By MATT GUTMAN and SENI TIENABESO | ABC News â€"Â
Article from YAHOO NEWS
|
|
|
Chinese Activist \'Cannot Be Silenced\'
-
This file image made from video posted to YouTube April 27, 2012 by by overseas Chinese news site Boxun.com, shows blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng.AP/Boxun.com/File
The Chinese dissident whose activism against his country's practice of forced abortion and sterilization made him a wanted man declared Tuesday by telephone before a Capitol Hill hearing that he "cannot be silent" in the face of "evils" against women and children.
Chen Guangcheng also described the persecution his family has suffered, and the diplomatic crisis surrounding him has not quite been resolved. Despite claims that he would be allowed to travel to America to study, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., one of his top defenders on Capitol Hill, said Tuesday that Chen is still in a Chinese hospital, not allowed visitors.Â
Smith also said there's been no progress on Chen's travel visa, though the State Department said U.S. visas for Chen and his family are ready for them once Beijing gives the green light.Â
Chen was defiant Tuesday, as he called in to a congressional hearing in Washington chaired by Smith for the second time in less than two weeks.Â
Through a translator, Chen addressed his activism in China and said he "cannot be silent" on those issues.Â
But he also complained that his elder brother, nephew and sister-in-law had all been beaten by Chinese authorities since Chen fled house arrest in late April.Â
Chen said a charge of homicide brought against his nephew was "trumped up."Â
Rights activist Bob Fu, who translated Chen's comments, earlier testified that Chen's nephew had injured several people who had burst into his home without warrants.Â
Chen's escape from his home village is what triggered the diplomatic standoff last month. Chen sought asylum in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and stayed there for days until he finally left for a hospital to see his family and seek medical treatment.Â
Chen said Tuesday that his wife and two children are doing fine, and he thanked those in America who have supported his cause.Â
As Smith expressed concern Chen is stuck in "de facto house arrest" at the hospital, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the visa processing was completed more than a week ago for Chen, his wife and two children, to allow him to study in New York.Â
China has said it would accept Chen's application for travel documents to leave the country.Â
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Nebraska GOP to pick candidate for Senate battle
Nebraska Republicans on Tuesday were choosing a candidate to square off against Democrat Bob Kerrey, a former senator seeking another turn on Capitol Hill in one of the year's most hotly contested Senate races.Â
The GOP primary fight illustrates a years-old split between the two wings of the GOP. State Attorney General Jon Bruning, backed by establishment Republicans, is trying to overcome a spirited challenge from state Sen. Deb Fischer, who has tea party support. State Treasurer Don Stenberg also was on the ballot.Â
Elsewhere, Oregon was deciding whether to give its 25 presidential delegates to Mitt Romney, the all-but-certain GOP nominee. Nebraska Republicans also were weighing in on the GOP race though no delegates would be allotted in a vote that amounts to a beauty contest. The state's 32 delegates to the Republican National Convention later this year will be determined at the state convention on July 14.Â
Romney was 171 delegates short of the 1,144 needed for the nomination and is on pace to get them before the month ends. He was spending the day in Iowa, a competitive general election battleground, delivering a speech on the economy as he looks to counter President Barack Obama on voters' top concern.Â
Idaho voters also were picking nominees for state and congressional offices.Â
But the biggest race Tuesday was Nebraska's GOP Senate primary.Â
Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, a two-term moderate, is retiring and both parties are eyeing his seat. Democrats want to keep it to maintain their Senate majority, while Republicans see an opportunity in their drive to win back control of the Senate.Â
Democrats control the Senate 51-47, plus two independents who caucus the majority. But the outcome in November of several competitive Senate races could result in a power shift.Â
Kerrey, who served Nebraska as governor and as a U.S. senator before leaving Congress in 2001 to become a university president in New York, reluctantly agreed to run again to help give Democrats a shot at holding a seat they've long controlled.Â
Republicans in Washington turned to Bruning, who has been successful in statewide races. But in the final stretch of the Senate campaign, he has found that his nomination is hardly assured.Â
Fischer, a rancher in rural Nebraska, has mounted a feisty campaign that in the past few weeks has attracted attention and endorsements from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and other tea party darlings. She's also backed by an outside group, created by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, that's running TV ads on her behalf.Â
Stenberg, for his part, has argued that he is the only "genuine, life-long conservative" in the race.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Katie\'s Take: Profiting from spring cleaning
{ttle}
