World Briefly

By The Associated Press | Clanton Advertiser

Published Saturday, January 10, 2009

Israel drops leaflets on Gaza warning of military escalation; Hamas fires more rockets

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel dropped bombs and leaflets on Gaza Saturday, pounding suspected rocket sites and tunnels used by Hamas militants and warning of a wider offensive despite frantic diplomacy to end the bloodshed.

Egypt hosted talks aimed at defusing the crisis, but war had the momentum on a bloody day on which more than 30 Palestinians, many of them noncombatants, were killed.

At hospitals, distraught relatives — men in jeans and jackets and women in black Islamic robes — sobbed and shrieked at the loss of family. Flames and smoke rose over Gaza City amid heavy fighting.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas predicted a "waterfall of blood" unless all parties adhere to a U.N. call for a cease-fire. But Israel has said the Security Council resolution passed Thursday was unworkable, and Hamas, the Islamic group whose government controls Gaza but is not recognized internationally, was angry that it was not consulted.

A top Hamas leader said the Gaza war has killed the last chance for settlement and negotiations with Israel.

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Tens of thousands across Europe, Lebanon protest Israeli offensive in Gaza

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in cities across Europe and in Lebanon Saturday, shouting protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Protesters burned Israeli flags in Sweden and threw shoes at the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland. In central London, three officers were hurt when demonstrators hurled shoes and placards at police outside the Israeli Embassy. One officer was knocked unconscious. Some 180 people were arrested in Paris.

But in Innsbruck, Austria, volunteer security personnel arranged by the Islamic organizers of a demonstration moved quickly to surround and protect an elderly man after he suddenly unrolled an Israeli flag in the middle of the protest.

Israel says its two-week-old offensive is intended to stop Palestinian Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel. Palestinian medical officials say more than 800 people have been killed.

A crowd of 12,000 gathered in London's Hyde Park carrying placards marked "Gaza: Stop the massacre" and chanting "free, free Palestine."

Police said 15 people were arrested after a group of around 2,000 demonstrators clashed with police guarding the Israeli embassy. Two were detained on suspicion of assaulting police officers.

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Obama advisers estimate recovery plan would create up to 4.1 million jobs over next 2 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama countered critics with an analysis Saturday by his economic team showing that a program of tax cuts and spending like he's proposed would create up to 4.1 million jobs, far more than the 3 million he has insisted are needed to lift the country from recession.

Congressional Republicans reacted skeptically, just as Obama acknowledged that he would be forced to recant some of his campaign promises given the economic crisis facing the country. Even the president-elect's own economists acknowledged their two-year estimates could be wrong.

The 14-page analysis, which was posted online, says estimates are "subject to significant margins of error" — because of the assumptions that went into the economic models and because it is not known what might pass Congress.

"These numbers are a stark reminder that we simply cannot continue on our current path," Obama said in his weekly radio and YouTube broadcast address.

"If nothing is done, economists from across the spectrum tell us that this recession could linger for years and the unemployment rate could reach double digits — and they warn that our nation could lose the competitive edge that has served as a foundation for our strength and standing in the world," he said.

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An awesome ship for 'an awesome man': Bush honors his father at carrier's commissioning

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — It's the perfect gift for an old Navy flier: 1,092 feet of flattop.

"What do you give a guy who has been blessed and has just about everything he has ever needed?" asked President George W. Bush from aboard the Navy's newest ship. "Well, an aircraft carrier."

The USS George H.W. Bush, a steel-gray vessel longer than three football fields and built at a cost of $6.2 billion, was commissioned Saturday with its namesake, the 41st president, and other members of the Bush family on hand for the ceremonies at Naval Station Norfolk.

Adorned for the day with red, white and blue bunting, the USS George H.W. Bush is one of the Nimitz class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the largest warships in the world.

"The ship that bears our dad's name is more than 95,000 tons of aluminum and steel," Bush said from a podium tucked under the flight deck. "She will carry nearly 6,000 of the finest sailors and Marines in the world. She represents the craftsmanship of many skilled builders, and thousands of hours of preparation."

Bush, who took his last scheduled flight aboard Air Force One to get to Norfolk, added: "Laura and I are thrilled to be here to help commission an awesome ship and to honor an awesome man."

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5 Somali pirates drown with share of ransom money after releasing Saudi supertanker

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom, a relative said Saturday, the day after the bundle of cash was apparently dropped by parachute onto the deck of the ship.

The Sirius Star and its 25 crew sailed safely away Friday at the end of a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates attacked over 100 ships last year. Hundreds more kidnapped sailors remain in the hands of pirates.

The drowned pirates' boat overturned in rough seas, and family members were still looking for four missing bodies, said Daud Nure, another pirate who knew the men involved.

