Neon

Palin: Obama administration mishandling terrorism

2012-03-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin says the recent attempted bombing of an airliner on Christmas Day was evidence that the Obama administration doesn't understand the war on terror.

She told the "tea party" convention Saturday that questioning the suspect for 50 minutes and then reading him his constitutional right to a lawyer is not the way to treat an alleged terrorist. …

Gaming cash pays off Gambling lobby gives heavily to pols

2012-03-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

SPRINGFIELD Gambling interests that pushed for a casino inRosemont and for the reopening of Arlington International Racecoursefattened the political war chests of Gov. Ryan and the toplegislative Republicans by $161,900. The top Democratic leadersshared $17,500.

The figures, compiled from recently filed state campaign records,offer a glimpse of how the state's gambling barons successfullyushered in the first major change to state gaming laws in nearly …

UN condemns Nepal's murder-suspect minister

2012-03-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The United Nations has condemned Nepal's appointment of a former communist rebel commander as information minister while he is still a suspect in a kidnapping and murder case.

The world body said Friday that Nepal's government broke commitments to investigate human rights abuses during the country's decades-long civil war by appointing Agni Sapkota as minister of information and communications despite the open case against him.

Sapkota says he is innocent in the 2005 abduction and killing of a man in Kavre district, just east of Katmandu, in a crime blamed on the Maoist rebels.

Police opened a criminal case three years later — after a U.N.-brokered …

Israel attorney general won't back funding limits

2012-03-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's attorney general has said that controversial bills that would sharply restrict funding for dovish groups are starkly unconstitutional.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not be able to defend the bills in court, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The bills "do grave damage to a string of constitutional rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and equal rights," said the letter sent to the prime minister's office last week.

The bills, approved last month by a ministerial committee, would limit annual donations to a single group by foreign …

Accused of shoplifting

2012-03-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

TWO men accused of stealing laptops worth Pounds 1,100 andcomputer cables from two Carmarthen shops have appeared before townmagistrates.

The pair both denied two charges of theft, which allegedly tookplace at PC World and The Sony Centre on November 2. Appearing incourt in Carmarthen on Wednesday were Jonathan Evans, aged 39, ofCrosslet Place, Cardiff and Stephen John Pugsley, aged 48, of …

Raccoon Back on the Menu at Fundraiser

2012-03-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

HIBERNIA, Ind. - After a four-year absence, raccoon is back on the menu for the Hibernia Community Building's annual fundraiser. LaVeran Lorenz, 86, has agreed to resume cooking duties for the March 24 event - with a little help with the cleaning. "It's not like cleaning a chicken, I'll tell you that," said Dina Woods, one of Lorenz's neighbors who agreed to learn how to clean raccoons for cooking.

Allus Franklin and other hunters in the town on Hibernia Road off Indiana 62 about 20 miles north of Louisville, Ky., have bagged 103 raccoons for the event. "When they told us, we'd already caught 40," he said.

"It's the biggest day in Hibernia, I think," Woods said.

…

Ford to cut $10B in debt with cash, equity offer

2012-03-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Ford Motor Co. took another step to stay cost-competitive with government-financed automakers General Motors and Chrysler when it offered to exchange up to 40 percent of its debt for cash and stock.

The company and its financial arm are putting up $2.2 billion in cash to entice holders of $10.4 billion in convertible notes, other unsecured debt and secured term debt to take the offer. The company said Wednesday that reducing the debt will cut the amount it pays in interest and put it in better position to compete with General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.

"This is all part of a restructuring plan to make the company healthier in the end," said Ford …

Henry Johnson doesn't want any labels put on his music

2012-03-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

`Music is an art form that is supposed to move you one way oranother," said Chicago's Henry Johnson. "Labels like jazz and bluesand rock 'n' roll are meaningless. I don't care who's singing orwho's playing. It's either good or it's bad."

Johnson, accused by some jazz purists of being influenced toomuch by his gospel roots, said he doesn't see why musicians have tofollow any one format.

