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Dems appear ready for floor debate vote

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Three holdout Democrats say they will vote for a procedural measure Saturday to allow floor debate to start in the U.S. Senate on a healthcare reform bill.

Lincoln announced on the Senate floor her support of cloture on the motion to proceed despite not agreeing with everything in the bill.

Let me be perfectly clear: I am opposed to a new government-administered healthcare plan as a part of comprehensive health insurance reform and I will not vote for the proposal that has been introduced, she said.

I have concluded that I believe it is more important that we begin this debate to improve our nation's healthcare system for all Americans, rather than simply drop the issue and walk. That's not what people sent us here to do.

Landrieu said earlier she decided there are enough significant reforms and safeguards in this bill to move forward but much more work needs to be done.

My vote today to move forward on this important debate should in no way be construed on how I might vote on the final bill, she said.

Political observers say Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada needs at least 60 votes to block a promised Republican filibuster and open debate on the bill, the first step in what is expected to be a long and rocky road for approval of the Democratic Party-backed reforms to the nation's healthcare infrastructure.

A parade of Democratic senators made the case for a healthcare reform bill crafted by Reid ahead of the crucial procedural vote, The New York Times reported.

Under the measure, health benefits would be extended to roughly 31 million uninsured Americans at a cost of $848 billion over 10 years, analysts said.

Last year 750,000 Americans filed bankruptcy, Reid said in a speech opening the debate. Over half of those bankruptcies were because of medical expenses. Over half of the people who filed bankruptcy because of medical expenses had health insurance. Don't we need to do something on health insurance reform? Of course we do.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said it is time for the historic debate to improve and reform our nation's health insurance system.

Let's not duck the debate ..., he said.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky countered that Americans oppose the bill.

They are not buying the claim that this legislation would do anything whatsoever to lower our nation's staggering costs, McConnell said.

Car hits crowd in Alabama, killing one

FAIRFIELD, Ala., Nov. 21 (UPI) --

A woman suffered fatal injuries when a car crashed into a crowd in Fairfield, Ala., after swerving to avoid children playing into the street, police said.

Fairfield police said Debrah Johnson, 46, was hit by Ada Riggs, 64, who swerved to avoid kids throwing a ball in the street Friday and accidentally hit her car's gas petal instead of the brake, The Birmingham (Ala.) News reported Saturday.

The vehicle crashed into a crowd of Forest Hills Middle School students, fatally injuring Johnson and leaving a child in serious condition with unspecified injuries.

Fairfield Police Chief Pat Mardis said the students were waiting for a bus when the accident occurred.

All 11 of the individuals, including 10 children, struck by the vehicle were sent to the hospital, Mardis said.

Neither Riggs nor Cheyenne Payne, her 11-year-old grandson who had she picked up prior to the accident, was hurt.

Mardis told the Birmingham News drugs and alcohol were not suspected of having played a role, but Riggs did face routine testing. The accident was under investigation.

Postal Service OKs letters from North Pole

FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Volunteers in Fairbanks, Alaska, can forge on as Santa's elves, responding to children's letters to the North Pole denizen, the U.S. Postal Service said.

Postal officials in Washington Friday reversed a decision that would have ended the 55-year-old holiday program, The Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily Miner reported Saturday.

This is a perfect Christmas present for Alaskans and children across the country who love to write to and get a letter back from Santa, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said in a release.

After pressure from Alaskans, the postal service said the program could continue with new security measures that safeguard the estimated 150,000 children who often include personal information in their letters to Santa Claus.

Postal workers will redact some of the letter's information before it reaches volunteers, said Gabby Gaborik, who heads Santa's Mailbag in North Pole, part of Metro Fairbanks.

Last year, a postal worker recognized a convicted sex offender among the volunteers with access to Santa letters, The Miner reported.

U.N. urges aid for quake-ridden Indonesia

JAKARTA, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

The United Nations' health agency says Indonesia needs financial help to recover from two earthquakes and prepare for future disasters.

