Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/134867
8A Daily News – Wednesday, June 5, 2013 WORLD BRIEFING Samples confirm nerve gas used in Syria PARIS (AP) — France said Tuesday it has confirmed that the nerve gas sarin was used ''multiple times and in a localized way'' in Syria, including at least once by the regime. It was the most specific claim by any Western power about chemical weapons attacks in the 27-month-old conflict. Britain later said that tests it conducted on samples taken from Syria also were positive for sarin. The back-to-back announcements left many questions unanswered, highlighting the difficulties of confirming from a distance whether combatants in Syria have crossed the ''red line'' set by President Barack Obama. The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has refused to allow U.N. investigators into the country. The French and British findings, based on samples taken from Syria, came hours after a U.N. team said it had ''reasonable grounds'' to suspect small-scale use of toxic chemicals in at least four attacks in March and April. The U.N. probe was conducted from outside Syria's borders, based on interviews with doctors and witnesses of purported attacks and a review of amateur videos from Syria. The team said solid evidence will remain elusive until inspectors can collect samples from victims directly or from the sites of alleged attacks. Senior IRS officials got luxury hotel rooms, free drinks at $4 million meeting WASHINGTON (AP) — Already heavily criticized for targeting conservative groups, the Internal Revenue Service absorbed another blow Tuesday as new details emerged about senior officials enjoying luxury hotel rooms, free drinks and free food at a $4.1 million training conference. It was one of many expensive gatherings the agency held for employees over a three-year period. One top official stayed five nights in a room that regularly goes for $3,500 a night, and another — who was later promoted — stayed four nights in a room that regularly goes for $1,499. A total of 132 IRS officials received room upgrades at the conference in 2010 in Anaheim, Calif., according to a report by J. Russell George, the Treasury Department inspector general for tax administration. The tax agency paid a flat daily fee of $135 per hotel room, the report said, but the upgrades were part of a package deal that added to the overall cost of the conference. The report was made public on the same day leaders of six conservative groups testified at a congressional hearing, Tehama County High School ATHLETES OF THE WEEK "The V's" Awards Dinner 2012-2013 School Year Sponsored by DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY ''In that first (protest) action, the excessive violence exerted on people who were acting out of environmental concerns was wrong and unjust,'' Arinc said. ''I apologize to those citizens.'' Yet the impact of his statement was unclear. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is visiting Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, has undermined previous statements by his ministers and has dismissed the protesters as a fringe minority stirred up by the opposition. where they told lawmakers they had endured abuse from IRS agents as they spent years trying to qualify for tax-exempt status. In often-emotional testimony, the conservatives described IRS demands for details about employees' and group officials' political activities and backgrounds, for comments they'd posted on websites, for videos of meetings and information on whether speakers at such sessions voiced political views. Some said it took three years to get their tax-exempt status; others said they were still waiting. Second deadly tornado upgraded Pentagon brass calls sexual assault 'like a cancer' WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. senators dressed down senior military leaders Tuesday, led by female lawmakers, combat veterans and former prosecutors who insisted that sexual assault in the ranks has cost the services the trust and respect of the American people as well as the nation's men and women in uniform. Summoned to Capitol Hill, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the beribboned fourstar chiefs of the service branches conceded in an extraordinary hearing that they had faltered in dealing with sexual assault. One said assaults were ''like a cancer'' in the military. But they strongly opposed congressional efforts to strip commanders of their traditional authority to decide whether to level charges in their units. Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, especially the panel's seven female senators, grilled the chiefs about whether the military's mostly male leadership understands differences between relatively minor sexual offenses and serious crimes that deserve swift and decisive justice. ''Not every single commander necessarily wants women in the force. Not every single commander believes what a sexual assault is. Not every single commander can distinguish between a slap on the ass and a rape because they merge all of these crimes together,'' said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Informer on Manning, WikiLeaks testifies at soldier's trial FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — A one-time computer hacker who told authorities Pfc. Bradley Manning was giving information to WikiLeaks testified