Carroll County Times

NATION/WORLD Friday, July 16, 2010, Page A5

Nation
AP PHOTO
Ship found at WTC site
Archeologists Elizabeth Meade, left, and
Molly McDonald take measurements of the
wood hull of a 32- foot- long ship Thursday.
The archaeologists are racing to record
and analyze the vessel before the delicate
wood, now exposed to air, begins to deteri-
orate.
Arizona immigration law
hearing ends without a ruling
PHOENIX — A federal judge in Phoenix did-
n’t rule on whether to block Arizona’s new im-
mgiration law Thursday after two hours of
testimony in the first major hearing in one of
seven challenges to the strict crackdown.
The Phoenix police officer who filed the law-
suit could be fired if he doesn’t enforce the law
he has sued to block, an attorney told U.S. Dis-
trict Judge Susan Bolton, who didn’t say when
she’d decide whether to halt the law before it
takes effect July 29.
Attorneys for Gov. Jan Brewer told U.S. Dis-
trict Judge Susan Bolton that the lawsuit — filed
by Officer David Salgado and the statewide non-
profit group Chicanos Por La Causa — should
be dismissed because Salgado and the group
lack legal standing to sue and that there’s no
valid claim of immediate harm.
Bolton is considering whether to block the law
and whether to dismiss the lawsuit. She may not
rule before the law is set to take effect July 29.
‘A positive sign’
Oil flow stops, but cap only temporary fix to broken well
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — The oil
has stopped. For now.
After 85 days and up to 184
million gallons, BP finally
gained control over one of
America’s biggest environ-
mental catastrophes Thursday
by placing a carefully fitted cap
over a runaway geyser that has
been gushing crude into the
Gulf of Mexico since early
spring.
Though a temporary fix, the
accomplishment was greeted
with hope, high expectations
— and, in many cases along the
beleaguered coastline, disbe-
lief. From one Gulf Coast resi-
dent came this: “Hallelujah.”
And from another: “I got to see
it to believe it.”
If the cap holds, if the sea
floor doesn’t crack and if the
relief wells being prepared are
completed successfully, this
could be the beginning of the
THE NEXT STEP Nevertheless, one comfort-
ing fact stood out: For the first
time since an explosion on the
■ The test: BP plans to keep the cap closed for 48
BP-leased Deepwater Horizon
hours to see if it can withstand pressure of the oil with- oil rig killed 11 workers April
out blowing a new leak. Every six hours, they’ll assess 20 and unleashed the spill
the pressure readings to decide whether to continue. 5,000 feet beneath the water’s
■ What can go wrong: A leak somewhere in the surface, no oil was flowing into
well’s piping that extends down far into the earth could the Gulf.
complicate the situation in two ways: Oil and gas could President Barack Obama,
erupt into the sea floor or damage to the pipes under- who has encouraged, cajoled
ground could make it harder to plug the well for good
with cement and mud.
and outright ordered BP to
stop the leak, called Thurs-
day’s development “a positive
— Associated Press sign.” But Obama, whose polit-
ical standing has taken a hit
because of the spill and accu-
end for the spill. But that’s a lot the patient was in stable, sations of government inac-
of ifs, and no one was declar- guarded condition and being tion, cautioned that “we’re still
ing any sort of victory beyond watched closely for complica- in the testing phase.”
the moment. tions. The worst-case scenario
The oil stopped flowing at “It’s a great sight,” said BP would be if the oil forced down
3:25 p.m. when the last of three Chief Operating Officer Doug into the bedrock ruptured the
valves in the 75-ton cap was Suttles, who immediately seafloor irreparably. Leaks
slowly throttled shut. That set urged caution. The flow, he deep in the well bore might
off a 48-hour watch period in said, could resume. “It’s far also be found, which would
which — much like the hours from the finish line. ... It’s not mean that oil would continue
immediately after a surgery — the time to celebrate.” to flow into the Gulf.
Financial overhaul
Congress
OKs bank

