U.S. to continue Israeli-Palestinian settlement even in failure

Washington will continue to support the Israeli-Palestinian settlement process even though it is difficult and may fail, U.S. President Barack Obama said at a press conference on Friday.

"That doesn't mean it's going to work," Obama said. "Ultimately, it's going to be up to them. We can facilitate. We can encourage. We can tell them that we will stand behind them".

The talks are "a risk worth taking," the U.S. President said.

"[Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu were here last week, and they came with a sense of purpose and seriousness and cordiality that, frankly, exceeded a lot of people's expectations. What they said was that they were serious about negotiations. They affirmed the goal of creating two states living side by side in peace and security," Obama said.

U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian representatives held trilateral discussions in the U.S. State Department last week, followed by a smaller meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Process George Mitchell.

RIA Novosti

Nigerian Nightmare 2.5 kg lighter than Wladimir Klitschko

IBF, IBO and WBO World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko, also known as Dr. Steelhammer, was just a bit heavier than his challenger Samuel Peter, the Nigerian Nightmare, the Klitschko brothers' website reported.

Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs), whose height is 199 cm, weighed 112 kg, and Peter (34-3, 27 KOs) is 188 cm and 109.5 kg. The two stepped on the scales in Frankfurt.

The two heavyweights will face off at Commerzbank-Arena Frankfurt/Main, Germany on Saturday. Over 50,000 tickets have been sold.

"I'm in better shape than five years ago when I fought Peter for the first time. Expect a fast knockout," Wladimir promised.

When the two met five years ago, Peter knocked Wladimir down three times but lost by points.

RIA Novosti

Tehran dismisses reports on secret nuclear site

Iran's top nuclear official denied on Friday claims of a covert nuclear facility near the capital, Tehran, the Mehr news agency reported.

"We don't have such a facility," Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said referring to claims by the terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization on Thursday that it had evidence of a new secret underground atomic site in the country.

"If they have any details they should inform us so that we can thank them," Salehi said.

The organization said that a uranium enrichment facility about 120 km west of Tehran was about 85% complete.

Salehi said the country has plenty of facilities using nuclear technology - for example, to sterilize agricultural products, which "do not fall into the nuclear plant category".

RIA Novosti

Zhirinovsky wants to replace Luzhkov as Moscow mayor

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party, said Friday he is ready to take Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov's seat.

The controversial Russian lawmaker, who spoke on the sidelines of the Global Policy Forum in the city of Yaroslavl some 250 km northeast of the Russian capital, pledged to permit all protests and give every Muscovite the chance to start their own business.

"I am ready to become the mayor of Moscow, and Moscow will breathe freely. This will be a different city - more reliable, more modern, happier," Zhirinovsky said.

"All protests will be permitted. And each Muscovite will be able to start their own business," he added.

Luzhkov, speaking at the forum, said earlier on Friday he will not leave his post before his term of office ends in 2011.

Luzhkov has been Moscow's mayor since 1992 but frequently has to dismiss rumors he will resign.

RIA Novosti

Serbia accepts watered-down U.N. Kosovo resolution

Serbia has finally been persuaded to compromise over Kosovo. On the eve of a vote on the UN General Assembly resolution on Kosovo, Serbia (which had been calling for Kosovo's status to be reconsidered) threw its weight behind the EU initiative. The resolution now goes forward as a joint EU-Serbian initiative.

The resolution passed by an overwhelming majority of the 192-nation assembly on September 9 contains no mention of the illegality of Kosovo's independence, or the fact that Belgrade will never accept it, nor does it call for fresh talks on Kosovo's status.

EU diplomats did a good job editing the document, which in legal terms is considered a letter of intent. Despite Serbia's fierce rebuttal of any such suggestion, the resolution highlights Belgrade's changing position.

The document mentions unresolved problems, takes into consideration the July 2010 ruling of the International Court of Justice that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not contravene international law and also initiates economic dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina under EU auspices.

Now that clauses referring to the illegality of Kosovo's independence have been omitted, several EU countries refusing to recognize Kosovo (Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Slovakia) can now take part in this dialogue. Seventy states have recognized Kosovo to date, while another 60, including Russia and China, refuse to do so. Kosovo is unable to join the UN because, as permanent UN Security Council members, Moscow and Beijing have the right to veto all decisions. All other countries have either delayed recognition of Pristina's independence or have assumed a wait-and-see attitude.

