The America's Intelligence Wire articles from April 2009

The America's Intelligence Wire archives from April 2009

Palin out as headliner for GOP dinner.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: MATTHEW DALY Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is out and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in as keynote speaker at a Republican dinner this spring. Palin, the party's 2008 nominee for vice president, had been...

Court rejects lawsuit to protect blue whales.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: NOAKI SCHWARTZ An environmental group lost a lawsuit that would have forced the U.S. Coast Guard to better protect blue whales after several were killed by ships in the Santa Barbara Channel off Southern...

Judge orders feds to reconsider help for jaguar.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN A judge on Tuesday ordered federal wildlife officials to reconsider how to help endangered jaguars survive, saying the decision to not protect habitat for them was based on bad criteria and...

Mo. mom accused of giving alcohol to young teens.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN A mother and another woman face felony child-endangerment charges after a 14-year-old's birthday party that ended with two young teens being taken to a hospital. Karen Christine Downs, 43, of...

Trial begins for Marine in Iraq killings case.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: THOMAS WATKINS A court-martial began Tuesday for a Marine accused of killing an unarmed captive in Iraq in a case officials knew nothing about until the defendant sought a Secret Service job and was asked about...

Confidence at Japanese companies at all-time low.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: THOMAS WATKINS A key central bank survey shows that confidence at major Japanese manufacturers fell to an all-time low in March amid an unprecedented collapse in global demand. In the Bank of Japan's...

Downey gives Sherlock Holmes an action update.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID GERMAIN Leave it to Robert Downey Jr. to turn Sherlock Holmes into a wisecracking action hero who ends up handcuffed naked to a bed. Downey offered a sneak peek Tuesday of "Sherlock Holmes," his...

Sun-Times Media Group files for bankruptcy.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DON BABWIN The owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, a storied newspaper once home to legendary columnist Mike Royko and other greats, followed its hometown rival by filing for bankruptcy protection Tuesday _...

Beijing rejects China spy ring report as 'lies'.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ALEXA OLESEN China denied a research report's contention that a China-based computer spy ring stole sensitive information from thousands of hard drives worldwide, calling the accusation a lie meant to feed...

Government files civil suit vs BP over oil spills.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ALEXA OLESEN The U.S. government has filed a civil lawsuit against BP Exploration (Alaska), alleging violations of federal clean air and water laws. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District...

Unusual direct communication from US to Iran.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ALEXA OLESEN The United States used an international meeting on Afghanistan to make an unusual direct diplomatic overture to Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Americans...

Oz Minerals, China's Minmetals in new $1.2bn deal.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ALEXA OLESEN Oz Minerals says it has struck a new deal with China's Minmetals to buy most of the Australian miner's operations for US$1.2 billion. The revised plan comes after the Australian...

Doctor who lost arm to cancer now helps others.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: AMANDA THOMAS Having to undergo radiation treatments five days a week can take its toll on a patient, but having a doctor who is a cancer survivor himself can make it easier. Dr. Hejal Patel lost his...

US court rejects lawsuit to protect blue whales.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: NOAKI SCHWARTZ An environmental group lost a lawsuit that would have forced the U.S. Coast Guard to better protect blue whales after several were killed by ships in the Santa Barbara Channel off Southern...

A quarter defined by historic whiplash on Wall St.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TIM PARADIS The first quarter on Wall Street was so extreme it included a bear market and a bull market all its own _ moves that sometimes take years or more. Now investors head for spring still unsure...

Jobless gather for Unemployment Olympics in NYC.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: SAMANTHA GROSS Who hasn't secretly wished he could pin the blame on his boss? Or slam office equipment against the pavement? Dozens of unemployed people got the chance to do exactly that during the...

2 dogs kill infant, injure grandmother in Texas.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: SAMANTHA GROSS A 7-month-old boy has died and his grandmother has been injured after the woman's two dogs attacked them at her Texas home. San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus says the woman, whose name...

Sources: FBI probing Mo. pay-for-play allegations.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: DAVID A. LIEB The FBI is questioning Missouri lawmakers about allegations that legislative leaders demanded campaign contributions in exchange for prestigious committee posts, legislative sources told The...

Pistachio warning could signal food safety shift.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: GARANCE BURKE It could take weeks before health officials know exactly which pistachio products may be tainted with salmonella, but they've already issued a sweeping warning to avoid eating the nuts or foods...

Hundreds of migrants feared drowned off Libya.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ABDEL MAJEED FERGANY and REBECCA SANTANA Hundreds were feared dead in the chilly waters of the Mediterranean Sea, days after an overcrowded wooden fishing boat packed with migrants seeking a better life in...

Confidence at Japanese companies at all-time low.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ABDEL MAJEED FERGANY and REBECCA SANTANA Confidence at major Japanese manufacturers has fallen to an all-time low, a key central bank survey showed Wednesday, dragged south by an unprecedented drop in...

