World/Nation Briefs April 20, 2011
<p>Firefighter Craig Howard yells to another fire crew as they take up positions to save a house from a wildfire near Possum Kingdom, Texas, Tuesday. One of the driest spells in Texas history has sparked wildfires which have burned more than 1,000 square miles of land in the past week.</p>
Obama rips GOP debt relief plan
WASHINGTON - With America's global credit standing suddenly in question, President Barack Obama insisted Tuesday that Washington has the political will to slash the massive U.S. debt despite fierce, fundamental differences with Republicans about how to do it.
Obama spoke hopefully of compromise with GOP lawmakers, yet still used a campaign-style town hall event to accuse the Republicans of offering a bleak future for the poor, young and elderly with their proposals.
The president seemed intent on assuring financial markets and the watching world that U.S. leaders will get their act together to address a suffocating debt - while at the same time trying to convince voters that only his plan would share the pain fairly.
House Speaker John Boehner announced Tuesday that he had picked House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to work with a White House commission on cutting spending. But in doing so, Boehner said, "The American people understand we can't keep spending money we don't have. The only ones who don't are the Democrats running Washington."
Syria endsemergency law
BEIRUT - Syria did away with 50 years of emergency rule Tuesday, but emboldened and defiant crowds accused President Bashar Assad of simply trying to buy time while he clings to power in one of the most repressive regimes in the Middle East.
Repealing the state of emergency, which gives authorities almost boundless powers of surveillance and arrest, was once the key demand of the monthlong uprising. But the protest movement has crossed a significant threshold, with increasing numbers now seeking nothing less than the downfall of the regime.
"They don't want to admit there's a Syrian revolution," said one protester in the city of Banias, among thousands who took to the streets in several cities and towns across Syria. "The people are not interested in small changes here and there anymore," he said, asking that his name not be published out fear for his personal safety.
Old guard still rules in Cuba
HAVANA - Cuba's Communist Party stuck Tuesday with a slate of silver-haired icons of the revolution to spearhead a last-ditch effort to save the island's sputtering economy - surprising those who took to heart declarations by Raul and Fidel Castro that it was time to give way to a new generation of leaders.
Delegates to a key Party Congress picked 79-year-old Raul Castro to replace his ailing brother at the helm, while weathered veterans moved up to the No. 2 and 3 positions. Three somewhat younger politicians were named to lesser roles in the leadership council, but it remained dominated by men who came of age before television, let alone the Internet.
Fidel Castro made a surprise appearance, to thunderous applause from delegates, many of whom could be seen crying as he was helped to his place on stage by a young aide, then stood at attention during Cuba's national anthem.
- The Associated Press