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International:
Darfur war crimes indictment threatens to split international community
Britain, France and the US are up against a united front of African and Muslim countries, backed by China and Russia, over the imminent indictment of Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur.
Diplomatic sources said yesterday that a pre-trial panel of three judges at the international criminal court (ICC) in The Hague was expected to authorise an arrest warrant within the next two weeks. Bashir will be the first head of state to be charged by the ICC since it was founded in 2002.
Hunt intensifies for Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic
Western intelligence agencies have stepped up the hunt for Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general wanted for war crimes, by sending officials to Belgrade to work directly with their Serbian counterparts, Serbia's foreign minister said today.
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Mladic is wanted for genocide for the killing of Bosnian Muslims in the 1992-95 war. His capture is the biggest remaining step to Serbia becoming a candidate member of the European Union. It is hoping to apply for membership this year, but the Netherlands is arguing the application should not be considered until Mladic is handed over to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Pakistan Agrees to Islamic Law in Violent Region
Pakistani authorities said Monday that they had accepted a deal to allow a legal system compatible with the Islamic legal code in the violent Swat region as part of a truce with Taliban militants who have virtually annexed the area, less than 100 miles from the capital.
Critics of the accord called it a capitulation by a government and a military desperate to stanch six months of fighting in Swat, where 3,000 Taliban militants have kept 12,000 government troops at bay and terrorized the local population.
Pakistani government officials insisted, however, that the truce with the Taliban and the legal changes were consistent with Pakistan’s Constitution and presented no threat to the integrity of the nation.
8 Pilgrims Killed in 2 Baghdad Blasts
BAGHDAD — Eight Iraqis, all of them Shiite pilgrims returning from the holy city of Karbala, were killed in two separate roadside bombings in Baghdad on Monday, security officials and witnesses said.
In the first attack, which took place in the morning, 4 people were killed and 10 wounded when their minibus hit a bomb planted near the busy Hamza Square on the edge of the predominantly Shiite district of Sadr City.
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In an almost identical attack in the afternoon, 4 people were killed and 13 wounded when a minibus hit a bomb planted on the main road in the impoverished and mainly Shiite neighborhood of Al Obeidi in northeastern Baghdad.
Clashes exacerbate strike in French Caribbean
FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique – Strikes that have nearly frozen everyday life on France's Caribbean islands burst into clashes on Monday as police battled protesters angry at high prices and resentful of a tiny white elite on lands better known for beach-side vacations.
Police detained about 50 people after coming under a barrage of stones as they tried to take down barricades on the island of Guadeloupe, said Nicolas Desforges, the island's top government official.
Strikers were sprayed with tear gas and several, including union leader Alex Lollia, were injured, France's leftist NPA party said in a statement.
Cambodia set for first Khmer Rouge leader trial
PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal is to open the first trial of a Khmer Rouge leader Tuesday, bringing the regime's chief torturer to justice for the "Killing Fields" atrocities 30 years ago.
Former maths teacher Kaing Guek Eav -- better known as Duch -- will attend an initial hearing into charges that he ran the main prison centre for the hardline-communist regime which killed up to two million people.
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The 66-year-old Duch was indicted last year for allegedly personally overseeing the torture and extermination of more than 12,000 men, women and children when he headed the prison, built in a former high school.
Chavez hails Venezuela vote; win slammed by rivals
CARACAS (Reuters) - Hugo Chavez and his supporters celebrated an election victory that allows him to seek another term as president in polarized Venezuela, as opponents complained on Monday that his use of state funds had made the campaign unfair.
Chavez, who has been in power for 10 years and vows to rule for decades, pledged to repay his poor backers for Sunday's victory by combating their No. 1 concern -- crime that has given the OPEC nation one of the world's worst murder rates.
National:
US calls for treaty on mercury reduction
NAIROBI, Kenya – The Obama administration reversed years of U.S. policy Monday by calling for a treaty to cut mercury pollution, which it described as the world's gravest chemical problem.
