News Headlines
Wave of bombings across Iraqi capital kills 57 people, injures nearly 200
BAGHDAD (AP) — A wave of bombings ripped across Baghdad on Thursday morning, killing at least 57 people and injuring nearly 200 in the worst violence Iraq has seen for months. The bloodbath comes just days after American forces left the country.
The blasts also came on the heels of a political crisis between Iraq’s Sunni and Shiite factions that erupted this weekend. The political spat, which pits Iraq’s Shiite prime minister against the highest-ranking Sunni political leader, has raised fears that Iraq’s sectarian wounds will be reopened during a fragile time when Iraq is finally navigating its own political future without U.S. military support.
While the string of explosions was likely not a direct response to the political Sunni-Shiite confrontation, it will ratchet up tensions at a time when many Iraqis are already worried about security. If continued, it could lead to the same type of tit-for-tat attacks that characterized the insurgency years ago.
Iraqi officials said at least 14 blasts went off early Thursday morning in 11 neighborhoods around the city. The explosions ranged from blasts from sticky bombs attached to cars to roadside bombs and vehicles packed with explosives. There was at least one suicide bombing among the attacks.
Most of the attacks appeared to hit Shiite neighborhoods although some Sunni areas were also targeted.
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Why are they fighting so much? A field guide to Congress’ payroll tax cut dispute
WASHINGTON (AP) — If President Barack Obama, the House and the Senate all want to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut and jobless benefits through next year, why are they fighting so bitterly over doing it?
Obama, House Democrats and lopsided majorities of both parties in the Senate want to immediately renew the tax cut and jobless benefits for the next two months, and find a way later to extend them through 2012. House Republicans want to do it for a full year right away.
That doesn’t sound like an unbridgeable gap. Yet the fight has evolved into a year-end partisan grudge match with no clear resolution in sight and with huge political and economic stakes.
Without action, the payroll tax paid by 160 million workers will rise by 2 percentage points to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1. That would mean $1,000 a year less in the pockets of people making $50,000, or about $19 weekly. In addition, 3 million people currently receiving long-term jobless benefits will begin to lose weekly payments that average under $300 — for many, their only support.
Following is a guided tour, in question and answer form, through the dispute.
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Can’t you all just get along? Americans grow frustrated by repeated congressional stalemates
CHICAGO (AP) — As Americans watch yet another political drama play out on Capitol Hill — this time over whether to extend the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits — they have a question for Congress: Can’t you all just get along? For once?
“It’s like, ‘Kids, kids, kids,'” said Brenda Bissett, a lawyer from Santa Clarita, Calif., as she waited for coffee Wednesday at a Starbuck’s in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s just frustrating that there’s no compromise … I do it all the time.”
Around the country, people of different backgrounds, incomes and political leanings say they’re angry and downright disgusted by the posturing in Washington after the House rejected a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut passed by the Senate, then both chambers adjourned for the holidays.
If lawmakers don’t act by Jan. 1, payroll taxes will jump almost $20 a week, or $1,000 a year, for a worker earning $50,000, and as much as $82 a week, or $4,272 a year, for a household with two high-paid workers. What’s more, about 6 million people could lose unemployment benefits, and Medicare payments to doctors would be slashed.
“It’s just another smack in our face for the working public. We just can’t get ahead,” said Mike Pryor, a construction worker from Aurora, Ill. “It seems like everything that Congress is doing is always against us … I mean, I’m at a loss for words, and I just can’t understand it, why they have to keep arguing.”
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North Korea dubs young Kim ‘outstanding leader;’ US, South Korea say handover smooth so far
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — The handover of power in North Korea to Kim Jong Il’s young son appeared to be going smoothly Thursday, with official media calling him the “outstanding leader” and no outward unrest in the capital or troop movements along its borders.
Foreign governments have focused intense scrutiny on North Korea since Kim’s death was announced Monday because of concerns over his untested heir’s rise in a country with a nuclear program, 1.2-million strong military and a history deep animosity toward its neighbors.
But the capital remained a scene of mourning — not protest — on Thursday. U.S. and South Korean military officials said there had been no unusual military movements by the North Koreans in recent days.
“This appears to be a relatively smooth transition on the peninsula, and we hope it stays that way,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in Washington, adding that there has been no increase in force protection levels for U.S. troops in South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sought to assure Pyongyang that his country was “not hostile,” despite putting its front-line troops on alert since Kim’s death was announced.
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Medvedev says government won’t allow ‘provocateurs and extremists’ to upset Russian stability
MOSCOW (AP) — President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday responded to the wave of protests over fraud-tainted election, proposing a set of reforms to liberalize Russia’s political system, but sternly warning that the government won’t allow “provocateurs and extremists” to threaten stability.
Medvedev said in his state-of-the nation address that Russia “needs democracy, not chaos” and that the government would strongly resist foreign pressure.
The statement follows massive rallies against fraud in the Dec. 4 vote, in which the main Kremlin party, United Russia, lost a quarter of its seats. Opposition leaders and independent election monitors said United Russia only managed to retain its majority by fraud.
A rally in Moscow drew tens of thousands demanding a repeat vote and punishment for the officials involved in fraud, the largest show of discontent since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Another massive rally is set for this weekend.
The protests dented the power of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and signaled that his bid to reclaim the presidency in next March’s election may not be as trouble-free as had been thought.