Article from YAHOO NEWS
{pubdate}
{prvdr_nm} {durtn} | {vw_cnt}
{desc}","pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","update_page_permalink":true,"template_name":"vglry_thmbs","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"97362355","sec":"vc_nav"}}},{"id": "ymh-browse", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"channel-videos-carousel1", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "97362355", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"Video Browse Carousel","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"Video Browse Carousel","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {YAHOO.Media.DarlaAdsController = new Y.Media.DarlaAdsController(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(Y) { var vmms = new Y.Media.VMMSPublisher(); vmms.broadcast("carouselLoaded"); })(Y); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(Y) { var channelSort = new YAHOO.Media.ChannelSort({ 'Y': Y, 'modId': 'ymh-metadata', 'defaultSec': 'rel_news', 'spaceId': '97362355', 'queryUrl': '/_xhr/videos/channel-data/?start={start}&count={batchSize}&channelId={channelId}&source={source}&list_id={listId}&network_id={networkId}&network_name={networkName}&order={order}&template={template}&spaceid=97362355&sec={sec}', 'batchSize': 16, 'channelId': '29084964', 'source': 'discovery', 'listId': '', 'networkId': '', 'networkName': '', 'order': 'publishStart', 'template': 'vglry_meta_16u_long_desc', 'timeout': '15000' }); channelSort.init(); })(Y); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(!videosSocialSync && (Y.one('#ymh-browse') !== null)) { var videosSocialSync = new YAHOO.Media.Carousels.SocialButtonsEasySynchronizer({ carouselId : 'ymh-browse', plnkKey : 'plnk_vita', titleKey : 'ttle', thumbnailKey : 'thmb_url', summaryKey : 'desc' }); videosSocialSync.init(); /* Update buttons after page loads * so we can use the first video * which fires its selectedItem event * before the init starts listening */ Y.on('domready', function() { videosSocialSync.updateAllButtons(); }); } }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(Y) { var channelSort = new YAHOO.Media.ChannelSort({ 'Y': Y, 'modId': 'mediacarouselchannelvideosdiscovery', 'defaultSec': 'rel_news', 'spaceId': '97362355', 'queryUrl': '/_xhr/videos/channel-data/?start={start}&count={batchSize}&channelId={channelId}&source={source}&list_id={listId}&network_id={networkId}&network_name={networkName}&order={order}&template={template}&spaceid=97362355&sec={sec}', 'batchSize': 16, 'channelId': '29084964', 'source': 'discovery', 'listId': '', 'networkId': '', 'networkName': '', 'order': 'publishStart', 'template': 'vglry_atrbtn', 'timeout': '15000' }); channelSort.init(); })(Y); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(Y) { var channelSort = new YAHOO.Media.ChannelSort({ 'Y': Y, 'modId': 'ymh-browse', 'defaultSec': 'vc_nav', 'spaceId': '97362355', 'queryUrl': '/_xhr/videos/channel-data/?start={start}&count={batchSize}&channelId={channelId}&source={source}&list_id={listId}&network_id={networkId}&network_name={networkName}&order={order}&template={template}&spaceid=97362355&sec={sec}', 'batchSize': 16, 'channelId': '29084964', 'source': 'discovery', 'listId': '', 'networkId': '', 'networkName': '', 'order': 'publishStart', 'template': 'vglry_thmbs', 'timeout': '15000' }); channelSort.init(); })(Y); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(Y) { new YAHOO.Media.Accordion( { 'spaceId' : '97362355' }); })(Y); }); }); });
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Muslim Groups Kill Gaga Show
The Lovely and Talented Lady Gaga
She's just a New York City girl who wears cans in her hair instead of rollers.
Lady Gaga will have to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia following protests by Islamic hard-liners and conservative lawmakers, who said her sexy clothes and dance moves will corrupt the youth.
National police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar, responding to the pressure, said Tuesday that the permit for her June 3 "Born This Way Ball" concert had been denied.
Indonesia, a nation of 240 million people, has more Muslims than any other. Although it is secular and has a long history of religious tolerance, a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years.
Hard-liners have loudly criticized Lady Gaga, saying the suggestive nature of her show threatened to undermine the country's moral fiber. Some threatened to use physical force to prevent her from stepping off the plane.
Lawmakers and religious leaders, too, have spoken out against her.
Worried they could not guarantee security, local police recommended the permit for the show be denied, said Amar, adding that national police decided Tuesday to comply.
It was supposed to be the biggest show on Lady Gaga's Asian tour, with fans snapping up every seat in Jakarta's 52,000-seat Gelora Bung Karno stadium -- half of them in the first two hours of sales.
Permits usually are issued about three weeks before a concert in Jakarta, so it is common to sell tickets well ahead of receiving the permit. It was not immediately clear if the ticket sales would be refunded. The local promoter, Michael Rusli, could not be reached for comment.
"I'm very disappointed," said Mariska Renata, who had tickets to the Jakarta show.
She said by bowing to the wishes of "troublemakers," authorities only give them more power.
"We are mature enough to be able to separate our own moral values from arts and culture," Renata said.
