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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 20, 2008

Barack Obama Visits Afghanistan, First Stop Of Mideast, European Tour

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, the first stop on a campaign-season tour of war zones, a spokesman said.

Less than four months before the general election, Obama's first visit to Afghanistan, with a subsequent stop in Iraq, was rich with political implications, although the Illinois senator flew as part of an official congressional delegation.

Rival John McCain has criticized Obama for his lack of time in the region, and the Republican National Committee had a running ticker tallying the more than 900 days since his last visit to Iraq.

Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama arrived in Kabul early Saturday.

"I look forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama told a pair of reporters who accompanied him to his departure from Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday.
Pope Benedict XVI Apologizes For The 'Evil' Of Clergy Sex Abuse In Australia

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI used some of the strongest language yet in his apology Saturday for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy, but his words were just more of the same for the victims.

The pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the sexual abuse, delivering a strongly-worded apology that described their acts as evil and a grave betrayal of trust.

"I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them as their pastor that I too share in their suffering," Benedict said during an address at a Mass in Sydney.

"Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice," he said.

The pope said the scandal had badly damaged the church.

Northern Command Head Says US Homeland Defense Force Is Well Prepared
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) - Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. has four stars on his collars and 60 combat missions under his belt. But on a recent trip to a California airfield, he sprang from an SUV like a happy kid and charged toward a crowd of servicemen and women.

"Hi, guys!" he said to the troops, who stood stiffly at attention. "Relax, relax, relax!"

Renuart, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, seems unnaturally upbeat and energetic for a man whose job is to figure out what disasters might befall the American homeland, and then lay plans to prevent or cope with them.

His conversation is peppered with references to hurricanes, pandemics and nuclear explosions, and he admits his responsibilities can be sobering. But he loves his job.

"I think we're doing really good things for the country, so that makes it easy to come to work every day," he said.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press aboard a small passenger jet, Renuart spoke about the Northern Command's growing pains and its efforts to put other agencies at ease about its intentions. He insisted the command is ready to take on what threats may come and is becoming better prepared all the time.

McCain Prefers Town Hall Q-and-As To Speeches

DENVER (AP) - John McCain was in his favorite campaign setting, a town hall meeting, when he spotted a promising target. "I'd love to recognize you first, sir," the Republican presidential candidate said to a man in a Vietnam War veteran's hat.

Instead of a softball opening question from a fellow vet, however, McCain got a lengthy harangue, as the man insisted the senator had opposed better medical benefits for veterans.

McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, politely said the man was mistaken. He finally broke it off, saying, "I'll be glad to examine what your version of my record is."

The July 7 episode in Denver underscored the iffy nature of a campaign strategy that McCain seems to adore. Town hall sessions - in which he makes opening remarks and takes questions for an hour or more - have become McCain's staple, and he constantly needles Democratic opponent Barack Obama for not joining him onstage.

But they are far from risk-free. They make it nearly impossible for McCain to focus attention on a daily message, and they have produced some of his most memorable gaffes.

Huge Crane Collapses At Houston Oil Refinery, Killing 4 Workers

HOUSTON (AP) - Hitting the ground with enough force to lift a worker off the ground, one of the nation's largest mobile cranes collapsed at a Houston oil refinery, killing four workers and injuring seven others.

As federal officials prepared to investigate the latest in a string of fatal accidents involving cranes, the Louisiana company that owns the 300-foot-tall piece of equipment said it would pursue its own probe of Friday's incident. Deep South Crane & Rigging spokeswoman Margaret Landry issued a statement from the company's headquarters in Baton Rouge, saying it was investigating "to determine the root cause, correct it and ensure that this type of tragedy does not occur again."

The 30-story-tall crane, capable of lifting 1 million pounds, fell over at a LyondellBasell refinery in southeast Houston about 2 p.m., said Jim Roecker, the company's vice president for refining.

Three of the injured were treated and released at the scene, said Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria. Two severely injured workers were taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center hospital and the other two injured workers were taken to a hospital by ambulance.

The crane had not been scheduled to do any work until next week, but Roecker said its engine was idling after it hit the ground.

Beijing Begins Massive Shutdown To Clean Capital's Filthy Air Ahead Of Olympic Games

BEIJING (AP) - Beijing's Olympic shutdown begins Sunday, a drastic plan to lift the Chinese capital's gray shroud of pollution just three weeks ahead of the games.

Half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles will be pulled off the roads and many polluting factories will be shuttered. Chemical plants, power stations and foundries left open have to cut emissions by 30 percent - and dust-spewing construction in the capital will be halted.

In a highly stage-managed Olympics aimed at showing off the rising power of the 21st century, no challenge is greater than producing crystalline air for 10,500 of the world's greatest athletes.

"Pea-soup air at the opening ceremony would be their worst nightmare," said Victor Cha, director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University.

Striking venues and $40 billion spent to improve infrastructure cannot mask Beijing's dirty air. A World Bank study found China is home to 16 of the 20 worst cities for air quality. Three-quarters of the water flowing through urban areas is unsuitable for drinking or fishing.

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