Some 6,000 tons of mercury enter the environment each year, about a third generated by power stations and coal fires. Much settles into the oceans where it enters the food chain and is concentrated in predatory fish like tuna.
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Daniel Reifsnyder, the deputy assistant secretary of state for environment and sustainable development, told a global gathering of environmental ministers in Nairobi, Kenya, that the U.S wants negotiations on limiting mercury to begin this year and conclude within three.
Calif. lawmakers seek 1 vote to pass budget fix
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California lawmakers on Monday were locked in a frustrating search for one more vote to approve a $42 billion budget-balancing plan state leaders say is needed to stave off fiscal disaster.
The stalled effort prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make good on an earlier promise to begin the layoff process for thousands of state workers, though under the state's process it would take months for anyone to actually be laid off.
Lawmakers were in session for a state-record 30 hours before disbanding Sunday night, with many of them looking haggard and worn out after a futile attempt to secure the necessary votes. They regrouped Monday, but the expected budget votes kept getting pushed back.
Texas Lawmaker Moves to Impeach Appeals Judge
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A Texas lawmaker is trying to impeach a judge on the state's highest criminal appeals court for what he calls ''neglect of duty'' in a death penalty case.
Rep. Lon Burnam filed a resolution Monday seeking to start the process against Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sharon Keller.
Keller refused to keep the court offices open after 5 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2007, when attorneys for Michael Richard said computer problems were delaying their efforts to file late appeals of his death sentence.
Richard was executed that night by lethal injection for the rape and murder of a Houston-area woman.
NM Gov. Reconsiders Death Penalty
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Monday he has softened his stance on the death penalty and may sign a repeal bill if it reaches his desk.
The Legislature is considering a measure that would abolish capital punishment and replace it with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Richardson said he would have vetoed such a bill just a few years ago.
Storm Dumps Rain, Snow on California, Closing I-5
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A winter storm blanketed California with heavy rain and snow on Monday, forcing the closure of a major highway and the cancellation of the final round of a national golf tournament.
The storm stretched from the Mexican border up to Oregon and Washington and was expected to last through Tuesday afternoon, said Stan Wasowski, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego. He said rain clouds extended several hundred miles off the Pacific coast.
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In Northern California, a flood advisory was issued for the San Francisco Bay area and a flash flood watch was in effect for much of California's central coast, where flooded greens forced the cancellation of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am's final round.
Boycott by Science Group Over Louisiana Law Seen as Door to Teaching Creationism
NEW ORLEANS — A leading scientific group has announced its intention to boycott Louisiana because of a new state law that could open the door to teaching creationism in the public schools.
The measure, signed into law last summer by Gov. Bobby Jindal, allows teachers to “use supplemental textbooks” in the classroom to “help students critique and review scientific theories.”
A leading Christian conservative group here, the Louisiana Family Forum, championed the law; a member proposed the bill to its legislative sponsor.
Scientists denounced the law as a back-door effort to sneak creationism into the classrooms.
Burris: Feds' questions didn't prompt admissions
CHICAGO – Sen. Roland Burris insisted Monday that a newly released affidavit outlining contacts with ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother and other advisers was voluntary and not the result of contact from federal agents investigating the former governor.
"It was done because we promised the (impeachment) committee we would supplement information in case we missed anything," Burris said Monday before embarking on trip to talk with constituents. "End of story."
Burris released an affidavit over the weekend in which he admitted Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before Blagojevich appointed Burris to the Senate.
1 Mo. soldier dead of meningitis; 1 seriously ill
ST. LOUIS – One soldier is dead of meningitis at Fort Leonard Wood and a second is "very seriously ill," according to officials at the Army base in southern Missouri.
Fort Leonard Wood officials announced the cases in a news release Sunday but released few details and did not identify either infected soldier. A media spokesman at the base on Monday said there was no additional information other than what was in the release.
Meningitis, an infection of the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain, kills about 300 people in the U.S. each year.
Showdown set in Polanski case; he won't be there
LOS ANGELES – After months of legal maneuvers, it's time for the much anticipated courtroom showdown on director Roman Polanski's effort to have a 31-year-old sex prosecution against him dismissed.
