Nigeria: Boko Haram's deadly attacks show Islamists' growing reach

Nigeria's Boko Haram militants launched bombings and gun attacks that killed scores on Friday. On Sunday, they killed a police inspector, according to reports.

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Nigeria's radical Islamist group Boko Haram killed a police inspector Sunday, continuing a wave of violence a little over a day after the militants killed more than 69 people in a string of bombings and gun attacks in northeastern Nigeria.

The attacks highlight the increasing reach and escalating violence of Boko Haram, whose aim is to spread strict Islamic law within Africa?s most populous country, and dampens hopes of a negotiated end to the violence.

In what may have been its deadliest day of attacks Friday, Boko Haram bombed police stations, churches, a bank, and an army base in and around Damaturu, the capital of the northeastern state of Yobe. Members of the group then engaged security forces in gunbattles that lasted for hours.

The Associated Press reports that Boko Haram members shot to death a police inspector Sunday in the group?s spiritual home, the city of Maiduguri. Gunmen stopped his car as he was driving to a mosque to pray on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha, which began Sunday. Local police commander Simeon Medenda acknowledged that the police have not been able to stop the group. ?Our men who live in the midst of the Boko Haram are not safe," he told the AP. ?

Trail of destruction

The UN Security Council Saturday called Friday?s attacks ?criminal and unjustifiable.? While AP reported that at least 69 people were killed in the Friday attacks, Agence France-Presse, reporting from Damaturu, reports that the death toll was at least 150, with 100 more people wounded.

Damaturu residents gathered for prayers marking the beginning of the Muslim feast amid high security Sunday, as the Boko Haram spokesman warned of more attacks, reports AFP.

The news agency says that police headquarters and a police anti-terrorism unit in Damaturu were hit by powerful bombs, and the police headquarters was destroyed. Boko Haram also bombed six churches.

A country divided

Nigeria is divided between a majority Muslim north and majority Christian south.

Boko Haram, which roughly translates to ?Western education is sin,? began in 2002, largely drawing its support from disaffected, unemployed youth in a poor area in the north. Security forces cracked down on the group in 2009, killing as many as 700 people.

The Monitor reports that Boko Haram has escalated violent attacks recently, widening its scope and threatening to bomb universities and international targets and kill politicians and journalists.

Friday?s attacks came after the group bombed the UN headquarters in Nigeria in August, killing at least 23 people.

Deadliest attack yet?

According to an Associated Press list of major Boko Haram attacks since 2009, if the death toll from Friday reached above 80, it would be the deadliest attack for the group since then.

Nigerian security services have linked the group to Al Qaeda, though many consider the alleged ties dubious. The Monitor reports that the security forces? brutal crackdown on the group may have pushed it to escalate the violence.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has attempted to mediate an end to the violence, but has been unable to do so. A relative of the group?s killed leader was killed just days after Mr. Obasanjo visited families of killed Boko Haram members in August. The Financial Times reports that advisers to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan are divided over whether to pursue negotiations or continue a security crackdown on the group.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/FULXkJFcoNs/Nigeria-Boko-Haram-s-deadly-attacks-show-Islamists-growing-reach

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Jury begins considering fate of Jackson doctor (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Jurors considering the case against Michael Jackson's doctor completed a morning of deliberations without asking any questions about evidence or otherwise indicating how far along they have gotten in their discussions.

The seven-man, five-woman panel did request highlighters and blank forms to request evidence after starting deliberations around 8:30 a.m.

The jury must reach a unanimous verdict to either convict or acquit Dr. Conrad Murray of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 2009 death.

Jackson died from a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol; Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep.

The group will deliberate during the court's regular hours and has not been sequestered. The trial is ending its sixth week.

During closing arguments, attorneys for the Houston-based cardiologist attacked prosecutors and their witnesses, saying they had over time developed stories and theories that placed the blame for Jackson's death squarely on Murray.

Prosecutors countered that Murray was an opportunistic and inept doctor who left Jackson's three children without a father. They said that Murray giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid violated standards of care and amounted to a secret experiment in which the doctor kept no records.

Media were stationed outside the courthouse and in the courtroom where the jury's decision will eventually be read.

Attorneys handling the case will receive a two-hour notice when a verdict is reached. Murray waived the need for his presence if the panel asks any questions, but he must be present when a verdict is announced.

Jurors heard from 49 witnesses and have more than 300 pieces of evidence to consider. They were given lengthy instructions by the judge about how to deliberate.

If Murray is convicted, he faces a sentence ranging from probation to four years behind bars, and he would lose his medical license. The sentence will be decided by Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor after receiving input from attorneys for both sides and probation officials, if necessary.

A recent change in California law means that Murray, 58, might serve any possible incarceration in a county jail rather than a state prison. A prison term could be shortened by overcrowding.

If acquitted, Murray could still be pursued by medical licensing authorities in the states of California, Nevada and Texas.

