2 Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
by Nasrat Shoib, AFP
Mon Feb 8, 11:48 am ET
| KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - NATO commanders urged the Taliban to surrender as troops dug in Monday for a major assault on a key insurgent stronghold in southern Afghanistan, sending thousands of residents fleeing.
Final preparations for battle with Taliban militants around Marjah in Helmand province, which could begin within days, had begun, a senior Marines commander said.
"The combat operations for the assault of Marjah have begun this morning," Lieutenant Colonel James "Matt" Baker, of 1st Battalion 3rd Marines Regiment told AFP, referring to the final phase of assault preparations. Related article: Taliban, heroin hold sway in Marjah |
3 Pro-Russia Yanukovich elected Ukraine president
by Stuart Williams, AFP
2 hrs 31 mins ago
| KIEV (AFP) - Pro-Russia candidate Viktor Yanukovich on Monday won Ukraine's presidency after bitterly contested polls that rejected the West-leaning policies of the Orange Revolution five years ago.
His defeated rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, maintained an uncharacteristic silence throughout the day amid expectations that she may challenge the result of Sunday's vote and whip up political tensions.
With Yanukovich's victory margin of just over three percent much closer than predicted by pundits, hundreds of supporters decked out in the blue of his Regions Party rallied outside the election commission in Kiev. |
4 Upset as Saints beat Colts in Super Bowl
by Jim Slater, AFP
Mon Feb 8, 10:52 am ET
| MIAMI (AFP) - Inspired by a city still rebuilding from the 2005 devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints captured their first Super Bowl crown on Sunday by rallying for a 31-17 triumph over Indianapolis.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed a Super Bowl record-tying 32 passes in 39 attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns to claim Most Valuable Player honors in the National Football League's championship spectacle.
"We just believed in ourselves," Brees said. "We knew we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us. It was all meant to be. It was all destiny." |
5 New Orleans explodes with joy after Saints win
by Allen Johnson, AFP
Mon Feb 8, 11:55 am ET
| NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) - A city nearly destroyed by a hurricane five years ago exploded with joy as the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17 to win their first Super Bowl.
Happy hangovers awaited the ecstatic fans who poured into the streets of the French Quarter late Sunday to celebrated the win by their beloved Saints in true cajun style.
A city famous for its diversions -- Mardi Gras parades, Jazz music and colorful politics, to name a few -- set aside all distractions to focus on the big game. |
6 America's Cup start thwarted by still conditions
by Daniel Silva, AFP
2 hrs 28 mins ago
| VALENCIA, Spain (AFP) - A lack of wind on Monday led organisers to cancel the first race of the 33rd America's Cup, pitting defending Swiss champions Alinghi against US side Oracle in a best-of-three series.
The race -- a 40-nautical-mile windward-leeward course off the coast of the Spanish port of Valencia -- will now be held on Wednesday, the next scheduled race day, in accordance with the rules of the 159-year-old sailing competition.
The start of the race had originally been due at 1000 local time (0900GMT) but race director Harold Bennett initially delayed it due to light and shifting winds before deciding to scrap racing altogether for the day. |
You know, if I ever figure out Cricket or Rugby I'll start covering those too. No hope for Soccer fans, I understand scoreless ties all too well.
7 Ice skaters, car drivers mingle on Czech world-record rink
by Jan Flemr, AFP
Sun Feb 7, 3:14 pm ET
| LIPNO NAD VLTAVOU, Czech Republic (AFP) - The people skating on the vast frozen lake resemble a tranquil scene from a Flemish master's painting, until a car drives in at full speed kicking up clouds of fine snow.
Lipno lake in the southern Czech Republic is something of a curiosity. Not only is it the country's biggest body of water but in the chilly Czech winters it is arguably the world's longest naturally frozen ice rink -- as well as a shortcut for motorists who ignore the danger of driving on ice.
"It's the longest regularly maintained rink in the world," said local businessman Jan Stanek, who has taken over the task of maintaining the icy surfaces stretching an average 10 kilometres long (6.25 miles) and six to eight metres (yards) wide. |
8 US shuttle Endeavour blasts off for space station
by Jean-Louis Santini, AFP
Mon Feb 8, 8:40 am ET
| CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AFP) - The US space shuttle Endeavour blasted off Monday carrying the last major component of the International Space Station -- a seven-windowed dome for breathtaking panoramic views.
The picture-perfect predawn lift-off came at 4:14 am (0914 GMT), after a first attempt was scrubbed on Sunday due to heavy cloud cover above the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
It was likely the last nighttime launching as the shuttle program nears retirement, with just another four flights left. |
9 Chad leader in Sudan for bid to boost ties
by Guillaume Lavallee, AFP
Mon Feb 8, 7:19 am ET
| KHARTOUM (AFP) - Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno paid a "historic" visit Monday to Khartoum, in a bid to seal a thaw in ties and boost efforts to bring peace to Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir greeted Deby at Khartoum airport on the start of a visit expected to help seal last month's accord normalising ties which are essential to peace in Darfur.
"This is a historic visit," Sudan's Foreign Minister Deng Alor told reporters at the airport. |
10 Toyota faces fresh questions over recall response
by Daniel Rook, AFP
Mon Feb 8, 3:39 am ET
| TOKYO (AFP) - Toyota's handling of a dangerous gas pedal defect came under fresh scrutiny Monday after the group said it had fixed the flaw for some cars in Europe last year but initially decided against a global recall.
Toyota's woes are set to deepen this week when the world's largest auto maker is expected to pull as many as 300,000 Prius hybrid vehicles because of a separate issue with the braking system.
The brake trouble comes on top of recalls of more than eight million vehicles worldwide due to sticking accelerator pedals that have severely tarnished the Japanese giant's reputation for reliability. |
11 Haiti studies Colombian town for quake rebuilding
By Patrick Markey, Reuters
48 mins ago
| BOGOTA (Reuters) - Haiti's interior minister on Monday toured a Colombian town rebuilt after a huge 1999 tremor as his own country considered plans to reconstruct its wrecked capital city after last month's devastating earthquake.
Haiti says more than 200,000 people were killed in the January 12 earthquake that shattered much of Port-au-Prince and left over 1 million people homeless, either sleeping in the streets or in makeshift camps.
Haitian Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime visited Armenia in Colombia's coffee region, where a decade ago an earthquake killed at least 1,200 people, left tens of thousands homeless and destroyed 65 percent of the city's buildings. |
12 Haiti protesters denounce aid corruption, hoarding
By Jorge Vega, Reuters
Mon Feb 8, 9:23 am ET
| PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Hundreds of Haitian earthquake survivors protested in a suburb of the wrecked capital on Sunday, accusing a district mayor of corruption and hoarding food aid provided by relief groups, witnesses said.
The protest in the Petionville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince was one of the largest since the January 12 quake that killed more than 200,000 people and left over 1 million homeless. It reflected still simmering anger among survivors over problems in the massive international relief effort.
Aid agencies from around the world have moved tons of rice and other food into Haiti but distributions to the hungry and homeless have been slow and sometimes chaotic. |
13 High-profile U.S. case tests Haitian justice system
By Joseph Guyler Delva, Reuters
Sun Feb 7, 4:50 pm ET
| PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haiti's quake-shattered justice system, grappling with collapsed courts, destroyed records and homeless employees, would be hard-pressed to hold a high-profile trial for 10 Americans charged with kidnapping children, Haitian lawyers and rights advocates said on Sunday.
The detained American missionaries, most of whom belong to an Idaho-based Baptist church, were charged on Thursday with child abduction and criminal association. A judge was scheduled to resume a hearing on their case on Monday.
The main courthouse in Port-au-Prince, known as the Palace of Justice, was reduced to rubble by the January 12 earthquake, and the chief judge, Roc Cadet, died in the collapse along with many judiciary employees. Others are homeless and scattered. |
14 G7 talk on Greece fails to soothe investors, euro dips
By William Schomberg and Umesh Desai, Reuters
Mon Feb 8, 2:28 am ET
| TORONTO/HONG KONG (Reuters) - The euro and growth-linked currencies fell on Monday as investors unwound risky trades amid growing worries about eurozone's debt problems, dismissing assurances from European finance ministers at the weekend.
European ministers told their counterparts at a Group of Seven meeting on Saturday they would make sure Greece sticks to its budget-cutting plan.
But analysts said Europe needs to go beyond words to restore confidence among investors worried that problems in Greece, Portugal and other weaker euro zone states could upset or derail the global economic recovery. |
15 Taliban, NATO prepare for big Helmand offensive
By Abdul Malek, Reuters
Sun Feb 7, 12:16 pm ET
| LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban militants are digging in ahead of a major NATO operation in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, in one of the biggest offensives in the eight-year-old war.
U.S. Marines are set to launch an operation within days to take Marjah, an area of lush farmland criss-crossed by canals in the center of Helmand, Afghanistan's most violent province.
