Gates: No good intel on bin Laden in years
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States has not had any reliable intelligence on the whereabouts of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden for "years."
Gates's comments came in an interview to air Sunday on ABC's "This Week" news program, days after Western demands that Pakistan step up efforts to hunt for bin Laden.
"Well, we don't know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is. If we did, we'd go get him," Gates said.
When asked when U.S. officials last had "any good intelligence" on the whereabouts of the al-Qaida leader, Gates replied, "I think it's been years."
He said he could not confirm a BBC report Friday that bin Laden may have been in Afghanistan. The report cited a detainee saying a trusted friend had told him he had seen bin Laden in Afghanistan early this year.
The whereabouts of bin Laden have been a source of speculation since he fled the mountains of Tora Bora in Afghanistan following the U.S.-led invasion. He is widely believed to be hiding in the tribal regions of western Pakistan.
Lesbian elected Episcopalian bishop
RIVERSIDE, Calif., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Saturday elected a lesbian bishop, church leaders said.
The Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool is the first openly gay Episcopal bishop since the national church lifted a ban on gays and lesbians from the church's clerical hierarchy, the Los Angeles Times reported. The only other openly gay bishop is the Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson, elected in 2003
Glasspool, 55, who has been in a committed relationship with another woman since 1988, joined the Rev. Canon Diane Jardine Bruce, 53, in becoming the first women bishops in the diocese's 114-year history. Bruce was elected Friday.
Another gay candidate, the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco, withdrew late Friday, the Times said.
The issue of gays in the upper echelons of the church's clergy has seriously strained the Episcopal Church and the rest of the world's Anglican Communion. Some parishes have left the U.S. group, aligning themselves with conservative Anglican bishops in Africa and South America.
The Anglican Communion's spiritual leader, the archbishop of Canterbury, had sought to persuade the American church not to increase the risk of a schism.
"I don't think it's a referendum on electing a woman or a gay person," said the Very Rev. Mark Kowalewski, dean of St. John's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. "Those are secondary characteristics."
RNC wants ethics investigation of Baucus
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Sen. Max Baucus should be investigated for ethics violations for nominating his girlfriend to be a U.S. attorney, the Republican National Committee said.
Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, acknowledged Friday that he had recommended Melodee Hanes early this year for U.S. attorney for Montana, Roll Call reported. Hanes had been Baucus's state director.
The RNC released a statement saying Baucus's conduct "raises a whole host of ethical problems."
"This issue demands the attention of the Senate Ethics Committee," the statement said. "They should hold a hearing to identify who was involved in this process, what they knew and when they knew it and why Senator Baucus put his personal needs above those of the people of Montana."
Baucus and Hanes are now living together in Washington, where she works for the Justice Department. She withdrew from consideration for the U.S. attorney post, and President Obama named another candidate on a list of three submitted by Baucus.
Authorities probe Russian fire that killed 107
PERM, Russia, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The death toll from a fireworks-ignited blaze at a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm climbed above 100 people Saturday, local investigators said.
President Dmitry Medvedev, who said Monday would be a day of national mourning, blasted the club's management.
"They have no brains and no conscience," Medvedev said. "They showed complete indifference to what was going on ... . They must face full punishment."
The Lame Horse club in Perm had been fined for violating fire regulations and did not have a permit to use fireworks indoors, officials said.
Investigators told RIA Novosti 107 people had died of injuries from the 1 a.m. fire during a private party.
Russian Health Minister Tatyana Golikova said dozens of other people were hospitalized, including victims with burns covering more than 50 percent of their bodies.
"Unfortunately, the burns are quite serious ... . There are 130 people in hospital, of whom 88 are in a serious condition. Of these, 59 have been put on medial ventilators," Golikova said.
The Russian news agency said two co-founders of the nightclub, the bar's manager, art director and the person who set off the fireworks had been detained for questioning. A six suspect, the leaseholder, was hospitalized in critical condition, RIA Novosti said.
Russian Investigation Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said Lame Horse owner Anatoly Zak and manager Svetlana Yefremova are accused of causing the loss of lives by breaching fire safety regulations.
Obama to caucus on healthcare with Dems
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- President Obama plans to attend a Democratic Senate caucus meeting as leaders struggle to win support for the healthcare bill, the White House said.
The president is to meet with Democratic senators at 2 p.m. Sunday, Politico reported. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called a rare Sunday session.
The major sticking points are abortion and the public option.
Politico Saturday quoted an unnamed Senate aide saying a vow by conservative Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has threatened to filibuster reform legislation unless it contained restrictions on abortion coverage.
"There is a worry that Senator Nelson means business," a senior Senate Democratic aide told Politico. "Unlike with the public option, there is very little ground liberal Democrats are willing to give on this issue. Abortion, not the public option, may be the cause of our first official defection."
The two sides in the abortion fight are using the weekend to line up support ahead of a debate that could begin as early as Monday, Politico said, noting Reid had hoped to resolve abortion-related amendments by the weekend.
Nelson, however, sought more time to introduce an amendment.
"I don't ordinarily draw a line in the sand, but I have drawn a line in the sand (on abortion)," he said Friday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., who caucuses with the Democrats, said after a morning meeting with Democratic leaders he told them there has been enough compromise on the public option.
Protesters urge Brown on climate change
LONDON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A demonstration in London Saturday drew thousands of people urging Prime Minister Gordon Brown to back aid for poor countries at the upcoming summit in Denmark.
Similar marches were held in Dublin, Glasgow and Belfast, The Times of London reported. Many protesters wore blue as a symbol of support for environmental change.
Brown, U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders are scheduled to meet Monday in Copenhagen.
"We will call on Gordon Brown to make Copenhagen count by committing rich countries to reduce their emissions by at least 40 per cent in the next 10 years, finally putting the right sort of money on the table to help poor countries, and urgently start the process of decarbonizing our energy supply," said Ashok Sinha, director of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.
Before the demonstration, religious leaders held an ecumenical service at Westminster Central Hall, urging Christians to change the way they view the world.
"It looks like in the last few decades, perhaps the last few millennia, that the human race has not been very good news for the rest of creation, just as our own civilization has not been very good news for the rest of the human race," said Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury.
