Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/96259
6A Daily News – Friday, November 30, 2012 WORLD BRIEFING Internet service goes out across Syria amid intense fighting BEIRUT (AP) — Internet service went down Thursday across Syria and international flights were canceled at the Damascus airport when a road near the facility was closed by heavy fighting in the country's civil war. Activists said President Bashar Assad's regime pulled the plug on the Internet, perhaps in preparation for a major offensive. Cellphone service also went out in Damascus and parts of central Syria, they said. The government blamed rebel fighters for the outages. With pressure building against the regime on several fronts and government forces on their heels in the battle for the northern commercial hub of Aleppo, rebels have recently begun pushing back into Damascus after largely being driven out of the capital following a July offensive. One Damascus resident reported seeing rebel forces near a suburb of the city previously deemed to be safe from fighting. The Internet outage, confirmed by two U.S.based companies that monitor online connectivity, is unprecedented in Syria's 20-month-old uprising against Assad, which activists say has killed more than 40,000 people. Regime forces suffered a string of tactical defeats in recent weeks, losing air bases and other strategic facilities. The government may be trying to blunt additional rebel offensives by hampering communications. Egypt's Islamists hurriedly vote on new constitution CAIRO (AP) — Islamists on Thursday rushed to approve a draft constitution for Egypt without the participation of liberal and Christian members, aiming to preempt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel and further inflaming the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi. The draft of the charter, meant to determine a new political identity for Egypt after 60 years of rule by authoritarian leaders, has an Islamist bent that rights experts say could lead to a say by Muslim clerics in legislation and restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties. The lack of inclusion was obvious in Thursday's session of the assembly that has been writing the document for months. Of the 85 members in attendance, there was not a single Christian and only four women, all Islamists. Many of the men wore beards, the hallmark of Muslim conservatives. For weeks, liberal, secular and Christian members, already a minority on the 100member panel, have been pulling out to protest what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process. Voting had not been expected for another two months. But the assembly, overwhelmingly made up of Morsi's allies, abruptly moved it up in order to pass the draft before Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rules on Sunday on whether to dissolve the panel. Morsi is expected to call for a referendum on the draft as early as midDecember. Sandy death toll is at 125 Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on parts of the U.S. East Coast a month ago Thursday after tearing through the Caribbean. In the weeks since, the storm's scope has come into sharper focus. Sandy killed at least 125 people in the United States. That includes 60 in New York — 43 of them in New York City — 34 in New Jersey and 16 in Pennsylvania. At least seven people died in West Virginia, where the storm dropped heavy snow. Sandy killed 71 people in the Caribbean, including 54 in Haiti. Army private charged in WikiLeaks security breach says he felt like caged animal FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — An Army private charged in the biggest security breach in U.S. history testified Thursday that he felt like a doomed, caged animal after he was arrested in Baghdad for allegedly sending classified information to the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks. Pfc. Bradley Manning testified on the third day of a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade, outside Baltimore. His lawyers are seeking dismissal of all charges, contending his pretrial confinement in a Quantico, Va., Marine Corps brig was needlessly harsh. Before he was sent to Quantico in July 2010, Manning spent some time in a cell in a segregation tent at Camp Arifjan, an Army installation in Kuwait. ''I remember thinking I'm going to die. I'm stuck inside this cage,'' Manning said under questioning by defense attorney David Coombs. ''I just thought I was going to die in that cage. And that's how I saw it — an animal cage.'' The compact, 24-yearold intelligence analyst looked youthful in his dark blue dress uniform, closecropped hair and rimless eyeglasses. He was animated, often swiveling in the witness chair and gesturing with his hands. Photo of NYPD officer sparks online sensation NEW YORK (AP) — A tourist's snapshot of a New York City police officer giving new boots to a barefoot homeless man in Times Square has created an online sensation. Jennifer Foster, of Florence, Ariz., was visiting EATING FOR HEALTH Build a program to enhance your quality of life Health Lectures New York with her boyfriend on Nov. 14, when she came across the shoeless man asking for change in Times Square. As she was about to approach him, she said the officer — identified as Larry DePrimo — came up to the man with a pair of allweather boots and thermal socks on the frigid night. She recorded his generosity on her cellphone. It was