2 Obama vows to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan
by Laurent Lozano, AFP
34 mins ago
| WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to "finish the job" in Afghanistan and promised to unveil a decision soon on sending tens of thousands more US troops to battle Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Obama said he would spell out the "obligations" of US allies and make clear that "the Afghan people ultimately are going to have to provide for their own security" in an announcement after Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday.
"After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job," said the US president. |
3 DR.Congo war crimes trial starts at The Hague
by Mariette le Roux, AFP
1 hr 34 mins ago
| THE HAGUE (AFP) - Two Congolese militiamen pleaded not guilty on Tuesday as they were accused in The Hague of plotting to wipe out a village where their forces killed civilians, raped women and enslaved child soldiers.
"Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui are responsible for some of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told judges of the International Criminal Court as the trial opened.
"They used children as soldiers, they killed more than 200 civilians in a few hours, they raped women; girls and the elderly, they looted the entire village and they transformed women into sex slaves." |
4 AIDS deaths top 25 mln but infections slow
by D'Arcy Doran, AFP
2 hrs 4 mins ago
| SHANGHAI (AFP) - AIDS has killed 25 million people worldwide but new infections are slowing sharply, the UN said in an annual report on the crisis Tuesday that mixed hope with a warning against complacency.
Almost 60 million people have been infected by the HIV virus since it was first recorded but prevention programmes are having a significant impact, the UNAIDS agency said in its latest report, released here in Shanghai.
Around two million people died of the disease in 2008, bringing the overall toll to around 25 million since the virus was first detected three decades ago. |
5 Koenigsegg gives up bid for Saab
by Pia Ohlin, AFP
1 hr 1 min ago
| STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedish luxury carmaker Koenigsegg said Tuesday it was giving up its bid to acquire Saab Automobile from its US parent company General Motors, saying costly delays made the deal too uncertain.
The announcement plunged Saab's future into doubt.
"We regret that after six months of intense and goal-oriented work we have come to the painful and difficult conclusion that we are not going to be able to carry out the acquisition of Saab Automobile," the head of the company, Christian von Koenigsegg, said in a statement. |
6 Afghanistan: Illiterate, insecure but lots of TV
by Ian Timberlake, AFP
Tue Nov 24, 10:00 am ET
| KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistan's people may lack security, literacy and a decent standard of living but they have no shortage of television stations.
The airwaves are set to become even more crowded next month when 1 TV, with a mission "to uplift the nation," becomes the latest of about 20 stations based in the capital Kabul.
The television industry has boomed in Afghanistan, a country of more than 26 million people, since the overthrow by US-led forces eight years ago of the Taliban regime, which banned TV as un-Islamic. |
7 Success for Large Hadron Collider as first atom smashed
AFP
Mon Nov 23, 4:06 pm ET
| GENEVA (AFP) - Two circulating beams on Monday produced the first particle collisions in the world's biggest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), three days after its restart, scientists announced.
In a statement, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) said two beams circulating simultaneously led to collisions at all four detection points during the afternoon and evening.
"It?s a great achievement to have come this far in so short a time," said CERN director general Rolf Heuer. "But we need to keep a sense of perspective. There's still much to do before we can start the LHC physics programme." |
8 FIFA call crisis talks after qualifiers, betting scandal
AFP
Mon Nov 23, 2:07 pm ET
| PARIS (AFP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called an extraordinary general meeting for December 2 following the Thierry Henry handball incident and an ongoing investigation into match-fixing in Europe.
A FIFA statement released by world football's ruling body said Monday: "Due to recent events in the world of football, namely incidents at the play-offs for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, match control (refereeing) and irregularities in the football betting market, the FIFA President has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee.
"The extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee will take place in Cape Town on 2 December 2009, starting at 15.00." |
9 Britain begins long-awaited Iraq war probe
by Alice Ritchie, AFP
2 hrs 32 mins ago
| LONDON (AFP) - A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war opened on Tuesday with a vow not to "shy away from criticism" during hearings set to climax with an appearance by Tony Blair.
More than six years after the then prime minister led Britain in joining the US-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, inquiry chairman John Chilcot said no-one was "on trial" in the probe, which is due to last a year.
