Thursday, July 20, 2006
States take hard stance
WASHINGTON -- Dismay over Washington gridlock on immigration has inspired cities and states to pass their own measures, most of which make life harder for undocumented workers and demand that employers, law enforcement officers and even landlords act as the front line. The city of Hazleton, Pa., last week passed one of the harsher laws, approving $1,000 fines for landlords who provide housing to illegal immigrants and denying business permits to employers who give them jobs. Local governments from California to Idaho to Florida are weighing similar steps. States approved nearly 60 new laws in the last few months, overwhelmingly restrictive or punitive. "It's the blunt failure of any true leadership in Washington, D.C. Everything runs downhill," said Andy Anderson, a city councilor in Palm Bay, Fla., who is pushing for an ordinance to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants. One question is whether the local and state laws would stand if Congress overcame the split between the Senate and the House and approved a new federal law. Many would be superseded, officials acknowledge, but right now it's unclear whether Congress will make a deal. "We have to do something, and it has to be done, like, yesterday," Anderson said.
Officials inspect ship
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Federal investigators examined a new cruise ship Wednesday to try to determine why the 951-foot vessel suddenly rolled to one side, seriously injuring 20 people in a scene that looked like something out of the movie on that night's bill, "Titanic." The Coast Guard also questioned why authorities first learned of the trouble not from the captain, but from the mother of a passenger who had called her from the ship. The Crown Princess rolled 15 degrees to its right Tuesday afternoon about 11 1/2 miles off Port Canaveral, throwing passengers, TV sets and other objects against the deck and walls. The ship slowly came back up after 30 to 40 seconds, by passengers' estimate, then returned to port. The crew reported a steering problem aboard the 113,000-ton vessel, which was christened only last month. The ship was sailing through calm seas, and there was no indication that a rogue wave or foul play contributed to the roll, officials said.
British man indicted
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A British man was indicted Wednesday on charges he helped run terrorism fundraising Web sites, set up terrorists with temporary housing in England and possessed a classified U.S. Navy document revealing troop movements. Syed Talha Ahsan, 26, was arrested at his home in London on a federal indictment in Connecticut charging him with conspiracy to support terrorists and conspiracy to kill or injure people abroad. Ahsan is accused in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist who was indicted in Connecticut in October 2004. Both are accused of running several Web sites including Azzam.com, which investigators say was used to recruit members for the al-Qaida network, Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime and Chechen rebels. The investigation began shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and was among the first to target online terrorism financiers, federal officials said..
13 die in Gaza raids
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli forces killed 13 Palestinians in fighting in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday as the army pressed a wide-ranging offensive against militants. The raids were the latest in a three-week operation that began after Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier. The fighting has persisted even as Israel waged a second battle with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon after they seized two soldiers last week. A U.N. report issued Wednesday said the Israeli army has carried out 168 airstrikes and fired more than 600 shells into Gaza, while Palestinian militants have fired 177 homemade rockets toward Israel. The report said 100 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza offensive began, not counting the 13 on Wednesday.
Coalition reclaims town
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The second of two towns seized by the Taliban went back into government hands Wednesday with relatively little bloodshed after more than 1,000 U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops swept into the area. Two Afghan soldiers were wounded and two Taliban were killed in the battle to retake Garmser, a remote town of about 50,000 people on the Helmand River, officials said. A U.S. military spokesman said the scanty resistance showed insurgents were weaker than they appeared. "The Taliban appears to be bullying their way around some of the smaller towns in remote areas but they have no capability to lay claim to any piece of ground," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick said. Coalition and Afghan forces faced "limited small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire" as they neared Garmser, Fitzpatrick said.
Associated Press