"Critics are entitled to their opinions," he said. "But don'ttell me that what I'm recording is `wrong' because it doesn't fitneatly into one category. I make music to make people happy. And ifI achieve that goal, then I think I'm doing an OK job."

Johnson can be heard …

Hilton, Richie Reunite for 'Simple Life'

2012-03-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are reunited. And the producer of "The Simple Life" says it feels so good. After a yearlong public feud that nearly killed the reality show that made them famous, Hilton and Richie have agreed to film a fifth chapter of "The Simple Life" together, executive producer Jon Murray told The Associated Press.

"The thing the viewers love is the two girls together," he said. "America, Paris and Nicole are going to camp."

The 25-year-old celebutantes will be camp counselors in the newest "Simple Life" adventure, which is set to begin production next month, Murray said. The show will air on E! next spring, he said.

The show will …

Luca Toni eyeing return to Italy for World Cup

2012-03-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni has nearly recovered from an Achilles' tendon injury and is eyeing a return to Serie A in the hope of being part of Italy's plans for the World Cup.

"My experience in Germany has been positive. I scored 60 goals in two years. But now it would be great to return to Italy," Toni told an Italian radio station on Thursday. "This is the last World Cup I'll have a chance to play in. I won one and I would like to try again."

Toni, who stood out with Palermo and Fiorentina before …

BUSINESS BRIEFS

2012-03-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Factory orders jump Orders for costly manufactured goods staged abroad-based surge in July, the Commerce Department reported,surprising financial markets and raising questions as to whether theeconomy is indeed slowing, as analysts had thought. Orders forcostly durable goods, ranging from communications equipment tocomputers, climbed 1.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted$172.7 billion after a revised 0.2 percent fall in June and a robust4.2 percent May increase. The report renewed inflation worries andsent bond prices sharply lower. The 30-year Treasury bond fell 1 1/4points, sending its yield climbing to 6.95 percent from 6.83 percentlate Thursday. The decline in the …

Meena Lee takes 2-shot lead at Women's British

2012-03-14T04:08:00.000-07:00

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) — Meena Lee overcame wet conditions to shoot a 7-under 65 on Thursday for a two-shot lead after the first round of the Women's British Open.

The South Korean had seven birdies and no bogeys in her round played mainly in a heavy afternoon downpour.

"I like links golf. It's very different to what we play on the LPGA Tour and I really enjoyed it today, despite the weather," Lee said.

Two strokes back was American Brittany Lincicome, who started her round in good conditions early in the morning and set the early pace with a 5-under 67.

Among a group at 68 were American Angela Stanford, South Korea's Amy Yang, Germany's Caroline Masson and …

Johnson Controls to cut jobs, close 10 plants

2012-03-14T01:16:00.000-07:00

Johnson Controls Inc. said Friday it will cut jobs and close 10 manufacturing plants as part of a restructuring effort that it said will cost between $200 million and $215 million.

The company, whose products include automotive parts, batteries and building systems, did not say how many employees will be affected or which plants it will close. A company spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment early Friday.

The announcement marks the second recent restructuring effort at Johnson Controls, which has been hit hard by the downturn in global vehicle production. In September, the company announced a $495 million program of plant closures and job cuts, which it said is now two-thirds complete.

Johnson Controls said it expects the most recent restructuring effort to be complete by 2010. The company, which posted a $608 million fiscal first-quarter loss in January, said it expects to return to profitability by the second half of its fiscal year ending September.

It said it does not foresee any further restructuring efforts.

"While we don't expect near-term recoveries in our markets, we believe we can manage through this environment from a position of strength," Johnson Controls Chief Executive Stephen Roell said in a statement.

The company said 80 percent of the restructuring charges announced Friday will affect the company's automotive segment. It said will take the charges in its second fiscal quarter, which ends on Tuesday, and report earnings for the quarter April 21.