To convict Murray, jurors will have to determine the cardiologist was substantially responsible for Jackson's death.

___

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

___

McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111104/ap_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_doctor

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Iran says U.S. plot suspect is anti-Tehran militant (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran has complained to the United Nations about a U.S. accusation it tried to assassinate a Saudi diplomat, saying one of the alleged plotters Washington calls an Iranian military official is really a member of an anti-Tehran rebel group.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Saturday the plot was part of a multi-pronged U.S. strategy to smear Tehran, a process he said would continue next week when the U.N. nuclear agency publishes a report western diplomats say will contain new evidence about Iran's nuclear program.

The complaint to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon turned the U.S. accusation that Tehran supports terrorism back onto Washington, Salehi said.

"This letter contains our complaint about the plots of the United States, reliable information that we have of the U.S. involvement in those plots," he said in a news conference broadcast live on the English language channel Press TV.

On its website, Press TV reported the letter said a suspect who U.S. prosecutors have identified as an Iranian military official is actually a member of the exiled Iranian rebel group Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO).

One of two men charged with plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington, 56-year-old Iranian-American Manssor Arbabsiar, pleaded not guilty at a court hearing in New York last month.

The second, Gholam Shakuri, is still at large and U.S. officials say he is a member of the Quds Force, an arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, who approved the plan to hire Mexican gangsters to murder Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.

The semi-official Mehr news agency reported on October 17 that Shakuri was a member of the MKO, also known as the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran (PMOI), based in Iraq and listed as a terrorist group by the United States.

Citing "informed sources," Mehr said Shakuri had traveled to Washington and to the MKO base at Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

Iranian officials did not initially comment on the report which said Interpol had discovered Shakuri's true identity, but Press TV reported on Saturday it was now in the letter delivered to Ban.

"LET THEM PUBLISH"

Washington is using what it says was a foiled plot to help bolster international support to tighten sanctions on Iran which it accuses of developing nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorism, charges denied by Tehran.

Israeli and western media have increased speculation in recent days that Israel might launch a strike on Iran's nuclear sites. Some analysts say that, rather than any firm evidence military action is imminent, the chatter reflects efforts to increase diplomatic pressure on Tehran.

Salehi said Iran did not fear possible revelations in a report to be issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday that western diplomats say will make a "compelling case" the Iranian nuclear program is not entirely peaceful.

"They are claiming that they are going to publish new documents. We know what the truth is -- let them publish them and we'll see what happens. Will they not be called into question as an agency that is under pressure by foreign powers?" Salehi said.

The IAEA report, the assassination plot and accusations about human rights abuses were a "three-pronged attack from the West against Iran ... just an assault to pressure Iran into subjugation," he said.

Salehi repeated the stance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has said Iran has 100 "undeniable documents" proving U.S. involvement in terrorism.

(Additional reporting by Mitra Amiri; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111105/wl_nm/us_iran_usa_un

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US Cellular: We turned down iPhone

NEW YORK (AP) ? U.S. Cellular Corp., the country's sixth-largest cellphone company, on Friday said it had the opportunity to carry the iPhone but turned it down because the phone is too expensive.

It's the first U.S. carrier to acknowledge turning down the phone.

Consumers pay $200 for the base model of the iPhone 4S, but Apple charges carriers about $600 for it. Carriers count on making their money back in service fees over the life of the contract.

U.S. Cellular CEO Mary Dillon told analysts on an earnings conference call Friday that "the terms were unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint." She didn't provide any details, but said the added load the iPhone could have placed on its data network was not a big consideration.

Chicago-based U.S. Cellular has 5.9 million subscribers, a number that has been shrinking slowly over the past two and a half years. Only a quarter of its subscribers on contract-based plans have smartphones, compared with half at AT&T Inc.

Carriers see the ability to sell the iPhone as a crucial competitive advantage, though its high price means it's not an easy path to profits. Sprint started selling the phone last month and has said it will take two years for it to pay off.

AT&T was the exclusive U.S. carrier for Apple Inc.'s phone for three and a half years, until Verizon Wireless got it in February. Now, tiny Mississippi-based carrier C Spire Wireless is set to add it too.

T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest carrier, has a data network that isn't compatible with the iPhone.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-11-04-US%20Cellular-Apple-iPhone/id-3be90a2854ef4dc698159ff7f674ee27

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Mariah Yeater Could Be Investigated For Alleged Tryst With Justin Bieber, Police Say

LOS ANGELES -- A woman who claims Justin Bieber fathered her baby in a backstage bathroom could be investigated for having sex with a minor because the singer was 16 at the time.

While no crime has been reported, Los Angeles police Cmdr. Andrew Smith told The Associated Press on Thursday that the department could investigate after Mariah Yeater filed the paternity suit against the teen heartthrob in San Diego Superior Court.

"If it's brought to our attention, of course we'll look into it," Smith said.

