Craigslist strikes adult services under pressure AP

Craigslist appears to have surrendered in a legal fight over erotic ads posted on its website, shutting down its adult services section Saturday and replacing it with a black bar that simply says "censored."

The move comes just over a week after a group of state attorneys general said there werent enough protections against blocking potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution. Its not clear if the closure is permanent, and it appears to only affect ads in the United States.

The listings came under new scrutiny after the jailhouse suicide last month of a former medical student who was awaiting trial in the killing of a masseuse he met through Craigslist, a popular site that lets users post classified ads, often for free.

Craigslists adult services section carried ads for everything from personal massages to a nights companionship, which critics say veered into prostitution.

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said in a May blog posting that the companys ads were no worse than those published by the alternative newspaper chain Village Voice Media. He cited one explicit ad which included the phrase: "anything goes $90."

Craigslist has been caught for years in a murky legal fight that centers on how much responsibility the company bears for its ads, said Jonathan Zittrain, professor of law and computer science at Harvard University.

Prosecutors can argue Craigslist is an "intermediary" to the crime of prostitution, Zittrain said, but such cases are hard to prove. He said prosecutors must essentially prove that Craigslist knew an ad was a solicitation for prostitution; ads on Craigslist are typically worded more vaguely.

Nonetheless, to avoid a legal showdown, the company has tried to keep "inappropriate activity" off its site by screening ads.

Its unclear if Craigslist felt the attorneys general had a good argument, or if it simply got tired of spending time on the issue. But saying adult services were "censored" rather than just removing could be seen as a message to prosecutors, Zittrain said.

"They dont like being pushed around" Zittrain said.

Like many other online forums, Craigslist typically does not review ads before they are posted by users. But in 2008, under pressure from 40 state attorneys general, Craigslist began requiring posters to provide a working phone number and pay a fee for placing an ad in what is now the adult services section. Several months later, Craigslist adopted a manual screening process in which postings are reviewed before publishing.

U.S. courts have repeatedly ruled that online service providers such as Craigslist arent liable for postings made by their users, but because Craigslist now reviews those ads ahead of time, an argument could be made that the site is playing a more active role in the postings.

State officials believe Craigslist is still not doing enough to stop illegal ads from appearing. The company did not comment Saturday.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, one of the 17 attorneys general who pressed for the change, said in a statement that he welcomed the change and was trying to verify Craigslists official policy going forward.

In an Aug. 24 letter, the state attorneys general said Craigslist should remove the section because it couldnt adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking.

Authorities point to the case of 24-year-old Philip Markoff as a prime example of the dangers posed by Craigslist services. The former medical student was accused of killing a masseuse he met through the hugely popular classified advertising site, which was founded by Craig Newmark. Markoff committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial.

If Craigslist has left the adult services business for good, it wont likely diminish the online market for sex acts, said Steve Jones, a professor of communication at the University of Illinois in Chicago who has studied Internet culture.

The business will likely shift to other adult sites, perhaps based outside the United States. "I bet there are people today who are registering domain names and saying: Business opportunity for me," he said.

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JetBlue: Flight attendants big exit was for good AP

NEW YORK Sometimes theres no going back.

JetBlue Airways says that there will be no second exits for famed flight attendant Steven Slater � who captured the nations imagination with his profanity-laced loudspeaker tirade and jump down a planes emergency chute, beer in hand.

Spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said Saturday that Slater is no longer employed by the airline. She said the airline wont release further details out of respect for Slaters privacy.

Slaters lawyer had said he loved flying and wanted to return to work, and Slaters folk-hero status among tens of thousands of online fans had led some of them to urge the airline to keep him on.

The airline said at the time of the incident last month that Slater was suspended pending an investigation. It told employees in a memo that press coverage was not taking into account how much harm can be caused by emergency slides, which are deployed with a potentially deadly amount of force.

The former flight attendant still has to navigate the criminal justice system. Hes been charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing; his lawyer has said a passengers "lack of civility" prompted his behavior.

Despite Slaters online popularity, some passengers came forward to criticize him as brusque and cranky throughout the 90-minute trip from Pittsburgh to New York. One passenger portrayed Slater as the instigator, saying he cursed without provocation at a woman who had asked about her bag.

His employment status was first reported by the NBC New York website.

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Many desperate Pakistanis still wait for flood aid AP

DAIRA DINPANAH, Pakistan Abdul Rehman and his family live under a tree next to a pile of rubble on a newly created island where his house used to be.

In the month since his home was destroyed in the raging floodwaters that inundated Pakistan, he has gotten no aid of any kind from the government or private aid groups to help him survive, he said.

Frustrated and desperate, he joined a protest with dozens of other villagers that blocked the main road in this area 10 days ago. In response, police opened a criminal investigation against him, he said. And he still hasnt gotten any food or even a tarp to shield his family of six from the blazing summer sun, he said.

More than 3 million people have yet to receive desperately needed food aid, according to the U.N., and the Pakistani government says nearly 1 million people have received no help of any sort.

"They need everything," said Ahmad Kamal, spokesman for Pakistans disaster management agency, who appealed to international donors to send tents, ambulances, mobile clinics and hygiene kits.

The lack of aid has led to anger against an already-fragile government that is seen as a key U.S. ally in the battle against Islamic extremists along the frontier with Afghanistan.

The anger itself is hampering relief efforts, with the Red Cross twice halting distributions after being confronted by mobs of people upset they were not getting enough aid, the organization said Thursday.

Part of the problem is simply the scale of the crisis. The floods that began their slow wave of destruction across Pakistan at the end of July swamped as much as one-fifth of the country, leaving 8 million people dependent on aid, according to the U.N. And that number keeps growing as more areas are affected.

"This seems to be a never-ending disaster," said Stacey Winston, a U.N. spokeswoman.

But many of those affected also blame the problem on corruption by local government officials, who steer aid to their supporters and withhold it from others.

Of the 32 families in Daira Dinpanah, about 90 miles 140 kilometers west of the city of Multan, only seven who have ties to local political leaders have received aid of any kind, said Khalid Iqbal, 35, who stands on the side of the road clutching a list of all those needing assistance, waiting for an aid group to pass by. The remainder have survived by scrounging meals at the local mosque, or, like Rehman, temporarily bouncing between relatives houses before returning home.

A month after the flood hit, the villages fields are still filled with water and its roads are a muddy swamp. Rehmans house is surrounded by floodwaters and reachable only by a makeshift bridge of two steel girders laid end to end, held aloft in the middle by a bed sunk in the water.

His snack shop on the road is gone and even the ledger where he recorded the debts his customers owed him was destroyed.

"There is nothing for us beside these broken homes," the 30-year-old said, surveying the piles of mud and brick where his house once stood. "We left this area in the night, at 2 a.m., with only the clothes we were wearing. We still have only the clothes we were wearing.

"The government should give us shelter, give us money to rebuild our houses and to buy some food. If it cant do that, than at least it should give us tents so that our children live in respectable conditions. Here we are living in the open sky. How can we survive like this?" he said.

Ghulam Mustafa, 30, said he only received food once, a package of flour and other relief goods sufficient to feed a family of six for a week, but only enough to sustain his family of 10 for a few days.

When he later appealed to local officials for more food, they sent him away, he said.

"We are running behind the aid trucks, but they give us nothing. They are not listening to us," he said. "Nobody even came here to ask us, What do you need?"

Without the tent Mustafa said he desperately needs, he, his wife and his eight children are sleeping in the rubble of their house under a blue tarp borrowed from a neighbor.

"But he keeps asking for it back," Mustafa said.

