Nation, World Briefs: Bush scraps proposal to post diplomats to Iran

Published 10:29 pm Saturday, October 4, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has shelved plans to set up a diplomatic outpost in Iran, in part over fears it could affect the U.S. presidential race or be interpreted as political meddling, The Associated Press has learned. The proposal to send U.S. diplomats to Tehran for the first time in three decades attracted great attention when it was floated over the summer, but has now been placed on indefinite hold as November’s election nears and Iran continues to defy demands to halt suspect nuclear activities, officials said. The officials said a decision had been made to leave the decision to the next U.S. president.

Massachusetts: U.S. loan sought

The state treasurer has asked the federal government about lending Massachusetts money under the same favorable terms it has given banks and firms during the financial crisis. The treasurer’s requests to the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston this week were prompted by the state’s inability to borrow from the short-term debt markets, The Boston Globe reported Saturday. The financial turmoil has caused credit markets to stop lending, or to charge prohibitive rates.

Alaska: Todd Palin agrees to talk

Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband is planning to speak to an investigator looking into abuse-of-power allegations against the governor, Todd Palin’s lawyer said Saturday. He previously refused to testify under subpoena in a separate probe. The attorney said he asked the investigator to reserve the third week of October to interview Todd Palin, but a date has not been set. Todd Palin refused to testify under subpoena last month in a separate investigation by the Alaska Legislature.

Pennsylvania: Episcopal schism

Clergy and lay members of the theologically conservative Pittsburgh diocese voted overwhelmingly Saturday to break from the liberal Episcopal Church, with which it differs on issues including homosexuality and biblical teachings on salvation. Assistant Bishop Henry Scriven said the vote means the Pittsburgh diocese is now more firmly aligned with the majority of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, which is more conservative than the communion’s 2.2 million-member U.S. church.

California: Nurse license study

Dozens of registered nurses convicted of crimes, including sex offenses and attempted murder, have remained fully licensed to practice in California for years before the state nursing board acted against them, a Los Angeles Times investigation found. The newspaper, in a joint effort with the news organization ProPublica, found more than 115 recent cases in which the state didn’t seek to pull or restrict licenses until nurses racked up three or more criminal convictions. Twenty-four nurses had at least five. In some cases, nurses with felony records continue to have spotless licenses — even while serving time behind bars.

Colorado: Fraternity firebombed

Someone tossed a firebomb into a fraternity house about a block from the University of Colorado, setting off a brawl in a nearby alley that sent one man to the hospital, police said. The firebomb early Friday caused no injuries or significant damage, and residents had put the blaze out by the time firefighters arrived, a police spokeswoman said. She said it was probably not a hate crime, but more likely stemmed from a feud between the fraternity and residents of a nearby apartment or with another fraternity.

Turkey: Deadly clash with rebels

The Turkish army clashed with Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq in their deadliest battle in eight months, and the government vowed Saturday to fight the rebels at full force. Fifteen soldiers and at least 23 insurgents were killed, the military said Saturday. Twenty more soldiers were wounded, the government said. The fighting Friday was the deadliest since February.

South Korea: More tainted food

South Korea’s food watchdog has ordered four more Chinese-made food products to be destroyed after they were found to contain the industrial chemical melamine. Melamine was found in Snickers Peanut Funsize and M&Ms chocolate milk made by Mars, as well as KitKat wafers made by Nestle and a biscuit manufactured by Lotte Confectionery Co., the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday.

Somalia: Four pirate attacks fail

There have been four failed pirate attacks in the last 24 hours off the lawless Somali coast despite the presence of six American warships guarding a hijacked ship full of weapons, a U.S. navy spokeswoman said Saturday. She said three attacks were averted because crew members escaped at high speed. Another attack was foiled because the pirates were badly prepared: The ladder they had brought to climb onto the ship was too short.

From Herald news services