Marines, Afghan troops to stay in Marjah for months

Marines, Afghan troops to stay in Marjah for months

MARJAH, Afghanistan — More than 2,000 U.S. Marines and about 1,000 Afghan troops who stormed the Taliban town of Marjah as part of a major NATO offensive against a resurgent Taliban will stay several months to ensure insurgents don’t return, Marine commanders said Sunday.

Meanwhile, insurgents are striking back by attacking resupply convoys moving in and out of Marjah with roadside bombs, Marines said Sunday. Four convoys have been hit in the last two days, Marines said on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release the information. There was no word on casualties.

Two Marine battalions and their Afghan counterparts will be stationed in Marjah and help patrol it as part of NATO’s “clear, hold, build” strategy, which calls for troops to secure the area, restore a civilian Afghan administration, and bring in aid and public services to win the support of the population, commanders said.

White House wants simple majority vote on health care

WASHINGTON — The White House called for a “simple up-or-down” vote on health-care legislation Sunday as Speaker Nancy Pelosi appealed to House Democrats to get behind President Barack Obama’s chief domestic priority even it if threatens their political careers.

In voicing support for a simple majority vote, White House health-reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle signaled Obama’s intention to push the Democratic-crafted bill under Senate rules that would overcome GOP stalling tactics.

Republicans unanimously oppose the Democratic proposals. Without GOP support, Obama’s only chance of emerging with a policy and political victory is to bypass the bipartisanship he promoted during his televised health-care summit Thursday.

No run for Kennedy III

BOSTON — Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of a former congressman and the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, said Sunday he decided against running for the U.S. House from Massachusetts this year.

Kennedy told The Associated Press that he wants to remain in his new job as a prosecutor in Cape Cod’s Barnstable County. The 29-year-old Stanford University and Harvard Law graduate has had the post for eight months.

Iraqi PM: Ban is legitimate

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister Sunday defended a ban of candidates with reported ties to Saddam Hussein’s former regime, calling it a legitimate decision that would not affect Sunni turnout at the polls.

In an interview with The Associated Press just a week before March 7 elections, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also said he did not see any need at this point for U.S. forces to stay in the country past their planned 2011 departure date.

Al-Maliki, who came to power in 2006 as a compromise candidate, has overseen a return to relative stability since the height of the insurgency, but is facing stiff competition in his bid for another four-year term.

The decision to bar hundreds of candidates from the election, including two prominent Sunni lawmakers, for alleged ties to Saddam’s ruling party has dominated Iraq’s political debate for weeks and reflects the deep sectarian differences that still divide the country.

Colleges turn to parents to fight underage drinking

BLACKSBURG, Va. — At Virginia Tech, where tailgating and raucous apartment complex parties are time-honored rituals, university officials are turning increasingly to Mom and Dad to curb problem underage drinking.

This semester, the school in Blacksburg, Va., began notifying parents when their under-21 students are found guilty of even minor alcohol violations such as getting caught with a beer in a dorm room.

Although it’s common for colleges to alert parents of major alcohol offenses — or when a student faces suspension — Virginia Tech is part of a small but growing number sending letters home on minor ones.

The debate about how much to involve parents in such cases is a balancing act for colleges and universities. Officials want to hold young adults accountable as they venture out on their own, are well aware that drinking is part of the college experience, and also recognize potential allies in a generation of hands-on parents who can help when things go too far.

Fierce storms in Europe kill 51, mostly in France

PARIS — A violent late winter storm with fierce rain and hurricane-strength winds ripped across western Europe on Sunday, battering France and four other countries, leaving at least 51 people dead.

The storm, named Xynthia, was the worst in France since 1999 when 90 people died. Prime Minister Francois Fillon held an emergency cabinet meeting and afterward called the storm a “national catastrophe.”

Obama’s medical checkup

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama hasn’t kicked the smoking habit, takes anti-inflammatory medication to relieve chronic tendinitis in his left knee and should eat better to lower his cholesterol, his team of doctors concluded Sunday after the 48-year-old’s first medical checkup as commander in chief.

The chief executive, who has endured an exhausting White House run and yearlong battles with congressional Republicans, was otherwise declared in excellent health and fit for duty.

The White House physician, Navy Capt. Jeffrey Kuhlman, said Obama should stick with “smoking cessation efforts,” the use of nicotine gum, and come back in August 2011 after he turns 50.

Associated Press