World

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mayan priests are starting off ceremonies designed to mark the end of the current era in the Mayan long-count calendar, but say they are barred from performing rituals at their ancestral temples.

 

     Mayans danced, burned incense and blew on conch shells in a "new fire" ceremony held in Mexico City on Thursday.

 

     The Mayas measure time in 394-year periods known as Baktuns. The 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, and 13 is a sacred number for the Maya.

 

     The estimated 800,000 surviving Mayas in Mexico are hoping for a better Baktun than the one ending, which began around 1618 and included the painful aftermath of the Spanish conquest.

 

     However, priest Jose Marquez complainedthat  Mayan rituals are still banned inside archaeological sites. Authorities say that's for safety and preservation reasons.

 

<VIDEO> Nearly 600 rhinos have been killed this year in South Africa as poachers continue their plunder of the prized Rhino horn.

 BAGHDAD (AP) - Attacks against security forces and civilians in central and northern Iraq today have claimed at least 30 lives. Authorities say dozens of others were wounded.

 

     The targets included Shiite mosques in Baghdad, along with a city in a disputed northern region that is at the center of competing claims by ethnic groups.

 

     The conflicts are threatening the stability of Iraq after the final pullout of U.S. military forces nearly a year ago.

 

     Car bombs went off near three mosques in Baghdad shortly after nightfall, killing 21 people.

 

     In the north, police say three bombs in parked cars exploded simultaneously in the city of Kirkuk.

 

     And gunmen in a northeastern province opened fire on a checkpoint manned by an anti-al-Qaida group.

 

     No one has claimed responsibility for today's attacks, but car bombs, shootings and roadside devices are the hallmark of al-Qaida in Iraq. 

 

 

 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A key U.N. committee has overwhelmingly approved a resolution strongly condemning "gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms" by Syrian authorities and government-controlled militias and demanding an immediate halt to the violations and attacks on civilians.

 

     The resolution urges Syrian authorities to immediately release all detainees and calls for a prompt independent international investigation into abuses and violations of international law. 

 

     The General Assembly's human rights committee approved the resolution on Tuesday by a vote of 130 to 12 with 35 abstentions. Russia, China and Iran, allies of President Bashar Assad's government, were among those opposed to the resolution.

 

     It is virtually certain to be adopted by the 193-member world body when it votes next month.

 

 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Thousands of people are marching in downtown Rio de Janeiro to protest legislation that officials here insist would strip the oil-producing state of much of its income from Brazil's energy sector. 

 

     The protesters are calling on President Dilma Rousseff to veto a measure that would divide oil royalties more evenly between all Brazil's 26 states instead of favoring top oil producers like Rio and neighboring Espirito Santo.

 

     State officials have spearheaded the campaign against the measure, which they say would deprive Rio of $1.7 billion in 2013 alone. They say that loss in revenue could endanger preparations for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

 

     Many of those attending Monday's march are public servants, bused in from outlying cities.

 

  BRUSSELS (AP) - A European Union official tells The Associated Press that a deal has been reached under which Greece's debt would be reduced to 124 percent of GDP by 2020.

 

     The original goal had been 120 percent of GDP.

 

     The agreement would pave the way for indebted Greece to receive the next installment of its much-needed bailout loans.

 

     Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, welcomed the agreement.

 

     "It will certainly reduce the uncertainty and strengthen confidence in Europe and in Greece," Draghi said.

 

 

  UNITED NATIONS (AP) - With a cease-fire announced in the Gaza crisis, the U.N. Security Council suspended a formal open debate that had been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

 

     The council has been silent since Israel launched air raids on Hamas in Gaza in response to months of Hamas rocket fire into Israel.

 

     Arab nations had called for an open debate if a cease-fire was not arranged.

 

     Instead, the council held closed consultations, then heard a report by videoconference from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who since Monday has been talking with Middle East leaders.

