New York's biggest subway hub has opened in lower Manhattan a vital link between the new World Trade Center and the rest of the city.
	The Metropolitan Transportation Authority inaugurated the USD 1.4 billion Fulton Center, a transit complex where many subway lines converge.
	"Welcome to the station of the 21st century," engineer Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA's Capital Construction who led the work, told a gathering of transit and political officials yesterday.
	Officials said the transit and retail hub will serve as Lower Manhattan's next great public space encased in a glass-and-steel shell with a soaring, light-filled atrium.
	The federal government funded 90 percent and New York state the rest of the project, which includes 180,000 square feet (16,700 square meters) of new retail and office space, plus five old stations that were refurbished and linked. The center will accommodate up to 300,000 daily riders using nine subway lines.
	A 350-foot (105-meter) tunnel was built 

Biggest NY subway hub opens; expects 300,000 daily

PTI Automatic

Flight attendants at American Airlines have rejected a five-year contract, forcing the world's largest carrier and its union for cabin-crew workers into binding arbitration.
	Just 16 votes blocked the contract yesterday with 8,180 voting for and 8,196 voting against, according to the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
	The rejection of the contract affects roughly 24,000 workers and complicates the integration of American Airlines and US Airways. The two merged last year to form the world's biggest airline operator. The proposed contract included guaranteed raises but ended a profit-sharing plan.
	Last month, American Airlines Group Inc reported an all-time best USD 942 million profit in the June-through-September quarter, nearly double the amount that American and US Airways earned separately last year. CEO Doug Parker predicted more records for the fourth-quarter.

American Airlines crew reject union contract

Iraqi officials said today that an airstrike wounded the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
	Pentagon officials said they had no immediate information on such a strike or al-Baghdadi being wounded.
	Iraq's Defense and Interior Ministries issued statements saying al-Baghdadi had been wounded, without elaborating.
	An Interior Ministry intelligence official told The Associated Press that al-Baghdadi was hit during a meeting Saturday with militants in the town of Qaim in Iraq's western Anbar province.
	The official, citing informants within the militant group, said the strike wounded al-Baghdadi. A senior Iraqi military official also said he learned in operational meetings that al-Baghdadi had been wounded.
	Both officials said the operation was carried out by Iraqi security forces. Neither knew the extent of al-Baghdadi's apparent injuries.
	Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential material. State television later also reported that al-Baghdadi .

Iraqi officials say IS leader wounded in airstrike

The cartons of Marlboros, cans of Skoal and packs of Swisher Sweets are hard to miss stacked near the entrance of Vincent's Country Store, but maybe not for much longer: All tobacco products could become contraband if local health officials get their way.
	This sleepy central Massachusetts town of 7,700 has become an improbable battleground in America's tobacco wars. On Wednesday, the Board of Health will hear public comment on a proposed regulation that could make Westminster the first municipality in the United States to ban sales of all tobacco products within town lines.
	"To my knowledge, it would be the first in the nation to enact a total ban," said Thomas Carr, director of national policy at the American Lung Association. "We commend the town for doing it."
	Town health agent Elizabeth Swedberg said a ban seemed like a sensible solution to a vexing problem.
	"The tobacco companies are really promoting products to hook young people," she said, pointing to 69-cent ...

Massachusetts town weighs nation's 1st tobacco ban

A Florida mother is home and tending to her new infant less than a month after surviving without a pulse for 45 minutes following complications from a routine cesarean section.
	A spokesman for Boca Raton Regional Hospital told The Associated Press on today that a team of medical workers spent three hours attempting to revive the woman after a rare amniotic fluid embolism.
	Spokesman Thomas Chakurda says the doctors were preparing to pronounce her death when a blip on a monitor indicated a heartbeat. Despite going 45 minutes without a pulse, she suffered no brain damage during the Sept. 23 ordeal.
	"We had called a code that lasted for three hours. She essentially spontaneously resuscitated when we were about to call the time of death," said Thomas Chakurda, the hospital spokesman.
	Doctors had called the family into the operating room and told them there was nothing more they could do for 40-year-old Ruby Graupera-Cassimiro.
	Graupera-Cassimiro gave birth to a healthy daughter before 