The U.N. World Health Organization said in a release Friday that urgent aid was needed in Indonesia in the wake of the September quakes that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing more than 1,100 people and destroying or damaging more than 360 health facilities.

It is really sad to see that health centers and hospitals collapse in times of natural disasters, a time when they are most needed to provide services to people who are injured and people that have suffered, U.N. WHO Director General Margaret Chan said.

Efforts to rebuild health facilities in Indonesia received funding this week from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund, but Chan called for the international community to offer additional assistance to build robust facilities in case of future disasters.

I would like to again appeal to partners, governments that this kind of investment in health facilities will pay good dividends on your investment, Chan said. The people will thank you for what you have done to protect their health.

Senate Dems make case for health bill

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

A parade of Democratic U.S. senators made the case for a healthcare reform bill in the nation's capital Saturday ahead of a crucial procedural vote.

The senators were looking to bolster party unity as the chamber prepared for a vote to open floor debate on a healthcare package crafted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, The New York Times reported.

Under the measure, health benefits would be extended to roughly 31 million uninsured Americans at a cost of $848 billion over 10 years, analysts said.

Political observers say Reid needs at least 60 votes to block a promised Republican filibuster and open debate on the bill, the first step in what is expected to be a long and rocky road for approval of the Democratic Party-backed reforms to the nation's healthcare infrastructure.

I will vote today to end the filibuster so the Senate can begin the historic debate to improve and reform our nation's health insurance system, added Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Let's not duck the debate, let the debate begin.

We know that Americans oppose this bill, countered Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. They are not buying the claim that this legislation would do anything whatsoever to lower our nation's staggering costs.

Reid has said he hopes for a final vote on the bill by the end of the year, well past President Barack Obama's original deadline of August, CNN reported.

Schumer: Megrahi should be re-jailed

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi should be returned to a Scottish jail because he has not yet died, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., says.

Megrahi, the only person ever convicted in the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that killed 270 people, was released from jail by the Scottish government on humanitarian grounds because his terminal cancer gave him only three months to live. But three months later, al-Megrahi is still alive in Libya, and thus should be returned to prison, Schumer said in a statement released Friday.

The bottom line is (al-Megrahi) should have never been released in the first place but it would be even more outrageous if he were to be able to live a long and free life after his release, Schumer said. The victims of Pan Am Flight 103 didn't get a second chance at life and neither should (al-Megrahi.) Justice in this case was life in prison, no exceptions.

The U.S. senator there has been speculation about exaggerations of the severity of al-Megrahi's cancer, and urged the British government should seek his immediate transfer back to prison in Scotland.

U.S. helping some militias in Afghanistan

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

The United States and Afghanistan have been providing aid to anti-Taliban militias in certain parts of Afghanistan, officials said.

U.S. and Afghan officials said the militia aid was part of the Community Defense Initiative that uses militia troops to provide security for Afghan communities from Taliban forces, The New York Times reported online Saturday.

While the anti-Taliban militias were created independently, U.S. and Afghan officials said they are hopeful they can help create similar local forces in Afghanistan in the future.

The idea is to get people to take responsibility for their own security, an unidentified senior U.S. military official in Kabul said of the plan. In many places they are already doing that.

What we are talking about is a local, spontaneous and indigenous response to the Taliban, Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said. The Afghans are saying, 'We are willing and determined and capable to defend our country; just give us the resources.'

The Times said despite the success of such militias, officials remain concerned they could eventually turn on one another or simply insert themselves as the new dominant power in Afghan neighborhoods.

Univ. of Miami shut down by BB gun scare

MIAMI, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

University of Miami officials said the school was temporarily locked down after a group of individuals began firing a BB gun on campus.

The university officials confirmed on the school's Web site that after being shut down for nearly an hour Friday afternoon due to the gun scare, the campus had reopened and was secure, The Miami Herald reported Saturday.

The incident began when two men and two women, whose ages and names were not released, began firing a BB gun from a vehicle near the school's Hecht-Stanford Dining Hall and Wellness Center.

