Pakistan arrests ex-head of banned Sunni group

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Police say they have arrested the former chief of a banned Sunni extremist group in central Pakistan.

Senior police officer Ashfaq Gujar says Malik Ishaq was arrested in the central city of Rahim Yar Khan on Friday. It was not immediately clear on what charges he was arrested.

Ishaq is one of the founders of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group, which is accused of killing hundreds of minority Shiites Muslims.

He was also briefly detained last year, following attacks against Shiites in the country. His latest arrest came less than a week after a bombing at a market in the southwestern city of Quetta killed 89 Shiites.

Most victims of Saturday's bombing were Hazaras, a Shiite ethnic group that migrated to Pakistan from Afghanistan more than a century ago.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-arrests-ex-head-banned-sunni-group-124719000.html

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2 charged in slaying of Chicago honor student

FILE - This undated file family photo provided by Damon Stewart shows 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton of Chicago who was was shot Jan. 29, 2013 while she talked with friends in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama?s Chicago home. First Lady Michelle Obama will join some of Illinois? most recognizable politicians and clergy to mourn the 15-year-old honor student whose death has drawn attention to staggering gun violence in the nation?s third-largest city. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Damon Stewart, File)

FILE - This undated file family photo provided by Damon Stewart shows 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton of Chicago who was was shot Jan. 29, 2013 while she talked with friends in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama?s Chicago home. First Lady Michelle Obama will join some of Illinois? most recognizable politicians and clergy to mourn the 15-year-old honor student whose death has drawn attention to staggering gun violence in the nation?s third-largest city. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Damon Stewart, File)

This undated booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Michael Ward, 18, of Chicago. Ward is one of two men charged with murder Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, of Chicago. Pendleton was shot to death Jan. 29 in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama's home on Chicago's South Side. Just days before her death, the band majorette was among the performers at events for Obama's inauguration. (AP Photo/Chicago Police Department)

This undated booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Kenneth Williams, 20, of Chicago. Williams is one of two men charged with murder Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, of Chicago. Pendleton was shot to death Jan. 29 in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama's home on Chicago's South Side. Just days before her death, the band majorette was among the performers at events for Obama's inauguration. (AP Photo/Chicago Police Department)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Two Chicago gang members charged Monday in the death of a 15-year-old honor student mistook her and her friends for members of a rival gang and attacked the group in retaliation for a shooting that injured one of the men over the summer, according to police.

Hadiya Pendleton died after being shot in a park about a mile from the Chicago home of President Barack Obama on Jan. 29, just days after she performed during his inauguration festivities in Washington. Her death was among dozens of homicides in Chicago last month, though her background and ties to Obama thrust her death into the national headlines.

Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, were taken into custody late Saturday, while on their way to a strip club ? and just hours after first lady Michelle Obama and other dignitaries attended Pendleton's funeral. Both men are now charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said Monday night.

"Ward confessed and indicated Hadiya was not the intended target. They got it all wrong," McCarthy said.

Pendleton, a popular high school majorette, was with a group of friends who took cover during a rainstorm under a canopy in a park about a mile from the Obama home on the city's South Side. Police said a man hopped a fence, ran toward them and opened fire with a handgun before fleeing in a waiting car. Pendleton was struck in the back and died later that day. Two others were injured.

McCarthy said Ward told investigators he thought he was shooting into the crowd of a rival gang, and that the shooting was meant as retaliation for Williams being shot in the arm in July. Police said neither Pendleton nor her friends were affiliated with gangs.

Williams, who refused to cooperate with authorities after the July shooting, was driving the getaway car, McCarthy said. He added that both men were arrested while on their way to a strip club to celebrate a friend's birthday Saturday night.

Pendleton's death was one of more than 40 homicides in Chicago in January, a total that made it the deadliest January in the city in more than a decade. But her murder attracted national attention and helped put Chicago at the center of a national debate over gun control.

Not only did the first lady attend the teen's funeral, but the girl's parents were set to sit with Michelle Obama during the president's State of the Union address on Tuesday night. Obama is scheduled to return to Chicago three days later to discuss gun violence.

Homicides in Chicago topped 500 last year for the first time since 2008, stoking residents' concerns about gun violence and leading the police department to put more officers on the street and to focus more on combatting gangs.

McCarthy, who is pushing for tougher gun laws that would increase minimum sentences for gun crimes, noted that Ward was arrested in January 2011 on a gun charge but he received probation after pleading guilty to unlawful use of a weapon. If Chicago had laws like those in New York City, McCarthy said, Ward wouldn't have been on the streets.

