Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/449780
ByLoriHinnantand Sylvie Corbet The Associated Press PARIS French anti-terror prosecutors were seeking to charge four men Tuesday in connection with the attacks in Paris that left 20 people dead, which would be the first suspects charged in the country's bloodiest terrorist attacks in decades. The four men remained in court late Tuesday await- ing an anti-terror judge's decision on whether to open preliminary investigations against them. The possible charges were expected just hours before the French govern- ment was to unveil new measures aimed at help- ing head off future attacks, giving police more power to tap phones, monitor Web sites and force Internet companies to block mes- sages of hate posted online. Prime minister Manuel Valls will present new se- curity measures Wednesday that will include efforts to increase intelligence-gath- ering against jihadis and other radicals, block their activities on the Internet, and prevent them from col- laborating inside prisons or traveling abroad to fight, President Francois Hol- lande said. France is on high secu- rity alert after the coun- try's worst terrorist at- tacks in decades. The court case and the arrests came as Valls urged his nation to do some soul-searching about the country's deep ethnic divisions and de- clared that fighting hatred, anti-Semitism and racism was a top priority, espe- cially in France's impover- ished housing projects. The Paris prosecutor's office said the four men in court Tuesday were sus- pected of providing logisti- cal support to Amedy Cou- libaly, one of the terrorists killed by police, and re- quested they be detained longer on weapons and ter- rorism charges. Coulibaly shot a police- woman to death on the outskirts of Paris and then killed four hostages inside a kosher supermarket before being shot dead by police. It is not clear whether the four suspects, all in their 20s, were involved in plot- ting the attacks or even aware of Coulibaly's plans. Five others arrested in the investigation were re- leased without charge, pros- ecutors said. No one has been charged with direct involvement in the Jan. 7-9 Paris terror at- tacks. Coulibaly claimed al- legiance to the Islamic State group while the two broth- ers who attacked the Char- lie Hebdo satirical weekly said they were backed by al-Qaida in Yemen. In Bulgaria, a court on Tuesday agreed to extradite a Frenchman who knew one of the two Kouachi brothers who massacred 12 people at the newspaper. Fritz-Joly Joachin told the Bulgarian court he was innocent and wanted to return to Paris to clear his name. Five others arrested in the investigation of the ter- ror attacks in France were released without charge, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, France hon- ored a Mali-born employee of the kosher market who saved lives there by grant- ing him citizenship. Lassana Bathily, 24, was in the store's underground stockroom when Coulibaly burst in upstairs and killed four people. He turned off the freezer and hid a group of shoppers inside before sneaking out to speak to police and help the opera- tion to free the 15 hostages and kill the attacker. Bathily has lived in France since 2006. He had filed an application for French citizenship last year. Valls told journalists Tuesday that the attacks should force France to look at the "apartheid" within. The conservative Social- ist whose hard line on Is- lamic extremism has won many fans said he wasn't making excuses for crime or terrorism, "but we also have to look at the reality of our country." HIGH SECURITY ALERT 4 fa ce c ha rg es i n Pa ri s at ta ck s FRANCOISMORI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS An anonymous art installation showing a broken pencil is displayed on the pavement near the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris on Tuesday. By Ahmed Al-Haj and Maggie Michael The Associated Press SANAA,YEMEN Shiite reb- els shelled the residence of Yemen's leader and swept into the nearby presiden- tial palace Tuesday in what a top army commander said was an unfolding coup. President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi — an im- portant U.S. ally in the fight against the highly lethal Yemeni branch of al-Qaida that claimed re- sponsibility for the news- paper-office attack in Paris — was unharmed, authorities said. But his grip on power appeared increasingly precarious. The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, took over the capital Sanaa in September as part of a long power struggle with Hadi and effectively gov- ern several other cities as well. It was unclear whether they intend to seize power altogether or allow the in- ternationally backed pres- ident to remain in office. In a lengthy speech aired by the group's TV network, rebel leader Ab- del-Malek al-Houthi said that "all options are open" and that the escalation "has no ceiling" if Hadi does not speed up imple- mentation of a U.N.