U.S. apologizes for Koran treatment
KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Furious crowds gathered outside Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan after reports of religious items, including copies of the Koran, being burned, witnesses said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Tuesday joined the NATO commander in Afghanistan in apologizing for the improper disposal of the religious items.
Panetta said Gen. John R. Allen, International Security Assistance Force commander, had notified him of "the deeply unfortunate incident."
"He and I apologize to the Afghan people and disapprove of such conduct in the strongest possible terms," Panetta said in a written statement. "These actions do not represent the views of the United States military. We honor and respect the religious practices of the Afghan people, without exception."
Panetta said the matter will be investigated jointly with the Afghan government.
"I will carefully review the final results of the investigation to ensure that we take all steps necessary and appropriate so that this never happens again," he said.
41 child suicide bombers intercepted
KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Afghan police have intercepted 41 children they suspect insurgents planned to use as suicide bombers, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.
The children, ages 6 to 11, where allegedly being smuggled into the mountains of Pakistan by suspected insurgents, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said.
"We strongly believe that the children were being taken to Pakistan to be trained, brainwashed and sent back as Afghan enemies," he said. "The insurgents cheat poor and ordinary Afghans and take away their children."
Police rescued the children in the Watapur district of Kunar province and took them back to their families Friday, CNN reported.
Obama lauds payroll tax cut extension
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday thanked everyday Americans who wrote to Congress demanding an extension of the payroll tax cut.
"This got done because of you; because you called, you e-mailed, you tweeted your representatives and you demanded action. You made it clear that you wanted to see some common sense in Washington. And because you did, no working American is going to see their taxes go up this year," Obama said at the White House with Vice President Joe Biden by his side.
"Because of what you did, millions of Americans who are out there still looking for work are going to continue to get help with unemployment insurance."
Obama reminded Americans that he called on Congress to pass the middle-class tax cut as far back as September, saying the action means $40 in the typical American family's paycheck.
Obama camp attacks rivals on deficit
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- President Obama's campaign Tuesday said Mitt Romney would add $2 trillion to the deficits in 10 years and Rick Santorum would add nearly twice that.
The Hill newspaper said the attacks were part of the Obama campaign's new strategy against his Republican challengers -- Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Despite their claims to be budget hawks, the Obama camp says the Republican contenders propose tax cuts and new defense spending that would add trillions to the national deficit over 10 years.
The Democratic president's campaign said Santorum would have to shut down the government or chop retiree deficits to match Obama's deficit reduction.
Obama campaign economist Jeffrey Liebman ripped into the Republican candidate in a conference call with reporters.
"To match the president on deficit reduction, Santorum would have to eliminate all defense and non-defense discretionary spending," The Hill quoted Liebman as saying. Discretionary spending outside defense includes government "overhead": salaries, office space and other necessities, without which the government would shut down.
Catholic university sues government
NAPLES, Fla., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A small Catholic university in Naples, Fla., has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for requiring insurance companies to cover birth control.
Jim Towey, president of Ave Maria University and former head of the George W. Bush administration's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, said the federal order undermines the university's religious convictions.
"The federal government has no right to coerce the university into funding contraceptive services that include abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization, in the health plan we offer our employees," Towey said Tuesday in a statement.
"We are prepared to discontinue our health plan and pay the $2,000 per employee, per year fine rather than comply with an unjust, immoral mandate in violation of our rights of conscience."
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the university by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
