Dutch PM thanks American liberators

Dutch PM thanks American liberators

MARGRATEN, Netherlands

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte paid tribute Sunday at a Memorial Day ceremony to U.S. troops who fought and died liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation in World War II, while NATO’s supreme commander said the fight to defend freedom continues to this day.

Thousands of people sat under blue skies and wispy white clouds for Sunday’s ceremony at the American cemetery in Margraten.

“We say thank you to our liberators,” Rutte said. “Thank you for enabling us to stand here today in freedom, and we bow our heads in memory of the fallen.”

Unsafe levels of toxins from fracking in Carroll County

Emissions from fracking operations may be exposing people to some toxic pollutants at levels higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for long-term exposure, according to scientists from Oregon State University and the University of Cincinnati.

The researchers took air samples in Carroll County, Ohio, where there are 480 permitted wells – the most in any of the state’s 88 counties. The team found chemicals released during oil and gas extraction that can raise the risk of cancer and respiratory ailments.

Researchers caution they don’t want to create undue alarm with their findings, but they say they hope the results will highlight the urgent need to conduct more in-depth studies of fracking emissions and their potential effects on human health.

Polish president concedes defeat

WARSAW, Poland

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski conceded defeat in the country’s presidential election Sunday after an exit poll showed him trailing Andrzej Duda, a previously little-known right-wing politician.

If the exit poll is confirmed by official results, which are due today, it marks a significant blow to the ruling Civic Platform party ahead of more-important parliamentary elections this year.

Coast Guard helps protester get off ship

SEATTLE

The Coast Guard on Sunday morning helped an activist opposed to Shell Oil’s drilling plans remove himself from a Shell ship in Bellingham, Wash., a spokesman said.

Matt Fuller, who had suspended himself from the anchor chain of the Arctic Challenger support vessel Saturday, requested Coast Guard assistance about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, said spokesman Petty Officer 1st Class George Degener.

Fuller was taken to the local Coast Guard station, where he was met by emergency medical personnel and Bellingham Police Department officers, Degener said. Fuller was not arrested and was released in good condition, the spokesman said.

A second activist, a young woman, remained attached to the Arctic Challenger’s anchor chain Sunday. She secured herself to the chain using a climbing harness Friday night.

Negotiator: Iran grants access to sites

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran has agreed to grant United Nations inspectors “managed access” to military sites as part of a future deal over its contested nuclear program, a negotiator said Sunday, apparently contradicting earlier comments by the nation’s supreme leader.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s comments, carried by state television, came after he and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attended a reportedly stormy closed session of parliament.

“Iran has agreed to grant managed access to military sites,” state TV quoted Araghchi as saying Sunday.

Combined dispatches