RIA Novosti

Tropical Storm Igor in eastern Atlantic

MIAMI, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Igor gained strength Friday in the eastern Atlantic after forming off the coast of Africa, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

Igor is expected to reach hurricane strength Sunday, forecasters said. At 3 p.m. EDT, the storm was heading west at almost 21 mph.

While the storm's forward motion is expected to slow, Igor should be in the western Atlantic by Wednesday.

At 3 p.m., Igor's maximum winds were 45 mph, with tropical storm force winds extending 45 miles from the center.

The storm is days away from menacing land. If it keeps on its present course or veers slightly to the north, it could hit some of the Caribbean islands, the Bahamas or Florida.

UPI

Former Ill. governor wants out of prison

CHICAGO, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan has asked for release from prison on compassionate grounds, with lawyers saying his wife has no more than 3 years to live.

Lura Lynn Ryan, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, attended a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago breathing with the help of a portable oxygen tank, the Chicago Tribune reported. George Ryan's lawyers said Lura Lynn Ryan has a number of other conditions that make the fibrosis hard to treat.

George Ryan is serving a 6 1/2-year prison term after being convicted of bribery, tax evasion and other charges. He's been in prison nearly 2 years.

His lawyers argue he has good shot at winning an appeal because some of the charges involve a federal "honest services" law the U.S. Supreme Court recently found unconstitutionally vague and that he has served his time on the remaining counts.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, who presided over his trial, scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Nov. 1.

UPI

Group says Peru giving abuse 'amnesty'

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Peru should amend recently adopted presidential decrees that amount to "amnesty" for abuses by the country's military and police, a human rights group says.

The decrees, issued Sept. 1 by President Alan Garcia, adopt new rules of procedure for investigations by civilian criminal courts of human rights abuses committed by military and police personnel, Human Rights Watch said in a release Friday.

"President Garcia has created a legal framework that amounts to a blanket amnesty for the vast majority of abuses by state agents in Peru's recent history, including during his first presidency," Jose Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch said. "This means that those responsible for killings, 'disappearances' and torture will never have to pay the price for their crimes".

Peru is party to several international treaties on human rights, the rights group says, including the American Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

UPI

Gangs shut down El Salvador transportation

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Public transport in El Salvador has been severely disrupted by a strike enforced by street gangs angry about a new law making gang membership a crime.

Gangs told bus companies around the country to shut down service or face the consequences, the BBC reported Friday. Observers in San Salvador say most bus companies across the country appear to have given in to the gangs' threats, disrupting services for the third consecutive day.

The anti-gang law was introduced in July after gang members set fire to a bus, killing 17 people.

Police and soldiers have been escorting vehicles carrying passengers and the army has been using military trucks to help people get to work.

The street gangs, known as Maras, ordered the shutdown to pressure President Mauricio Funes not to sign the new law.

The law, approved by El Salvador's parliament, makes the Mara 18 and Salvatrucha gangs proscribed organizations and describes them as "social extermination groups".

UPI

Detroit clearing up after rash of fires

DETROIT, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Detroit began razing houses Friday that were gutted by a rash of fires earlier in the week.

Mayor Dave Bing's office reported that at least 71 buildings burned Tuesday, the Detroit Free Press reported. He said 29 are known to have been occupied.

Six of the buildings were demolished Friday morning and the mayor said 50 will come down in the next month.

The scene Tuesday was reminiscent of Devil's Night arsons decades ago on the night before Halloween. 

But officials said they believe the fires were weather-related, with high winds causing dead tree branches to fall on power lines.

City officials met Friday with DTE Energy to talk about the fires and power outages that affected thousands of people. The issues included the downed lines, keeping trees trimmed and illegal electrical connections.

UPI

Irani leader slams Mid East peace talks

TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- An Iranian spiritual leader says peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority make for a coverup for Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

"The United States and the West just sit back and watch the suppression of the Palestinian nation and yet they arrange talks for peace, what peace?" Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said. "Between which people?"

