IOC strips 4 medals from 2004 Athens Olympics

By By STEPHEN WILSON | Associated Press – Wed, Dec 5, 2012 * Email0 * Share0 * * Share0 * Print LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Eight years after winning Olympic medals in Athens, four track and field athletes from eastern Europe were ordered to hand them back Wednesday because of positive doping tests. Lance Armstrong, meanwhile, can hold onto his bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Games for a little while longer. The International Olympic Committee executive board disqualified four athletes whose Athens doping samples were retested earlier this year and came back positive for steroids, including shot put gold medalist Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine. Also stripped were hammer throw silver medalist Ivan Tskikhan of Belarus and two bronze medalists — women's shot putter Svetlana Krivelyova of Russia and discus thrower Irina Yatchenko of Belarus. The case of a fifth bronze medalist, weightlifter Oleg Perepechenov of Russia, remains pending. "Athletes who cheat by using doping substances must understand that just because they get away with it one day, there is a very good chance that they will be caught in the future," WADA President John Fahey said in a statement. "The retesting and subsequent decisions of the IOC are proof of that." The IOC said it will ask the International Association of Athletics Federations to get the four medals back and readjust the results and rankings from the Athens Games. Until then, no decision will be taken on reallocating the medals. Adam Nelson of the United States finished second in the shot put in Athens behind Bilonog and would stand to move up to gold. The IOC, meanwhile, held off stripping Armstrong of the bronze he won 12 years ago in the cycling road time trial in Sydney, citing procedural reasons for the delay. IOC leaders want the medal back following the damning U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that painted Armstrong as a systematic drug cheat and led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. But the IOC said it must wait for cycling's governing body UCI to formally notify Armstrong of the loss of all his results since August 1998. The IOC wants to avoid any legal problems in connection with the eight-year statute of limitations in the Olympic rules. "The IOC today will not move," IOC President Jacques Rogge said at a news conference following a two-day executive board meeting in Lausanne. "We need to have the situation whereby the UCI notifies officially Mr. Armstrong of the fact that he will be disqualified, declared ineligible and that he should hand over his medal. "This is a legal obligation not for the IOC but for the International Cycling Union. When he will be notified, Mr. Armstrong will have 21 days to launch an appeal if he wishes. It is only after this period of 21 days that the IOC can legally take action." The intention of the IOC to wipe Armstrong from the Olympic record books remains clear. "Absolutely," IOC vice president Craig Reedie of Britain told The Associated Press. "If the UCI have the ability to remove all these titles, we should have the ability to remove a bronze medal. Once they go through their procedures, then we'll go through ours." Armstrong finished behind winner and U.S. Postal Service teammate Vyacheslav Ekimov of Russia and Jan Ullrich of Germany in Sydney. The IOC has no plans to reallocate Armstrong's bronze medal, just as the UCI decided not to declare any winners for the Tour titles once held by the American. In August, the IOC stripped Tyler Hamilton, a former Armstrong teammate, of his time-trial gold medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics after he admitted to doping. The Athens Games were already considered the dirtiest on record, producing 26 doping cases and catching six medalists — including two gold winners — at the time. The retroactive tests bring the number of Athens cases to 31, including 11 medal winners and three gold medalists. Since Athens, the IOC has been storing doping samples from each Olympics for eight years to allow for retesting when new detection methods become available. Last year, under prodding from the World Anti-Doping Agency, the IOC reanalyzed about 100 samples from Athens. The IOC said Bilonog and Krivelyova tested positive for oxandrolone, while the samples from Tsikhan and Yatchenko were positive for methandienone. Bilonog's disqualification means that both shot put winners in Athens have now been disqualified for doping: Women's champion Irina Korzhanenko of Russia was stripped of gold at the games after testing positive for stanozolol. In what had been intended as a symbolic and uplifting return to the birthplace of the Olympics, the IAAF held the 2004 shot put competition in Ancient Olympia. The event has now been tarnished by the two drug scandals. In the men's event, Nelson and Bilonog finished with the same best throw, but the Ukrainian was declared the winner because his second-best attempt was longer. It was the first time an Olympic field event was decided by a second-best mark.