Ex-Justice lawyer tells House

CIA techniques not authorized
WASHINGTON — One of the key Bush ad-
ministration lawyers in the evolution of the
CIA’s interrogation program cast doubt on
whether the Justice Department approved some
of the harsh steps the agency took to get terror-
ist suspects to talk.
Former Assistant Attorney General Jay
Bybee’s remarks were contained in a transcript
sent to the special prosecutor investigating CIA
interrogations by House Judiciary Committee
Chairman John Conyers, D- Mich., who also
made a copy public Thursday.
Interviewed by Judiciary Committee members
on May 26, Bybee stressed the limits that he
helped set on how far the CIA could go while at
the same time acknowledging that his legal ad-
vice helped pave the way for tactics such as wa-
terboarding, which evokes the sensation of
drowning.
Virginia man stuck in Egypt
on no-fly list returning to U.S.
McLEAN, Va. — A Virginia man whose travels
to Yemen caught the attention of the FBI and
landed him on the U.S. no- fly list, leaving him
stuck in the Middle East for months, will be al-
lowed to return to the U.S.
Yahya Wehelie, 26, of Burke, Va., has been
stuck in Egypt for more than two months but is
now expected to arrive in New York Friday af-
ternoon. FBI agents had been questioning him
about his time in Yemen, Wehelie said. He went
to Yemen nearly two years ago at his parents’
urging to learn Arabic and gain some direction
in his life.
Wehelie said in a phone interview Thursday
that he does not know why U.S. officials re-
versed course, but said he holds no ill will to-
ward the government for its investigation.
Unstable heat, lightning
in California spark 8 fires
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Southern California was
sweltering in triple- digit heat as monsoonal
thunderstorms helped spark several brush fires.
Fire officials blamed eight fires in Riverside
County on lightning strikes Thursday. They say
strong winds from a storm system are fanning
the flames.
Fire spokeswoman Cheri Patterson said resi-
dents were told to be ready to evacuate as a fire
in the Sage area grew to 50 acres.
— Associated Press
Same- sex marriage supporters hold a heart as they pose in front of
Buenos Aires’ obelisk early Thursday, after the legislation passed.
Argentina legalizes
same-sex marriage
Country is first
in Latin America
to pass legislation
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Ar-
gentina legalized same- sex marriage
Thursday, becoming the first country
in Latin America to declare that gays
and lesbians have all the legal rights,
responsibilities and protections that
marriage brings to heterosexual cou-
ples.
After a marathon debate in Ar-
gentina’s senate, 33 lawmakers voted
in favor, 27 against and 3 abstained in
a vote that ended after 4 a.m. Since
the lower house already approved it
and President Cristina Fernandez is
a strong supporter, it becomes law as
soon as it is published in the official
bulletin.
The law is sure to bring a wave of
marriages by gays and lesbians who
have found Buenos Aires to be a wel-
coming place to live. But same- sex
couples from other countries should-
n’t rush their Argentine wedding
plans, since only citizens and resi-
dents can wed in the country, and the
necessary documents can take
months to obtain. While it makes
some amendments to the civil code,
AP PHOTO
many other aspects of family law will
have to be changed.
The approval came despite a con-
certed campaign by the Roman
Catholic Church and evangelical
groups, which drew 60,000 people to
march on the nation’s Congress and
urged parents in churches and
schools to work against passage. Car-
dinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio led the
campaign, saying “children need to
have the right to be raised and edu-
cated by a father and a mother.”
Nine gay couples had already mar-
ried in Argentina after persuading
judges that the constitutional man-
date of equality supports their mar-
riage rights, although their validity
was later challenged by other judges.
Congressional passage now removes
that doubt. As the debate stretched
on for nearly 16 hours, crowds held
rival vigils through the frigid night
outside the Congress building. When
the final vote came, cheers and hugs
broke out among the bill’s support-
ers, with police keeping them sepa-
rate from frustrated opponents who
prayed and held rosaries.
Argentina now becomes the first
country in Latin America to legalize
same- sex marriage nationwide,
granting gays and lesbians all the
same rights and responsibilities that
heterosexuals have. These include
many more rights than civil unions,
including adopting children and in-
heriting wealth.
restrictions
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Congress passed the
stiffest restrictions on banks and Wall Street
since the Great Depression Thursday , clamp-
ing down on lending practices and expanding
consumer protections to prevent a repeat of
the 2008 meltdown that knocked the econ-
omy to its knees.
A year in the making, and 22 months after
the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a
worldwide panic in credit and other markets,
the bill cleared its final hurdle with a 60-39
Senate vote. It now goes to the White House
for President Barack Obama’s signature, ex-
pected as early as Wednesday.
The law will give the government new pow-
ers to break up companies that threaten the
economy, create a new agency to guard con-
sumers in their financial transactions and
shine a light into shadow financial markets
that escaped the oversight of regulators. The
vote came on the same day that Goldman
Sachs & Co. agreed to pay a record $550 mil-
lion to settle charges that it misled buyers of
mortgage- related investments.
From storefront payday lenders to the
biggest banking and investment houses on
Wall Street, few players in the financial world
are immune to the bill’s reach. Consumer and
investor transactions, whether simple debit
card swipes or the most complex securities
trades, face new safeguards or restrictions.
A powerful council of regulators would be
on the lookout for risks across the finance
system. Large, failing financial institutions
would be liquidated and the costs assessed on
their surviving peers. The Federal Reserve is
getting new powers while falling under
greater congressional scrutiny.
“I’m about to sign Wall Street reform into
law, to protect consumers and lay the founda-
tion for a stronger and safer financial system,
one that is innovative, creative, competitive
and far less prone to panic and collapse,”
Obama said.
“Unless your business model depends on
cutting corners or bilking your customers,
you have nothing to fear.”
Republicans said the bill is a vast federal
overreach that will drive financial-sector jobs
overseas. Before the final vote was even cast,
House Republican leader John Boehner called
for its repeal.
At an eye- glazing 390,000 words — half the
size of the King James Bible — the legislation
doesn’t offer a quick remedy, however. Rather,
it lays down prescriptions for regulators to
act. In many cases, the real impact won’t be
felt for years.