Auditors raise doubt about Visteon's future.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ABDEL MAJEED FERGANY and REBECCA SANTANA Visteon Corp. said Tuesday its auditors have "substantial doubt" about the company's ability to stay in business, even as the automotive supplier won temporary...

Big summit, small hopes; leaders meet on economy.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOM RAUM Desperate but divided on ways to lift their nations from economic misery, world leaders converged for an emergency summit holding scant hopes of finding a magic-bullet solution for the crisis that...

Netanyahu: Israel seeks peace with Arabs.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVEN GUTKIN Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office as Israel's new leader, promised to seek "full peace" with the Arab and Muslim world, but refused to utter the words the world was waiting to hear:...

Khmer Rouge prison chief pleads for forgiveness.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: GRANT PECK The man accused of being the Khmer Rouge's chief torturer put down his prepared speech, removed his eyeglasses and gazed at the courtroom audience as he pleaded for forgiveness from the country...

US court ends smoker's widow's $79.5M appeals case.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARK SHERMAN Ten years and a day after a jury awarded Mayola Williams almost $80 million in punitive damages in her fight with a cigarette maker, the Supreme Court said Tuesday she can collect her share....

Men struggling to finish at black colleges.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JUSTIN POPE They're no longer the only option for African-American students, but the country's historically black colleges and universities brag that they provide a supportive environment where these...

US, Iranian diplomats break the ice at conference.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANNE GEARAN In a cautious first step toward unlocking 30 years of tense relations, senior U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke had a brief but cordial meeting with Iran's deputy foreign minister at an...

Iceland moves to tighten currency restrictions.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: HERDIS SIGURGRIMSDOTTIR Iceland's parliament is racing to tighten restrictions on the movement of foreign currency before the markets open Wednesday. Iceland's parliament is expected to pass an...

US issues bulletin on threat from Pakistan.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: HERDIS SIGURGRIMSDOTTIR Counterterror officials are warning police of a threat made by Pakistan's Taliban chief to attack the United States. Following a deadly assault on a police academy in Pakistan,...

Pakistani Taliban threaten strike on Washington.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: NAHAL TOOSI and KATHY GANNON Pakistan's Taliban chief has claimed responsibility for a deadly assault on a police academy, saying he wanted to retaliate for U.S. missile attacks on the militant bases on...

Failed 1933 London conference a warning for G20.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID McHUGH On June 12, 1933, more than a thousand of the world's top finance and government officials squeezed into London's stuffy Geological Museum to hear a speech from Britain's King George V _...

Government files civil suit vs BP over oil spills.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARK THIESSEN The U.S. government has filed a civil lawsuit against BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., alleging violations of federal clean air and water laws for two major spills on the North Slope in 2006....

2 dogs kill infant, injure grandmother in Texas.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARK THIESSEN A 7-month-old boy has died and his grandmother has been injured after the woman's two dogs attacked them at her Texas home. San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus says the woman, whose...

Senator says US cannot ignore Iraqi refugees.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: KIMBERLY HEFLING A Democratic senator warned on Tuesday that as U.S. troops leave Iraq, the United States should not ignore the plight of millions of Iraqis displaced from their homes or living as refugees...

Charges could land 2 Americans in NKorean prison.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JEAN H. LEE Two American journalists detained in North Korea could land in a notorious labor camp for years if convicted on charges of illegal entry and "hostile acts." But the regime may be more...

E. Europe vacation home boom goes bust.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: VESELIN TOSHKOV The great Bulgarian real estate boom has collapsed, taking with it dreams of fast profits _ and some of a quaint mountain town's historic charm. The ski resort of Bansko stands as an...

Former Argentine President Raul Alfonsin dies.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DEBORA REY Former Argentine President Raul Alfonsin has died. Alfonsin's personal doctor says the cause was lung cancer. He was 82. Alfonsin's leadership was seen as crucial to the restoration of...

US lawmakers push to open travel to Cuba.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JIM ABRAMS It is time for Congress to end the restrictions that for more than half a century have prevented most Americans from visiting Cuba, a bipartisan group of senators said Tuesday. The...

Disney does 3-D with `Toy Story,' `Beast' reissues.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID GERMAIN Walt Disney is going 3-D on a lot of future films _ and some from its past. The studio announced Tuesday that 3-D versions of the computer-animated tales "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2"...

Clark wants better results from UN development aid.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RAY LILLEY The incoming head of the U.N. Development Program said Wednesday her priorities will be getting the most value for every aid dollar and ensuring donor states do not cut their commitments because...

Corrupt Pa. judge seeks dismissal of kids' lawsuit.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) A Pennsylvania judge who pleaded guilty to corruption is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of children who allege he violated their civil rights by taking money in exchange for sending them to...