Local opposition politician Javed Akhter said the vast majority of the government aid is being funneled to the supporters of the local administration, and rued that his relatively well off region has been reduced to a town of beggars.

Kamal said workers from the disaster management agency sent aid to the affected areas but could not monitor how it was distributed.

Malik Ahmed Hunajara, the local representative to the provincial assembly, denied political favors were influencing aid distribution.

"This is not true," he said. "There is a huge population that is affected and the government cannot give to everybody."

Local and international aid organizations were trying to meet the shortfall.

The army was as well. Lt. Iqbal Khizar and his unit have been roaming remote parts of Muzaffargarh district with trucks filled with aid in recent days, giving emergency help to those that have fallen through the cracks.

In other places, Islamist groups � some with ties to extremists � were filling the vacuum.

The only source of food for the Tibba Jamal Wala tent camp along the side of the road in Muzaffargarh is the Islamic group Falah-e-Insaniat, which is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the banned group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

"We have to provide food for people in the far areas where no one is going," said Hijrat Khan, a relief official with the group. He overseas dozens of people cooking meals of rice and potatoes that are then shoveled into plastic bags, stacked in vats, loaded on trucks and delivered to flood victims every evening.

The group has provided cooked meals to 1.5 million flood victims, treated more than 300,000 patients and given rations to 85,000 families, Khan said.

At the camp, residents said the government had given them tents, but nothing else, since the camp was established three weeks ago. Three children died from untreated diarrhea, residents said.

The chief minister of the province came recently, said the government was trying its best, but he brought no aid, said Aijaz Hussein, 27.

On Wednesday, the residents held a protest blocking the road. On Thursday, some government officials came to take a survey of the camp, but again brought no aid.

"I dont know what they are thinking, what is in their minds. They provide us nothing," Hussein said. "Now we will not support the government. Whoever helps us we will support."

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Craigslist ends adult service ads

4 September 2010 Last updated at 17:13 ET By Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

The online marketplace Craigslist has closed the controversial "adult services" listing in the US.

The company has not said why it took the decision, but it has faced an ongoing barrage of criticism from attorneys general and advocacy groups.

They have claimed the listing was a virtual tool for pimps and prostitutes.

The section has now been replaced with a black and white bar that reads "censored". An "erotic" service is still active outside the US.

A statement from Craigslist executives is expected in the coming days.

Threat to women and children

Last year the San Francisco based company removed its "erotic services" section and replaced it with a fee-based adult category in response to pressure from 40 state attorneys general.

It also adopted a policy of screening every advert.

In a May blog post, Craigslist chief executive Jim Buckmaster said Craigslist had "gone beyond fulfilling its legal obligations". The site was "a leader in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation," he said.

But critics continued to accuse the firm of helping to facilitate child prostitution.

The listings came under renewed scrutiny after the suicide in prison last month of a former medical student who was awaiting trial in the killing of a masseuse he met through Craigslist.

In early August a paid advert appeared in the Washington Post from two women appealing for the closure of the adult services section. One said she had been forced into prostitution at the age of 11, with the jobs organised through Craigslist.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Internet services may accelerate and exacerbate some social problems like prostitution, but they rarely cause them"

End Quote Evan Hansen Wired

And last week in a joint letter to Craigslist, 17 attorneys general said women and children would "continue to be victimised in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist".

Easy target

The latest move by Craigslist to close down the service was welcomed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a persistent critic of both the erotic and adult listings.

"We welcome any steps toward eliminating the adult services section and prostitution ads on Craigslist, as we have urged, and we are seeking to verify the sites official policy going forward," he said.

"If Craigslist is doing the right thing voluntarily in response to our coalition of attorneys general, it could set an example for others."

But in the blogosphere there has been broad support for Craigslists position.

"It is surely, though, splendidly naive to think Craigslist would somehow be alone in providing a forum for prostitution ads," said Chris Matyszczyk on the news blog CNET.com.

"However, Craigslist is in the unfortunate position of being high-profile and successful and has become a very easy target in what is a far more complex and nuanced issue than the attorneys general are making out."

And at Wired, Evan Hansen said: "Internet services may accelerate and exacerbate some social problems like prostitution, but they rarely cause them. The root of these issues - and their solutions - lie in the realm of public policy, not web sites."

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9 killed in New Zealand skydiving plane crash AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand A light aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in flames near a popular tourist spot in New Zealands Southern Alps, killing nine people including four foreign tourists, police said.

The plane caught fire after takeoff Saturday from an airstrip at Fox Glacier on the countrys South Island, said Ian Henderson, a spokesman for local ambulance services. But other locals said the fire erupted when the plane crashed into a fence at the end of the runway after it failed to lift off safely.

Eyewitness Kirsty Sullivan, whose house was close to the crash site, said she saw "the plane take off at a funny angle" before it went down.

"It just went boom like a big orange fireball into the sky," when it crashed, she told New Zealands National Radio.

The pilot and eight passengers were killed, Greymouth Police Senior Sgt. Allyson Ealam said.

Police later named the dead tourists as Patrick Byrne, 26, from County Wexford, Ireland; Glen Bourke, 18, from Coburg, Victoria, Australia; Annita Kirsten, 23, from Germany; and Brad Coker, 24, from Farnborough, England.

The five New Zealanders included the pilot, Chaminda Senadhira, 33, of Queenstown and four dive-masters, Adam Bennett of Motueka, Michael Suter from New Plymouth, Christopher McDonald from Mapua and Rodney Miller from Greymouth.

New Zealands stuff.co.nz website said there is only one skydiving company operating out of the Fox Glacier airstrip, Skydive New Zealand, but a company spokeswoman reached by telephone refused to comment. An answering machine message at the company said skydiving had ceased for the day.

Police said the aircraft was a Fletcher fixed-wing plane of a type designed and built in New Zealand. The planes are popularly used for scenic flights and skydiving in the area around New Zealands Southern Alps.

Fox Glacier is on the western coast of the South Island, about 90 miles 150 kilometers from the main city, Christchurch, which was hit early Saturday by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that damaged buildings and injured at least two people.

The fatal crash was the third in the region in the past 17 years.

In October 1993, nine people died in a plane crash when a twin-engine Nomad 22 crashed at nearby Franz Josef Glacier. In October 1994, seven people were killed when a Helicopter Line Squirrel helicopter on a sightseeing flight crashed in a mountainous area near Fox Glacier.

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N. Zealand quake smashes buildings, rips new fault AP

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand The powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines around a New Zealand city also ripped a new 11-foot- 3.5 meter- wide fault in the earths surface, officials said Sunday.

At least 500 buildings, including 90 properties in downtown Christchurch, have been designated as destroyed in the quake that struck at 4:35 a.m. Saturday 1635 GMT Friday near the South Island city of 400,000 people. But most other buildings sustained only minor damage.

Only two serious injuries were reported as the quake shattered glass and chimneys and walls of older buildings crumbled to the ground. The prime minister said it was a miracle no one was killed.

Power was cut across the region, roads were blocked by debris, and gas and water supplies were disrupted, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said. He warned continuing aftershocks could cause masonry to fall from damaged buildings, as could gale force winds due to buffet the region Sunday.

Canterbury University geology professor Mark Quigley said what "looks to us that it could be a new fault" had ripped across the earth and pushed some surface areas up about three feet a meter. The quake was caused by the ongoing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, he said.

"One side of the earth has lurched to the right ... up to 11 feet 3.5 meters and in some places been thrust up," Quigley told National Radio.

"The long linear fracture on the earths surface does things like break apart houses, break apart roads. We went and saw two houses that were completely snapped in half by the earthquake," he said.

