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McCain vows to have Democrats in Cabinet

(CNN) — Promising a very bipartisan approach to how he’ll run his administration, Sen. John McCain said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would appoint Democrats to his Cabinet.

Speaking to CBS’ Face the Nation, the Republican presidential nominee vowed that he won’t just have a single token Democrat in his Cabinet.

It’s going to be the best people in America, the smartest people in America, McCain said. So many of these problems we face — for example, energy independence — what’s partisan about that?

He said he’ll also ask some members of his Cabinet to work for a dollar a year. They’ve made enough money. But I’ll also ask people who have struggled out there in the trenches to help people, to volunteer in their communities, who understand these problems at that level, which obviously is lost on a lot of — a lot — a big segment of Washington.

The Obama campaign has raised questions about McCain’s respect for community-level work since last week’s Republican National Convention when McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, contrasted her experience to that of Barack Obama by saying, I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.

Palin preceded that by saying she was rejecting criticism of her background, saying, Since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involved.

Obama regularly cites his work as a community organizer in his campaign speeches.

McCain, in the CBS interview, said, I admire and respect all public service, and that Palin shares those sentiments. He said Palin’s remarks were a reaction to the denigration of her role as mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska.

McCain added that Obama’s work as a community organizer is very honorable.

Rejecting critics who say Palin is not ready to lead, McCain called her a successful reformer who has taken on those standing in the way of change, including within her own party.

She did the things that Americans want most. So in all due respect to any of the critics, what we want is the change in Washington. Who better in the political landscape could do that than Gov. Sarah Palin, whose whole life has been engaged in that — taking them on and winning?

McCain even contrasted her to himself. I’ve taken them on and won less than she has, he said.

With Palin on the campaign trail, The electricity has been incredible, he said.

He added, I’m sure that Gov. Palin has failings. And I’m sure she’s made mistakes, because she’s had a long career, from city council to mayor to governor. But the fact is, she’s kind of what Americans have been looking for.

Sunday marked McCain’s 65th appearance on Face the Nation — the most of any politician ever, according to Bob Schieffer, who has hosted program since 1991. I will probably argue to you that … you and I have never had a conversation when our economy was in greater difficulty than it is today, said McCain, offering some of his harshest criticism to date of the state of the U.S. economy.

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Canadian PM employs loophole in potential power grab

TORONTO, Canada (AP) — Canada’s prime minister dissolved Parliament on Sunday and called an early election for next month in hopes of strengthening his Conservative minority government’s hold on power.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s party needs an additional 28 seats to have a majority in Parliament. Although he has downplayed that possibility, polls in recent days indicate his right wing party has a chance to do so.

The October 14 election will be Canada’s third ballot in four years.

The Conservatives unseated the Liberal Party in 2006 after nearly 13 years in power, but as a minority government the Conservatives have been forced to rely on opposition lawmakers to pass legislation and adopt budgets.

With Harper signaling in recent weeks that he was leaning toward calling early elections, analysts said the Conservatives had a better shot of winning now than if they waited until being forced by the opposition into a vote later, when the Canadian economy might be worse off.

On Sunday, Harper visited Governor General Michaelle Jean and asked her to dissolve Parliament. The governor general is the representative of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who is Canada’s head of state, but the position is purely ceremonial and the governor general obeys the wishes of the prime minister.

Between now and October 14, Canadians will choose a government to look out for their interests at a time of global economic trouble, Harper said after the meeting.

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Death toll from Egypt rockslide reaches 31

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian authorities said Sunday that they have pulled 31 bodies out of the rubble of a Cairo shanty town crushed by massive boulders.

An Egyptian security official said that hospitals have also treated 46 wounded people.

But many people are still believed to be buried under the hundreds of tons of rock that peeled away from the Muqattam cliffs Saturday and buried 50 homes in the sprawling Manshiyet Nasr slum.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Large numbers of riot police were stationed the slum near the capital Cairo and are forcing residents and journalists to clear the area so that heavy machinery can be brought in to clear the massive rocks.

It was the latest disaster to stir public anger at a government accused by many of neglect. A lawmaker representing the area said that despite warnings that the cliff face could collapse, the government failed to deliver on promises to relocate residents.

The collapse occurred in the early morning, when most residents were still sleeping after waking earlier to eat before the daytime fast of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. Watch residents search through the rubble

My whole family is underneath the rock, Anwar Ragab sobbed as he watched a body being pulled from under the rock Saturday. I don’t know what to do. I can’t do anything. I just want my children back.