Obama's aunt becomes symbol in immigration debate.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: DENISE LAVOIE Barack Obama's Kenyan aunt lost her bid for asylum more than four years ago, and a judge ordered her deported. Instead, Zeituni Onyango stayed, living for years in public housing. Now, in a...

CT scan reveals hidden face under Nefertiti bust.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: PATRICK McGROARTY Researchers in Germany have used a modern medical procedure to uncover a secret within one of ancient Egypt's most treasured artworks _ the bust of Nefertiti has two faces. A team led by Dr....

Judges deal Coleman crippling blow in Minn. race.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: BRIAN BAKST A special court on Tuesday ordered further review of 400 absentee ballots in the Minnesota Senate race, dealing a crippling blow to Republican Norm Coleman's legal challenge against Democrat Al...

Oz Minerals, China's Minmetals in new $1.2bn deal.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROHAN SULLIVAN Struggling Australian miner Oz Minerals announced Wednesday a new, $1.2 billion deal with China's Minmetals that works around government national security concerns about selling foreigners a...

Federer, Djokovic advance at Key Biscayne.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVEN WINE Taylor Dent kept charging and Roger Federer kept passing him to win 6-3, 6-2 and line up a quarterfinal against Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open on Tuesday. No. 2-seeded Federer has...

Confidence at Japanese companies at all-time low.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOMOKO A. HOSAKA Confidence at major Japanese manufacturers has fallen to an all-time low, a key central bank survey showed Wednesday, dragged south by an unprecedented drop in global demand and a deep...

Oil sands company now says 1,606 ducks died.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOMOKO A. HOSAKA Eleven hundred more ducks died after landing on a toxic waste pond in northern Alberta last year than was originally estimated, a Canadian oil sands official acknowledged Tuesday. ...

US to seek seat on UN Human Rights Council.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MATTHEW LEE The United States will seek election to the U.N. Human Rights Council this year, the State Department said Tuesday, announcing the Obama administration's latest reversal of former President...

Oz Minerals, China's Minmetals in new $1.2bn deal.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROHAN SULLIVAN Struggling Australian miner Oz Minerals announced Wednesday a new, $1.2 billion deal with China's Minmetals that works around government national security concerns about selling foreigners a...

Former Argentine President Raul Alfonsin dies.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DEBORA REY Raul Alfonsin, whose presidency has come to symbolize the return of democracy across Latin America from an era military dictatorships, has died. Alfonsin's personal doctor, Alberto Sadler,...

UC San Diego sends invite to rejected students.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) The University of California, San Diego says it accidentally sent an e-mail invitation to every student who applied for the school's incoming freshman class _ including the 29,000 who had been rejected. UCSD Admissions...

Mom: Suspect's wife survived NC shooting by hiding.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: MIKE BAKER The nurse's assistant who may have been the target of a deadly nursing home rampage in North Carolina survived by hiding in a bathroom inside a locked area for Alzheimer's patients, her mother said...

Police ID Calif. family in apparent murder-suicide.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: TERRY COLLINS The man who gunned down his two children and three other relatives in an apparent murder-suicide had been helping those relatives settle into the area after a recent move from India, police said...

Son of jailed ex-CIA spy: I was just a messenger.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: WILLIAM McCALL The son of an imprisoned ex-CIA spy claims he was "just the messenger" when he traveled around the world taking cash from his father's former Russian handlers, according to taped phone...

NY House race too close to call after polls close.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN A New York congressional race that focused on President Barack Obama's popularity and his economic policy is too close to call. With 71 percent of the precincts in the 20th Congressional...

NY House race too close to call after polls close.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN After a short and intense campaign, the New York congressional race that focused on President Barack Obama's popularity and his economic policy was still too close to call about an hour after...

NY House race too close to call, Murphy tiny lead.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN After a short, tense campaign, the New York congressional race focusing on President Barack Obama's economic policies is so tight it may be decided by absentee ballots. With 99 percent of...

Warning label recommended for Mich. team's burger.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN The West Michigan Whitecaps say they have no plans to put a warning label on an enormous new hamburger they're selling this season _ despite a vegan advocacy group's request to do just that. ...

NY House race too close to call, 81-vote Dem lead.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN After a short, tense campaign, the two candidates in a New York congressional special election that focused on President Barack Obama's popularity and his economic policy were separated by fewer...

ATP-WTA Sony Ericsson Open Results.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN Results Tuesday from the Sony Ericsson Open, a $4.5 million ATP Tour and $4.5 million WTA Tour event on hardcourts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park (seedings in parentheses): ...

Federer, Djokovic advance at Key Biscayne.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVEN WINE Taylor Dent kept charging and Roger Federer kept passing him to win 6-3, 6-2 and line up a quarterfinal against Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open on Tuesday. No. 2-seeded Federer has...

