Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/34164
4B Daily News – Thursday, June 16, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Pakistan denies feeding CIA information for bin Laden raid ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Pakistani army denied Wednes- day that one of its majors was among a group of Pakistanis who Western officials say were arrested for feeding the CIA information before the Ameri- can raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The New York Times, which first reported the arrests of five Pakistani informants Tuesday, said an army major was detained who copied license plates of cars visiting the al- Qaida chief’s compound in Pakistan in the weeks before the raid. A Western official in Pak- istan confirmed that five Pak- istanis who fed information to the CIA before the May 2 oper- ation were arrested by Pak- istan’s top intelligence service. But Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas denied an army major was arrested, saying the report was ‘‘false and totally base- less.’’ Neither the army nor Pak- istan’s spy agency would con- firm or deny the overall report about the detentions. The group of detained Pak- istanis included the owner of a safe house rented to the CIA to observe bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, an army town not far from the Pakistani capi- tal of Islamabad, a U.S. official said. The owner was detained along with a ‘‘handful’’ of other Pakistanis, said the offi- cial. Rep. Giffords released from Houston hospital HOUSTON (AP) — Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was released from a Houston hospi- tal on Wednesday, five months after being shot in the head dur- ing a Tucson political event. Giffords will move to League City, a town 26 miles south of Houston, to a home owned by her husband, astro- naut Mark Kelly. She will con- tinue outpatient therapy at a facility that is part of the TIRR Memorial Hermann system, the Houston hospital where she has been undergoing intensive reha- bilitation since late January. Giffords, who was shot in the left side of her head and has been struggling to re-learn how to speak and walk, will be assisted by a 24-hour home health provider, according to a statement from the hospital. ‘‘Anyone who knows Gabby knows that she loves being out- side,’’ her husband, Kelly, was quoted as saying. ‘‘Living and working in a rehab facility for five months straight has been especially challenging for her. She will still go to TIRR each day but from now on, when she finishes rehab, she will be with her family.’’ But the cards have problems of their own. Complex fee schedules. Few of the consumer protections afforded to bank and credit card customers. No ability to build credit history. Consumer advocates are rais- ing concerns and demanding more oversight and at least one state is investigating prepaid card issuers. The Consumer Financial Protec- tion Bureau is expected to step up oversight of the industry when it launches in July. ‘‘People are using prepaid cards as checking accounts and the government ought to regulate it similarly,’’ says Suzanne Mar- tindale, staff attorney for Con- sumers Union, a nonprofit advoca- cy group that is concerned about unfair prepaid card fees. Half of fathers have kids out of Obama has legal authority for Libya mission WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing back against congres- sional criticism, the White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama has the authority to continue U.S. military action in Libya even without authorization from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. In a detailed, 30-page report being sent to Congress, the administration argues that the U.S. has a limited, sup- porting role in the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya. Because U.S. forces are not engaged in sustained fighting and there are no troops on the ground there, the White House says the president is within his constitutional rights to direct the mission on his own. The administration’s defense of the Libya mission comes in response to a non- binding House resolution passed earlier this month that chastised Obama for failing to provide a ‘‘compelling ratio- nale’’ for U.S. involvement in Libya. The resolution gave the administration until Friday to respond to a series of ques- tions on the mission, includ- ing the scope of U.S. military activity, the cost of the mis- sion, and its impact on other U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It remained to be seen whether the administration’s reasoning would be enough to quell congressional criticism. House and Senate leaders grew frustrated Wednesday when the White House briefed reporters on the report well before sending it to Congress. Congressional leaders are a prosperous bunch WASHINGTON (AP) — New House Speaker John Boehner doesn’t have as many millions as his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, but like many new committee chair- men and other leaders, he has holdings in companies that have major financial stakes in the actions of Congress. For Boehner, that includes a portfolio of stocks in oil compa- nies, financial firms, communica- tion companies and pharmaceuti- cals. Holdings among other law- makers include farmland, real estate and investments in high tech companies. None of this is violates con- gressional ethics rules. The rules state that members