Report: Secret raids carried out by U.S.
The U.S. military has conducted nearly a dozen secret operations against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Syria, Pakistan and other countries since 2004, the New York Times reported Sunday night.
Citing anonymous U.S. officials, the Times said the operations were authorized by a broad classified order that then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed and President Bush approved in spring 2004. The order gave the military authority to attack al-Qaida anywhere in the world and to conduct operations in countries that were not at war with the U.S.
One such operation was the Oct. 26 raid inside Syria, the Times reported. U.S. officials have said the target was a top al-Qaida in Iraq figure. Syria has said eight civilians were killed in the attack.
CAMAGUEY, Cuba
Hurricane levels homes, weakens
Hurricane Paloma leveled hundreds of homes along Cuba’s southern coast before rapidly losing steam over land Sunday, weakening from a dangerous Category 4 storm into a tropical depression in less than a day.
Crashing surf and a powerful sea surge sent waves almost a mile inland as the storm ravaged Santa Cruz del Sur, the coastal community where it roared ashore Saturday night.
Civil Defense authorities said 435 homes in the community were destroyed.
Authorities said the storm toppled a major communications tower and interrupted electricity and phone service, but no storm-related deaths were reported.
NEW YORK
Revised bailout near for AIG
American International Group Inc. late Sunday was reportedly near a deal for a revised bailout package from the U.S. government that would make borrowing terms easier for the troubled insurer.
A proposed $123 billion bailout package would be replaced with a new $150 billion package, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Details of the arrangement could be announced as early as today, when AIG is scheduled to report its third-quarter results, the Journal said. The plan reportedly would replace an $85 billion two-year loan with a $60 billion five-year loan at a lower interest rate.
The government also reportedly would inject $40 billion into AIG in exchange for preferred stock.
LIMA, Peru
Peru plans to sue Yale over artifacts
Peru has reportedly approved a plan to sue Yale University for thousands of Inca artifacts excavated decades ago by a U.S. scholar at Machu Picchu.
State newspaper El Peruano said Sunday the Justice Ministry will assign a prosecutor to press the government’s case against the New Haven, Conn., university.
Thomas Conroy, a Yale spokesman, said the university was aware of the news report.
“It is, of course, disappointing, since we had a positive informal meeting with the foreign minister, and have expected to have further discussions,” he said.
Yale has stated in the past that it will defend any lawsuit, Conroy said.
“We believe that a lawsuit does not best serve the interests of the public, both in Peru and internationally, or of posterity,” he said.
Peru demanded the collection back in 2006, saying it had never relinquished ownership when Hiram Bingham III, a Yale scholar, rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911 and sent thousands of ceramics, textiles and bones to the university. Peru officials have threatened to sue in the past, but never did.