Khamenei praised the Palestinian resistance against Tel Aviv, saying that "pressure cannot crush these people's resistance," Iran's Press TV said.

Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad derided the peace talks and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, The Jerusalem Post reported.

UPI

China's trade surplus shrank in August

BEIJING, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- China's trade surplus shrank significantly in August because imports jumped in the month, the General Administration of Customs office said Friday.

The surplus dropped from $28.7 billion in July to $20 billion in August, with imports surging 35.2 percent compared to a year ago, The New York Times reported.

Although month-to-month growth in exports slowed, Chinese exports are still sharply higher than August 2009, when the global recession deflated international trade. Exports were 34.4 percent higher than a year ago, the Times said.

The trade data will likely be used by both China and the United States to shore up arguments on China's currency policy, which the United States would like to see loosened, to allow the yuan to appreciate.

A stronger yuan would make China's exports more expensive abroad and tilt the balance toward countries, such as the United States, that have lost jobs to Chinese manufacturing.

UPI

Three bombs discovered in Thailand cities

BANGKOK, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Police in Thailand say they are searching for a man seen on surveillance video after three unexploded bombs were found in Bangkok and a neighboring province.

The three bombs were the work of the same group, police said, adding they are seeking an arrest warrant for the man seen on the video, the Thai News Agency reported Thursday.

One bomb was found near a Bangkok school Wednesday morning and two others were found Thursday, one at a department store in the Bangkok neighborhood of Ngamwongwan and one at the Public Health Ministry in Nonthaburi province.

All three bombs were set to be able to detonate within a 7-day time period, police said.

The bomb discoveries were the latest incidents in the wake of recent grenade attacks and bombings in the capital.

Bangkok remains under a state of emergency after the 10-week anti-government Red Shirt protest ending in May left 89 people dead.

UPI

Cooperation between both Koreas urged

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- South Korea's president says he favors another inter-Korean industrial complex but the possibility depends on North Korea's attitudes.

President Lee Myung-bak, attending an international forum in Russia, said Friday North Korea should start by apologizing for the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"I think North Korea should apologize for the Cheonan incident and inter-Korean relations should be normalized," Lee said in an interview on Russian television.

Relations between the countries have virtually come to a standstill since the incident.

The South cut off all joint economic projects with the North, except for the industrial complex jointly run by the two Koreas in the North's border town of Kaesong.

More than 100 South Korean firms operating there employ around 44,000 North Koreans.

UPI

Nevada gambling revenue down in July

CARSON CITY, Nev., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The Nevada Gaming Control Board said gaming revenues in the state fell for the fifth consecutive month in July, decreasing 4.9 percent from the previous year.

The board said casinos in the state collected $829.7 million from customers during July, down from $872.7 million in July 2009, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday.

Casinos on the Las Vegas strip collected $461.3 million during July, about $12,000 more than the same month in 2009. Casinos in downtown Las Vegas recorded a 19 percent decline from July 2009 while North Las Vegas casinos experienced a 23.6 percent decline.

UPI

Monica Conyers begins prison term

ALDERSON, W.Va., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers surrendered Friday at a federal prison in West Virginia to begin a 37-month sentence.

Conyers, 45, became Inmate 43693-039 in the prison camp for women in Alderson, W.Va., The Detroit News reported.

Since pleading guilty in 2009 to accepting bribes, Conyers, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., has made strenuous efforts to remain free, the Detroit Free Press reported. She tried to withdraw her plea and was turned down by a federal judge. This week, an appellate court refused to grant her bail while she appeals that ruling.

Alderson, nicknamed "Camp Cupcake," is known for a number of famous inmates, including Billie Holiday and Martha Stewart. Two women who made attempts on the life of President Gerald Ford were also inmates there but were transferred elsewhere after escapes.

UPI

South Korea battles low birth rate

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- South Korea, facing a chronic low birth rate, says it will allow women to ask for shorter working hours so they can better raise their children.

The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said the proposal to encourage childbirth and deal with population aging aims to make it easier for women to maintain their jobs and take care of their families, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday.