"No-one is on trial here. We cannot determine guilt or innocence. Only a court can do that," Chilcot said in opening remarks. |
10 Rajaratnam denies insider charges, blasts wiretaps
By Jonathan Stempel and Grant McCool, Reuters
25 mins ago
| NEW YORK (Reuters) - Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam attacked a U.S. regulator's lawsuit on Tuesday, denying insider trading charges and saying government wiretaps violated his constitutional rights.
The Sri Lankan-born billionaire is the most prominent of 20 people who face criminal or civil charges in the largest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case on record and Wall Street's first insider trading probe involving court-approved wiretaps.
"Electronic surveillance is permitted only when necessary for the investigation of specified crimes and only when alternative investigative procedures have been tried or appear unlikely to succeed," Rajaratnam's lawyers, including prominent Washington attorney John Dowd, said in a filing with Manhattan federal court. |
11 Obama seeks to reassure Singh on U.S.-India ties
By Matt Spetalnick, Reuters
43 mins ago
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to reassure Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday of his commitment to boosting U.S. ties with India even as his administration has set its rivals, China and Pakistan, as key priorities.
Treating Singh to the first state visit of his presidency, Obama faced the challenge of easing the emerging Asian power's concerns that it is slipping down his foreign policy agenda, dominated recently by efforts to craft a new war plan in Afghanistan and curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"Your visit, at this pivotal moment in history, speaks to the opportunity before us to build the relationship between our nations ... into one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Obama told Singh at a welcoming ceremony. |
12 Iraq national vote unlikely in January
By Waleed Ibrahim, Reuters
Tue Nov 24, 10:51 am ET
| BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will be unable to hold a national election in January as planned, a poll official said on Tuesday, heaping more uncertainty on a vote meant to cement democracy and pave the way for a partial U.S. troop withdrawal.
The general election was supposed to be held between January 18-23, but Iraq's Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim, last week vetoed a law needed to hold the polls on grounds that Iraqis abroad were under-represented.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis fled the sectarian violence triggered by the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and many are Sunni. |
13 Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan
By ANNE GEARAN and JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writers
1 hr 1 min ago
| WASHINGTON - Signaling he's decided on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region.
The president said he would reveal his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after Thanksgiving. The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama either Tuesday or Wednesday in a national address. Congressional hearings will quickly follow.
Military officials and others have been expecting Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 U.S. forces to the 8-year-old conflict. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama's war council meeting earlier this month when he tasked military planners with rearranging the timing and makeup of some of the deployments. That led to Monday night's final gathering. |
14 Reports on GDP and consumers signal modest rebound
By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer
39 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - The economy is growing modestly, with consumers too wary about spending to invigorate the recovery.
That's the picture that emerged from reports Tuesday on the economy and the confidence of consumers, who power 70 percent of it.
Unemployment and tight credit have sapped shoppers' willingness and ability to spend freely as retailers enter their crucial holiday season. And Americans are expected to grow more cautious about spending next year. That would make for a plodding recovery. |
15 SC legislators begin Sanford impeachment hearings
By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer
50 mins ago
| COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina legislators upset with Gov. Mark Sanford's summer disappearance to see his lover in Argentina on Tuesday began debating a measure that ultimately would remove him from office.
The Republican faces new ethics charges about his travel and campaign finances. But the panel of the House Judiciary Committee that's debating impeachment are focused this week on his five-day absence in June and problems directly related to it, including the failure to put someone in charge of the state while he was gone.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell told the seven members of the subcommittee that he did not envy their task but said their work would allow lawmakers to focus on the upcoming session when they return to Columbia. Their work is the first step in an impeachment process that would extend into next year, if the measure is approved. |
16 Obama: US-Indian ties help define 21st century
By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 36 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama declared Tuesday that U.S. ties with India will be "one of the defining relationships" of the 21st century as he welcomed India's prime minister for the first state visit of his administration.
At the conclusion of about two hours of talks, Obama said he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had agreed to "work even closer" on sharing information between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Singh promised increased cooperation with Washington to battle terrorism.