As a precaution, university officials asked all students and staff to remain indoors until further notice.

University police said the suspects were apprehended and the incident ended without any injuries.

The Herald said the parent of one University of Miami student insists her daughter was hurt during Friday's incident.

"I'm just concerned about the safety on campus,'' said the parent, who wished to remain anonymous.

UN calls for Iran prisoner release

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

A U.N. committee says Iran should release political prisoners arrested during protests over the country's disputed presidential election in June.

The General Assembly's Human Rights Committee issued a non-binding resolution Friday blasting Iran's crackdown on protesters, as well as repeating its ongoing criticism of Tehran's use of torture and its rising numbers of executions, the BBC reported.

The resolution reportedly urged Iran to abandon its policy of persecuting political opponents and called for the release of those imprisoned for their political views.

The United States welcomes the resolution passed today by the United Nations calling upon the government of Iran to respect its human rights obligations fully, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement. This resolution demonstrates that the international community is deeply concerned over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran and the government's failure to uphold its obligations under its own constitution and international human rights law.

The text was approved by the committee by a 74-48 margin, with 59 abstentions, which the U.S. officials called the largest vote margin on such a resolution on Iran in the (United Nations) ever, the British broadcaster said.

GOP: Senate health bill to raise premiums

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Democratic healthcare reform proposals will mean higher premiums and higher healthcare costs, a Republican U.S. senator said Saturday.

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, speaking in the GOP's weekly radio and Internet address, said a healthcare reform package released this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will result in higher premiums and higher healthcare costs for Americans -- period.

At a time when we are experiencing record double-digit unemployment, the Reid bill raises taxes by nearly half a trillion dollars, Crapo asserted. A significant number of these provisions violate President Obama's promise to the American people, namely that lower- and middle-class Americans would not see a tax increase under his proposals.

Crapo also alleged the Democratic package would increase taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars; cut Medicare for senior citizens by hundreds of billions of dollars; grow the federal government by over $2.4 trillion in new spending; and push the needy uninsured into a failing Medicaid system, among other ills.

It's a real eye-opener! Crapo said of the bill, which he encouraged all Americans to read.

Gates: Canada's Afghanistan role key

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Canada's contributions to the war against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan are a key to success, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.

Speaking Friday in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the Halifax International Security Forum, Gates praised Canadian contributions in Afghanistan, especially in the strategic southern province of Kandahar, where Canadian forces have seen fierce fighting.

In Afghanistan, the Canadian military has more than distinguished itself in battle in some of the most dangerous parts of the country, Gates said. Canada has been a major contributor to the international military coalition, with more than 2,800 troops currently deployed, plus a strong commitment to support future development and governance efforts.

Gates noted that with more than 130 fallen heroes, among the highest of coalition members on a per-capita basis, the Canadian army has certainly paid the price and borne a heavy burden in Afghanistan.

Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay told reporters more allied forces were needed to help secure Kandahar, but, as Gates and the Obama administration deliberate on how much to increase Afghanistan troop levels, he didn't specifically mention U.S. troops, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Impeachment efforts to start for Sanford

COLUMBIA, S.C., Nov. 21 (UPI) --

The chairman of the South Carolina House Judiciary Committee says preliminary impeachment procedures will begin soon against Gov. Mark Sanford.

The New York Times reported state Rep. James H. Harrison confirmed in a letter the South Carolina governor would face an initial ad hoc committee review of allegations against Sanford, including dereliction of duty.

Friday's letter follows a ruling by the State Ethics Commission that there is probable cause for an ethics review of Sanford. The committee is expected to detail the specific charges against the 49-year-old Republican governor Monday.

While the commission will focus on fewer than 40 expenditures or flights Sanford took part in as governor, the preliminary impeachment proceedings will also address his disappearance in June.

Sanford was out of touch June 24-28 and it was later revealed he had flown to Argentina for an extramarital affair. Sanford later confessed to the affair, prompting calls for his resignation.

