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8A Daily News – Saturday, August 20, 2011 Taliban suicide attackers storm British compound KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban suicide bombers stormed a British compound in an upscale Kabul neighborhood shortly after dawn Friday, killing eight people during an eight- hour firefight as two English language teachers and their bodyguard hid in a locked panic room. The assault came on the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from Britain, and the Tal- iban described it as a warn- ing to outsiders in the nearly decade-long war. The insur- gents also hope to show that they remain a potent force despite taking heavy casual- ties from last year's buildup of U.S. and NATO troops. Still, the attack ended up killing mostly Afghans — five policemen and a munic- ipal worker. The two other victims were a security guard of unknown nationali- ty and a New Zealand spe- cial forces soldier who was shot in the chest as he tried to free hostages, according to New Zealand defense chief Lt. Gen. Rhys Jones. The soldier was the first member of the New Zealand Special Air Service, which mentors Afghan security forces, to be killed in this country. WORLD BRIEFING step down. Sixteen others were wounded in the attack on the British Council, an interna- tional charity that gives lead- ership training and does other work toward a post- conflict Afghanistan. 3 men convicted in gruesome Scout slayings go free JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — Three men convict- ed in the nightmarish slay- ings of three Cub Scouts went free Friday, nearly two decades after they were sent to prison in a case so grue- some it raised suspicions the children had been sacrificed in a Satanic ritual. Doubts about the evi- dence against the trio had persisted for years and threatened to force prosecu- tors to put on a second trial in 2012. Instead, the so-called West Memphis Three were permitted to plead guilty to murder in exchange for time served, ending a long-run- ning legal battle that had raised questions about DNA and key witnesses — and attracted support from celebrities such as Eddie Vedder. authorized retailer YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTERS The men entered the pleas under a legal provision that allowed them to main- tain their innocence while acknowledging that prose- cutors had enough evidence to convict them. ''Although I am inno- cent, this plea is in my best interest,'' Jessie Misskelley said. 20 killed IT'S FOR YOU Let us answer all of your mobile communication needs with great prices on the best phones. any phone or $20 off accessory* Limited time offer expires August 31, 2011. Not redeem- able for the purchase of prepaid air time or for bill payment and/or GoPhone equipment. Valid only at NorCal AT&T stores. Other restrictions may apply, $20 off will be applied in store to purchases of $29.99 or higher. See store for details. 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore COUPON 1 month unlimited tanning Tehama Family Fitness Center only $25 We've added a 3rd Stand Up Unit! 2 lay down beds 3 stand up units 1 month unlimited tanning limited to 2 per customer Any Lotion only $15 Offer ends August 31 2498 South Main St., Red Bluff 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com in Syria BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian security forces killed at least 20 protesters Friday despite promises by President Bashar Assad that the mili- tary operations against the 5- month-old uprising are over. The killings, which came as thousands poured into the streets across Syria, suggest the autocratic leader is either unwilling to stop the vio- lence — or not fully in con- trol of his own regime. Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, is facing the most seri- ous international isolation of his rule. On Thursday, the United States and its Euro- pean allies demanded he Military operations have subsided in the past few days, following a fresh crackdown on major flash- point cities that started at the beginning of the month to root out anti-government protesters. But persistent gunfire and shootings, along with Friday's killings, underscore the difficulty of any kind of diplomatic pressure achiev- ing results in the absence of any appetite for military intervention. Obama faces discontent from liberals WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberals argue that he caved on the debt ceiling. Unions are upset over his handling of unemployment and labor issues. Hispanics brought the immigration debate directly to his cam- paign doorstep. President Barack Obama's summer of discon- tent has been marked by rumblings within his Demo- cratic political base over his willingness to fight congres- sional Republicans and his approach to fixing the econ- omy. Liberals disappointed with Obama for compro- mising with the GOP during the debt-ceiling showdown now are calling on him to hold firm against Republi- cans this fall. They want him to push a bold jobs agenda while drawing a strong line on taxes and protecting Medicare and Social Securi- ty. In recent weeks, the gripes have become so loud that the president himself acknowledged them during his Midwest bus tour this week. ''I've got a whole bunch of responsibilities, which means I have to make choic- es sometimes that are unat- tractive and I know will be bad for me politically and I know will get supporters of mine disappointed,'' Obama said in Iowa. He claimed progress on the economy, health care and two wars. And, offering his backers a bit of tough love, he added: ''Sometimes you've got to make choices in order to do what's best for the country at that particular moment, and that's what I've tried to do.'' Gadhafi's forces launch counterattack ZAWIYA, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's forces launched a fierce counterattack in a strategic western city on Friday, firing rockets, mortar shells and anti-aircraft guns in a bid to keep the rebels from gaining complete control and advancing toward the capi- tal, only 30 miles away. NATO's bombing cam- paign has made it difficult for the regime to send mas- sive reinforcements to Zawiya, enabling the rebels to maintain a foothold in their biggest prize in months. But Friday's fierce onslaught by regime forces signaled an opposition push toward Tripoli, Gadhafi's main stronghold, would be arduous and bloody. Dealing another blow to the increasingly isolated leader, Libyan rebels said Friday that Abdel-Salam Jalloud, a close Gadhafi associate who was once the No. 2 top regime