A tropical storm, a college basketball program and some angry Chinese farmers are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.
Listen to this audio clip
to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/EyePress)
"No, this is not RoboCop."
That's how Michael Feldman, the AP's international photo editor, introduced this photo of a law enforcement officer in Zhengzhou, China. The officer was showing off body armor and a gun that shoots a net to catch dogs.
Meanwhile, a few hundred miles up the road, baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. has some fun during a clinic he's conducting for kids in Beijing.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
See below for more of Feldman's top photo picks.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
Police in India chained the gates to vast fairgrounds today where some 27,000 landless demonstrators had gathered in New Delhi, barricading the protesters inside and preventing them from marching to the nation's capital.
Today was supposed to be the end of an 185-mile march north from the city of Gwalior to the nation's capital to highlight the plight of the masses who have been largely untouched by India's economic boom.
DID YOU KNOW?: Of India's 1.1 billion people about 450 million live on less than $1 a day, according to the World Bank.
For more on the demonstrations by the landless, read this report filed today from New Delhi by Gavin Rabinowitz.
--Paul Chavez
Baseball, cardboard tubes and the anniversary of a journalist's death are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.
Listen to this audio clip
to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.
-- Eric Carvin
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israelis today that he has a treatable form of prostate cancer. Watch the above AP video report for details and for the latest developments, read this story from Jerusalem by Matti Friedman.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photos/Eduardo Di Baia/Charles Dharapak)
It's not an episode of "Wife Swap." It's Argentina's presidential election. Partial election results
indicate that President Nestor Kirchner and first lady Cristina
Fernandez will switch roles in December. That would make Fernandez the country's first elected female president. Sound sorta familiar?
In this audio clip, the AP's Niko Price discusses the comparisons between Fernandez and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Read Price's story about the election here.
-- Derrik J. Lang
(AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
(AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Two of the images highlighted by AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman at the AP global news meeting came from East Timor, where pilgrims traveled to a Christ statue on Matebian Mountain -- formerly the site of a rebel base.
Some claim that, in 1978, thousands of Timorese were killed at the base in fighting with Indonesia forces.
See below for more of the AP photos Feldman chose to highlight at the meeting. (Though Rockies fans might want to cover their eyes.)
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Argentina's Presidency)
Exit polls suggest that first lady Cristina Fernandez won the presidential election by a large enough margin to avoid a runoff, which would make her the first woman in Argentina elected to the post.
Official results were due later today and none of the opposition candidates have conceded defeat. Some challengers complained of unprecedented fraud.
Fernandez is shown above, right, with her husband, President Nestor Kircher, after they voted and returned to the capital to await results. Her husband is widely credited for Argentina's rebound from a 2001 economic collapse and much of her support is due to her popularity.
For the latest on the Argentinean elections, read this report that will be updated with the latest results by Bill Cormier from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
--Paul Chavez .
Watch the above AP video for a report on a suicide bombing in Kirkuk, Iraq, that left eight dead and dozens wounded. For the latest developments in Iraq, read this dispatch from Baghdad by Kim Gamel, which has details on the broad daylight abduction today of 10 Sunni and Shiite tribal sheiks.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
An investigation by a British newspaper found children as young as 10 making clothes for Gap Inc. in a sweatshop in New Delhi, India, and the good were destined for sale in the West.
The Observer reported today that the children said they had been sold to the sweatshop by their families and they could not leave until they had repaid that fee. The paper quoted on boy identified only as Jivas as saying that child employees who cried or did not work hard enough were hit with a rubber pipe or had oily cloths stuffed into their mouths.
Gap officials told The Associated Press today that the sweatshop was run by a subcontractor hired in violation of company policies and none of the goods made there will be sold in stores.
For more, read this report filed today out of London.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Israel promised to cut fuel shipments to the Gaza Strip if the area's Hamas rulers didn't put an end to months of Palestinian rocket attacks. They kept that promise today and ordered Dor Alon, the Israeli energy company that sells fuel to Gaza, to reduce shipments.
Palestinians in Gaza rely on Israel for nearly all their fuel and gasoline and more than half of their electricity. The Israeli plan has drawn harsh criticism from human rights groups and the international community, which believe the sanctions amount to collective punishment.
