Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 35 Top Stories.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Afghan suicide bomber kills Kandahar deputy governor

AFP

Sat Jan 29, 2:01 pm ET

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – The deputy governor of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, the spiritual home of the Taliban, was killed by a suicide bomber on Saturday, the provincial chief said.

“Deputy governor Abdul Latif Ashna had just left his home and was on his way to his office when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up near his vehicle,” said Kandahar governor Tooryalai Wesa.

One of his bodyguards and his driver were wounded, as were two passers-by, he added. A fifth person was slightly hurt and did not need hospital treatment.

2 Pakistan rebuffs call for US gunman’s quick release

by Nasir Jaffry, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 1:56 pm ET

ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan on Sunday rebuffed a call from the United States for the immediate release of an American man who shot dead two men in a Lahore street, saying its legal process must be respected.

The US embassy had claimed diplomatic immunity on behalf of Raymond Davis, previously described as a consulate employee, who is under investigation on double murder charges after shooting dead the two motorcyclists this week.

“This matter is sub judice in a court of law and the legal process should be respected,” Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement, adding that a report was awaited from Punjab police.

3 Irish senate passes bailout bill ahead of election

by Andrew Bushe, AFP

7 mins ago

DUBLIN (AFP) – Ireland’s upper house of parliament passed Saturday a key finance bill needed to secure the country’s bailout package, paving the way for embattled Prime Minister Brian Cowen to call elections.

The budget, which hikes taxes and slashes spending as part of the price for the 67.5 billion euro ($91 billion) European Union-International Monetary Fund bailout, had already passed the lower house of parliament on Thursday.

“The finance bill now goes to the president for signing into law on Monday,” a government spokesman said.

4 Mubarak names VP, new PM as deadly protests continue

by Jailan Zayan, AFP

2 hrs 23 mins ago

CAIRO (AFP) – Embattled Hosni Mubarak tapped Egypt’s military intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president and named a new prime minister on Saturday, as a mass revolt against his autocratic rule raged into a fifth day.

Fresh riots in several cities left three protesters dead in Cairo and three police in the Sinai town of Rafah — bringing to at least 92 the number of people killed since the unrest flared up on Tuesday, including 23 on Saturday, according to medics.

As tens of thousands flooded central Cairo demanding Mubarak’s ouster, the president went into crisis talks with officials late Saturday afternoon , after which it was announced that career army man and Mubarak confidante General Omar Suleiman had been sworn in as his deputy.

5 Mubarak defiant as Egypt death toll mounts

by Jailan Zayan, AFP

Fri Jan 28, 6:40 pm ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt’s embattled President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday addressed the nation for the first time since deadly protests erupted against his regime, vowing reform but showing no sign of relaxing his decades-old grip on power.

Four days after angry protesters first took to the street and with at least 27 people killed in subsequent street battles, a stoney-faced Mubarak said he had sacked the government and would pursue economic and political reforms.

“I have asked the government to resign and tomorrow there will be a new government,” Mubarak, 82, said on state television as protests raged in Cairo and other cities despite a night-time curfew.

6 Clashes in Tunisia as new cabinet sworn in

by Ines Bel Aiba, AFP

Fri Jan 28, 4:47 pm ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Riot police and hundreds of protesters clashed in the Tunisian capital Friday, as a new cabinet was sworn into office in a bid to end the unrest that has followed president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s ouster.

Security forces fired warning shots and tear gas, as some groups threw stones in the main government quarter where protesters have remained camped out in front of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi’s offices for five days.

Some 15 protesters were injured in the clashes, according to a doctor who treated some of the casualties and a spokesman for some of the demonstrators.

7 Tears and joy as Tunisia’s revolution rap debuts

by Dario Thuburn and Najeh Mouelhi, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 11:15 am ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Tears mixed with joy as “El General” — the rapper banned by Tunisia’s regime who helped inspire a revolt that has shaken the Arab world — took to the stage for the first time in Tunis on Saturday.

Smiling and confident in his oversize white puffa jacket, 21-year-old Hamada Ben Amor stepped out on to the stage and rapped the lyrics that earned him a spell in prison earlier this month as Tunisia’s revolution exploded.

“We live in suffering/ Like dogs/ Half the population is oppressed and living in misery/ President of the Country/ Your people are dead!”, he said in his most famous song in front of several hundred cheering fans in a sports hall.

