Violent clashes erupt at Jerusalem’s holiest site

Violent clashes erupt at Jerusalem’s holiest site

JERUSALEM — Israeli police firing stun grenades faced off Sunday against masked Palestinian protesters hurling stones and plastic chairs outside the Holy Land’s most volatile shrine, where past violence has escalated into prolonged conflict.

A wall of Israeli riot police behind plexiglass shields marched toward young men covering their faces with T-shirts and scarves, sending many of them running for cover into the Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the Islamic structures in the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

They remained holed up in the mosque with police outside for several hours until dispersing before nightfall. Eighteen protesters were arrested, and no serious injuries were reported.

No Afghan power-sharing

KABUL — President Hamid Karzai and his challenger ruled out a power-sharing deal before Afghanistan’s Nov. 7 runoff, saying the second round of balloting must be held as planned to bolster democracy in this war-ravaged country.

Some Obama administration officials had said the U.S. would be receptive to a deal to avoid another disruptive election if Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah agreed.

However, both Afghan candidates said on talk shows televised Sunday in the United States that they were committed to a second-round vote, despite the huge security and logistical challenges and the threat of Taliban attacks against voters.

Fla. authorities vet 1,000 tips in girl’s death

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Investigators had more than a thousand tips but are still trying to figure out what happened when 7-year-old Somer Thompson disappeared on her walk home from a north Florida school last week.

At a fundraiser Sunday for Somer’s family, children played in a bounce house as adults watched carefully. They vowed to find the girl’s killer and raised about $18,500 so her mother doesn’t have to go back to work immediately.

Somer’s name and photo were everywhere at the carnival-like fundraiser, which was in a tree-lined park in the town’s center. A silent raffle, a bake sale and even glittery makeovers for little girls were offered to help the family after the girl went missing after school Monday. Her body was found in a Georgia landfill Wednesday.

Video shows Calif. police beating of student

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A cell phone video that shows police officers repeatedly hitting an unarmed university student with batons and a Taser gun has prompted a criminal investigation into the officers’ conduct, a San Jose police spokesman said.

The video, posted by the San Jose Mercury News on its Web site late Saturday, shows one officer hitting 20-year-old Vietnamese student Phuong Ho with a metal baton more than 10 times, including once on the head. Another officer is seen using his Taser gun on the San Jose State math major.

The final baton strike in last month’s incident appears to take place after handcuffs have been attached to Ho’s wrists.

“It takes me back to the day I saw the Rodney King video on TV,” said Roger Clark, a police expert and a retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

The last baton strike ought to bring a felony charge, Clark said.

Officers arrested Ho on suspicion of assaulting one of his roommates. He was not armed when police arrived and he told the newspaper he didn’t resist arrest.

‘Paranormal Activity’ slays ‘Saw’ at box office

LOS ANGELES — “Paranormal Activity” has won a weekend battle of fright films over part six of the “Saw” franchise.

Paramount’s upstart chiller “Paranormal Activity” went into nationwide release and took over the No. 1 spot with $22 million. That compares to just $14.8 million for the debut of “Saw VI,” a franchise that has been an annual Halloween fixture since 2004.

It was the worst opening ever for Lionsgate’s “Saw” series, whose previous low was $18.3 million for the original movie. Subsequent installments of the “Saw” franchise all opened at $30 million or better.

This time, horror fans simply gravitated toward “Paranormal Activity” instead of “Saw VI.”

“‘Paranormal’ ate their lunch,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. “There’s no other way to explain it.”

Associated Press