Roger Bates, whose dairy farm at Darfield was close to the quakes epicenter, said the new fault line had ripped up the surface across his land.

"The whole dairy farm is like the sea now, with real soil waves right across the dairy farm. We dont have physical holes but where the fault goes through its been raised a meter or meter and a half 3 to 5 feet," he told National Radio.

"Trouble is, Ive lost two meters 6 feet of land off my boundary," he added.

Experts said the low number of injuries in the powerful quake reflects the countrys strict building codes.

"New Zealand has very good building codes ... that mean the buildings are strong compared with, say, Haiti," which suffered widespread damage in a magnitude-7.0 quake this year, earth sciences professor Martha Savage told The Associated Press.

"Its about the same size quake as Haiti, but the damage is so much less. Though chimneys and some older facades came down, the structures are well built," said Savage, a professor at the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University in the capital, Wellington.

"Thank God for earthquake strengthening 10 years ago," Anglican Dean of Christchurch, Rev. Peter Beck, told TV One News on Sunday.

Euan Smith, professor of Geophysics at Victoria University, said the fact that there "were no fatalities ... its quite remarkable."

Experts were speculating the very soft soils of Christchurch had "acted like a shock absorber over a short period ... doing less damage to smaller buildings. They will dissipate earthquake energy if theyre thick enough," he told The AP.

Christchurch fire service spokesman Mike Bowden said a number of people had been trapped in buildings by fallen chimneys and blocked entrances, but there were no reports of people pinned under rubble. Rescue teams with sniffer dogs were continuing to check premises.

State geological agency GNS Science reported more than 40 aftershocks in the 24 hours following the quake, ranging in strength from magnitude 3.7 to 5.4.

A state of emergency was declared and army troops were on standby to assist after the quake, which was centered 19 miles 30 kilometers west of Christchurch, according to GNS Science. No tsunami alert was issued.

Prime Minister John Key, who flew to Christchurch to inspect the damage, said it was "an absolute miracle" that no one had died.

He warned it could be months before the full extent of the damage was known, but said initial assessments suggested it could cost at least 2 billion New Zealand dollars $1.4 billion to repair.

"There is a major rebuild job here in Christchurch ... and people are terrified at what took place," he said Sunday.

Civil Defense officials lifted a curfew on the central city area Sunday morning, while police commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said only two arrests had been made overnight for breaching the security cordon set up to prevent people being injured by falling masonry.

"Some parts of the city are very dangerous" because of unsafe buildings he said, and a cordon would remain in place as gale force winds hit the region during the day.

Up to 90 extra police officers had flown in to Christchurch to help, and troops were likely to join the recovery effort on Monday, Parker said.

About 250 people had taken refuge overnight Sunday in accommodation centers at schools in suburban areas to house people forced out of their damaged homes, civil defense spokesman Murray Sinclair said.

Minister of Civil Defense John Carter said there was "a lot of damage to our key infrastructure ... water, waste water systems."

Christchurch Hospital said it had treated two men with serious injuries and a number of people with minor injuries.

One man was hit by a falling chimney and was in serious condition, while a second was badly cut by glass, hospital spokeswoman Michele Hider said.

Christchurch police reported road damage in parts of the city and cordoned off some streets where rubble was strewn about. Parked cars were crushed by heaps of fallen bricks, and roads buckled.

Civil defense agency spokesman David Millar said at least six bridges had been badly damaged and the historic Empire hotel in the port town of Lyttelton was "very unstable" and in danger of collapse. Several wharves at the port were damaged.

People in the citys low-lying eastern suburbs were told to be ready to evacuate after power, gas, sewage and water systems were cut by the quake, Police Inspector Mike Coleman said.

Kiwirail rail transport group spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said 13 trains, mostly freight, had been halted, with some damage confirmed to lines north of Christchurch.

New Zealand sits above an area of the Earths crust where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year � but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.

New Zealands last major earthquake registered magnitude 7.8 and hit South Islands Fiordland region on July 16, 2009, moving the southern tip of the country 12 inches 30 centimeters closer to Australia, seismologist Ken Gledhill said at the time.

___

Associated Press writer Ray Lilley in Wellington contributed to this report.

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Outgoing NATO deputy rues early optimism on Marjah AP

KABUL, Afghanistan NATO commanders were overly optimistic when they predicted quick success taking the key Taliban-held town of Marjah last winter, the outgoing deputy commander said.

There are now fledgling signs of a turnaround, but burned once by Marjahs unpredictability, the military will be more restrained in forecasting success, British Lt. Gen. Nick Parker told reporters Saturday at the headquarters of the NATO-led force.

U.S. Marines and Afghan troops overran Marjah, a major Taliban logistics center and opium poppy-growing community, last February and announced plans to stand up an effective Afghan administration. The idea was to develop Marjah as a model for counterinsurgency techniques in hopes other communities in Helmand province and elsewhere in the south would turn against the Taliban.

Instead, the Taliban have fought back with hidden bombs, ambushes, assassinations and intimidation, undercutting NATOs efforts to win public support. That has fueled doubts on Capitol Hill and among the American public that the Afghan war can be won.

Parker, who leaves his post at the end of this month, said it was "nobodys fault" that the Marjah campaign has gone slower than expected, but is simply a product of the "complexity of the environment were operating in."

"I think we were probably a little bit over-enthusiastic," Parker said. He acknowledged that he himself was "a little bit too positive," because he wanted to stiffen the resolve of troops doing the fighting. "You want to convince people that what youre doing is right," he said.

He said only now is security beginning to take hold in a "persistent" way that allows the Afghan government to start functioning there. But he said no one should be drawing conclusions, or raising expectations that the positive security trends will continue.

"Weve got to stay on the balls of our feet and react properly," to whatever happens, Parker said.

Nonetheless, Parker said it was reasonable to expect the Afghans will take charge of their own security in the next four to five years. President Hamid Karzai has said he wants Afghanistans own forces to be in full charge nationwide by 2014.

President Barack Obama has promised to begin withdrawing American troops next July, although the administration says the pace will depend on security conditions then.

Parker said he "absolutely accepts that there would be a national debate" within the United States and other troop-continuing countries about their role in Afghanistan. The Dutch withdrew their combat troops last month and the Canadians plan to pull out next year.

Parker served as acting commander of the NATO-led force between the dismissal of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, whom Obama fired after comments by his staff critical of the White House appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, and the arrival of the new top commander, Gen. David Petraeus.

Parker said the turnover went remarkably smoothly, because McChrystals "plan was so good," that it remained in place, with the addition of what he called, "Petraeus nuances."

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Alive survivors to Chilean mining kin: Be strong AP

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile Former rugby players from Uruguay who survived more than two months of isolation in the snow-covered Andes met on Saturday with some of the relatives of 33 trapped miners and urged them to stay strong.

"They will be out soon," said Jose Inciarte, one of the four plane crash survivors visiting the San Jose copper and gold mine in northern Chile. "The whole world is with them."

The men communicated with miners by video, urging to appreciate the relative good fortune that nobody died in the partial tunnel collapse at the mine Aug. 5. They also said that they were moved by the miners fortitude.

"There is little similar between our story and theirs," Inciarte said. "Theirs is more beautiful because they are all alive."

Fellow survivor Gustavo Zerbino, who waved an Uruguayan flag, said to the extent possible the miners should "enjoy themselves."

"Nobody died," he said.

After speaking with the miners, the men presented an Uruguayan flag, which they said they would leave at the camp as a symbol of Latin American solidarity. "Viva, Chile" they yelled.

