WN.com - America News

Are Drones an Adverse Reaction to 9-11 and Manned Planes?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:59 GMT

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Since the beginning of time, humankind has longed to "fly like an eagle." But Becoming "other" by divination and magic, or wresting strength from animals and other gods, has gradually been replaced by technological determinism. As the Stone Age evolved into the Bronze Age and Iron Age and Industrial Age, and then the Computer and Cybernetic Ages, the power of self-transformation and to fly was realized in manned flights. As more and more planes inhabited the world, carrying their human cargo over geographical and imaginary barriers, at the same time humankind inhabited these massive flying machines. The interbreeding and unification of humans...

First Lady Michelle Obama Is on the Road with Let's Move

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:37 GMT

First Lady Michelle Obama dances with students at the...

Exhibit looks back at 50 years of American fashion

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:16 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) â Paris has its scarves and skinny suits, Milan has its luxe leather and London its swinging miniskirts, but ask American designers what they've added to fashion and the collective answer is democracy, from wrap dresses worn by working women in the 1970s to a dress worn by the first lady. The Council of Fashion Designers of America, in honor of its 50th anniversary this year, asked its membership, which includes president Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Sean Combs and Michael Kors, to craft their own "impact statements" and choose outfits and photos they feel best represent their signature styles for a new exhibit opening Saturday at the Museum at FIT in Manhattan. There...

Miss. lawmaker: 'Gulf of America' bill was a joke

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:55 GMT

By JEFF AMY, Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — All the people outraged about the Mississippi bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" have missed its satirical intent, the sponsor said Thursday. State Rep. Steve Holland, a populist Democrat known for over-the-top gestures, said he was tickled that his provocation had rocketed across the Internet. Holland says the measure is meant to mock other bills that would crack down on illegal immigration. At least six such bills have already been assigned for committee consideration in the state's current legislative session, and more could be on the way. "It seems the people of Mississippi have elected a majority group to...

US Marines posed with Nazi symbol in Afghanistan

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps on Thursday once again did damage control after a photograph surfaced of a sniper team in Afghanistan posing in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS — a special unit that murdered millions of Jews, gypsies and others. The Corps said in a statement that using the symbol was not acceptable. However, it was a naive mistake made by Marines who believed the SS symbol was...

Washington state lawmakers pass gay marriage bill

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:19 GMT

REUTERS - A bill to legalize gay marriage in Washington state won final legislative approval on Wednesday in a vote that moved the state one step closer to becoming the seventh to recognize same-sex nuptials. Washington’s Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire said she looked forward to signing the measure and “putting into law an end to an era of discrimination” even as opponents, led by religious conservatives, vowed to seek its repeal at the polls in November. The approval in the state House of Representatives came a day after gay marriage advocates won a key legal victory in California when a federal appeals court declared a voter-approved gay marriage ban in that...

UN calls on Mali's Tuareg rebels to halt advance

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:19 GMT

REUTERS - The United Nations called on rebels in northern Mali on Wednesday to halt their offensive, shortly after they seized the strategic border town of Tinzawatene and forced government troops to withdraw into Algeria. The fighting in the remote northeastern town followed a three-week desert advance by a Tuareg-led rebel force, helped by Malians returning from the Libyan conflict, which has forced nearly...

Brazil: Striking police leave occupied building

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:54 GMT

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Striking police officers in the northeastern city of Salvador on Thursday evacuated the state legislative building they occupied in protest for more than a week. It was not immediately clear, however, whether the conclusion of the dramatic standoff between the strikers and 1,000 army soldiers and elite federal police officers would also mark the end of the 10-day-long work stoppage that has threatened one of the globe's biggest Carnival celebrations here. Army spokesman Marcio Cunha didn't know whether the estimated 10,000 striking officers would return to the job, and some local media reported that negotiations were to continue. The strike had sparked an immediate...

