Nigerian strike turns bloody, state paralyzed

LAGOS (AP) ― A national strike fueled by widespread dissent over spiraling gas prices paralyzed Nigeria as tens of thousands of protesters took over the empty streets to criticize government corruption in one voice.Protests remained largely peaceful across the country on Monday, the strike’s first day, though a police shooting in Lagos left one dead and four wounded, while another in the northern city of Kano killed two more.Still, the widespread anger could be felt just like the heat pouring of

Jan. 10, 2012

Iranian bunker site raises nuclear stakes

VIENNA (AFP) ― Iran has further stoked Western fears about the purpose of its nuclear activities by starting to enrich fissile material in a new site deep inside a virtually impregnable mountain bunker.The Fordo site near the holy city of Qom, 150 kilometers southwest of Tehran, has begun enriching uranium to 20-percent purity, the U.N. atomic watchdog Agency, said late Monday.U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Iran’s enriching of uranium to 20 percent at the site was “a

Jan. 10, 2012

US district investigates math homework on slavery

NORCROSS, Georgia (AP) _ Suburban Atlanta school officials are deciding whether to discipline teachers who gave third-grade students math homework with word problems about slavery.The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called for the firing of the nine teachers in

Jan. 10, 2012

Obama announces resignation of chief of staff

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama announced Monday that chief of staff William Daley was quitting and heading home to Chicago, capping a short and rocky tenure that had been expected to last until Election Day in November. Obama budget chief Jack Lew will take over the job.Daley's run as Obam

Jan. 10, 2012

Iran sentences American man to death in CIA case

TEHRAN (AP) -- An Iranian court has convicted an American man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported Monday, in a case adding to the accelerating tension between the United States and Iran.Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission. The radio report did not say when the verdict was issued. Under Irani

Jan. 9, 2012

‘U.S. will respond if Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz’

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The United States will respond if Iran tries to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Sunday, saying such a move would cross a “red line.”“We made very clear that the United States will not tolerate the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz,” Panetta told CBS television. “That’s another red line for us and that we will respond to them.”Panetta was seconded by Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chief

Jan. 9, 2012

Arab League tells Syria to halt violence

BEIRUT (AP) ― The Arab League demanded Sunday that the Syrian government immediately stop all violence and allow more monitors in, as activists reported at least 10 more civilians, including two teenagers, were killed by regime forces.Fierce clashes in the south between government troops and military defectors left 11 soldiers dead, activists said. The Arab League also called on other armed parties to halt all bloodshed, an apparent reference to the defectors.Qatari Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad

Jan. 9, 2012

With huge support, Romney eyes easy win

EXETER, New Hampshire (AFP) ― Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney, leaving little to chance ahead of the New Hampshire primary, brought out the party’s big guns on Sunday to help him woo voters.New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of the party’s brightest stars, home-state favorite Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty all turned out to rally support for Romney before Tuesday’s vote.“He actually knows how our economy works,” Ayotte said of the millionaire ventur

Jan. 9, 2012

Israel police arrest six suspects in 'Santa suit’ murder

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Six Israeli Arabs have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Christmas Eve killing of a prominent Christian leader in Jaffa by a man reportedly wearing a Santa suit, police said Saturday.Lawyer and accountant Gabriel Cadis was fatally stabbed on Friday after a parade in

Jan. 9, 2012

Venezuelan diplomat expelled from U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Obama administration is expelling Venezuela’s consul general in Miami after allegations surfaced that she discussed possible cyber-attacks on U.S. soil while she was stationed at her country’s embassy in Mexico.The State Department said Sunday that it had declared the diplomat, Livia Acosta Noguera, persona non grata and given her until Tuesday to leave the country. Spokesman Mark Toner said the Venezuelan government was notified of the decision on Friday, giving her 72 hou

Jan. 9, 2012

Body paraded after China self-immolation

BEIJING (AP) -- The body of a Tibetan monk who died after setting himself on fire was paraded through the streets in northwestern China, a report said Monday, in the latest in a series of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule.U.S. broadcaster Radio Free Asia said hundreds of angry Tibetans forced police to hand over the remains of the 42-year-old monk, named Sopa, then carried them through the streets in Dari county in Qinghai province.It said the monk died Sunday morning after drinking

Jan. 9, 2012

Japan to scrap nuclear plants after 40 years

TOKYO (AP) ― Japan says it will soon require atomic reactors to be shut down after 40 years of use to improve safety following the nuclear crisis set off by last year’s tsunami.Concern about aging reactors has been growing because the three units at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan that went into meltdown following the tsunami in March were built starting in 1967. Among other reactors at least 40 years old are those at the Tsuruga and Mihama plants in central Japan, which were b

Jan. 8, 2012

Iran seeks Latin American support

CARACAS (AP) ― Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is courting Latin America on a four-nation tour starting Sunday that will let him tout some of Iran’s few friendships while tensions grow over the country’s threats to block oil shipments in retaliation for tighter U.S. sanctions.His government finds itself largely isolated in the standoff over its nuclear program, and the new sanctions targeting Iran’s Central Bank and oil industry have triggered an abrupt drop in the nation’s currency.Iran’s

Jan. 8, 2012