Inciarte and Zerbino were among 16 Uruguayans who survived a plane crash in the snow-covered Andean peaks in 1972. They waited 72 days to be rescued, and some were forced to eat the flesh of friends killed in the crash to stay alive. Their story inspired the book and movie "Alive."

"They fought so hard for their lives," Maria Segovia, sister of trapped miner Dario Segovia, said as she hugged some of the visitors. "Seeing them makes my heart so happy."

Just a handful of miners relatives received the Uruguayans; many have started to come and go as rescuers pursue what could be a monthslong process of digging a tunnel big enough to extract the miners. Relatives had held a constant vigil for the 17 days it took rescuers to make their first contact with the miners.

The four ex-players arrived Friday in the Chilean capital, Santiago, and met with President Sebastian Pinera.

This version CORRECTS spelling of rugby players name to Zerbino, not Servino.

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Afghans continue pulling money from troubled bank AP

KABUL, Afghanistan Nervous Afghans pulled more deposits out of the nations largest bank on Saturday, despite assurances from government leaders that their money was safe.

Crowds gathered at Kabul Bank branches around the capital to withdraw dollar and Afghan currency savings, with customers saying they had lost faith in the banks solvency following a change in leadership and reports that tens of millions of dollars had been lent to political elites for risky real estate investments.

"Kabul Bank has lost the trust of the people. Even the chairman resigned so all the people are concerned," said Mohammad Nawaz, head of an Afghan aid group who had tried for three hours to withdraw the $15,000 in his account.

The bank run that began earlier in the week undermines efforts by the central government to build an efficient political and financial system to drag Afghanistan out of its dire poverty.

Problems at the bank could also have wide-ranging political repercussions since it handles the pay for Afghan public servants, soldiers and police in the unstable nation beset by a Taliban insurgency, widespread drug trafficking and the plundering of aid money.

While Afghanistans central bank is working with the Kabul Bank and drawing on its reserves to help deal with the situation, U.S. officials insisted that the United States is not bailing out Kabul Bank.

Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin said that while American officials were providing technical assistance to the Afghan government, "This is an Afghan issue. They are taking immediate steps to ensure the stability of Kabul Bank and to protect the financial assets of the Afghan people. ... No American taxpayer funds will be used to support Kabul Bank."

Meanwhile, the deputy commander of the international coalition in Afghanistan said contingency plans were being drawn up to respond in the event of unrest.

"Were prepared to deal with the unexpected," Lt. Gen. Sir Nick Parker said.

Kabul Banks woes further underscore entrenched problems with cronyism and corruption, with millions of dollars in deposits allegedly loaned to relatives and friends of the ruling elite to buy property in financially troubled Dubai.

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Kabul Banks losses could exceed $300 million � more than the banks assets. In addition, The Washington Post said Afghanistans central bank had ordered Kabul Banks newly resigned chairman to hand over $160 million in Dubai real estate holdings.

On Thursday, President Hamid Karzai reassured anxious bank customers, saying every penny of their deposits would be guaranteed by the government.

"The Kabul Bank is safe," Karzai said in comments echoed by the countrys central bank governor and independent banking association.

Calls to bank executives rang unanswered Saturday and it wasnt clear how much had been withdrawn. People hoping to take money out were given numbers but many had yet to be served when branches closed at noon as is customary.

University student Ahmad Fahim held number 1,724, but tellers had made it only to number 200 late in the morning. He planned to return Sunday to try again to withdraw his family business funds and close the account.

"Weve never had any problems with Kabul Bank, but after the news broke, we decided to take our money out," the 23-year-old said.

Fahim said his father had no plans to open a new account and would distribute the cash among the homes of relatives for safekeeping. State-owned banks imposed burdensome limits on the amount of money that could be transferred, while other private banks were even less trustworthy than Kabul Bank, he said.

Given such limited options, Kabul Bank could still be the best bet for Afghans with cash holdings, with its nationwide network of branches and automated teller machines and ability to provide financial services such as loans, bill paying and money transfers.

Mohammad Habib Angar, a calligrapher, said he was taking out most of his Afghan and dollar savings, but wasnt ready to close his account.

"I will wait to see what will happen next. If the bank is able to create confidence, for sure I will put my money back in Kabul Bank because I do not want to close my account," Angar said.

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BP: Crews lifting device from Gulf face delay AP

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO Investigators may now be able to answer the most elusive question since a rig explosion unleashed the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill more than four months ago, as they get a close-up view of a key piece of equipment for the first time.

Why didnt it stop the oil?

A crewman guided a crane Saturday to hoist the 50-foot, 300-ton blowout preventer from a mile beneath the sea to the surface. It took about 29 1/2 hours for the blowout preventer to reach the surface of the Gulf at 6:54 p.m. CDT.

FBI agents were among the 137 people aboard the Helix Q4000 vessel, waiting to escort the device back to a NASA facility in Louisiana for analysis.

The AP was the only news outlet with a print reporter and photographer on board the ship.

Crews had been delayed after icelike crystals � called hydrates � formed on the blowout preventer. The device couldnt be safely hoisted from the water until the hydrates melted because the hydrates are combustible, said Darin Hilton, the captain of the Helix Q4000.

Hydrates form when gases such as methane mix with water under high pressure and cold temperatures. The crystals caused BP PLC problems in May, when hydrates formed on a 100-ton, four-story dome the company tried to place over the leak to contain it.

The April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers and led to 206 million gallons of oil spewing from BP PLCs undersea well.

Investigators know the explosion was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before igniting.

But they dont know exactly how or why the gas escaped. And they dont know why the blowout preventer didnt seal the well pipe at the sea bottom after the eruption, as it was supposed to. While the device didnt close � or may have closed partially � investigative hearings have produced no clear picture of why it didnt plug the well.

Documents emerged showing that a part of the device had a hydraulic leak, which would have reduced its effectiveness, and that a passive "deadman" trigger had a low, perhaps even dead, battery.

Steve Newman, president of rig owner Transocean, told lawmakers following the disaster that there was no evidence the device itself failed and suggested debris might have been forced into it by the surging gas.

There has also been testimony that the blowout preventer didnt undergo a rigorous recertification process in 2005 as required by federal regulators.

Recertifying the five-story device requires completely disassembling it out of the water and can take as long as three months to complete.

Testimony from BP and Transocean officials also showed that repairs were not always authorized by the manufacturer, Cameron International, and that confusion about the equipment delayed attempts to close the well in the days after the explosion.

A Transocean official has said he knew the blowout preventer was functioning because he personally oversaw its maintenance, and he said the device underwent tests to ensure it was working. The device, he said, had undergone a maintenance overhaul in February as it was being moved to the Deepwater Horizon to be placed over BPs well.

Also, according to testimony, a BP well site leader performed a pressure test April 9 on the blowout preventer, and he said it passed.

George Hirasaki, a Rice University engineering professor, said the blowout preventer should have sheared through the drill pipe and shut off the flow of oil. There may have been two sections of drill pipe or a thicker section, called the "collar," that the blowout preventer could not shear through, he said.

He also said the devices hardware was changed, but the on-site drawings were not updated to reflect the changes. Investigators will be looking for any other discrepancies between the device and its drawings.

In short, Hirasaki said, "The BOP failed to do its function. It is important to determine why so that it does not occur again."

However, some have cautioned that the blowout preventer will not provide clues to what caused the gas bubble. And it is possible a thorough review may not be able to show why it didnt work.

That could leave investigators to speculate on causes using data, records and testimony.