Romney has hard road to March 6

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:03 GMT

Gingrich, Santorum have regional strengths The Daily Briefing Governor talks human trafficking, bi-partisanship, and workforce development at jobs announcement in Euclid Buckeye Forum Podcast Promo...

Sarkozy opposed to Israeli military strike on Iran

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:47 GMT

AP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy put his reputation as a stalwart friend of Israel on the line Wednesday, warning that military action was no way to deal with nuclear-minded Iran at a dinner hosted by France’s main Jewish group - and his likely presidential election rival in the audience. In the wake of new U.S. concerns that Israel might strike Iran’s nuclear facilities this spring, Sarkozy reiterated his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security but emphasized “the solution is never military.” “The solution is political, the solution is diplomatic, the solution is in sanctions,”...

Thousands stranded by Europe's deep freeze

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:47 GMT

AFP - Helicopters ferried food and medicine to iced-in villagers Wednesday as Europe's 12-day-old cold snap tightened its frigid grip on the continent, where more than 400 have died as a result. Eastern countries such as Poland and Ukraine account for more than half of the death toll, and dozens more have succumbed to the weather's secondary effects, such as asphyxiation due to shoddy heating. Heavy snows eased in Bosnia but the bitter cold continued, especially in the south and southeast where temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit.) Thousands struggled without power, including around the historic city of Mostar, where some 15,000 homes had no electricity. Uma...

Greek austerity talks stall over pension cuts

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:53 GMT

AP - A crucial meeting between Greece’s Prime Minister and debt inspectors on averting default and a possible exit...

Arab League plans to revive Syria mission, says UN

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:53 GMT

AFP - The Arab League and United Nations may send a joint observer mission to Syria where the government's deadly crackdown could worsen, UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. Ban launched the idea as he bemoaned the UN Security Council's failure to agree a resolution on the crisis, saying the vote had been "disastrous" for...

TV producer lands in Mexico to face murder charges

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:41 GMT

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — A reality television producer has arrived in Mexico escorted by nearly a dozen agents after being extradited from the U.S. so he can face trial in his wife's killing. Former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman landed at Cancun's airport early Thursday Mexico City time and got in an SUV accompanied by three police vehicles. He will be taken to a jail in the Caribbean resort town before he sees a judge. He is charged in the death of his wife, Monica Beresford-Redman, whose body was found in a sewer cistern at a swank resort following an April 2010 family vacation. on Twitter, become a fan on Editors' Picks Explore Related Content 1 - 4 of 12 CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Los...

Mexican experts excited to find ancient home ruins

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:41 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The ruins aren't particularly impressive, just some stone and clay footings for houses that probably supported walls of wood or clay wattle. And it's that very ordinariness that has experts excited. The remnants being uncovered in the hills east of Mexico City at a spot known as Amecameca are from an ancient neighborhood — a home to regular folks. "What makes this important is that it is a residential area, not a ceremonial or religious site," said Felipe Echenique, a historian for the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH, which is in charge of reviewing the site. "In Mexico, we really have very little evidence of how the cities really were, or how...

Mexican army finds 15 tons of pure methamphetamine

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:41 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's army says its troops seized 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in the western state of Jalisco. It says soldiers discovered the huge cache in the town of Tlajomulco de Zuniga. That is a suburb of Mexico's second largest city, Guadalajara. The army's statement late Wednesday gave no other details on the seizure. Spokesmen at the army's base in Guadalajara refused to comment further. Methamphetamine production has been rising in Mexico, and much of the increase is attributed to the powerful Sinaloa Cartel. The cartel is suspected of smuggling in mammoth amounts of precursor chemicals that are used produce meth in industrial-size operations. Mexico is the primary source...

Mexico party rally ends with 650 food-poison cases

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:41 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Officials of a Mexican political party are apologizing to 650 Indians and other people who suffered food poisoning after attending a campaign rally in southern Mexico. But the leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party in Guerrero state also says that blame goes to the candidate who held the event. Party leader Victor Valencia says it's not the fault of the former ruling party. Authorities in the indigenous town of Chilapa had to open an auditorium Wednesday to treat people who became sick after eating rice tacos and eggs handed out by former mayor Sergio Dolores, who is running for congress. Guerrero state civil protection officials say adults and children were...