In the photo above, Palestinians examine the rubble of a house after an explosion yesterday in the southern Gaza Strip that killed two women and a 4-year-old girl. The Israeli military denies carrying out an operation in the area and Palestinian police believe explosives being handled by militants accidentally exploded.
For more on the fuel crunch in the Gaza Strip, read this report by Sarah El Deeb from Gaza City, Gaza Strip.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
California firefighters work to hold gains
Astronauts conduct second spacewalk
Report: 15 Kurds dead in clashes with Turkey
Rookies lead Red Sox to brink of sweep
Caption: Boston Red Sox player Jacoby Ellsbury watches his RBI double against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. Boston's Julio Lugo scored on the hit.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/NASA TV)
Astronauts floated into the newest addition to the international space station today and formally christened the sparkling white room known as Harmony.
Space station commander Peggy Whitson and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli -- shown above with an unidentified astronaut -- were the first ones in.
The chamber was named by schoolchildren in America and was made in Italy.
For more on the space station, read this report filed today by AP aerospace writer Marcia Dunn.
(AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
The heaviest fighting in months hit Somalia's capital today as insurgents and government-backed troops fired machine guns, mortars and rocket-proplled grenades, leaving at least seven dead and dozens wounded, officials told The Associated Press.
Islamic fighters briefly took over a police station in south Mogadishu and chanted "God is great" before heading back out of the area.
At least 35 people, including the woman shown above, were being treated at Mogadishu's Medina Hospital.
MORE HARDSHIP: Some 1.5 million Somalis are now in need of food and protection -- 50 percent more than at the start of the year -- due to inadequate rains, continuing internal displacement and a potential cholera epidemic, the U.N. says.
For more on the fighting in Somalia, read this report by from Mogadishu by Salad Duhul.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SoCal wildfire pollution poses health threat
Auto workers OK 4-year pact with Chrysler
Democrats lash out at GOP over children's health program
Turkish prime minister vows fight with Kurds 'when needed'
Red Sox a mile high in Denver with 2-0 lead
Caption:The Colorado Rockies take batting practice at Coors Field in Denver on Friday The Rockies will face the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 today of baseball's World Series. Boston leads the best-of-seven games series 2-0.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
This photo, of a child at play -- with a toy rocket-propelled grenade launcher -- is one of several images highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting by AP Photo Supervisor Jim Collins.
The picture was taken in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave of Baghdad.
Collins also pointed out the photo below, shot outside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank City of Ramallah. The boy in the image is holding up a portrait of relatives jailed by Israel, as part of a demonstration calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
See below for more of Collins' top-photo picks of the moment.
-- Eric Carvin
Crude oil prices spiked above $92 a barrel Friday.
Why? Tensions in the Middle East and renewed concerns about supply.
The United States announced new sanctions against Iran on Thursday, and a confrontation between the world's largest oil consumer and its fourth largest oil producer could upend markets.
Also, a threatened incursion by Turkish armed forces into Iraq would cut oil supplies out of northern Iraq. Turkey has warned it will decide whether to cross into Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish guerrillas regardless of U.S. objections.
On Thursday, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Secretary General Abdalla el-Badri told The Wall Street Journal Asia the cartel is not in discussions to boost production by 500,000 barrels.
For more, check out this AP story by Pablo Gorondi.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Amy Conn-Gutierrez)
A Houston-area collector became the proud owner of a 3-inch hair lock that was snipped from Ernesto "Che" Guevara before his burial in 1967.
Bill Butler, who bid over the phone, said he was a collector of 1960s items and the hair lock would fit in well.
Butler paid $100,000 for the tress, which sold at auction Thursday.
To find out the story behind the lock of hair, check out this AP story by Paul J. Weber.
For a look at Guevara's final days, check out this asap audio slideshow by yours truly highlighting some post-mortem photographs of the revolutionary.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Straight from the AP wires:
Fire evacuees seek return to normal
Astronauts begin first spacewalk
Fight over child health care persists
Mideast leaders work on joint statement
Fenway happy as Red Sox lead series 2-0
-- Jaime Holguin
Arson in California, Turks and Armenians fighting in Belgium and the first passenger flight of the superjumbo A380 are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.
