Russia counters U.S., bans 18 Americans
MOSCOW Russia on Saturday banned 18 Americans from entering the country in response to Washington imposing sanctions on 18 Russians for alleged human-rights violations.
The list released by the Foreign Ministry includes John Yoo, a former U.S. Justice Department official who wrote legal memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques; David Addington, the chief of staff for former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney; and two former commanders of the Guantanamo Bay detention center: retired Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller and Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson.
Palestinian leader Salaam Fayyad resigns
RAMALLAH, West Bank Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad resigned Saturday, leaving the Palestinians without one of their most moderate and well-respected voices just as the U.S. is launching a new push for Mideast peace.
A statement from the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said President Mahmoud Abbas met with Fayyad late in the day and accepted his resignation, thanking him for his service. According to the statement, Abbas asked Fayyad to continue to serve in his post until Abbas forms a new government.
Anti-Thatcher party celebrates her death
LONDON Hundreds of opponents of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher partied in Londons Trafalgar Square to celebrate her death, sipping Champagne and chanting Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead.
Thatchers most strident critics had long vowed to hold a gathering in central London on the Saturday after her passing, and the festivities were an indication of the depth of the hatred that some Britons still feel for their former leader.
Weve been waiting a long time for this, Richard Watson, a 45-year-old from eastern England wearing a party hat, said. Its an opportunity of a lifetime.
Pope taps cardinals for adviser roles
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis named eight cardinals from around the globe Saturday to advise him on running the Catholic Church and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy.
The advisory panel includes only one current Vatican official. The rest are cardinals from North, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia. Many have been outspoken in calling for a shake-up of the Vatican bureaucracy, which was last reformed 25 years ago, while others have tried to clean up the church from sexually abusive priests.
Judge recuses himself in Mubarak retrial
CAIRO The judge in Hosni Mubaraks retrial recused himself at the start of the first session Saturday, citing a conflict of interest as the former Egyptian president appeared in court for the first time in 10 months grinning and waving to supporters.
The recusal threw the case deeper into disarray after an appeals court in January overturned a life sentence for Mubarak on a conviction for failing to prevent the killings of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ousted him.
The appeals court granted Mubarak a retrial after ruling that in the first trial, the prosecutions case lacked concrete evidence and failed to prove that protesters were killed by the police during the bloodiest days of the revolt. About 900 people were killed in the 18-day uprising, most of them in the initial days.
Associated Press
