Thursday May 20, 2010
OFF THE SHELVES: Wal-Mart pulls entire jewelry line over cadmium. 6B
Managing Editor: Sherrie Dockery sdockery@hpe.com (336) 888-3539
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6 killed by car bomb south of Baghdad BAGHDAD – A car bomb exploded in front of a restaurant killing six people south of Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraqi officials said, highlighting the fragile nature of Iraq’s security. The bomb in the mixed Sunni-Shiite town comes as the country enters its third month without a new government, raising concerns that violence will rise as political disputes spill out into the streets.
Diplomat: ’Obvious’ North Korea sank ship SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea is clearly responsible for the sinking of a South Korean navy ship and there is sufficient evidence to take the issue to the United Nations, South Korea’s top diplomat said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan’s comments came a day before the release of a report on the incident and are the first by a South Korean official clearly saying North Korea was behind it. Asked later by reporters if North Korea sank the Cheonan, Yu replied, “I think it’s obvious.”
Passengers in cockpit before Kaczynski crash MOSCOW – At least two passengers visited the cockpit of Polish President Lech Kaczynski’s plane before it crashed last month, and others may have chatted on cell phones, possibly affecting navigation as the crew battled heavy fog over challenging terrain. Those were among the details revealed Wednesday by Russian and Polish officials investigating the April 10 crash that killed Kaczynski, his wife and 94 others outside the western Russian city of Smolensk.
Freedom appeals Mothers of 3 detained Americans arrive in Iran TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – The mothers of three jailed Americans brought appeals for their freedom to Iran Wednesday on a mission that could be complicated by diplomatic showdowns over Iran’s nuclear program. The women are scheduled to visit their children – who have been held since July when they were arrested along the Iraqi border – and seek meetings with Iranian officials. Iran’s state-run Press TV said weeklong visas had been granted on an “Islamic humanitarian basis.” Nora Shourd, Cindy Hickey and Laura Fattal wore long black headscarves as they left their flight from Dubai at Tehran’s main international airport south of the capital. They passed through routine customs and passport checks as well being fingerprinted – a requirement imposed on Americans in retaliation for U.S. immigration controls on Iranians.
AP
Laura Fattal (right), mother of Josh Fattal, Nora Shourd (center), mother of Sarah Shourd and Cindy Hickey, mother of Shane Bauer, arrive at the Imam Khomeini airport outside Tehran, Iran, Wednesday. They were met by envoys from the Swiss Embassy, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, and taken in embassy vehicles from the airport.
Iran rejects UN sanctions resolution draft TEHRAN, Iran – Iran on Wednesday dismissed as “illegitimate” a draft U.N. Security Council resolution seeking to impose harsher sanctions against Tehran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. Mojtaba Hashemi Samareh, a top adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the draft proposed by the U.S. was a reactionary response to a deal in which Iran agreed to ship much of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey.
Kyrgyzstan declares state of emergency BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – Several thousand people tried to storm a university in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday in a burst of ethnic violence that left at least 2 people dead and more than 70 wounded, prompting the interim government to call a local state of emergency. Witnesses in the southern town of Jalal-Abad said thousands of ethnic Kyrgyz advanced on the private university that serves as the center of the minority Uzbek community.
AP
An armored personnel carrier gets inside an anti-government protesters’ camp at Lumpini park in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday.
Bangkok in flames after army storms camp BANGKOK – Buildings blazed across central Bangkok early today, torched by rioters after army troops routed anti-government protesters to end a two-month siege. The government quelled most of the violence in Bangkok but not the underlying political divisions that caused it, and unrest spread to northern parts of Thailand. At least six people were killed in clashes that followed the army’s storming of the protest camp Wednesday.
Anger prompts Pakistan to block Facebook LAHORE, Pakistan – Pakistan’s government ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook on Wednesday amid anger over a page that encourages users to post images of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The page on the social networking site has generated criticism in Pakistan and elsewhere because Islam prohibits any images of the prophet. The government took action after a group of Islamic lawyers won a court order Wednesday requiring officials to block Facebook until May 31.
1,500 Haitians to be evicted from property NASSAU, Bahamas – An estimated 1,500 Haitians are to be evicted from a cluster of overcrowded shacks on a Bahamian island east of Miami, leaving residents and the government to wonder where the community will settle next. Eviction notices were issued because a new owner took over the 5-acre property on Abaco Island that has housed the Haitian community for more than 30 years. ENTERPRISE NEWS SERVICE REPORTS
Taliban attack key base in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Taliban insurgents armed with rockets, grenades and suicide vests stormed the giant U.S.run Bagram Air Field before dawn Wednesday, triggering an eight-hour firefight that killed an American contractor and at least 10 attackers and wounded nine U.S. service members. As troops and contractors huddled in secure bunkers, the militants fired their weapons over American defenses into the base, according to Maj. Virginia McCabe, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces at Bagram. White smoke could be seen rising from the garrison as
US, Cuba hold talks on oil spill HAVANA (AP) – U.S and Cuban officials are holding “working level” talks on how to respond to the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill that is believed to be dumping some 5,000 barrels of crude a day into the Gulf of Mexico, two State Department officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The talks add to signs of concern that strong currents could carry the slick far from the site of the spill, possibly threatening the Florida Keys and the pristine white beaches along Cuba’s northern coast. They are also a rare moment of cooperation between two countries locked in conflict for more than half a century. “I can confirm that they are ongoing and going on at the working level,” State Department Spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters in Washington.
U.S. attack helicopters whirred overhead. It was the second major Taliban assault in the Kabul area in as many days, breaking a nearly three-month lull in insurgent attacks around the Afghan capital. Eighteen people, including five U.S. soldiers and a Canadian colonel, were killed Tuesday in a suicide car bombing in Kabul. Those brazen assaults underscore the militants’ ability to strike at the heart of the U.S.-led mission and appear part of a new Taliban offensive against NATO forces, foreign diplomats, contractors and Afghan government officials.
“We are here to visit our children that we haven’t seen for 10 months. We miss them very much,” said Shourd before bursting into tears.
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Savor the Classics at River Landing
Classic Car Show and Open House Saturday, May 22nd from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Join us for a showing of 50 classic cars, children’s entertainment, hot dogs off the grill, and much more! Featuring DJ Allen Jeffries with Goodtimes Music and Audio
TOURS ARE AVAILABLE! 1575 John Knox Drive, Colfax, NC 27235 Off Sandy Ridge Road (2 miles South of the Farmer’s Market)