8 Flu epidemic shuts all Moscow schools

by Dmitry Zaks, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 11:13 am ET

MOSCOW (AFP) – Moscow and two other cities shut their schools for a week Saturday and urged children not to play in groups in a bid to stamp out the worst flu outbreak to hit central Russia in more than a decade.

The Moscow education department’s order covered more than 1,500 public and private elementary schools.

Education officials said this meant that nearly 500,000 children would get an unscheduled week-long vacation in the first such shutdown to strike the Russian capital since 1998.

9 Doha trade deal deadline fixed ‘for July’

by Alexandra Troubnikoff, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 11:25 am ET

DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) – The European Union said trading nations agreed Saturday to conclude a long-stalled Doha world trade deal by July, but the top US negotiator insisted “no timeline was discussed.”

“Everybody agreed we are in the endgame, that we should get a deal in July,” said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht after he met counterparts including US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and China’s Commerce Minister Chen Deming.

“For that we redraft texts in March,” he said, following the talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, an annual networking event for the world’s business elite in this Swiss ski resort.

10 Haiti to release election results Wednesday

AFP

Sat Jan 29, 3:19 am ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – Haiti’s election commission has said it will announce definitive results from the first round of a disputed November vote on Wednesday and has scheduled a second round for March 20.

The final results of the second round will be announced on April 16, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said Friday.

The announcement came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was expected in Haiti on Sunday for talks with President Rene Preval on the disputed election, earthquake recovery and a deadly cholera outbreak.

11 Mubarak names deputy, protesters defy curfew

By Edmund Blair and Dina Zayed, Reuters

19 mins ago

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s street protesters pushed President Hosni Mubarak into naming a deputy who might in time succeed him, but thousands went on defying a curfew and urging the army to join them in forcing Mubarak from power immediately.

Police shot dead 17 people at Beni Suef, south of Cairo, as pressure mounted on Mubarak from allies in Washington and Europe to restrain his police and speed a democratic transition that would end his 30 years of one-man rule.

Thousands marched in Cairo by day, unmolested by troops who manned tanks on the streets. After dark, police there opened fire in at least one incident, looters roamed for booty, and the national tax office was set ablaze. Recalling eastern Europe in 1989, one analyst called it “the Arab world’s Berlin moment.”

12 U.S. says can’t just "reshuffle the deck"

By Arshad Mohammed and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters

48 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday it was not enough simply to “reshuffle the deck” with a shake-up of his government and pressed him to make good on his promise of genuine reform.

As angry protesters defied a curfew in Egyptian cities, President Barack Obama and his administration kept up pressure for Mubarak to heed their calls for democratic change and take seriously a U.S. threat to review massive aid to Cairo.

Obama is performing a delicate balancing act, trying to avoid abandoning Mubarak — an important U.S. strategic ally of 30 years — while supporting protesters who seek broader political rights and demand his ouster. But Washington has limited options to influence the situation.

13 Egypt’s Mubarak defies demands for him to go

By Edmund Blair, Reuters

Sat Jan 29, 4:50 am ET

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak clung to power Saturday as protesters took to the streets again to demand that he quit.

Mubarak ordered troops and tanks into the capital Cairo and other cities overnight and imposed a curfew in an attempt to quell demonstrations that have shaken the Arab world’s most populous nation, a key U.S. ally, to the core.

Government buildings, including the ruling party headquarters, were still blazing Saturday morning after being set alight by demonstrators who defied the curfew.

14 Chaos and calm, fury and rejoicing mark Egypt protests

By Dina Zayed and Marwa Awad, Reuters

Fri Jan 28, 6:16 pm ET

CAIRO (Reuters) – Crowds sang the national anthem and shouted “Long live Egypt” in Cairo Friday, ignoring a night curfew and even embracing the police they were fighting earlier in the day.

After news of the curfew was passed from protester to protester, just minutes before it came into force, some stopped throwing stones at state security officers and asked them to join them in protests through the night.

Protesters and police embraced, many nodded in agreement or said they would join demonstrators. One police officer raised his fingers in a “V for a victory” sign. Others shouted words of encouragement and apologies at each other.

