Riots continue in Greece

Riots continue in Greece

ATHENS, Greece — Gangs of youths smashed their way through central Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities into the early hours today, torching stores, buildings and cars in a third day of mayhem after the fatal police shooting of a teenager.

In the country’s worst rioting in decades, dozens of shops, banks and luxury hotels had their windows smashed as youths fought running battles with riot police. Black smoke rose above the city center, mingling with clouds of tear gas. Broken glass littered the streets.

Hundreds of high school and university students joined self-styled anarchists in throwing everything from fruit and coins to rocks and Molotov cocktails at police and attacked police stations throughout the day. Police said some rioters were armed with crossbows, knives and swords.

1,400 U.S. InBev jobs cut

CHICAGO — Less than a month after it gobbled up Anheuser-Busch, InBev lowered the boom on the American brewer’s work force, announcing Monday that it would slash about 1,400 jobs — or 6 percent of the company’s U.S. total.

Now known as Anheuser-Busch InBev, the Belgian-Brazilian brewer said about 75 percent of the cuts would come in St. Louis at the U.S. beer maker’s headquarters and downtown offices. Some field offices and brewery locations will also feel the ax; 250 open positions will not be filled and 415 contractor jobs will be eliminated.

Most of the job losses will come by the end of this year and David Peacock, president of the company’s U.S. unit, said it is a “necessary but difficult move” to keep the company competitive.

Blackwater case details

WASHINGTON — The five Blackwater security guards indicted for the deaths of unarmed civilians in Baghdad last year were operating in the area in direct defiance of U.S. government orders and opened fire with automatic weapons and even rocket-propelled grenade launchers, killing some as they tried to surrender or flee, according to the findings of a Justice Department investigation made public Monday.

The government’s case against the five men was laid out in court documents unsealed by a federal judge. A sixth Blackwater guard, Jeremy P. Ridgeway, has helped authorities confirm those and other previously undisclosed alleged details of the Sept. 16, 2007, incident at crowded Nisur Square.

At least 17 Iraqis were killed and 20 others were injured in the incident, which severely damaged relations between the United States and Iraq and led for calls for more scrutiny of Blackwater Worldwide and other contractors providing security services in the destabilized country.

Bank-rescue watchdog

WASHINGTON — The $700 billion Wall Street rescue program will have a new watchdog.

The Senate on Monday confirmed Neil M. Barofsky, a New York prosecutor, as special inspector general within the Treasury Department. Barofsky will audit and investigate spending by the so-called Troubled Asset Relief Program that Congress and President George W. Bush set up two months ago to bail out the nation’s financial sector.

Bush nominated Barofsky to the position last month. But his confirmation had been held up anonymously by one senator. The opposition was lifted last week.

Minn. recount continues

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The city of Minneapolis has stopped searching for about 130 ballots in the U.S. Senate recount, leaving state officials to choose between two sets of tallies in the tight race between Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

City officials believed ballots were missing after the number of votes recounted in one precinct ended up 133 less than the number tallied on Election Day. The missing votes favored Franken, who would fall another 46 votes behind Coleman if the precinct’s recount numbers are used instead of the initial tally.

It will be up to the state Canvassing Board to decide which count to use. The board meets Friday and could discuss the issue then.

‘Day Without a Gay’ set

SAN FRANCISCO — Some same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to “call in gay” Wednesday to show how much the country relies on gays and lesbians, but others question whether it’s wise to encourage skipping work given the nation’s economic distress.

Organizers of “Day Without a Gay” — scheduled to coincide with International Human Rights Day and modeled after similar work stoppages by Latino immigrants — also are encouraging people to perform volunteer work and refrain from spending money.

Combined dispatches