Shares of Johnson Controls fell 36 cents, or 2.8 percent, to close at $12.54 Friday.

LG Electronics replaces CEO over profit slump

2012-03-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's LG Electronics, the world's third-biggest maker of mobile phones, said its chief executive will be replaced by the brother of the LG Group's chairman after record losses at its handset business.

Koo Bon-joon, the younger brother of LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo, will replace Nam Yong, who offered to resign from the top job at a board of director's meeting on Friday to take responsibility for poor management, LG Group said in a statement.

LG Electronics is the LG Group's flagship business and its chief is considered no. 2 in rank after the group chairman. Nam, 62, who has held the CEO post for four years, will remain in the job until a March stockholders meeting, where Koo will be officially appointed.

"Nam Yong offered to resign as CEO to take responsibility for the flagging performance and pave the way for a new CEO to prepare for the coming year and beyond," the statement said.

In July, the Seoul-based LG Electronics said second-quarter operating profit — seen as a direct indicator of business performance — plunged 90 percent to 126 billion won from a record high of 1.24 trillion won the year before. The handset business suffered an operating loss of 120 billion won compared with a profit of 620 billion won the year before.

Koo, 59, has served as executive officer in various subsidiaries of LG Group, most recently as vice chairman of LG International.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: AN ELUSIVE SPHERE

2012-03-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

Of all the "spheres" that we deal with in BAMS, the "cryosphere" may be the most nebulous. Certainly, it is the least spherical, geometrically and geographically: it encompasses a very disparate set of environments and places. The cryosphere is also home to some of geophysics' most intriguing and important paradoxes; for instance, the fact that water gets denser as it gets colder-until it gets cold enough to float and freeze. Or that a warming world might actually increase snow and glaciers, in places, because of increasing precipitation. People celebrate biodiversity, but there is also a kind of "cryodiversity" that makes this planet what it is.

The word cryosphere itself is rarely shared with the public, however; it sounds cool but doesn't mean cool to most people-that may explain why the online game at Cryosphere.net is about space stations and not snow and ice. Yet all over the world the real cryosphere has been news of late, as much for its amorphousness as for any other of its elusive properties. Initially this year a Long Island-sized iceberg drifted toward a major collision with part of the Antarctic sheet and for a while captured media attention as a cataclysmic sign of global warming, or at least as an epic demolition derby.

Less startling have been the snowbound travelers or the newsworthy cryospheric activity threatening citrus in Florida and tractionless drivers in Las Vegas, Nevada, of all places. And during the spate of wet weather in the West, many eyes were diverted from deadly mudslides to the status of long-term drought, epitomized by the replenishment of the Sierra snowpack.

On its Web site, the National Snow and Ice Data Center makes clear that the cryosphere in this part of the globe is declining (now, per decade, about 3% less annual snow and polar sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere). The recent Arctic Climate Impact Assessment discusses many changes in the cryosphere, including the melting of permafrost. The changes in the Arctic tend to dwarf subtle climatic trends elsewhere, which means the cryosphere seems to bear the brunt of warming of the global system.

However, there's much confusion in the public's mind about this eroding cryosphere-the difference between ice extent and thickness, for instance, or the relationship between regional and global trends. Perhaps local vegetation and land-use changes are reducing snow cover? In this issue, Philip Mote and colleagues look at the decline of mountain snows across the American West and conclude that climate warming is indeed "the dominant factor."

Studies like this will eventually help people get past the geographic discontinuities, the multiple forms, and the complex sensitivities of the cryosphere. It is elusive by nature; we seem to be making it more elusive than ever.