15 Euro zone crisis seen turning corner

By Paul Taylor, Reuters

Sat Jan 29, 8:11 am ET

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – European policymakers and international bankers at the Davos forum said on Saturday the euro zone’s debt crisis had turned a corner and any doubt about the survival of the single currency area had passed.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told a World Economic Forum panel he did not expect the 17-nation euro zone to suffer any further major crises. Member states were drawing lessons and moving toward convergence in their economic and social policies.

“I don’t expect that there will be further major shocks,” Schaeuble said. “I think the euro will be stable.”

16 Chaos engulfs Cairo as Mubarak points to successor

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press

54 mins ago

CAIRO – With protests raging, Egypt’s president named his intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president on Saturday, setting the stage for a successor as chaos engulfed the capital. Soldiers stood by – a few even joining the demonstrators – and the death toll from five days of anti-government fury rose sharply to 74.

Saturday’s fast-moving developments across the north African nation marked a sharp turning point in President Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule of Egypt.

Residents and shopkeepers in affluent neighborhoods boarded up their houses and stores against looters, who roamed the streets with knives and sticks, stealing what they could and destroying cars, windows and street signs. Gunfire rang out in some neighborhoods.

17 Obama calls for restraint, reform in Egypt

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

30 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama issued a plea for restraint in Egypt after meeting with national security aides Saturday to assess the Cairo government’s response to widespread protests threatening the stability of the country.

A White House statement said Obama “reiterated our focus on opposing violence and calling for restraint, supporting universal rights, and supporting concrete steps that advance political reform within Egypt.”

But Obama offered no reaction to Mubarak’s decision earlier Saturday to name a vice president for the first time since coming to power nearly 30 years ago. Mubarak appointed his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, who’s well respected by American officials. The president also fired his Cabinet.

18 Analysis: Tough balancing act for Obama on Egypt

By BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 12:59 pm ET

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama tried to win over Egyptians enraged by their autocratic ruler and assure an essential ally that the U.S. stood by it.

His four-minute speech from the White House on Friday evening was a balancing act. He had much to lose in the chaos engulfing Egypt, where protesters are demanding that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak step down from a government violently clinging to its three-decade grip on power.

“The United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future that is more just, more free and more hopeful,” Obama said.

19 Tourists besiege Cairo airport, but flights halt

By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP Business Writer

1 hr 7 mins ago

CAIRO – Thousands of passengers were stranded at Cairo’s airport on Saturday as flights were canceled or delayed, leaving them unable to leave because of a government-imposed curfew. Several Arab nations, meanwhile, moved to evacuate their citizens.

As Egypt’s unrest neared its sixth day, the cancelations of flights and the arrival of several largely empty aircraft appeared to herald an ominous erosion of key tourism revenue for the country, hitting hard at its pocketbook even as protesters centered many of their grievances on the grinding poverty they endure daily.

Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan organized an additional 10 flights to evacuate their citizens, officials at Cairo International Airport said. Among those who left were families of diplomats.

20 In turnabout, Dems say GOP has dropped job focus

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

27 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Republicans won dozens of elections last fall after claiming Democrats had focused too little on creating jobs. Now GOP lawmakers stand accused of the same charge, using their new House majority to push to repeal the president’s health care law, restrict abortions and highlight other social issues important to their most conservative supporters.

Republican leaders say they have a jobs agenda, kicked off by their attempt to unravel what they call the Democrats’ “jobs-killing” health overhaul.

Democrats scoff at this notion, and they’re hounding Republicans to show how they can put more people to work.

21 Comcast takes control of NBC Universal

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer

28 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – The nation’s largest cable TV company, Comcast Corp., took control of NBC Universal after the government shackled its behavior in the coming years to protect online video services such as Netflix and Hulu.

The deal closed shortly before midnight EST on Friday.

The takeover gave the cable-hookup company 51 percent control of NBC Universal, which owns the nation’s fourth-ranked broadcaster, NBC; the Universal Pictures movie studio and related theme parks; and a bevy of cable channels including Bravo, E! and USA.

22 Miss. gov. juggles White House hopes, state’s past

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press

58 mins ago

JACKSON, Miss. – Haley Barbour’s folksy style, savvy leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and success as a GOP strategist have made the two-term Mississippi governor a serious contender early in the wide-open contest for the Republican presidential nomination.

Yet the 63-year-old has shown a penchant for airbrushing his state’s segregationist past, a period he’s inclined to describe as more like Mayberry than “Mississippi Burning.”

