Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/149295
Friday, August 9, 2013 – Daily News 3B WORLD BRIEFING life.'' Paul White, 45, a project engineer from Ham Lake, said his family often gave him a hard time for frequently playing the lottery, and he had a tough time convincing many of them that he had finally won. ''The only person who didn't feel I was BSing them was my mother,'' a beaming White said at a news conference where he was joined by his girlfriend, brother and two colleagues. White said he'll take a lump sum, which will amount to $58.3 million after taxes. Despite the minuscule odds of a jackpot win, White said he often daydreamed about how he'd spend his winnings if he won. ''I've totally been waiting for this day my entire life,'' he said, lamenting that he has to wait two weeks for his money. ''Start the clock right now,'' he said, eliciting laughs. Yemen official says 12 militants killed by US drones; 34 dead since late July SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The U.S. has sharply escalated its drone war in Yemen, with military officials in the Arab country reporting 34 suspected al-Qaida militants killed in less than two weeks, including three strikes on Thursday alone in which a dozen died. The action against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen branch is known, comes amid a global terror alert issued by Washington. One Mideast official says the uptick is due to its leaders leaving themselves more vulnerable by moving from their normal hideouts toward areas where they could carry out attacks. The U.S. and Britain evacuated diplomatic staff from the capital of Sanaa this week after learning of a threatened attack that prompted Washington to close temporarily 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa. Thursday's first reported drone attack hit a car carrying suspected militants in the district of Wadi Ubaidah, about 175 kilometers (109 miles) east of Sanaa, and killed six, a security official said. Badly burned bodies lay beside their vehicle, according to the official. Five of the dead were Yemenis, while the sixth was believed to be of another Arab nationality, he said. Muddled US messages on Egypt complicate diplomacy, fuel popular anger at a delicate point WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration's efforts to promote democracy in Egypt are being complicated by what many Egyptians see as mixed and confusing messages coming from Washington, exacerbating already high antiAmerican sentiment and threatening broader U.S. goals in the region. Any administration might find it difficult to safely navigate the intricacies of Egypt's current political tumult, but some U.S. officials concede they have been unable to communicate a coherent policy. Officials also complain that their task has been made more challenging by the delicate line they must toe and by members of Congress who have inserted themselves into the high-wire diplomacy with one of America's most important Arab allies. Egypt has been a cornerstone of Mideast stability for decades, notably because of its peace deal with Israel and its protection of the vital Suez Canal. The administration has been eager to remain engaged and influential there, but it is straddling a fine line, trying to balance its support for representative government with U.S. national interests. In Egypt's crisis, the two do not meld well and staying involved has required what some see as a compromise in democratic principles. Several officials lamented that the White House's nuanced policy is not easily explained to Egypt's volatile public and wary leaders. And, they expressed frustration that the message has been muddled by the comments of lawmakers who have offered strident personal, opinions on the situation that do not hew to the administration's line. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations and differences the administration has with legislators. Last days of Southern Democrats? WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are counting on some Southern comfort to win Senate control next year. Southern California wildfire leaves evacuees wondering if homes survived The fate of Democratic incumbents in GOP-trending Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina, the ability of the 71year-old GOP leader to hold his Kentucky seat and the eventual outcome of a Georgia primary will help decide whether Republicans gain the six seats necessary to grab power in the Senate for the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency. Fifteen months before Election Day, the GOP has a genuine shot at the majority, especially with the midterm elections' traditional low turnout and possible Obama fatigue on the party's side. But both Republicans and Democrats stop short of writing off several Democratic incumbents who would have to lose for the GOP to regain power, and some Republicans worry about holding GOP seats in Kentucky and Georgia. The transformation of the South from solidly Democratic to nearly all Republican in the half century since the 1964 Civil Rights Act has made the states generally inhospitable to Democratic politicians. And next year's elections will test whether the last remaining Southern Democrats can survive. Overall numbers and geography favor the GOP — 21 Democratic seats are on state ballots compared with 14 Republican. Seven of the Democratic seats are in states that Obama lost in 2012 to Republican Mitt Romney, some by 15 points or more. Adding to the GOP bullishness: Democratic retirements in three of the seven states — West Virginia, Montana and South Dakota — and a few recruiting disappointments. Voter suppression alleged in election won by just 1 vote in Fla. SOPCHOPPY, Fla. (AP) — A small Florida Panhandle town best known for its annual Worm Grunting Festival is at the center of an investigation into charges the white city clerk suppressed the black vote in an election where the black mayor lost by a single vote and a black city commissioner was also ousted. Both losing candidates and three black voters have filed complaints, now being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, that City Clerk Jackie Lawhon made it more difficult for blacks to cast ballots by questioning their residency. The candidates also allege Lawhon abandoned her duty to remain neutral and actively campaigned for the three whites on the ballot. ''If the allegations that we have are 100 percent accurate, then this election was literally stolen from us and I really feel like there should be another election,'' said Anginita Rosier, who lost her seat on the commission by 26 votes. Lawhon, who has served in her position since being appointed more than three decades ago, referred calls to city attorney Dan Cox. He would not comment on the specifics of the complaints but said, ''I don't think that anything was done that was out of line.'' Syrian rebels shell upscale neighborhood close to Assad DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Rockets and mortar shells hit an upscale Damascus neighborhood Thursday where Syrian President Bashar