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Patriots back on top of AP Pro32 power rankings

NEW YORK (AP) — See ya, Houston. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have taken over the top spot in the AP Pro32 NFL power rankings. Hours after routing the previous No. 1 Texans 42-14, the Patriots were back on top of the rankings for the first time since Week 2. Houston held the No. 1 spot for a month before tumbling to fourth following its second loss of the season. Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are second, with the San Francisco 49ers third as they prepare to visit New England on Sunday night. The Patriots (10-3) received 11 of 12 first-place votes and 383 points Tuesday in balloting by The Associated Press' panel of media members who regularly cover the league. Denver (10-3) got the other first-place vote and had 369 points. "That was quite a message they sent to the league Monday night, said ESPN's Chris Berman of the Patriots' seventh straight win. "The Patriots played a near flawless game and are taking form to make a serious run at the Lombardi," said Fox Sports' John Lynch. "A potential Super Bowl preview awaits Sunday night with the 49ers." The Broncos, meanwhile, take an eight-game winning streak into their game against Baltimore, which fell into a tie for eighth after an overtime loss to Washington. "Peyton Manning is making his pitch for a record fourth NFL MVP award. He has steered Denver to eight consecutive victories and thrown 19 TD passes during that stretch," said the Dallas Morning News' Rick Gosselin, the only voter who had Denver No. 1 this week. The Atlanta Falcons dropped two spots to fifth after their loss to Carolina, and Green Bay and the New York Giants were tied for sixth. Even at 11-2, voters are beginning to wonder about the Texans, who have clinched a playoff spot but still have two more games against division rival Indianapolis, ranked 10th this week. "The hope is that Monday's loss (by Houston) was a wakeup call," said Clark Judge of CBSSports.com. "If not, make it the beginning of the end to what once looked like a promising season." As for the Falcons, their second loss has some voters wondering as well. "Has any 11-2 team every gotten as little respect? Don't think so," said The Sporting News' Clifton Brown, who ranked the Falcons eighth. Seattle made the biggest advance after its 58-0 rout of Arizona, up four places to eighth. "It's like Pete Carroll is back at USC beating up on Washington State. Seahawks absolutely pummel Cardinals 58-0, only 11 points from equaling Carroll's most lopsided win in college," said Newsday's Bob Glauber.

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Earnhardt Jr. gives 2013 car solid review at test

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR spent almost the entire year developing its 2013 car in hopes the "Gen 6" model will dramatically improve the racing. After his first test drive Tuesday, NASCAR's most popular driver approved of the car. "This sport is going to be revolutionized again with this car," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. That's a ringing endorsement for NASCAR, which stumbled out of the gate with the launch of its 2007 car and never recovered. Drivers were mixed on the "Car of Tomorrow" during its development and the messaging reflected the varying opinions. When Kyle Busch won the CoT's debut race at Bristol, he panned the car in his victory celebration on live television. He didn't let up in his post-race interviews, likening the car to driving a milk crate, and the car was forever tainted with fans. The CoT was finally retired in last month's season finale. NASCAR has worked tirelessly this year on orders from chairman Brian France to develop a racier 2013 model, which will officially debut at the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. It's been tested some over the fall, but Charlotte Motor Speedway opened Tuesday for a two-day session attended by 16 drivers. Among them was Earnhardt, who won 17 races in the "old" car but only two after the CoT was introduced in 2007. "I think the car has really awesome potential, and I like it already leaps and bounds beyond the CoT," he said. "This car really gives me a lot of sensations that are similar to the old car that we ran 10 years ago. The CoT was just frustrating for me. I had good runs and good races in it and I had races where the car drove well, but I never really connected with that car from the very beginning. Just personally, I didn't really like the car for what it was." NASCAR strived to give the manufacturers brand identity with the 2013 cars in an effort to make them resemble what the automakers are actually selling in the showrooms. That's important to Earnhardt. "You'll stand there and you'll see Fords and Toyotas and Chevrolets driving by, and it's great because everything looks different and everything is recognizable," he said. "You don't have to think about the driver and the team itself to associate with the manufacturer. You look at the car to see it instantly. I can appreciate the cars for that fact. I'm not sure a lot of people realize how important that is, having that instant recognition on a manufacturer for our sport and how much more healthier it is for that happening." Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski made his debut in a Ford while Matt Kenseth switched to Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota after 13 years in a Ford with Roush Fenway Racing. Kenseth tweeted a picture from inside the car, where a Darth Vader mask hung from rearview mirror, and he made a joking reference to moving over to the dark side. Kenseth later admitted to being anxious before arriving at the track and he over-revved his engine before the lunch break, forcing the No. 20 crew to swap engines. "It was probably the first time I've been nervous in a race car, getting in there and going out for the first time, in as long as I can remember," he said. "I guess it was a good icebreaker. My last run, I proceeded to go from second gear to first gear and over-revved the engine. So, I think the guys are in love with me right now. Like, 'Where did we find this clown? Give us the other one back.' Other than that it's been good." Keselowski, back from a brief vacation after collecting his Sprint Cup trophy in Las Vegas, had a whole new look as champion. Penske Racing switched from Dodge to Ford, and with the manufacturer change came a new paint scheme and firesuit for Keselowski, who is still tinkering on a final design. After sporting a predominantly blue look the last three years, his new schemes have a heavy white presence. Keselowski said he's only 80 percent settled on the design. "It's a work in progress. This is something I'm working on to try to keep up with the Joneses," he said. "All of these Hendrick guys have their new lightweight, cool firesuits and I don't like getting beat on or off the race track. I want to be the best everywhere, so I've got Adidas helping me out. I'm not all the way there." Keselowski was also working for the first time with new teammate Joey Logano. The combination of a new car and a new teammate made this first test critical for the champion. "I think all the signs are there that we have the potential to be just as strong, if not stronger, than we were last year, which is very, very encouraging," he said. "It's been a lot of fun having the first day working with Joey, which I think has been probably more of an adjusting process than the actual car itself, and a good adjusting process. I'm curious to see over time how we can work together and push each other to be the best we can be. We've got a lot of work to do."