Piracy is one of the few ways to make money in Somalia. Half the population is dependent on aid and a whole generation has grown up knowing nothing but war. A recent report by London's Chatham House think-tank said pirates raked in more than $30 million in ransoms last year.

Somalia's lawless coastline borders one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Attacks have continued despite the patrols by warships from France, Germany, Britain, America, India and China.

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Lifting veil of privacy, Caroline Kennedy's friends discuss woman who would be senator

NEW YORK (AP) — When community groups and the Board of Education were caught in an acrimonious dispute over an arts program, education officials brought in a fixer: Caroline Kennedy.

The daughter of a president and niece of two senators listened attentively, asked probing questions and proposed various scenarios to resolve the dispute. Under her prompting, a compromise was reached.

"People were pushing themselves back from the table and folding their arms," recalled Stephanie Dua, chief executive officer of the Fund for Public Schools. "She was very good at defusing the situation. ... She has a very easy style about her but she's very sharp."

The episode is an intriguing glimpse into how Kennedy might fill the role of U.S. senator if she is appointed to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In a series of interviews with The Associated Press, friends and colleagues of Kennedy painted a picture of a reserved but intelligent and tenacious woman who writes her own speeches and who, despite her vast wealth, still takes the subway.

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2 spills, higher electric rates fuel love-hate relationship with Tennessee Valley Authority

STEVENSON, Ala. (AP) — Standing on a porch near the Widows Creek power plant Saturday, Charlie Cookston took a drag off a cigarette and ticked off the reasons he distrusts the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Dead mussels in the mighty, meandering Tennessee River. Dwindling numbers of fish. Big, black piles of coal ash that seem to get larger every day.

As nearby residents await lab tests on the safety of drinking water, tempers are unsettled. Electric rates at the nation's largest utility have soared. A dike burst in Tennessee destroyed several homes, and on Friday, as much as 10,000 gallons of waste spilled into Widows Creek in northeastern Alabama.

The nation's largest utility, once was viewed as a savior to the region, bringing lights, thousands of jobs and progress since its creation as a New Deal program in 1933, has had a rocky few months.

"We ain't trusted TVA around here since back in the '50s," said Cookston, 59, who runs bulldozers and other heavy equipment for a living.

"Their rates on power are as cheap as anybody," he said, looking toward the plant stacks. But "I think there's a lot more going on down there than we'll ever know."

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From cookies to costumes, small businesses going under, sending ripples through economy

By The Associated Press

It may be the final days of business for the Scandia Bake Shop.

After almost 60 years of serving treats like julekake and Oslo rye bread, the Minneapolis store is worried it may have to shut its doors within the week, felled by shrinking sales, rising flour prices and a downright dismal holiday season.

"They come out in droves and you make most of your money between Thanksgiving and Christmas," said 60-year-old owner Gary Arvidson, who took over the business in 1993. "And then this year I was really counting on that and the economy went into the dumper."

Times are tough for small business owners, those whom politicians tout as the backbone of America. As the recession marches on, it's those businesses — which employ about half of the country's private-sector workers — that are particularly vulnerable to the squeeze.

To cope, small business owners — from neighborhood plumbers to graphic design firms — are paying employee salaries before their own, trying to renegotiate leases and pleading for customers on neighborhood blogs. But despite their best efforts, the customers aren't there.

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Stars prep for the Golden Globes with freebies, fetes, formals and face lifts

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stars are sprucing themselves up, getting gifts and going to galas before Sunday's Golden Globes.

PRE-GLOBES GALA: Even celebs who may not be Golden Globes-bound will don glamorous duds this weekend. A spate of stars, including Tobey Maguire, Demi Moore, Jake Gyllenhaal and Sting, were expected Saturday at the Art of Elysium's annual charity gala.

The swanky soiree, held at a former cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, will include dinner, music, a fashion show and special honors for Eva Mendes and Jim Sheridan.

Mendes was chosen to receive the inaugural Spirit of Elysium award for her work with the organization over the past two years. Sheridan, the event's co-chair, was to be presented with the Visonary Award before passing the torch to next year's honoree, Shepard Fairey.

Founded in 1997, the Art of Elysium encourages actors, artists and musicians to share their time and talent at artistic workshops for seriously ill children. Last year's gala raised over $800,000.

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Division rivals Giants and Eagles are primed for latest grudge match at Meadowlands

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles aren't only playing for a trip to the NFC title game. This one is personal.

Play a team in your own division three times in a season, and things get that way.

That's only the start, though.

Add in the 95-mile trek up or down the New Jersey Turnpike and the fact that Sunday's game will be the eighth between the teams in the last three seasons, and this rivalry can get downright nasty.

"There's a strong dislike for one another," Giants guard Chris Snee said. "Anytime you get a chance to knock out a divisional opponent, one you don't like, you get geeked up for these challenges. I think both sides would agree that to knock the other out would make the other one happy."

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