Lady Gaga's Asian tour started late last month and many of the stops have sold out. The South Korean concerts were limited to fans 18 or older because conservatives there raised objections.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Hollande sworn in as France\'s new president
-
May 15, 2012: French President-elect Francois Hollande, right, shakes hands with outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy.AP
PARIS â€"  Francois Hollande became president of France on Tuesday in a ceremony steeped in tradition, taking over a country with deep debts and worried about Europe's future and pledging to make it a fairer place.
Hollande is only the second Socialist president of modern France, after Francois Mitterrand's 1981-1995 tenure, and rode to the presidency on a wave of resurgent leftist sentiment amid Europe's debt crisis and anti-free-market protests around the world.
Hollande, 57, was elected to a five-year term earlier this month after voters ousted incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy after only one term. Voters were disappointed over Sarkozy's handling of France's economy - which has high unemployment and low growth - and recoiled at his aggressive personality.
Hollande plans to leave shortly on his first diplomatic foray - to Berlin, where he is meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a critical meeting on austerity and growth in Europe.
Arriving Tuesday morning at the 18th-century Elysee Palace that is the traditional residence of French presidents, Hollande was greeted by Sarkozy on the red-carpeted steps. The two held a 40-minute private meeting that is traditionally the moment when the outgoing president hands over the codes to France's nuclear arsenal.
Hollande was declared president after the head of the constitutional court read out the final results of the May 6 election.
In his first presidential speech, Hollande promised to fight financial speculation and "open a new path" in Europe but acknowledged that he inherits huge government debt. He has pushed back against austerity measures championed by Germany amid Europe's debt crisis and wants government stimulus instead. Hollande also pledged to bring "dignity" to the presidential role - something voters felt that Sarkozy did not always do.
Hollande immediately acknowledged the challenges he faces: "a massive debt, weak growth, high unemployment, degraded competitivity, and a Europe that is struggling to come out of crisis."
With the economy in the doldrums and joblessness high, the French mood is glum and many voters are looking to the inauguration as a rare moment of national pride, and to Hollande's presidency as a new opportunity to make things better.
World markets, other European leaders and France will be watching closely to see how and whether Hollande follows through on his campaign promises, such as calling for a renegotiation of Europe's budget-cutting treaty, freezing gasoline prices and hiking taxes on the rich. Observers expect that once he settles into the presidency, he's likely to fall back into the moderate consensus-building that has characterized his career.
A key sign will come when he names his prime minister, expected later Tuesday.
Guests at the ceremony included France's leftist political elite, 10 French Nobel Prize winners, France's chief rabbi, the head of an umbrella group of French Muslim organizations, the daughter of late President Francois Mitterrand's mistress and a host of cultural figures.
Hollande received the insignia of the Grand Croix from the hands of Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who heads the prestigious Legion of Honor, and the necklace of the Great Master of the Order of the Legion of Honor. Each linked medallion of the necklace bears the name of a president, with Hollande's name recently added.
Sarkozy left the palace hand-in-hand with wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, had a last handshake on the palace steps with Hollande, then was driven away. Former staffers gathered in the palace courtyard applauded loudly as Sarkozy left, and fans gathered at the Elysee gates waving signs reading "Nicolas, merci!"
Hollande shook hands with many of the hundreds present at the ceremony then reviewed troops in the palace gardens. Following tradition, 21 gun shots were fired above the Invalides, a domed complex on the opposite side of the Seine River that holds Napoleon's tomb.
Rain started pouring down on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue as Hollande rode up its center, standing out of a sunroof of his hybrid Citroen DS5, trailed by dozens of Republican Guardsmen on horseback and motorcycle. His suit was visibly drenched within moments. He then headed for the Arc de Triomphe, and its monument to the unknown soldier.
Military band and soldiers at attention await arrival of Hollande motorcade parading up the capital's central artery. The normally traffic-clogged avenue was closed to cars and buses and eerily empty around midday, ahead of the first procession of Hollande's presidency. Crowds were sparse, and the weather blustery.
Hollande, who has four children but has never been married, was joined for the Elysee ceremonies Tuesday by his partner, journalist Valerie Trierweiler.
Sarkozy's inauguration five years ago broke with some of the tradition that the French associate with the Elysee Palace, and offered up a first lady in Prada and romantic intrigue instead. The then-president and his then-wife Cecilia - both already on their second marriages, and on the verge of divorce - posed on the red carpet with their blended family of five kids.
Sarkozy's hands-on presidency brought change to the once-stuffy Elysee - but that, and Sarkozy's image as a man too friendly with the rich while recession hit, ultimately turned many voters against him.