The Times said the entire state House of Representatives would only vote on impeaching Sanford if the full 25-member Judiciary Committee reaches a majority vote. The state Senate would then begin impeachment proceedings.

Afghan troop rollout to have NATO element

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is talking with NATO officials about staging a coordinated rollout of a new Afghanistan war strategy, sources say.

Citing officials familiar with the talks, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday White House negotiators are meeting with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to nail down foreign troop commitments before announcing a U.S. troop surge into the Afghan struggle, thus sending a clear message the United States isn't alone in its fight against the Taliban.

The Journal said estimates from U.S. and European sources place potential troop contributions from NATO allies from 3,000 to 7,000, while Washington would send in between 10,000 to 40,000 troops. It cited unnamed U.S. officials as saying a combination of combat troops and training forces totaling 35,000 has gained the most momentum within the White House.

The newspaper said that with NATO foreign ministers to meet in Brussels starting Dec. 3, Obama was most likely to make his announcement on Afghanistan troop levels ahead of the meeting.

Rasmussen has already begun an intensive series of consultations with European allies, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told the Journal.

Iraq struggles to maintain U.S. projects

BAGHDAD, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Iraq may be unable to maintain many of the electricity generating plants and other reconstruction projects built by the U.S. government, authorities say.

Since the 2003 U.S-led invasion, the U.S. government has spent $53 billion for relief and construction efforts, including tens of thousands of electricity substations, water treatment plants, hospitals, schools, roads and bridges.

U.S. forces are to begin withdrawing in large numbers in 2010 with not enough Iraqis trained to operate the more sophisticated projects and not enough money in the Iraqi budget to fund training and operation, Stuart W. Bowen Jr., inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, said.

A $270 million water treatment plant in Nasiriya is running at a fraction of its capacity because Iraqi workers don't know how to operate it. In Hilla, a $4 million maternity hospital has opened, but the staff doesn't know how to operate much of the equipment, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Despite billions of U.S. dollars spent, more than 40 percent of Iraqis still lack access to clean water and 90 percent of Iraq's hospitals lack basic medical and surgical supplies, authorities said.

Raped girl's parents charged with abuse

PHOENIX, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

A Liberian couple living in Phoenix used sticks, wires and their fists to abuse their 8-year-old daughter, who had been gang-raped, authorities allege.

Hemie Dio, 59, and Wedeh Dio, 47, were arrested Friday on seven counts of child abuse in connection with their daughter, CNN reported.

Police Sgt. Andy Hill told the U.S. broadcaster police were waiting for the pair at their home after the Maricopa County Attorney's Office issued arrest warrants for them.

Authorities said the couple's daughter was raped by a group of boys July 16 after being lured into a vacant storage shed behind their apartment building.

The girl was removed from the Dios' home at the time by child protective services and remains in their custody, KTVK-TV, Phoenix, reported.

The couple reportedly blamed the girl for being victimized.

FBI monitored alleged shooter's e-mail

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

The suspect in the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings allegedly traded coded e-mails regarding money transfers with a radical Muslim cleric, authorities said.

The alleged e-mails between Army Maj. Nidal Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki intensified in the months before the Nov. 5 attack that killed 13 people, two sources close to the investigation told The Washington Post in a story published Saturday.

The two men discussed in cryptic and coded exchanges how to transfer money overseas in ways that would not attract law enforcement attention, an unidentified source told The Post, adding Hasan clearly became more radicalized toward the end.

The FBI monitored the e-mails but did not forward them to the military, government and congressional sources told The Post. Al-Awlaki, a Yemeni cleric who once lived in the United States, is considered by U.S. officials to be an al-Qaida supporter.

The commander of the U.S. Army in Europe is to investigate Hasan's years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Pentagon said Friday. Gen. Carter Ham will investigate reports Hasan's colleagues at Walter Reed were concerned about his performance and apparent embrace of radical Islam.

Hasan is recovering from gunshot wounds that have left him paralyzed.

