Iran plans enrichment sites in defiance of UN
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran approved plans Sunday to build 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment and a move that is likely to significantly heighten tensions with the West. The decision comes only days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency censured Iran over its program and demanded it halt the construction of a newly revealed enrichment facility. The West has signaled it is running out of patience with Iran's continuing enrichment and its balking at a U.N. deal aimed at ensuring Tehran cannot build a nuclear weapon in the near-term future. The U.S. and its allies have hinted at new U.N. sanctions if Iran does not respond.
4 police officers shot dead at Wash. coffeehouse
PARKLAND, Wash. (AP) — A gunman burst into a coffeehouse Sunday and opened fire on four police officers as they sat working on their laptops, killing the three men and one woman in what an official described as a targeted ambush. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said officers were looking for one male suspect who fled the scene and haven't ruled out an accomplice, possibly a getaway driver.
For 3rd time, Woods cancels meeting with police
WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods canceled yet another meeting with state troopers but, for the first time, talked about his car crash on his Web site, saying it was his fault, that his wife acted courageously and that remaining details were private. The statement was posted about an hour before troopers were to meet with the world's No. 1 golfer at his home inside the gates of Isleworth. A meeting was not rescheduled.
UAE to back banks amid Dubai meltdown
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The United Arab Emirates has pledged to stand behind foreign and domestic banks in the country, offering additional money while extolling the strength of the Gulf nation's financial sector as world markets brace for a potential day of reckoning Monday over Dubai's crushing debt. The UAE's immediate priority was arguably to avert any run, however unlikely, on banks by panicked depositors. But the promise of cheap funds also signaled to global investors that the country's federal government - backed by oil money - will do what it can to limit the fallout from its indebted emirate's woes.
Senator says Afghan forces, not US, key to success
WASHINGTON (AP) — The leading Senate Democrat on military matters said Sunday that President Barack Obama's anticipated plan for significantly expanding U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan must show how those reinforcements will help increase the size of the Afghan security forces. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that more Afghan army and police are central to succeeding in the 8-year-old war and more U.S. trainers and equipment can help meet that goal. But it's unclear, Levin said, what role tens of thousands additionalcombat troops will play and Obama has to make a compelling case during a national address he's scheduled to give Tuesday night from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
AP Impact: For-profit colleges haul in gov't aid
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Students aren't the only ones benefiting from the billions of new dollars Washington is spending on college aid for the poor. An Associated Press analysis shows surging proportions of both low-income students and the recently boosted government money that follows them are ending up at for-profit schools, from local career colleges to giant publicly traded chains such as the University of Phoenix, Kaplan and Devry.
Turbulence ahead: Senate opens health care debate
WASHINGTON (AP) - The 60 votes aren't there any more. With the Senate set to begin debate Monday on health care overhaul, the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the bill to advance is fracturing already. Yet majority Democrats will need 60 votes again to finish.
Swiss ban mosque minarets in surprise vote
GENEVA (AP) — Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets on Sunday, barring construction of the iconic mosque towers in a surprise vote that put Switzerland at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population. Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as biased and anti-Islamic. Business groups said the decision hurt Switzerland's international standing and could damage relations with Muslim nations and wealthy investors who bank, travel and shop there.
Employers play Dr. Mom to limit swine flu impact
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Big businesses are spending serious time and money trying to limit the swine flu pandemic's impact on operations, from bankrolling video on good hygiene to training employees to cover for co-workers with critical jobs. Companies from health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. to beverage can maker Ball Corp. are arranging for employees with flu symptoms or sick family members to work from home where possible, holding fewer in-person meetings, even discouraging handshakes. And hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and tissues are at the ready everywhere as employers make keeping workers healthy their first line of defense.
4 kids among 5 killed in La. crash; 7 critical
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A minivan packed with 13 children and two adults was likely overweight and not designed to carry so many, police said Sunday, a day after the vehicle crashed on a highway, killing five. State police said the minivan likely blew a tire and rolled Saturday on Interstate 10 near Baton Rouge. None of the children was wearing a seat belt and all were thrown from the vehicle, state police said.
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