'High value' al-Qaida operative in custody
WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- A "high-value" al-Qaida operative has been taken to the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility, the U.S. Defense Department said Friday.
Muhammad Rahim is a high-level al-Qaida member and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said in a news release.
Before arriving at Guantanamo, Rahim "has been held in CIA custody," Whitman said.
Rahim prepared the Tora Bora, Afghanistan, complex as a hideout for bin Laden, and helped al-Qaida's departure from the area in late 2001.
"He had knowledge of, or was involved in, al-Qaida attacks planned against coalition forces in Afghanistan," Whitman said. "At the time of his capture, he was providing support to anti-coalition militias and groups allied with al-Qaida."
Tibet protests intensify, 2 killed
LHASA, China, March 14 (UPI) -- Protesters in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, burned buildings Friday in demonstrations against the run up to the Beijing Summer Olympics, a report said.
Protesters asked their spiritual leader, the exiled Dalai Lama, to pressure Beijing to end "brute force," The Financial Times reported Friday.
Riot police opened fire killing at least two people in central Lhasa, Radio Free Asia reported. Reports said more than a dozen were injured.
Peaceful demonstrations by Tibetan Buddhist monks in recent days have been overshadowed by the most intense demonstrations the region has experienced in 20 years.
Residents said rioters have become more aggressive.
"These protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present governance," the Dalai Lama said in a statement. "I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through duologue with the Tibetan people."
Bush: U.S. economy 'resilient'
WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- President George Bush Friday said the housing crisis is the root cause for the slumping U.S. economy, but cautioned against too much governmental intervention.
"What do you do about it is to allow the market to work and help people," the president said in a speech at the Economic Club of New York, criticizing those who think "anything short of massive government intervention amounts to inaction."
The administration believes action ought to be taken, "but we're concerned about laws and regulations making it difficult for the market to recover," Bush said. He touted the bipartisan $150 billion economic stimulus package that, among other things, provides incentives for businesses to invest in new equipment in 2008.
The package also includes rebates that will be mailed to some 130 million households beginning the second week of May, he said.
Bush said he was advised the stimulus package would begin affecting the economy in the second and third quarters.
"I'm coming at you as an optimistic fellow," Bush said. "I believe we are a resilient economy ... and the ingenuity and resolve of the American people will help us deal" with the "tough time" the economy is experiencing.
Fatah wing wants Fayad out, Hamas closer
RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 14 (UPI) -- The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, armed wing of the Fatah Palestinian faction, called Friday for Prime Minister Salaam Fayad's ouster and a new bonding with Hamas.
The Brigades urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to form a new government "that would not abandon the armed struggle."
The group further urged an end to all contacts with Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Several Fatah officials have called on Abbas to fire Fayad or face a public revolt.
The Brigades group said it would renew attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of four four Palestinians in Bethlehem this week.
Thousands of Palestinians attended the funeral of the four men in Bethlehem Thursday night.
The deaths created a temporary fusion of political and ideological divisions but particularly enraged Fatah advocates of peace negotiations with Israel.
"The crime committed by Israel against our people aims to blow up the peace process," said Muhammad Khalil al-Laham, a Fatah legislator.
Israel strongly defended the killings as a legitimate response to terrorist acts.
Mom who left baby alone in car cleared
CHICAGO, March 14 (UPI) -- Charges have been dropped against a Chicago area mother for leaving her sleeping 2-year-old daughter alone in a locked car, but police stand by her arrest.
Charges of child endangerment and obstruction of justice were dismissed Thursday against Ellen "Treffly" Coyne, 36, of Tinley Park, Ill., who contended she had a full view of her daughter while outside a Wal-Mart with her other two daughters taking a picture of them donating to a Salvation Army kettle.
Coyne said she was never more than 30 feet from the vehicle and was gone for only a few minutes. A Crestwood community service officer saw the girl in the car and called police.
"We're not happy with the decision," Crestwood Police Chief Timothy Sulikowski told the Chicago Tribune, emphasizing he stood behind his officers and the arrest. "We believe this sends the wrong message to the public,"
In Illinois, parents who leave a child age 6 or younger unattended in a car can be charged with misdemeanor child endangerment, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 1 year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