Polanski's campaign to clear himself of fugitive status was sparked by an HBO documentary film, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," which disclosed new information about actions by the now deceased judge who presided over his case, a scenario that his lawyers say amounted to misconduct.
But the central issue in Tuesday's hearing will not be the allegations of misconduct but rather the question of whether Polanski's case can be heard without his presence.
No pot charge for swimmer Phelps after photo
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Now that Michael Phelps won't face drug charges, he can try to distance himself from a photo that showed the Olympian smoking a marijuana pipe.
A South Carolina sheriff decided Monday after a highly publicized investigation that he simply didn't have enough physical evidence to charge the 14-time gold medalist.
"We had a photo and we had him saying he was sorry for his inappropriate behavior. That behavior could've been going to a party," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.
Economy:
G.M. Presses Union for Cuts in Health Care
DETROIT — With its access to a government lifeline possibly at risk, General Motors executives were locked in intense negotiations Monday with leaders of the United Automobile Workers over ways to cut its vast bills for retiree health care.
G.M. will file what is expected to be the largest restructuring plan of its 100-year history on Tuesday, a step it must take to justify its use of a $13.4 billion loan package from the federal government.
The plan will outline in considerable detail, over as many as 900 pages, how G.M. will further cut its work force, shutter more factories in North America and reduce its lineup of brands to just four, from eight, according to executives knowledgeable about its contents. The remaining core brands will be Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick.
Trump Unit Considers Chapter 11
Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., Donald Trump's casino group, is expected to file Tuesday morning for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, said several people familiar with the matter.
The company's board was scheduled to meet late Monday night to decide whether to authorize the filing, these people said, adding that the Atlantic City, N.J., casino operator would otherwise be forced into bankruptcy involuntarily by creditors.
Such a filing would mark the third appearance in bankruptcy court for Trump Entertainment, which most recently emerged from bankruptcy proceedings in 2005.
Dollar climbs vs yen after fin min says to resign
TOKYO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The dollar rose against the yen on Tuesday after Japan's finance minister said he would resign, following criticism of his behaviour at a weekend G7 news conference in Rome.
Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who denied being drunk at the news conference, said he intended to resign after the government's budget is passed by the lower house of parliament.
Nearly 800 jobs axed at Delphi's steering division
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Nearly 800 jobs are being eliminated at the steering division of Delphi Corp. near Saginaw, Mich.
The cuts announced Monday are hitting 425 hourly workers and 350 employees who are on salary at the Delphi complex in Buena Vista Township. They will kick in March 1.
Lloyds facing further writeoffs as HBOS loan losses mount
Lloyds could be forced to write off a further swath of loans made by HBOS to hundreds of companies, after figures showed many of the loans are worth only a fraction of their original value.
The troubled bank has made huge loans to commercial property developers, hotel chains and leisure companies, and is expected to wipe hundreds of millions of pounds off the value of its loan book, in addition to the £10bn Lloyds struck off its balance sheet last week, as the economy worsens and many of the businesses that borrowed money go bust.
Analysts blamed the bank for expanding its lending at the height of the credit boom, leaving it over-exposed to commercial businesses that could go under in a prolonged downturn. Between the end of 2005 and December 2007, its corporate lending jumped from £79bn to £109bn, backing deals including the £350m acquisition of the cinema chain Vue Entertainment in 2006 and a management buyout of the shirt retailer TM Lewin & Sons.
Asian markets fall as Japan's recession deepens
HONG KONG – Most Asian stock markets fell Monday, as new figures showed Japan's economy contracted at its quickest pace in 35 years and Group of Seven finance ministers warned the global slump will drag on through most of the year. European shares opened lower.
Japan's worse-than-expected fourth quarter GDP numbers were a sobering reminder of the toll on Asia's export-driven economies as world demand collapses amid the worst slump in decades. The world's second-biggest economy shrank 3.3 percent from the previous quarter, or at an annual pace of 12.7 percent.