Lawyers will be watching closely, too, as hundreds of lawsuits have been filed over the oil spill. Future liabilities faced by a number of corporations could be riding on what the analysis of the blowout preventer shows.

A temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf in mid-July was removed Thursday. No more oil was expected to leak into the sea, but crews were standing by with collection vessels just in case.

The government said a new blowout preventer was placed on the blown-out well late Friday. Officials wanted to replace the failed blowout preventer first to deal with any pressure that is caused when a relief well BP has been drilling intersects the blown-out well.

Once that intersection occurs sometime after Labor Day, BP is expected to use mud and cement to plug the blown-out well for good from the bottom.

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Craigslist removes adult services section AP

HARTFORD, Conn. Craigslist has apparently closed the adult services section of its website, two weeks after 17 state attorneys general demanded it shut down the section.

The section had been replaced Saturday by a black and white "censored" logo.

Craigslist did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, one of the AGs who pressed for the change, said in a written statement that he welcomed the change and was trying to verify Craigslists official policy going forward.

He said if it was doing the right thing voluntarily in response to the AGs, it could set a good example for others.

In an Aug. 24 letter, the state attorneys general said Craigslist should remove the section because it couldnt adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking.

This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. Corrects spelling of white in 2nd paragraph. Will be updated. This story is part of APs general news and financial services.

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Nations economic woes jeopardize Dems prospects AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio Frustrated, discouraged and just plain mad, a lot of people who have lost jobs � or know someone who has � now want to see the names of Democrats on pink slips. And thats jeopardizing the partys chances in Ohio and all across the country in Novembers elections.

In this big swing-voting state alone, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland is in a dogfight for re-election. Senate candidate Lee Fisher may be even worse off. As many as six House Democrats could lose their jobs this fall. Recession-fueled animosity is dominating every race, giving Republicans hope of huge victories.

In Ohio, like almost everywhere else, voters dont much care for Washington, Wall Street or anything resembling the establishment. They grouse about every politician, including President Barack Obama, whom Ohioans played a critical role in electing. They fume over the nations teetering finances.

"I dont think weve seen the worst of it yet," says Jarrod Davis, 26, a Republican. Adds independent Dan Sharpe, 41: "So far, nothings gotten better under the Democrats."

Both of these construction workers backed Obama and his party before, but they say Democrats cant count on their support again � if they even vote.

At stake nationally is the balance of power in Washington, the tone for the remainder of Obamas first term and his likely 2012 re-election bid. All 435 House seats as well as 37 Senate seats are on the ballot. The country also will elect 37 governors in races that will determine who oversees the once-a-decade redrawing of political districts.

Republicans are hoping to capitalize on voters economic disillusionment, frustration with Obama and tea party-generated enthusiasm.

Democrats are relying on a financial advantage, a robust get-out-the-vote operation and, mostly, the ghost of George W. Bush to curb an expected Nov. 2 shellacking.

"My opponent had both hands on the wheel as he and President Bush drove this economy into the ditch," says Fisher, a former lieutenant governor trying desperately to overcome a strong and well-funded challenge by Republican Rob Portman, an ex-congressman who was a Bush budget director and trade representative.

In Ohio and elsewhere, the party that won control of Congress and the White House in the past two elections is facing the real possibility of losing power. Not that Ohio Democrats will acknowledge their dismal prospects with eight weeks to Election Day.

"The mood of the public is fluid," Strickland argues. "I dont believe this is going to be a terrible year for Democrats. That verdict has not yet been reached."

True, but Ohio Democrats preside over a volatile electorate angered by a 10.3 percent unemployment rate, above the national average, and theres no doubt that the economy � and Obamas policies � is driving the fury of Ohioans and shaping races.

Just blocks from a middle-class backyard where Obama recently insisted "were on the right track," voters take issue with that notion.

"Its the same old, same old rhetoric," says Kelli Natale, as she walks her dog, Thor. The 25-year-old college graduate spent two years looking for work before being hired for $12 an hour at an organic certifying company. Shes doubtful about an improvement in the economy.

Natale, who calls herself a left-leaning independent, was one of the legions of young people who enthusiastically embraced Obama in 2008 and who Democrats hope will turn out in November.

So who will she vote for? She pauses to think before saying, "Im not sure."

Nearby at Suzzies Beechwold Diner, Steve Reither epitomizes the Democrats other big challenge: a fired-up electorate tilting toward the GOP.

A Republican-turned-independent, Reither is sick of both parties and says: "They all talk about change and nothing changes." But he saves his harshest words for Obama, whom he calls a socialist and a liar. This year, he says hell probably vote largely with the GOP in November � "Ill hold my nose" � simply to fire Democrats.

"This administration and his cronies are running this country into the ground," Reither, 55, says as he finishes his breakfast. The owner of a small auto restoration business, he says hes been struggling for the past two years, and he blames Obamas policies that "hurt the little guy."

Its no wonder that jobs � who can create them, who is to blame for the losses � are nearly all that candidates here discuss.

Democrats at all levels are sounding a populist tone, casting their races as helping voters on Main Street vs. Republican policies intended to help Wall Street. Republicans, in turn, argue that Democrats � led by Obama � are making a tough economic situation worse with a free-spending, big-government agenda.

In Ohio, Democrats privately concede that three freshmen House Democrats � they were elected in perennial battlegrounds on Obamas coattails in 2008 and largely supported his agenda while in office � are all but certain to lose. They are Steve Driehaus near Cincinnati, John Boccieri near Youngstown and Mary Jo Kilroy in the Columbus area district that includes Ohio State University.

Republicans also could topple three others who were elected in the 2006 Democratic takeover of Congress � Betty Sutton near Akron, Zack Space in rural east-central Ohio and Charlie Wilson, who represents conservative Ohio River counties in the southeast.

Races for governor and the Senate seat left open by retiring Republican George Voinovich are more competitive.

Strickland, a moderate former congressman who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, is seeking a second term. His chief opponent may turn out to be the states double-digit unemployment rate.

"Things are hard, but theyre not hopeless and were on the right track in Ohio," he insists.

On defense, Strickland paints Republican challenger John Kasich as a handmaiden for Wall Street who is espousing "irresponsible" tax initiatives and supported the outsourcing of Ohio jobs. Says Strickland: "Kasich represents policies that got us into this situation. He and Wall Street culture led us into this recession."

Kasich, a former House Budget Committee chairman who spent nearly two decades in Washington as a congressman before hosting a Fox News talk show, worked eight years for the now-failed Lehman Brothers investment bank.

In TV ads, the Republican accuses Strickland of running a negative campaign and losing 400,000 jobs on his watch. Kasich claims he has a record of balancing budgets and creating jobs, and says in a new ad that hes "committed to smaller, more effective, more efficient government, letting people have more money in their pocket."

In the Senate race, Fisher is trying to capitalize on voter anger at Washington insiders, painting the race as "between someone who is on the ground in Ohio working to save and create jobs and someone who has spent his life in Washington, D.C., promoting and writing policies and laws that have put American workers out of work and have sent our jobs to places like Shanghai."

With a significant financial advantage over Fisher, Portman exuded confidence as he toured a small business recently in southern Ohio and focused on voter angst.

"People are frustrated because they dont see Columbus and Washington solving their problems," he says. Neither capital, he adds, seems to be focused on job growth. He bats away Democratic efforts to link him to Bush, saying: "Im not asking voters to look back. Im looking forward."

To the Democrats chagrin, Ohioans � and Americans in general � may be, too.

