a second train to keep moving on the same track and
slam into it.Among those singled out for blame was former Minister of
Railways Liu Zhijun, who was the public face of efforts to build
the bullet train and was detained in February amid a graft investigation.
The Cabinet also cited the general manager of the company that manufactured
the signal, who died of a heart attack while talking to investigators
in August.
BEIJING A long-awaited government report said design flaws and sloppy management
caused a bullet train crash in July that killed 40 people and
triggered a public outcry over the high cost and dangers of China's
showcase transportation system.A former railway minister was among 54 officials found responsible
for the crash, a Cabinet statement said Wednesday.The crash report was highly
anticipated by the public. Regulations required the government to release the report
by Nov. 20. When that date passed, the government offered little explanation,
drawing renewed criticism by state media, which have been unusually skeptical about
the handling of the accident and the investigation.The Cabinet statement cited "serious
design flaws and major safety risks" and what it said were a
string of errors in equipment procurement and management.The report affirmed earlier government
statements that a lightning strike caused one bullet train to stall and
a sensor failure allowed
BAGHDAD An oil exploration deal between U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil
and Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region is fueling political tensions in a country
where a post-U.S.-troop withdrawal spike in violence and political turmoil is clouding
the climate for foreign investments sorely needed by Iraq.Baghdad's anger over the
deal highlights the long-simmering power struggle between the Kurdish and central governments.
The dispute is building momentum as Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki faces criticism
over his stewardship of a country where, years after the 2003 U.S.-led
war to topple Saddam Hussein, development remains a distant dream for millions.The
deal "will certainly contribute to further complicating the relationship" between the Kurds
and Baghdad, said Gala Riani, Middle East and North Africa Regional Manager
at the London-based IHS Global Insight.It "may also raise tensions in border
areas which have already become more restive as a result of the
withdrawal of the
ly Hills.The Lovely and Talented Angelina JolieThe Lovely and Talented Angelina JolieKim
Kardashian's Tiniest DressesBecause sometimes those with the most to cover, wear the
least.
against the Gingrich-Romney duo. And I think that I'm going to be
the one coming out Iowa with that mantle."And if we can do
that, then we're off to the races here, and conservatives around the
country, just like they're doing here in Iowa, are going to start
rallying around our campaign," he said.Santorum isn't the only one making a
last-ditch effort around the state to appeal to social conservatives. Rick Perry
and Michele Bachmann are likely Santorum's most competitive among the social conservative
crowd. And both are working vigorously to get supporters to show up
at the caucuses next Tuesday night. Bachmann also won a coveted show
of support from Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the conservative Eagle Forum, who
on Tuesday said Bachmann "has the courage to be a leader among
her peers.""She is a real champion in speaking up for values we
care about. Michele is a woman of faith and the mother of
a beautiful family. She has a 100 percent pro-life record and is a
APDecember 27, 2011: This image made from amateur video and released by
Shaam News Network purports to show men carrying an injured man in
Homs, Syria.BEIRUT The Syrian government released Wednesday 755 prisoners detained over
the past nine months in the regime's crackdown on dissent as observers
toured a flashpoint city to see whether authorities were complying with an
Arab plan to stop the bloodshed that has killed thousands.Violence continued in
several parts of the country, with activists saying two died in the
Baba Amr district of Homs, and at least four soldiers were killed
in an ambush carried out by a group of military defectors in
the country's south on Wednesday.The prisoners' release, reported by the state-run news
agency SANA, followed accusations by Human Rights Watch that Syrian authorities were
hiding hundreds of detainees from the observers now in the country.The New
York-based group said the detainees have been transferred to off-limits militar