Critics have dogged him for such comments, and Barbour has recently attempted to make amends, a sign he’s aware that if he is to carry his party’s banner next year against the country’s first African-American president, he will have to be more forthright about Mississippi’s troubled history.

23 Public optimism but little progress on Doha deal

By FRANK JORDANS and MATT MOORE, Associated Press

2 hrs 44 mins ago

DAVOS, Switzerland – Key global trade officials spoke of their optimism that a new deal to liberalize international commerce can be finalized, but offered little in the way of concrete progress Saturday to indicate they can reach agreement before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, about 60 protesters marched down the street behind the Congress Center where the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting was winding down and the event was peaceful until a brief skirmish near a train station about a kilometer away from the venue.

Police fired rubber bullets and a fire hose at the protests, some of whom were carrying a banner that read “Tunisia equals Cairo equals Davos.”

24 In future, cars might decide if driver is drunk

By BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 2:04 am ET

WALTHAM, Mass. – An alcohol-detection prototype that uses automatic sensors to instantly gauge a driver’s fitness to be on the road has the potential to save thousands of lives, but could be as long as a decade away from everyday use in cars, federal officials and researchers said Friday.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited QinetiQ North America, a Waltham, Mass.-based research and development facility, for the first public demonstration of systems that could measure whether a motorist has a blood alcohol content at or above the legal limit of .08 and – if so – prevent the vehicle from starting.

The technology is being designed as unobtrusive, unlike current alcohol ignition interlock systems often mandated by judges for convicted drunken drivers. Those require operators to blow into a breath-testing device before the car can operate.

25 Hurricanes G Ward goes No. 1 in NHL All-Star draft

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer

Sat Jan 29, 2:18 am ET

RALEIGH, N.C. – Nicklas Lidstrom’s first pick in the inaugural NHL All-Star fantasy draft was his only bad one – choosing the wrong side of a flipped puck with the No. 1 selection on the line.

Eric Staal of the host Carolina Hurricanes quickly picked goalie Cam Ward – his teammate – first overall for Team Staal.

“I was the best player available, I guess,” Ward quipped. “Yeah, I was surprised. He wouldn’t tell me. He wouldn’t lay down his cards, at all. Obviously, I knew I had a better chance to have him choose me early because he is a good friend and teammate. But I didn’t know if he really actually wanted me to sweat it out.”

26 At midterm, Obama tries can-do slogan, details TBD

By NANCY BENAC, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 1:13 pm ET

WASHINGTON – There’s a new slogan in town, and it’s a winner.

At least that’s what President Barack Obama has in mind.

The president unveiled his “Winning the Future” mantra in his State of the Union address, and now the upbeat but amorphous phrase is part of every speech, policy and pronouncement coming out of the administration. It’s also emerged as a fat target for his Republican critics.

27 NASA marks 25th anniversary of Challenger accident

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

Sat Jan 29, 2:03 am ET

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Hundreds gathered at NASA’s launch site Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, receiving words of hope from the widow of the space shuttle’s commander.

The chilly outdoor ceremony drew space agency managers, former astronauts, past and present launch directors, family and friends of the fallen crew – and schoolchildren who weren’t yet born when the space shuttle carrying a high school teacher from Concord, N.H., erupted in the sky.

The accident on Jan. 28, 1986 – just 73 seconds into flight – killed all seven on board, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.

28 In Obama’s reorganization plan, is Commerce first?

By JIM KUHNHNEN, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 11:57 am ET

WASHINGTON – It was a big laugh line in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech: “The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them when they’re in saltwater. I hear it gets even more complicated once they’re smoked.”

Behind the joke was an ambitious promise to tame and reorganize segments of the federal bureaucracy. If Obama’s new chief of staff, Bill Daley, wields any influence, a primary target will be the Commerce Department.

Its 38,000 employees oversee a diverse portfolio, from helping businesses and conducting the census to providing accurate weather forecasts and granting patents and trademark protection.

29 Bomber kills deputy governor in south Afghanistan

By RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 12:40 pm ET

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with explosives rammed into a car carrying the deputy governor of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province on Saturday, killing him and wounding three of his bodyguards, the Interior Ministry said.