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Tagliabue overturns Goodell on Saints suspensions

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In a sharp rebuke to his successor's handling of the NFL's bounty investigation, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players in a case that has preoccupied the league for almost a year. Tagliabue, who was appointed by Commissioner Roger Goodell to handle the appeals, still found that three of the players engaged in conduct detrimental to the league. He said they participated in a performance pool that rewarded key plays — including bone-jarring hits — that could merit fines. But he stressed that the team's coaches were very much involved. The entire case, he said, "has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints' organization." The team's "coaches and managers led a deliberate, unprecedented and effective effort to obstruct the NFL's investigation," the ruling said. Tagliabue oversaw a second round of player appeals to the league in connection with the cash-for-hits program run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009-2011. The players initially opposed his appointment. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma had been given a full-season suspension, while defensive end Will Smith, Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita and free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove each received shorter suspensions. Tagliabue cleared Fujita of conduct detrimental to the league. "I affirm Commissioner Goodell's factual findings as to the four players. I conclude that Hargrove, Smith and Vilma — but not Fujita — engaged in 'conduct detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football,'" the ruling said. "However, for the reasons set forth in this decision, I now vacate all discipline to be imposed upon these players. Although I vacate all suspensions, I fully considered but ultimately rejected reducing the suspensions to fines of varying degrees for Hargrove, Smith and Vilma. My affirmation of Commissioner Goodell's findings could certainly justify the issuance of fines. However ... this entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints organization," it said. Saints quarterback Drew Brees offered his thoughts on Twitter: "Congratulations to our players for having the suspensions vacated. Unfortunately, there are some things that can never be taken back." None of the players sat out any games because of suspensions. They have been allowed to play while appeals are pending, though Fujita is on injured reserve and Hargrove is not with a team. Shortly before the regular season, the initial suspensions were thrown out by an appeals panel created by the league's collective bargaining agreement. Goodell then reissued them, with some changes, and now those have been dismissed. Now, with the player suspensions overturned, the end could be near for a nearly 10-month dispute over how the NFL handled an investigation that covered three seasons and gathered about 50,000 pages of documents. "We respect Mr. Tagliabue's decision, which underscores the due process afforded players in NFL disciplinary matters," the NFL said in a statement. "The decisions have made clear that the Saints operated a bounty program in violation of league rules for three years, that the program endangered player safety, and that the commissioner has the authority under the (NFL's collective bargaining agreement) to impose discipline for those actions as conduct detrimental to the league. Strong action was taken in this matter to protect player safety and ensure that bounties would be eliminated from football." Meanwhile, the players have challenged the NFL's handling of the entire process in federal court, but U.S District Judge Ginger Berrigan had been waiting for the latest round of appeals to play out before deciding whether to get involved. NFL investigators found that Vilma and Smith were ring leaders of a cash-for-hits program that rewarded injurious tackles labeled as "cart-offs" and "knockouts." The NFL also concluded that Hargrove lied to NFL investigators to help cover up the program. Goodell also suspended Williams indefinitely, while banning Saints head coach Sean Payton for a full season. Tagliabue's ruling comes after a new round of hearings that for the first time allowed Vilma's attorneys and the NFL Players Association, which represents the other three players, to cross-examine key NFL witnesses. Those witnesses included Williams and former Saints assistant Mike Cerullo, who was fired after the 2009 season and whose email to the league, accusing the Saints of being "a dirty organization," jump-started the probe. "We believe that when a fair due process takes place, a fair outcome is the result," the players' union said in a statement. "We are pleased that Paul Tagliabue, as the appointed hearings officer, agreed with the NFL Players Association that previously issued discipline was inappropriate in the matter of the alleged New Orleans Saints bounty program. "Vacating all discipline affirms the players' unwavering position that all allegations the League made about their alleged 'intent-to-injure' were utterly and completely false. "We are happy for our members." A statement released on Vilma's behalf said the linebacker is "relieved and gratified that Jonathan no longer needs to worry about facing an unjustified suspension. "On the other hand, Commissioner Tagliabue's rationalization of Commissioner Goodell's actions does nothing to rectify the harm done by the baseless allegations lodged against Jonathan. Jonathan has a right and every intention to pursue proving what really occurred and we look forward to returning to a public forum where the true facts can see the light of day."