Falkland Islands newspaper calls Cristina Fernández de Kirchner a bitch

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:25 GMT

Argentina's president,...

Mexican navy recovers 15 bodies from mass graves

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:00 GMT

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — A suspected member of the Zetas drug cartel led Mexican authorities to mass graves at two ranches in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz where marines unearthed 15 bodies by Wednesday. The navy said its personnel detained Francisco Alvarado Martagon on Tuesday when he tried to drive a vehicle without license plates past a military checkpoint near the city of Acayucan. Once in custody, Alvarado Martagon confessed to being a head lookout for the Zetas, the navy said. Under questioning, the man mentioned two sites at local ranches that the Zetas allegedly used to dispose of bodies, including rivals or members of their own gang who had been executed, it said. The navy...

SABIC seeking $5.3bn methanol project in Trinidad – sources

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:26 GMT

HOUSTON (ICIS)--Saudia Arabia's SABIC is pushing for approval to build a $5.3bn (€4.0bn) methanol complex in Trinidad and Tobago, sources said on Wednesday. A US market source said SABIC wanted a Trinidad government subsidy of 85 cents/MMBtu for natural gas to supply the project, which made its bid “a long shot”. That works out to roughly 35% of Wednesday’s closing US Henry Hub natural gas price of...

US charges China company with conspiracy to steal DuPont TiO2 tech

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:26 GMT

HOUSTON (ICIS)--The US government has charged several executives and China-based Pangang Group with conspiracy to steal DuPont's titanium dioxide (TiO2) technology, according to documents made available on Wednesday. The indictments are the latest development of what the US government alleged was a scheme by a Chinese-state-controlled company to obtain a chloride route to produce TiO2. The US accused Walter Liew, a businessman based in California, of acting as a middle man through his company, USA Performance Technology. He allegedly provided the stolen DuPont technology to a Pangang Group subsidiary, which was developing...

UN backs Haitians' appeal over Duvalier trial

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:58 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A U.N. official expressed support Wednesday for Haitian victims of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier's regime who plan to appeal a judge's recommendation that calls for trying the ex-leader only for alleged financial crimes and not human rights abuses. The appeals process began this week after Haiti's attorney general received the finding of an investigative magistrate recommending that Duvalier face trial in a lesser court that handles only relatively minor crimes. "I support (the victims') decision to appeal the judge's decision in order to proceed with the (human rights) case," Michel Forst, the U.N. independent expert on human rights, told reporters. Human...

Brazilian troops tighten security at police strike

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:58 GMT

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Troops tightened the security ring around a Brazilian state legislature building Wednesday, seeking to step up pressure on the hundreds of striking police barricaded inside as the city's Carnival festivities approach. Soldiers used military vehicles and barricades to block traffic to the building, and family, friends and colleagues of the estimated 300 officers holed up inside said troops were no longer letting them send in food and medicine. About one-third of Bahia state's 30,000 patrolling police went on strike last week. That led to a doubling of the murder rate in Salvador, the nation's third-largest city, and the looting of stores. About 3,600 soldiers and...

Initial US February propylene contracts rise 30%

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:09 GMT

HOUSTON (ICIS)--US propylene contracts for February began to settle on Wednesday at an increase of 16.50 cents/lb ($364/tonne, €273/tonne), up by 30% from January, on support from a surge in spot prices last month. The initial settlements put polymer-grade propylene (PGP) contracts at 72.50 cents/lb and chemical-grade propylene (CGP) at 71.00 cents/lb. US producers had originally nominated increases...

