U.S. official confident about deal with Iraq

U.S. official confident about deal with Iraq

BAGHDAD — A top American official expressed confidence Tuesday the U.S. and Iraq will finalize a long-term security pact on time next month despite strong opposition from Iran and a storm of criticism from Iraqi lawmakers who must ratify the deal.

David Satterfield, the State Department’s top adviser on Iraq, said both sides were committed to reaching an agreement, which would also provide a legal basis for keeping U.S. troops here after the United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year.

“We’re confident it can be achieved, and by the end of July deadline,” Satterfield said of the agreement.

Quake lake crisis is over, China declares

CHENGDU, China — Water churned through a drainage channel and engulfed empty towns Tuesday after Chinese soldiers blasted away the debris that kept an earthquake-formed lake threatening more than a million people downstream.

Sichuan province’s Communist Party chief, Liu Qibao, declared “decisive victory” after more than half the 66 billion gallons of water drained off by early evening, easing pressure on a dam formed when the quake triggered a landslide of mud, rocks and other debris, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

More than 250,000 people had already moved to high ground due to concerns that the barrier holding back Tangjiashan lake could break. About 1.3 million people live downstream.

Major ISPs agree to block access to child porn

ALBANY, N.Y. — Online forums where thousands of child-porn images have been posted have been stricken from three Internet providers, including two of the nation’s five largest, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.

Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Sprint agreed with Cuomo to block access to child pornography disseminated through newsgroups and user groups, a hard-to-regulate sector of the Internet designed to bring together users with like interests.

With the agreement announced Tuesday, Cuomo skipped over the untold number of individual users accessing child porn and went to the portals that, unwittingly they all say, provided the route to sharing the illegal obsession.

St. John’s wort fails to help kids with ADHD

CHICAGO — Children and teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder fared no better on St. John’s wort than they did on dummy pills in a government study, another blow for herbal supplements.

St. John’s wort, pine bark extract and blue-green algae are among commonly used herbal treatments for children with ADHD. They appeal to parents who want to avoid stimulants such as Ritalin and other drugs used to help children control their behavior.

But unlike prescription drugs, supplements are only loosely regulated by the government, and their makers don’t have to prove they are safe or effective.

Astronauts set to return

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle and station complex shook hands and hugged goodbye Tuesday as the doors swung shut between their spacecraft on the eve of undocking.

Gregory Chamitoff, the international space station’s newest resident, said he was sad to see his friends go, “but I’m looking forward to the adventure ahead.”

As for Garrett Reisman, headed home after three months in orbit, it was a satisfying moment. He hugged Chamitoff twice, patted him on the back and shared a few final laughs before floating into shuttle Discovery for the ride back to Earth. He also had warm bear hugs for the two Russians he was leaving behind.

Plane crash kills dozens

KHARTOUM, Sudan — A Sudanese jetliner landed in a thunderstorm and veered off the runway late Tuesday, bursting into flames and killing dozens of people, Sudanese officials said.

Official and state media said immediately after the crash that about half the 203 passengers aboard the Airbus A310 had been killed in the crash around 9 p.m. But several hours later officials began reporting a lower toll.

One flight attendant said the crew had evacuated the passengers from the plane.

“Thank God we were able to get all the passengers out,” said Sarrah Faisal, her voice shaking as she spoke to Sudanese TV from a stretcher, wearing a plastic neck-brace. She gave no more details.

Associated Press