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4B – Daily News – Monday, March 14, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Quake-tsunami death toll surpasses 10K SENDAI, Japan (AP) — The estimated death toll from Japan’s disasters climbed past 10,000 Sunday as authorities raced to combat the threat of multiple nuclear reactor melt- downs and hundreds of thou- sands of people struggled to find food and water. The prime minister said it was the nation’s worst crisis since World War II. Near-freezing temperatures compounded the misery of sur- vivors along hundreds of miles (kilometers) of the northeastern coast battered by the tsunami that smashed inland with breathtaking fury. Rescuers pulled bodies from mud-cov- ered jumbles of wrecked hous- es, shattered tree trunks, twisted cars and tangled power lines while survivors examined the ruined remains. One rare bit of good news was the rescue of a 60-year-old man swept away by the tsunami who clung to the roof of his house for two days until a mili- tary vessel spotted him waving a red cloth about 10 miles (15 kilometers) offshore. The death toll surged because of a report from Miya- gi, one of the three hardest hit states. The police chief told dis- aster relief officials more than 10,000 people were killed, police spokesman Go Sugawara told The Associated Press. That was an estimate — only 400 people have been confirmed dead in Miyagi, which has a population of 2.3 million. Gadhafi’s forces drive rebels from one of their final strongholds BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi’s forces swept rebels from one of their final strongholds with hours of searing waves of strikes from warships, tanks and warplanes on Sunday but the insurgents claimed that they moved back in after nightfall. One rebel said that after their initial defeat, opposition forces destroyed armored vehicles and captured dozens of fighters from Gadhafi’s elite Khamis Brigade in the oil town of Brega, driving others back into the town’s airport. Another opposition fighter told The Associated Press by telephone that celebrations had broken out in the nearby city of Ajdabiya, and celebratory gun- fire, honking and shouting could be heard in the back- ground. ‘‘We are on our way to Brega to celebrate with our brothers there,’’ he said. The opposition has seen a series of reversals in its battle for control of Libya’s main coastal highway, which runs from Gadhafi’s western strong- hold in the capital, Tripoli, to Mideast rumblings DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemeni police firing from rooftops wounded more than 100 in a protesters’ camp Sunday and anti-government demonstrators paralyzed Bahrain’s capital as unrest deepened in two of Wash- ington’s most critical allies in the region. The ruler of Oman, another key rebel-held territory in the east. Gadhafi’s forces seem embold- ened by their string of victories but their supply lines are increasingly stretched and they depend on artillery, airstrikes and naval attacks that are more difficult to launch at night. Crowley resigns after flap over his WikiLeaks remarks WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley quit on Sunday after causing a stir by describing the military’s treatment of the suspected WikiLeaks leaker as ‘‘ridicu- lous’’ and ‘‘stupid,’’ pointed words that forced President Barack Obama to defend the detention as appropriate. ‘‘Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submit- ted my resignation’’ to Secre- tary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a department statement attrib- uted to the office of the spokesman. In a separate statement released simultane- ously, Clinton said she had accepted the resignation ‘‘with regret.’’ Crowley’s comments about the conditions for Army Pfc. Bradley Manning at a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., reverberated quickly, from the small audience in Massachu- setts where Crowley spoke, to a White House news confer- ence Friday where Obama was asked to weigh in on the treatment of the 23-year-old believed responsible for the largest leak of classified American documents ever. Manning is being held in solitary confinement for all but an hour every day, and is stripped naked each night and given a suicide-proof smock to wear to bed. His lawyer calls the treatment degrading. Amnesty International says the treatment may violate Manning’s human rights. Crowley, who retired as colonel from the Air Force in 1999 after 26 years in the mil- itary, was quoted as telling students at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology semi- nar on Thursday that he didn’t understand why the military was handling Manning’s detention that way, and call- ing it ‘‘ridiculous, counter- productive and stupid.’’ Crowley also said ‘‘Manning is in the right place’’ in mili- tary detention. Official: NYC bus passengers contradict driver NEW YORK (AP) — Pas- sengers and witnesses to a horrific New York City crash that sheared the top off a bus and killed 14 people told investigators that the driver’s account of getting clipped by a tractor-trailer didn’t match up to what they felt and saw before the vehicle slid off the road and into a sign pole. Driver Ophadell Williams had told police that his World Wide Tours bus was hit just as it crossed the New York City line early Saturday on a trip from the Mohegan Sun casino in in Connecticut. But passengers said Williams had already swerved at times to the right for no reason before the acci- dent, a law-enforcement offi- cial said Sunday. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the probe and spoke on condition of anonymity. The bus was returning to New York’s Chinatown after a quick overnight trip to the casino. The official said that passengers said they didn’t feel anything hit them and that other motorists on Inter- state 95 said they didn’t see the bus get hit. The official said police spoke to the trac- tor-trailer driver, who said he was following the bus. Williams remained hospi- talized in serious condition Sunday and has not comment- ed publicly. His family could not be reached. Western partner, shifted some lawmaking powers to officials outside the royal family in what an analyst called a historic change. Meanwhile, Saudi authorities tolerated 200 activists demanding the release of detainees in defiance of stern warnings of crackdowns on pro-democracy rallies. The range of responses — from attacks to appeasement — underscored the different gambits at play. Some regimes are looking to battle their way out while others turn to rapid reforms in a bid to quell dissent inspired by groundswell for change across the Arab world. Yemen’s president, Ali Abdul- lah Saleh, has increasingly turned to confrontation after protesters rebuffed his offer to bow out with elections in 2013. Images from Japan grip survivors of 2004 tsunami BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — Tears streamed down Maisara Mucharam’s face as she watched aerial shots of the tsuna- mi pummeling Japan’s coast and remembered the day, six years ago, when her youngest daughter was ripped out of her arms by the heavy salty sea. Survivors of the 2004 tsunami that started off Indonesia sat glued to their TV sets, stroking each other’s hands, as images of last Friday’s disaster in northern Japan flashed repeatedly across the screen. ‘‘I heard someone screaming and ran to see what was going on,’’ said Mucharam, who also lost her husband and two other daughters. ‘‘I tried, but couldn’t stop watching,’’ the 38-year-old said, her voice trembling. ‘‘It was exactly the same, except they have this horrible footage, events unfolding right before your eyes.’’ The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck on the morning of Dec. 26, 2004, spawned a tsunami that smashed into coastal communi- ties, beach resorts and towns in 12 nations, killing more than 230,000 people. Colleagues work to maintain Giffords’ presence in Congress WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ chair sits empty as she recovers from a gun- shot wound to the head, yet three friends are ensuring she still has a presence in Congress. At nearly every hearing of the House Armed Services Commit- tee, the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, carves out a few precious minutes from his time-limited turn quizzing military officials to ask a question on behalf of Giffords. ‘‘She’s a critical member of the committee — has been for the four years that she’s been here,’’ Smith said in a recent interview, just days after visiting Giffords at a Houston hospital. He confers with the Arizona Democrat’s staff on questions that Giffords might ask about energy or the two major military installations in her dis- trict, the Army’s Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Libyan oil minister seeks help from Italy CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s de facto oil minister said Sunday the country’s crude production has fallen ‘‘drastically’’ and that he has reached out to Italian oil giant Eni SpA for help in extinguishing a blaze at an eastern oil facility snatched back from rebel fight- ers. The call for help by National Oil Co. head Shukri Ghanem demonstrated the country’s depen- dence on foreign oil companies’ expertise and the crippling impact of an exodus of that labor force as a result of the fighting in the OPEC member. ‘‘There’s quite a big fire in one of our ... kerosene storage units (at Ras Lanouf), and we’re trying to fight it,’’ Ghanem told The Asso- ciated Press in a telephone inter- view. ‘‘We are asking for some help to try to put it down.’’ • Plumbing • Drywall Repairs • Fences • Decks • Concrete • Garages Quality at a reasonable price FREE ESTIMATES 530 949-6162 CA LIC#914460 Handyman Help for Seniors & Singles “Let me help you with the small repairs to keep your home running smoothly” 527-2288 Home Repairs At Very Reasonable Rates Call Richard at House Remodel / Specialist Rental Turnovers / Repairs Bathroom Remodels / Tile Painting • Electrical HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY $8900 Construction n o Runs Every Monday - Wednesday - Friday $ month commitment Heating & AC HVAC & General Contractor Lic. #619239 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL REBATES ON FULL INSTALLATIONS FREE ESTIMATES D.A.V. & SENIOR DISCOUNT References available upon request (New Construction/Remodels) 1-800-739-4706 Serving Tehama County and surrounding areas since 1990 7900 a month with a 3 a month for a 1 month commitment Landscaping Torres Landscaping Mowing, Pruning, Weeding, Blowing, Cleaning, Trimming Yearly Yard Maintenance Monthly or One time available All around LAWN Maintenance Free Estimates Cell: 530-526-3752 Home: 520-529-5474 Ramon Torres Lic.# 10034 Landscape/Fence Tractor & Landscape Service Steve’s • Fence Building • Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. 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