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Paying for slow campaign start, Gingrich spends precious time to get on Va.’s March ballot
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Newt Gingrich is frantically playing catch-up in the Republican presidential race, spending precious time trying to get on Virginia’s primary ballot while his rivals campaign in crucial Iowa and New Hampshire.
The former House speaker is paying a price for his late start in organizing. Gingrich had to leave New Hampshire on Wednesday and race to Virginia, where he needs 10,000 valid voters’ signatures by Thursday to secure a spot on the March 6 ballot.
Virginia is an afterthought for most campaigns at this early stage. They are intensely focused on the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses and the Jan. 10 New Hampshire primary, which will be followed by primaries in South Carolina and Florida.
But Gingrich’s early-December rise in several polls gave him renewed hopes of carrying his campaign deep into the primary season. Failure to compete in Virginia, which is among the “Super Tuesday” primaries, would deal a huge blow to any contender who had not locked up the nomination by then.
Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning congressman from Texas, want to knock Gingrich out long before Virginia. Their campaigns and allied groups are saturating the Iowa airwaves with anti-Gingrich ads.
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AP Exclusive: Problems found before New Zealand ship crash raise questions on foreign flags
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When an Australian ship inspector took a close look at a metal pin securing cargo on the Rena, he realized it wasn’t an original. It was too thin and had no tab to keep it from falling out. Then he discovered that cleats securing the hatch could be removed with a single finger.
Those were just two of 17 safety problems Tim Jordan and other inspectors found when the cargo ship docked in western Australia in July. Someone had tampered with an alarm. The navigation manuals were out of date. The data recorder was still wrapped in its canvas.
The violations are described in records obtained by The Associated Press under Australian freedom of information laws. Inspection reports, emails and faxes tell the story of how Australia impounded the Greek-owned vessel, which like many ships is registered in Liberia, but then released it the next day after Liberian maritime authorities intervened, essentially saying the ship was safe to sail and the problems could be fixed later.
On a calm night 10 weeks later, the Rena ran full-steam into a well-charted reef off the coast of New Zealand. It spilled 400 tons of oil, killing 2,000 sea birds and fouling pristine beaches in the country’s worst-ever maritime environmental disaster. In the two months since then, 89 cargo containers have fallen off the still-listing ship, some washing up on beaches 100 miles away.
Whether or not the problems found in July contributed to the navigational error in October or the subsequent loss of cargo, experts say the Australian records paint a picture of an aging ship in poor repair and highlight a dangerous cost-cutting culture under the so-called flag-of-convenience system.
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Maine town holds candlelight vigil for missing toddler as search area expands
WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) — More than 60 people prayed for hope at a candlelight vigil for a missing 20-month-old girl in Maine, as tips poured in and the search was expanded Wednesday to include trails and more waterways.
Fifty trained volunteers from the Maine Search and Rescue Association joined 75 to 80 law enforcement officers already participating in the search for Ayla Reynolds, which entered its fifth day.
“I can tell you, they are working just as hard as if it was their own child,” Waterville City Manager Mike Roy told the group at the vigil at the First Congregational Church, where a photo of a smiling Ayla, a few children’s drawings and stuffed toys contributed by local families formed a centerpiece at the front of the pews.
Residents, many of them mothers with young children, prayed, sang hymns and offered one another support and hope during the service, which was moved indoors because of freezing rain and raw temperatures.
“I want to support the family,” Cori Cote said as she held her 16-month-old daughter before the vigil. “I couldn’t imagine losing my little girl. I want Ayla back safe.”
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Simon Cowell backs Melanie Amaro to win ‘The X Factor’ talent contest
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The X Factor” judges didn’t want to stop listening to Melanie Amaro.
The powerful 19-year-old vocalist from Sunrise, Fla., wowed the Fox talent competition’s panel with her soaring rendition of Beyonce’s “Listen” during Wednesday’s final performance round, prompting head judge Simon Cowell to declare that Amaro should win the show’s grand prize: a $5 million recording contract and a starring role in a Pepsi commercial.
“That wasn’t a $5 million performance,” declared judge L.A. Reid. “That was a $50 million performance.”
The panel also poured praise on the other two finalists: soulful 30-year-old single father Josh Krajcik of Wooster, Ohio, and 28-year-old singer-rapper Chris Rene of Santa Cruz, Calif. Krajcik accompanied himself on guitar for his final performance of “At Last,” while Rene delivered his original tune “Young Homie” with a group of dancers and singers.
“You make everyone fall in love with you,” judge Paula Abdul told Rene.
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Former Warriors employee sues guard Monta Ellis alleging sexual harassment
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A former Golden State Warriors employee filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against star guard Monta Ellis on Wednesday, alleging Ellis sent her unwanted texts that included a photo of his genitals.
In her lawsuit, which also names the team, Erika Ross Smith alleges Ellis began sending her several dozen explicit messages, sometimes several times a day, starting in November 2010 through January while she worked for the team’s community relations department.
The messages included lines such as, “I want to be with you,” and “Hey Sexy,” and periodically asked her what she was wearing or doing, according to the lawsuit.
Smith would often reply with “What do you want?” or “I am sleeping,” the lawsuit claims.
“On a micro level, my client has endured unwanted harassment, has suffered and continues to suffer emotional distress and trauma,” her attorney, Burt Boltuch, said at a news conference in his Oakland office. “On a macro level, this type of conduct, especially in the sports world, must stop.
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