Obama was quizzed about the tense relationship between India and Pakistan and said it was not the role of the United States to intervene and solve such problems. He said, however, that American should do what it can to ensure that Pakistan and India both feel secure and able to focus on developing their own countries for their own people. |
17 Saab future unclear as sale to Swedish firm fails
By TOM KRISHER and DEE ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writers
1 hr 57 mins ago
| DETROIT - A Swedish specialty automaker has backed out of a deal to buy Saab from General Motors Co., casting serious doubt on the future of the troubled brand.
Koenigsegg Group AB said Tuesday it has decided to end the deal, which was announced in June. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed by GM. The Detroit automaker had been trying to unload the Swedish brand as it restructured under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
The collapse of the Saab sale is the third GM deal to fall through this year for a variety of reasons. |
18 More people list dogs and cats on Christmas lists
By SUE MANNING, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 24, 7:00 am ET
| LOS ANGELES - Dogs across the country can expect some bone-shaped presents under the Christmas tree this year.
An Associated Press-Petside.com poll shows 52 percent of pet owners plan to buy their animals a holiday gift - up from 43 percent last year.
Gus and Molly, a pair of German shepherds, Rosie the bulldog and Zoe the cat will get treats and playtoys, "the good sturdy stuff," said owner Norm Authier, 50, of Long Beach. |
19 CPSC chief pledges swift action after crib recall
JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer
34 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission promised swift action to get dangerous products off the market, after acknowledging Tuesday that it didn't move quickly enough on a record recall of more than 2 million cribs linked to four deaths.
"We were not advancing this case as quickly as possible," Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in an interview with The Associated Press. "So, I put all of the resources for the agency on this project so that they could accomplish this goal of recalling the crib."
At issue are some 2.1 million drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada. Four infants suffocated in the cribs. |
20 SPIN METER: Legislation inflation grips GOP
By CALVIN WOODWARD and DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writers
32 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - Republicans love to get their hands on the Democrats' health care legislation. They show it to the cameras at every opportunity, even piling one version on top of another to make a big pile look even bigger.
Although they complain they don't have time to read all of it, they found the time to tape it together, page by page, so they could roll it up the steps of the Capitol like super-sized toilet paper and show how very long it is.
It surely is long. But, no, not longer than "War and Peace," as they claim. |
21 Big Bang atom smasher starts speeding proton beams
By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS, Associated Press Writer
2 hrs 57 mins ago
| GENEVA - The world's largest atom smasher used its accelerator Tuesday to speed up proton beams for the first time as scientists moved ahead in efforts to learn more about the universe.
The $10 billion Large Hadron Collider showed it could raise the energy of the proton beams whizzing around the massive machine by an initial 20 percent.
"It was just a preliminary test," said James Gillies, spokesman for the European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN. "It's all going very well." |
22 Strong banks, weak credit: Treasury rethinks TARP
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
31 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - Big banks are roaring back.
At crisis' edge last year, they are repaying billions of dollars dumped into their vaults to rescue them. Dividend checks are accumulating at the Treasury. Taxpayers won't recoup the full sum of the government's unprecedented infusion to the financial sector, but the returns are ahead of schedule.
With large bets on bonds, commodities and exotic financial products, big banks are reporting third-quarter profits. |
23 At turkey boot camp, no need for a scrub brush
By EMILY FREDRIX, AP Food Industry Writer
31 mins ago
NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Workers at Butterball's turkey-tips hot line are used to oddball situations:
- The woman who cleaned out her turkey with a scrub brush and asked if that was OK to do. (You don't need to do that.)
- People who thaw a turkey in the bathtub while washing their kids. (Don't do that, either.)
- A man looking for a quick way to cook his turkey who put it in the oven on the cleaning cycle. (Also not advisable.)
For Butterball, the nation's top-selling turkey brand, preparing for such out-of-left-field calls is serious business.
Each year, Butterball L.L.C. puts on Butterball University - this year, five days of training for newcomers to the hot line that answers 12,000 calls on Thanksgiving Day alone. |
24 The challenge in Copenhagen: reshaping the world
By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 10 mins ago
| AMSTERDAM - Next month's climate summit in Copenhagen seeks to transform the way we run the planet, from the generation of energy, to the building of homes and cities, to the shaping of the landscape. It would also shift wealth from rich to poor countries in the process.
No wonder a deal will be tough to cut.