Reid looks to bring health bill to floor

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was set Saturday to seek a key procedural vote bringing the healthcare reform bill to the Senate floor, observers said.

Political analysts say Reid needs at least 60 votes to open debate on the bill, the first step in what is expected to be a long and rocky road for approval of the Democratic Party-backed reforms to the nation's healthcare infrastructure, CNN reported.

The majority leader has said he hopes for a final vote on the bill by the end of the year, well past President Barack Obama's original deadline of August, the U.S. broadcaster said.

While the House version of the healthcare reform bill passed by a 220-215 vote margin -- with 39 Democrats opposing it -- it will be easier for Republican critics to stifle the will of Democratic majority in the Senate, analysts said.

Should the reform bill pass the Senate and go to a House-Senate conference committee, a broad range of agreements have already been reached, such as subsidizing insurance for a family of four making up to roughly $88,000 annually, or 400 percent of the federal poverty level, CNN said.

Obama: U.S. to strive to increase exports

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday his administration would strive to increase American exports to Asia-Pacific countries to create jobs back home.

If we can increase our exports to Asia-Pacific nations by just 5 percent, we can increase the number of American jobs supported by these exports by hundreds of thousands, Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, recorded in Seoul, South Korea.

The president, who just wrapped up his eight-day trip to Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, stressed the need to place a greater emphasis on exports that we can build, produce and sell to other nations -- exports that can help create new jobs at home and raise living standards throughout the world.

He noted the United States buys more goods from and does more trade with Asia than any other part of the world, supporting millions of American jobs.

While the trip yielded no major breakthroughs, the United States and China pledged to work together to resolve bilateral trade and investment disputes. China is the largest creditor to the United States, holding about $800 billion of U.S. Treasuries.

Obama also said the United States, China and Russia made progress in sending a unified message to Iran and North Korea that they must live up to their international obligations and either forsake nuclear weapons or face the consequences.

And he touted clean-energy initiatives and said the United States and China had agreed to work toward a successful outcome at the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen -- an outcome that leads to immediate action to reduce carbon pollution at next month's summit.

World leaders at APEC backed off from a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by roughly half by 2050. Instead, the leaders approved a preliminary climate-change document that eliminated targets for emissions cuts.

Obama noted the Asia-Pacific includes some of the world's fastest-growing nations, adding, There can be no solution to the challenge of climate change without the cooperation of the Asia-Pacific.

Missionary teacher killed on Yap

COLONIA, Micronesia, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

A college student working as a Seventh-day Adventist volunteer in Micronesia was found dead, victim of an apparent attack during a morning run, the church said.

Kirsten Elizabeth Wolcott disappeared Wednesday, Adventist News Network reported. Her body was found in a wooded area near the school on the island of Yap, where she taught.

She had been stabbed.

Church officials said they have been advised of an arrest.

Wolcott, 20, had taken a year's leave from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn., to teach on Yap. She was an education major and was known for her love of running and of music, which included playing the harp and singing in Southern's women's chorus.

Station Fire investigation stalled

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21 (UPI) --

Three months after the Station Fire burned thousands of acres in the hills above Los Angeles and killed two firefighters, investigators have no suspects.

Sources told the Los Angeles Times investigators have determined an accelerant was used to start the fire, the largest in the history of Los Angeles County. But detailed examination of the area has yielded few clues about the identity of an arsonist.

Basically, we have nothing at this point. We have run down all our leads, Lt. Liam Gallagher of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Babatunsin Olukunle, a 25-year-old Nigerian who came to California as a college student and became a drifter, is suspected of setting a smaller wildfire in Angeles National Forest a week before the Station Fire began. Gallagher said Olukunle has been questioned about the Station Fire but investigators have not connected him to the blaze.

The fire began Aug. 26 and spread over more than 160,000 acres. County Fire Capt. Tedmund Ted Hall, 47, and firefighter specialist Arnaldo Arnie Quinones, 35, died Aug. 30 when their vehicle crashed as they tried to get firefighters to safety.