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"The house of peace",threw stones; 5 Palestinians injured.

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:22:16 -0600

The settler families have occupied the building, which they call the "house of peace", since March 2007.
Settlers and Palestinians on Monday threw stones at each other and at least two cars belonging to Palestinians were set ablaze in what the Israeli army described as a "riot".
Five Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, have been injured in clashes with Jewish settlers who are resisting an eviction order in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Thirteen settler families, who have been facing eviction for 18 months - have vowed to resist an Israeli court order to leave the building in Hebron that they insist they bought from Palestinians.

Man suspected in shooting deaths of singer's mother, brother and nephew.:Chicago.

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:29:45 -0600

William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress' relatives.
Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer's mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation.
Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation. He had not been charged by Monday evening.

Highest tide in 20 years floods historic Venice

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:08:06 -0600

By LUIGI COSTANTINI, Associated Press Writer Luigi Costantini, Associated Press Writer

VENICE, Italy – Venice could use a bailout. The city built on water has too much of it.

Residents and tourists waded through knee-deep water Monday as they navigated the city's narrow streets and alleys, and its historic St. Mark's Square was inundated. Boxes of tourist merchandise floated inside the flooded shops around the square and even the city's famed pigeons sought refuge on rooftops and windowsills.

One of the highest tides in its history brought Venice to a virtual halt, rekindling a debate over a plan to build moveable flood barriers in an effort to save the lagoon city from high tides.

City officials said the tide peaked at 61 inches (156 centimeters), well past the 40-inch (110-centimeter) flood mark, as strong winds pushed the sea into the city.

Alarms went off at 6:37 a.m. to alert citizens, but many residents were taken by surprise because authorities had initially not forecast such a high water level.

In St. Mark's Square, one of the city's lowest points, tourists tried to stay dry by hopping on cafe tables and chairs sticking out of the water. The water was so high that someone rowed a small speedboat across the wide square.

"It was quite an extraordinary experience," said Michel Gorski, visiting from Brussels with his wife. "We got stuck in the hotel for half a day but we didn't suffer. We were sorry for the restaurants and stores around, but there was no panic and everyone worked really hard to clean up quickly."

Workers were unable to install the traditional raised wooden walkways used during flooding because the water rose so high the platforms would have floated away too.

"There are very few streets that are water-free," admitted city spokesman Enzo Bon.

In an ironic twist, the flooding also idled the city's water buses because their boarding platforms were underwater.

Bon had no reports of damage to the city's architectural jewels, and the Culture Ministry was monitoring the situation.

It was the fourth highest tide since 1872, when the city started keeping records. The last time Venice saw such high waters was in 1986, while the all-time record was 76 inches (194 centimeters) in 1966.

That flood forced 3,000 people to evacuate and damaged many historic buildings, but largely spared the city's art — which had long ago been removed to upper floors because of frequent flooding by tides.

"In Venice, we know how to live with high water," said Bon. "Of course there are some problems, because today's was an exceptional event."

Giancarlo Galan, the conservative governor of the surrounding Veneto region, criticized Venice's center-left administration for failing to prepare for the flood and for allegedly stonewalling a long-planned system of barriers that would rise from the seabed to ease the effect of high tides.

The $5.5 billion project, called "Moses" after the Biblical figure who parted the Red Sea, has been under construction for years and is expected to be completed by 2011. The company building the barriers said, had the system been in place, the city would not have been flooded Monday.

Venice Mayor Massimo Cacciari insisted the city's experts had done a good job and had revised their forecasts well before the water came in. Cacciari, who has criticized the barriers, said the government-backed project would be completed.

With low tide setting in and waters receding Monday afternoon, some tourists were charmed by the water wonderland.

"The hotel had to turn off the gas and the electricity, but they made us a nice candlelit cold lunch," said Yacob Laurent, a visitor from Paris. "They gave us boots and my wife and I went for a walk. It was a lot of fun."