New discoveries raise Dominican migrant toll to 41

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:57 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic say the death toll from the sinking of a boat carrying migrants has risen to 41. The intelligence director of the Dominican Republic's navy says 20 bodies were found late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Luis Castro said Wednesday that crews expect to find more bodies this week. Officials earlier thought that more people had survived Saturday's accident and went into hiding because they had found no more bodies. Seventy people were aboard the boat that capsized off the Dominican coast. Crews have rescued 13 people. Castro says that one of them will be arrested after leaving the hospital because he is suspected of...

Lawyer for Cuban agents vows last-ditch appeal

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:57 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — A lawyer for five Cuban agents sentenced to long jail terms for spying in the United States said Wednesday he is preparing a last-ditch appeal, arguing that one of the men received bad counsel and that the jury for all five was prejudiced because the U.S. paid several journalists who covered the trial. Thomas Goldstein said he would submit the appeal on Feb. 15 before U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard, who can either rule on the matter, ask to hear arguments or order a full evidentiary hearing. Four of the men have been jailed since 1998. The fifth, Rene Gonzalez, was released last year after 13 years in jail, but has been ordered to remain in the United States while he serves...

Lawyers for Cuban agents vow last-ditch appeal

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:57 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — A lawyer for five Cuban agents convicted of espionage and sentenced to long jail terms in the U.S. says there could be a political solution linking his clients' fate with that of an American contractor imprisoned in Cuba. But he says that the two cases could not be more different. Thomas Goldstein also says he is preparing a last-ditch appeal in the case of the Cuban agents, four of whom have been jailed since 1998. The fifth was released last year but was ordered to stay in the U.S. while on parole. Lawyer Phil Horowitz says he will soon file an appeal of that order. The lawyers were interviewed Wednesday in a restricted area of Havana limited to government activities and...

Mexican navy finds 10 bodies in mass grave sites

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:56 GMT

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — A suspected member of the Zetas drug gang has led Mexican authorities to a mass grave site at two ranches in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, the navy said Wednesday. The navy says its personal detained suspect Francisco Alvarado Martagon Tuesday as he attempted to drive past a military checkpoint near the city of Acayucan in a vehicle without license plates. Once in custody, Alvarado Martagon confessed to being a head lookout for the Zetas, it said. Under questioning, the man mentioned two sites at local ranches that the Zetas allegedly used to dispose of bodies, including rivals or members of their own gang who had been executed. The navy said it inspected the...

Maldivian leader says he resigned ‘at gunpoint’

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:24 GMT

AP - The new Maldivian president appealed Wednesday for a unity government to lead his Indian Ocean nation even as his predecessor insisted he was ousted at gunpoint and began fighting to return to power. In a sign the political turmoil that has plagued the country for months would continue, police fired tear gas at a rally of about 1,000 people demanding Mohamed Nasheed be reinstated. President Mohammed Waheed Hassan, the former vice president, took office Tuesday when Nasheed resigned after police joined widening street protests against his government. Addressing a news conference Wednesday, Hassan denied claims there was a plot to oust Nasheed. He said he had not prepared to take over the...

Chavez foe convinced of winning opposition primary

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:43 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Opposition leader Henrique Capriles is heading into Venezuela's first opposition primary warning that Hugo Chavez's foes must choose a strong candidate if they want to win back the presidency and halt the country's slide into chaos. Capriles is convinced he's that candidate and will win Sunday's vote as he promises to implement policies that will break with Chavez's socialist model. "Chaos is what we have now in Venezuela," Capriles told foreign journalists Tuesday, citing rampant crime, Latin America's worst inflation and other pressing domestic problems. The 39-year-old former congressman and current governor of central Miranda state, which includes part of...

Disgruntled police in Brazil threatening Carnival

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:43 GMT

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Disgruntled police across Brazil are taking aim at the country's iconic Carnival celebration, raising threats to the annual street parties that draw hordes of foreigners as a way to press their demands for pay raises. Police officers already on strike in Salvador and holed up in a legislature building in the northeastern state capital brandished fists Tuesday while chanting "Finish off Carnival!" The threat to Carnival celebrations in Salvador looked increasingly serious as talks with the Bahia state government stalled on the eighth day of the police strike and hopes faded the standoff would be resolved well before the start of festivities next week. Adding to...

