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Thursday, April 19, 2012 – Daily News WORLD BRIEFING Panetta apologizes over new photos WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta apologized Wednesday for gruesome, newly revealed pho- tographs that purport to show U.S. soldiers posing with the bloodied remains of dead insurgents in Afghanistan two years ago. He said war can lead young troops to ''foolish deci- sions'' and expressed con- cern the photos could incite fresh violence against Americans. The White House called the photos ''reprehensible,'' joining Panetta and other top military officials in expressing regret for the lat- est in a string of embarrass- ing missteps by the U.S. military in a war that's built on earning the trust and confidence of ordinary Afghans. In recent months, American troops have been caught up in controversies over burning Muslim holy books, urinating on Afghan corpses, an alleged mas- sacre of 17 Afghan vil- lagers and other misdeeds. ''This is war. I know that war is ugly and it's violent, and I know that young peo- ple sometimes caught up in the moment make some very foolish decisions,'' Panetta said. ''I am not excusing that behavior, but neither do I want these images to bring further injury to our people or to our relationship with the Afghan people.'' ''My apology is on behalf of the Department of Defense and the U.S. gov- ernment,'' Panetta told a news conference in Brus- sels following a meeting of NATO allies at which the way ahead in Afghanistan was the central topic. The photos were pub- lished in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times. One shows members of the 82nd Air- borne Division posing in 2010 with Afghan police holding the severed legs of a suicide bomber. The same platoon a few months later was sent to investigate the remains of three insurgents reported to have accidental- ly blown themselves up — and soldiers again posed and mugged for a photo with the remains, the news- paper said. demonstration BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian security forces opened fire Wednesday on anti-regime demonstrators surrounding the cars of a U.N. team meant to monitor a shaky cease-fire, sending the observers speeding off and protesters dashing for cover, according to activists and amateur videos. UN monitors flee Syrian suburb of Damascus, the Syrian capital, provided the first public glimpse of the work of the small team struggling to reinforce the international community's stumbling efforts to end 13 months of deadly conflict in Syria. The fresh violence in a wounded at least eight peo- ple, could also complicate the deployment of a larger U.N. mission to help a cease-fire take hold between President Bashar Assad's forces and opposi- tion fighters. The difficulties of the The shooting, which team's mission was clear Wednesday during its visit to the suburb of Arbeen, just northeast of Damascus. The team did not announce its plans to visit the area, but a local activist said residents guessed they were coming when tanks posted throughout the area withdrew early Wednesday. Spirit of Reagan from a surging recovery and swamped Democrat Walter Mondale. Obama still faces stubbornly high joblessness and anemic growth. Obama was campaign- ing Wednesday in Ohio and Michigan — battleground states hard hit by the reces- sion and home in the 1980s to blue-collar ''Reagan Democrats.'' Texas nurse charged in killing, tions that the ''Knights Templar'' doesn't exist, but admitted he had embell- ished when describing the network in a 1,500-page manifesto he published online before the bomb- and-shooting rampage on July 22. ''In principle it is not an Verna McClain told her fianci she had given birth to their child. But after she suf- fered a miscarriage, authori- ties said, she went looking for another baby to present to him. Now she's accused of killing a young mother to take one by force. Investigators say McClain waited outside a pediatrician's office north of Houston and shot Kala Golden before taking her tiny newborn son, who was only three days old. Little Keegan Golden abduction SPRING, Texas (AP) — was found unharmed hours later with McClain's sister — who was told that her sister planned to adopt the boy. He is back with family members. and Obama There they go again. President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney both like to chan- nel Ronald Reagan. Neither one should probably push it too far. invoked by both Romney Obama frequently men- tions the conservative icon and hints at parallels between now and 1984. Then, President Reagan also was seeking a second term after a severe recession that sent unemployment soaring into double digits. His approval ratings that April were in the low 50s. Obama's now are just below 50 percent. But as Election Day neared, Reagan benefited McClain is charged with capital murder and was being held Wednesday without bond. Authorities say she admitted attacking the woman Tuesday and stealing her baby from his mother's pickup truck. Norway In the third day