Zimbabwe: Mugabe critics can 'go hang'
SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt, July 1 (UPI) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's spokesman said Tuesday at an African Union summit conference in Egypt the regime's detractors can "go hang."
Mugabe spokesman George Charamba was defiant at a press conference in Sharm el Sheik as he addressed critics of Mugabe's decision to proceed with a presidential runoff election after opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai had dropped out because of political violence.
"They can go hang a thousand times, they have no basis, they have no claim on Zimbabwe politics at all," The Washington Post reported him as saying.
The comments came amid speculation that African leaders would try to engineer a power-sharing deal in the wake of Zimbabwe's disputed presidential election.
The South African newspaper Business Day reported South African President Thabo Mbeki is negotiating with Mugabe to allow members of the opposition Movement For Democratic Change party into the government.
Business Day said Mbeki's goal is to provide a new constitution and political reforms for Zimbabwe. Thokozani Khupe, an MDC vice president, told The New York Times the opposition wants to establish a "transitional authority" based on the outcome of the March 29 first round of the election in which Tsvangirai emerged with more votes than Mugabe.
Nat'l Guard mobilized for Calif. wildfires
BIG SUR, Calif., July 1 (UPI) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday called out the California National Guard to help battle a stubborn swarm of wildfires burning in the state.
Schwarzenegger's office said in a written statement that about 200 troops from around the state would join the nearly 19,000 firefighters struggling to contain around 945 fires burning in the central and northern California.
The troops will act as hand crews, handle communications and transportation, and operate eight additional bulldozers.
Firefighters said a change in the weather Tuesday brought a wet fog to the coast, which helped in their battle to contain the fires.
The biggest concern in the northern California fires, which have burned 423,000 acres in recent weeks, is the area in and around scenic Big Sur, the state's famous New Age community, whose rugged, 70-mile coastline boasts some of California's most spectacular homes, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Cal Fire said the two-blaze Basin Complex fire and the nearby Indians fire in the rugged Big Sur area had burned a combined 129,000 acres and 16 homes. The Indians fire was nearly contained, however, the Basin Complex was only 3 percent contained and posed a threat to more than 1,200 mostly-rural homes.
Fire threatens Arizona mountain resort
PHOENIX, July 1 (UPI) -- A wildfire northwest of Phoenix Tuesday threatened the small Arizona mountain resort community of Crown King.
Officials announced a voluntary evacuation Monday, The Arizona Republic reported, but some residents stayed put in spite of the warnings.
The Lane 2 fire began Saturday. Authorities believe it may have been started accidentally by hikers trying to signal for help. By Monday, the blaze had consumed 5,300 acres, destroyed at least seven buildings, including three houses, and remained uncontained.
Late in the day, the wildfire was within a quarter-mile of Crown King. The community 20 miles from Prescott has about 120 houses, most of them used as weekend and vacation retreats.
Farther north, the Walla Valley fire continued to burn on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The fire began as a prescribed burn that got out of control.
One of the victims of a helicopter collision in Flagstaff was a Montana firefighter being evacuated to a hospital after being injured at the Walla Valley blaze.
Five Iraq judges survive bomb attacks
BAGHDAD, July 1 (UPI) -- Officials say five Iraqi appeals court judges were targeted in separate assassination attempts Tuesday, but all survived Baghdad bombings.
Each of the judges escaped injury outside of their homes in different neighborhoods in what appeared to be a coordinated bombing campaign, al-Sumaria TV reported. The wife of one of the judges was reportedly injured during one of the attacks.
Iraq High Judicial Council spokesman Abdul Satar Birqadr told the Iraqi broadcaster the bombings must have been planned, while revealing that the council has called on the government to boost judges' security.
The attacks came shortly after gunmen killed the court's chief judge, Kamel Al Shewaili, while he was driving home in Baghdad.
McCain position on Amtrak analyzed
WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. presidential candidate John McCain may have to answer for his Senate record on funding Amtrak, The Boston Globe said Tuesday.
The Arizona Republican and presumptive GOP nominee has consistently opposed proposals to upgrade the nation's passenger rail lines. As chairman of the Senate Science, Commerce and Transportation committee, McCain in 2000 killed $10 billion in capital funding for Amtrak, denouncing it as a symbol of government waste. "There's only two parts of the country that can support a viable rail system -- the Northeast and the far West," he said.
McCain's rail position may soon get more campaign scrutiny as higher gas prices help increase public demand for alternative, public transportation, said the Globe analysis. The House and Senate have passed bills calling for new investments in passenger rail offering 80 cents for every 20 cents spent by the states on infrastructure improvements.
Likely Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is a co-sponsor of the Senate bill. His Web site says he is committed to the development of high speed rail, noting: "In many parts of the country, Amtrak is the only form of reliable transportation."
By contrast, McCain includes no mention of passenger rail travel on his Web site.
NRA sets $15M sight on Obama
WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The powerful National Rifle Association says it plans to spend $15 million to try to paint Sen. Barack Obama as a threat to the Second Amendment.
"Our members understand that if Barack Obama is elected president, and he has support in the Senate to confirm anti-gun Supreme Court nominees, (the determination) could be taken away from us in the future," Chris Cox, NRA's political action chief, told Politico.com.
The day U.S. Supreme Court ruled the right to bear arms is an individual right, Obama of Illinois, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, issued a statement that indicated neither support nor opposition to the decision. His likely GOP challenger, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, enthusiastically supported the decision.
The NRA said it plans to spend about $40 million total on the presidential match-up, splitting its messaging efforts between communicating with its 4 million members and the tens of millions gun owners nationwide.
Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said the senator "has always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms and will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners, hunters and sportsmen as president."
One House Democrat said the Supreme Court decision removed gun control's divisiveness.
"It's a non-issue," said Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who represents the blue-collar Youngstown, Ohio, area and has earned the NRA's backing.