US woman survives 45 minutes with no pulse

President Mahmoud Abbas has outlawed the West Bank's largest labor union and arrested its top two officials in what critics say is a sign of increasing heavy-handedness by the Palestinian leader.
	An announcement by Abbas' office followed a series of strikes by the union demanding more benefits. It said the strikes were illegal and "harmed the public interest."
	Moayad Amer, an official of the 40,000-member union, said Sunday that officials were trying to get their leaders released. "It is our right to have a union," he said.
	The arrests have been seen as a sign of a growing intolerance for dissent by Abbas.
	Jihad Harb, an analyst, said Abbas has ruled "in an autocratic way" since losing control of the Gaza Strip to the rival Hamas militant group in 2007.

Palestinian president outlaws labor union

President Barack Obama says he intends to issue an order easing the threat against deportation for immigrants in the country illegally.
	He'd act despite warnings from Republican leaders that he would be poisoning the well with a newly elected Republican-controlled Congress.
	Obama tells CBS television's' "Face the Nation" that even if he goes ahead, there still would be room for Congress to pass immigration legislation.
	He says if Congress does act, it would take the place of whatever he puts into place by his own authority. Obama is expected to issue an order before the end of the year.
	It's a step that incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner both warned against in postelection news conferences.

Obama rejects Republican warnings on immigration

A 15th-century statue that broke into pieces when it fell from its pedestal at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is going back on display after a 12-year repair job.
	The life-sized marble sculpture of Adam by Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo goes on view Tuesday. It's the first installation in the new Venetian Sculpture Gallery at the museum.
	In October 2002, the statue toppled when one side of its pedestal gave way. It broke into 28 large pieces and numerous small fragments, with most of the damage on the arms, lower legs, and a decorative tree trunk.
	Museum staff and materials scientists collaborated to find the best fix. The museum said that collaboration led to a new model in the conservation of large sculptures.

After 12 years, damaged statue restored to view

Bahrain's foreign minister urged world leaders today to do more to cut off funding for terrorist groups and prevent them from profiting from illegal businesses.
	Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa made the comments at the start of a meeting in the Bahraini capita, Manama, aimed at bringing together financial experts to improve the fight against extremist fundraising.
	He urged delegates to set a path to ensure that financial institutions and charities cannot funnel funds to terrorist groups, and "put an end to their ability to smuggle goods and extort funds from commercial enterprises."
	The head of the US Treasury Department's effort to undermine the Islamic State's finances, David Cohen, last month estimated the group was earning about USD 1 million a day from black market oil sales alone.
	It also generates cash from criminal enterprises such as extortion, bank robbery and kidnapping for ransom. Only a small amount of its funding is believed to come from outside donors.
	The one-day 

Bahrain meeting focuses on terrorist financing

The Hamas militant group forced the cancellation today of a memorial on the 10th anniversary of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death, underscoring the lingering tensions with the rival Fatah movement despite the formation of a unity government meant to end years of hostilities.
	In a statement, the Interior Ministry, which is still dominated by Hamas, said it had informed Fatah it could not provide security for the rally.
	Faisal Abu Shala, a Fatah official in Gaza, confirmed the cancellation.
	"We cancelled the event because Hamas told us on the political and security level that they can't secure the event," he said.
	Tuesday's event was meant to have been the first time that Fatah, the Palestinian movement founded by Arafat, held a memorial rally for the longtime leader in Gaza since 2007, the year that Hamas seized power in the coastal strip.
	At the previous memorial, held months after the Hamas takeover, at least 10 people were killed in clashes.
	In the spring, the two ...

