The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Militant attack in Pakistan's northwest kills at least 20
- Pressure mounts on U.S. lawmaker over sex scandal
- Bomb, not rocket may have hit Yemen's Saleh
| Militant attack in Pakistan's northwest kills at least 20 Posted: 08 Jun 2011 09:16 PM PDT MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Around 150 heavily-armed militants attacked a security checkpost in Pakistan's volatile Waziristan region early on Thursday, killing eight soldiers, local intelligence officials said. Security forces killed atleast 12 militants in retaliation, they said. (Reporting by Haji Mujtabad; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, click http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan ) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. | ||
| Pressure mounts on U.S. lawmaker over sex scandal Posted: 08 Jun 2011 07:44 PM PDT WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Calls for U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner's resignation, including from some fellow Democrats, mounted on Wednesday, two days after he confirmed details of an online sex scandal.
Word also emerged that the wife he has publicly humiliated is pregnant. Democrats in Congress, distancing themselves from the once rising liberal Democratic political star, are becoming increasingly concerned about the political fallout. A House Democratic aide said late on Wednesday, "There are strong signals coming from members that represent a growing concern in the caucus about his actions and you see members speaking out." Allyson Schwartz, a member of the House of Representatives Democratic campaign committee, made it clear she had seen enough of the scandal that was tarnishing the party's image. "Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress. In light of Anthony Weiner's offensive behavior ... he should resign," Schwartz said. Weiner, 46, who many had seen as the next mayor of New York, is resisting calls he step down for sending lewd photos of himself to women with whom he had held steamy online chats. "I think his hope and instinct is that he can stick it out," said a senior New York Democrat, asking not to be identified. "We'll see." But there were deeper questions about Weiner's political future after an explicit photo of the congressman reportedly surfaced on the Internet on Wednesday. "As Representative Weiner said on Monday when he took responsibility for his actions, he has sent explicit photos," a spokeswoman said in a statement. "To reiterate, he has never met any of these women or had physical contact with them. As he said, he deeply regrets the pain he has caused. With the full support of his wife, he is working on righting these wrongs with his family and his colleagues," the statement added. Huma Abedin, 35, an aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who married the congressman a year ago, is in the early stages of pregnancy with the couple's first child, The New York Times reported, citing three unidentified people with knowledge of the situation. The Times said the couple had disclosed the pregnancy to close friends and family. HAS VOWED TO REMAIN IN POST After vehemently denying for more than a week that he sent a picture of his bulging boxer briefs to a woman in Seattle, claiming he was the victim of hacking, Weiner tearfully admitted to lying about the scandal on Monday. He also vowed to remain in his post and preserve his marriage to Abedin. Former President Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding last July amid much fanfare that Washington's newest power couple was made of a Muslim, Abedin, and a Jew, Weiner. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Weiner violated any of the chamber's rules, and former Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine, now running for the Senate from Virginia, said Weiner should step down. House Republican Leader Eric Cantor on Tuesday became the first top U.S. lawmaker to say Weiner should quit. Dan Ripp of Bradley Woods, a private firm that tracks Washington for investors, said he expected Weiner to quit within days. "I think he's history," Ripp said. "Democrats aren't giving him the time of day. He has no clout. His own party is looking at him like a bozo. He is dragging them down." Back in New York, his constituents were split. Howard Witz, a real estate broker in Brooklyn, part of Weiner's district in New York City, said he would support Weiner again should he remain in politics. "It's a shame because he's a very effective politician," Witz said. "Disappointed? Maybe. But does it make me quit on him? No it doesn't. As long as he didn't commit a crime." Another New Yorker, Joe Mele, was more blunt. "Mayor? I don't think he should be dogcatcher," Mele said. (Additional reporting by Richard Chang and Richard Cowan; Editing by Xavier Briand and Peter Cooney) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. | ||
| Bomb, not rocket may have hit Yemen's Saleh Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:43 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh appears to have been injured last week by a bombing at a mosque inside his palace, not a rocket attack as first thought, U.S. and Arab officials told Reuters. It remains unclear whether the device might have been planted by someone from the outside who gained access to the mosque, or someone within Saleh's inner circle.
Saleh initially blamed the June 3 attack on an "outlawed gang" of his tribal foes. The blast killed seven people, wounded senior officials and forced Saleh's evacuation to Saudi Arabia for treatment. There have been conflicting reports about his condition -- ranging from fairly minor to life-threatening burns. Yemen's Embassy in Washington said on Wednesday that Saleh was in stable condition "and continues to improve." Yemeni officials have previously described the blast as the result of a rocket attack. But U.S. and Arab officials, all speaking on condition they not be named, said an investigation into the blast suggested it was caused by an explosive device. With Saleh outside of Yemen, Western and Arab powers are pressing for a negotiated transition of power there, following months of pro-democracy protests that have tipped the impoverished country to the brink of civil war. Saleh, in power for three decades, had long been viewed as a crucial U.S. ally who allowed U.S. forces to conduct clandestine operations, including unmanned aerial drone strikes, against al Qaeda's local offshoot -- al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. The group claimed responsibility for a failed Christmas Day attack in 2009 aboard a U.S. airliner and an attempt in October 2010 to blow up two U.S.-bound cargo planes with explosive parcels. U.S. officials see AQAP as perhaps the most potent foreign terrorism threat. (Reporting by Warren Strobel, Mark Hosenball and Phil Stewart; Editing by Xavier Briand) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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