___

Online:

Ohio Democratic Party: http://ohiodems.org/

Ohio Republican Party: http://www.ohiogop.org/

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For US Muslims, a 9/11 anniversary like no other AP

NEW YORK American Muslims are boosting security at mosques, seeking help from leaders of other faiths and airing ads underscoring their loyalty to the United States � all ahead of a 9/11 anniversary they fear could bring more trouble for their communities.

Their goal is not only to protect Muslims, but also to prevent them from retaliating if provoked. One Sept. 11 protest in New York against the proposed mosque near ground zero is expected to feature Geert Wilders, the aggressively anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker. The same day in Gainesville, Fla., the Dove World Outreach Center plans to burn copies of the Quran.

"We can expect crazy people out there will do things, but we dont want to create a hysteria," among Muslims, said Victor Begg of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan. "Americans, in general, they support pluralism. Its just that theres a lot of misinformation out there that has created confusion."

On Tuesday, the Islamic Society of North America will hold a summit of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in Washington "to address the growing tide of fear and intolerance" in the furor over the planned New York mosque.

Islamic centers in many cities are intensifying surveillance and keeping closer contact with law enforcement. Adding to Muslim concern is a fluke of the lunar calendar: Eid al-Fitr, a joyous holiday marking the end of Ramadan, will fall around Sept. 11 this year. Muslim leaders fear festivities could be misinterpreted as celebrating the 2001 terror strikes.

"Were telling everyone to keep their eyes open and report anything suspicious to authorities and call us," said Ramzy Kilic of the Tampa, Fla., chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Other efforts around 9/11 aim to fight bigotry. Muslims will clean parks, feed the homeless, and give toys to sick children as part of Muslim Serve, a national campaign to demonstrate Islamic commitment to serving humanity.

Separately, groups are distributing ads to combat persistent suspicions about Islam. One spot, called "My Faith, My Voice," features American Muslims saying, "I dont want to take over this country."

Sept. 11 anniversaries have always been challenging for U.S. Muslims, who have been under scrutiny since the attacks. This year, the commemoration follows a stunning summer in which opposition to a planned Islamic community center near the World Trade Center site escalated into a national uproar over Islam, extremism and religious freedom.

Islamic centers as far away as Tennessee and California faced protests and vandalism. In western New York, police said a group of teenagers recently yelled obscenities, set off a car alarm and fired a shotgun during two nights of drive-by harassment at a small-town mosque near Lake Ontario.

Usama Shami, board chairman for the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix, said a new mosque the congregation has been building for years drew little attention until recently, when some resistance emerged in the neighborhood and from some in city government. Recently, vandals broke into the new building, spilled paint on the floor and broke expensive windows.

Shami believes the ground zero dispute is partly to blame for the trouble, along with passions unleashed by Arizonas strict new law that would require police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.

"All of these issues came at the same time," Shami said. "When things like that happen, I think they bring out the worst in some people."

On Sept. 11 in Chicago, Zeenat Rahman, a 34-year-old native of the city, will visit a local nursing home with Muslim and non-Muslim friends to spend time with residents and help serve a meal.

"This is when people are going to look at our community, and when they do, what are they going to see?" said Rahman, a policy director for the Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes pluralism. "Sometimes, saying `Islam means peace, feels a little defensive and apologetic, whereas service is really core to our faith."

Unity Productions Foundation, a Washington-area group that specializes in films about Islam and Muslim Americans, will hold an interfaith talk on Sept. 11 at the Washington Jewish Community Center.

Speakers include Monem Salam, the subject of a Unity Productions film titled, "On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly." Unity recently launched groundzerodialogue.org, where visitors can view films and use them for community discussion about Islam in the U.S.

Salam, 38, of Bellingham, Wash., usually spends the Eid weekend with his wife and three young children, but said he persuaded his wife he had to participate in the event.

"I have to leave them and go across the country to answer questions about Islam," said Salam, a portfolio manager who was 4 years old when his family left Pakistan for the U.S. "Its unfortunate. Its the time that we live in."

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Irreverent Cuban movie promises zombie revolution AP

HAVANA What would you do if your entire city was taken over by flesh-eating zombies and communist leaders insisted it was nothing but a plot by U.S-backed dissidents to destabilize the government?

If you were the protagonist of Juan de los Muertos � "Juan of the Dead" � the first zombie flick ever shot in post-revolutionary Cuba, youd figure out how to make some cash out of the carnage.

Part horror show, part social satire, the soon-to-be-shot movie has the backing of a Spanish production company, a green light from Cuban authorities and a budget that dwarfs most big-screen offerings from the island.

And its irreverent humor � one blurb for the film proclaims: "Fifty years later, a new Revolution has begun" � could make Juan of the Dead the next big thing in Cuban cinema, and give it a real chance at global success.

It is the second film by 34-year-old writer-director Alejandro Brugues, who says his idea was to tell a story that was authentically Cuban � but within the logic of a camp zombie flick. Closest to his heart, he said, is a quintessential island knack for making ends meet, whether by keeping a rusty 57 Chevy on the road for half a century, or finding a way to feed a family on a salary of $20 a month.

Locals even have a saying for how they will overcome the constant hurdles that are part of daily life on this cash-strapped, crumbling island: "Ill invent something."

"We Cubans have had to deal with a whole series of problems in the last 50 years," Brugues told The Associated Press, an allusion to the decades of economic hardship and isolation that have followed Fidel Castros 1959 revolution, particularly since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"We have become accustomed to resolving problems on our own and finding a way to survive. So I was thinking, How would a Cuban survive a zombie epidemic."

As Brugues spoke, makeup artists in another room were transforming actors into blood-soaked zombies, a process that can take up to five hours. A gruesome zombie head lay on a table alongside multiple cups of coffee and cigarette butts, and a producer was testing out the believability of a detached, latex hand by sneaking up on unsuspecting production assistants and tapping them on the shoulder with it.

Preproduction got under way this week, with shooting slated to start in late October. the filmmakers hope to release the movie in the spring or summer of next year, and plan to role it out at several film festivals before showing it to a wider audience.

The movies plot is simple: A 40-year old layabout named Juan finds a zombie floating in the water while fishing off the coast of Havana. The zombie attacks but Juan makes a narrow escape, only to find that the undead are all over the city. State-run media blames the whole thing on government opponents backed by Cubas archenemies in Washington, but Juan knows better � and comes up with a plan.

Together with his sidekick, Lazaro � described by the filmmakers as "just as lazy, but twice as stupid" � Juan puts out the word that he is open for business.

Has your grandmother been turned into a zombie? Is your uncle stumbling about with blood coming out of his mouth?

Juan and Lazaro promise to get rid of your undead loved ones for just 15 Cuban convertible pesos $16 a pop, and to clean up the mess for an extra 20 $21.

The duo are making good money until they find themselves the only non-zombies left in the city, with the rest of the population having either fled or been infected.

The movie is backed by Spains La Zanfona Producciones, two Spanish television channels, the government of Spains Andalucia region and the state-run Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematography. It has a budget of $2.1 million, most of which is going to special effects that have to be added in Spain because the technology is not available in Cuba.

"Clearly, it is a very small budget for an international zombie movie," said Claudia Calvino, the films 27-year-old Cuban co-producer. "But thats a lot of money for a Cuban movie."

Another co-producer, 34-year-old Inti Herrera, said most Cuban films are made for less than $300,000. He said that the makers of Juan of the Dead are hoping to produce something that has a professional feel to it which can be enjoyed by audiences everywhere � even the United States.

"We really hope it comes out and is shown widely in theaters there," said Brugues. "That is definitely our idea."