[Author Affiliation]

Jeff Rosenfeld, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

dâAvossa, Giuseppe

2012-03-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

d'Avossa, Giuseppe

d'Avossa, Giuseppe, Italian composer; b. Paola, Calabria, 1708; d. Naples, Jan. 9, 1796. He studied with Gaetano Greco and Francesco Durante in Naples, and later held the position of maestro di cappella at S. Maria Verticelli, Naples, and at Pesaro, where he also conducted the orch. of the municipal theater. He wrote 4 operas, the most popular being La Pupilla (Naples, Carnival 1763), and much sacred music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Subprime mortgage crisis extends well beyond U.S. shores

2012-03-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Guest Editorial

With news of lending giant UBS taking a $10-billion hit as a result of the U.S. subprime mortgage meltdown hanging in the air earlier this month, the National Urban League joined a coalition of civil rights groups, labor unions and housing activists on Wall Street to trumpet the cause of millions of Americans struggling with troubling adjustable rate, high interest and/or high cost subprime mortgages.

The rally, interestingly enough, attracted a substantial amount of foreign press - from Japan to Germany to England, demonstrating that the crisis has grown from one of domestic significance to one of global significance. Subprime woes in the United States threaten to cause major disruptions in both domestic and international credit markets as well as throw the U.S. and world economies into a tailspin. But worst of all, they threaten to devastate urban communities, where subprime lending helped millions of hard-working middle class Americans into their own homes for the very first time, propelling homeownership rates, especially among minorities, to historic levels.

Americans have lost jobs, become temporarily disabled, incurred unexpected medical expenses or have been forced to choose between paying the mortgage or repairing the car that transports them to the job that pays the mortgage. It is a vicious cycle exacerbated by inconsistent state laws on mortgage default and foreclosure and inconsistent policies of mortgage lenders and servicing companies in the way they approach delinquent borrowers.

That is exactly why the NUL unveiled its Homebuyer's Bill of Rights earlier this year in the first place. At the Wall Street housing rally on December 10, the NUL also unveiled a new and improved version that includes one more right - The Right to Fair Treatment in case of Default in addition to the six original ones. The NUL believes that, in the case of default, homebuyers struggling with their mortgages should be afforded the following: 1) the opportunity for loan restructuring that includes the conversion to fixed-rate loans for those determined to be onerous; 2) fair and unbiased counseling; and 3) accessibility to reasonable workout plans that promote home preservation to the greatest extent possible and resort to foreclosure when all other options are exhausted.

Moves by lenders to amend their approach to dealing with delinquencies have given hope to some homeowners teetering on the brink of default. That combined with a Bush administration proposal to freeze interest rates for some adjustable rate mortgage holders represent small but promising steps to address the crisis.

U.S. Treasury secretary Henry Paulson played a major role in brokering the agreement with lenders and conceded that it was- "not a silver bullet" but would give the nation a "chance to work through a housing cycle."

Paulson assumes that an improved housing market in five years will enable borrowers struggling to make payments to sell their homes off at a profit than not. But we need more than good intentions from our leaders. What we need is a giant leap forward to keep the subprime cancer from spreading to other parts of the U.S. economy and elsewhere.

We'd be fools to assume that the subprime fiasco is an isolated and contained situation. Just ask the foreign press. There's a reason why the rest of the world is watching what happens here.

[Author Affiliation]

Marc H. Mortal is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

More trouble for 'You Light Up My Life' songwriter

2012-03-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — More sour notes have hit the "You Light Up My Life" songwriter accused of molesting 13 women lured to his New York City apartment for supposed acting auditions.

Prosecutors said Friday they plan to seek testimony from at least 12 more women who say they've been molested by Joseph Brooks. For various legal reasons, their cases won't be added to his indictment.

Brooks has pleaded not guilty to predatory sexual assault and other charges. His lawyer said he believes other women can testify that Brooks invited them for auditions and nothing happened. His trial date has not been set.

The composer's son, Nicholas Brooks, has pleaded not guilty in the death of a swimsuit designer who was found strangled and drowned in a bathtub at the trendy Soho House hotel.

Dead chickens, rotting fish left in man's room

2012-03-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

New Haven housing officials are trying to figure out why someone left slaughtered chickens on a man's bed and put rotting fish under it. Police said the dead animals were found in a man's room at housing located on Lombard Street earlier this week.

