Police: Moose considered suspect in Swedish death

Police: Moose considered suspect in Swedish death

STOCKHOLM — Swedish police say they’ve cleared a man who was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife after deciding the culprit was most likely a moose.

Police spokesman Ulf Karlsson says “the improbable has become probable” in the puzzling death last year of 63-year old Agneta Westlund. She was found dead after an evening stroll in the forest.

According to news reports, the victim’s husband, Ingemar Westlund, was jailed for 10 days. The case against him was dropped in January.

Karlsson declined to give details of the case Saturday, saying a news conference would be held Tuesday.

The tabloid Expressen says hairs and saliva from a moose — aka a European elk — were found on the victim’s clothes. Police would not immediately confirm that.

Hajj ritual seen as biggest H1N1-flu risk

MINA, Saudi Arabia — Millions of Muslim pilgrims, many wearing surgical masks, jostled together shoulder-to-shoulder furiously casting pebbles at stone walls representing the devil Saturday — the hajj ritual of highest concern to world health authorities watching for an outbreak of swine flu.

The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws 3 million visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world and an ideal incubator for the H1N1 flu virus.

So far, only around 60 flu cases have been uncovered, but health officials warn it is likely spreading silently among pilgrims — and the true extent of the push that hajj has given to the virus won’t be known until later, after the faithful have returned to their home countries around the world.

Settle election-law dispute, Biden tells Iraqi leaders

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden is encouraging Iraq’s leaders to resolve differences and agree to legislation allowing a national vote to take place next year.

Biden spoke with Iraqi leaders on Saturday.

Biden’s office says he encouraged the leaders to finalize an arrangement that would allow national elections to take place in 2010, as called for in Iraq’s constitution, and that would be fair to all sides.

The Obama administration is counting on the elections, required to be held by the end of January, to begin the pullout of about 115,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq.

Pakistani president turns over nuclear authority

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s president relinquished command of its nuclear arsenal to the prime minister, a political ally, and signaled he was ready to shed more power as he faces growing pressure to resign.

The move came as an amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and thousands of others from graft charges expired Saturday, risking political turmoil that could distract the U.S.-allied nation from its fight against the Taliban and other militants near the Afghan border.

Bernanke makes case for strong Fed role on banks

NEW YORK — The chairman of the Federal Reserve is concerned that congressional efforts at financial reform could weaken the central bank’s ability to handle future crises and may politicize monetary policy.

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke made the comments in an Op-Ed piece to appear in today’s Washington Post, five days before the Senate Banking committee holds a hearing on his nomination for a second term. His current four-year term expires Jan. 31.

Bernanke wrote the nation is challenged to design a financial oversight system that will “embody the lessons of the past two years and provide a robust framework for preventing future crises and the economic damage they cause.”

New efforts planned on home foreclsoures

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, battling a foreclosure crisis that shows no signs of relenting, will step up pressure on mortgage companies to do more to help people remain in their homes, officials said Saturday.

The administration will announce its expanded program on Monday, Treasury spokeswoman Meg Reilly said.

“We are taking additional steps to enhance servicer transparency and accountability,” Reilly said. She said the goal was to increase the rate that troubled home loans were converted into new loans with lower monthly payments.

Associated Press