Listen to this audio clip
to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.
-- Eric Carvin
The Bush administration is cracking down on Iran.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced the harshest sanctions against Iran since the takeover of the U.S. embassy in 1979. The charge: Tehran is supporting terrorism in the Middle East, exports missiles and is engaging in a nuclear buildup.
Rice said the unilateral sanctions are not an indication that the United States is heading toward an armed conflict with Iran. AP Writer Matthew Lee reports administration officials hope the sanctions will pressure Iran into agreeing to a deal that would give it economic incentive to drop its nuclear program.
The sanctions:
Iran's Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics were designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile technology. This means that any assets found in the United States belonging to the designated groups must be frozen. Americans are also forbidden from doing business with the designated organizations.
Companies outside the United States are put on notice that doing business with the designated groups could put them at risk of U.S. financial penalty.
-- Howie Rumberg
A wave of violence that has undermined the Pakistani government's control of a swath of territory along the northwestern border -- where sympathizers of Taliban and al-Qaida hold sway -- claimed more lives Thursday.
The Associated Press reports at least 18 people were killed and 30 wounded, when a suspected suicide bomber attacked a truck carrying troops.
New troops have been deployed to Swat, a mountain valley popular with tourists until violence flared there this summer, to quell Maulana Fazlullah, who has called for Taliban-style rule and holy war against Pakistani authorities.
For more, check out this AP story by Riaz Khan.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Straight from the AP wires:
Calif. fires may be at a turning point
Military may get control of contractors
Iraqi delegation to visit Turkey
Looking for an excuse? Company has many
Red Sox cool off Rockies 13-1 in Game 1
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Sgt. Timothy Kingston, U.S. Army)
The number crunchers at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office have tallied how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost over the next decade: $2.4 trillion.
Just to be clear, that's $2,400,000,000,000.
WHITE HOUSE REACTION:
"It's just a ton of speculation," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "We don't know how much the war is going to cost in the future."
SPENDING SO FAR: According to the analysis, the U.S. has spent about $604 billion on the wars, including $39 billion in diplomatic operations and foreign aid.
For more on the spending forecast, read this report filed today out of Washington by Anne Flaherty.
Caption: Two U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division dismount from the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle earlier this month to conduct a cordon and search at a brick factory in Narahwan, Iraq.
--Paul Chavez
More fires in California, and a citizen journalism experiment in Canada.
That's what's dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.
Listen to this audio clip
to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.
-- Eric Carvin
The following are some of the top photos today from The Associated Press:
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
(AP Photo/Sang Tan)
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
From top to bottom:
-- Bernadette Tuazon
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The California wildfires are dominating the top images in the AP photo report at the moment, according to AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman, who highlighted some of the best pictures at this morning's AP global news meeting.
The photo above shows a back fire on a hillside in Jamul, Calif., while the one below was shot in the Santiago Canyon hills in Silverado.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
See below for more of Feldman's top photos picks.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Greg Baker)
One down, two to go.
China launched its first lunar probe Wednesday, marking the first step of a three-stage moon mission.
The Associated Press reports the Chang'e 1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, is expected to transmit its first photo back to China in late November, and to conduct explorations of the moon for a year.
In the second phase of China's moon mission there will be a moon landing with a moon rover in 2012. About five years later, another rover will land on the moon and return to Earth with soil and rock samples.
For more, check out this AP story by Audra Ang.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Straight from the AP wires:
Calif. firefighters hope winds slacken
Rice says Iran an obstacle to U.S. goals
Bush touting Cuban life after Castro
Turkey shells Kurd rebels in Iraq
World Series opens tonight in Boston
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
Fidel Castro wrote a statement attacking President Bush a day before the White House was to announce new plans to get Cuba away from communism.
Castro wrote: "The danger of a massive world famine is aggravated by Mr. Bush's recent initiative to transform foods into fuel."
Read more in this story by the AP's Will Weissert.
In the photo: A polling station during Cuba's municipal elections in Havana on Sunday: the first cycle without Fidel Castro in charge.
