Boehner jabs Obama; Pelosi jabs Boehner
WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- The way to create jobs is to extend the Bush-era tax cuts, House Speaker John Boehner said Friday, responding to President Obama's remarks on the U.S. economy.
"We're going to vote next month on extending all of the current tax rates, and the president should assure the nation that when this bill gets to his desk he'll sign it into law," Boehner said during a news conference.
The president called on Congress to pass a legislative package he said would create jobs and provide tax incentives for small businesses to hire more workers. The package, proposed last year, also would make it easier for homeowners who are up-to-date on their mortgage payments to refinance at lower interest rates.
Obama wants to extend the tax rates passed during the George W. Bush presidency for the middle class, while allowing the Bush tax rates for wealthy taxpayers expire.
He also said passing his jobs package would help the United States guard against the rippling effect of Europe's financial crisis.
"Stopping the looming tax hikes will help job creators because they'll have more certainty about what the tax rates are going to be and help create a better environment for them to create jobs," Boehner, R-Ohio, said.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor said it was time Obama stopped playing the blame game.
"It's not because of the headwinds of Europe," Cantor, R-Va., said. "It's not -- despite his attempt and his party's attempts here in Congress -- it is not because of House Republicans. It's because of the failed stimulus policies and other items in his agenda that small businesses in this country just aren't growing."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi jabbed at Boehner for "jeopardizing confidence in the economy" by failing to act.
"By raising the prospect of temporary fixes, the Republican leader has again kicked the can down the road on the bipartisan transportation bill, threatening to push the economy over a cliff with another 6-month delay," Pelosi said.
The Republican leadership's message is clear, Pelosi, D-Calif., said.
"[They] have no intention of creating jobs," she said. "Their only plan is inaction, obstruction, and delay that weakens consumer confidence, causes uncertainty, and jeopardizes our recovery."
Japan P.M. wants to restart 2 reactors
TOKYO, June 8 (UPI) -- Japan will face a power crunch this summer unless the two Oi nuclear reactors are restarted, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Friday.
The reactors are in Fukui Prefecture on the west side of the island of Honshu. Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa asked the prime minister to explain why the restart is necessary, the Kyodo News Service reported.
All of Japan's commercial reactors, which had been supplying about 30 percent of the nation's electricity, were shut down last year after the disaster at Fukushima. The Fukushima reactors were severely damaged by the Tohoku earthquake and the tsunami that followed.
Noda said the two reactors at Oi are disaster-proof, The Japan Times reported.
"We have established systems that ensure accidents won't occur," Noda said. "We have appropriate countermeasures in place. Even if the reactors lose their entire electricity supply, their cores won't suffer meltdowns."
Noda said that his government will take the opinion of local officials into account even though it is not legally necessary, Kyodo said.
Bus explosion kills 18 in Pakistan
A bomb attack on a bus carrying government employees in northwest Pakistan killed at least 18 people Friday, authorities said.
Among those killed were believed to be at least four children, and at least 34 people were believed to have been injured in the blast in Peshawar, the BBC reported.
No group had claimed responsibility for the explosion, which occurred near a stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaida militants. Explosives were believed to have been planted on a roadside and remotely detonated when the bus passed, the British broadcaster said.
The bus, which had been carrying employees from Peshawar to Charsadda, appeared to have been the target of the attack, police said.
The attack came a day after a bomb killed at least 15 people in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
Rescuers search for missing copter in Peru
MARCAPATA, Peru, June 8 (UPI) -- Rescuers were searching a mountainous area of Peru for a helicopter with 14 people aboard that has been missing since Wednesday, authorities said.
A rescue squad of the Peruvian National Police had set up camp on the slopes of Mount Q'iqo in the province of Cusco Quispicanchi, Andina News Agency reported.
The mountain rises more than 18,372 feet above sea level and rescuers encountered low temperatures, snow, fog and rain.
The helicopter from the company Helicusco had 12 passengers and two crew members aboard, CNN reported.
The Cusco department of Peru includes some of the country's most popular tourist destinations, including the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu.
Summer storm moves through England
LONDON, June 8 (UPI) -- Weather warnings and flood alerts were in effect Friday for much of southern England and Wales as a massive storm roared through the region.
The Met Office reported gale force winds as high as 70 mph raked the coast with 40-50 mph winds reported inland along with heavy rainfall.
"It is possible there could be up to 3 inches of rain in hilly and mountainous areas of Wales, with lower but still substantial rainfall in more low-lying areas," Met Office spokesman Charlie Powell told The Independent.
The storm has left 300 homes without electricity and forced the delay or suspension of ferry service from Dover, Dunkirk and the Isle of Wight. The third Test of the West Indies-England cricket match at Edgbaston was washed out.
A woman was trapped in her car in Devon when it was crushed by a tree. Rescue workers had to cut her out of it, The Independent reported.
Forecasters said the storm was moving northeast.
