UPI NewsTrack TopNews

China mine blast death toll at 42

HARBIN, China, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A gas explosion at a mine in northeast China's Heilongjiang province killed at least 42 workers and trapped 66 more Saturday, officials said.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang rushed to the scene as 156 rescue workers gathered at the Xinxing Coal Mine, about 250 miles east of the provincial capital of Harbin, where they worked working on repairing the mine's damaged ventilation system, the state-run Chinese news service Xinhua reported.

Forty-eight miners were also injured in the Saturday morning blast, one of whom is in critical condition, officials said. The injured are reportedly suffering from burns, fractures and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The destroyed ventilation system, as well as a damaged communication infrastructure, were hampering efforts to reach the miners, who are trapped 1,650 feet underground, China News Agency reported.

Xinhua said the mining company confirmed that 528 workers were in the mine when the explosion occurred at 2:30 a.m., with 415 escaping the accident.

-0-

Italians arrest 2 in Mumbai terror probe

BRESCIA, Italy, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Two Pakstani men suspected of helping terrorists carry out last year's attacks in Mumbai were arrested in Saturday Italy, authorities said.

Italy's Division of General Investigations and Special Operations said the men are charged with transferring money the day before the Nov. 26, 2008, attacks to activate Internet phone lines used by the Mumbai terrorists, CNN reported.

The U.S. broadcaster quoted the Italian agency's head, Stefano Fonzi, as saying the Pakistanis were arrested in the northern city of Brescia after a tip from Indian authorities and the FBI. Fonzi also indicated two people connected with a local money transfer agency were also arrested and fifth man was still wanted.

The transfer agency reportedly drew authorities' attention after money was wired under the name of man who had never been in Italy.

The Mumbai terrorist attacks killed 160 people over a four-day siege targeting several sites in the Indian financial capital.

-0-

Hasan to have hearing in hospital

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood is to make his initial court appearance at a hearing in the hospital Saturday.

The hearing on whether Maj. Nidal Hasan should be jailed before trial is to be in his room at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, The New York Times reported.

The Army could have Hasan jailed once he is discharged from Brooke.

Military officials have charged Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the Nov. 5 massacre at the Army post.

Hasan was shot four times by Fort Hood police officers. His lawyer, John Galligan,

said his lower body has been paralyzed, but the hospital has released no information on his condition.

A court-martial proceeding could end in the death penalty, officials said.

-0-

Kidnappers demand $7M for yacht couple

LONDON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The Somali kidnappers of a British yachting couple say they want $7 million for their release, the BBC reported Saturday.

The British broadcaster said it had received a phone call from the kidnappers demanding the ransom as Channel 4 News broadcast footage of Paul and Rachel Chandler surrounded by gunmen and saying they feared they would be killed within a week.

On the video, Paul Chandler reportedly says, "Our captors are very impatient now that nobody has been in touch to enter into negotiations. So we ask the government and the people of Britain and our family, to do whatever they can to enter into negotiations with these people to buy back our lives."

It was the first time the Chandlers have been seen since they disappeared while sailing in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa last month, The Times of London said, adding the couple appeared thin and stressed.

The BBC reported that the couple's family members were heartened to see the Chandlers alive, but were disturbed to see guns pointed at them.

After Channel 4 broadcast the footage, the British Foreign Office issued a statement reiterating its position that it will not negotiate ransoms.

-0-

Obama: U.S. to strive to increase exports

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday his administration would strive to increase American exports to Asia-Pacific countries to create jobs back home.

"If we can increase our exports to Asia-Pacific nations by just 5 percent, we can increase the number of American jobs supported by these exports by hundreds of thousands," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, recorded in Seoul, South Korea.

The president, who just wrapped up his eight-day trip to Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, stressed the need to "place a greater emphasis on exports that we can build, produce and sell to other nations -- exports that can help create new jobs at home and raise living standards throughout the world."

He noted the United States buys more goods from and does more trade with Asia than any other part of the world, supporting millions of American jobs.

While the trip yielded no major breakthroughs, the United States and China pledged to work together to resolve bilateral trade and investment disputes. China is the largest creditor to the United States, holding about $800 billion of U.S. Treasuries.

Obama also said the United States, China and Russia made progress in sending a "unified message to Iran and North Korea that they must live up to their international obligations and either forsake nuclear weapons or face the consequences."

And he touted clean-energy initiatives and said the United States and China had agreed to work toward a "successful outcome at the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen -- an outcome that leads to immediate action to reduce carbon pollution" at next month's summit.

World leaders at APEC backed off from a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by roughly half by 2050. Instead, the leaders approved a preliminary climate-change document that eliminated targets for emissions cuts.

Obama noted the Asia-Pacific includes some of the world's fastest-growing nations, adding, "There can be no solution to the challenge of climate change without the cooperation of the Asia-Pacific."