Soldier to face murder charges Soldier to face murder charges ADVERTISING WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, will be charged with 17 counts of murder as well as assault and a string of other offenses in the
Soldier to face murder charges
WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, will be charged with 17 counts of murder as well as assault and a string of other offenses in the massacre of Afghan villagers as they slept, an official said Thursday.
The charges against Bales include 17 counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of aggravated assault as well as dereliction of duty and other violations of military law, the official said on condition of anonymity because the charges had not been announced.
The soldier and father of two, who lives in Lake Tapps, Wash., will be charged with a shooting rampage in two villages near his southern Afghanistan military post in the early hours of March 11, gunning down nine Afghan children and eight adults and burning some of the victims’ bodies.
The charges are to be read to Bales today at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas where he has been held since being flown from Afghanistan last week. He faces trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it could be months before any public hearing.
Military authorities had originally said Bales was suspected in the killing 16 Afghan villagers, nine children and seven adults. They changed that Thursday to 17, raising the number of adults by one but without explaining how the change came about.
Water seen as future war cause
WASHINGTON (AP) — Drought, floods and a lack of fresh water may cause significant global instability and conflict in the coming decades, as developing countries scramble to meet demand from exploding populations while dealing with the effects of climate change, U.S. intelligence agencies said in a report released Thursday.
An assessment reflecting the joint judgment of federal intelligence agencies says the risk of water issues causing wars in the next 10 years is minimal even as they create tensions within and between states and threaten to disrupt national and global food markets.
But beyond 2022, it says the use of water as a weapon of war or a tool of terrorism will become more likely, particularly in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
The report is based on a classified National Intelligence Estimate on water security, which was requested by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and completed last fall.
It says floods, scarce and poor quality water, combined with poverty, social tension, poor leadership and weak governments will contribute to instability that could lead to the failure of numerous states.
Banks lend again, customers wary
NEW YORK (AP) — Since the credit crisis of 2008, everyone has been waiting for the banks to start lending money again. It’s finally happening, but there’s a catch: Businesses are afraid to spend it.
Bank loans to businesses grew 10 percent last year after dropping 19 percent in 2009 and 9 percent in 2010, according to the Federal Reserve. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo confirmed the growth in their latest financial results.
But much of the loan growth comes from lines of credit, not traditional loans. And instead of tapping available credit to power up plants, open factories and hire people, businesses are waiting.
At the same time, they are hoarding cash. JPMorgan, the nation’s largest bank, held a record $200 billion in business deposits at the end of last year, up 35 percent from the same time a year earlier. Wells Fargo and Bank of America also say deposits from middle-market businesses have soared.
Stores join ‘pink slime’ exodus
NEW YORK (AP) — Supermarket chains Kroger Co. and Stop & Shop said Thursday they will join the growing list of store chains that will no longer sell beef that includes an additive with the unappetizing moniker “pink slime.”
Federal regulators say the ammonia-treated filler, known in the industry as “lean, finely textured beef,” meets food safety standards. But critics say the product could be unsafe and is an unappetizing example of industrialized food production.
The Kroger Co., the nation’s largest traditional grocer with 2,435 supermarkets in 31 states, also said it will stop buying the beef, reversing itself after saying Wednesday that it would sell beef both with and without the additive.
Stop & Shop said that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said the product is safe for consumption, it will stop selling the beef.
