Finance leaders fail to resolve dispute

Finance leaders fail to resolve dispute

WASHINGTON

Global finance leaders failed Saturday to resolve deep differences that threaten the outbreak of a full-blown currency war. Various nations are seeking to devalue their currencies as a way to boost exports and jobs during hard economic times. The concern is that such efforts could trigger a repeat of the trade wars that contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s as country after country raises projectionist barriers to imported goods.

Officials enraged at anti-gay torture

NEW YORK

Outraged city leaders said Saturday that the city wouldn’t tolerate the “vicious” hatred that apparently had caused a street gang’s alleged beating and torture of three men because they were gay as an eighth suspect in the beatings was arrested. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that several of the suspects had made statements implicating themselves in the crime, which occurred in a neighborhood where residents said homosexuality is both common and tolerated.

Sludge reservoir at risk of collapse

DEVECSER, Hungary

The cracking wall of an industrial plant reservoir appeared on the verge of collapse late Saturday, and engineers were working to blunt a possible second wave of the caustic red sludge that already has deluged several towns in western Hungary and killed seven. Residents of one nearby town were evacuated, others were ordered to be ready to evacuate, and everyone was bracing for a new onslaught of toxic material. Engineers feared a second wave could be even more toxic than the first because the sludge remaining in the reservoir was more concentrated.

Freed hiker appeals for friends’ release

OAKLAND, Calif.

An American hiker recently freed by Iran said Saturday she is still haunted by images of her friend and fianc in their cramped jail cells and won’t have her life back until they have been released. Sarah Shourd spoke at a gathering of friends and family in Oakland, where she appealed to Iranian officials to show compassion and release her fianc , Shane Bauer, and friend, Josh Fattal.

US often weighed Korea ‘nuke option’

NEW YORK

From the 1950s’ Pentagon to today’s Obama administration, the United States has repeatedly pondered, planned and threatened use of nuclear weapons against North Korea, according to declassified and other U.S. government documents released in this 60th-anniversary year of the Korean War. Air Force bombers flew nuclear rehearsal runs over North Korea’s capital during the war. The U.S. military services later vied for the lead role in any “atomic delivery” over North Korea. In the late 1960s, nuclear-armed U.S. warplanes stood by in South Korea on 15-minute alert.

Report: Candidate wore SS uniform

TOLEDO

A report says a Republican candidate for the U.S. House in Ohio dressed up in a German SS uniform to participate in Nazi re-enactments. The Atlantic magazine says Rich Iott, a tea party favorite in northwest Ohio, has taken part in the re-enactments for years.

Lennon’s 70th birthday celebrated

NEW YORK

A crush of fans circled a flower-graced mosaic in Central Park’s Strawberry Fields and sang lyrics from “Imagine” on Saturday to honor Beatles legend John Lennon on his 70th birthday. On the day when the Liverpool Lad would have become a septuagenarian, thousands of fans from around the world gathered to remember the floppy-haired British superstar who just wanted to give peace a chance.

Associated Press