Philip Elliott had rented one of three bedrooms on the second floor of the house for $150 a week, and he and tenants in the other rooms shared the kitchen and bathroom.

Police said one of his roommates woke up Monday and smelled a vile odor. The building superintendent went upstairs and found three dead chickens on the bed and blood splattered on the floor.

Fish were found under the bed and later in the closet.

___

Information from: New Haven Register, http://www.nhregister.com

73-year-old Scottish man dies of swine flu

2012-03-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

Health officials in Scotland say a 73-year-old man infected with swine flu has died at a hospital outside Glasgow.

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon says the man also had other underlying serious health problems. He died at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley on Saturday night.

Sturgeon says the man's family have asked for his identity to be kept private.

A 38-year-woman died of swine flu in Scotland earlier this month _ her death was the first reported case of a swine flu fatality outside the Americas.

There have been 4,323 confirmed cases of swine flu in Britain.

FBI searched agency used by 2 missing men

2012-03-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

The FBI has searched a Minneapolis travel agency where a member of the Somali community says two young men went for tickets to leave the country.

FBI spokesman E.K. Wilson says agents searched Amana Travel Agency Wednesday evening. The search is connected to the investigation into who encouraged as many as 20 young Somalis to leave Minnesota to fight alongside terrorists in Somalia.

The search warrant was filed under seal. Wilson said Friday he couldn't elaborate.

Omar Jamal, executive director of Somali Justice Advocacy Center, says once the owner of the travel agency, Ali Mohamud, learned the two men wanted to travel without their parents' consent, he did not issue them tickets or visas.

Information about the search warrant emerged after Mohamud appeared in court Friday on a separate matter.

Poles pick president in final round of voting

2012-03-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

The twin brother of Poland's late president sought to succeed him in office on Sunday in a tight runoff election that will determine how far this former communist country goes in embracing free-market reforms.

Both presidential candidates, Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Bronislaw Komorowski, are former anti-communist activists with conservative, Roman Catholic upbringings. Yet they differ sharply on key issues, primarily the role of the state in the economy.

Komorowski would be expected to smooth the way for the government to continue privatizing state-run companies and trim welfare benefits, while Kaczynski, the late president's identical twin, would likely block such moves.

An election was originally set for the fall but had to be called early to replace President Lech Kaczynski, who died April 10 in a plane crash in western Russia. The crash also killed his wife Maria and 94 others, including many high-ranking military and government officials.

It was the worst tragedy to strike Poland in decades and set a tone for a somber election campaign free of the dirty political maneuvering that often precedes Polish elections. For a vote forced by such a dramatic event, the recent weeks have been strikingly uneventful.

However, the tragedy has reshaped the public image of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who only months ago was one of the country's least popular politicians due to his combative and divisive style. Kaczynski is viewed as the more charismatic candidate, but many Poles remember the chaotic government he led from 2006-2007 and his zealousness in trying to eliminate former communists from public life _ an approach that critics described as a witch hunt.

But in a race between two conservatives and the left-wing vote up for grabs, Kaczynski has set a strikingly new tone, even taking Poles by surprise in recent days when he praised a leader of communist Poland, Edward Gierek, as a "patriot."

Many Kaczynski critics have criticized him for what they view as a cynical campaign strategy.

"I voted for Komorowski for the simple reason that I don't trust people who change suddenly," said Tomasz Adamski, 52, who cast his ballot in Warsaw. "Komorowski is not my ideal but the contrast between these two candidates made me decide to choose Komorowski."

A first round of voting on June 20 ended with no candidate winning an absolute majority, leading to Sunday's runoff between Kaczynski and Komorowski, Poland's acting president and parliament speaker.

More than 30 million of Poland's 38 million citizens are registered to vote. The first exit polls will be released immediately after polls close at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), but official results are not expected until Monday.