 

     Ban welcomed the cease-fire and said it was urgent that humanitarian aid be delivered to Gaza.

 

  SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - A strong 6.1 earthquake struck Chile's central region but authorities said no injuries or damage were reported.

 

     The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was 34 miles (54 kilometers) south-west of San Antonio and struck Wednesday at 4:36 p.m. local time. The quake shook Chile's capital of Santiago, causing office buildings to sway.

 

  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan officials are reporting 5.2 percent economic growth for the third quarter as compared to the same period last year. 

 

     Venezuela's Central Bank credited more supplies of imported goods and raw materials, as well as government spending on public housing projects. 

 

     The government's increased spending on housing came ahead of the Oct. 7 election, when President Hugo Chavez was re-elected to another six-year term.

 

     The quarterly economic results announced Tuesday showed Venezuela's economy growing for an eighth consecutive quarter. Planning Minister Jorge Giordani said the results show Venezuela's growth is, in his words, "stable, sustainable."

 

     The economy expanded at a quicker rate than last year's third quarter, when growth stood at 4.4 percent. 

 

 JERUSALEM (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States is pushing for a ''durable outcome" promoting stability following Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

 

     Clinton spoke alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday after she rushed to the region to help forge a cease-fire after a week of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants.

 

     She said "the goal must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike."

 

     Netanyahu said Israel would welcome a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but threatened further military activity, saying he is ready to take "whatever action" is necessary. 

 

?

 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has begun moving troops toward the Gaza Strip and authorized the call-up of reservists for a possible ground invasion of the Palestinian territory.

 

     At least a dozen trucks carrying tanks and armored vehicles were seen late Thursday moving toward the border area, while buses ferried soldiers.

 

     Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that he had authorized the army to draft reserve forces for possible activity in Gaza. The army said as many as 30,000 troops could be drafted.

 

     Military officials said the moves were preparations for a possible ground operation, but no decision has been made on whether to enter Gaza.

 

     Israel's air force launched an offensive against Gaza militants on Wednesday. But continued rocket fire out of Gaza on Thursday has raised the likelihood of a ground invasion. 

 

 MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Uruguay is one step closer to turning the government into the country's leading pot dealer. 

 

     The proposal formally introduced to Congress on Thursday would create a National Cannabis Institute with the power to license people and companies to produce marijuana for recreational, medical or industrial uses. 

 

     It also would allow anyone to grow as many as to six pot plants and produce up to 480 grams (17 ounces) of marijuana in their own homes. 

 

     People could join clubs of up to 15 marijuana users who together could grow up to 90 plants and stockpile 7,200 grams of marijuana a year. The identity of buyers would remain protected by law.

 

     Ruling party Deputy Sebastian Sabini says the proposals now in committee are likely to pass Congress by year's end.

 

  MEXICO CITY (AP) - Software company founder John McAfee denies he killed a neighbor in Belize but says he won't turn himself in for questioning because he fears a police anti-gang unit wants to kill him.

 

     McAfee tells The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he is in hiding with a young woman somewhere in Belize. He says he is unarmed and has been changing locations frequently to stay one step ahead of police.

 

     Belize police have said they want to question McAfee, who they describe as a "person of interest" in the slaying of fellow American Gregory Viant Faull. Faull was shot to death over the weekend on the Caribbean island where both men lived.

 

     McAfee tells the AP that Faull was an "annoyance," but he denies killing Faull.

 

 

 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The job of commanding U.S. forces in Afghanistan is starting to seem like it's cursed. At least, that's the joke around international military headquarters in Kabul.

 

     The last four U.S. generals to run the Afghan war were either forced to resign or saw their careers tainted by allegations of wrongdoing.

 

     The first was Gen. David McKiernan, who was forced out in May of 2009 -- a year before his term as commander was supposed to end. Robert Gates, who was defense secretary at the time, wanted him out as President Barack Obama launched a counter-insurgency strategy that aimed to weaken the Taliban's influence on the population.

