Syrian protesters attack embassies

Syrian protesters attack embassies

BEIRUT

Hundreds of Syrian government supporters attacked the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Monday, smashing windows and spray-painting walls with obscenities and graffiti that called the American ambassador a “dog.” Guards at the French Embassy fired in the air to ward off another group of protesters. The sharp escalation in tensions followed a visit last week by the American and French ambassadors to the city of Hama, a stronghold of opposition to authoritarian President Bashar Assad. Syrian authorities were angered by the visit and American Ambassador Robert Ford’s harsh criticism afterward of the government crackdown on a four-month-old uprising. Ford’s residence also was attacked Monday.

Ex-Pakistan leader blasts deferring aid

HOUSTON

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Monday the White House’s suspension of $800 million in U.S. aid to the Pakistani military is not in the interest of either nation and could hamper anti-terror efforts.

President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, William Daley confirmed over the weekend the withholding of the cash intended for the Pakistani military, saying while the strained relationship between the United States and Pakistan must be made “to work over time,” until it does, “we’ll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers are committed to give” to the country’s powerful military forces.

700,000 lose power in Illinois storm

CHICAGO

A spokeswoman for ComEd said Monday’s strong winds and rain left the utility with its highest number of outages in a decade.

ComEd spokeswoman Alicia Zatkowski said that at the peak of the outages, 700,000 customers were without power.

The utility has asked for help from utilities in other states and now has nearly 500 crews working to restore service to Chicago-area customers.

The fast-moving storm downed trees, damaged property and slowed travel throughout the Chicago area. Airlines reported delays at both O’Hare and Midway airports and more than 200 flight cancellations at O’Hare.

Train, semi collide; truck driver dies

NORTH BERWICK, Maine

An Amtrak train traveling at 70 mph smashed into a tractor-trailer Monday in a fiery collision that killed the truck driver, injured a half-dozen other people and sent flames more than three stories high, a witness and officials said.

Witnesses reported that safety lights were flashing and gates were down at the intersection when the tractor-trailer crossed into the path of Amtrak’s Downeaster about 11 a.m., said Police Chief Stephen Peasley. None of the train’s 112 passengers or three crew members suffered life-threatening injuries.

Doctors perform double leg transplant

MADRID

Doctors in Spain have carried out the world’s first double leg transplant, giving new lower limbs to a patient who lost both legs at mid-thigh in an accident, officials said Monday.

The Valencia regional government said the surgical team was led by Dr. Pedro Cavadas, who in 2009 carried out Spain’s first face transplant — the first anywhere to include a new tongue and jaw.

The government statement said the operation at La Fe Hospital in Valencia was extremely complex, and Cavadas will wait at least 48 hours to release more information.

Associated Press