Five hours after the polls opened, the state electoral commission said nearly 27 percent of registered voters had cast ballots, higher than expected.

For most of the campaign, Komorowski, a moderate in the governing pro-EU Civic Platform party, has been favored, largely because he is seen as a reliable and conciliatory leader, and because his party steered Poland through the global economic downturn without falling into recession.

But a survey published Friday indicated a rise in support for Kaczynski, whose traditional conservative voter base has been reinforced by sympathy votes following his brother's death and the toning down of his image.

"He is an honest and reliable man, just like his brother was," said Irena Oledzka, 76, one of Sunday's voters. The retired bookkeeper from Warsaw said at a polling station in Warsaw that she did not follow the election campaign because her mind was set on Kaczynski from the start.

Pro-Komorowski voters argued he would ensure smooth cooperation with the government.

"Komorowski ... will guarantee peace in politics but will not be dependent on the government. He will have his own views," said Jan Rostafinski, 61, a lawyer.

Maria Konieczna, a 52-year-old economist, said her vote for Komorowski was in fact a vote against Kaczynski, whom she considers too aggressive.

In the first round of the election, in which 10 candidates competed, Komorowski got 41.5 percent of the votes and Kaczynski 36.5 percent.

Poland's president has many ceremonial duties, but he can also veto laws, and as commander in chief has influence on foreign military operations.

Komorowski has pledged to work closely with the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk to adopt the euro in about five years, end the military mission in Afghanistan in 2012, promote pro-market reforms and keep the Catholic church separate from the state.

Kaczynski has toned down his combative and anti-communist style but kept his conservative views on family life and stressed his Catholicism. A noted euroskeptic, Kaczynski has vowed to fight for more EU funds to help Poland's poor farm regions and is reluctant to set a timetable for the adoption of the euro. Polish businessmen tend to favor the euro, while consumers often express concern that it could raise prices.

Kaczynski is a "responsible man who will care for poor people and will protect them," said Andrzej Urla, a 65-year-old voter in Warsaw.

A telephone poll by Gfk Polonia of 1,000 adults published Friday by the Rzeczpospolita daily gave Kaczynski 49 percent of vote to Komorowski's 47 percent _ within the error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.

Lawyer says Indian court rules disputed Ayodhya holy site to be split among Hindus and Muslims

2012-03-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Lawyer says Indian court rules disputed Ayodhya holy site to be split among Hindus and Muslims.

China: Three Gorges Dam Impact Not That Bad

2012-03-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Chinese officials Thursday denied reports of deadly landslides triggered by the massive Three Gorges Dam, part of an apparent attempt to play down the environmental impact of the giant water management project.

"No one has died, no one has been hurt" in landslides related to the dam, said Tong Chongde, a spokesman for the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee overseeing the dam.

His comments follow a report in the official China Daily newspaper quoting the office's director saying that problems along the dam's 660-kilometer-long (410-mile-long) reservoir were no worse than expected and that no major geological problems had been recorded in the area since water levels rose to 156 meters (512 feet) last year.

"The impact has not gone beyond the scope predicted in a 1991 feasibility report. In some aspects, it is not as severe as predicted," Wang Xiaofeng, director of the central government's Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, was quoted as saying in the state-run China Daily newspaper.

The comments marked a stark reversal from recent warnings by Wang and other officials who said China faced a catastrophe if it failed to stop riverbank erosion and other environmental problems caused by the dam, the world's largest hydropower project.

Wang was earlier quoted in state media telling a seminar in September that China could not afford to "lower our guard against ecological and environmental problems caused by the Three Gorges project."

Asked about the director's views, Tong said they reflected concerns about potential problems, not those actually observed. He said Wang would clarify his comments at a news conference on Tuesday, adding the government was planning a tour to show reporters evidence of the dam's success.