 

     He was replaced by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who came in with a mandate to remake the war effort with the help of "surge" troops. But he only lasted 13 months. In June of 2010, there was a Rolling Stone article that quoted scathing remarks he and his aides made about their civilian bosses, including Vice President Joseph Biden. Obama called McChrystal back to Washington and forced him to resign.

 

     Gen. David Petraeus took over the Afghan command, and after serving for one year, he became CIA director. He resigned last week because of an extramarital affair.

 

     And the man who succeeded him, Gen. John Allen, is under investigation for what were called "inappropriate communications" with a second woman involved in the Petraeus case. His nomination to the top U.S. military post in Europe is on hold. 

 

     Gen. Joseph Dunford has already been chosen to succeed Allen -- if he still wants the job. 

 

 

  MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon says the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in two U.S. states limits that country's "moral authority" to ask other nations to combat or restrict illegal drug trafficking.

 

     Calderon says the legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado represents a fundamental change that requires the rethinking of public policy in the entire Western Hemisphere.

 

     Calderon spoke in an interview with the newspaper Milenio that was published Tuesday.

 

     Calderon was joined on Monday by leaders of Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica in calling for the Organization of American States to study the impact of the new laws and saying the United Nations' General Assembly should hold a special session on the prohibition of drugs by 2015 at the latest. 

 

 SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazilian media are reporting that at least 31 people have been murdered in Sao Paulo in the last three days.

 

     A police spokeswoman says the reported figure is accurate, though she says she has no official statistics. 

 

     Early Monday, at least one bus torched was torched in the city. 

 

     Police say that a powerful drug gang is behind the wave of violence that's hit South America's biggest city in recent weeks. 

 

     They say it's in response to a crackdown on the First Capital Command drug gang, which was allegedly behind a wave of violence that paralyzed the city in 2006.

 

     More than 90 police have been murdered since the start of the year in Sao Paulo. Authorities blame the gang for those deaths. 

 

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greek lawmakers have narrowly passed a crucial austerity bill by majority vote, but with heavy dissent from within the three-party governing coalition.

 

     Immediately after the vote early Thursday and before the tally had been officially announced, two of the coalition parties expelled a total of seven dissenting deputies from their ranks. 

 

     The third party in the coalition, the small Democratic Left, mostly voted "present" - in essence abstaining from the vote. 

 

     The passage of the bill was a big step for the government to secure continued funding from the country's international creditors. Without the loans, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has said Greece will run out of euros on Nov. 16. 

 

     

 

  HAVANA (AP) - Cuba's second city is still mostly without power nearly two weeks after Hurricane Sandy dealt it a punishing blow. 

 

     Much of the storm debris has been cleared from the streets in Santiago, but the electrical grid has been restored to just 28 percent of normal. Crews are still working around the clock to replace power lines downed by thousands of fallen trees. 

 

     Cuban news agency Prensa Latina calls repairing the grid a "titanic" effort. 

 

     Classes resumed Monday in a sign of some return to normalcy. But more than 100 schools remain shuttered due to storm damage. Students from those schools are being taught instead in private homes, movie theaters and cultural centers.

 

     Sandy slammed into southeastern Cuba Oct. 25 as a Category 2 storm. It damaged more than 200,000 homes. 

 

 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's prime minister says Iran is progressing toward acquisition of a nuclear bomb in order to destroy Israel. 

 

     Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Israeli Channel 2 TV's investigative program "Uvda" that as long as he is prime minister, Iran will not go nuclear.

 

     "We are serious, this is not a show," he said in an interview that aired Monday. "If there is no other way to stop Iran, Israel is ready to act." 

 

     Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran an existential threat. Israel has repeatedly hinted of a military strike on Iran to stop its progress.

 

     The TV show reported that two years ago, Netanyahu ordered his military to go on high alert for a looming attack on Iran, but he backed off following strong objections from senior security officials.