___
Cecile Brisson in Paris contributed to this report.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Astronauts launch toward space station
'},"otherParams":{"t_e":1,".intl":"us"},"events":{"fetch":{lv:2,"sp":"97026694","ps":"LREC,LREC2,NT1,RICH","npv":true,"bg":"#FFFFFF","em":escape('{"page_type":"slideshow container_id=ec268188-b3e8-34d5-bf3d-7d5ccb765ec3","site-attribute":"content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}'),"em_orig":escape('{"page_type":"slideshow container_id=ec268188-b3e8-34d5-bf3d-7d5ccb765ec3","site-attribute":"content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}')}}};var _createNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);var nodeHTML;if(center && !node){nodeHTML=_conf.nodes[nId];center.insert(nodeHTML);};};};var _prepareNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-ad-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);if(center && node){center.set("innerHTML","");center.insert(node);node.setStyle("display","block");};};};var _darla;var _config=function(){if(YAHOO.ads.darla){_darla = YAHOO.ads.darla;_createNodes();};};var _fetch=function(spaceid,adssa){if(typeof spaceid != "undefined") _conf.events.fetch.sp=spaceid;adssa = (typeof adssa != "undefined" && adssa != null) ? escape(adssa.replace(/\"/g, "'")) : "";_conf.events.fetch.em=_conf.events.fetch.em_orig.replace("ADSSA", adssa);if(_darla){_prepareNodes();_darla.setConfig(_conf);_darla.event("fetch");};};Y.on("domready", function(){_config();});;var that={"fetch":_fetch};return that;}();/* Backwards compatibility - Assigning the latest instance to the main fetch function */YUI.AdsDarla.fetch=YUI.AdsDarla.darla_1.fetch; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(Y.Media.Footer) var footer = Y.Media.Footer(Y,{footerInfoSelector:"#footer-info",currentDeviceType:"full",projectId:"",enableYwaTracking:"0"}); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.all(".yog-hd,.yog-bd,.yog-ft").addClass("yog-grid"); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.all(".yog-bd").addClass("yog-grid"); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(new YAHOO.Media.Carousels.SocialButtonsEasySynchronizer({ carouselId : 'spotlight', plnkKey : 'plnk_vita', titleKey : 'title', thumbnailKey : 'sm_url', summaryKey : 'caption' })).init(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); Y.later(10, this, function() {var tabbedList = new Y.Media.TabbedList({ 'tabbedListId': 'latest-news-galleries', 'ids' : ["7f7f0bdf-6876-4312-a004-664bbae2fc29","34df883b-96dd-4af2-8b00-b3eca88113b7","d54fcfb5-17f0-4741-adca-e65801b070dd","0565d1c0-4e5a-4148-ab5e-510df0c2c8c9","9ea9b04f-9239-4f0e-bc56-1a8dd007ae82","be36f0a4-d77e-4cc8-8415-8add8c8c8876","dde029e5-faa7-4f90-aeff-0a6efd9b07a8","f5dd4169-a68a-40b6-b199-fb3cf2c6b535","078c8151-93d8-4fb7-8dd9-1dc292c6c435"], 'labels' : { "more" : 'More' }, 'defaultSec' : '', 'spaceId' : '97026694', 'queryUrl' : '/_xhr/photos/gallery-list/by-category/?list_id={list_id}&num_per_row=4&spaceid=97026694&sec={sec}', 'tabs' : '[{"list_id":"7f7f0bdf-6876-4312-a004-664bbae2fc29","name":"World"},{"list_id":"34df883b-96dd-4af2-8b00-b3eca88113b7","name":"Entertainment"},{"list_id":"d54fcfb5-17f0-4741-adca-e65801b070dd","name":"U.S."},{"list_id":"0565d1c0-4e5a-4148-ab5e-510df0c2c8c9","name":"Business"},{"list_id":"9ea9b04f-9239-4f0e-bc56-1a8dd007ae82","name":"Sports"},{"list_id":"be36f0a4-d77e-4cc8-8415-8add8c8c8876","name":"Tech "},{"list_id":"dde029e5-faa7-4f90-aeff-0a6efd9b07a8","name":"Science"},{"list_id":"f5dd4169-a68a-40b6-b199-fb3cf2c6b535","name":"Health"},{"list_id":"078c8151-93d8-4fb7-8dd9-1dc292c6c435","name":"Politics"}]' }); tabbedList.init(); }); }); });
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Former News International CEO, husband to be charged in UK phone hacking scandal
-
Reuters
LONDON â€"  Former News Of The World editor Rebekah Brooks has been charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the phone hacking scandal.
Her husband, racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks, has also been charged.
In a statement, the couple said: "We deplore this weak and unjust decision. After the further unprecedented posturing of the Crown Prosecution Service we will respond later today after our return from the police station."
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Iran Exile Group to Lose Terror Label?
-
Feb. 18, 2012.: A member of Iranian exile group People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran leave Camp Ashraf in Khalis, north of Baghdad, Iraq.AP
The Obama administration is poised to remove an Iranian opposition group from the United States' list of terrorist groups, officials briefed on the talk told the Wall Street Journal, in a move sure to upset Tehran as nuclear talks between the countries intensify.
