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GOP coming back, RNC leader says

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Republican gubernatorial wins signal a GOP on the mend, not predictions of the 2010 midterm U.S. elections, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele said.

Reclaiming the governor's mansions in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrated the Republican Party "moved beyond our past losses and no message," Steele told CNN Wednesday.

In New Jersey, Gov. Jon Corzine conceded the election to former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who picked up about half the vote to 45 percent for Corzine and 5 percent for Chris Daggett, a former Republican running as an independent.

In Virginia, former Republican state Attorney General Robert McDonnell won a decisive victory over state Sen. Creigh Deeds.

Independent voters, critical to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential win, flocked to GOP gubernatorial candidates because "issues that mattered (to them) were not being addressed or being addressed in a way that they didn't appreciate," Steele said.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, outgoing Virginia governor, downplayed the GOP wins, saying exit polls indicated people "voted based on local issues," and didn't reflect a backlash against Obama.

The president remains popular in New Jersey and Virginia, Kaine said, noting historically in his state the party in the White House lost the governorship in the odd-year election.

The loss of independent support "is something we're going to have to look at," Kaine told CNN.

A Democratic win in upstate New York's 23rd congressional district, despite being "great Shakespearean theater," only showed "you've got to have a primary process," Steele said.

Democrat Bill Owens won a special election in the heavily Republican district. Doug Hoffman, running as a third-party GOP conservative, forced Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava out of the race with help from nationally known conservative figures. Local Republican leaders selected Scozzafava for the ballot.

Kaine said the intraparty squabbling in New York is a continuation of the GOP "marginalizing itself by saying moderates aren't welcome" that likely will have "some significance" in the 2010 midterms.

Steele looked at Tuesday's results cautiously, saying, "I'm not so quick to say this portends great things for Republican Party. We have a lot of work to do. Last night was an example (of what happens) when elected officials don't listen to what the people are saying."

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Clinton repeats no-settlement commitment

CAIRO, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The United States is committed to reviving Middle East peace talks and opposed to Israeli settlement construction, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

"President Obama, special envoy (George) Mitchell -- who is here with me today -- and I are all deeply and personally committed to achieving a two-state solution and comprehensive peace between Israelis,

Palestinians and all of their Arab neighbors," Clinton said Wednesday in Cairo during a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit.

Clinton irked Palestinian leaders Saturday when, during a stop in Jerusalem, she praised Israel for steps to limit, but not end, construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. On Wednesday, Clinton said U.S. policy about the settlement issue hasn't changed, CNN reported.

"I want to say that again: Our policy on settlement activity has not changed," she said. "We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity. And we have a very firm belief that ending all activity -- current and future -- would be preferable, and that is what we have put forth, and that is what we have continued to support."

Clinton said Egypt was a key player in the peace process and that improving the U.S. image in the region was vital to peace negotiations, CNN reported.

"It is important to recognize that after a period of time in which the United States' position was rejected or was certainly questioned, what we are doing is very carefully and consistently rebuilding those bonds, creating those partnerships, finding common ground so we and our international partners will be able to make progress," she said.

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Anti-U.S. rally becomes anti-Iran protest

TEHRAN, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Anti-U.S. and anti-government protesters crowded Tehran streets Wednesday, the 30th anniversary of Iranian students storming the U.S. Embassy.

Anti-government protesters clashed with security forces in the republic's capital, where witnesses told CNN security forces pumped tear gas into crowds and fired shots into the air to disperse the demonstrators.

Traditionally, Nov. 4, a national holiday in Iran, is marked by anti-U.S. sentiment in commemoration of the U.S. Embassy takeover by radical students and the holding of 53 embassy personnel hostage for 444 days.

"The Americans are scared of religious democracy in our country more than anything else," lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said in an official rally marking the anniversary. "This is because Iran's religious democracy could turn into a role model in other countries."

Anti-government demonstrators sought to turn the anniversary rally into a protest against the disputed June 30 election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner, the New York Times reported.

Government opposition leaders ignored threats of arrest for chanting anything other than "Death to America," the Times reported. Government leaders also said no rallies would be permitted except state-sanctioned ones outside the former U.S. Embassy.

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Alleged serial killer held without bond

CLEVELAND, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A Cleveland judge Wednesday ordered the man suspected of killing at least 10 people held without bond on five counts of aggravated murder.

Cleveland Municipal Judge Ronald Adrine said the charges against Anthony Sowell were the most serious he'd ever seen, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported.

Sowell was arrested Saturday after five decomposing bodies were found in his home and another body was discovered outside. Since then, police found four more bodies in the backyard of Sowell's home and a skull in the basement.

Assistant County Prosecutor Brian Murphy said, "(The) state believes (Sowell) is an incredibly dangerous threat to the public, not only in Cleveland, but beyond the city's limits."

Sowell, 50, faces the death penalty if convicted, Murphy said.

Fire officials, meanwhile, were to tear into walls and floors of Sowell's home in search of more remains, CNN reported. Police investigators resumed their gruesome dig in the yard.

"I like to believe there is nothing else more there, but we will not know until we finish the search," Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath said. "It appears that this man had an insatiable appetite that he had to fill."

Sowell is a registered sex offender, CNN reported. He was convicted for a 1989 rape and in prison from 1990 to 2005, police said. Since his release, he was listed as living at the Cleveland home where the bodies were found, McGrath said.

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U.N.: Some aboard ship 'genuine' refugees

CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Some of the Sri Lankan asylum-seekers aboard an Australian customs ship off Indonesia are genuine refugees in need of protection, a U.N. agency says.

Richard Towle of the United Nations Refugee Agency told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Wednesday several members of the group -- who are refusing the leave the ship for fear being placed in Indonesian detention camps -- have been recognized by the agency as needing protection.

"It's difficult for us to say exactly who's on board and what their background and profile is, but we understand there are a number of cases who are known to (the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees) -- either as refugees or people who have some registration with our organization in southeast Asia," Towle told the ABC.

The situation has turned into an international stand-off because Indonesia has not given permission to UNHCR to board the ship, while Australia and Indonesia are negotiating the refugees' fate.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor told ABC productive discussions are under way, saying, "Those discussions will continue. It's a difficult challenge."

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Earthquake rocks southern Iran

TEHRAN, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A 4.9-magnitude earthquake rattled southern Iran Wednesday injuring about 700 people, officials said.

Iran's state-run media quoted officials as reporting no deaths from the tremor, CNN said.

Reports of property damages were not available.

Iran lies along seismic fault lines and has been rocked strong earthquakes, notably in December 2003 when a 6.6-magnitude quake devastated the ancient city of Bam, killing at least 30,000 people.