One young boy pulled from the rubble, 6-year-old Mustafa Ibrahim, regained consciousness in a hospital, shouting, Where is my mother? Where is my father? His parents and three brothers were killed.

The pulverized remains of the town were covered by a thick layer of dust, and the scene was chaotic as men and women screamed in grief and blamed the government for a slow rescue operation. People dug at the debris, calling out the names of relatives and family members trapped below.

Leila Mohammed Tawfeeq, 13, who lay in a hospital bed with a broken arm and face full of bruises, recalled being jolted awake by a sound like an earthquake. She cried out for her older brother, Ahmad, whom she remembers seeing nearby putting on his sandals.

That was the last thing I saw, she said. Her brother is among the missing.

Slums like Manshiyet Nasr at the base of the cliffs are built by migrants from the countryside looking for work in Cairo, an overcrowded city of 17 million people that suffers from a severe housing shortage. Buildings on top of the cliffs and below are crudely built and lack basic services, contributing to the instability of the vast plateau.

The reason the rocks keep falling is because there is no sewage system and their wastewater is eating away at the mountain, Hani Rifaat, a local journalist who has been following the issue, said from the site of the disaster.

Sewage could be seen pouring down from residential areas on top of the plateau, prompting fears of another collapse.

Resident Mohammed Hussein said contractors working to shore up the cliffs couldn’t complete their work because the government hadn’t resettled the community below. The slum is home to half a million people, according to official government figures.

A string of other recent disasters in Egypt has pointed to government neglect and incompetence, including the burning of parliament in August, the destruction of another Cairo slum by fire in 2007 and a ferry disaster that claimed 1,000 lives in 2006.

Helmeted rescue workers on the scene Saturday appeared to do little, and as night fell, no heavy equipment had been used to clear debris. A single bulldozer sat stranded because it couldn’t move through the slum’s narrow streets. Authorities planned to demolish some buildings to clear the way.

In their frustration, police and residents exchanged angry words.

After sundown, residents broke their fast for Ramadan amid the ruins, and most rescue efforts appeared to stop.

The government said that survivors would be transferred to new housing for the night and given all necessary aid.

We are following the case step by step and providing the care and comfort for the residents, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said in a statement. We would like to remind people the danger of building informal housing in dangerous areas.

Haidar Baghdadi, the parliamentarian for the region, told Al-Jazeera news channel that residents were calling for help from under the rubble using cell phones.

The representative added that the area was known to be dangerous and that the residents were supposed to be resettled to government housing.

found here.

Bhutto widower Zardari elected Pakistan’s new president

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — Nearly a year after assassins killed Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her widower won the country’s presidential election and hailed his triumph as a victory for democracy.

I feel democracy has been vindicated, Asif Ali Zardari told CNN. I feel we are coming closer to her [Benazir Bhutto’s] mission of total democracy in Pakistan. And we shall take the oath of office of President in the name of Shahid Benazir Bhutto, and that will be a momentous occasion for all the democratic forces in the world.

Zardari, 53, had been the front-runner in the race to replace former President Pervez Musharraf, who was forced to resign last month.

Zardari is to be inaugurated on Tuesday and would take office the same day. Watch an analyst discuss the election

The election was not by public vote, but rather by lawmakers in the two houses of the National Assembly and in the four provincial assemblies around the country. Under Pakistan’s constitution, the president is elected by a majority vote. Watch Zardari discuss his challenges

According to the chief election commissioner of Pakistan, Qazi Muhammad Farooq, Zardari received 481 votes. Retired Chief Justice Muhammad Saeed Uzaman Saddiqi received 153 votes and Senator Mushahid Hussain received 44 votes, Farooq said.

The democracy talks, and everybody hears, Zardari said in a televised address Saturday evening. And to those who would say the People’s Party or the presidency would be controversial under our guardianship and under our stewardship, I would say, listen to democracy.

The president-elect said he would hand over many responsibilities to the parliament. Parliament is sovereign, this president shall be subservient to the parliament, he said in the televised address.

It is the philosophy of … Benazir Bhutto, in which we believe, which says democracy is the best revenge, Zadari said. She taught us how to live. She taught us how to do politics.

The pro-American Zardari will rule a nuclear power threatened by Islamic militancy and economic turmoil. The Taliban are resurgent in Pakistan and the country’s economy is tanking.

Zardari took over Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after her death late last year. His party had been confident of a win, saying Zardari had the support of three of the four provincial assemblies — which would be crucial in helping Zardari forge the alliances he needs to tackle the country’s main problems.