The exile organization, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MeK, was named a terrorist group 15 years ago for allegedly being involved in assassinating U.S. citizens before the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, but the group had pursued an aggressive lobbying effort in Washington to clear up its status.
Being on the list means MeK's assets inside the U.S. are frozen and it is blocked from fundraising.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has yet to make a final decision, senior U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal on Monday, but they suggested the department is looking favorably on the request to remove MeK from the terrorism list if it continues to leave a former military base in Iraq where it has been living in exile.
MeK already has renounced terrorism, though residents of the encampment, known as Camp Ashraf, have feared retribution if they leave the camp and return to Iran. There are 1,200 left at the camp, down from about 3,000.
A decision by Clinton is expected within 60 days of the last of the group leaving Camp Ashraf. The U.S. is working with the United Nations to resettle members of the group in other countries.
Warnings by Israel that it may attack Iran's nuclear facilities eased after Iran and the six powers trying to persuade Iran to make nuclear concessions met last month and agreed there was enough common will for another round in Baghdad on May 23. But with the Jewish state saying it is determined to stop Iran before it develops the capacity to build nuclear weapons, failure at the Iraq talks could turn such threats into reality.
A senior U.N. nuclear agency official urged Iran on Monday to allow access to sites, people and documents it seeks in its probe of suspicions that Tehran conducted secret research into nuclear weapons development.
The appeal came as International Atomic Energy Agency officials renewed talks with Iranian envoys aimed at persuading Tehran to allow IAEA experts to visit a suspect site at the Parchin military complex.
The agency believes that site was used by Iran to test multipoint explosives of the type used to set off a nuclear charge. Iran denies such experiments and insists it has no plans to turn its civilian nuclear program to making weapons.
A computer-generated drawing obtained by The Associated Press from a country tracking Iran's nuclear program depicts a containment chamber that would be used for such work. The IAEA has not commented, but Olli Heinonen, who was the senior official in charge of the Iran file until he left the IAEA last year, says the drawing is "very similar" to a photo he has seen and identifies as that of the Iranian chamber, adding even the colors of the two images match.
IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts said the agency was seeking Iran's cooperation, ahead of Monday's talks at Iran's mission to the IAEA and other Vienna-based U.N. organizations.
The talks ended at mid-afternoon with neither side commenting. They were set to resume Tuesday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Father of Missing Ariz. Girl Barred From Seeing Sons
-
April 21: Isabel Mercedes Celis, 6, whose parents say was missing from her bedroom when they awoke on Saturday.Tucson Police Department
TUCSON, Ariz. â€"  Arizona's child welfare agency is prohibiting the father of a missing Tucson girl from having any contact with his other two children, but authorities say that doesn't mean he's a suspect in her disappearance.
Meanwhile Monday, police released transcripts of some of the 911 calls made after 6-year-old Isabel Mercedes Celis was discovered missing last month. In one of the calls, her father, Sergio Celis tells an operator that he believes "she was abducted from my house."
The dispatcher asks Celis why he thinks the girl was abducted.
"I have no idea," he said. "We woke up this morning and went to go get her up, start her baseball game and she's gone. I woke up my, my sons, I, we looked everywhere in the house and my oldest son noticed that her window was wide open and the screen was laying in the backyard. We've looked all around the house."
Police confirmed earlier Monday that the state's Child Protective Services agency has ordered Sergio Celis to stay away from his two sons, citing a need to ensure the boys' welfare. Neither police nor CPS officials would elaborate.
Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said at a news conference that Isabel's older brothers are "with their mother" and have "not been taken away" by CPS. He noted Sergio Celis is cooperating with the agency's order.
"He's voluntarily agreed with CPS to stay away from the children," Villansenor said. "We can't talk about other details."
Authorities added it's common for the agency to be involved in missing-child cases. They wouldn't say where Sergio Celis is living.
A message left for the father on his cellphone by The Associated Press was not immediately returned Monday, nor was a message left for his wife, Rebecca. Police said neither has an attorney.
Authorities have been searching for Isabel since she was reported missing the morning of April 21. They haven't identified any suspects in the case.
The Celises have said they last saw the girl in her bedroom the night of April 20. A window was later found open with the screen pushed aside in the family's home, police said.
Villasenor said Monday that investigators have determined Rebecca Celis had already gone to work April 21 when Sergio got up and discovered Isabel missing. The couple's sons also were at home, he said.
In one of the 911 calls, Sergio Celis tells an operator that he was watching a baseball game on television in the late night hours of April 20 "and I feel asleep and I never heard anything." He noted that he was on the other side of the wall from his daughter's bedroom.
Villasenor said police have processed more than 1,000 tips in their search and contacted more than 500 sex offenders living within the city limits.