Brugues says part of the movies message deals with whether one should stay and face problems or get out of town when the going gets tough � a politically sensitive topic in a country divided between those who have lived through the revolution for better or worse, and those who have left for exile in South Florida and elsewhere.

But he insists the film is not political.

"I want people to have a good time at the theater," Brugues says. "And I promise liters and liters of blood."

___

On the Web:

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Thousands protest French crackdown on Gypsies AP

PARIS A whistle-blowing, drum-beating crowd of thousands demonstrated in Paris on Saturday against expulsions of Gypsies as well as other new security measures adopted by President Nicolas Sarkozys government.

Human rights and anti-racism groups, labor unions and leftist political parties were taking part. Organizers said demonstrations were taking place in 135 cities and towns across France, and others were planned outside French embassies in capitals such as London, Brussels and Bucharest.

They accuse Sarkozy of stigmatizing minorities and seeking political gain with the security crackdown. They also say he is violating French traditions of welcoming the oppressed, in a country that is one of the worlds leading providers of political asylum.

The protests mark the first show of public discontent since the conservative Sarkozy, a former hardline interior minister, announced new measures to fight crime in late July.

Sarkozy said Gypsy camps would be "systematically evacuated" � and his interior minister and other officials said last week that about 1,000 Roma have been given small stipends and flown home since then.

Sarkozy also said naturalized citizens who threaten the lives of police officers should lose their citizenship.

His tough rhetoric came after violence between police and youth in a suburban Grenoble housing project, and other clashes in a traveling community in the Loire Valley.

Polls have shown the French are split about the policy, though slightly more favor it than oppose it. Sarkozy has often built his electoral successes on his image as one of the toughest crime fighters in France.

For years, Sarkozy has used his image as a tough, law-and-order politician to win political support. Sarkozy has linked Roma to crime, calling their camps sources of prostitution and child exploitation.

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Karzai sets up panel to pursue talks with Taliban AP

KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he has formed a council to pursue peace talks with the Taliban.

A statement issued by Karzais office on Saturday says the High Peace Council is a "significant step toward peace talks."

Karzai is pursuing reconciliation talks with insurgents willing to renounce violence, honor the Afghan constitution and sever ties with terrorist networks.

International leaders have welcomed establishment of the panel, which was approved in June at a national peace conference in Kabul.

Karzais office says the council will consist of former members of the Taliban, jihadi leaders, top figures and women. Its members are to be announced next week.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. APs earlier story is below.

KABUL, Afghanistan AP � A suicide bomber perched on the back of a motorcycle killed seven people, including four Afghan policemen, in an attack Saturday in the increasingly violent northern province of Kunduz, a government spokesman said.

Sixteen other people were injured in the midday attack in the provincial capital, also called Kunduz, provincial spokesman Mahbubullah Sayedi said.

The city is a major transportation hub and lies along a crucial supply line for coalition forces that has been repeatedly attacked by Taliban insurgents, who have also stepped up attacks on police and civilians in the province in an apparent attempt to destabilize local authorities and spread their insurgency beyond their strongholds in the countrys south.

Pictures from the scene of Saturdays bombing showed officers loading the back of a police pickup truck with bodies of the victims, including a boy who appeared to be in his early teens. The body of the suicide bomber lay beside the mangled wreckage of his motorcycle, while windows in nearby shops and cars were shattered by the blast.

While there was no immediate sign of a connection, the bombing came on the first anniversary of a NATO warplane attack on two fuel trucks just outside Kunduz city that killed as many as 142 people, the single largest loss of civilian lives since the 2001 U.S. invasion of the country. Afghan officials repeatedly warn that such incidents undermine the central government in Kabul and fuel support for its Taliban opponents.

Also Saturday, NATO announced the capture of a Taliban commander and the killing of six insurgents in a raid on a rebel hide-out in the northern province of Takhar.

The attack followed a string of recent raids on militant leaders that aim to demoralize the insurgency and sever contacts between rebel groups.

NATO said a joint Afghan-NATO force was fired on as it approached a compound Friday where the Taliban commander was hiding. The force returned fire with the backing of coalition aircraft, then evacuated the compound and detained the commander and one of his assistants, it said.

Takhar, which neighbors Kunduz to the east, had been relatively quiet amid rising violence across Afghanistan, but recent incidents point to growing insurgent activity in the province, about 150 miles 250 kilometers north of Kabul along the border with Tajikistan.

NATO says an airstrike in the province on Thursday killed about a dozen insurgents, but President Hamid Karzai and other Afghans said the victims were campaign workers seeking votes ahead of this months parliamentary elections.

Farther south in Kandahar province, where much of the current fighting is focused, a Taliban commander in the provincial capital and six associates were detained in a raid Thursday, NATO said. Other Taliban leaders in rural Kandahar and the southern provinces of Paktiya and Helmand were also captured, it said.

Separately, Helmands provincial government reported at least 12 insurgents were killed in fighting and air raids in the province on Thursday.

NATO has been intensifying its efforts with the addition of 30,000 more U.S. troops along with additional special forces soldiers who conduct most of the targeted raids alongside the Afghan army and police.

Some 140,000 foreign troops are now in the country, tasked both with driving the Taliban from areas it has held sway in for years, and ensuring security for the Sept. 18 elections that many hope will help set Afghanistan on a path to greater political stability.

So far, the election campaign has been disrupted by periodic but not paralyzing violence, with at least three candidates and five campaign workers killed in attacks. Along with the Taliban, rival candidates are also believed to be involved in some of the violence and intimidation.

On Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates toured U.S. bases and met with troops in Kandahar, saying he saw and heard evidence that the counterinsurgency strategy is taking hold in the Talibans spiritual heartland.

Such progress is crucial ahead of a U.S. assessment of Afghanistan strategy in December that could determine the direction of future efforts. President Barack Obama has pledged to begin pulling out at least some troops starting next July.

Meanwhile, nervous Afghans on Saturday continued pulling funds out of the nations largest bank despite assurances from government leaders that their money was safe.

Crowds gathered at Kabul Bank branches around the capital to withdraw dollar and Afghan currency savings, with customers saying they had lost faith in the banks solvency following a change in leadership and reports that tens of millions of dollars had been lent to political elites for risky real estate investments.

While there was little apparent sign of panic, the deputy commander of the international coalition in Afghanistan said contingency plans were being drawn up in case of unrest sparked by a run on the bank.

"Were prepared to deal with the unexpected," Lt. Gen. Sir Nick Parker said.

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Judge orders US-born kingpin La Barbie held AP

MEXICO CITY A Mexican judge has ordered a US-born suspected drug lord known as "La Barbie" held for 40 days pending an investigation into organized crime and other charges.

The Attorney Generals Office says Edgar Valdez Villarreal will be held at federal police headquarters while prosecutors decide whether to formally charge him.

Mexican authorities are also trying to decide whether to try Valdez in Mexico or deport him to the United States, where he faces cocaine charges in three different states.

Valdez was born in Laredo, Texas, and has been living illegally in Mexico.

The Attorney Generals Office announced the judges decision in a statement Saturday. Valdez was captured Monday following a yearlong investigation.

This version CORRECTS that announcement Saturday sted late Saturday.

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Buildings collapse, 2 injured in powerful NZ quake AP

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand Chimneys and walls crumbled to the ground, roads cracked in half and residents were knocked off their feet as a powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake rocked New Zealands South Island early Saturday. The prime minister said it was a miracle no one was killed.

Only two serious injuries were reported from the quake, which shook thousands of people awake when it struck at 4:35 a.m. near the southern city of Christchurch. There were reports of some people trapped inside damaged buildings � though none appeared to be crushed by rubble � and a few looters broke into some damaged shops in the city of 400,000.