can’t use their official positions for personal gain and limits to $26,100 what they can earn as a director of a business or for actual work performed out- side Congress. They, however, do not limit personal investments, a source of considerable wealth for many lawmakers. Boehner, a Republican and son of an Ohio bar owner, derives much of his nest egg from his career as a small businessman before coming to Congress more than two decades ago, said his spokesman, Michael Steel, ‘‘Boehner’s day-to-day invest- ment decisions are made by a pro- fessional financial adviser. He is not consulted on individual trans- actions,’’ Steel said. Likewise, Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said an account manager makes all the decisions for a portfolio of more than $1 million that he and his wife hold. He made 599 trades last year involving companies such as Apple Computer, Microsoft, Dreamworks Anima- tion and Lockheed Martin. People weigh news of risks You’re sitting in a freshly dry- walled house, drinking coffee from a plastic foam cup and talk- ing on a cellphone. Which of these is most likely to be a cancer risk? It might be the sitting, especial- ly if you do that a lot. Despite all the recent news about possible cancer risks from cellphones, coffee, styrene, and formaldehyde in building materi- als, most of us probably face little if any danger from these things with ordinary use, health experts say. Inactivity and obesity may pose a greater cancer risk than chemicals for some people. ‘‘We are being bombarded’’ with messages about the dangers posed by common things in our lives, yet most exposures ‘‘are not at a level that are going to cause cancer,’’ said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society’s deputy chief medical officer. Linda Birnbaum agrees. She is a toxicologist who heads the gov- ernment agency that just declared styrene, an ingredient in fiberglass boats and Styrofoam, a likely can- cer risk. More turning to prepaid cards, ignoring their downside Rising fees have chased mil- lions of people away from banks and into prepaid debit cards. In just a handful of years, pre- paid cards have become the fastest growing payment method in the U.S. Just this week, American Express became the first main- stream financial company to offer a prepaid card. wedlock WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly half of American dads under 45 this Father’s Day say they have at least one kid who was born out of wedlock. And the share of fathers living apart from children is more than double what it was not so long ago. In encouraging news, though, among married fathers, children are said to be getting more atten- tion from both parents at home than ever before. A Pew Research Center report highlights the changing roles of parents as U.S. marriage rates and traditional family households fall to historic lows. For example, college-educated men who tend to marry and get better jobs are more involved with their children than lesser-skilled men struggling to get by. ‘‘When a father can’t provide monetarily for his offspring, he often becomes estranged,’’ said Beth Latshaw, an assistant sociol- ogy professor at Appalachian State University, who researches changing paternal roles. She pointed to an economic advantage for college graduates hired at com- panies with better benefits and family-friendly policies, contrast- ed with the situation for the larger ranks of low-wage workers. Idaho couple flees home infested with garter snakes REXBURG, Idaho (AP) — They slithered behind the walls at night and released foul-smelling musk into the drinking water. And they were so numerous that Ben Ses- sions once killed 42 in a single day. Shortly after buying their dream home, Sessions and his wife discovered it was infest- ed with thousands of garter snakes. For the next three months, their growing family lived as if in a horror movie. More than a year after they abandoned the property, the home briefly went back on the market, and they fear it could someday attract another unsuspecting buyer. Tehama County’s Personal/Professional Service Directory AT YOUR SERVICE! $ 9900 3 month commitment Artificial Flowers Beautiful Artificial Flowers By Charlie Artificial flowers for rent specializing in Wedding and other occasions Call for appt. 528-0109 Runs every Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday Feet Health Attorney Local Bankruptcy Attorney Jocelyn C. Olander 530-824-0288 Free Consultation Payment Plans Available Web: www.jcoattyatlaw.com email: mail@jcoatty atlaw.com A federally qualified Debt Relief Agency under 11 U.S.C. 101(12(A)) Bankruptcy BANKRUPTCY Free information $50/mo. + court fee MICHAEL O. HAYS Attorney at Law 1-800-387-9299 Clock Repair 530-736-7079 Grandpa’s Clocks Jim Paul 20910 Pebblestone Dr. Red Bluff Shelf & 31 Day Clocks Repaired Call for appt. Member NAWCC Cuckoo Clocks, Anniversary, Wall, Clock Repair Orthotic Therapy is our Specialty, also treating all aspects of the feet including Bunions, Hammertoes and Plantar Fasciitis with conservative and surgical intervention. We offer comprehensive skin care products from; FOOT AND ANKLE SPECIALIST 2530 Sr Mary Columba Dr Red Bluff (530) 527-7584 Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at CREAMS, SALTS, MOISTURIZERS, GIFT SETS www.aerosilknatural.com SPA SKIN CARE PRODUCTS ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS 527-2151 For more information