Obama pledges more money for Alzheimer's research

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:01 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is increasing spending on Alzheimer's research — planning to surpass half a billion dollars next year — as part of a quest to find effective...

Argentina to complain to UN over UK warships in Falklands

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:44 GMT

AP - President Cristina Fernandez said Tuesday that Argentina will formally complain to the U.N. Security Council that Britain has created a serious security risk by sending one of its most modern warships to the disputed Falkland Islands. She accused British Prime Minister David Cameron of militarizing their nations’ dispute over sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago, which Argentines say the...

Homs assault continues after Russian peace efforts

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:44 GMT

REUTERS - Armoured forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad thrust deeper into the central city of Homs on Wednesday, firing rockets and mortar rounds to subdue opposition districts,...

Rick Santorum wins key Republican primaries

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:44 GMT

REUTERS - Former U.S. senator Rick Santorum rejuvenated his presidential hopes on Tuesday with a shocking sweep of...

Fernandez: 'British are militarising the South Atlantic'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:58 GMT

Argentina is to make a formal complaint to the United Nations about what...

New film shows Mexico's failing education system

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:29 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican teens can't solve long-multiplication problems. Education authorities don't know how many teachers work in Mexico. Teachers often miss class, and some who do show up have long conversations on their cellphones. This is the harsh reality of Mexico's education system, both public and private, as displayed in a new documentary titled "De Panzazo!" — roughly meaning "Barely passing." Directed by filmmaker Juan Carlos Rulfo and journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, the film blames the deficiencies of Mexican schools on teachers unions and on government officials who give in to the unions' pressure to avoid changes in the system. "A film was the ideal medium to express the...

Argentina plans formal complaint to UN over Britain

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:57 GMT

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina has said she plans to make a...

Indians, Panama gov't in deal to end road blockade

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:29 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Members of an Indian tribe in Panama have agreed with the government to end a highway blockade in return for the release of demonstrators detained when police used tear gas to clear the road over the weekend. Presidency minister Jimmy Papadimitriu says Panama will also compensate the family of an indigenous man who was killed in Sunday's clashes during which 40 other people were injured and 44 people were arrested. Tuesday's agreement is only the beginning of talks with the government over mining projects and dams that members of the Ngobe-Bugle tribe don't want built in their western Panama lands. The Indians first set up a blockade Jan. 30 to protest that lawmakers...

Jamaica government destroys 2,000 guns in furnace

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:29 GMT

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Roughly 2,000 firearms were melted down in a blazing furnace Tuesday as part of an effort designed to combat gun trafficking and corruption in Jamaica while reducing violent crime. Police, government and U.N. officials destroyed pistols and revolvers by pitching them into a kiln glowing bright orange at a cement factory in the capital of Kingston. Most of the guns were decommissioned or seized in police operations over the years. National Security Minister Peter Bunting, who has been in office for just over a month, said the destruction of the weapons is an important first step toward managing the sizable stockpiles of guns in Jamaica and reducing the risk of theft....

Argentina will take Falklands claim to the UN, says president

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:48 GMT

Argentina's president,...

Argentine president to UK PM: Give peace a chance

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:28 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — President Cristina Fernandez said Tuesday that Argentina will formally complain to the U.N. Security Council that Britain has created a serious security risk by sending one of its most modern warships to the disputed Falkland Islands. She accused British Prime Minister David Cameron of militarizing their nations' dispute over sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago, which Argentines say the British stole from them nearly 180 years ago. Argentines are united in their desire to win back the islands they call the Malvinas through diplomacy and negotiation, she said, urging Cameron to "give peace a chance." "We have suffered too much violence already to be...