Actor from 'Angel' dies at 33 of heart disease.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SOLVEJ SCHOU Andy Hallett, who made his mark playing green-skinned, good-guy demon Lorne on the TV series "Angel," has died of congestive heart disease. Hallett was 33. Hallett was taken by ambulance...

Expert: NKorea has several nuclear warheads.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PAUL ALEXANDER Nuclear-armed North Korea warned Japan that intervening in Pyongyang's impending rocket launch would be considered an act of war. North Korea says it will send a communications...

Even with Tiger at No. 1, golf still mostly white.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PAUL NEWBERRY and DOUG FERGUSON Many expected Tiger Woods' historic victory in the 1997 Masters _ and the 13 majors since then _ to inspire other African-Americans to follow him into a game that was...

FX gets TV rights for DreamWorks animated films.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PAUL NEWBERRY and DOUG FERGUSON The FX channel is going to be the TV destination in the U.S. for "Monsters vs. Aliens," "Kung Fu Panda" and other DreamWorks animated movies. FX struck a licensing...

Confidence at Japanese companies at all-time low.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOMOKO A. HOSAKA Confidence at major Japanese manufacturers has fallen to an all-time low, a key central bank survey showed Wednesday, dragged south by an unprecedented drop in global demand and a deep...

For 2 black golfers, path to US PGA Tour is rocky.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PETE IACOBELLI Tim O'Neal watched carefully, head down, as his pitch from just off the green rolled perfectly into the cup on the ninth green at Tradition National Golf Course last month. "T-O. That...

Police ID US family in apparent murder-suicide.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TERRY COLLINS The man who gunned down his two children and three other relatives in an apparent murder-suicide had been helping those relatives settle into the area after a recent move from India, police...

Former Argentine President Raul Alfonsin dies.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DEBORA REY Raul Alfonsin, whose presidency came to symbolize the return of democracy across Latin America from an era of military dictatorship, has died. Alfonsin's personal doctor, Alberto Sadler,...

Tiger chooses to emphasize education, not golf.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DOUG FERGUSON Tiger Woods called it his greatest achievement. And he wasn't even holding a golf club. Next door to the public course where he played more golf than he can remember, a few miles...

US PGA Tour's Dustin Johnson arrested.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DOUG FERGUSON U.S. PGA Tour winner and rising star Dustin Johnson was arrested on Monday and charged with driving under the influence in South Carolina, police said. Johnson, who won the AT&T Pebble...

Philippine Red Cross wants proof hostages alive.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: HRVOJE HRANJSKI The Philippine Red Cross asked al-Qaida-linked militants Wednesday for proof that three aid workers held hostage were alive as troops and tanks moved closer amid threats to behead the...

Venezuela: Leading Chavez adversary takes refuge.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: HRVOJE HRANJSKI A leading opponent of President Hugo Chavez has taken refuge somewhere in the city of Maracaibo because he fears for his safety, the leader of his party said Tuesday. Prosecutors are...

Peru president accepts war museum, German donation.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILLIAM McCALL After enduring weeks of criticism, President Alan Garcia reversed course Tuesday and accepted a donation from Germany for a museum honoring those killed in Peru's 20-year armed conflict with...

US Amateur champion Lee wins Georgia Cup.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILLIAM McCALL U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee of New Zealand tuned up for the Masters on Tuesday by beating British Amateur champion Reiner Saxton in the 12th annual Georgia Cup between the winners of...

Sebelius admits errors, pays $7,000 in back taxes.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ERICA WERNER President Barack Obama's nomine to be Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, recently corrected three years of tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes after...

US investigator will continue search for Holloway.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ERICA WERNER An Aruban official says a private investigator will continue scouring a pond for signs of missing U.S. teen Natalee Holloway, even though he has not found any clues into her 2005...

Judges deal Coleman crippling blow in senate race.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BRIAN BAKST A special court on Tuesday ordered further review of 400 absentee ballots in the Minnesota Senate race, dealing a crippling blow to Republican Norm Coleman's legal challenge against Democrat Al...

Warning label recommended for US team's burger.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BRIAN BAKST The West Michigan Whitecaps say they have no plans to put a warning label on an enormous new hamburger they're selling this season at their baseball park _ despite a vegan advocacy group's...

Pressure mounts on NKorea ahead of rocket launch.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JAE-SOON CHANG Leaders of South Korea and Britain urged North Korea to forgo its planned rocket launch as international pressure mounted on the communist regime just days before the impending launch. ...

State, US file civil suits vs BP over oil spills.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARK THIESSEN Separate state and federal civil lawsuits were filed Tuesday against BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. over two spills at the largest U.S. oil field three years ago. The federal government...

NY House race too close to call, 65-vote Dem lead.
April 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VALERIE BAUMAN The two candidates in a New York congressional race that focused on President Barack Obama's economic policies are separated by only 65 votes with all the precincts in and more than 150,000 votes...