US Congress gives Obama authority to use military force against Syria

Hmmm...wahala dey for Syria o. A
US Senate panel voted today to give
President Barack Obama the
authority to use military force
against Syria in response to a deadly
chemical weapons attack in
Damacus on August 21 that killed
over 1,400 people as they slept in
their homes.
The vote in the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee was the first in
a series as the president's request
makes its way through
congressional panels before coming
before the two chambers of
Congress for a final vote.
The full Senate is expected to vote
on the measure next week.
Obama's top advisers on
Wednesday took the argument for
action to the Republican-controlled
House of Representatives, where
the support seen in the Senate will
be harder to find.
The resolution would permit Obama
to order a limited military mission
against Syria, as long as it doesn't
exceed 90 days and involves no
American troops on the ground for
combat operations. (Associated
Press)
Meanwhile some Arab countries
have offered to pay for US military
invasion in Syria.
Secretary of State John Kerry said at
Wednesday’s hearing that Arab
counties have offered to pay for the
entirety of unseating President
Bashar al-Assad if the United States
took the lead militarily.
“With respect to Arab countries
offering to bear costs and to assess,
the answer is profoundly yes,” Kerry
said. “They have. That offer is on
the table.”
Asked by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(R-Fla.) about how much those
countries would contribute, Kerry
said they have offered to pay for all
of a full invasion.
“In fact, some of them have said
that if the United States is prepared
to go do the whole thing the way
we’ve done it previously in other
places, they’ll carry that cost,” Kerry
said. “That’s how dedicated they are
at this. That’s not in the cards, and
nobody’s talking about it, but they’re
talking in serious ways about getting
this done.

Boston bomb suspect's capture sparks street celebrations

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Residents took to the streets with American flags to celebrate the news that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been captured

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was arrested following a shootout with police after being found hiding in a boat in a back yard in the Boston suburb of Watertown.
Dzhokhar's brother and fellow suspect Tamerlan, 26, was killed yesterday in a furious gun battle as the pair tried to escape police.
News of his capture sparked celebration across Boston as residents took to the streets with American flags.

Google Relaunches Person Finder In Response To Boston Tragedy

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Google is stepping in to help family and friends of Boston Marathon runners find their loved ones after multiple explosions occurred yesterday.
The site, called Google Person Finder, a tool the company built following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, allows users to enter the name of a person they are looking for or share information about someone who is there. The tool includes a disclaimer stating that Google does not review or verify any information, and all submitted details are public to all users.
Since its relaunch yesterday afternoon, the Person Finder homepage says it is currently tracking about 800 records.

Boston Marathon bombings

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Boston Marathon bombings
Aftermath of the first blast
Location	Near Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates	42°20′59.2″N 71°04′44.1″WCoordinates: 42°20′59.2″N 71°04′44.1″W
Date	April 15, 2013 2:50 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00)
Attack type	Bombing
Weapon(s)	Pressure cooker bombs
Deaths	3
Injured (non-fatal)	At least 183

Two pressure cooker bombs exploded at the 2013 Boston Marathon on the afternoon of April 15, 2013, injuring spectators, runners, and others near the finish line. The improvised explosive devices exploded about 12 seconds apart at 2:50 p.m. EDT (18:50 UTC) along Boylston Street, west of Copley Square. The blasts killed 3 people and injured at least 183 others.
No suspects have been named, and there have been no arrests or claims of responsibility for the attack. President Barack Obama announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating the bombings as an act of terrorism.

Boston bombing, an act of terrorism –Obama

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President Obama said on Tuesday the FBI is investigating the Boston Marathon bombings as an “act of terrorism,” but authorities don’t know who did it or why.

“This was a heinous and cowardly act,” Obama said at the White House.

Obama, who had held off using the term “terrorism” in brief remarks on Monday night, spoke after being briefed by FBI Director Robert Mueller and other law enforcement officials.

“Any time bombs are used to target civilians, it is an act of terror,” Obama said from the White House briefing room.