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Blizzard's icy fingers scratch across U.S.

CHICAGO, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A blizzard howled over the U.S. Upper Midwest, bringing promises of more snow, frigid temperatures and treacherous conditions, forecasters said.

Snow extended from eastern Nebraska to Michigan, AccuWeather.com reported, and was tracking toward the Northeast, which was expecting to be slammed with the wintry mix throughout Wednesday.

So far, officials blame the massive late fall storm for four deaths.

Up to 15 inches of snow was on the ground in Madison, Wis., where the University of Wisconsin canceled all classes, the Wisconsin State Journal said.

Through 3 a.m., Central standard time, Wednesday, the storm had dumped 11.5 inches on Des Moines, Iowa, and 6 inches on Omaha, AccuWeather.com reported.

Road conditions were expected to remain dangerous in the Upper Midwest as the falling snow tapered off, yielding to wind gusts of up to 60 mph that would blow the snow around and making visibility poor.

Officials in several states advised motorists not to travel, but if they must, pack a winter survival kit, warm clothes and blankets.

No place registered more snow than South Fork, Colo., where 59 inches fell, weather officials said. Below the mountains, Clay Center, Neb., reported 14 inches, Rockport, Mo., had 12.5 and about a foot was reported in Mankato and Phillipsburg, both in Kansas. Six to 10 inches were reported across parts of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.

The storm was forecast to move to the northeast through the night and air travel was expected to be seriously impacted across the Midwest and Northeast Wednesday, forecasters said.

Snow, ice and rain already moved into the mid-Atlantic region and was expected to spread into the Northeast through, AccuWeather.com said. Washington, Philadelphia and New York City were expected to get mostly rain, but sleet and snow were possible.

Airstrikes target Taliban supply routes

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. airstrike targeted a group of militants near a Taliban training camp in the eastern province of Kunar, military officials said Wednesday.

No casualties were reported, however officials said that the targeted area was not close to civilian homes.

U.S. and international forces have been condemned in Afghanistan for civilian casualties in their pursuit of Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects.

The targeted area was a remote section of the Watapur Valley, a known hotbed of insurgent activity. Military officials said the Taliban use the area as a supply channel to send weapons to fighters throughout the country.

Obama cancels lunch with Norway's king

OSLO, Norway, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The leader of Norway's right-wing Progress Party said U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to cancel lunch with King Harald is wrong, and poll results agree.

Results of an InFact poll indicated 44 percent of respondents said it was impolite for Obama, who will be in Oslo, Norway, to accept his Nobel Peace Prize Thursday, to cancel his lunch with Norway's monarch, while 34 percent said they thought it was "quite all right," broadcaster NRK reported.

Reaction was stronger that Obama would be leaving the country Friday before the Nobel Concert in his honor, results indicated. Fifty-three percent of respondents called Obama's absence from the concert impolite.

Progress Party leader Siv Jensen said she believed canceling the lunch at the Royal Palace was worse than skipping the concert.

Although lunch was canceled, Obama and U.S. first lady Michelle Obama will have an audience with King Harald and Queen Sonja and their family, The Norway Post reported.

The Obamas also were expected to visit the Norwegian Nobel Institute and meet with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg before the Nobel Prize ceremony.

Obama was to leave Oslo Friday for Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend the U.N.-sponsored climate change summit.

Claims of mass grave in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A Philippines human rights panel says it will investigate claims that hundreds of people were killed in 2001 in Maguindanao, scene of a massacre last month.

Leila de Lima, chairwoman of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, said during a Wednesday news conference in Manila the "whispers" alleged 200 people were killed, some reportedly by a chainsaw, GMANews.TV reported.

De Lima said the office would look into the allegations after it finishes its investigation of the Nov. 23 election-related massacre of 57 people, including 30 journalists and media professionals, in Maguindanao province. The victims, which also included relatives, lawyers and supporters of Esmael Mangudadatu, were allegedly killed by followers of Andal Ampatuan Jr.

When investigators went to Maguindanao province to look into the November massacre, residents told stories of people allegedly killed and buried in mass graves by the Ampatuan family in 2001, when the family's power in the province began to rise, de Lima said.

"There were at least 200 killings in this 'chainsaw massacre.' (As) to who they were we don't know yet," de Lima said. "We only learned about this through word of mouth, through whispers."

She said the commission expected to begin looking into the 2001 matter in about two weeks, GMANews.TV said.

"We have no evidence yet," de Lima said. "But given the right evidence, people we talked to claimed they can pinpoint those graves."

Israeli expert dismisses EU Jerusalem call

TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Calls for East Jerusalem to be established as the capital of a new Palestinian state don't carry much weight, an Israeli political scientist says.

Retired Brig. Gen. Shlomo Brom, a research associate with the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said a call issued this week by the European Union for Israel and Palestinians to share Jerusalem as their capital won't have any practical effect, The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.

Such calls were "purely political," Brom told the Post, adding, "The whole (idea of recognizing East Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital outside the framework of negotiations with Israel) is just political. It has no other meaning except that an important part of the West, namely the Europeans, think that this is what should be done. There are no practical implications."

He told the newspaper that because Israel extends control over the entire city, there was little that the Palestinians could do on their own to prepare for such a move.

"I don't see how a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state (and therefore Palestinian control over east Jerusalem) is physically possible," he said. "In fact, it's impossible."

No timetable set for Serbia EU application

BELGRADE, Serbia, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- No decision has been made on if Serbia will submit its European Union candidacy application before the end of the year, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic says.

Jeremic said Wednesday that, despite widespread speculation the application will be submitted this month, no firm decisions have been made, the Serbian news Web site B92 reported.

Jeremic told the Web site that a final decision may be forthcoming after Belgrade consults with European partners and concludes talks among senior government officials.

"The act itself of applying for candidacy is a political act which demonstrates that the debates on the topic are finished," he told B92. "We finished the domestic debate on what direction we are headed -- we are heading toward EU integration. The international debate will be finished when Serbia submits its candidacy application."

The decision, Jeremic said, "has not yet been made on when this will be."