Gunmen kill nephew of
Mexican governor-elect
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Gunmen
shot and killed the nephew of the governor-
elect during a botched kidnapping in the
drug-plagued northern state of Chihuahua,
authorities said Thursday.
Mario Medina, nephew of Governor-elect
Cesar Duarte, was shot in the back Wednes-
day as he tried to escape from his assailants
in the state capital, also named Chihuahua,
state, prosecutors’ spokesman Eduardo Es-
parza said.
At least 20 people killed
during Iran bombings
TEHRAN, Iran — Twin bombings killed at
least 20 people outside a mosque in south-
eastern Iran Thursday — including mem-
bers of the powerful Revolutionary Guard —
in attacks that came less than a month after
Iran hanged the leader of a militant insur-
gent group in the region.
World
Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted
the deputy governor of the Sistan-Baluchis-
tan province, Jalal Sayyah, as saying the ex-
plosions struck in a crowd of Shiite
worshippers near the main mosque in the
provincial capital of Zahedan.
The deputy interior minister in charge of
security, Ali Abdollahi, told Fars news
agency members of the Revolutionary
Guard were killed in the blasts, which ap-
peared to be the work of suicide bombers.
Iraqis take charge of last
prison in U.S. control
BAGHDAD — Iraq assumed control of the
last U.S.-run prison camp in the country
Thursday, a milestone that casts a spotlight
on the Iraqi government’s troubled record of
caring for inmates amid allegations of tor-
ture and overcrowding at Iraqi facilities.
The change in command at Camp Crop-
per — which was renamed Karkh Prison —
marks the end of a troubling chapter in the
U.S. presence in the country, which was
marred in the early years by photographs
showing American soldiers abusing inmates
at Abu Ghraib prison.
Madrid zoo makes bid
to buy Octopus Oracle
MADRID — The Madrid Zoo said Thurs-
day it has made an offer to buy Paul, the oc-
topus who became a pop culture sensation
by correctly predicting the outcome of as
many World Cup matches as he has legs —
all seven of Germany’s games plus the
Spain-Netherlands final.
The zoo said it made the offer after re-
ceiving hundreds of requests from Spaniards AP PHOTO
for Paul’s transfer from a German aquarium
after Spain won the World Cup Sunday. Pillow fight dispersed
Zoo spokeswoman Amparo Fernandez Belarusian youth activists attend a
said an unspecified amount of cash was of- pillow fight flash mob in Minsk, Be-
fered for the purchase of Paul, now a hero in
Spain, which went wild after it won its first larus, Thursday. Club- wielding police
World Cup title. dispersed the pillow-wielding youths
who gathered to commemorate the
— Associated Press anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald.