Thursday, May 20, 2010
Report: N. Korea sank S. Korean ship
SEOUL, South Korea
Evidence overwhelmingly proves North Korea fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors, investigators said today.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed “stern action” for the provocation and called an emergency security meeting for Friday, the presidential Blue House said.
In Washington, the White House called the sinking of a South Korean warship by North Korea an act of aggression that constitutes a challenge to international peace and security.
President Barack Obama’s press secretary issued a statement Wednesday night after South Korea released the report concluding that the warship Cheonan was sunk by a torpedo fired by the North.
In the White House statement, press secretary Robert Gibbs says the attack is one more instance of North Korea’s unacceptable behavior and defiance of international law.
Taliban storm US-run air field
KABUL, Afghanistan
Taliban insurgents armed with rockets, grenades and suicide vests stormed the giant U.S.-run Bagram Air Field before dawn Wednesday, triggering an eight-hour firefight that killed an American contractor and at least 10 attackers and wounded nine U.S. service members.
As troops and contractors huddled in secure bunkers, the militants fired their weapons over American defenses into the base, according to Maj. Virginia McCabe, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces at Bagram. White smoke could be seen rising from the garrison as U.S. attack helicopters whirred overhead.
Man admits giving money to al-Qaida
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
A Kansas City auto-parts dealer who had sworn allegiance to al-Qaida pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking part in a conspiracy to provide financial support to the terrorist group.
Khalid Ouazzani, 32, a Moroccan native who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006, admitted that he sent $23,500 to al-Qaida between August 2007 and mid-2008.
Although Ouazzani talked with others about ways to support al-Qaida, including plans for them to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia, U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips said he did not pose a threat to the Kansas City area, where he briefly operated a business that sold auto parts and used vehicles.
Top scientists call for carbon tax
WASHINGTON
Ditching their past cautious tone, the nation’s top scientists urged the government Wednesday to take drastic action to raise the cost of using coal and oil to slow global warming.
The National Academy of Sciences specifically called for a carbon tax on fossil fuels or a cap-and-trade system for curbing greenhouse gas emissions, calling global warming an urgent threat.
The academy, which advises the government on scientific matters, said the nation needs to cut the pollution that causes global warming by about 57 percent to 83 percent by 2050.
Ohio singer makes it to ‘Idol’ finale
LOS ANGELES
Casey James has been cut from “American Idol,” leaving Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze to duke it out in the finale of the popular Fox singing competition next week.
James, the long-haired 27-year-old musician from Fort Worth, Texas, was revealed to have received the fewest viewer votes Wednesday after his ho-hum performances Tuesday.
Either Bowersox, the earthy 24-year-old musician from Toledo, Ohio, or De- Wyze, the bashful 24-year-old paint sales clerk from Mount Prospect, Ill., will be crowned “Idol” next Wednesday.
Associated Press