The offensive will be the first major show of force since President Barack Obama ordered in 30,000 extra troops. |
No news at all from the AP on Haiti, at least in Top Stories.
On the other hand, reboot to stabilize your system and this is what you find- wow.
16 Rep. John Murtha, Iraq war critic, dies at 77
By PETER JACKSON, Associated Press Writer
36 mins ago
| HARRISBURG, Pa. - U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday. He was 77.
The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said.
In 1974 Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. One of Congress' most hawkish Democrats, he wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending. |
17 Reports: Toyota plans to recall 300,000 Priuses
By KELLY OLSEN, AP Business Writer
1 hr 28 mins ago
| TOKYO - Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and is likely to notify both the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, news reports said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers about defects that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.
The recall of the gas-electric Prius will cover the latest version of the cars that went on sale from May last year, Kyodo News agency reported late Monday.
Kyodo, which did not identify its sources for the information, said the automaker planned to notify authorities in Japan on Tuesday and probably also in the U.S. on the same day. The recall will cover about 270,000 of the hybrids sold in the two countries - 170,000 in Japan and 100,000 in the U.S., Kyodo said. |
18 GOP cool to Obama call for two-party health talks
By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer
2 hrs 4 mins ago
| WASHINGTON - Republicans gave a chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama's invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation.
The House and Senate GOP leaders said Obama and his fellow Democrats must shelve their long-debated health care bill, which was on the verge of becoming law until Republican Scott Brown won a special Senate election in Massachusetts last month. The White House says Obama has no plans to do so but is willing to hear Republicans' ideas.
Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said Monday that the first question for Obama should be: "Did you lie about moving forward on malpractice reform?" He was alluding to the president's earlier remarks about possibly curbing malpractice lawsuits, which is not included in the health bills passed separately by House and Senate Democrats in December. |
19 Gas blast at Conn. power plant kills at least 5
By PAT EATON-ROBB and JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writers
Mon Feb 8, 12:57 am ET
| MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - An explosion that sounded like a sonic boom blew out walls of an unfinished power plant and set off a fire during a test of natural gas lines Sunday, killing at least five workers and injuring a dozen or more.
The explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 20 miles south of Hartford, could be heard and felt for miles.
Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano told The Associated Press on Sunday night that no one was known to be missing amid the rubble from the damaged plant. Still, crews planned to spend all night going through debris in case there were any more victims. The cause of the gas explosion was unknown, and the investigation was to begin Monday morning, he said. |
20 Official: Toll should stand at 5 in plant blast
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writers
1 hr 12 mins ago
| MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Search-and-rescue crews declared a section of an exploded power plant too unstable to comb through Monday, a task that lost urgency when officials said everyone assigned to work at the plant the day of the blast had been accounted for and the death toll should stand at five.
Mayor Sebastian Guiliano sounded a note of caution Monday afternoon, saying rescue crews had been unable to get to all areas of the plant and he could not say for certain that no more victims would be found.
Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano told The Associated Press that he didn't know when rescue crews would be able to search the small section of the plant that was unstable but said the fact that everyone had been accounted for was good news. |
I've spent a lot of time in Middletown.
21 Space shuttle blasts off on last night flight
By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
Mon Feb 8, 8:49 am ET
| CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on what's likely the last nighttime launch for the shuttle program, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station.
The space shuttle took flight before dawn, igniting the sky with a brilliant flash seen for miles around. The weather finally cooperated: Thick, low clouds that had delayed a first launch attempt Sunday returned, but then cleared away just in time.
"Looks like the weather came together tonight," launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts right before liftoff. "It's time to go fly." |
22 World's tallest tower closed a month after opening
By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer
Mon Feb 8, 11:21 am ET
| DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.
Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform - the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building - including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors - was affected by the shutdown.
The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health. |
Heh.
23 A hoarse Who Dat Nation savors Saints' victory
By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 11 mins ago
| NEW ORLEANS - Hoarse, hungover and happy, New Orleans woke up Monday wondering if that Super Bowl thing really happened.
In the French Quarter, stragglers - decked out in Saints jerseys and team colors_ remaining from the all-night party turned to coffee and beignets as dawn broke.
Richard Bourland said he came to the city from nearby Gulfport, Miss., hoping to see history made and wasn't disappointed. The 57-year-old had pulled his first all-nighter "in at least "15 years" celebrating the Saints' 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's Super Bowl. |
24 Payton, Brees bask in glory of New Orleans' title
By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
Mon Feb 8, 11:47 am ET
| FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Drew Brees turned to his wife when he woke up and asked: "Did yesterday really happen?"