"We have not eliminated any possibilities in this case," he said. "We're still doing a lot of work. It's a very painstaking process. I'm not giving up hope. Sometimes these cases are decided on one big break. We are waiting for that break."
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Al Qaeda manual offers tips to possible recruits
-
This 2008 image shows Samir Khan outside his parents' Charlotte, N.C., home.FoxNews.com
SANAA, Yemen â€"  Al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate has released an English-language training guide for would-be Western recruits, telling them to imagine virgins waiting for them in paradise when they feel afraid.
Published on the internet and written by US-raised Al Qaeda propagandist Samir Khan, the manual for aspiring jihadists outlines what conditions and hardships they can expect when they travel to terror training camps in Yemen and elsewhere, ABC News reported Monday.
It suggests potential recruits get a taste for what life is like at the camps by going for a week without any electronic equipment, talking above a low voice or leaving their apartment.
After describing how tough and basic the situation at the training camps is, the guide even recommends sign-ups consider staying home and "attacking America in its own backyard."
"The effect is much greater, it always embarrasses the enemy, and these types of individual decision-making attacks are nearly impossible for them to contain," it says.
And in an attempt to quell the fears of trainee jihadists when under "aerial bombardment" from aircraft, Khan writes, "If you feel terrified, close your eyes and imagine yourself inside paradise, entering its magnificent gates.
"Imagine glancing at your beautiful palace. Think of your hoor [virgins] that are awaiting you," The (London) Daily Telegraph reported.
The manual, which also praises cleanliness, says secrecy is one of the pillars of modern day jihad, advising recruits not to reveal their place of birth to other jihadists and to refrain from asking them too many questions.
Khan was the founder and editor of the jihadist magazine "Inspire" and was killed by US Hellfire missiles during a drone attack in September 2011, along with the US-born radical cleric Anwar al Awlaki.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Father of missing Ariz. girl barred from seeing sons- Mystery at Vatican: Has missing teen been found?
-
April 21: Isabel Mercedes Celis, 6, whose parents say was missing from her bedroom when they awoke on Saturday.Tucson Police Department
TUCSON, Ariz. â€"  Arizona's child welfare agency is prohibiting the father of a missing Tucson girl from having any contact with his other two children, but authorities say that doesn't mean he's a suspect in her disappearance.
Meanwhile Monday, police released transcripts of some of the 911 calls made after 6-year-old Isabel Mercedes Celis was discovered missing last month. In one of the calls, her father, Sergio Celis tells an operator that he believes "she was abducted from my house."
The dispatcher asks Celis why he thinks the girl was abducted.
"I have no idea," he said. "We woke up this morning and went to go get her up, start her baseball game and she's gone. I woke up my, my sons, I, we looked everywhere in the house and my oldest son noticed that her window was wide open and the screen was laying in the backyard. We've looked all around the house."
Police confirmed earlier Monday that the state's Child Protective Services agency has ordered Sergio Celis to stay away from his two sons, citing a need to ensure the boys' welfare. Neither police nor CPS officials would elaborate.
Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said at a news conference that Isabel's older brothers are "with their mother" and have "not been taken away" by CPS. He noted Sergio Celis is cooperating with the agency's order.
"He's voluntarily agreed with CPS to stay away from the children," Villansenor said. "We can't talk about other details."
Authorities added it's common for the agency to be involved in missing-child cases. They wouldn't say where Sergio Celis is living.
A message left for the father on his cellphone by The Associated Press was not immediately returned Monday, nor was a message left for his wife, Rebecca. Police said neither has an attorney.
Authorities have been searching for Isabel since she was reported missing the morning of April 21. They haven't identified any suspects in the case.
The Celises have said they last saw the girl in her bedroom the night of April 20. A window was later found open with the screen pushed aside in the family's home, police said.
Villasenor said Monday that investigators have determined Rebecca Celis had already gone to work April 21 when Sergio got up and discovered Isabel missing. The couple's sons also were at home, he said.
In one of the 911 calls, Sergio Celis tells an operator that he was watching a baseball game on television in the late night hours of April 20 "and I feel asleep and I never heard anything." He noted that he was on the other side of the wall from his daughter's bedroom.
Villasenor said police have processed more than 1,000 tips in their search and contacted more than 500 sex offenders living within the city limits.
"We have not eliminated any possibilities in this case," he said. "We're still doing a lot of work. It's a very painstaking process. I'm not giving up hope. Sometimes these cases are decided on one big break. We are waiting for that break."
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Historic Arizona town evacuated as wildfire spreads
-
May 14, 2012: An air tanker drops retardant on a fire near Crown King, Ariz.AP
CROWN KING, Ariz. â€"  Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in northern Arizona that has forced residents from their homes in the historic mining town of Crown King just weeks ahead of the busy tourist season.
The fire began on private land Sunday and has burned about 2 square miles as of Monday afternoon, with zero containment.
