Pressure mounts on Syrian leader

Pressure mounts on Syrian leader

BEIRUT

Jordan’s King Abdullah said Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad should step down for the good of his country, the first Arab leader to publicly make such a call as Syria’s neighbors close ranks against an increasingly isolated regime.

Syria’s crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising has brought international condemnation, but Damascus generally has been spared broad reproach in the Arab world. That changed Saturday, with a near-unanimous vote by the 22-member Arab League to suspend Syria.

Oakland raid latest in Occupy crackdown

OAKLAND, Calif.

Police clad in riot gear and armed with tear gas cleared out Oakland’s anti-Wall Street encampment early Monday, the latest law-enforcement crackdown amid complaints around the country of health and safety hazards at protest camps. The raid at the Occupy Oakland camp, one of the largest and most active sites in the movement, came a day after police in Portland, Ore., arrested more than 50 people while shutting down its camp amid complaints of drug use and sanitation issues.

Catholic diocese ups offer for cathedral

SANTA ANA, Calif.

A Roman Catholic diocese raised its offer for the financially ailing Crystal Cathedral, home of the long-running televangelist show “Hour of Power,” as a federal bankruptcy court evaluated competing bids for the sprawling grounds Monday. Diocese of Orange attorney Alan Martin said the new offer was $57.5 million, up from $55.4 million, to address concerns stemming from intellectual property and other potential claims by the megachurch’s founder, the Rev. Robert Schuller, and some of his family members.

Separated twins prepare to go home

PALO ALTO, Calif.

Two weeks after surgery, twin sisters who had been joined at the chest are preparing to leave the hospital — each in her own car seat.

Angelica and Angelina Sabuco have been recovering at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University since their Nov. 1 operation. The hospital said Monday that the 2-year-olds should be able to return to their San Jose home in the next couple of days.

Terror suspect seeks release on bail

WORCESTER, Mass.

Prosecutors say a Massachusetts man accused of plotting to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol was a “ticking time bomb” determined to attack the United States.

Defense attorneys for Rezwan Ferdaus say he’s a mentally troubled man who had a “completely unrealistic fantasy” that had no chance of being carried out.

The descriptions came during a detention hearing Monday in U.S. District Court.

Ferdaus’ lawyers are asking that the 26-year-old be released on bail and placed in the custody of his father while he awaits trial.

Prosecutors argue Ferdaus is dangerous and should be locked up until trial.

Ferdaus was arrested in September after law- enforcement agents posing as al-Qaida members delivered what he believed was C-4 explosives. He has pleaded not guilty.

Associated Press