Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/95696
8A Daily News– Wednesday, November 28, 2012 WORLD BRIEFING security WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has been here before, praising an Egyptian leader for championing Israeli- Palestinian peace efforts while expressing concern over his commitment to democracy at home. But with options limited, the Obama administration is keeping its faith in Presi- dent Mohammed Morsi. In a hectic week of Mideast unrest, Morsi emerged as America's key partner in working toward peace between the Jewish state and the Hamas lead- ers of the Gaza Strip, assuming a leadership role left vacant since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster nearly two years ago. US relies on Egypt's Morsi for Mideast worldwide praise, Morsi immediately cashed in on his new political capital by seizing more power at home. After winning U.S. and The political come- back of a popular former foreign minister on Tues- day, coupled with the rul- ing Likud Party's selec- tion of an especially hard- line slate of candidates, has suddenly raised ques- tions about Netanyahu's prospects. Eager to por- tray Netanyahu as an extremist, opposition par- ties see an opportunity to mount a formidable chal- lenge to the Israeli leader. Ousting Netanyahu remains a formidable task, but the return of Tzipi Livni, who served as Israel's foreign minis- ter and chief peace nego- tiator from 2006 to 2009, injected a high-profile name into what had been a lackluster race. Well respected internationally, Livni immediately took aim at what she called a ''leadership vacuum'' and promised an aggressive push for peace with the Palestinians. ''I came to fight for His actions are the lat- est reminder that Wash- ington can't be sure where its relationship will stand with the Arab world's most populous country as it transitions from decades of secular autoc- racy. more democratic govern- ment, but one that is less pro-American than its predecessors. For now, the U.S. — as it did for years with Mubarak — wants to sep- arate Morsi's domestic political maneuvers from his role as a Middle East mediator. It's moving to a Israel's vulnerable JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appeared to be cruis- ing to re-election a few weeks ago, suddenly appears vulnerable as the country prepares to go to the polls in January. Netanyahu suddenly seems During Netanyahu's nearly four years in office, peace efforts with the Palestinians have remained frozen. peace,'' she said. ''And I won't allow anyone to turn peace into a bad word.'' Record jackpot is the result of game changes DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The historic Powerball jackpot boost- ed to $500 million on Tuesday was all part of a plan lottery officials put in place early this year to build jackpots faster, drive sales and generate more money for states that run the game. be working. Powerball tickets dou- bled in price in January to $2, and while the number of tickets sold initially dropped, sales revenue has increased by about 35 percent over 2011. Sales for Powerball reached a record $3.96 billion in fiscal 2012 and are expected to reach $5 billion this year, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Des Moines, Iowa-based Their plan appears to Multi-State Lottery Asso- ciation, the group that runs the Powerball game. There has been no Powerball winner since Oct. 6, and the jackpot already has reached a record level for the game. It was first posted at $425 million but revised upward to $500 million when brisk sales increased the payout. It's the second highest jack- pot in lottery history, behind only the $656 mil- lion Mega Millions prize in March. Rice mollify GOP WASHINGTON (AP) — U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice told lawmak- ers Tuesday that her ini- tial explanation of the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya was wrong, but her concession failed to mol- lify three Republican sen- ators who signaled they would oppose her possi- ble nomination to be sec- retary of state. concession on initial take about deadly Libya raid fails to only nominees meet pri- vately with lawmakers — reflects the Obama administration's cam- paign for the current front-runner to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton against some strenuous GOP opposition. ''We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn't get concerning evidence that was leading up to the attack on the consulate,'' McCain told reporters after emerging from the hour-plus session that he described as candid. statehood PARIS (AP) — France announced Tuesday that it plans to vote in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week. With the announce- ment, France becomes the first major European country to come out in favor, dealing a setback to Israel. The timing of the announcement appears aimed at swaying other