-bro- kered peace deal. That deal would grant the Houthis greater power over a commission that has been assigned to draft a new constitution and outline a new fed- eral system. Critics of the Houthis say they are us- ing the U.N. deal as a pre- text to seize more power. In Washington, U.S. officials said the rebel violence is undermin- ing American military and intelligence opera- tions against the al-Qa- ida branch, which claimed to have carried out the attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo ear- lier this month that left 12 people dead in Paris. Washington has long viewed the Yemeni branch, known as Al-Qa- ida in the Arabian Penin- sula, as the global terror network's most dangerous affiliate. On Tuesday, after an emergency meeting, the U.N. Security Council called for a lasting cease- fire and condemned the violence. In a statement approved by all 15 mem- bers, the council asserted that Hadi "is the legiti- mate authority." The Houthis appear de- termined to redraw a 2012 road map backed by Arab Gulf states and the West that compelled then-Pres- ident Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down following months of Arab Spring- inspired protests against his three-decade rule. The Houthis' expansion into Sunni-dominated ar- eas of the country threat- ens to inject sectarianism into what until now has been mainly a struggle for power. Al-Qaida, which is at war with the Houthis and Hadi's forces, stands to benefit. US ALLY Sh ii te r eb el s sh el l Yemen president's ho me , ta ke o ve r pa la ce The Associated Press CENTENNIAL, COLO. The first time James Holmes appeared in court, he wore chains and an orange jail jumpsuit and looked dazed, with his hair dyed a comic- book shade of orange. As jury selection began Tuesday in the Colorado the- ater shooting, it was a far dif- ferent Holmes at the defense table: The jail uniform was replaced with khakis, an un- tucked blue shirt with white stripes and a blue blazer. His hair, now a dark brown, was neatly trimmed. The former graduate stu- dent whose attorneys ac- knowledge he opened fire at a midnight "Batman" movie back in 2012 also had a curly, medium-length beard and wore oval-shaped red- dish glasses. No restraints were visible, though the judge had ordered him to be tethered to the floor in a way the public couldn't see for the trial. Holmes' more conven- tional appearance was an indication that the case was drawing closer to the time when a jury would see the defendant accused of kill- ing 12 people and wound- ing 70 others at a subur- ban Denver theater. But first attorneys have to sort through thousands of po- tential jurors. Court officials initially summoned a jury pool of 9,000 people, the largest in the nation's history. But that figure later fell to 7,000 after some summons could not be delivered and some people were excused. The pool will be winnowed to a handful in the weeks ahead. It could take until June to seat the jurors and alter- nates for a trial that might last until October. Holmes, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of in- sanity to murder and at- tempted murder charges, could get the death penalty if convicted. 'BATMAN' MOVIE Ju ry s el ec ti on s ta rt s in t he at er s ho ot in g The Associated Press WASHINGTON The gov- ernment's health insurance website is quietly passing along consumers' personal data to outside websites, just as President Barack Obama is calling for stronger cyber- security protections. It works like this: When you apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, dozens of data companies may be able to tell that you are on the site. Some can even glean details such as your age, in- come, ZIP code, whether you smoke or if you are pregnant. HealthCare.gov contains embedded connections to multiple data firms that the administration says gener- ate analysis to improve the consumer experience. Of- ficials say outside firms barred are from using the data to further their own business interests. Still, ever-evolving tech- nology allows for individ- ual Internet users to be tracked, building profiles coveted by advertisers. Connections to third- party tech firms were doc- umented by technology ex- perts who analyzed Health- Care.gov, and confirmed by The Associated Press. There is no evidence that personal information from Health- Care.gov has been misused, but the high number of out- side connections is raising questions. "As I look at vendors on a website...they could be an- other potential point of fail- ure," said corporate cyber- security consultant Theresa Payton. "Vendor manage- ment can often be the weak- est link in your privacy and security chain." A former White House chief information officer under President George W. Bush,she said thelarge num- ber of outside connections on HealthCare.gov seems like "overkill" and makes it "kind of an outlier" among government websites. The privacy concerns come against the backdrop Obama's new initiative to protect personal data on- line, a highlight of his State of the Union message. The administration is getting the health care website ready for the final enroll- ment drive of 2015, aiming to have more than 9 million people signed up by Feb. 15 for subsidized private cov- erage. Spokesman Aaron Al- bright said outside vendors "are prohibited from us- ing information from these tools on HealthCare.gov for their companies' purposes." The government uses them to measure the perfor- mance of HealthCare.gov so consumers get "a simpler, more streamlined and intu- itive experience," he added. The administration did not explain how it ensures that its privacy and security policies are being followed. Albright said Tuesday that HealthCare.gov com- ports with standards set by the federal National Institute for Standards and Technology. But re- cent NIST guidance cau- tions that collecting bits of seemingly random data can be used to piece together someone's identity. CYBERSECURITY New privacy concerns arise over government's health care website NOTICEOFEVIDENTIARYHEARINGSREGARDING PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY'S 