Topic: Hostage Situations

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How to sell a house? Five reasons to auction it.

In locales across the United States, home auctions are taking place with increasing frequency. Real estate companies are opening auction divisions; agents are attending auction school to learn how to sell a house in a new way. In its first six weeks of operation, our auction portal received more than 1,000 visits from across the US and 29 nations. Two-thirds of the visitors who completed our survey had not yet listed their home with a real estate agent, meaning they were thinking of auction as their first option. These homeowners aren't in foreclosure; they're simply looking into this alternative sales method to find out if auction is right for them. Here are five benefits of auctioning your home:
Top 5 signs of a weakening FARC in Colombia

In a historic shift, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) says it will no longer use kidnapping as a tool for political and financial gain. The shift comes after three years of government success in weakening the group. Here are five of the defining moments.
Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
Famous US Special Forces operations

Here are six of the most famous successful American special operations missions in recent memory.
5 reasons US must avoid war with Iran

Do the drumbeaters calling for ‘war with Iran’ never learn from history? It is tempting to dismiss their hot air as an attempt to score political points, but its sheer volume is worrying. Two former US hostages in Iran, L. Bruce Laingen and John Limbert, say Obama must ignore the war talk, and offer five key points for Washington to keep in mind.

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On anniversary of Bin Laden's death, Romney says he would have given the order

Controversy has swirled over a earlier comment by the candidate that he opposed sending troops into Pakistan.
President Obama to mark anniversary of Bin Laden's death

He's responded forcefully to Republican claims that it is a "celebration", criticizing Romney for statements from the 2008 campaign.
How to sell a house? Five reasons to auction it.

In locales across the United States, home auctions are taking place with increasing frequency. Real estate companies are opening auction divisions; agents are attending auction school to learn how to sell a house in a new way. In its first six weeks of operation, our auction portal received more than 1,000 visits from across the US and 29 nations. Two-thirds of the visitors who completed our survey had not yet listed their home with a real estate agent, meaning they were thinking of auction as their first option. These homeowners aren't in foreclosure; they're simply looking into this alternative sales method to find out if auction is right for them. Here are five benefits of auctioning your home:
For FARC hostages, a combined hundred years of solitude (+video)

The FARC released 10 hostages yesterday, each held for over a decade. The release was a step in the right direction, says Colombia's president, but a peace deal is not imminent.
Latin America Monitor
FARC hostage release: Peace agreement ahead in Colombia? (+video)

10 police and military hostages of the FARC were released yesterday, some seeing their family for the first time in 14 years. Though a positive sign, this may not mean immediate peace in Colombia.
Keep Calm
How US presidential politics gives leverage to the Taliban, Iran

While America’s adversaries in Afghanistan and Iran cannot actually pull key strings to choose the next US president, election year politics ends up giving them some leverage. 
Land disputes trigger old racial tensions on Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast

An indigenous community took 12 non-indigenous people hostage, claiming they won't release these 'colonists' until their land is returned to them.
Top 5 signs of a weakening FARC in Colombia

In a historic shift, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) says it will no longer use kidnapping as a tool for political and financial gain. The shift comes after three years of government success in weakening the group. Here are five of the defining moments.
Somali pirate captors move US hostage after SEAL raid

After the US Navy SEAL rescue of American and Dane hostages this week, Somali pirates say they will move other hostages around, and will kill hostages if they are attacked.
Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
Terrorism & Security
SEAL Team 6: Somalia rescue illustrates new US military strategy

The Obama administration has spoken of the need for a 'smaller, more agile' military. Covert operations such as the one that rescued two aid workers in Somalia are part of that strategy.
Daring special forces raid shows Somali pirates are on the run

The SEAL Team Six rescue of an American hostage shows US special forces are tightening the noose on increasingly desperate Somali pirate groups, military analysts say.
Famous US Special Forces operations

Here are six of the most famous successful American special operations missions in recent memory.
American, Dane rescued by US commandos inside Somalia

Members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, rescued the hostages from pirates inside Somalia.
5 reasons US must avoid war with Iran

Do the drumbeaters calling for ‘war with Iran’ never learn from history? It is tempting to dismiss their hot air as an attempt to score political points, but its sheer volume is worrying. Two former US hostages in Iran, L. Bruce Laingen and John Limbert, say Obama must ignore the war talk, and offer five key points for Washington to keep in mind.
Missing ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson in hostage video: 'Help me' (Video)

The video message released on the Levinson family's website publicly transformed the mysterious disappearance into an international hostage standoff. Despite a lengthy investigation, however, the US government has no evidence of who is holding the 63-year-old father of seven.
Iran attack on UK embassy: 5 high profile embassy breaches

The best-known example of what happens when hostility reaches a breaking point is the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979, but numerous embassies have been stormed since then.
Gilad Shalit: Why does he matter so much?

Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas fighters more than five years ago, sparking outrage across Israel. Now he's set to be freed in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Ahmadinejad's visit with Chávez likely to sour US-Venezuela relations

Hugo Chávez and his Iranian counterpart share a history of anti-US vitriol. This visit, Ahmadinejad's first since the US sanctioned Venezuela over trade with Iran, will likely add fuel to the fire.
Flypaper: movie review

'Flypaper' has an entertaining premise – two gangs trying to rob the same bank at the same time – but falls down on the execution.
Police need more nonlethal alternatives to firearms

Policing in the 21st century will be revolutionized by technology. Nonlethal weapons prevent fatalities, resolve difficult hostage situations, and save taxpayers money. Why are critics stalling their use, when police could be saving lives?
French journalists return home after Afghanistan hostage ordeal [VIDEO]

Hervé Ghesquierè and Stéphane Taponier were joyously welcomed home after 547 days as hostages of the Taliban.
Somali pirates get life for attack on US frigate. Will it be a deterrence?

The lightly armed Somali pirates thought they were seizing a merchant ship off the coast of East Africa almost a year ago. Instead, their target turned out to be a US warship.
Africa Monitor
Five possible solutions for kidnappings in Africa's Sahel region

Kidnappings in Africa's Sahel region in recent years present policy makers with a tough question: what is the best way to deal with and prevent kidnappings by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb?
In Pictures: Ronald Reagan through the years