Etc.:
Another Amphibian at Risk: Salamanders
It isn’t easy being an amphibian these days. Perhaps one-third of amphibian species are thought to be threatened or endangered. Among these are many frog species that have suffered sharp declines in recent years, victims of a fungal disease, chytridiomycosis.
Less attention has been paid to the situation with salamanders, but a report in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that they, too, are a large part of what has been called the global amphibian crisis.
Police in Conn. shoot chimp after it attacks woman
A 200-pound chimpanzee kept as a pet and once used in commercials was shot and killed by police Monday after it mauled a woman visiting its owner and later cornered an officer in his cruiser, authorities said.
Stamford police Lt. Richard Conklin said the injured woman was hospitalized late Monday in "very serious" condition at Stamford Hospital; her identity was not immediately released. Conklin said she suffered "a tremendous loss of blood" from serious facial injuries.
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Police said they had no idea why the chimpanzee, named Travis, attacked the woman as she got out of her car to visit the animal's owner, Sandra Herold. Conklin said Herold wrestled with the animal, then ran inside to call 911.
Study: 'Astonishing richness' in polar sea species
AP – BANGKOK, Thailand – The polar oceans are not biological deserts after all. A marine census released Monday documented 7,500 species in the Antarctic and 5,500 in the Arctic, including several hundred that researchers believe could be new to science.
"The textbooks have said there is less diversity at the poles than the tropics, but we found astonishing richness of marine life in the Antarctic and Arctic oceans," said Victoria Wadley, a researcher from the Australian Antarctic Division who took part in the Antarctic survey. "We are rewriting the textbooks."
In one of the biggest surprises, researchers said they discovered dozens of species common to both polar seas — separated by nearly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers). Now they have to figure out how they separated.
Detecting Brain Injuries in Salmon From Hydroelectric Dams
The journey of an adult salmon upstream on its way to spawn is not an easy one, but the downstream swim for the juvenile fish is no picnic, either. On rivers with flood-control and hydroelectric dams, like many in the Pacific Northwest, the young salmon are buffeted, subject to sharp pressure changes and otherwise knocked around as they pass through spillways, tunnels and power-generating turbines.
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They found that by comparing amounts of intact protein to amounts of breakdown products, an assessment of brain damage could be made. This assessment correlated well with sensor data on conditions that the fish encountered while traveling through the dam.
Robbers steal $300,000 of dog jewelry at Parker Starbucks
Three masked robbers ripped off $300,000 worth of dog jewelry from a salesman in Parker today.
The 64-year-old Kansas independent dog jewelry salesman, who was in the Denver area for a dog show, stopped for coffee at a Starbucks, 9700 S. Parker Road, and had just returned to his car, said Parker police spokeswoman Elise Penington.
Suddenly, the trio of masked men appeared, one brandishing a gun, Penington said.
The bandits took three "tubs" of jewelry and a briefcase containing the salesman's handgun, she said. A description of the type of jewelry was not immediately available.
Pill Could Erase Bad Memories
Scientists have discovered a drug that could erase fearful memories in humans.
The method, using existing blood pressure pills, could be useful for weakening or erasing bad memories in people with post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers say.
Unfortunately, other research has shown, bad memories stick better than good ones.
Studies in animal models have shown that fearful memories sometimes change when recalled, a process known as reconsolidation, and that this reconsolidation stage is vulnerable to the blood pressure drugs, called beta-adrenergic receptor blockers.
If You’re Nervous, Deodorant Makers Have a Product for You
IT is a recurring motif in deodorant advertisements that no matter how stressful the situation — sprinting to jump onto the ferry as it pulls away from the dock, pointing to a chart during the big sales presentation — the product keeps you dry and fresh.
So it is perhaps fitting that even as everyone else is sweating bullets during this economic downturn, major deodorant brands are actually experiencing a bump in sales, thanks to recent introductions of stronger “clinical” formulations, which can cost more than twice as much as conventional deodorants.
An article in the Dec. 1 issue of the trade magazine Supermarket News reported that although the antiperspirant industry had stagnant growth in the last decade, clinical-strength antiperspirants were “exuding the sweet smell of success.”