World's Most Heinous Crimes

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:48:31 -0600

They share a deep sorrow: an idealistic American who tried to protect the Kurds of Iraq, a Canadian general who refused to follow orders in Rwanda, a French priest who fought for the soul of Cambodia. Each one tried to focus the world's attention on the world's most heinous crime: genocide. Each time, they were shunned, ignored or told it was someone else's problem. Having reported on mass atrocities around the world, this time Amanpour traced the personal accounts of those who tried to stop the slaughter. The yearlong CNN investigation found that instead of using a U.N. treaty outlawing genocide as a springboard to action, political leaders have invoked reason after reason to make intervention seem unnecessary, pointless and even counter-productive. (by Christiane Amanpour)

Melamine Kills Again

allvoices / contributed news — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:22:59 -0600

Six Chinese infants may have died from consuming melamine-tainted milk powder, twice the number previously reported by the government, the Ministry of Health said Monday. The Ministry of Health said it has screened more than 22 million infants and children since September 10 and found that contaminated milk has sickened nearly 300,000 children -- a six-fold increase from the previous total of about 50,000. China's health officials had investigated 11 infant death cases and ruled out a connection to the tainted milk powder in all but six of those. The government had previously confirmed three infant deaths linked to tainted milk. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization reported that four infant deaths in China had been confirmed. The Ministry of Health found that 294,000 infants have suffered from urinary ailments. "The majority of sickened children had only small amounts of mud or sand-like (kidney) stones and were treated on an outpatient basis," the ministry said in a statement on its Web site. "Some children suffered from urinary tract stones and needed to be hospitalized." The peak of the screenings is over and the "seriously ill children are no longer in danger," the ministry said. (CNN)

Sudan parliament inches closer to endorsing controversial budget

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:56:43 -0600

The Sudanese national assembly today overwhelmingly approved a third version of the 2009 federal budget amid national concern on the economic outlook facing the country...The $10 billion budget forecasted a 44% drop in its oil exports revenue to $3.6

Official: Bomb blast kills 2, wounds 30 in India

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:06:25 -0600

India — An Indian official says a bomb blast in a train has killed at least two people and wounded 30 in India's insurgency-hit northeast...Sahu says the blast occurred Tuesday morning in one of the coaches just after the train arrived at Diphu railr

Assam: Blasts in train leave three dead

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:36:15 -0600

At least three persons were killed and about 30 others injured when a powerful bomb explosion ripped through the coach No 8209 of Guwahati-Tinsukia passenger train near Diphu Railway station in Karbi Anglong Hill district of Assam at around 8:15 t

Brisbane Times, Australia: Fears more terrorists on loose in Mumbai

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:35:08 -0600

Five more terrorists could be on the loose in Mumbai, after a fishing boat hijacked by the gunmen reportedly had 15 toothbrushes on board. According to Indian authorities, 10 militants were behind the attacks, with 21-year-old Azam Amir Kasab the onl

Breaking news;Kidney problems spreads in China:290,000 infants suffering.

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:32:07 -0600

The Chinese government says more than 290,000 infants have developed health problems, such
as kidney stones, from being fed formula milk containing the chemical melamine.
Parents are filing suits for damages against the companies but the court has not accepted their
claims. There have been 11 reported cases of death. After detailed investigation, it says the tainted
milk is suspected to be the cause of death in 6 cases, but not in the other 5 cases.
The health ministry revealed that 22,380,000 infants have been examined in hospitals since September.
It says 52,000 were treated, but 861 of them are still in hospital.

US deaths in Afghanistan in November drop sharply

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:10:37 -0600

KABUL, Afghanistan – One American serviceman died in Afghanistan in November, a dramatic drop from earlier months that the U.S. military attributed to their campaign against insurgent leaders, operations by Afghan and Pakistani forces and the onset of winter.