Tuesday the soldier never said he wanted to help the enemy during their online chats. Manning is on trial for giving hundreds of thousands of documents to the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks. He pleaded guilty to charges that could bring 20 years behind bars, but the military has pressed ahead with a court-martial on Red Bluff VFW Hall 735 Oak Street, Red Bluff Wednesday, June 12 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Reservations required June 13 9-11am K-6 grade at Trainor Park / Frey Field (see below!) DEADLINE: Saturday, June 8 at 6 PM The V's have dinner for FREE, courtesy of the Daily News, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital and Sponsors for this school year's high school athletes of the week program Family, friends, coaches, fans: $10.00 for dinner (Cash or Check, pay at the door.) Spaghetti w/meat sauce, green salad, french bread, beverage & dessert. Contact: Calvary Chapel 527-8219 or ccredbluff.org for more info or pre-regiatration Check in/Meet & Greet 6:00 PM Dinner at 6:30 PM Awards Ceremony at 7:30 RESERVATIONS: Call 527-2151 ext 120 • Leave your name • Number of people in your party • If one or more V's will be with you • Phone number in case we have questions Hope to See You There! DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's deputy prime minister offered an apology Tuesday for the government's violent crackdown on an environmental protest, a calculated bid to ease days of anti-government rallies in the country's major cities. The message was a bit mixed, however, as hundreds of riot police deployed with water cannons around the prime minister's office in Ankara, the capital. Bulent Arinc, who is standing in for the prime minister while he is out of the country, said the crackdown was ''wrong and unjust.'' CHAMBER OF COMMERCE John Growney Presentation of Certificates to the V's Presentation of Special Annual Awards Boys and Girls Scholar Athlete Awards Boys and Girls Sportsmanship Awards Boys and Girls Athletes of the Year Turkish gov't softens tone as protesters continue RED BLUFF-TEHAMA COUNTY SPECIAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER Life lessons from "The Challenge of Champions" more serious charges, including aiding the enemy. That charge carries a potential life sentence. Adrian Lamo, a convicted hacker, said he started chatting online with Manning on May 20, 2010, and alerted law enforcement the next day about the contents of the soldier's messages, including his mention of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He said he continued chatting with Manning on and off for six more days. On cross-examination, Lamo said Manning never told him he wanted to help the enemy and did not express disloyalty to America. ''At any time, did Pfc. Manning ever say he wanted to help the enemy?'' defense attorney David Coombs said. proudly presents thAnnual Red Bluff 4 The Crawdad Festival JUNE 7, 8, 9 Tehama District Fairgrounds MONSTER TRUCK RIDES KID ZONE ★ LASER TAG ★ ZIP LINES ★ FREE ULTIMATE BOUNCE HOUSES Local "Spotlight Bands" Saturday & Sunday FREE PARKING!! LIVE CAJUN MUSIC, FOOD & FAMILY FUN FRIDAY 5pm-9pm SATURDAY 10am-9pm SUNDAY 10am-6pm Welcome Family Night Adults $5 Seniors 60+$5 Adults $10 BBQ Drawing & Car Show Adults $10 KIDS 12 & UNDER FREE Spotlight or car show applications call (530) 527-6220 ext. 301, info@redbluffchamber.com or www.crawdadfestival.net For Vendor Information Call Jessie Woods (530) 528-8000 DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The deadly tornado that struck near Oklahoma City late last week had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles and was the second top-of-the-scale EF5 twister to hit the area in less than two weeks, the National Weather Service reported Tuesday. The weather service initially rated the tornado that hit El Reno on Friday as an EF3. But the agency upgraded the ranking after surveying damage, and determined the storm packed winds reaching 295 mph. Eighteen people died in the storm, including three storm chasers, and its subsequent flooding. Deep in the heart of Tornado Alley, the Oklahoma City area also saw an EF5 tornado on May 20. That one raked Moore, a suburb that's 25 miles away from El Reno, and killed 24 people. In 1999, Moore was hit by another EF5 with the strongest winds ever measured on earth: 302 mph. Friday's massive tornado avoided highly populated metro areas, a fact forecasters said likely saved lives. Winds were at their most powerful in areas devoid of structures, said Rick Smith, chief warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service's office in Norman. ''Any house would have been completely swept clean on the foundation. That's just my speculation,'' Smith said. ''We're looking at extremes ... in the rare EF5 category. This in the super rare category because we don't deal with things like this often.'' Ohio State president steps down COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University President Gordon Gee announced his retirement Tuesday after he came under fire for jokingly referring to ''those damn Catholics'' at Notre Dame and poking fun at the academic quality of other schools. The remarks were first reported last week by The Associated Press, and Ohio State at the time called them unacceptable and said it had placed Gee on a ''remediation plan'' to change his behavior.