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NHL, union to return to bargaining, with mediators

TORONTO (AP) — NHL labor negotiations will resume Wednesday, with mediators rejoining the talks at an undisclosed location in an effort to save the hockey season. The Canadian Press on Tuesday reported the restart of bargaining between the league and union, citing unidentified people on both sides of the lockout. U.S. federal mediators Scot Beckenbaugh and John Sweeney are to return to the process. They took part in sessions Nov. 27 and 28 before deciding they couldn't help. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, based in Washington, also was involved during the lockout that canceled the 2004-05 NHL season, with Beckenbaugh attending sessions. As recently as last week, Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated he didn't think mediators would be able to help bridge the gap. "We're not interested in mediation," he said Thursday. "We went through it a week and a half ago. It was of no value because of the position of the parties." Tuesday marked the 87th day of the lockout. Wednesday's session will be the first meeting since the sides blamed each other after talks broke off last week. Until then, they appeared to be making progress during three days in New York in which they exchanged proposals. Union executive director Donald Fehr maintains there are agreements on almost all the important issues. From the league's point of view, three main issues remain: the length of the collection bargaining agreement, rules governing term limits on contracts and the transition rules to help teams get under the salary cap. There are also secondary issues yet to be agreed on, including the continued participation of NHL players in the Olympics, the international calendar and drug-testing rules. In all, more than 40 percent of the regular season that was scheduled to begin Oct. 11 has been scratched. The NHL eliminated 16 more days from the regular-season schedule Monday, canceling games through Dec. 30 in addition to the New Year's Day Winter Classic and the All-Star Game, which were already wiped out. The latest cancellations generally were regarded as both bad news and good news. While losing another two weeks hurts the league and the players, the fact that the NHL did not take more games off the schedule sparked speculation owners are holding out hope of making a deal that could start the season in early January. Bettman has said the league would not want to play anything less than a 48-game season, which is what it had after 1994-95 lockout ended.