"This has to stop. Gun offenders have to do significant jail time," said McCarthy, who rose through the ranks of New York City's police and is the former police director in Newark, N.J.

McCarthy said the arrests occurred after police figured out that the description of the car in which the shooter fled matched the description of a vehicle in which Williams had been pulled over a day before the shootings. The police superintendent noted it didn't come from a tip from the community.

"I'm sad to point out we did not get our target audience to step up," he said.

Just as the December killing of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., brought renewed scrutiny of the nation's gun laws, the death of the popular Chicago teen has cast Chicago's gun violence problem in a new light.

Earlier Monday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel seemed to make just that point.

"The only time when the gun issue ever gets affected is when Newtown happens," he said. "What happens in urban areas around the country too often ... gets put to the side."

He said that while it's not wrong that massacres stir such debate, what happens on the streets of Chicago and in other urban areas "gets put in a different value system."

"These are our kids," he said, his voice rising. "These are our children."

Emanuel joined McCarthy and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez at an afternoon news conference to announce they would push for tougher gun laws that would increase the minimum sentences and require offenders to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.

They say the law now allows offenders to be released after serving no more than half their sentences and sometimes obtain their release after a matter of weeks.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-12-Chicago%20Violence-Arrests/id-aef2cfe59c204acdbcdf85a2950d6528

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Lewis ends NFL career in championship fashion

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) holds a newspaper and the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) holds a newspaper and the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

El linebacker de los Ravens de Baltimore Ray Lewis (52) sostiene el Trofeo Vince Lombardi luego de vencer a los 49ers de San Francisco por 34-31 en el Super Bowl XLVII, el domingo 3 de febrero de 2013, en Nueva Orle?ns. (Foto AP/Dave Martin)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, right, and head coach John Harbaugh celebrate after their 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis holds up a newspaper after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. The Ravens won 34-31. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? So, Ray Lewis, now that you've won a Super Bowl, what's next?

No, he's not going to that amusement park. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker is heading into retirement ? and he can't wait.

"Now I get to see a different side of life," Lewis said Sunday night after helping the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. "My family, and my sons, my kids, they've sacrificed for me. Now I have the opportunity to sacrifice for them."

Lewis ended his 17-year NFL career in perfect fashion, directing a successful goal-line stand that provided him a world championship to take into retirement. After the 49ers failed to score on three straight plays from the Baltimore 5-yard line in the closing minutes, the Ravens could begin celebrating their first Super Bowl title in 12 years.

"How else can you finish that off but with a goal-line stand?" Lewis said. "That is championship football."

The 13-time Pro Bowl star began his final night on the football field with a motivational speech to his teammates. He ended it looking upward into a waterfall of silver streamers and purple confetti. And minutes later, he put his hands on the Lombardi Trophy.

"What we did as a team today was the ultimate," Lewis said.

As an individual, Lewis made seven tackles. Nothing special, really. He had 44 in Baltimore's previous three playoff games. But the Ravens played like champions behind Lewis, and as usual, they drew inspiration from him.

"There will never be another leader like him and we sent him out like his brothers," Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs. "His legacy will go untainted."

The last time Lewis played in a Super Bowl, he was voted MVP of Baltimore's 34-7 rout of the New York Giants. This time, Joe Flacco was the MVP because the Ravens' offense outplayed the team's usually reliable defense.

Ever since Lewis announced on Jan. 2 that this would be his "last ride," the Ravens have talked about providing him a title to take into retirement. And so they did.

"It's pretty cool," Flacco said. "Ray's a great person and everyone knows he's an unbelievable player, but he's the best teammate. It's unbelievable to send him out like this."

What a journey it was.

After defeating Indianapolis at home to open the playoffs, the Ravens beat top-seeded Denver on the road and knocked off second-seeded New England. Then, underdogs again in the Super Bowl, Baltimore blew most of a 22-point lead in the second half before mounting one final defensive stop.

"To me, that was one of the most amazing goal-line stands I've ever been a part of in my career," Lewis said. "What better way to do it than on the Super Bowl stage?"

Lewis' old buddy, 34-year-old Ed Reed, contributed a first-half interception. Jacoby Jones scored two touchdowns, and after the second ? a 108-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter ? he saluted his retiring teammate with a rendition of the "squirrel" dance Lewis made famous.