Hamas forces cancellation of Arafat rally in Gaza

Queen Elizabeth II is older, her husband's face more etched by time, but the Remembrance Sunday ceremony remains reassuringly the same: two minutes of silence, then the monarch lays a poppy-laden wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph, followed by senior royals and other dignitaries.
	It is Britain's way of honouring its fallen soldiers, and it remains a national focal point, much as it was when Elizabeth, 88, was a young princess. There is the mournful symphonic music, the march of around 10,000 veterans, and the sense that Britain and much of the Commonwealth has come to a halt to recognise those who have lost their lives in battle.
	Prime Minister David Cameron called this year's event particularly poignant because 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. He also cited the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the conclusion of Britain's military operations in Afghanistan.
	The pageantry harkens back to the days of the British Empire, even as contemporary ...

Queen Elizabeth II leads UK memorial ceremony

Pope Francis has hailed St Pope John Paul II's role in the fall of the Berlin Wall and urged people to build bridges by opening hearts.
	Francis marked the 25th anniversary Sunday of the destruction of the wall symbolising the Cold War by appealing to all those of good will to foster a "culture of coming together" to bring down all barriers still dividing the world.
	Greeting people in St Peter's Square, he paid tribute to those who worked for the Berlin Wall's end, including those paying with their lives. John Paul II's championing of the Solidarity union in his native Poland is credited with helping bring the demise of Soviet bloc communism. Francis prayed that "never again may innocent persons be persecuted or killed for their belief or religion.

Pope hails John Paul II role in Berlin wall fall

Yemen has sworn in a new government despite objections from the ruling party, led my former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and allied Shiite rebels who control the capital.
	Thirty ministers were sworn in today. Another three rejected their appointments, and three were outside Yemen. After weeks of wrangling, a UN-brokered deal saw Khaled Bahah nominated as prime minister and tasked with forming a government.
	All Yemeni parties and political groups eventually agreed on an independent technocrat Cabinet last yesterday.
	But Saleh, seen as a behind-the-scenes power broker, and the Shiite Houthi rebels backed away after the UN.
	Security Council approved sanctions against the former leader and two rebel commanders on Friday.
	The Houthi rebels have since dismissed the government as unrepresentative and called for a new lineup.

Yemen swears in new government amid crisis

George HW Bush seriously considered not running for re-election in 1992 even though he loved his job, according to a new book written by his son, former President George W Bush.
	A complimentary account of his dad's presidency and a glimpse into his personal life, "41: A Portrait of my Father," is scheduled to hit shelves on Tuesday, when the two will make a rare joint appearance at the elder Bush's presidential library in Texas. The Associated Press purchased an advance copy.
	The book examines his father's decision to launch the first war in Iraq in 1991, his early failures in politics and his stinging defeat to Bill Clinton in 1992. It also relates personal anecdotes, including how the elder Bush struggled with the death of his daughter, Robin, of leukaemia, and how he attempted to set up his namesake in the 1960s with Trisha Nixon, former President Richard Nixon's daughter.
	George HW Bush, now 90, pondered not running for a second term because he felt his role was creating undue .

George W Bush says dad pondered skipping 2nd term

A suicide bomber infiltrated police headquarters in the Afghan capital Kabul today morning and blew himself up in an apparent attempt to assassinate the city's police chief, killing one senior police officer and wounding at least seven others, officials said.
	The ability of the bomber to penetrate the heavily guarded police compound in the heart of the capital adds to concerns about the readiness of national security forces to combat a still-virulent Taliban insurgency as a dwindling number of U.S. And NATO troops shift to a training and support role by the end of this year.
	It will also likely revive fears that the security forces have been infiltrated by insurgents, following a series of attacks on coalition forces by rogue members of the army and police.
	Kabul's chief of police Gen, Mohammad Zahir Zahir said that the attacker was just meters from his office when he detonated an explosives-packed vest.
	"A suicide bomber in military uniform carried out the attack on the third ...

Kabul police chief survives assassination attempt

Two Americans released from captivity in North Korea returned to the United States after their departure was secured through a secret mission by the top U.S. Intelligence official to the reclusive nation.
	Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae arrived late Saturday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. U.S. Officials said the pair flew back with James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.
	Clapper was the highest-ranking American to visit Pyongyang in more than a decade.
	Family members met both men with hugs as they emerged from their plane.
	"Thank you all for supporting me, lifting me up, not forgetting me," Bae told reporters shortly after his return to the United States. He thanked the North Korean government for letting him come home.
	"It's been an amazing two year. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I lost a lot of weight," said Bae, a Korean-American missionary with health problems. Asked how he was feeling, he said: "I'm recovering at this time."
	His family has ...