posted Tuesday night to the NYPD's official Facebook page and became an instant hit. More than 360,000 users ''liked'' it as of Thursday afternoon, and over 100,000 shared it. Thousands of people commented, including one person who praised him as ''An officer AND a Gentleman.'' NASA spacecraft confirms ice on Mercury CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Just in time for Christmas, scientists have confirmed a vast amount of ice at the north pole — on Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. The findings are from NASA's Mercury-orbiting probe, Messenger, and the subject of three scientific papers released Thursday by the journal Science. The frozen water is located in regions of Mercury's north pole that always are in shadows, essentially impact craters. It's believed the south pole harbors ice as well, though there are no hard data to support it. Messenger orbits much closer to the north pole than the south. ''If you add it all up, you have on the order of 100 billion to 1 trillion metric tons of ice,'' said David Lawrence of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. ''The uncertainty on that number is just how deep it goes.'' The ice is thought to be at least 1 1/2 feet deep — and possibly as much as 65 feet deep. Hostess ready for its big bake sale NEW YORK (AP) — The future of Twinkies is burn is being paid $125,000 a month. Guilty NM prankster returns stolen toilet paper virtually assured. Hostess Brands Inc. got final approval for its winddown plans in bankruptcy court Thursday, setting the stage for its iconic snack cakes to find a second life with new owners — even as 18,000 jobs will be wiped out. The company said in court that it's in talks with 110 potential buyers for its brands, which include CupCakes, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. The suitors include at least five national retailers such as supermarkets, a financial adviser for Hostess said. The process has been ''so fast and furious'' Hostess wasn't able to make its planned calls to potential buyers, said Joshua Scherer of Perella Weinberg Partners. ''Not only are these buyers serious, but they are expecting to spend substantial sums,'' he said, noting that six of them had hired investment banks to help in the process. The update on the sale process came as Hostess also received approval to give its top executives bonuses totaling up to $1.8 million for meeting certain budget goals during the liquidation. The company says the incentive pay is needed to retain the 19 corporate officers and ''high-level managers'' for the wind down process, which could take about a year. Two of those executives would be eligible for additional rewards depending on how efficiently they carry out the liquidation. The compensation would be on top of their regular pay. The bonuses do not include pay for CEO Gregory Rayburn, who was brought on as a restructuring expert earlier this year. Ray- Reflections says Bonnie Burlison • Grace LeBaudour Candy Harman • Kathy Reed Kathy Hiebert • Chaunda Jensen Susan Williams Gift Certificates Scarves, Jewelry, Hair Care Product 527-5557 848 Johnson Street Red Bluff PORTALES, N.M. (AP) — University officials say a New Mexico college graduate, apparently feeling guilty over a student prank years ago, has sent a box of toilet paper to repay the school for loot taken from a dormitory. Eastern New Mexico University says it received the yuletide gift box this week along with a Christmas card and written apology. The box contained five packages of 16 rolls of two-ply, septic-safe tissue for a total of 80 rolls. The anonymous writer apologized for stealing bathroom tissue years ago and said a new dedication to Christian faith led to the deed. It was unclear whether the gift itself was a prank. But university officials say ''all is forgiven.'' The toilet paper is being donating to a nearby charity because it doesn't fit the school's dispensers. Powerball winners DEARBORN, Mo. (AP) — The search is on for the country's newest multimillionaires, the holders of two tickets that matched all six numbers to split a record $588 million Powerball jackpot. Lottery officials said Thursday that the winning tickets matching all six numbers were sold at a convenience store in suburban Phoenix and a gas station just off an interstate highway in a small northwestern Missouri town. Neither ticket holder had come forward. The mystery fueled a giddy mood at the Trex Mart just outside Dearborn, Mo., as lottery officials and the media descended on the town of 500 people. Cashiers Kristi Williams and Kelly Blount greeted customers with big smiles and questions about whether they had bought the winning ticket. No one had come forward to claim the prize by late Thursday morning, Missouri Lottery officials said. ''It's just awesome,'' Williams said. ''It's so exciting. We can't even work.'' KWIK KUTS Family Hair Salon 20 % off ANY RETAIL PRODUCT with any chemical service of $50 or more 2 Regular $ Haircut 00 off Reg. $13.95 Not good with other offers Expires 11/30/12 With coupon 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 By Rob Blehm P.A. Recipes Demonstrations Delicious! Low Fat! No Cholestrole! Health Tips Samples Tasting Question And Answer Segment Sunday, December 2nd, 9th, 16th 720 S. Jackson St., Red Bluff, Ca 96080 Time: 5:30 P.m. Fee: $5.00 Per Class Register Now – before November 28th Call Loree Spurgeon At 527-5077 Nutrition Cooking Class