Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/21035
8A – Daily News – Wednesday, December 8, 2010 WORLD BRIEFING Obama defends deal to extend tax cuts for all WASHINGTON (AP) — With fellow Democ- rats balking, President Barack Obama declared Tuesday that a compro- mise with Republicans on tax cuts was necessary to help the economy and protect recession-weary Americans. He passion- ately defended his record against Democrats who complain he’s breaking campaign promises. ‘‘Take a tally. Look at what I promised during the campaign. There’s not a single thing that I haven’t done or tried to do,’’ the president said. He staunchly defend- ed his decision to deal with the GOP in order to extend about-to-expire tax cuts for all Ameri- cans. ‘‘There are some who would have preferred a protracted political fight,’’ the president said at a White House news conference a day after the compromise was announced. ‘‘And I understand the desire for a fight. I’m sympathetic to that.’’ Many Democrats in Congress are unhappy about the agreement because it continues tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. But Obama said a long political battle ‘‘would be a bad deal for the econo- my. And it would be a bad deal for the Ameri- can people.’’ UK judge jails Julian Assange ahead of extradition LONDON (AP) — A British judge sent Julian Assange to jail on Tues- day, denying bail to the WikiLeaks founder after Assange vowed to fight efforts to be extradited to Sweden in a sex-crimes investigation. Despite Assange’s legal troubles, a Wik- iLeaks spokesman insist- ed the flow of secret U.S. diplomatic cables would not be affected. He also downplayed efforts to constrict the group’s finances after both Visa and MasterCard cut off key funding methods Tuesday. ‘‘This will not change our operation,’’ spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson told The Asso- ciated Press. As if to underline the point, Wik- iLeaks released a dozen new diplomatic cables, its first publication in more than 24 hours, including the details of a NATO defense plan for Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that prompted an indignant response from the Russian envoy to the alliance. Assange turned him- self in to Scotland Yard on Tuesday morning, and was sent to the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the early after- noon. He showed no reac- tion as Judge Howard Riddle denied him bail and sent him to jail until his next extradition hear- ing on Dec. 14. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, visiting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. troops in Afghanistan, was pleased to hear that Assange had been arrest- ed. Officials: US gives up on new Israeli settlement slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama adminis- tration has abandoned attempts to convince Israel to slow West Bank settlement activity, offi- cials said Tuesday, in what appears to be a major setback for a key White House foreign pol- icy initiative. After months of trying to broker a formula under which Israel would impose a new freeze in return for U.S. incentives, two American officials said the administration had concluded their efforts were not the best way to relaunch negotia- tions. Talks stalled in Sep- tember, barely a month after they started. An announcement of the decision will likely come later Tuesday, one of the officials said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak pub- licly on the matter. The officials said the administration was not abandoning efforts to bro- sources. Despite such evidence of growing impacts, and scientists’ warnings that temperatures will rise sharply in this century, parties to the 193-nation U.N. climate treaty have made little progress over the past decade toward a new global pact on emis- sions cuts to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Republican rebound in Washington promises to delay action even further. ker a peace deal and noted that Israeli and Palestin- ian negotiators will visit Washington next week for consultations. Expert: UN troops likely source of Haiti cholera outbreak PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A contin- gent of U.N. peacekeep- ers is the likely source of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed at least 2,000 people, a French scientist said in a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux conclud- ed that the cholera origi- nated in a tributary of Haiti’s Artibonite river, next to a U.N. base out- side the town of Mirebal- ais. He was sent by the French government to assist Haitian health offi- cials in determining the source of the outbreak, a French Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday. ‘‘No other hypothesis could be found to explain the outbreak of a cholera epidemic in this village ... not affected by the earth- quake earlier this year and located dozens of kilome- ters from the coast and (tent) camps,’’ he wrote in a report that has not been publicly released. The report also calls for a further investigation of the outbreak, improved medical surveillance and sanitation procedures for U.N. peacekeeping troops and better support for Haitian health authorities. The AP obtained a copy of the report from an official who released it on condition of anonymity. Piarroux confirmed he had authored the report but declined in an e-mail interview to discuss his findings. Copies were sent to U.N. and Haitian officials, the foreign min- istry confirmed. On climate, governments mark time CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — The world’s envi- ronment ministers got down to the business Tuesday of settling knotty side issues in coping with global warming, while marking time for one more year on a sweeping deal to slash greenhouse gases and slow climate change. As delegates entered the final days of the annual two-week climate conference, the U.N. environment chief point- ed out that countries’ current, voluntary pledges to reduce emis- sions would, at best, offer the world limited protec- tion against serious dam- age from shifts in cli- mate. Deeper, obligatory cuts are needed, said Achim Steiner. ‘‘One of the objectives of the (conference) is still to work toward a global climate agreement,’’ he reminded negotiators. Another reminder came from the mountains of south Asia: In a new report, experts said peo- ple’s lives and livelihoods are at ‘‘high risk’’ as warming melts Himalayan glaciers, send- ing floods crashing down from overloaded moun- tain lakes and depriving farmers of steady water 331 Oak Street, Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 526-4545 tasteoftehama.com Pecan logs, gourmet cookies, chocolate bark, chocolate candy, jewelry, gifts, salt water taffy 10% Senior discount everyday FRESH FRUIT BOUQUETS For your Wedding, Anniversary, Birthday, Baby Shower, Super Bowl, Holiday Or Anytime Party. Chocolate Dipped Bananas COMFORT SERVICE INC. 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But in a 1995 letter obtained by The Associ- ated Press, the leader neglected to mention something: The prison was for males from age 10 to 21. The writer of that letter, Brother Thomas Johnson, is now the second-ranking offi- cial in the worldwide order. Brother Raimond Rose was counseling young inmates at a juve- nile detention center in Minnesota. One of the inmates later filed a law- suit accusing him of molestation. In fact, 21 men have filed lawsuits against Rose in cases dat- ing back to the 1960s. Four of the suits were filed last month. Price, of Richmond, Va., and the other accusers feel betrayed by the order, which operates more than 1,000 schools and educational institu- tions in 82 countries, including about 75 high schools in the U.S. 22755 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-9166 Open Mon. thru Sat. 10am – 6pm Put us on your Christmas List! Gift Certificates Available Stocking Stuffers Also Carrying Used Equipment & Trays