Advertisement

UPI NewsTrack TopNews

Maersk crew returns to United States

WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- The crew of the Maersk Alabama, the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Somali pirates attempted to hijack last week, arrived back in the United States Thursday.

Advertisement

A plane carrying the crew touched down shortly before 1 a.m. at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to cheers from a crowd of family and friends, CNN reported.

John White, one of the container ship's crewmen, said they cheered on board the plane as it passed over Washington, The Washington Post reported.

"God bless America," he said.

Half a world away, Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips and the crew of the destroyer USS Bainbridge pulled into port in Mombasa, Kenya, as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" blared from loudspeakers, CNN said. It wasn't known when Phillips would return to the United States.

Pirates tried to seize the cargo ship April 8, and Phillips was taken hostage. He had been held on a lifeboat until Sunday, when U.S. Navy SEAL snipers shot and killed three pirates, arrested a fourth gunman and freed Phillips.

Advertisement

Phillips was supposed to reunite with his crew in Mombasa, but the Bainbridge was diverted to provide security to the U.S.-flagged Liberty Sun, which pirates unsuccessfully tried to seize Tuesday.


Obama to discuss transportation vision

WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- How people get from Point A to Point B is part of how the United States will recover from its economic crisis and prosper, President Barack Obama says.

Obama was to discuss his administration's vision for how Americans move about the country Thursday before departing for Mexico. Transforming U.S. travel with a network of high-speed rail will help meet U.S. transportation needs of the 21st century as well as lay a foundation for prosperity by connecting cities, unclog roads and skies, and reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil, he said.

Obama is to deliver his remarks accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

While in Mexico, Obama plans to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and U.S. Embassy employees.

On Friday, the president travels to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas.


Obama seeks balanced reaction to N. Korea

WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- The United States is trying to balance punitive actions against North Korea while encouraging the country to resume nuclear disarmament talks, officials said.

Advertisement

While the Obama administration Thursday proposed imposing U.N. financial sanctions on 11 companies it says are involved in Pyongyang's trade in ballistic missile technology, aides also were saying North Korea should return to talks on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, The Washington Post said.

North Korea expelled international inspectors and said it would restart its nuclear facilities in reaction to the U.N. resolution condemning the North's rocket launch this month. North Korean leaders also walked away from the so-called six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear program involving the Koreas, Japan, China, Russia and the United States.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration is "anxious for the North Koreans to come back to the table, the same place where in September 2005 they made an agreement to dismantle their nuclear program."

In New York, The United States Wednesday gave a U.N. sanctions committee a list of companies officials say helped North Korea buy and sell ballistic missile equipment in violation of U.N. resolutions, the Post said. The Security Council instructed the sanctions committee to reach agreement on a list of firms by April 24. If the committee cannot reach an agreement, the Security Council indicated it will try to approve the list by April 30.

Advertisement


Spain's AG to urge Gitmo probe be dropped

MADRID, April 16 (UPI) -- Spain's attorney general said he'll seek dismissal of an investigation of Bush administration officials for alleged torture of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prisoners.

Attorney General Candido Conde-Pumpido said Thursday the claim against officials in former President George W. Bush's administration is fraudulent, CNN reported.

The matter was presented by a human rights group and provisionally accepted by a Spanish court pending the prosecutor's opinion.

If a claim were to be investigated, it should be pursued by the United States so the former officials would have the opportunity to defend themselves in the U.S. court system, Conde-Pumpido said through his press secretary.

Once prosecutors inform the investigating judge of their decision, the judge will have to decide whether to proceed with the case, officials said.


Clinton gains in bid to clear campaign tab

WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign committee reports it now has enough funds to pay off her campaign debt.

The committee filed finance documents with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday, reporting a total of $2.3 million in debts at the end of March, compared with $2.6 million in the bank, CNN said.

Advertisement

It was not clear, however, whether the entire amount would be used to even up the campaign tab since fundraising activities were continuing.

The nation's top diplomat has been steadily chipping away at unpaid campaign bills since last June when she suspended her bid for the presidency.

The debt peaked at $25.2 million, which included $13.2 million she lent her campaign from personal funds. Since she could not repay the personal loan by the time the Democratic National Convention convened in Denver in August 2008, she had to forgive that sum, officials said.

The Clinton campaign owed $6.4 million to 16 creditors at the end of November and 5.9 million to five creditors at the end of December.

The current $2.3 million is owed to one creditor, Penn, Schoen & Berland, a political consulting and polling firm that advised Clinton during her presidential bid. The firm's president, Mark Penn, served as Clinton's senior strategist during the campaign.

Latest Headlines