Prescott National Forest officials say the 1,300-acre, human-caused blaze already has destroyed two buildings and one trailer.
The Crown King area remains under a mandatory evacuation order, though authorities say most of the town's 350 residents have chosen to stay in the community of mostly summer homes.
Meanwhile, a fire south of Payson is 5 percent contained after charring nearly 5 square miles in the Tonto National Forest.
Authorities have yet to determine a cause.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
US May Take Iranian Exile Group Off Terrorism List
-
Feb. 18, 2012.: A member of Iranian exile group People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran leave Camp Ashraf in Khalis, north of Baghdad, Iraq.AP
The Obama administration is poised to remove an Iranian opposition group from the United States' list of terrorist groups, officials briefed on the talk told the Wall Street Journal, in a move sure to upset Tehran as nuclear talks between the countries intensify.
The exile organization, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MeK, was named a terrorist group 15 years ago for allegedly being involved in assassinating U.S. citizens before the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, but the group had pursued an aggressive lobbying effort in Washington to clear up its status.
Being on the list means MeK's assets inside the U.S. are frozen and it is blocked from fundraising.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has yet to make a final decision, senior U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal on Monday, but they suggested the department is looking favorably on the request to remove MeK from the terrorism list if it continues to leave a former military base in Iraq where it has been living in exile.
MeK already has renounced terrorism, though residents of the encampment, known as Camp Ashraf, have feared retribution if they leave the camp and return to Iran. There are 1,200 left at the camp, down from about 3,000.
A decision by Clinton is expected within 60 days of the last of the group leaving Camp Ashraf. The U.S. is working with the United Nations to resettle members of the group in other countries.
Warnings by Israel that it may attack Iran's nuclear facilities eased after Iran and the six powers trying to persuade Iran to make nuclear concessions met last month and agreed there was enough common will for another round in Baghdad on May 23. But with the Jewish state saying it is determined to stop Iran before it develops the capacity to build nuclear weapons, failure at the Iraq talks could turn such threats into reality.
A senior U.N. nuclear agency official urged Iran on Monday to allow access to sites, people and documents it seeks in its probe of suspicions that Tehran conducted secret research into nuclear weapons development.
The appeal came as International Atomic Energy Agency officials renewed talks with Iranian envoys aimed at persuading Tehran to allow IAEA experts to visit a suspect site at the Parchin military complex.
The agency believes that site was used by Iran to test multipoint explosives of the type used to set off a nuclear charge. Iran denies such experiments and insists it has no plans to turn its civilian nuclear program to making weapons.
A computer-generated drawing obtained by The Associated Press from a country tracking Iran's nuclear program depicts a containment chamber that would be used for such work. The IAEA has not commented, but Olli Heinonen, who was the senior official in charge of the Iran file until he left the IAEA last year, says the drawing is "very similar" to a photo he has seen and identifies as that of the Iranian chamber, adding even the colors of the two images match.
IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts said the agency was seeking Iran's cooperation, ahead of Monday's talks at Iran's mission to the IAEA and other Vienna-based U.N. organizations.
The talks ended at mid-afternoon with neither side commenting. They were set to resume Tuesday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Students in critical condition after bus rear ends truck
-
KTVI
Illinois police say there are multiple injuries after a school bus, carrying sixth-graders and adults returning home from a field trip, rear-ended semi truck on Interstate 55 outside Litchfield.
Ten injuries have been reported, but none are life-threatening, Fox 2 Now reports. A medical helicopter on scene helped transport injured passengers.
The superintendent of the Highland School District said the students and adults, from Grantfork Upper Elementary, were arriving home from Springfield, Ill.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Obama: JP Morgan loss shows need for tougher rules
WASHINGTON â€"  President Barack Obama says JPMorgan Chase's $2 billion loss in high-risk trading demonstrates the need for the Wall Street rules that Congress passed two years ago. Many of the rules are still being written and have not taken effect.
Obama says the bank's loss also illustrates the sharp differences between his view of government and that of Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who has called for less stringent regulations than those contained in the new law.
Obama made his remarks during an appearance on ABC's "The View," a daytime talk show. The interview will air Tuesday, but a portion appeared on ABC's "World News With Diane Sawyer."
Obama argued that while JPMorgan could withstand the loss, a smaller bank could have been so damaged that it would have required federal assistance.
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for free e-mail news alerts from FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com.
Article from FOXNEWS
Obama faces questions on federal fight for gay marriage
WASHINGTON (AP) Speaking softly, nervously and in detail, Brian McNamee testified about the life-changing moment when, he said, he first gave Roger Clemens a ''booty shot'' of steroids.
The government's star witness in the Clemens perjury retrial took the stand Monday and told the jury that he injected one of baseball's most successful pitchers with steroids about eight to 10 times when they were with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998.
