Anti-government rally fills Beirut streets
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- At least 200,000 demonstrators packed the streets of Beirut Friday in a Hezbollah-led protest aimed at toppling the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Shops were closed and main roads were heavily monitored by security forces as the capital braced for what some feared might escalate into a violent protest, CNN reports.
Demonstrators flooded into the center of Beirut waving Lebanese flags and wearing hats and T-shirts bearing slogans supporting Hezbollah.
Opposition leader Michael Aoun was met with cheers and applause when he called for Siniora's western-backed government to step down.
"Siniora Out! We want a free government," the protestors shouted through loudspeakers.
The rally was called by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah whose pro-Syrian ministers have resigned from the Lebanese cabinet.
A Nasrallah deputy said the protests would continue until Siniora's cabinet falls.
Secret squad mentioned in ex-spy's death
LONDON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- British investigators looking into the death of ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko reportedly have information of a secret squad that targeted the ex-spy.
Alexander Goldfarb, a friend of Litvinenko, said he handed Scotland Yard copies of two letters purportedly written by former Russian intelligence officer Mikhail Trepashkin while he was in prison, the Times of London said. In one letter, Litvinenko was warned that both he and his family were at risk.
Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death. Investigators do not agree but are said to believe that polonium 210, the radioactive element used to poison him, must have been obtained by someone with access to government nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin was at the center of another poison mystery after the family of former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar claimed that he had been sickened by unknown toxins.
Wintry blast hits Midwest, Plains
CHICAGO, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The first major snowstorm of the season barged across the Midwest and Plains stretching in varying intensity from Michigan to the Texas-Mexico border.
Road travel, slowed to a crawl in many places, became a hazardous chore with scores of accidents reported. Hundreds of flights were canceled, schools were closed and wide areas were without power.
A fierce winter blast in Chicago was expected to leave about a foot of snow in the northwest suburbs, WBBM-TV, Chicago, reported. A cargo plane slid on ice and blocked the only working runway at O'Hare International Airport, shutting down air travel. Both American and United had already canceled all flights until noon.
Sanitation workers, armed with 400,000 tons of salt, were out in force to treat the slippery streets. A seven-car pileup blocked traffic in suburban McCook.
The storm, rolling through the Northwest and Rockies, reached as far south as Texas where snow fell at El Paso on the Mexican border, and dumped as much as 7 inches of snow in the Panhandle.
Several 18-wheelers and cars skidded into each other on one ramp of Dallas' High 5 interchange, KTVT-TV, Fort Worth, said.
Bush proclaims Dec. 1 World AIDS Day
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush Friday proclaimed Dec. 1 World AIDS Day and urged all Americans to join in the fight against the disease.
"HIV/AIDS is a global health crisis and a constant struggle for many of our families, friends, and neighbors," the president said. "On World AIDS Day, we underscore our commitment to fight the AIDS pandemic with compassion and decisive action."
Bush said he had asked the Congress to reform and reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act and provide funding to improve distribution of HIV/AIDS medicines in the United States.
"America leads the world in the fight against HIV/AIDS and through the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief we are combating the disease in countries around the world," he said.
"In addition, the United States and other concerned countries are promoting a comprehensive strategy to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS."