European nations. Foreign Minister Lau- France plans 'yes' vote on Palestinian In a closed-door meet- ing that Rice requested, the ambassador answered questions from Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte about her much-maligned explanations about the cause of the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. She was joined by acting CIA Director Michael Morell. ''The talking points provided by the intelli- gence community, and the initial assessment upon which they were based, were incorrect in a key respect: There was no protest or demonstration in Benghazi,'' Rice said in a statement after the meeting. ''While we cer- tainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case the intelligence assess- ment has evolved.'' Rice's unusual visit to Capitol Hill — typically rent Fabius told parlia- ment that France has long supported Palestinian ambitions for statehood and ''will respond 'Yes''' when the issue comes up for a vote ''out of a con- cern for coherency.'' The Palestinians say the assembly is likely to vote Thursday on a reso- lution raising their status at the U.N. from an observer to a nonmember observer state, a move they believe is an impor- tant step toward a two- state solution with Israel. A Palestinian state would still not be a full General Assembly member, how- ever. Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly and the resolu- tion is virtually certain of approval. But such a vote by France — a permanent council member — could weigh on decisions in other European capitals. long civil war HAREM, Syria (AP) — Before the civil war, Ramiz Moussa was a middle class civil servant who processed fines for littering, illegal construc- tion and disturbing the peace in Aleppo, Syria's Syrian rebels and civilians prepare for a pinpoints her location, even in the school bath- room. But to her budget-reel- ing San Antonio school district, those chips carry a potential $1.7 million in classroom funds. Starting this fall, the largest city. Now, the 40-year-old squats with other rebels in damaged, abandoned homes in this embattled town. He rarely sees his family and thinks of little beyond the next attack on government soldiers. ''We no longer count fourth-largest school dis- trict in Texas is experi- menting with ''locator'' chips in student ID badges on two of its campuses, allowing administrators to track the whereabouts of 4,200 students with GPS- like precision. Hernandez's refusal to participate isn't a twist on teenage rebellion, but has launched a debate over privacy and religion that has forged rare like- mindedness between typi- cally opposing groups. When Hernandez and her parents balked at the so-called SmartID, the school agreed to remove the chip but still required her to wear the badge. The family refused on religious grounds, stating in a law- suit that even wearing the badge was tantamount to ''submission of a false god'' because the card still indicated her participation. On Wednesday, a state district judge is expected to decide whether Northside Independent School Dis- trict can transfer Hernan- dez to a different campus. the days,'' he said, stand- ing in a rubble-strewn alley, holding a rifle and two rocket-propelled grenades. ''Today we're in a battle, but we can't remember when it started, much less the past battles. You could ask me what day it is, but I can't tell you.'' As Great Lakes levels plummet, small tourist towns struggle A dark realization is spreading across northern Syria that despite 20 months of violence and recent rebel gains, an end to the war to topple Presi- dent Bashar Assad is nowhere in sight. As a result, civilians and rebel fighters are dig- ging in, building an infra- structure to secure rebel towns, care for the wounded and escalate the fight against Assad's forces. Family challenges 'locator' chips ONEKAMA, Mich. (AP) — For more than a century, easy access to Lake Michigan has made Onekama a popular place for summer visitors and a refuge for boaters fleeing dangerous storms. Now the community itself needs a rescue, from slumping lake levels that threaten its precious link to open water. The Great Lakes, the embedded in — To 15-year-old Andrea Hernandez, the tracking microchip embedded in her student ID card is a ''mark of the beast,'' sacri- lege to her Christian faith — not to mention how it student ID AUSTIN, Texas (AP) world's biggest freshwa- ter system, are shrinking because of drought and rising temperatures, a trend that accelerated with this year's almost snowless winter and scorching summer. Water levels have fallen to near- record lows on Lakes Michigan and Huron, while Erie, Ontario and Superior are below their historical averages. The decline is causing heavy economic losses, with cargo freighters forced to lighten their loads, mari- nas too shallow for plea- sure boats and weeds sprouting on exposed bot- tomlands, chasing away swimmers and sun- bathers.