Iran Captures British Soldiers

Interesting news from the Persian Gulf today as Iranian military forces have captured fifteen British soldiers at gunpoint. The United Kingdom's ministry of defence has confirmed this, saying a Iranian naval vessel captured the soldiers.

The UK government is currently demanding the immediate release of the soldiers and their equipment. They also assert that the soldiers were performing routine military patrols within Iraqi waters and that the Iranian actions were unlawful.

The soldiers were captured at 10:30 AM local time when they boarded a boat they believed was smuggling automobiles. The soldiers are currently being held along the Shatt al-Arab waterway according to Helicopter reports. Naval authorities are currently working on a diplomatic solution to the situation.

This is not the first time Iranian forces have captured British soldiers, the last time this occurred was in 2004, those soldiers were eventually returned but not before being forced to 'apologize' on Iranian television.

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Al Jazeera
Washington Post

Police Charge Family With 'Slavery'

Police in Greensburg, Pennsylvania are charging a family with what amounts to the modern day enslavement of a young woman. Emily Nicely (photo left) is accusing the five members of the Pollard family of keeping her against her will and forcing her to work as their slave, a notion that is quite shocking to modern day Americans and quite illegal in all civilized nations.

Nicely accuses that Mark and Cynthia Pollard became physically abusive toward her shortly after she moved in with them so that she could finish her high school education. She says that the Pollard family would force her to do work around the house against her will and that they would beat her if she refused.

Nicely also accuses that she was not permitted to leave the house unless supervised by a member of the Pollard family, presumably so that they could make sure she didn't alert the authorities or run away.

Nicely managed to alert a man who's newspaper she delivered after he noticed the bruises on her face. A hospital examination revealed that she was also suffering from a concussion.

The Pollard family, however, has a different story. They are accusing Nicely of lying and they propose that she received her injuries after falling off her bike while delivering newspapers.

Currently Mark, Cynthia and Mark Pollard II, their oldest son, are in jail, while the two youngest are out on bail and living with relatives.

Washington Post Article