of his ter- ror trial, Anders Behring Breivik was grilled by pros- ecutors about the anti-Mus- lim militant group he claims to belong to. or death OSLO, Norway (AP) — The right-wing fanatic on trial for massacring 77 peo- ple in Norway says he wants either freedom or death, calling the country's prison terms ''pathetic'' and arguing for the return of capital punishment, which was last used here to exe- cute Nazi collaborators after World War II. gunman calls for freedom organization in a conven- tional sense,'' he said, describing it as a leaderless network consisting of ''independent cells.'' Prosecutors told reporters after Wednesday's hearing that they don't believe the group is real or that the meetings Breivik claims took place in Liberia, Britain and the Baltic coun- tries ever happened. Calif girl, 10 LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors declined to file charges Wednesday against an 11- year-old girl who fought with a 10-year-old school- mate hours before the younger girl died. No charges will be filed in death of The death of Joanna Ramos came after a ''fight between two children that ended with unintended and tragic results,'' but no crime was committed, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement. laughed off what became the well-worn exchange among locals in Red Bud the instant word swept through the tiny southern Illinois village that a Mega Millions lottery ticket bought there scored a share of a record $656 million jackpot. ''Are you the winner?'' someone would routinely ask. 3B oversteps boundaries, but some teachers say social media — in particular Face- book — can be a vital edu- cational resource if used appropriately, especially because it's a primary means of communication for today's youngsters. ''Email is becoming a ''Yeah, sure, I won it,'' the retired Butler played along each time. Little did anyone in the 3,700-resident town know Butler wasn't kidding. On Wednesday, 19 days since that drawing, Butler and his wife, Patricia, final- ly stepped in front of news cameras and reporters to publicly claiming their $218.6 million stake of the jackpot — the secret the famously private retirees and grandparents had no trouble keeping for so long. Should Police referred all inquiries to the district attor- ney's office. District attor- ney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said her office could not comment on the decision because the case involved a juvenile. Joanna was pronounced dead on Feb. 24, about six hours after she tussled with another girl in an alley near her elementary school after classes ended. Her mother, Cecilia Vil- lanueva, said officials met with the family Wednesday morning, but she still knows few details about the fight and chose not to ask because it was too painful. record jackpot RED BUD, Ill. (AP) — Merle Butler routinely Couple claims friends? NEW YORK (AP) — Should students and teach- ers ever be friends on Face- book? School districts across the country, includ- ing the nation's largest, are weighing that question as they seek to balance the risks of inappropriate con- tact with the academic benefits of social network- ing. teachers and students be Facebook dinosaur,'' said David Roush, who teaches media communications and televi- sion production at a Bronx high school. ''Letters home are becoming a dinosaur. The old methods of engag- ing our students and our parents are starting to die.'' Motor City Madman just mouthing off? WASHINGTON (AP) — Rocker and gun rights champion Ted Nugent says he will meet with the Secret Service on Thursday to explain his raucous remarks about what he called Barack Obama's ''evil, America-hating administration'' — comments some critics interpreted as a threat against the president. ''The conclusion will be obvious that I threat- ened no one,'' Nugent told radio interviewer Glenn Beck on Wednes- day. Nugent said he'd been contacted by the agency and would coop- erate fully even though he found the complaints ''silly.'' At least 40 school dis- tricts nationwide have approved social media poli- cies. Schools in New York City and Florida have disci- plined teachers for Face- book activity, and Missouri legislators recently acqui- esced to teachers' objec- tions to a strict statewide policy. In the New York cases, one teacher friended several female students and wrote comments including ''this is sexy'' under their photos, investigators said. A substi- tute teacher sent a message to a student saying that her boyfriend did not ''deserve a beautiful girl like you.'' Such behavior clearly The controversy erupted after the self- styled ''Motor City Madman'' made an impassioned plea for support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the National Rifle Associa- tion meeting in St. Louis last weekend. ''We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November,'' Nugent said of the Obama administration. He included a cryptic pronouncement: ''If Barack Obama becomes the next president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.'' He rejected their sugges-