd. 3351 S. Market St. amazingfindsredbluff.com amazingfindshome.com 9am – 8pm (closed Saturdays) 9am – 6:30pm daily Summer Sale! A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-888-628-1948 www.redbluff.mercy.org BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber attacked a park in northern Baghdad crowded by cafe- and restaurant-goers Friday night, the bloodiest attack in a day of violence that killed at least 36 people across the country, authorities said. Attacks have been on the rise in Iraq since a deadly security crackdown in April on a Sunni protest camp. More than 3,000 people have been killed in violence during the past few months, raising fears Iraq could see a new round of widespread sectarian bloodshed similar to that which brought the country to the edge of civil war in 2006 and 2007. The suicide bomber struck a park in the Qahira neighborhood of Baghdad late Friday night, an area popular with locals, police said. The bomber detonated his explosives in a crowd of people, killing at least 26 people and wounding 55. Violence has stepped up in strikes on so-called soft targets in Iraq — like civilians at coffee shops or those shopping along busy commercial streets. There was no claim of responsibility for Friday's suicide bombing. Sunni extremists such as alQaida's Iraq arm that seek to undermine the Shiite-led government are frequently blamed for attacks targeting civilians. Twin explosions outside mosques in northern Lebanon TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AP) — In scenes reminiscent of Lebanon's devastating civil war, charred bodies lay in the streets Friday after twin car bombs exploded outside mosques packed with worshippers, killing 29 people and wounding hundreds. The coordinated attacks in this predominantly Sunni city — the deadliest fallout from Syria's civil war to hit Lebanon — raised sectarian KWIK KUTS 20 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT with any chemical service of $50 or more 200 Regular $ Haircut Rallies for Egypt's smaller after arrests CAIRO (AP) — Supporters of Egypt's deposed president, who once overwhelmed cities in the hundreds of thousands, changed tactics Friday by demonstrating in scattered, small rallies that avoided confronting a heavy military deployment waiting for them across the country. The low turnout signaled the strain on ousted leader Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, as it has trouble drawing large numbers of supporters and faces an increasingly skeptical Egyptian public wary of more bloodshed like that which followed the July 3 military coup that overthrew him. Meanwhile, an intense security crackdown by the militarybacked interim government has rounded up much of its leadership. The Brotherhood has ''committed a strategic error last week by mixing peaceful protests with armed clashes with civilians,'' said Abdullah elSinawi, an Egyptian newspaper columnist and analyst. ''Many supporters are now staying away fearing that new civilianon-civilian clashes will erupt.'' Sierra Sound Family Hair Salon % off tensions to dangerous levels amid fears the country was slipping into a prolonged cycle of revenge. The blasts marked the second such attack in just over a week. A deadly car bombing targeted an overwhelmingly Shiite district south of Beirut controlled by the militant Hezbollah group on Aug. 15, demonstrating the alarming degree to which the country is being torn apart by the civil war next door. Friday's attacks shocked residents of Tripoli, which has been the scene of frequent clashes between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad in recent months. But the city, Lebanon's second-largest, has not seen such bombings in decades. The blasts were clearly intended to cause maximum civilian casualties, timed to go off at midday Friday outside the Taqwa and Salam mosques, which are known to be filled with worshippers at that time on the Muslim day of prayer. off Reg. $13.95 Not good with other offers Expires 8/31/13 With coupon 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 NEW & USED CD's Special Orders Avail. Car Stereo Sales - Service Installation We make house calls! 226 So. 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