-- Hillary Rhodes
The California wildfires are still dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.
Listen to this audio clip
to hear the latest from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy -- and to learn about a punk rock street fair in Mexico.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A lot of the top images AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting came from Southern California, where several devastating wildfires continue to burn. The photo above comes from the Malibu Hills; because of an extended exposure, embers blown in the wind appear as streaks at the bottom of the image.
Below, a helicopter scoops water from a golf course in Valencia, Calif., for use in the firefighting efforts.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
See below for more of Feldman's top-photo picks.
-- Eric Carvin
It's the third claim of civilian casualties in Iraq from U.S. airstrikes in as many days.
In the latest incident, a U.S. helicopter opened fire on a group of men as they were planting roadside bombs in a Sunni stronghold north of Baghdad, then chased them into a nearby house, killing 11 Iraqis, including at least six civilians, the military said.
Police and witnesses, however, said 14 people were killed, including four women and eight children.
Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a military spokeswoman, said an investigation was under way.
Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin reports the airstrikes have prompted complaints that too many ordinary Iraqis are losing their lives, particularly as the Americans increasingly rely on air power to attack militants.
To learn about the previous incidents, read Salaheddin's story here.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Chris Park)
Straight from the AP wires:
Calif. wind-fueled fires force mass evacuations
Heavy rains flood parts of New Orleans
Czech government favors hosting U.S. missile defense
Ahmadinejad criticized over nuclear envoy
Marie Osmond faints onstage during "Dancing with the Stars"
PHOTO: People who were recently evacuated from their homes during the San Diego wildfires try to get some sleep while others arrive and set up camp at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
News on the war front ...
A government review panel says there needs to be some type of unified control over private security guards in Iraq. The recommendation to the State Department would add at least one layer of oversight of contractors like Blackwater USA. AP reporter Anne Gearan has the full write-up here.
That Bush photo above is from the president's announcement today that he wants another $46 billion from Congress to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Details are in Andrew Taylor's AP story.
Finally, there was a new bin Laden message today. It's an audio tape where he scolds al-Qaida in Iraq followers -- saying they've "been lax" for failing to unite. AP reporter Kim Gamel covers the story from Baghdad.
--Ryan Pearson
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
This dramatic image from a wildfire near Irvine, Calif., was one of a handful of images highlighted by AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman at this morning's AP global news meeting.
Feldman also showed this photo, one of several shot by the AP at a protest in Washington by anti-war, justice and environmental groups.
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
See below for more of Feldman's top-photo picks of the moment.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)
Turkey moved closer to a possible incursion into Iraq to target Kurdish insurgents hiding there, following an ambush attack Sunday that killed a dozen Turkish soldiers. Eight remain missing.
An AP Television News cameraman saw a convoy of 50 military vehicles, loaded with soldiers and weapons, heading toward the Iraq border. Tens of thousands of Turkish troops are already deployed in the border area.
The latest attack has outraged an already frustrated public, with nationalists staging demonstrations and opposition leaders calling for an immediate strike against rebel bases in Iraq, despite appeals for restraint from Iraq, the U.S. and European leaders.
For the latest developments, check out this story by AP's Volkan Sarisakal.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Straight from the AP wires:
Wildfires rage in Southern California
Turkey: Troops missing after Kurdish rebel ambush
NASA won't disclose air safety survey
GOP rivals argue who's most conservative
Lawyer: Spears regains child visitation rights
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev,Pool)
Did they have to hitch a ride home?
A Russian spacecraft landed more than 200 miles off course. The Soyuz craft did arrive safely, bringing two Russian cosmonauts and Malaysia's first space traveler back to Earth. AP correspondent Vladimir Isachenkov reports a computer glitch caused the craft to miss its mark west of its designated site near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan. The crew returned a minute ahead of schedule.
Russian astronauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov were returning home after a six-month stay at the international space station. Malaysian Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was there since Oct. 12.
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
U.S. forces targeted militants in Sadr City, killing 49 in a raid backed by airstrikes.