Twice this year, monthly U.S. death tolls in Afghanistan surpassed the monthly toll in Iraq, highlighting the differing trends in the two war zones: Security in Iraq has improved while it has deteriorated in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's reach is expanding — and even the capital, Kabul, is more dangerous than before.

U.S. troops suffered an average of 21 deaths in Afghanistan each month this year from May to October — by far the deadliest six-month period in Afghanistan for American forces since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. The Afghan Defense Ministry does not release fatality figures.

Militants this year have unleashed increasingly powerful roadside bombs and sophisticated, multidirectional ambushes. The deadlier attacks, combined with a record number of U.S. troops patrolling Afghanistan's vast provinces, has this year led to more American military deaths than ever before in Afghanistan — 148.

The sole U.S. military death recorded last month came when a suicide bomber rammed his car into a military convoy Nov. 13 as it was passing through a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan. The blast killed Sgt. Jonnie L. Stiles, 38, who was serving with the Louisiana Army National Guard.

Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, the spokeswoman at the U.S. base at Bagram, cautioned that one month of data does not make a trend "but may be an indicator."

But she noted that operations conducted by U.S. forces last summer against insurgent areas and bomb-making networks helped lower November's violence. Those efforts likely contributed to a 40 percent drop in improvised explosive device attacks in October, compared with September, and may have pushed down troop death last month as well.

In addition, U.S. forces also pressed ahead in November with what commanders call the Winter Campaign.

"This campaign is designed to create the conditions of lowering enemy capabilities, diminishing their support areas both by hard-power and soft, and continue strengthening border operations to complement the Pakistani efforts in the FATA," she said, referring to Pakistan's northwestern Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

She said Pakistani military operations in Bajur have also helped security in Afghanistan.

Insurgents in Afghanistan, particularly in mountainous areas, typically scale back their operations during the winter months, and that may have contributed to the declining trend, U.S. military spokesman Col. Jerry O'Hara said.

"That's some of it," he said. "But really we attribute it more toward our improvement in our tactics and techniques and procedures, along with the increased capability of the Afghan security forces."

O'Hara said the number of attacks in the Kabul region was 50 percent lower in January to October this year than during the same 10-month period in 2007. "And again, we attribute that to not only the Afghan security forces, but you have to give credit to the Afghan people for their personal involvement in the form of tips and their reports to Afghan security forces," he said.

Eleven U.S. troops died in Afghanistan in November 2007, meaning the year-on-year drop is also significant.

The U.S. still has about 150,000 troops in Iraq, but violence there has fallen off dramatically in recent months. Over the past six months it has become more dangerous to serve in Afghanistan, where the death rate among U.S. troops has been higher than in Iraq.

A near-record 32,000 American forces are deployed in Afghanistan.

Despite the vastly greater number of Americans deployed in Iraq, in two months this year more U.S. forces died in Afghanistan than Iraq. In July, 20 U.S. forces died in Afghanistan; 16 died in Iraq. In September, 16 died in Afghanistan; 14 died in Iraq.

Sixteen U.S. troops died in Iraq last month.

O'Hara said the military mourns every death and that the number of casualties is not a measure of effectiveness for the military.

"Our measures of effectiveness are increased security, increases in development, increases in people's attitudes toward their own well being," said O'Hara. "And certainly we're always adjusting our tactics based on what we see on the battlefield and what we are able to learn through intelligence about the insurgents."

The commander of NATO, Gen. John Craddock, said last week that the Taliban insurgency was growing more "virulent," saying violence jumped by 40 percent this year. Last year 111 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan, meaning deaths this year will likely have increased between 30 percent and 40 percent by the end of the year.

More than 5,900 people — mostly militants — have died in insurgency related violence in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count of figures from Afghan and Western officials.

On Monday, a suicide bomber apparently trying to target Afghan police blew himself up in a crowded market in southern Afghanistan, killing eight civilians and two policemen, said Helmand provincial police chief Asadullah Sherzad.