Hussain, who was a close aide to the ex-president, was representing Musharraf’s Pakistan Muslim League-Q. The party had painted him as a candidate who represented the middle class and has a clean track record — in contrast to Zardari, who spent 11 and a half years in jail on corruption charges that he refutes.

Siddiqui was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf resigned under intense political pressure last month as the ruling coalition began taking steps to impeach him. He had swept to power in 1999 in a bloodless coup.

The chairman of the upper house of the assembly, Mohammedmian Soomro, has been acting president in the meantime.

Saturday’s election came one day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court reinstated three of its judges who Musharraf ousted in November, following his imposition of emergency rule.

The PPP had formed a coalition with Sharif’s party, the PML-N, but the coalition split apart August 25. The PML-N had set that date as a deadline for the government to honor its promise to reinstate the judges who were fired.

The PPP, which led the coalition, said it believed the coalition should focus on picking a successor for Musharraf before it decided on reinstating the judges.

At least 60 judges were arrested after Musharraf issued his order. Some were jailed, others placed under house arrest.

Security around the National Assembly building in Islamabad was tight, with police on the roof and at the gates and riot police on site.

As the voting took place, a suicide car bomb exploded in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people, including eight police officers, local police spokesman Fazal Karim said. Eight-one others were wounded.

found here.

Bhutto widower Zardari elected Pakistan’s new president

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — Nearly a year after assassins killed Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her widower won the country’s presidential election and hailed his triumph as a victory for democracy.

I feel democracy has been vindicated, Asif Ali Zardari told CNN. I feel we are coming closer to her [Benazir Bhutto’s] mission of total democracy in Pakistan. And we shall take the oath of office of President in the name of Shahid Benazir Bhutto, and that will be a momentous occasion for all the democratic forces in the world.

Zardari, 53, had been the front-runner in the race to replace former President Pervez Musharraf, who was forced to resign last month.

Zardari is to be inaugurated on Tuesday and would take office the same day. Watch an analyst discuss the election

The election was not by public vote, but rather by lawmakers in the two houses of the National Assembly and in the four provincial assemblies around the country. Under Pakistan’s constitution, the president is elected by a majority vote. Watch Zardari discuss his challenges

According to the chief election commissioner of Pakistan, Qazi Muhammad Farooq, Zardari received 481 votes. Retired Chief Justice Muhammad Saeed Uzaman Saddiqi received 153 votes and Senator Mushahid Hussain received 44 votes, Farooq said.

The democracy talks, and everybody hears, Zardari said in a televised address Saturday evening. And to those who would say the People’s Party or the presidency would be controversial under our guardianship and under our stewardship, I would say, listen to democracy.

The president-elect said he would hand over many responsibilities to the parliament. Parliament is sovereign, this president shall be subservient to the parliament, he said in the televised address.

It is the philosophy of … Benazir Bhutto, in which we believe, which says democracy is the best revenge, Zadari said. She taught us how to live. She taught us how to do politics.

The pro-American Zardari will rule a nuclear power threatened by Islamic militancy and economic turmoil. The Taliban are resurgent in Pakistan and the country’s economy is tanking.

Zardari took over Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after her death late last year. His party had been confident of a win, saying Zardari had the support of three of the four provincial assemblies — which would be crucial in helping Zardari forge the alliances he needs to tackle the country’s main problems.

Hussain, who was a close aide to the ex-president, was representing Musharraf’s Pakistan Muslim League-Q. The party had painted him as a candidate who represented the middle class and has a clean track record — in contrast to Zardari, who spent 11 and a half years in jail on corruption charges that he refutes.

Siddiqui was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf resigned under intense political pressure last month as the ruling coalition began taking steps to impeach him. He had swept to power in 1999 in a bloodless coup.

The chairman of the upper house of the assembly, Mohammedmian Soomro, has been acting president in the meantime.

Saturday’s election came one day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court reinstated three of its judges who Musharraf ousted in November, following his imposition of emergency rule.

The PPP had formed a coalition with Sharif’s party, the PML-N, but the coalition split apart August 25. The PML-N had set that date as a deadline for the government to honor its promise to reinstate the judges who were fired.

The PPP, which led the coalition, said it believed the coalition should focus on picking a successor for Musharraf before it decided on reinstating the judges.

At least 60 judges were arrested after Musharraf issued his order. Some were jailed, others placed under house arrest.

Security around the National Assembly building in Islamabad was tight, with police on the roof and at the gates and riot police on site.

As the voting took place, a suicide car bomb exploded in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people, including eight police officers, local police spokesman Fazal Karim said. Eight-one others were wounded.

found here.