Volkswagen CEO quits, denies any wrongdoing
BERLIN – Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned Wednesday, days after admitting that the world’s top-selling carmaker had rigged diesel emissions to pass U.S. tests during his tenure.
No replacement was announced, and VW still has no easy exit from a scandal that has suddenly dented a reputation for trustworthiness that took decades to build. The smog-test trickery has wiped out billions in VW’s market value and raised the specter of criminal investigations and billions more in fines.
“I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part,” Winterkorn’s statement said.
President of Burkina Faso back in power
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso’s interim president triumphantly returned to power Wednesday, a week after his political demise had seemed all but certain following a military coup.
In the days after the coup, the population showed it was prepared to take to the streets, similar action that forced the country’s previous president to step down a year ago after nearly 30 years in power.
This time, people took to the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, to protest. The national army also weighed in against the junta, dramatically massing its troops in the capital and threatening to forcibly disarm the coup plotters if necessary.
Last week’s coup was led by members of the presidential guard still loyal to ex-President Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in an uprising in October 2014 after he angered people by attempting to prolong his 27-year rule.
China president: “No reform, no progress
SEATTLE – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday addressed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, billionaire investor Warren Buffett and other top American and Chinese business leaders, vowing that his country would work to remove barriers to foreign investment and improve intellectual property protections.
“Without reform, there will be no driving force; without opening up, there will be no progress,” Xi said through an interpreter, echoing remarks he made during a speech Tuesday. “There is good news and I believe there will be more good news in the future.”
Xi attributed the Chinese economy’s “moderation in speed and downward pressure with some ups and downs in the stock market” to three factors – world economic problems, proactive Chinese efforts at regulation and “protracted structural problems” in China.
More fingerprints than first thought stolen
WASHINGTON – The number of people applying for or receiving security clearances whose fingerprint images were stolen in one of the worst government data breaches is now believed to be 5.6 million, not 1.1 million as first thought, the Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday.
The agency was the victim of what the U.S. believes was a Chinese espionage operation that affected an estimated 21.5 million current and former federal employees or job applicants. The theft could give Chinese intelligence a huge leg up in recruiting informants inside the U.S. government, experts believe. It also could help the Chinese identify U.S. spies abroad, according to American officials.
The Obama administration has not publicly blamed China or taken any public action in retaliation for the hack. Intelligence officials have called the data a fair intelligence target, one the U.S. would pursue if it had the chance.
Supermoon, eclipse equals rare sky show
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Get ready for a rare double feature this weekend, starring our very own moon.
A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending where you are. That combination hasn’t been seen since 1982 and won’t happen again until 2033.
When a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth, that’s a supermoon. Although still about 220,000 miles away, this full moon will look bigger and brighter than usual. In fact, it will be the closest full moon of the year, about 30,000 miles closer than the average distance. (The moon’s orbit is far from a perfect circle.)
The full eclipse of the moon will last more than an hour and be visible, weather permitting, from North and South America, Europe, Africa and western Asia.
Showtime on the U.S. East Coast is 10:11 p.m. EDT; that’s when the moon, Earth and sun will be lined up, with Earth’s shadow totally obscuring the moon.
The Associated Press