The attacker struck as the official, Abdul Latif Ashna, was being driven to work in the provincial capital, said a ministry spokesman, Zemeri Bashary.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In a text message to reporters, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef said the suicide bomber killed the deputy governor as well as three of his body guards and his driver.

30 San Fran considers parking permits for nannies

By ROBIN HINDERY, Associated Press

1 hr 37 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO – Finding a parking space in San Francisco can be a needle-in-a-haystack endeavor, and those who overstay the time limit face some of the country’s stiffest fines.

But one category of drivers may soon get a break, thanks to a group of local parents who are lobbying for car-owning nannies to be included in the city’s residential parking permit program. They have caught the ear of the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is considering issuing a new class of annual street parking permits available exclusively to childcare providers.

If approved by the SFMTA board of directors, San Francisco would be the largest U.S. city to offer a nanny parking permit, transportation officials say. The board is scheduled to take up a proposal drafted by transportation authority staff at its meeting Tuesday.

31 AP Interview: Pilot recalls Nazi leader’s capture

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press

1 hr 46 mins ago

MISSOULA, Mont. – Capt. Bo Foster had an extraordinary mission: Fly captured Nazi leader Hermann Goering to the 7th Army’s headquarters for interrogation.

Then he took one look at the one-time heir to Adolf Hitler and commander of the fearsome Luftwaffe – all 300-plus pounds of him – and knew he needed a bigger plane.

It was May 9, 1945, the day after World War II ended in Europe. Goering, Foster and a group of officers from the Army’s 36th Infantry Division gathered on a tiny airstrip outside Kitzbuhel, Austria, to transport the highly-prized war prisoner back to Germany in an unarmed, two-man reconnaissance plane.

32 Va. man’s abuse story moves legislators to act

By DENA POTTER, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 3:06 pm ET

RICHMOND, Va. – Wayne Dorough didn’t come to Virginia’s Capitol planning to get involved.

But 15 minutes into the debate on whether Virginia should extend the time alleged sex abuse victims have to file lawsuits against their attackers from two years to 25, prospects for the bill weren’t looking good. Even the proposal’s sponsor was ready to settle for 10 years – still more than most states.

Then the 67-year-old Dorough rose from his seat and asked to speak.

33 An uncertain future after jobless benefits expire

By CRISTINA SILVA, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 2:58 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – The portraits of his dead father are among the few mementoes Bud Meyers is certain he will take with him when he is forced from his home of five years next month because he cannot pay the rent.

His prized collection of mystery novels, the bedroom set he was once proud to purchase new and anything else that can’t fit into the trunk of a car must be left behind.

More than two years after Meyers lost his job as a Las Vegas Strip bartender and nearly eight months after he exhausted his unemployment benefits, it has come to this: a careful inventory of a life’s possessions and the hopeless embrace of a future as a middle-aged homeless man.

A must read.

34 A final judgment in notorious police abuse scandal

By SHARON COHEN, AP National Writer

Sat Jan 29, 11:09 am ET

CHICAGO – The anonymous letters to attorney G. Flint Taylor arrived in police department envelopes, and so the mysterious author was dubbed “Deep Badge.”

It was 1989 and Taylor was representing a notorious killer – Andrew Wilson, who had shot two police officers and was behind bars for life. He’d originally been sentenced to death but won a new trial after the Illinois Supreme Court ruled his confession had been coerced.

Wilson was now in federal court, claiming that during questioning in the police killings he’d been beaten, tortured with electric shocks, forced onto a hot radiator and smothered with a plastic bag. Among those he was suing: Chicago police commander Jon Burge, a decorated Vietnam veteran.

35 Taco Bell takes its beef with lawsuit to public

By SARAH SKIDMORE and BRUCE SCHREINER, AP Business Writers

Fri Jan 28, 11:02 pm ET

Taco Bell says a legal beef over the meat in its tacos is bull.

The fast-food chain took out full-page ads in at least nine major newspapers and launched a YouTube campaign featuring its president Friday to proclaim its taco filling is 88 percent beef.

A false-advertising lawsuit filed last week that caused an online stir alleges the company’s filling doesn’t have enough beef to be called that. The lawsuit seeks to make the company stop calling it “beef,” and pay the suing law firm’s bill.

2 comments

  1. From Al Jazeera:

    Interactive of anti-government protests from Tunisia to Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, with pro-Western regimes under threat.

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