Days earlier, Lewis was confronted about his use of deer antler spray in his effort to return from the triceps injury. He vehemently denied trying the banned substance, and that sideshow fizzled out quickly enough so that it was not a distraction Sunday.

The Ravens will have another middle linebacker next season, but they will never have another Ray Lewis. Coach John Harbaugh was asked why the team responded so passionately to him and his effort to go out on top.

"If you're going to talk about the Ray thing, you want to ask about it, then the answer's got to be faith," Harbaugh said. "I mean Ray is driven by spirituality and faith and that's what he draws on and that's where his strength comes from. So if you really want to know, I mean that's what he's tapping into and that's what makes it so beautiful and so perfect."

Lewis was the second draft pick in Ravens' history, following Jonathan Ogden in 1996. Ogden, who was elected into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday, waved to his former teammate during the pregame coin flip Sunday.

Perhaps one day, Ogden will extend the same greeting to Lewis in Canton, Ohio.

For now, however, Lewis is looking to joining his family for some quiet time.

"No other way to go out and end a career. This is how you do it," Lewis said. "Everything around me is my kids. Daddy gets to come home now. They aren't going to like me being at home all the time."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-04-Ravens-Lewis%20Retires/id-b14b84cccc8145a2a29788346ca241f4

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Super Bowl Sunday: A Movie Lover's Guide

Iron Man, Captain Kirk and Oz will entertain during commercial breaks.
By Amy Wilkinson

Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 3"
Photo: Disney

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1701264/super-bowl-sunday-movie-guide.jhtml

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Washington wins 3 trophies at NAACP Image Awards

Kerry Washington poses backstage with the award for outstanding actress in a drama series for "Scandal" at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Kerry Washington poses backstage with the award for outstanding actress in a drama series for "Scandal" at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Kerry Washington accepts the President's award at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Don Cheadle accepts the award for outstanding actor in a comedy series for "House of Lies" at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

LL Cool J accepts the award for outstanding actor in a drama series for "NCIS: Los Angeles" at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Halle Berry presents an award at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Kerry Washington was a triple threat at the NAACP Image Awards.

The star of ABC's "Scandal" picked up a trio of trophies at the 44th annual ceremony: outstanding actress in a drama series for "Scandal," supporting actress in a motion picture for "Django Unchained" and the President's Award, which is given in recognition of special achievement and exceptional public service.

"This award does not belong to me," said Washington, who plays a slave separated from her husband in "Django Unchained," as she picked up her first trophy of the evening for her role in the film directed by Quentin Tarantino. "It belongs to our ancestors. We shot this film on a slave plantation, and they were with us along every step of the way."

Washington, who plays crisis management consultant Olivia Pope on "Scandal," serves on President Barack Obama's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Don Cheedle was awarded the outstanding actor in a comedy series trophy for his role as a slick management consultant in Showtime's "House of Lies."

"This doesn't belong just to me, but I am taking it home tonight," joked Cheedle.

A few winners weren't present at the Shrine Auditorium to pick up their trophies, including Denzel Washington for outstanding actor in a motion picture for "Flight," Viola Davis for outstanding actress in a motion picture for "Won't Back Down" and Omar Epps for supporting actor in a drama series for Fox's "House."

"Red Tails," the drama about the Tuskegee Airmen, was honored as outstanding motion picture.

"Look! I beat Quentin Tarantino," beamed "Red Tails" executive producer George Lucas as he accepted the award.

LL Cool J, who was honored as outstanding actor in a drama series for CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles," dedicated his trophy to fellow nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, "The Green Mile" and "The Finder" actor who died last year.

"I wish his family well," said LL. "Let's give it up for him."

Gladys Knight sang during the in memoriam segment, but the beginning of her performance wasn't heard on the live NBC broadcast because of a technical glitch.

Sidney Poitier presented Harry Belafonte with the Spingarn Award, which honors outstanding achievement by an African American. His honor was followed by a serenade from Wyclef Jean and Common.

Other winners at the ceremony hosted by talk show host Steve Harvey included Loretta Devine as supporting actress in a drama series for "Grey's Anatomy," Cassi Davis as outstanding actress in a comedy series and Lance Gross as outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for TBS' "Tyler Perry's House of Payne."

The Image Awards are presented annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the group's members select the winners.

___

Online:

http://www.naacpimageawards.net

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-02-NAACP%20Image%20Awards/id-ef8f317ba6ef4e5dac406e7ccfc6041d

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