Meanwhile, the government's Xinhua News Agency said there was no evidence of a connection between the dam and a nearby landslide close to a railway tunnel Tuesday that killed one worker, injured another and left two missing. Xinhua said that landslides are common in the area where the accident occurred "which is sited on brittle terrain along the Yangtze River."

The landslide left a 50-meter (164-foot) gash in the side of the mountain, with a tangle of metal at the bottom.

Begun in 1993, the dam was seen as the fruition of a century-old dream to harness the Yangtze, the world's third largest river, for electric power and to control flooding.

Construction has gone ahead despite complaints about its US$22 billion (17 billion) cost and massive environmental impact. The government has forced 1.3 million people to move out of areas to be flooded by the reservoir.

But Beijing has been doing damage control since accounts emerged of the September meeting of officials and experts that raised surprisingly critical questions about the dam.

Participants warned of increasing landslides and pollution, possibly requiring the relocations of millions of more people in the reservoir area _ issues critics also raised during the dam's planning and construction when they were quashed by Beijing.

Seismic activity has increased as water pours into formerly dry slopes composed of rock, soil and sediment, some of it highly porous. That is causing splits and fissures, often deep below the surface, weakening hillsides and causing soil and shale to come loose.

The warnings about a higher environmental and human toll have raised concerns that the dam, promoted as a cure-all for Yangtze flooding and an alternative to coal-fired power generation, was exacting a price beyond its US$23.6 billion construction cost.

Wang's office announced earlier this week that it was taking new remedial measures to protect the environment around the dam to prevent pollution discharge, ensure drinking water quality and enhance plans for "sustainable use of the dam."

"We want to build not only a first-class hydropower project, but also a good environment," China Daily quoted Wang as saying.

In recent weeks, state media and local governments have also sketched out new relocation schemes, saying as many as 4 million people may have to be moved from areas adjacent to the dam's reservoir. Among those migrants were many from the roughly 1 million people who previously had to move for the dam, often to remote areas where the farmland was of poor quality.

The impact of the Three Gorges Dam is obvious in many communities along the river. Residents are worried and scared about the cracks in their walls and some have felt the ground shift, but say they feel they have no control over what's going to happen next.

"We are already so poor and our lives are so hard, so having to move is very difficult for us," said Chen Zijiang, a farmer in Miaohe village two hours upstream from the dam, who has already been relocated twice and was in the process of moving again.

The dam's left bank turbines began producing electricity in 2005, while the right side of the dam started sending the first trickle of electricity to the power grid this summer. The project is scheduled to be fully running by 2009.

___

Associated Press writer Audra Ang contributed to this report.

Kyrgyzstan wants to supply fuel to US base

2012-03-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Kyrgyzstan is planning a joint venture with Russia to supply aviation fuel to a U.S. air base in the Central Asian country that is crucial to Western military operations in Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

Fuel supplies to the Manas air transit center, which acts as hub for troops and fuel headed to Afghanistan, were previously handled by companies with ties to the family of the Kyrgyz president overthrown earlier this year.

That arrangement was disrupted after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was unseated amid bloody public street protests over festering living standards and perceived corruption.

"The joint state-run venture will get us away from the formerly existing corrupt schemes and will create a new area of multilateral cooperation " said Muktar Djumaliyev, deputy head of the presidential administration.

The government said in a statement Monday that the new deal is worth an estimated $60 million per year to the impoverished nation.

The plans would appear to guarantee at least the short-term future of the base, which has been the subject of intense wrangling as regional giant Russia has objected to a U.S. military presence so close to its borders. A measure of power over the base could placate Moscow for the time being.

Kyrgyzstan's provisional leader Roza Otunbayeva met with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York last week for talks that included discussion on cooperation in ensuring stability and development in Afghanistan.

Djumaliyev said the proposal on a new approach to supplying fuel to Manas was greeted positively by U.S. officials.

Fuel delivery contracts to Manas, which involved U.S. companies Mina Corp. and Red Star Enterprises are currently being investigated by the U.S. Congress.