Under the proposal to be finalized in October, the government will make it mandatory for employers to allow women who have children to work less, with the corresponding reduction in salary compensated by child-care and maternity leave pay.

Currently, employers can permit flexible working hours but they aren't compelled to do so, making it difficult for mothers to juggle child-rearing and jobs.

This has been cited as one reason for the country's low birthrate, which could hamper economic growth potential and increase future social costs.

UPI

Nokia picks a new president and CEO

ESPOO, Finland, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Finish electronics giant Nokia said Friday it had chosen Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as its next president and chief executive officer.

The appointment begins Sept. 21, Nokia said in a statement.

Elop, currently the head of Microsoft's Business Division, has also held senior executive posts at Juniper Networks, Adobe Systems Inc. and Macromedia Inc.

"The time is right to accelerate the company's renewal," said Nokia Chairman Jorma Ollila.

Elop, in a statement, called Nokia the "undisputed leader of the mobile communications industry".

"I am confident that together we can continue to deliver innovative products that meet the needs of our consumers," he said.

UPI

Adviser to Hollywood elite pleads guilty

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A New York investment adviser who catered to the Hollywood elite pleaded guilty to fraud in a federal court Friday, court papers say.

Kenneth Starr, who circulated through movie premiers and charity parties to solicit the likes ofAl Pacino and Sylvester Stallone to his big screen client base, faces up to 12 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and investment adviser fraud, The New York Times reported.

By his own admission, Starr stole up to $50 million to pay legal fees and finance a lavish lifestyle. His condominium in the Upper East Side of Manhattan includes a 1,500-square-foot garden and a lap pool.

"He's assumed full responsibility for his conduct. He made a colossal error in judgment that he recognizes. He's paying a very, very heavy price," said Flora Edwards, one of his attorneys.

It is likely Starr will be forced to pay restitution that will be "significantly less" than $50 million, Edwards told the Times.

UPI

Music critique met with guitar assault

MADISON, Wis., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin street musician allegedly responded to criticism of his guitar playing by hitting his critic on the head with his instrument, police said.

Police say he then tackled the man, threw another man into a wall and wrestled with a police sergeant before being subdued with a stun gun and arrested, The (Madison, Wis.) Capital Times reported.

Brandin Hochstrasser, 31, better known as "Bongo Jesus," was charged with battery, battery to a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

"The dispute started over some questionable guitar playing," police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.

A 54-year-old homeless man apparently had an opinion of Hochstrasser's musical ability.

"He went over to 'Bongo Jesus' and provided some sort of critique which did not sit well," DeSpain told the newspaper.

An argument ensued and then the disagreement escalated, he said.

UPI

Police: Football punishment went too far

NORWOOD, Pa., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania police said two people were arrested on child endangering charges after officers saw a 6-year-old being punished after a football practice.

Norwood police said Chellie Bowden, 36, allegedly sought help from Coach Charles Robinson, 41, to punish her son for not paying attention during a pee wee football practice Thursday. Police said the boy was forced to run for more than a mile before Robinson allegedly grabbed him by the helmet and dragged him, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Friday.

"It was awfully harsh for them to be punishing a 6-year-old for not paying attention. Very seldom do they pay attention," Norwood Police Sgt. Michael Spille said.

UPI

FDA view on salmon draws criticism

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Opponents of genetically modified foods are criticizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for saying genetically modified salmon are safe to eat.

FDA documents just released say salmon raised by Canada's Aqua Bounty Technologies are as safe to eat as other Atlantic salmon, with similar vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

Aqua Bounty Technologies began its attempt to have the salmon approved by the FDA 15 years ago. The salmon have been genetically modified to grow twice as fast as other Atlantic salmon.

If the salmon is approved for consumers, it would be the first genetically modified food animal on the market.

Reaction to the release of the FDA documents was swift.

UPI

Britney's Ex-Friend Accused of Psychotic Stalking 9 minutes ago by TMZ Staff

Samuel Barth -- an aspiring actor/model -- claims Lutfi developed such an obsession toward him that he hacked into his email, Facebook and Twitter accounts and set out on a campaign to terrorize and vilify Barth's mother and other relatives.