The killings took place in three separate skirmishes as U.S. forces sought a suspected rogue Shiite militia leader specializing in kidnapping operations. AP correspondent Sinan Salaheddin, reporting from Baghdad, said the raids show that the U.S. forces will not let up on catching suspected Shiite militants despite the risk of offending Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
In the north, separatist Kurdish rebels ambushed a military unit near Turkey's border with Iraq, killing at least 12 soldiers. Turkey has threatened to take military action against the rebels if the U.S. -led coalition does not.
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Straight from the AP wires:
Indian immigrants' son new La. governor
U.S.: Raid of Baghdad's Sadr City kills 49
Soyuz craft lands short of destination
Giuliani tries to reassure conservatives
Drew powers Red Sox into decisive Game 7
(AP Photo/Somnuk Attipanyo)
There are 33 cities around the world that are expected to have more than 8 million residents by the year 2015. At least 21 are vulnerable to rising sea levels and other disasters due to climate change.
Keep reading for a list of some of the more prominent cities cited by the Worldwatch Institute.
(AP Photo)
Curfew is over in Myanmar. So is the ban on the right to assembly.
The Myanmar government cracked down on the pro-democracy protests that began in August after officials raised gas prices, instituting strict rules that included a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The announcement came after the Bush administration said it would impose new sanctions on the military-run government and its backers Friday.
The government, through the state media, also asked for the country's detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to compromise and hold talks with the government. Suu Kyi has been detained for 12 of the last 18 years. The junta's leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, was willing to meet with Suu Kyi -- but only if she meets certain conditions, including renouncing support for foreign sanctions targeting the junta.
Myanmar's repressive regime has repeatedly rebuffed the world's calls for democratic reforms, saying it will follow its own so-called road map to democracy.
-- Howie Rumberg
Photo caption: Newly appointed Secretary of Iran's Supreme
National Security council, Saeed Jalili, right, talks with Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, in Tehran, in this undated file photo. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Javad Moghimi,
File)
You think Iran's stance on its nuclear program is tough? It looks like it's about to get a whole lot more difficult for the West.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator has resigned. Now it appears hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will take an ever tougher stance with the United States and Europe. AP correspondent Ali Akbar Dareini reports Saeed Jalili, a little-known deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs, was to succeed Ali Larijani as lead negotiator effective immediately.
Larijani, a former Revolutionary Guards Corps commander, took a hardline view on the nuclear issue, but his resignation is viewed as a opening for Ahmadinejad to take more control over the negotiations. Larijani was more committed to a diplomatic solution than it is believed Ahmadinejad is.
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
Was it state-sponsored terrorism? It was not, Pakistan says.
A day after Benazir Bhutto hinted that government or military officials could have been involved in the bomb attack that targeted her homecoming parade and left at least 136 dead, the Pakistani government is saying it did everything it could to protect the former prime minister.
Bhutto also said al-Qaida and the Taliban could have been involved. And the government blames: Al-Qaida and warlords, of course. AP reporter Ashraf Khan reports the government is saying the bombing bore the hallmarks of a warlord and the terror group. The attack began with a man throwing a grenade into a crowd, then blowing himself up with a bomb packed with nuts and bolts.
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/Maritza Rodriguez, Animal Protectors Network)
A probe into the massacre of pet and stray cats and dogs taken from Puerto Rican housing projects and thrown off a bridge has found that an animal control company hired by local authorities was involved.
Police said today that several people from the town of Barceloneta identified their dogs from animals found dead or injured underneath a highway bridge.
A contractor, Animal Control Services, was hired to enforce a rule banning pets from the projects, but the company's owner, Julio Diaz, has denied that his workers got rid of the animals by hurling them off a bridge.
In the above photo, animal rights activist Leisha Swayne comforts Yoli, a pet dog left for dead under a bridge. Yoli suffered a broken spine, pelvis and other broken bones.
More details on the developing story after the jump.
--Paul Chavez
Continue reading "Puerto Rico police: Contractor behind pet massacre" »
(AP Photo/Arturo Rodriguez)
One of 99 would-be immigrants, including at least 10 minors, shows his emotions today in Puerto de los Cristianos, on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, after their boat was intercepted as it crossed over from western Africa.
So far this year, more than 8,000 migrants have been caught in their attempt to reach Spain. The dangerous trip often takes more than a week and