''I knew what I was doing was illegal,'' McNamee said. ''I wish to God I could take it back.''
Clemens is charged with lying to Congress when he testified in 2008 that he had never used steroids or human growth hormone. The first attempt to try him last July ended in a mistrial when prosecutors showed the jury a snippet of videotaped evidence that had been ruled inadmissible.
The retrial took until its fifth week to get to the heart of the government's case: McNamee is the only person who will claim firsthand knowledge of Clemens using performance-enhancing drugs.
In his thick New York accent, McNamee covered a lot of ground in about four hours on the stand - and he still has much more to tell when he returns Tuesday. He recalled how he met Clemens when McNamee was the strength and conditioning coach of the Blue Jays during the 1998 season. He said Clemens gave him a $1,000 tip at the end of spring training, that Clemens approached him one day in the clubhouse and asked him to get rid of a bag of some 20 to 30 bottles of steroids.
Then came the fateful day in June when he was asked by Clemens to come to Clemens' apartment in the Blue Jays' Skydome stadium after a game.
McNamee said he found alcohol, needle and gauze and the anabolic steroid Winstrol laid out in the bathroom. He said he felt ''a little uncomfortable'' while preparing the shot because he'd never done anything like it before. He said he then walked into Clemens' bedroom.
''Roger pulled down his pants, exposing his right buttocks cheek to me,'' McNamee said. A few seconds later, Clemens said he was ready. McNamee said he then ''plunged the fluid in into his buttocks.''
After it was done, they ''exchanged pleasantries,'' according to McNamee.
''That,'' McNamee concluded softly, ''was the first time I injected Roger Clemens.''
McNamee said he didn't feel good about the moment, but he got the sense that Clemens ''wasn't good at doing the 'booty shot.'''
''I did it,'' McNamee said, ''because I wanted to help and I wanted to keep my player safe. ... I wasn't under the assumption that was the first time he did that.''
McNamee recited details of another injection later in the season, one he said he gave Clemens in a hurry in a small supply room in the Tampa Bay clubhouse on the getaway day of a road trip. McNamee was so concerned about being discovered that he pressed his foot against the closed door while giving the shot.
McNamee said the injections stopped after Clemens developed an abscess on his buttocks later in the season. He said Clemens walked by and ''threw a whole bag (of steroids) at my locker and said, 'I'm done with it.'''
McNamee recalled some scenes meticulously; other times he was more vague. He occasionally fidgeted with his white shirt or tan jacket and sometimes took long pauses before answering questions. It took him a few seconds to recall his wedding date - perhaps understandable, given he's going through a divorce - and he initially said three months, instead of three years, when asked how long he worked for the New York Police Department before becoming a bullpen catcher and batting practice pitcher for the New York Yankees in the mid-1990s.
McNamee was barely audible the first time he uttered the word ''Roger.'' He and Clemens were once good friends; he worked with Clemens for the better part of a decade, in an official capacity with the Blue Jays and later with the Yankees, and also as a personal trainer who would run Clemens through demanding workouts, often at Clemens' home in Texas.
Clemens watched intently from the defense table, occasionally taking notes or reading materials.
When McNamee returns to the stand Tuesday, he's expected to testify that he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs in 2000 and 2001. The prosecution is also expected to head off, as best it can, an upcoming cross-examination that is expected to attack McNamee's integrity. The defense wants to paint McNamee as a serial liar out for personal gain.
The two sides spent the morning arguing over which parts of McNamee's personal life can be revealed in front of the jury. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton quashed a Clemens subpoena for McNamee's divorce records, saying it was a ''fishing expedition'' to look for information to disparage McNamee.
The judge did rule that Clemens' team could bring up evidence of McNamee's alleged alcohol problems, including two convictions for driving under the influence. Walton also said that if the defense had evidence that McNamee had obtained prescription drugs online without a prescription, that too could be mentioned.
But the judge said again that defense lawyers may not mention that McNamee was investigated for an alleged sexual assault over a 2001 incident at a St. Petersburg, Fla., hotel involving a woman who was found to have a date rape drug in her system. Walton said the defense could refer to it only as a ''serious criminal investigation.'' The defense will be able to say that McNamee lied to investigators during that investigation. Charges were never filed in the case.
The day began with the government winning a significant battle about the testimony of former Clemens teammate Andy Pettitte.
Pettitte testified about a conversation 12 years ago in which Clemens supposedly admitted to using HGH - but then acknowledged under cross-examination there was a ''50-50'' chance he might have misunderstood Clemens' remark. The defense wanted the judge to strike Pettitte's testimony about the conversation, but Walton ruled that it will be up to the jury to decide how much weight to give it.
---
Associated Press writer Frederic J. Frommer contributed to this report.
---
Follow Fred Frommer at http://twitter.com/ffrommer
Follow Joseph White at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP
Article from YAHOO NEWS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)