Barth says he moved to L.A. From Virginia in January and rented an apartment near Lutfi, eventually moving in with him.  They became friends, but according to legal docs obtained by TMZ, Lutfi quickly became obsessed, first trying to diagnose Barth with "various mental and emotional problems and forcefully suggesting solutions" -- eerily similar to what Lutfi allegedly did to Britney Spears.

Barth tried to distance himself from Lutfi and that's when the alleged campaign of terror began.  Barth claims in his declaration Lutfi tried to drive a wedge between Barth and his mother, calling her "evil," a "bitch" and "Satan," among other things.  Lutfi sent emails and texts to Barth's mom, telling her how she "viciously destroyed" the lives of her kids.  Lutfi emailed Barth's underage sister (about the mom and aunt), "I wish those two sick women the most evil and painful death possible".  Again, similar to Sam trying to turn Britney against her mom and dad.

Lutfi also verbally attacked Barth's brother, calling him "a waste of human flesh" and a "f**kin' loser".

The judge granted the temporary restraining order today and, among other things, prohibited Lutfi from hacking into the various accounts of Barth and his family.

TMZ

Swaziland pro-democracy protesters threatened with torture

Swaziland has threatened pro-democracy activists with torture as tensions in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy continue to grow.

The warning that sipakatane - beating people's feet with spikes - could be used against protesters was condemned by trade unions in the country after a week in which 50 protesters were arrested and several foreigners treated roughly and deported.

Sipakatane, also known as bastinado, involves using metal or wooden spikes to beat someone's bare feet repeatedly, leaving them bleeding and potentially unable to walk.

Barnabas Dlamini, the Swaziland prime minister, was quoted in state media yesterday as saying the government would consider using it to crush dissent.

Returning from the inauguration of the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, Dlamini added that there were lessons to learn from that country on how to deal with "meddling" from abroad. "Each person should mind the politics of his own country and not come here to meddle in our affairs, especially if that country has a lot of its own problems," he told the Times of Swaziland newspaper.

The paper reported: "Dlamini said every country or community had its own dissidents and it was up to government to deal with the noisy minorities, whom he said he wished would behave in a grown-up manner and stop behaving like children".

Trade unions described the threat to use the form of torture as "a declaration of war" and demanded it be withdrawn.

The Guardian

Fidel Castro says his comment on Cuban model was misunderstood

Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Former Cuban President Fidel Castro said Friday that he was misinterpreted when he recently told an American journalist that the Cuban model no longer works.

In a speech at the University of Havana that was then broadcast on Cuban TV, Castro said he meant "exactly the opposite" of what was understood by Jeffrey Goldberg, who was interviewing him for The Atlantic.

According to Goldberg, when he asked Castro during an interview last week if the Cuban model could be exported, the 84-year-old former leader answered: "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore".

The comment was widely interpreted as Castro's admission that the Soviet-style economic model he introduced after his revolution no longer works.

Goldberg wrote on The Atlantic's blog that he turned to Julia Sweig of the Council on Foreign Affairs, who was present at the interview, "to interpret this stunning statement for me".

"She said, 'He wasn't rejecting the ideas of the revolution. I took it to be an acknowledgment that under "the Cuban model" the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country,' " he wrote.

CNN

Esther Phiri: Zambia's 'Million Dollar Baby'

Lusaka, Zambia (CNN) -- Esther Phiri grew up helping her grandmother sell vegetables in a poor township in the Zambian capital Lusaka.

Today she is a world boxing champion and a household name in Zambia. She lives in a house given to her by her country's former president Levy Mwanawasa and owns a small property empire bought with her prize money.

It is a rags-to-riches tale reminiscent of the Hollywood film Million Dollar Baby, but transported to a country where the average life expectancy is 38 -- the second lowest in the world, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Phiri, 23, began her boxing career seven years ago and still trains at the gym where she started.

A biography of Phiri on the Women's Boxing Archive Network describes how she dropped out of school and became a single mother at the age of 16 after her family fell on hard times.

It said she took up boxing as part of an HIV-awareness sport program run by an international NGO. She was the only girl on the program.

Phiri's trainer Anthony Mwamba told CNN that when he first met Phiri, she was renting a one-room house, sleeping on the bare floor with her daughter.

CNN