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Film "Lincoln" gets record 13 Critics Choice nominations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" landed a record-breaking 13 nominations for the Critics Choice Movie Awards on Tuesday, ahead of musical "Les Miserables" and indie comedy "Silver Linings Playbook". "Lincoln", starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, was nominated for best picture and best director, while actors Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field got individual nods as well as one for best acting ensemble. It is the first time a film has landed 13 nominations for the Critics Choice Movie Awards. "Black Swan", with 12 in 2011, held the previous record. Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty", which has been winning accolades in early awards circles, picked up only five nominations from the group. The Critics Choice Movie Awards are handed out by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), which represents more than 270 television, radio and online critics. Winners will be announced in the California beach city of Santa Monica on January 10. The Critics Choice list come ahead of this week's Screen Actor's Guild and Golden Globe nominees, all of which are indicators for potential Oscar glory in February. The BFCA gave "Les Miserables", based on the hit stage musical, 11 nominations, including best actor for Hugh Jackman, best supporting actress for Anne Hathaway and best director for Tom Hooper. David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook", a quirky romance between a young widow and a bipolar man, picked up 10, including acting mentions for leads Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, best supporting actor for Robert DeNiro and best director. Lawrence was the most nominated actor, winning four mentions overall for her roles in "Silver Linings" and in the action film "The Hunger Games". Cooper led male nominees with three nods. Other nominees included Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" with nine and Iran hostage thriller "Argo", cult drama "The Master" and James Bond movie "Skyfall" with seven each. This year, the BFCA added five new categories in comedy and action to recognize achievements in genres sometimes overlooked in favor of drama. They included best actor/actress in comedy and in action, and best sci-fi/horror movie, in which "Looper", "The Cabin in the Woods" and "Prometheus" landed nods. "This has been a truly spectacular year in filmmaking and our voters had an embarrassment of riches to choose from," Joey Berlin, president of the BFCA, said in a statement. Movie fans will also for the first time be given the opportunity to vote online for their favorite film franchise, including "Harry Potter", "Twilight", "Batman", "Lord of the Rings", "James Bond" and "Spider-Man".

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Military: US service member killed in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says one of its service members has been killed in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. force says in a statement that the service member was killed Sunday but does not provide any further details. The military, which usually gives at least a vague description of how a service member has been killed soon after the death, did not say if the death was related to an attack or if it was outside of combat. The death makes four international service members killed so far this month. At least 385 have been killed so far this year.

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Pakistan: US drone kills senior al-Qaida leader

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A U.S. drone strike has killed a senior al-Qaida leader in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border, Pakistani intelligence officials said, in the latest blow to the Islamic militant network. Sheik Khalid bin Abdel Rehman al-Hussainan, who was also known as Abu Zaid al-Kuwaiti, was killed when missiles slammed into a house Thursday near Mir Ali, one of the main towns in the North Waziristan tribal area, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Al-Kuwaiti appeared in many videos released by al-Qaida's media wing, Al-Sahab, and was presented as a religious scholar for the group. Earlier this year, he replaced Abu Yahya al-Libi, al-Qaida's second in command, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan in June, the intelligence officials said. Al-Libi was a key religious figure within al-Qaida and also a prominent militant commander. Al-Kuwaiti appeared to be a less prominent figure and was not part of the U.S. State Department's list of most wanted terrorist suspects, as al-Libi had been. Covert CIA drone strikes have killed a series of senior al-Qaida and Taliban leaders in Pakistan's tribal region over the past few years. The attacks are controversial because the secret nature of the program makes it difficult to determine how many civilians are being killed. On Sunday, four drone-launched missiles blew apart a house near Miran Shah, another main town in North Waziristan, killing three suspected militants, intelligence officials said. North Waziristan has become the main hub for al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan. Pakistani officials often criticize such strikes as a violation of the country's sovereignty, which has helped make them extremely unpopular in the country. But senior Pakistani officials are known to have cooperated with strikes in the past, and many people believe they still do. Al-Kuwaiti's wife and daughter were wounded in Thursday's drone attack, according to the intelligence officials. His wife died a day later at a hospital in Miran Shah. Al-Kuwaiti was buried in Tappi village near Mir Ali on Friday, the officials said. A Pakistani Taliban commander who frequently visits North Waziristan told the Associated Press by telephone that he met some Arab fighters on Saturday who were "very aggrieved." The Arabs told him they lost a "big leader" in a drone strike, but would not reveal his name or his exact position in al-Qaida. The Taliban commander spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of revealing his identity to the Pakistani government. Al-Qaida's central leadership in Pakistan has been dealt a series of sharp blows in the past few years, including the U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad last year. A significant number of senior al-Qaida leaders have also been killed in U.S. drone attacks in the country. Many analysts believe the biggest threat now comes from al-Qaida franchises in places like Yemen and Somalia.

