Binladin engineering firm responds to 9/11 lawsuit

Binladin engineering firm
responds to 9/11 lawsuit

NEW YORK — The Saudi Binladin Group is not liable for the Sept. 11 attacks, attorneys for the multinational engineering firm claim, because it made Osama bin Laden surrender his stake in the company 14 years ago. Responding in federal court to lawsuits over the attacks, the lawyers wrote that in 1993, the terrorist mastermind was forced out as a shareholder in two companies his family owns. The company filed the defense papers late Friday in U.S. District Court in answer to claims brought by representatives, survivors and insurance carriers of the victims. The plaintiffs, who seek billions of dollars in damages, allege the Saudi Binladin Group, along with numerous banks, charities and individuals worldwide, provided material support and assistance to al-Qaida before the attacks.

More aid in Greece fires

ATHENS, Greece — More international aid arrived Monday in support of massive cleanup and reconstruction efforts in Ancient Olympia and other fire-stricken parts of southern Greece. For 10 days last month, wildfires razed dozens of villages, destroyed livestock and charred an estimated 469,000 acres of mostly forest and farmland. At least 65 people died, and about 4,000 had their homes destroyed. The U.S. Embassy in Athens said a six-member team of disaster-relief experts had arrived, including specialists from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Forest Service’s top firefighter. The United States was sending another $250,000 in relief supplies to the Greek Red Cross, bringing the U.S. contribution to more than $1.5 million, the embassy said in a statement.

Violence in Lebanon

MOHAMMARA, Lebanon — Lebanese troops exchanged fire with fleeing militants Monday, killing four and capturing two as the military swept a Palestinian refugee camp and surrounding areas in northern Lebanon to try to capture the last holdouts after a ferocious battle. The exchange marred the festive mood that engulfed the country after the army on Sunday crushed the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam in a ferocious final battle, killing 39, capturing 24 and ending a three-month siege that devastated the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp. Six more bodies of Fatah Islam militants were retrieved from the battleground Monday, the security officials added.

California heat wave

LOS ANGELES — Parts of Southern California sweltered in triple-digit temperatures Monday as a heat wave stretched into the seventh day and contributed to power outages that left thousands without air conditioning. Temperatures soared in the San Fernando Valley with Woodland Hills reporting 102 degrees and Van Nuys at 99, according to the National Weather Service. Downtown Los Angeles also was expected to see temperatures climb above 100. Southern California Edison said 20,000 customers in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties had no electricity, spokesman Steve Conroy said. San Diego Gas and Electric Co., which serves San Diego County and southern Orange County, declared a power emergency and began preparing for potential rolling blackouts as demand hit a record. About 30,000 of its customers experienced outages Monday, but electricity was restored to 22,000 of them by the afternoon, spokesman Peter Hidalgo said.

Truckers aid in capture

BIGGS, Ore. — Three commercial truck drivers put on the brakes to help police stop a man who led authorities on a high-speed chase for more than 50 miles. The truckers pulled alongside one another and slowed to about 5 mph, forming a rolling roadblock. The fleeing driver stopped and fled on foot but was quickly captured, authorities said. Trucker Edwin Beach said he had heard police radio traffic and said, “OK, where’s the high-speed chase at?” He coordinated with two other drivers over CB and placed his truck in the middle on Interstate 84. “We were all kind of laughing because he was running down the freeway,” said Beach, of Kelso, Wash. Identities of the other two truckers were not immediately available.

London transit strike

LONDON — Large swaths of London’s sprawling transport network shut down Monday night after maintenance workers walked off the job, arousing commuter anger and drawing warnings the strike will inconvenience millions of Britons. Around 2,300 members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers left their jobs at 6 p.m. to begin a 72-hour strike, in a dispute stemming from the collapse of their employer, maintenance consortium Metronet. Many commuters were caught en route home when the strike took effect, forcing them to take overcrowded buses and taxis. London Underground urged passengers to walk if possible.

Associated Press