Assad was visiting a nearby mosque, laying bare the ability of rebels to strike one of the most secure areas of the capital despite an ongoing government offensive. At least two rebel brigades claimed to have hit Assad's motorcade on its way to the mosque, but this appeared to be untrue. Two opposition figures said the route was hit but not the convoy itself. The regime also denied the reports, and state TV broadcast images of Assad praying at the mosque. There were no reports of casualties or damage in the shelling of the Malki district, a largely pro-regime neighborhood where Assad used to live before the uprising began more than two years ago. Nevertheless, the attack terrified residents and exposed the regime's vulnerability as it tries to maintain momentum against rebels with increasingly sophisticated weaponry. It may also shake its confidence. ''What happened today is highly indicative,'' said Khaled Saleh, a spokesman for Syria's main Western-backed opposition group. ''It shows that the regime is unable to control the situation even in the most secure areas of Damascus and despite suffocating security measures.'' At least two Syrian rebel brigades claimed they hit Assad's motorcade as it carried him to the Anas bin Malik mosque in Malki, an affluent district sealed off by military checkpoints that had been largely spared from rebel mortar shells that frequently hit other areas of the capital. It was not clear if Assad has stayed in Malki in recent months or where he lives now. Minn. dad claims third of $448M jackpot ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota man claimed his third of a $448 million Powerball jackpot on Thursday, wasting no time before revealing his good fortune to the world and saying he had ''been waiting for this day my entire BEAUMONT, Calif. (AP) — A growing wildfire chewed through a rugged Southern California mountain range on Thursday, damaging buildings, threatening as many as 600 homes and forcing some 1,500 people to flee. A thousand firefighters, 13 helicopters and six air tankers battled the flames as they pushed eastward along the San Jacinto Mountains, a desert range 90 miles east of Los Angeles, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire was estimated at 15 1/2 square miles Thursday, growing roughly 6 square miles overnight, with 10 percent containment. ''Unfortunately the size of this fire continues to take away any progress that we're making,'' he said. Fire officials estimated 15 structures burned, but could not say how many of them were houses. A civilian with what was described as body burns was flown to a hospital, he said. Four firefighters suffered unspecified injuries. Residents told of fast-moving flames that left little time to get out after the fire erupted Wednesday afternoon. Judge resumes Fort Hood trial despite standby lawyers saying soldier wants death sentence FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The soldier on trial for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood was allowed to continue representing himself on Thursday after the judge ordered his standby attorneys to stay on the case, despite their claims that the Army psychiatrist was trying to secure his own death sentence. The military lawyers ordered to help Maj. Nidal Hasan had asked the judge to either scale back their advisory duties or allow them to take over his defense. They believe Hasan is trying to convince jurors to convict him and sentence him to death for the attack that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at the Texas military base. The judge, Col. Tara Osborn, denied that request Thursday in a heated exchange with the lead standby attorney, saying it was clear that the lawyers simply disagreed with Hasan's defense strategy. Hasan has been largely silent during the trial, and he objected only once Thursday as nearly a dozen witnesses testified. But the attorneys were adamant and said they would appeal Osborn's ruling to a higher court. ''We believe your order is causing us to violate our rules of professional conduct,'' said Lt. Col. Kris Poppe, who has said Hasan was trying to fulfill a death wish. Research ship's live streaming of deep ocean floor hooks people on eel attacks and starfish WASHINGTON (AP) — Vicious fights! Stunning beauties! Surprises around every corner! Yes, it's reality TV but with a lot more depth — as much as 10,000 feet. It's live coverage of deep-sea exploration off Nantucket and tens of thousands of people are tuning in. They're watching an eel suddenly attack a squid, oohing-andaahing over hot pink starfish and listening as excited researchers discover a canyon so downright alien that sea life lives on methane escaping from the sea floor instead of sunlight. They're watching science as it happens, however weird and wild. ''We've been calling it Deep Sea TV,'' said National Marine Fisheries Services scientist Martha Nizinski, in a ship-toshore interview. ''It's much better than any other reality show being broadcast.'' For years, the world of the deep sea floor has mostly been the province of scientists. A handful of researchers would huddle on a ship and watch the video from below, take notes, and two or three years later write a scientific paper. Last member of King Sisters dies LOS ANGELES (AP) — Entertainer Marilyn King, who spent decades singing with the King Sisters and also worked as a songwriter and actress, has died. Her family said King died Wednesday in Laguna Niguel, Calif., after fighting cancer. She was 82. King began her singing career at 13, eventually joining her sisters' quartet, which released more than 150 albums in the 1940s, '50s and '60s. She went on to appear with her sisters on The King Family Show, an ABC variety program in the 1960s. She appeared on TV in ''The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet'' and ''MASH'' and on stage in ''Guys & Dolls'' and ''Hello, Dolly!'' JPMorgan faces criminal probe NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is investigating JPMorgan Chase over mortgage-backed investments the bank sold in the run-up to the financial crisis. The New York-based bank said in a regulatory filing that it is responding to investigations by the civil and criminal divisions of the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of California. In May, the civil division informed JPMorgan that it had ''preliminarily concluded'' that the bank had violated federal securities laws in connection with certain mortgage-backed investments it sold from 2005 to 2007. A JPMorgan spokeswoman declined to comment. The disclosure is just the latest in a swirl of mortgage-related lawsuits and investigations that have hammered big U.S. banks in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The banks have been accused of improperly foreclosing on homeowners, discriminating against others and knowingly making loans to people who couldn't afford them. Other probes, including the one disclosed by JPMorgan, have focused on mortgage-backed securities, where the banks bundled together their mortgages and sold them in slivers to investors.