In Kabul on Sunday, a suicide bomber attacked a German Embassy vehicle, killing two Afghan civilians.

Taliban and other militant suicide bombers frequently target Afghan and international military forces in their suicide attacks, but many more Afghan civilians typically die in the attacks than do government officials or military personnel.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Elsewhere on Monday, gunmen on a motorbike killed a district chief in central Afghanistan, a provincial spokesman said.

It was not clear who was responsible, but Taliban militants regularly assassinate government officials in their attempt to weaken the grip of President Hamid Karzai's administration in the provinces.

Estranged relative arrested in Hudson killings

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:00:56 -0600

CHICAGO – Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer's mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

The bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old Julian King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.

Police took Balfour into custody the same day the bodies of Donerson and Hudson were discovered. After 48 hours — the longest Chicago police can hold a person without charges — Balfour was taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections on the suspected parole violation.

Balfour — Julian's stepfather and the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's older sister, Julia Hudson — served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.

His mother, Michelle Balfour of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths. Telephone numbers for Balfour's mother and sister were disconnected Monday.

Balfour had refused to take a lie-detector test and stopped cooperating with detectives in the case, a police official, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, has said.

Police have confirmed they found the gun used in the killings. The .45-caliber gun was discovered Oct. 29 in a vacant lot in the West Side neighborhood where the King's body was found a few days earlier.

Bond declined to discuss any evidence Monday. But after a hearing at the prison, the chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board said a woman had told authorities that a gun used in the slayings was "identical" to the gun that was recovered.

At the time, board Chairman Jorge Montes said the evidence was key to a decision finding probable cause that Balfour violated his parole and should remain locked up pending a Dec. 3 hearing before a review board panel.

Balfour did not have an attorney at the November hearing, and the Cook County public defender's office said at the time that nobody from the office had been assigned because he was not formally charged with a crime.

No one in the public defender's office was assigned to Balfour's case late Monday, and it' was not clear whether he had other representation.

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Man gets life sentence for his part in a 2007 murder

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:30:16 -0600

A murder defendant who thought he would get 15 to 25 years in prison for his part in a 2007 murder was instead sentenced to life in prison Monday. Now, Dallas Brooks, 30, will appeal Lee Circuit Judge Edward Volz Jr.'s sentence in the hopes of some d

Bomb threat sends a chill

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:24:15 -0600

There will be blasts at 40 places, said the fax that sent police into a tizzy; threat turns out to be a hoax “People should not panic...We are beefing up security in the city and even cancelling the holidays of our staff,” he said.

2 drivers charged with DWI in same car

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:06:48 -0600

Nassau police made a double DWI arrest when a driver and a passenger switched places as they were pulled over, authorities said Monday. "We have two individuals arrested for driving the same car intoxicated," Nassau Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulve

BB murder case hearing on 6th F.P. Report

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:58:56 -0600

An Anti-Terrorist Court will record evidence of the Prosecution on Saturday, December 6 as all the accused had been charge sheeted in the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto murder case...Chaudhry Habibur Rehman had recorded the evidence of a PW (an

Authorities investigating death of 17-year-old after night of drinking

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:33:30 -0600

Volusia County deputy sheriffs are investigating the death of an Edgewater teenager who was found unresponsive this morning by friends at a home near New Smyrna Beach where he spent the night. Attempts to revive 17-year-old Jamie Gibson were unsucces

Security agencies search for scapegoats amid claims Mumbai attack warnings were ignored

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:49:27 -0600

India’s security agencies frantically traded blame yesterday for failing to prevent last week’s attacks on Mumbai as the Government searched for more scapegoats to placate an outraged public. Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra state

Thousands of foreigners stranded in Thailand

allvoices / contributed news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:42:21 -0600

By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writers

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand's prime minister stayed away from the capital Monday, unable to quell a political crisis that has paralyzed his government for weeks and shut down the city's two main airports and stranded 300,000 foreigners.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has refused to send in police to evict protesters besieging the airports or occupying his office complex for fear of bloodshed, instead making weak pleas for them to go home. The demonstrators vow to stay until Somchai resigns; he has refused.