Yeater had just turned 19 when she says she and Bieber, then 16, had a brief sexual encounter after one of the singer's concerts at Staples Center. She said she gave birth to a boy in July and believes Bieber is the father because there were no other possible men she had sex with at that time.

She is asking a judge for child support and a paternity test. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Bieber's camp has denied he is the child's father.

It's illegal in California to have sex with someone under age 18. If the other person is not more than three years older, it is a misdemeanor, which carries up to a one-year jail sentence.

"The issue of statutory rape, even if she's guilty, hypothetically, that has no bearing on the duties to provide child support," said one of Yeater's lawyers, Matthew Pare. "It's a totally separate issue."

Pare said he and his client have not been contacted by authorities or anyone representing Bieber. He said Yeater is a stay-at-home mother who is looking for adequate child support if a paternity test determines Bieber is the father.

"The most important thing for our client is letting her baby know who his father is," Pare said.

Yeater has not received any money from media outlets about her allegations, despite receiving public assistance, Pare added.

Bieber, 17, has been dating 19-year-old actress-singer Selena Gomez. Rumors about the couple's relationship began about December 2010, two months after the alleged incident with Yeater.

Emails sent to Bieber's and Gomez's representatives seeking comment were not immediately returned Thursday.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/mariah-yeater-justin-bieber-baby_n_1075298.html

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Sit-In Doesn't Stop Senate Republicans from Blocking Infrastructure Bill (The Atlantic Wire)

While his office was full of protesters, Sen. Mitch McConnell led Republicans in a vote on Thursday that blocked the $60 billion infrastructure component of President Barack Obama's jobs plan. "The Senate voted 51-49 in favor of a procedural motion to bring up the component of President Obama's jobs plan, nine short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster," MSNBC reported. The vote came as 20 or so activists with the?jobs advocacy group?OurDC?staged a sit-in at McConnell's office, demanding a meeting with the minority leader to pressure him to let the measure pass. They brought?a lunch of Subway sandwiches with them and sitting on?"every piece of furniture in the minority leader?s office lobby, and even the floor," ABC News reported. They didn't get what they came for, but according to ABC, they promised to spread their indoor occupation to other legislators' offices. "The bottom line for here is that there is bitter, bitter pain of not working and gridlock and they want folks to see it, hear it and feel it," one unnamed protester told ABC. With 100 senators and 435 U.S. representatives, that's plenty of heated office space for those currently occupying McPherson Square to move into.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111103/pl_atlantic/senaterepublicansblockinfrastructurebilldespitesitin44530

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Arizona plans expansion at Grand Canyon airport

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.?? A proposal to build a much larger terminal at Grand Canyon National Park Airport would allow for commercial passenger flights to the area and could boost the number of visitors to the airport to as many as 1 million each year, an Arizona transportation official said Tuesday.

The airport logged more than 318,000 passengers in 2010, and almost all of that traffic was related to aerial tours of the canyon on smaller aircraft. In 2008, air tours made up 95 percent of the airport's operations, according to a study on terminal plans.

Building a bigger terminal would meet security and baggage requirements for commercial airlines, said Laura Douglas, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

"This will allow people to book their own tours, their own packages and get to the airport a lot more frequently and see one of Arizona's biggest draws," she said.

Visitors from across the country typically take ground transportation into the park or fly into Las Vegas-area airports before boarding smaller planes to the Grand Canyon airport. But the Department of Transportation wants to bring in flights from other major hubs, such as Denver, she said.

Expanding the existing 8,850 square-foot terminal, located just south of the national park, would cost $10 million and could take five years. The project would be paid for with a mix of state, federal and private funding, though the Federal Aviation Administration said the airport has yet to apply for any federal grants.

The airport has been a money-losing operation for the state in recent years. The Transportation Department brings in between $900,000 and $1 million annually but spends up to $1.5 million. Recently approved increases in landing, gate and parking fees are expected to raise $250,000 a year but that won't cover the deficit.

Restaurants, hotels and other commercial development not directly tied to aviation could come through public and private partnerships, Douglas said.

The timeframe for the terminal aligns with a major development plan proposed in the nearby town of Tusayan that would create 3 million square-feet of commercial space and hundreds of new homes. But the Transportation Department said the projects are unrelated, though few doubt they would not be mutually beneficial.

Park officials said they're concerned a new terminal would mean more noise at a time when they're trying to manage the number of flights over the park and make the environment quieter.

Story: Park officials want fewer Grand Canyon flights

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Visitation to the park has remained relatively flat at 4.5 million annually, but parking shuttles from Tusayan are routinely crowded, and the parks' facilities are overwhelmed, park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga said.

"I haven't seen any actions that would indicate a sensitivity for what is too much," he said.

Douglas said the department is looking at the environmental impacts of expanding the airport.

LEA-Architects, LLC, which is designing the terminal, said it would incorporate sustainable aspects, such as solar power, water harvesting, low-flow plumbing and recycled materials.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45132876/ns/travel-destination_travel/

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