2015 GAS TRANSMISSION AND STORAGE REQUEST (A.13-12-012) Importantupdateregardinghearingdatesandtimes.Pleaseseebelow: February 2–6, February 9–13, February 17–20 and February 23–27 Starting at 10:00 a.m. at the address below: California Public Utilities Commission Courtroom State Office Building 505 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102 Note: The Administrative Law Judge issued a ruling to delay these evidentiary hearings due to unexpected circumstances. New dates and times are listed above. Hearings shall run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. The Commission Courtroom is wheelchair accessible. If you wish to attend and need specialized accommodations, please contact the Public Advisor's Office (noted below) at least five business days prior to the hearing date.Any changes to the dates, times, and locations of the hearings will be posted to the CPUC's Daily Calendar. Background on the 2015 GT&S Rate Case PG&E is requesting a revenue requirement increase of $555 million for 2015 over the currently authorized level for 2014 of $731 million for a total of $1.286 billion. PG&E also requests additional base revenue requirement increases of $61 million for 2016 and $168 million for 2017. The application requests that the CPUC authorize the increase to maintain and further modernize PG&E's gas transmission system. PG&E proposes to allocate costs to each customer class for operation of transmission and storage. PG&E will use the requested revenue to improve PG&E's gas transmission and storage system, in accordance with Senate Bill 705, which governs California's new gas safety standards for all pipeline operators. PG&E's comprehensive safety plan includes: • Replacing older pipelines that could pose risks in case of land movement. • Continuing to test pipelines that have not previously been strength tested. • Continuing to control deterioration to avoid underground leaks. • Installing more automated safety valves that quickly turn off the flow of gas in an emergency. • Inspecting the interior of more pipelines to spot hidden flaws. • Lessening the risks associated with pipelines close to levee and water crossings. • Maintaining underground gas storage facilities that help PG&E meet peak-hour demand. • Modernizing infrastructure control systems, databases and risk analysis programs. EVIDENTIARY HEARINGS At the Evidentiary Hearings noted above, PG&E and other formal parties to the proceeding will present their evidence through testimony and will be subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge (Judge). The hearings are open to the public, but only those who are formal parties are permitted to present evidence and/or cross-examine witnesses. After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the formal process, the Judge will issue a proposed decision which may accept PG&E's proposal, modify it or reject it. The Commissioners may also issue alternate decisions based on the record. The proposed decision and any alternates will be acted upon at a CPUC Voting Meeting where the Commissioners will decide whether to adopt the proposed or an alternate decision. As a party of record,the Office of RatepayerAdvocates (ORA) reviewed this application.ORA is the independentconsumeradvocatewithintheCPUCwithalegislativemandatetorepresentinvestor- owned utility customers to obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. ORA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering.Other parties of record will also participate in the CPUC's proceeding to consider this application. For more information about ORA, please call (415) 703-1584, e-mail ora@cpuc.ca.gov or visit ORA's website at http://ora.ca.gov/default.aspx. If you would like a copy of PG&E's filing and exhibits, please write to: PG&E, GTS Rate Case 2015 (A.13-12-012), P.O. Box 7442, San Francisco, CA 94120. A copy of PG&E's filing and exhibits are also available for review at the CPUC, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon. PG&E's filing (without exhibits) is available on the CPUC's website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc. Para más detalles llame al 1-800-660-6789 • 詳情請致電 1-800-893-9555. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND OPINIONS ARE IMPORTANT TO THE CPUC As part of its decision-making process, the CPUC is interested in public comments and opinions on any aspect of the company's operations, including proposed rates, service quality or any other issue of concern. If you are writing a letter or sending an e-mail to the Public Advisor's Office regarding this proposed filing,please include the proceeding number (A.13-12-012) to which you are referring. All informal comments will be available for the Commissioners, the assigned Judge, and other appropriate CPUC staff to read.All informal comments are also provided to the CPUC's Formal Files Office as part of the formal public comment file for this proceeding.Please send all e-mails or written correspondence regarding your comments and opinions to the address listed below: The Public Advisor's Office California Public Utilities Commission 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103 San Francisco, CA 94102 E-Mail: public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov 1-866-849-8390 (toll-free) or 1-415-703-2074 1-866-836-7825 (toll-free) or TTY 1-415-703-5282 www.TehamaCountyRealEstate.com 530529-2700 314 Washington St, Red Bluff, CA STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! 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