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Hundreds of fishermen missing in Philippine storm

NEW BATAAN, Philippines (AP) — The number of people missing after a typhoon devastated the Philippines jumped to nearly 900 after families and fishing companies reported losing contact with more than 300 fishermen at sea, officials said. The fishermen from southern General Santos city and nearby Sarangani province left a few days before Typhoon Bopha hit the main southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, Civil Defense chief Benito Ramos said. The death toll has already surpassed 600, mostly from flash floods that wiped away precarious communities in the southern region unaccustomed to typhoons. Ramos said the fishermen were headed to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and to the Pacific Ocean. Coast guard, navy and fishing vessels are searching for them, and some may have sought shelter on the many small islands in the area. "Maybe they are still alive," Ramos said Sunday. Bopha was dissipating finally in the South China Sea after briefly veering back toward the country's northwest on Saturday, prompting worries of more devastation. Rescuers were searching for bodies or signs of life under tons of fallen trees and boulders in the worst-hit town of New Bataan, where rocks, mud and other rubble destroyed landmarks, making it doubly difficult to search places where houses once stood. Hundreds of refugees, rescuers and aid workers took a break Sunday to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight on a big TV screen, only to be dismayed by their hero's sixth-round knockout. Elementary school teacher Constancio Olivar said people fell silent when Pacquiao, a congressman who comes from the southern Philippines where the storm hit, fell heavily to the canvas and remained motionless for some time. "It was like a double blow for me — this disaster and this defeat," said Olivar, whose house was destroyed in the storm. "We were all crestfallen. Everyone fell silent, stunned. It was like we saw a tsunami." Nearly 400,000 people, mostly from Compostela Valley and nearby Davao Oriental province, have lost their homes and are crowded inside evacuation centers or staying with relatives. President Benigno Aquino III has declared a national calamity, which allows for price controls on basic commodities in typhoon-affected areas and the quick release of emergency funds. Officials said Sunday that 316 people were killed in Compostela Valley, including 165 in New Bataan, and 301 in Davao Oriental. More than 45 people were killed elsewhere. Nearly 900 are missing, including the fishermen and 440 from New Bataan alone. Davao Oriental authorities imposed a curfew there and ordered police to guard stores and shops to prevent looting. The typhoon destroyed about 18 percent of the banana plantations in Mindanao, causing losses estimated at 12 billion pesos ($300 million), according to Stephen Antig, executive director of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association. The Philippines is the world's third-largest banana producer and exporter, supplying international brands such as Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte.

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Chinese police accuse monk of inciting immolations

BEIJING (AP) — Police detained a monk and his nephew in China's Sichuan province and accused them of instigating the self-immolations of eight ethnic Tibetans on the instructions of the Dalai Lama and his followers, state media said. The report in the official Xinhua News Agency did not detail what evidence police had of the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader's involvement — which was denied by the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India. The report Sunday cited a police statement as saying that confessions and an investigation showed that the detained monk, Lorang Konchok , 40, from Kirti Monastery in Sichuan's Aba county, kept in frequent contact with supporters of the Dalai Lama overseas and had recruited eight volunteers for self-immolations since 2009, telling them they would be "heroes." Three of the protesters died, the report said. It said Lorang Konchok collected photos and personal information of volunteers who agreed to go ahead with the protests. "He also promised to spread their 'deeds' abroad so they and their families would be acknowledged and honored," the police statement said, according to Xinhua. The monk's nephew, Lorang Tsering, 31, helped recruit volunteers and also was arrested, the report said. Activists say more than 90 ethnic Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 in dramatic protests against authoritarian Chinese rule. Chinese officials have called the protests "cruel and inhuman" and sought to blame them on the Dalai Lama and other instigators, while activists call them home-grown expressions of desperation over oppression. The Dalai Lama has said he opposes all violence. The Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharmsala, India, said it "strongly denied" any accusations of involvement by its representatives or the Dalai Lama. "We believe that (the suspects) have been forced to make these confessions," spokesman Lobsang Choedak said. "We would welcome the Chinese government investigating whether we are instigating these immolations." Police in Sichuan declined to comment on the case. Tibet and surrounding ethnically Tibetan regions have been closed off to most outsiders, and firsthand information from the areas is extremely difficult to obtain. The Chinese government says it has improved the well-being of Tibetan areas through rapid economic development over the past 30 years, but Tibetan activists complain that their culture, language and Buddhist religion are under threat. The United States last week accused Beijing of responding to the self-immolations by tightening controls over freedom of religion, expression and assembly in Tibetan areas, drawing an angry response from Beijing, which said those freedoms were guaranteed under the Chinese Constitution.

