Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/45319
8A Daily News – Friday, October 21, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Gloom persists, though not as dark as summer WASHINGTON (AP) — The extreme funk that settled over the coun- try during the summer has eased slightly, but Americans remain gloomy about the economy and more than half say Presi- dent Barack Obama does not inspire confidence about a recovery. A sizable majority — more than 7 in 10 — believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and, in a new high, 43 percent describe the nation's econo- my as ''very poor,'' according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. Among those surveyed, less than 40 percent say Obama's proposed remedies for high unemployment would increase jobs sig- nificantly. The pessimism is not a good sign for the nation's recovery hopes and presents a more urgent challenge for Obama as he mounts his re-election bid. About 4 in 10 think unemployment will rise in the coming year; just 23 per- cent expect it to decrease. And few expect the government to be able to help. Only 41 percent say the government can do much to create jobs, and less than 40 percent say the main elements of Obama's jobs proposal would increase employment significantly. What's more, expectations for the coming year have not improved, with 41 percent believing the economy will remain the same, 27 percent saying it will get worse and 30 percent saying it will improve. Ohio exotic-animal owner in debt 'in over his head' ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The exotic-animal owner who killed himself after turning loose dozens of lions, tigers and other beasts was deep in debt, and a fellow big-cat enthusiast said Thursday that he had taken in so many creatures he was ''in over his head.'' A day after sheriff's deputies with high-powered rifles killed nearly 50 ani- mals set free by Terry Thompson, the sheriff refused to speculate why he did it. Many neighbors, meanwhile, were puzzled as to why Thompson — a man who seemed to like animals more than people — would lash out in a way that would doom his pets. However, court records show that he and his wife owed at least $68,000 in unpaid taxes to the IRS and the county, and he had two federal tax liens filed against him last year. He had just gotten out of federal prison last month for pos- sessing unregistered weapons. Kenny Hetrick, who has six tigers and other animals on his property outside Toledo, said he used to see Thompson at exotic-animal auctions a few times a year in Ohio. Many of Thompson's tigers had been donated to him by people who bought baby animals that they no longer wanted once they started to grow, Hetrick said. ''He really had more there than what he could do,'' Hetrick said. ''I don't know what his deal was, but he was in over his head.'' Hugo Chavez says he is free of cancer CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he is cancer-free, citing a series of med- ical exams in Cuba that showed no recurrence of the illness following two months of chemotherapy treatments. The 57-year-old leader announced the test results on live television Thursday after returning from Cuba, saying thor- ough exams found no sign of any malig- nant cells in his body. ''I'm free of illness,'' Chavez said on state television, wearing military fatigues as he arrived in the southwest- ern town of La Fria. Crowds of supporters cheered for Chavez as he rode in a caravan to the town of La Grita, where he visited a church that is home to a famed image of Christ, whom Chavez referred to as ''the comandante of comandantes.'' Chavez said he came to give thanks for his recovery. Greek lawmakers vote in favor of new austerity bill, after riots leave 1 dead ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek lawmakers passed a deeply resented new austerity bill Thursday, caving in to the demands of international creditors in order to avoid a national bankruptcy, as a second day of riots left one protester dead and more than 100 people wound- ed. The austerity measures won 154-144 in the 300-member parliament despite dissent from a prominent Socialist law- maker who voted against a key article of the bill. The vote was expected to pave the way for a vital (euro) 8 billion ($11 billion) payout from creditors within weeks so Greece can stay solvent. Clouds of tear gas choked central Athens ahead of the vote as riot police intervened to separate rival demonstra- tors who fought for several hours with firebombs and stones outside parliament. A 53-year-old construction worker died of heart failure after attending a mass rally, while 74 protesters and 32 police officers were hospitalized with injuries, police and state hospital offi- cials told The Associated Press. Several dozen more injured protesters received first aid from volunteer medics who set up a makeshift treatment site on Athens' main Syntagma Square. Police said they detained 79 people suspected of violent conduct. Romney sees Iowa opening, talks of winning SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Mitt Romney hadn't been to Iowa in two months. But Thursday he was back — and suddenly talking about winning it. Sensing an opening, the former Massa- chusetts governor is ramping up his efforts here little more than 10 weeks before the state's presidential caucuses lead off the 2012 Republican nominating contests. ''I will be here again and again, cam- paigning here. I'd love to win Iowa. Any of us would,'' Romney said, answering a voter's question at a campaign event at Morningside College in Sioux City. At his next stop, in rural Treynor, east of Council Bluffs, Romney sounded confident when he told his audience: ''There's a good shot I might become the next president of the United States. It's not a sure thing, but it's a good shot.'' His daylong trip through the most conservative part of the state came as polls show him at the top of the GOP field in the wake of a series of strong debate performances. His campaign is taking a more aggressive approach to Iowa in hopes that an outright victory will propel him into the New Hampshire primary and states beyond. Until now, Romney has had a rela- tively low-key presence in Iowa. Americans show little interest in jobs created by Ala.'s immigration law ONEONTA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's tough immigration law was supposed to create farm jobs for unemployed Ameri- cans, but few of them have shown any interest since the measure went into effect. Many of the Americans who have ventured out into the fields to pick crops have quit after a single day, telling farm- ers the work is too hard and not worth the pay. Politicians who support the law in Alabama insist more time must pass before it can be considered a failure. Yet early numbers from the governor's office show only nominal interest so far. Alabama passed its immigration law in June. It was immediately challenged as it has been in other states. Unlike other states' measures, Alabama's law has been left largely in place while chal- lenges play out in court. 2 Minn. women guilty of aiding Somali terror group MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two Min- nesota women who claimed they were helping the poor in Somalia were con- victed Thursday of conspiring to fun- nel money to a terrorist group as part of what prosecutors called a ''deadly pipeline'' sending funds and fighters to al-Shabab. After the verdicts, one of the women, Amina Farah Ali, told the judge through an interpreter that she was happy because she was ''going to heaven no matter what,'' and con- demned those in authority, saying: ''You will go to hell.'' She was ordered into custody pending her sentencing. Ali, 35, and Hawo Mohamed Has- san, 64, were each charged with con- spiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Ali also faced 12 counts of providing such sup- port, for allegedly sending more than $8,600 to al-Shabab from September 2008 through July 2009, while Hassan faced two counts of lying to the FBI. Both were found guilty on all counts. The terrorism-related counts each carry up to 15 years in prison, while lying to the FBI carries up to eight years. No sentencing date was set, and prosecutors said it was too early to predict what sentence they'd recommend. The women, both U.S. citizens of Somali descent, were among 20 people charged in Minnesota's long-running federal investigations into recruiting and financing for al-Shabab, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group with ties to al-Qaida. Investigators believe at least 21 men left Minnesota — home to the country's largest Somali community — to join al-Shabab. Though others have pleaded guilty to related charges, the women were the first to go to trial. The verdicts will likely lead to other guilty pleas, said Omar Jamal, first secretary of the Somali mission to the United Nations in New York. He also said it would be difficult for law enforcement agencies to rebuild the trust they had worked to establish with the Somali community.