In recent weeks, prospects brightened, then dimmed, then revived again. |
25 Atlanta cops, shaken community try to make amends
By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 24, 6:59 am ET
| ATLANTA - After a 92-year-old grandmother was cut down in a hail of police bullets during a botched raid three years ago, her community seemed to trust officers about as much as the drug dealers who roam the blighted streets.
Neighbors complained that it was so difficult to get police attention for their crime-ridden northwest Atlanta neighborhood that they rarely bothered to dial 911. Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington was jeered when he attended a memorial for Kathryn Johnston days after she was killed.
On Monday, Pennington came back and was met with applause. It's been slow and tedious, but Pennington and community leaders said the department has worked to rebuild ties with the neighborhood. |
26 CO2 curve ticks upward as key climate talks loom
By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 24, 12:00 am ET
| MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY, Hawaii - The readings at this 2-mile-high station show a troubling upward curve as the world counts down to crucial climate talks: Global warming gases are building in the atmosphere at record levels from emissions that match scientists' worst-case scenarios.
Carbon dioxide concentrations this fall are hovering at around 385 parts per million, on their way to a near-certain record high above 390 in the first half of next year, at the annual peak.
"For the past million years we've never seen 390. You have to wonder what that's going to do," said physicist John Barnes, the observatory director. |
27 Arrest video has transit police on guard in Calif.
By TERRY COLLINS, Associated Press Writer
Mon Nov 23, 11:40 pm ET
| OAKLAND, Calif. - The troubles of the San Francisco Bay area's transit police went viral again as video hit the Internet showing what some claim was another use of excessive force.
A cell phone video showing the violent arrest of a mentally ill passenger accused of being disruptive on a commuter train came less than a year after footage of an officer fatally shooting an unarmed man incited riots in the region.
The Saturday night incident has prompted claims of police brutality and sent Bay Area Rapid Transit officials scrambling to address yet another public relations nightmare. |
28 Exiled Thaksin in Cambodia kicks up trouble for Thailand
By Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor
Mon Nov 23, 4:00 am ET
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia - At a luxury guesthouse, Cambodia's newest government adviser picks up a copy of his latest book, "Tackling Poverty." It explores how lessons from Thailand can be applied to other developing countries.
"I help tackle poverty worldwide, wherever they need me. Why not my neighbor?" asks Thaksin Shinawatra, the author.
But Mr. Thaksin, a Thai prime minister ousted by a coup in 2006, is no ordinary consultant - and he knows it. The politician's electoral successes antagonized Bangkok's royalist elite. Now, exiled in Dubai and wanted at home on a corruption-related conviction, Thaksin remains a political player who courts controversy. |
29 India doubts strength of US ties ahead of Manmohan Singh visit
By Howard LaFranchi, The Christian Science Monitor
Mon Nov 23, 4:00 am ET
| Washington - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at the White House Tuesday wondering if his country remains the US priority under President Obama that it became under President Bush.
The Obama administration thought it had answered that question months ago when it announced that Mr. Singh's day of meetings would constitute the first state visit of Mr. Obama's presidency - a distinction meant to convey the importance of the occasion.
But Obama's week-long trip to Asia that ended last Thursday has India questioning anew the value of a US partnership. In particular, the tenor of Obama's three days in China was heard by Indians as American acquiescence to rising Chinese power across Asia. |
30 China executes 2 for role in tainted milk scandal
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer
22 mins ago
| BEIJING - China executed a dairy farmer and a milk salesman Tuesday for their roles in the sale of contaminated baby formula - severe punishments that Beijing hopes will assuage public anger, reassure importers and put to rest one of the country's worst food safety crises.
The men were the only people put to death in a scheme to boost profits by lacing milk powder with the industrial chemical melamine; 19 other people were convicted and received lesser sentences. At least six children died after drinking the adulterated formula, and more than 300,000 were sickened.
Beijing is eager to show it has responded swiftly and comprehensively to eliminate problems in its food production chain that have spawned protests at home and threatened its export-reliant economy. The milk powder contamination struck a nerve with the public because so many children were affected, but was only one in a series of product recalls and embarrassing disclosures of lax public health safeguards. |
31 Wooing of Taliban fighters is dangerous game
By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 24, 12:24 pm ET
| SHINKAY, Afghanistan - A battered taxi sped up a dusty road toward a squad of Afghan soldiers searching for bombs planted in the dirt. Army gunmen who had fanned out for protection readied for a suicide attacker. The car screeched to a halt.
