China defends Web policies

China defends Web policies

BEIJING — Beijing issued a stinging response Friday to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s criticism that it is jamming the free flow of words and ideas on the Internet, accusing the United States of damaging relations between the two countries by imposing its “information imperialism” on China.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu defended China’s policies regarding the Web, saying the nation’s Internet regulations were in line with Chinese law and did not hamper the cyber activities of the world’s largest online population. His remarks follow those made by the U.S. secretary of state, who in a speech Thursday criticized countries engaging in cyberspace censorship, and urged China to investigate computer attacks against Google.

Judge: Polanski must return to US for sentence

LOS ANGELES — A judge ruled Friday that Roman Polanski must return to the U.S. to be sentenced in a decades-old sex case.

Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza said he ruled “in defense of the integrity of the justice system, he needs to surrender.”

His ruling is likely to be appealed.

Attorneys for the 76-year-old director have argued their client should be sentenced in absentia to time already served after pleading guilty in 1978 to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.

Turkish newspaper reports raids on militant camps

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police launched a nationwide crackdown on suspected militants linked to the al-Qaida terror network Friday, rounding up 120 people in simultaneous pre-dawn raids, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

It was not clear if Friday’s raids in 16 provinces in this NATO member and western ally country would amount to a major blow to homegrown Islamic militants.

Yeni Safak newspaper this week reported that Turkish police recently had seized video recordings of alleged Turkish al-Qaida militants in Taliban camps in Afghanistan, as well as alleged plans for attacks on Turkish soldiers in Kabul and on police in Turkey. It did not cite a source for the report.

Cindy McCain aids gay-marriage proponents

LOS ANGELES — Gay-rights supporters in California say they have found an unlikely ally in Cindy McCain, the wife of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who lent her name this week to the cause of same-sex marriage.

McCain’s support comes as Proposition 8 proponents and opponents battle over the constitutionality of California’s ban on gay marriage in San Francisco federal court. The ad features McCain, right hand over her heart, wind rustling her blond locks, with “No H8” written on her cheek and silver duct tape over her mouth.

“To have the wife of a Republican presidential candidate really turns everything upside down,” said John Henning, executive director of pro-gay marriage group Love Honor Cherish. “People expect conservatives to be against same-sex marriage, and more and more conservatives are saying that they favor it.”

But conservatives shrug at the suggestion that Cindy McCain is influencing the public.

Dairy farmer shoots, kills 51 cows and himself

COPAKE, N.Y. — State police in New York say an upstate dairy farmer shot and killed 51 of his milk cows in his barn before turning the rifle on himself.

State police found the body of 59-year-old Dean Pierson in his Copake barn on Thursday. A visitor found a note Pierson had left on the barn door that said not to come in and to call police.

State police would say only that Pierson was having personal issues.

The Columbia County hamlet of Copake is about 115 miles north of New York City.

Bristol Palin seeks child support from baby’s dad

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Sarah Palin’s oldest daughter, Bristol, is seeking child support from the young man who fathered her 1-year-old son.

Documents filed Thursday in Superior Court in Palmer show Bristol Palin is seeking $1,750 a month from 19-year-old Levi Johnston, her former fianc . Their son, Tripp, was born in December 2008.

The details regarding child support come at the same time Bristol is seeking full custody of the baby. She filed a petition for sole custody in early November.

Johnston, at the very least, wants joint custody, said Rex Butler, Johnston’s lawyer.

Combined dispatches