Argentina going to UN in Falklands dispute

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:34 GMT

Protesters ask Haiti leader to show travel docs

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:34 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A small band of protesters called Tuesday for Haitian President Michel Martelly to prove he's eligible for office as they destroyed posters that bore images of the leader. The 100 or so demonstrators said Martelly should heed requests by lawmakers to show his travel documents in an effort to dispel allegations that he holds dual nationality, which would bar him from office under Haiti's constitution. "We are taking to the streets to tell Martelly to show his passport," protester Ronald Jean-Charles said as others burned posters of the president. "If not, he should step down." The anti-government protest was the first of its kind after a commission of lawmakers...

Argentine going to UN in Falklands dispute

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:34 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina President Cristina Fernandez says she will formally complain to the U.N. Security Council about Britain sending one of its most modern warships to the Falkland Islands. Fernandez accuses British Prime Minister David Cameron of militarizing their long dispute over the islands in the South Atlantic. Argentina calls the islands the Malvinas and is demanding that British return them to its control. Britain seized the Falklands in 1833, driving off Argentine colonists. Argentine troops invaded the Falklands in 1982, but were defeated by a counter-invasion by British forces. on Twitter, become a fan on Editors' Picks Explore Related Content 1 - 4 of 12...

Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:17 GMT

Filmmaker Michele Mitchell presented her documentary, "Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?" at a congressional briefing sponsored by Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Barbara Lee, and Rep. Donald M. Payne (CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot spoke at the briefing, and CEPR helped to publicize the event.) Through visits to Haiti in 2010 and 2011 in which she conducted interviews with IDP camp residents, NGO spokespersons, aid workers, and others, and through other background research, Mitchell examines why so many people (currently half-a-million) remain stuck in tent camps with few services, despite the billions of dollars pledged for relief following the earthquake. The film is currently airing on dozens...

Brazil police strife threatens biggest Carnivals

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:29 GMT

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — About 300 striking police officers and their relatives held out Tuesday as soldiers blockaded a state legislature building in northeastern Brazil, and public worker leaders threatened a strike in Rio de Janeiro that could threaten the world's largest Carnival celebration. About 1,000 soldiers and officers from an elite federal police unit ringed the legislature in the Bahia state capital of Salvador, Brazil's third-largest city with 2.7 million people and a scheduled host for matches during the 2014 World Cup. Negotiations failed to end the strike in Salvador, officials said, and authorities in Rio de Janeiro also were preparing for police discontent there. Officials...

Death toll rises after boat accident near DomRep

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:29 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The death toll has risen to 21 from the weekend capsizing of a boat overloaded with migrants near the Dominican Republic. The fire chief in the Dominican city of Sabana del Mar says more than 30 more people remain missing. Jeffrey Pimentel said Tuesday that authorities are perplexed more bodies have not surfaced since Saturday's accident, when a boat carrying some 70 people capsized after leaving the Dominican Republic for the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Thirteen people survived. Pimentel says it's possible more survivors swam to shore and hid from authorities to avoid being interrogated. on Twitter, become a fan on Editors' Picks Explore...

Court strikes down 'Proposition 8' ban on gay marriage

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:57 GMT

AFP - A US federal appeals court struck down a California law Tuesday that strips gays and lesbians of the right to marry, in the latest round in the battle over same-sex marriage. The Ninth Circuit Court upheld a lower court judge's ruling that an amendment to the California state constitution banning same-sex marriage violated principles of due process and equal protection under the law. Gay marriage was briefly authorized in...

Trinidad's former leader flown to US after stroke

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:36 GMT

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Trinidad's former Prime Minister Patrick Manning has been airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Center in the United States for treatment following a stroke. Spokeswoman Wendy Lewis said Tuesday that the stroke partially paralyzed the right side of Manning's body and left him with slurred speech. Manning's sister Petronella Manning says he was flown Monday to Maryland and is expected to undergo four weeks of therapy. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said the government will pay for all of Manning's medical expenses. The 65-year-old Manning was prime minister from 1991-1995 and from 2001-2010. Manning kept his seat in the House of Representatives but was...