The soldiers recognized a local Taliban fighter in the passenger seat and pointed their guns at him when they saw he was armed.
"Relax guys," said Rahimullah, the Taliban fighter. He nervously stepped out of the taxi, holding his Kalashnikov rifle by the barrel to show he didn't intend to shoot. |
32 France shows off cutting-edge navy ship in Russia
By IRINA TITOVA, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 37 mins ago
| ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - French officers on Tuesday showed off a cutting-edge warship to a potential buyer - the Russian navy, whose pursuit of an amphibious assault capacity is frightening some neighboring countries.
Russia's once-mighty navy has declined severely since the fall of the Soviet Union and has no big ship with the power to anchor in coastal waters and deploy troops onto land.
Russian officials have said they were planning to make their first arms deal with a NATO country by buying a French ship like the Mistral - a 23,700-ton (21,500-metric ton), 980-foot (299-meter) vessel able to carry more than a dozen helicopters, or land forces, hospitals or refugees, among other things. |
33 Iraq elections face delay
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 24, 12:37 pm ET
| BAGHDAD - A senior official said Tuesday that Iraq must delay a national vote scheduled for January because of a political dispute, and the vice president who triggered the crisis indicated he would veto a key election law for a second time.
The prospect of delayed balloting in Iraq and a growing sense among Sunni Arabs that they are being shunted to the political margins has soured hopes for genuine reconciliation in a country torn by war. The acrimony and suspicion centers on Iraq's ethnic and sectarian divisions, sharpened by past bloodshed.
At one protest Tuesday, Sunni Arabs who believe the Shiite majority and Kurds are conspiring against them threatened to skip the vote, recalling a boycott in early 2005 at the height of the Sunni-led insurgency. Many Sunnis, however, have since joined politics and would be reluctant to risk losing a role in shaping Iraq's future. |
34 Indian probe blames mosque attack on Hindu leaders
By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Nov 24, 12:18 pm ET
| NEW DELHI - An Indian government investigation released Tuesday into the 1992 demolition of a mosque by a raging mob reportedly accused top Hindu nationalist politicians of complicity in the attack that sparked nationwide ethnic riots, leaving 2,000 people dead.
The scathing report, handed to parliament 17 years after the attack, exposed the painful religious divide plaguing a nation that prides itself as a model of a multiethnic, secular democracy.
The report, a copy of which was posted by NDTV on its Web site, accused politicians of stoking religious strife for electoral gain and blamed security forces for standing by while Hindu militants razed the 16th-century Babri Mosque with spades, crowbars and their bare hands. |
35 US growth downgrade weighs on world markets
By PAN PYLAS, AP Business Writer
Tue Nov 24, 11:58 am ET
| LONDON - European and U.S. stock markets fell Tuesday after government figures showed the U.S. economy did not grow as fast in the third quarter as previously estimated, stoking fears that the recovery in the world's largest economy will be slow.
In its second estimate for growth in the three months through September, the Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product was up by an annualized rate of 2.8 percent, down from the 3.5 percent previously published.
Following the data's release, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed down 31.54 points, or 0.6 percent, at 5,323.96 while Germany's DAX fell 32.17 points, or 0.6 percent, to 5,769.31. The CAC-40 in France was down 28.55 points, or 0.8 percent, at 3,784.62. |
36 Escort's book describes night with Berlusconi
By Daniel Flynn, Reuters
Tue Nov 24, 1:20 pm ET
| ROME (Reuters) - The escort at the heart of a sex scandal involving Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave graphic details of their alleged lovemaking in a book published on Tuesday and said she had been attacked and threatened since.
Patrizia D'Addario, in her memoir entitled "Enjoy, Prime Minister," describes a party held at Berlusconi's Rome residence, Palazzo Grazioli, and gives intimate details of a night spent with the 73-year-old premier in a bed given him by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
D'Addario, 42, whose allegations convulsed Italy when she first came forward in June with audio recordings of a man she said was the prime minister, describes how Berlusconi surrounded himself with dozens of young women like a "harem," whom he cuddled and kissed. |
37 Hague prosecutor accuses Congo warlords
By Aaron Gray-Block, Reuters
Tue Nov 24, 11:14 am ET
| THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Two Congolese militia leaders commanded forces that raped, killed and looted civilians in an attack that killed 200 people during the Congo war, a war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday.
Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui both pleaded not guilty before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of directing the February 2003 attack on Bogoro village in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
"Some were shot dead in their sleep, some cut up by machetes to save bullets. Others were burned alive after their houses were set on fire by the attackers," Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said. |
38 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims in Saudi for hajj
by Adel Zaanoun, AFP
1 hr 52 mins ago
| MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - An estimated 2.5 million Muslims have converged on Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage, as workers toil round the clock to complete construction projects designed to avoid deadly stampedes.
This year's hajj is also taking place amid fears of the spread of swine flu as pilgrims flooded into the kingdom from around the globe.
Four have already died from the A(H1N1) virus, the authorities said, but on Tuesday the health ministry played down the swine flu risk to the hajj. |
39 Medvedev orders probe of lawyer's prison death
by Anna Malpas, AFP
2 hrs 29 mins ago
| MOSCOW (AFP) - President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a probe into the prison death of a lawyer arrested in a high-profile tax case, the Kremlin said Tuesday, following allegations of "mediaeval" prison treatment in Russia.
Medvedev told the prosecutor general and the justice minister to investigate the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old lawyer working for Hermitage Capital Management, his spokeswoman told Russian news agencies.
Magnitsky, who represented Hermitage in a tax case closely watched by foreign investors in Russia, died in a prison hospital in Moscow on November 16, with the official cause of death stated as heart failure. |
40 Khmer Rouge prosecutors seek jail term for Duch
by Patrick Falby, AFP
Tue Nov 24, 8:04 am ET
| PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Prosecutors called on Tuesday for the former Khmer Rouge prison chief to get a lengthy jail term, saying he embodied the ruthless efficiency of the regime behind the "Killing Fields" atrocities.
Kaing Guek Eav -- better known as Duch -- has apologised repeatedly and admitted responsibility for his actions under Pol Pot's blood-soaked communist movement, which killed up to two million Cambodians in the 1970s.
But prosecutors giving their final arguments to the UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court said Duch "was the personification of ruthless efficiency" and the "perfect candidate" to run the regime's main torture centre. |
41 Will Karzai allow Afghan prosecutors to charge ministers?
By Dion Nissenbaum and Hashim Shukoor, McClatchy Newspapers
Mon Nov 23, 6:03 pm ET
| KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai's pledge to root out political corruption in his second term faces a quick test from government attorneys, who've asked for new powers to pursue some of the country's top leaders.
Officials in the attorney general's office said Monday that they wanted Karzai to take decisive steps so that they could pursue corruption cases against as many as 15 current and former government officials, including at least two in the president's Cabinet.
It wasn't clear whether Karzai, whose government is internationally rated as one of the most corrupt in the world, would approve of an investigation into political allies, some of whom may have helped him win re-election through massive vote rigging. |
42 Obama will send 34,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan
By Jonathan S. Landay, John Walcott and Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy Newspapers
Mon Nov 23, 10:35 pm ET
| WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called "a war of necessity" in Afghanistan , U.S. officials told McClatchy .
Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1 , followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.
The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn't originate in the White House . |
43 Singh Visits Obama Amid India-China Power Struggle
By ISHAAN THAROOR, Time Magazine
Tue Nov 24, 11:50 am ET
| The pomp and ceremony with which President Barack Obama will host India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a White House state dinner on Tuesday won't alter a perception in India that it has lost ground to China in the new Administration's Asia policy. Many in New Delhi saw Obama's performance last week in Beijing as acquiescent toward an emboldened Beijing, New Delhi's longtime regional rival. And they see India having a diminished role in the economic and geopolitical calculations of Obama's White House - at least in comparison to the centrality it enjoyed in the Bush Administration's Asia policy. |