The Saints and their fans awoke Monday to the realization that the once lovable losers from New Orleans were Super Bowl champions for the first time in the club's 43-year history after Sunday's 31-17 triumph over the Indianapolis Colts.
"I'm not sure if it's completely sunk in yet," Brees said at Monday morning's news conference at the convention center in Fort Lauderdale. "It seems like as the minutes go by, it slowly does. |
25 Saints win 1st NFL title by beating Colts 31-17
By STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer
Mon Feb 8, 6:46 am ET
| MIAMI - The New Orleans Saints turned the Super Bowl's postgame celebration into something out of the French Quarter.
From the trophy podium on the field, Drew Brees blew kisses and caught confetti raining down as Dr. John and Professor Longhair blared from the stadium speakers. Sean Payton hung over the railing clapping and shouting down to the crowd as if he were rolling on a Mardi Gras float, then waved a newspaper with the banner headline "WORLD CHAMPS."
Who are the champions? The New Orleans Saints, dat's who. |
26 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100208/ap_on_re_us/us_attacks_health_trials
By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer
Mon Feb 8, 8:49 am ET
| NEW YORK - As the first cases in a massive battle over illnesses linked to 9/11 near trial, an Associated Press investigation has found that several of the initial 30 suits contain inconsistent or exaggerated claims about how the workers got sick or how much time they spent at ground zero.
One demolition worker who said he developed health problems after toiling for six months in the toxic ruins of the World Trade Center has actually been severely ill since the 1990s. In a previous medical malpractice case, he said he was so sick between 2000 and 2003 that he couldn't work regularly. He never mentioned 9/11 during his testimony in that lawsuit.
Lawyers for a police officer from northern New Jersey who died in 2006 claimed in a court filing that he spent nearly 300 days handling debris at ground zero, but his work records indicate that his actual time and duties related to 9/11 were far more limited. During the months the lawyers said the man worked at ground zero, he was recording full-time shifts in Cresskill, N.J. |
27 Super Bowl TV spot brings Leno, Letterman together
By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer
Mon Feb 8, 7:03 am ET
| NEW YORK - Super Bowl viewers were rubbing their eyes at the sight of a TV spot pairing CBS late-night host David Letterman with longtime NBC archrival Jay Leno, plus media magnate Oprah Winfrey.
Appearing early in the CBS-aired game Sunday, the ad depicted Letterman and Leno glumly sharing a couch watching the Super Bowl, with Winfrey seated between them trying to make peace.
Letterman grumbles, "This is the worst Super Bowl party ever." |
28 Dem. lieutenant governor candidate exits Ill. race
By KAREN HAWKINS, Associated Press Writer
Sun Feb 7, 10:39 pm ET
| CHICAGO - The Democratic nominee for Illinois' lieutenant governor dropped out of the race Sunday night, less than a week after winning the nomination, amid a political uproar about his past.
Announcing his decision at a Chicago bar packed with patrons watching the Super Bowl, a tearful Scott Lee Cohen said the Democrats were not certain they could win with him on the ticket. He said he was stepping down because he did not want to jeopardize the Democratic Party ticket.
"This is the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life," he said before choking up with sobs. |
29 Obama hasn't ruled out NY trial for 9/11 planner
By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer
Mon Feb 8, 12:38 am ET
| WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Sunday he has not ruled out a New York federal court trial for Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but he was taking into account the objections of the city's mayor and police commissioner.
The Obama administration has come under withering attack, mainly from Republicans, for a decision by his Justice Department to try the terrorist mastermind in a U.S. court near Ground Zero, site of the attack that destroyed New York's World Trade Center.
Obama said using the traditional judicial method was a "virtue of our system" in which Americans should take pride. |
30 Advocates push abortion-rights license plate in Va
By DENA POTTER, Associated Press Writer
51 mins ago
| RICHMOND, Va. - Abortion-rights advocates have been unable to halt the "Choose Life" license plate variations in nearly two-dozen states, so now they're working to balance the bumper debate.
Activists are pushing a "Trust Women/Respect Choice" license plate in Virginia, which would become only the fourth state to offer a pro-choice plate and the first to require legislative approval for it. Supporters have threatened to sue if lawmakers don't give drivers the option.
"We really don't feel like a license plate is the place to be promoting a political agenda," said Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. "However, the pro-choice community feels like they're being taken on by the anti-choice side with this license plate, and we feel like we need to get involved." |
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March on Washington