official, has defected. Jalloud helped Gadhafi stage the 1969 coup that propelled him to power and transformed Libya from a monarchy to a republic. He was Gadhafi's most trusted deputy for two decades but began to clash with the leader starting in the 1990s. Rebel spokesman Mah- moud Shammam said that Jalloud had fled to a rebel- held area in the western mountains and was on his way to Europe. Pictures showing Jalloud in the west- ern town of Zintan appeared on rebel Facebook pages. Jalloud did not issue any statements, but Shammam said he had confirmed the defection on the telephone. NM hero who saved girl says he's an illegal immigrant ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The man who chased down a suspected child abductor and saved a 6-year-old girl from what could have been a horrible fate was honored as a hero Friday. But he is also gain- ing a new kind of celebrity: as a poster child of sorts for immigration rights in state and national immigration debates. Antonio Diaz Chacon, 23, is married to an Ameri- can and has been in the country for four years. But Chacon says he abandoned attempts to get legal residen- cy because the process was difficult and expensive. Diaz Chacon revealed his immigration status to Univi- sion this week and con- firmed to The Associated Press that he is illegal, prompting chatter on the Internet and social network- ing sites that his case under- scored immigrant rights positions in two ongoing political debates. James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophtalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-5pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 Today's Burning Issue Chimney All Summer? Spring is chimney cleaning time: Extend chimney life: reduce odor; prepare for repairs or upgrades; be ready for fall. Just Leave (corrosive Creosote In The Some argue he is an example of the kind of immigrant the federal gov- ernment will now largely leave alone. The Depart- ment of Homeland Security announced Thursday that deportations would focus on criminals. ''As exceptional as his story is,'' said Christina Parker, a spokeswoman for Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, Texas, ''it points to the fact that most undocumented immigrants living in the United States are not criminals. He's more than not a criminal now. He's a hero.'' Prosecutors say Clemens should be retried WASHINGTON (AP) — Prosecutors in the Roger Clemens perjury case said Friday they had made an honest mistake in showing jurors inadmissible evidence and that shouldn't save the baseball star from facing a new trial. The prosecutors filed arguments disputing Clemens' position that a second trial would violate his constitutional protection against double jeopardy by making him face the same charges twice. Clemens had argued the showing of the evidence was a deliberate ploy to invoke a mistrial because the prose- cutors' case was going badly. But the prosecutors say their case remains strong and Clemens wants to ''gain an unwarranted windfall from this inadvertent error.'' The prosecutors said it was an oversight when they showed jurors a video clip that mentioned that Clemens' teammate told his wife that Clemens admitted using performance-enhanc- ing drugs — evidence the judge had ruled inadmissi- ble. The filing is the prose- cutors' first public admis- sion of wrongdoing in the case and first explanation of what went wrong. The prosecutors wrote it was their duty to make sure that evidence was not included in their exhibits. ''The government accepts responsibility for its over- sight, and regrets the bur- dens that error has placed on this court and defendant,'' they wrote, but argued the mistake was due to the press of other trial matters and was not intentional. Firms propose cultural trip for foreign students HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Companies involved in employing foreign students who walked off their jobs in protest at a plant that serves the Hershey choco- late manufacturer have developed a plan to send the students on a trip to see some of the United States' cultural and his- torical landmarks, although a spokesman for the students reacted cool- ly to the idea. Rick Anaya, chief executive of the Council for Educational Travel USA, the nonprofit that helped bring the students to the U.S., said the plan emerged Friday after a two-hour conference call with representatives of the other three companies involved in their employ- ment at a chocolate distri- bution center just outside Hershey. ''We're actually doing this on our dime,'' Anaya said, including paid time off for the student-work- ers. ''We're paying for this trip. We're just flesh- ing out the details.'' Students walked off the job at an Exel Inc.-run facility on Wednesday, saying the work was so strenuous and low-paying that they were unable to see very much of the country they came to visit. Exel said it doesn't intend to have students who hold J-1 visas, which supply resorts and other businesses with cheap seasonal labor as part of a program aimed at foster- ing cultural understand- ing, work at the facility after the current group finishes in about a month. Saket Soni, executive director of the New Orleans-based National Guestworker Alliance, which has helped orga- nize the students, said Fri- day that the initial reac- tion by leaders among the students was to take a wait-and-see posture. Online terms retweet and sexting enter dictionary LONDON (AP) — Woot! The online expres- sion of enthusiasm is now in the dictionary. So are textspeak, sexting — and, less happily, cyberbully- ing. They are among 400 new entries in the 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictio- nary, published this month. Another newcomer to the reference book's 24,000 entries is retweet — to repost another Twit- ter user's message. Editor Angus Steven- son revealed some of the new entries in a blog post Thursday. Some of the new words describe forms of behav- ior and communication created by technology. There's cyberbullying, a form of online abuse, and textspeak, the abbreviated language used in cell phone messages. And, of course, sexting — send- ing explicit photos or messages by mobile phone. Care home offering a Full-time or Part-time position As a Direct Support Professional caring for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Experienced preferred, but not mandatory Please contact Autumn Walker at (530) 209-2748 Our specialized certification train- ing ensures that the professional at your door is not learning the job at your home. 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