44 Reburying Albert Camus: A Political Ploy by Sarkozy?
By BRUCE CRUMLEY / PARIS, Time Magazine
Tue Nov 24, 11:50 am ET
| Given the Pantheon's function as the final repose for France's greatest heroes, it's perhaps not surprising that efforts are now afoot to relocate the ashes of writer and philosopher Albert Camus to a site beneath the 18th century Paris building's cupola. But rather than earning plaudits from intellectuals and ordinary French people alike, the move to honor the man some call France's most influential postwar thinker is sparking controversy. Some pundits and historians say that Camus' legacy is being exploited for political gain, while others argue that glorification of the philosopher by the French government would make a mockery of Camus' deeply individualist convictions. |
| From Yahoo News U.S. News |
45 3 airlines fined in Minnesota tarmac stranding
By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Writer
15 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - The government is imposing fines for the first time against airlines for stranding passengers on an airport tarmac, the Transportation Department said Tuesday.
The department said it has levied a precedent-setting $175,000 in fines against three airlines for their roles in the stranding of passengers overnight in a plane at Rochester, Minn., on Aug. 8.
Continental Express Flight 2816 was en route from Houston to Minneapolis carrying 47 passengers when thunderstorms forced it to divert to Rochester, where it landed about 12:30 a.m. The airport was closed and Mesaba Airlines employees - the only airline employees at the airport at the time - refused to open the terminal for the stranded passengers. |
46 Palin stops in Fla. town that feted her in 2008
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, AP Political Writer
24 mins ago
| THE VILLAGES, Fla. - Sarah Palin, who says the 2012 presidential election isn't on her radar, took her "Going Rogue" book tour to the biggest of the battleground states Tuesday, including a stop in the retirement community where tens of thousands of people gave her star treatment in the 2008 presidential election.
The crowd was far smaller than when she made a September 2008 campaign stop as Republican John McCain's running mate, but no less passionate for the former Alaska governor. About 700 people, some who arrived a full 24 hours before the signing, waited for Palin as country music blared. Several signs encouraged her to run for president in 2012.
When she arrived, the crowd chanted "Sarah! Sarah!" She made brief remarks - including a gleeful "You can read my story thus far - unfiltered by the media!" She sat down to a Fox News interview, during which there were shouts of "We love you Sarah! We love you and we want you to be president!" and, "Take back the Constitution! And the Bill of Rights!" |
47 1st SC gov impeachment hearing wraps in 1 hour
By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 38 mins ago
| COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina legislators upset with Gov. Mark Sanford's summer disappearance to see his lover in Argentina began a monthslong process on Tuesday that could ultimately remove the two-term Republican from office.
The panel of the House Judiciary Committee that's debating impeachment discussed his five-day absence in June and problems related to it, including the failure to put someone in charge of the state while he was gone.
At an hourlong meeting, the panel's seven members also talked about how they would proceed with at least three more hearings in early December. The next one is scheduled for next Tuesday, and a vote by the panel is expected by the second week of December. |
48 Police: Ky. census worker killed himself
By BRUCE SCHREINER and ROGER ALFORD, Associated Press Writers
21 mins ago
| FRANKFORT, Ky. - A Kentucky census worker found naked, bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree with "fed" scrawled on his chest killed himself but staged his death to make it look like a homicide, authorities said Tuesday.
Bill Sparkman, 51, was found strangled Sept. 12 with a rope around his neck near a cemetery in a heavily wooded area of the Daniel Boone National Forest in southeastern Kentucky. Authorities said his wrists were loosely bound, his glasses were taped to his head and he was gagged.
Kentucky State Police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski said an analysis found that "fed" was written "from the bottom up." He was touching the ground, and to survive "all Mr. Sparkman had to do at any time was stand up," she said. |
49 Ex-spy, submarines, Dubai co. part of Fla. lawsuit
By CURT ANDERSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer
Tue Nov 24, 9:09 am ET
| STUART, Fla. - Former French intelligence officer Herve Jaubert believed he was essentially being held captive in Dubai when his passport was confiscated by authorities amid a dispute with his employer, a powerful government-run conglomerate. He claimed he was threatened with torture and worried each day he would be arrested.
So Jaubert disguised himself as a Muslim woman and fled the country. The accomplished diver hid scuba gear under the head-to-toe abaya. He swam out to the area's only patrol boat and cut the fuel lines. Then, he said, he launched his rubber dinghy, started the motor and piloted it six hours to meet an awaiting sailboat.