The monthslong crisis has drained millions of dollars from the economy and is worsening divisions in Thailand.

The airport closure has blocked all commercial flights in and out of the capital, forcing thousands to cancel vacations during the peak tourist season and halting vital postal air services, such as the delivery of specialized medicines.

Kongrit Hiranyakit, head of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said more than 300,000 travelers were stranded in Thailand, with 35,000 to 45,000 being added each day the airports remained closed.

Some stranded travelers were driving hundreds of miles to other airports, such as Chiang Mai in the north and Phuket in the south to leave the country.

France's government said it sent a 500-seat Boeing 747 to Thailand on Monday to pick up French nationals. It said priority would be given to tourists with medical problems, the elderly and families with small children.

Late Monday, an explosion hit protesters camped outside Bangkok's airport for domestic flights. Mongkut Wattana hospital said 13 people were injured, including three who suffered serious shrapnel wounds.

It was the third such attack in two days targeting anti-Somchai activists. So far, six people have been killed and dozens injured in bomb attacks, clashes with police and street battles between government opponents and supporters.

Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the country's revered king has offered Somchai the firm backing he needs to resolve the standoff.

The prime minister has been working out of the northern city of Chiang Mai since Wednesday, saying he wants to avoid a confrontation with the People's Alliance for Democracy, the group that has been campaigning since May to topple the government.

On Monday, Somchai went to a Buddhist temple and prayed with dozens of monks for the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who celebrates his 81st birthday Friday.

Asked about the crisis, Somchai told reporters: "The authorities are working in line with due process, but we have to depend on police, soldiers and civil servants." He refused to elaborate.

Many Thais hoped a court ruling could resolve the impasse.

The Constitutional Court was scheduled to hear final arguments Tuesday in a case accusing Somchai and others in his party of electoral fraud. A verdict could come as early as this week, and conviction would see Somchai banned from politics and his party dissolved.

Even if that happened and the protesters dispersed, it would likely take at least another week before Bangkok's airports became operational.

The protesters accuse Somchai of being a puppet of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the alliance's original target. Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, was deposed in a 2006 military coup and fled the country to escape trial on corruption charges.

Alliance supporters are largely middle-class citizens who say Thailand's electoral system is susceptible to vote-buying and argue that the rural majority — the Thaksin camp's political base — is not sophisticated enough to cast ballots responsibly.

The alliance wants to discard direct elections of lawmakers in favor of appointing most legislators, a stand that has fostered resentment among rural voters and triggered violence between the two camps.

On Sunday, the alliance bused in more protesters to reinforce its siege of the Suvarnabhumi international airport and the domestic Don Muang airport. The reinforcements came from the prime minister's office compound, which the alliance occupied Aug. 26.

Protest leader Chamlong Srimuang said the activists were sent because it was becoming unsafe to have such large numbers at the prime minister's compound, which has frequently come under grenade attacks by unidentified assailants. An attack Sunday wounded 49 people.

"We are not abandoning the site. We will end the siege at all sites at the same time," said Suriyasai Katasila, an alliance spokesman.

Thailand's economy has suffered from the unrest.

Fitch Ratings on Monday forecast that the economy will grow 0.9 percent in 2009, which would be its slowest rate since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.

"It is a concern that, in the absence of effective and credible political leadership, economic policy could be either neglected or ineffective at a time when policy stimulus is likely required," said Vincent Ho, an associate director at Fitch.

NY Times skyscraper climber pleads guilty

allvoices / news — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:41:22 -0600

A French daredevil who climbed the outside of The New York Times' skyscraper has been sentenced to community service. Forty-five-year-old Alain Robert pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct and was told to perform community service at the Gay Me