Power was cut across the region, roads were blocked by debris, and gas and water supplies were disrupted, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said. Chimneys and walls of older buildings were reduced to rubble, and Parker warned that continuing aftershocks could cause masonry to fall from damaged buildings.

"Were all feeling scared � weve just had some significant aftershocks," he told TV One News. "Tonight were just people in the face of a massive natural disaster, trying to help each other ... and were grateful we havent lost a life."

State geological agency GNS Science reported 29 aftershocks in the 14 hours following the quake, ranging in strength from magnitude 3.7 to 5.4.

A state of emergency was declared and army troops were on standby to assist after the quake, which was centered 19 miles 30 kilometers west of Christchurch, according to GNS Science. No tsunami alert was issued.

Prime Minister John Key, who flew to Christchurch to inspect the damage, said it was "an absolute miracle" that no one had died.

He warned it could be months before the full extent of the damage was known, but said initial assessments suggested it could cost at least 2 billion New Zealand dollars $1.4 billion to repair.

As evening approached and a damaged historic building near the city center burst into flames, officials ordered residents to stay in their homes until Sunday morning. Parker said the curfew would help prevent people from going near about 120 inner-city buildings that were badly damaged.

Up to 90 extra police officers were flying to Christchurch to help, and troops were likely to join the recovery effort on Monday, he said.

Rescue workers also set up accommodation centers at schools in suburban areas to house hundreds of people forced out of their damaged homes, civil defense spokesman Murray Sinclair said.

Suburban dweller Mark OConnell said his house was full of smashed glass, food tossed from shelves, with sets of drawers, TVs and computers tipped over.

"We were thrown from wall to wall as we tried to escape down the stairs to get to safety," he told The Associated Press.

Sheep farmer Paul Cowie from the town of Darfield, near the quakes epicenter, said his family was knocked to the floor.

"We couldnt stand up, but we had to run across the house to get to the kids ... and they were shaken up," he said. The family fled the house and huddled in a car parked in an open field.

GNS Science initially reported the quake as magnitude 7.4, but later revised it to 7.1. The U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 7.0.

Minister of Civil Defense John Carter said there was "a lot of damage to our key infrastructure ... water, waste water systems."

Experts said the low number of injuries reflects the countrys strict building codes.

"New Zealand has very good building codes ... that mean the buildings are strong compared with, say, Haiti," which suffered widespread damage in a magnitude-7.0 quake this year, earth sciences professor Martha Savage said.

"Its about the same size quake as Haiti, but the damage is so much less. Though chimneys and some older facades came down, the structures are well built," said Savage, a professor at the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University in the capital, Wellington.

Christchurch fire service spokesman Mike Bowden said a number of people had been trapped in buildings by fallen chimneys and blocked entrances, but there were no reports of people pinned under rubble. Rescue teams were out checking premises.

Christchurch Hospital said it had treated two men with serious injuries and a number of people with minor injuries.

One man was hit by a falling chimney and was in serious condition, while a second was badly cut by glass, hospital spokeswoman Michele Hider said.

Christchurch police reported road damage in parts of the city and cordoned off some streets where rubble was strewn about. Parked cars were crushed by heaps of fallen bricks, and roads buckled.

Civil defense agency spokesman David Millar said at least six bridges had been badly damaged and the historic Empire hotel in the port town of Lyttelton was "very unstable" and in danger of collapse. Several wharves at the port were damaged.

People in the citys low-lying eastern suburbs were told to be ready to evacuate after power, gas, sewage and water systems were cut by the quake, Police Inspector Mike Coleman said.

Kiwirail rail transport group spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said 13 trains, mostly freight, had been halted, with some damage confirmed to lines north of Christchurch.

Christchurch International Airport was closed as a precaution as experts checked runways and terminal buildings, a spokesman said.

New Zealand sits above an area of the Earths crust where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year � but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.

New Zealands last major earthquake registered magnitude 7.8 and hit South Islands Fiordland region on July 16, 2009, moving the southern tip of the country 12 inches 30 centimeters closer to Australia, seismologist Ken Gledhill said at the time.

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Associated Press writer Ray Lilley in Wellington contributed to this report.

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Shoe, eggs hurled at ex-Brit PM Blair in Dublin AP

DUBLIN Anti-war protesters hurled shoes and eggs at Tony Blair on Saturday as he arrived for the first public signing of his fast-selling memoir.

Scores of demonstrators chanted that Blair had "blood on his hands" as the former British prime minister arrived at a Dublin book store. A shoe, eggs and other projectiles were thrown toward Blair as he emerged from a car, but did not hit him.

Security was tight for the signing, with book buyers � who appeared to outnumber the protesters � told to hand over bags and mobile phones before entering Easons book store.

"A Journey" mounts a strong defense of Blairs policies during his decade as prime minister, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In an interview aired Saturday, Blair rejected claims that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan had increased Muslim radicalization, saying said "wicked and backward-looking" radical Islam is the greatest threat to global security.

Blair told the BBC World Service "the biggest threat in international security is this broader radicalized movement, because I think it is rather similar to revolutionary communism."

He said al-Qaida-linked extremism was "loosely a global ideological movement, but Iran is a state sponsor of it."

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Obama outlines steps taken to help middle class AP

WASHINGTON A healthy economy needs bustling Main Streets and a thriving middle class even more than a healthy stock market, President Barack Obama said as he reaffirmed his commitment to work hard for Americas hardworking men and women.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama on Saturday outlined what hes done to help the middle class, a group he says has been squeezed the most during the recession.

He touted efforts to create jobs, make college more affordable, help the middle class build retirement nest eggs, cut taxes on these families and stop health insurance companies from refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Labor Day is about more than grilling food and spending time with family and friends, Obama said.

"Its also a day to honor the American worker � to reaffirm our commitment to the great American middle class that has, for generations, made our economy the envy of the world," he said.

But Obama said that, for a decade, middle-class families have experienced stagnant incomes and declining economic security while tax breaks were given to companies that shifted jobs overseas and Wall Street firms reaped huge profits.

"So this Labor Day, we should recommit ourselves to our time-honored values and to this fundamental truth: To heal our economy, we need more than a healthy stock market; we need bustling Main Streets and a growing, thriving middle class," Obama said. "Thats why I will keep working day by day to restore opportunity, economic security and that basic American dream for our families and future generations."

In the weekly Republican message, Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky., criticized nearly 200 pending rules and regulations as a threat to job creation. Davis said many of the mandates would cost small-business owners who dont have the money or time to comply with them.

"The more time small-business owners spend pushing paper, the less time they have to focus on creating jobs," Davis said.

He highlighted legislation he introduced that would require Congress to vote on every major new rule before it can take effect.

"The sooner we rein in the red-tape factory in Washington, D.C., the sooner small businesses can get back to creating jobs and helping more Americans find an honest days work," he said.

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Online:

Obama address: http://ping.fm/U8G3M

GOP address: http://ping.fm/LdUqR

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Top US commander discusses Iraq with Turkey AP

ANKARA, Turkey The United States top military officer says Washington does not plan to withdraw its weapons from Iraq through Turkey.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Saturday the U.S. military has sought Turkish permission to transport some noncombat equipment from Iraq through its territory.

Turkey says it looks favorably on the passage of such equipment and technical material, but not arms, which would require parliaments approval.

In 2003, Turkey refused to allow U.S. forces to use its territory to invade Iraq.

Mullen said his visit was not aimed at pressuring Turkey � NATOs sole Muslim member state � to do more in Afghanistan but would welcome any help there.

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