Now he's in South Florida, embroiled in a federal lawsuit over an ill-fated business venture with Dubai World Corp., which says the 2008 escape story is one of his many lies. Jaubert sued the company, claiming the failed plan to build recreational submarines for tourists and the super-wealthy cost him millions in lost business opportunities. |
50 More shoppers plan Black Friday visits
By Alexandria Sage, Reuters
Tue Nov 24, 2:00 pm ET
| SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Up to 134 million U.S. consumers may shop for holiday gifts this Thanksgiving weekend, although most will check the bargains before venturing out, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
The poll by the National Retail Federation on shopping plans for the three days after the Thanksgiving Day holiday -- Black Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- found 57 million consumers definitely planning to hit the stores.
Another 77 million said that before heading out, they would make sure retailers were offering big enough discounts. |
I predict the sales figures will be quite a wakeup call to the 'green shoots' types, though they will probably show some year over year last year was awful.
51 U.S. cities grapple for new jobs in economic upswing
By Mary Milliken, Reuters
Tue Nov 24, 7:45 am ET
| LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a depressed neighborhood in the City of Angels, hundreds of good jobs appeared to fall from the sky last week.
Young and middle-aged Los Angeles residents, mostly blacks and Hispanics, lined up down the block at an employment office for more than 600 jobs, paying $14 an hour and higher with free healthcare, at new JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels downtown.
But this was no miracle, nor was it a windfall from President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. Rather, it was the payoff from years of work by City Hall to draw new investments and ensure jobs go primarily to locals. |
52 State tax push makes U.S. firms wary of adding jobs
By Carey Gillam, Reuters
2 hrs 1 min ago
| OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (Reuters) - Dave Huston's Kansas-based plastics company is down to 34 employees from 63 a year ago. With the U.S. recession starting to retreat, he would like to add back workers but will likely buy new equipment instead.
The reason? With Kansas joining the ranks of U.S. states scrambling to shore up a near-insolvent unemployment insurance fund, Huston's business is facing an almost certain rise in state payroll taxes in 2010.
It's a hit his business cannot afford -- and one that virtually ensures he will not be hiring new employees anytime soon, even as the economy does slowly pick up. |
53 N.Y. top court rules for state in Atlantic Yards case
By Joan Gralla and Ciara Linnane, Reuters
1 hr 37 mins ago
| NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York State lawfully seized land needed for the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, the state's highest court ruled on Tuesday.
The project, which includes plans to build a basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets alongside office and apartment buildings, has been repeatedly delayed by lawsuits and financing problems.
The court was asked to rule on a suit brought by Brooklyn landowners and grass roots groups questioning the state's use of eminent domain to clear land for the site, a 22-acre expanse dominated by a rail yard owned by the public transit system. |
54 US ponders climate talks target
AFP
Tue Nov 24, 8:23 am ET
| WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is to announce concrete targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions as pressure mounts on polluters to find a formula for success two weeks ahead of a crucial climate summit.
China has put the issue on the agenda of a summit meeting with the European Union next week and leaders of the 53 members of the Commonwealth, representing around two billion people, are set to address it at their weekend gathering in Trinidad.
And Australia, the world's heaviest per capita polluter, is attempting to rush legislation through parliament curbing emissions ahead of the December 7-18 climate conference in Copenhagen. |
55 Can Bob Casey Bridge the Abortion Divide on Health Care?
By JAY NEWTON-SMALL / WASHINGTON, Time Magazine
Tue Nov 24, 11:50 am ET
| The point of the Oct. 21 press briefing was to highlight Senate Democrats' outreach to faith-based organizations. Illinois's Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, spoke approvingly about all the policy areas that religious leaders have been working on with Democrats before adding, "And not just on negative issues like abortion." Across the room, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, a pro-life Catholic, listened in silence. A few minutes later, a reporter asked his opinion on abortion coverage in the Senate version of health reform. "We want to make sure that there is no federal funding of abortion," began Casey, but Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow quickly cut him off. |
A 20% Corporate Welfare Tax and repeal of Roe v. Wade. This is a bad bill and should be stopped. |