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North Korean rocket launch window opens

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A near two-week launch window for a North Korean long-range rocket began Monday, a day after Pyongyang said it may delay liftoff. North Korea has faced mounting international pressure to abandon what critics call a cover for a banned missile test. North Korean scientists had been pushing forward with final preparations for the launch from a west coast site but are considering "readjusting" the timing for unspecified reasons, an unidentified spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology said in a dispatch released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency early Sunday. It was unclear whether diplomatic intervention or technical glitches were behind the potential delay. The brief KCNA dispatch said scientists and technicians were discussing whether to set new launch dates but did not elaborate. There were no signs of an imminent launch Monday, and North Korea's state media has yet to follow up on Sunday's announcement. North Korea earlier said it would launch a three-stage rocket mounted with a satellite from the Sohae station on its northwest coast sometime between Monday and Dec. 22. Pyongyang calls it a peaceful bid to send an observation satellite into space, its second attempt this year. An April launch failed seconds after liftoff. Word of a possible delay came just days after satellite photos indicated that snow may have slowed launch preparations, and as officials in Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Moscow and elsewhere urged North Korea to cancel a liftoff widely seen as a violation of bans against missile and nuclear activity because the rocket shares the same technology used for firing a long-range missile. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Monday that his government will maintain vigilance. Japan's military has been ordered to intercept a North Korean rocket if it falls on Japanese territory. "At this moment, we are keeping our guard up," Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto told reporters. "We have not seen any objective indication that would cause us to make any change to our preparedness." Commercial satellite imagery taken by GeoEye on Dec. 4 and shared Friday with The Associated Press by the 38 North and North Korea Tech websites showed the Sohae site northwest of Pyongyang covered with snow. The road from the main assembly building to the launch pad showed no fresh tracks, indicating that the snowfall may have stalled the preparations. However, analysts believed rocket preparations would have been completed on time for liftoff as early as Monday. Some South Korean media, citing unidentified government sources in Seoul, speculated Monday that North Korea was facing unspecified technical problems. The Korean Peninsula has seen a string of snowstorms and frigid days. A rocket can be launched during a snowfall, but lightning, strong wind and freezing temperatures could stall a liftoff, said Lee Chang-jin, an aerospace professor at Seoul's Konkuk University. The launch announcement captured global headlines because of its timing: South Korea and Japan hold key elections this month, President Barack Obama begins his second term next month and China has just formed a new leadership. North Koreans also have begun a mourning period for late leader Kim Jong Il, who died on Dec. 17, 2011. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington was deeply concerned about the launch, and urged foreign ministers from NATO and Russia to demand that Pyongyang cancel its plans. North Korea has unveiled missiles designed to target U.S. soil and has tested two atomic bombs in recent years, but has not shown yet that it has mastered the technology for mounting a nuclear warhead to a long-range missile. Six-nation negotiations to offer North Korea much-needed aid in exchange for nuclear disarmament have been stalled since early 2009. China, the North's main ally and aid provider, noted its concern after North Korea declared its latest launch plans. It acknowledged North Korea's right to develop its space program but said that had to be harmonized with restrictions including those set by the U.N. Security Council. In Seoul, officials at the Defense Ministry, Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Foreign Ministry said they couldn't immediately determine what might be behind the possible delay. North Korea may hold off if Washington actively engages Pyongyang in dialogue and promises to ship stalled food assistance to the country, said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Seoul's Dongguk University. In February, Washington agreed to provide 240,000 metric tons of food aid to North Korea in exchange for a freeze in nuclear and missile activities. The deal collapsed after North Korea attempted its April launch. Analyst Baek Seung-joo of the South Korean state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul said China must have sent a "very strong" message calling for the North to cancel the launch plans. A successful launch means North Korea could develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland within two to three years, though the country would need many more years to acquire the technology to arm the missile with a nuclear warhead, said Chong Chol-Ho, a weapons of mass destruction expert at the private Sejong Institute near Seoul.

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