2 Americans held in North Korea whisked back home

Police in Ecuador were investigating the crash of a passenger bus which killed at least 15 people and left another 16 injured.
	The accident occurred before dawn today as the bus traveled on a highway between Santo Domingo and Aloag, southwest of Quito.
	The vehicle drove into a ravine and rolled as it fell some 300 meters, police said.
	The bus had left the coastal city of Manta late yesterday and was destined for the capital.
	The survivors were taken to local hospitals with multiple injuries, Christian Rivera of the Emergency Operations Committee told the El Comercio newspaper.

At least 15 killed in Ecuador bus accident

Yemen's former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh has pulled members of his political party from the newly formed government, in protest of what he says is the current president's support for UN sanctions against him.
	In a televised speech to the General People's Congress party, which he still heads, Saleh said today that the government formed a day earlier failed to represent all factions.
	Earlier, the party removed current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi from its leadership.
	The party is split between supporters of Hadi and those backing Saleh, who was forced to step down in 2012 following protests against him. Saleh remains a major power broker however.
	Saleh blamed Hadi for the sanctions imposed yesterday against him and allied military commanders over allegedly threatening the stability of the country.

Yemen ruling party withdraws from new government

The first Oscar statuettes of the season are being presented tonight at the film academy's Governors Awards.
	The Hollywood ceremony honors this year's recipients of honorary Academy Awards: Actress Maureen O'Hara, filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere. Actor and activist Harry Belafonte is receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
	The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences established the Governors Awards in 2009 as an untelevised celebration of its honorary Oscar winners.
	"It's special because it's an intimate evening," academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a recent interview. "It's a chance for the academy to recognize the diverse talent that it takes to realize the dream of moviemaking."
	She said the annual event is a favorite of the academy and the film industry because it allows a personal look into the professional lives of exceptional talents.
	All four honorees are expected to attend the Governors Awards ceremony in the Ray Dolby 

Academy presents early Oscars at Governors Awards

The US today announced the release of the last two Americans in North Korean custody after a secret trip to the reclusive communist country by President Barack Obama's national intelligence director.
	"It's a wonderful day for them and their families," Obama said at the White House following his announcement of his pick for attorney general. "Obviously we are very grateful for their safe return."
	Matthew Miller of Bakersfield, California, and Kenneth Bae of Lynnwood, Washington state, were accompanying James Clapper, the intelligence chief, back to the United States.
	Miller was serving a six-year jail term on charges of espionage after he allegedly ripped his tourist visa at Pyongyang's airport in April and demanded asylum.
	North Korea said Miller had wanted to experience prison life so that he could secretly investigate North Korea's human rights situation.
	Bae, a Korean-American missionary with health problems, was serving a 15-year sentence for alleged anti-government ...

Obama: 'Wonderful day' for 2 freed Americans

The foundation of America's nuclear arsenal is fractured, and the government has no clear plan to repair it.
	The cracks appear not just in the military forces equipped with nuclear weapons but also in the civilian bureaucracy that controls them, justifies their cost, plans their future and is responsible for explaining a defense policy that says nuclear weapons are at once essential and excessive.
	It's not clear that the government recognizes the full scope of the problem, which has wormed its way to the core of the nuclear weapons business without disturbing bureaucracies fixated on defending their own turf.
	Nor has it aroused the public, which may think nuclear weapons are relics of the past, if it thinks about them at all.
	This is not mainly about the safety of today's weapons, although the Air Force's nuclear missile corps has suffered failures in discipline, training, morale and leadership over the past two years.
	Just last week the Air Force fired nuclear commanders at two .

AP

AP

Page 2412 - Ap/pti Reuters