US troops hopeful Obama plan will wind down war
FORWARD OPERATING BASE AIRBORNE, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. service members in Afghanistan said Wednesday that President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops offered hope that they can go home — if the reinforcements can build up the Afghan army to protect civilians against the Taliban. The troops at this base in Wardak province, west of Kabul, learned of Obama's decision while watching TV clips of his speech during their breakfast of sausage, eggs, hash browns, fruit and cereal. Obama said that if conditions permit, the troops could begin coming home in 18 months.
Iran whistleblower died from drug-laden salad
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — A doctor who blew the whistle on the torture of jailed protesters in Iran died of poisoning from an overdose of an anti-hypertension drug in his salad, prosecutors say, fueling opposition fears that he was killed because of what he knew about the abuse. Investigators are still trying to determine whether his death was a suicide or murder, Tehran's public prosecutor Abbas Dowlatabadi said, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Experts: Man controlled robotic hand with thoughts
ROME (AP) — A group of European scientists say they have successfully connected a robotic hand to a man who had lost an arm, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial hand and control it with his thoughts. The experiment lasted a month. Scientists say it was the first time an amputee has been able to make complex movements using his mind to control a biomechanic hand connected to his nervous system.
NATO chief: Allies will provide 5,000 more troops
BRUSSELS (AP) — European and other U.S. allies will contribute more than 5,000 more troops to the international force in Afghanistan, NATO's chief said Wednesday, declaring that "this is not just America's war." Still, with the exception of new combat troops from Poland, the pledges of additional troops came in small numbers from small nations. European powers like France and Germany praised President Barack Obama's speech on his new strategy for Afghanistan but were noticeably silent on the offer of new troops.
Iran releases 5 British sailors detained at sea
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran freed five British sailors detained last week when their racing yacht drifted accidentally into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. Britain said it was delighted with Wednesday's release and praised Tehran's handling of the incident. The 60-foot yacht was in the Persian Gulf on its way from Bahrain to Dubai last Wednesday for the start of its first offshore race when it ran into a problem with its propeller, said Andrew Pindar, whose Team Pindar owns the yacht. It drifted into Iranian waters and was seized by the elite Revolutionary Guard's navy
Google allows publishers to limit free content
LONDON (AP) — Google Inc. is allowing publishers of paid content to limit the number of free news articles accessed by people using its Internet search engine, a concession to an increasingly disgruntled media industry. There has been mounting criticism of Google's practices from media publishers — most notably News Corp. chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch — that argue the company is profiting from online news pages.
Chechen rebels claim Russian train bombing
MOSCOW (AP) — Chechen rebels claimed responsibility Wednesday for last week's Russian train bombing, which killed at least 26 people and injured scores of others, a Web site sympathetic to the militants said. The claim, posted on the Kavkazcenter.com site, could buttress the suspicions of officials who are tracing the attack to Islamist separatists in Russia's North Caucasus region. It also raises fears of a fresh wave of attacks outside the region after a five-year break — a renewal of violence that would mirror the growing unrest inside the region.
US commander: Offer Taliban chance to end fight
KABUL (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday that the Afghan government and its international partners should use the coming 18 months to convince the Taliban they can't win and offer militants a way to quit the insurgency "with dignity." Gen. Stanley McChrystal made the call after President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to the unpopular war. If conditions are right, Obama said American troops could begin leaving Afghanistan in 18 months.
Australia's carbon-trading legislation fails
SYDNEY (AP) — Australia's Senate on Wednesday defeated the government's plan to implement a carbon pollution trading system to fight global warming, dashing hopes of setting an example for other nations at U.N. climate change talks next week. The scuttled proposal would have placed Australia alongside the European Union and a handful of other places that have or are considering "cap-and-trade" systems to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and burnished Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's international reputation as a leader on the issue.
Government-backed Chinese gay bar stays empty
BEIJING (AP) — A new bar in southwestern China aimed at educating gay men about AIDS stayed conspicuously empty during its official opening as potential customers shunned the spotlight, state media said Wednesday. The bar, which receives government funding from the health bureau in Yunnan province's Dali town, was slated to open Tuesday to mark World AIDS Day, the China Daily reported.
