Clinton off to Afghanistan as war fears rise

As concerns grow about the war in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to South Asia on a mission aimed at refining the goals of the nearly 9-year-old conflict.

U.S. lawmakers are increasingly questioning the course of the war. The number of soldiers from the U.S. and other countries in the international coalition in Afghanistan is on the rise. Corruption is a deep problem in Afghanistan, and members of Congress wonder about the utility of massive aid to both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Clinton will attend an international conference in Kabul on Tuesday where the Afghan government is expected to outline plans to improve security, …

Warner Bros. vs. ET? (Syndication).(Entertainment Tonight)(Brief Article)

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution wants to take on Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood next fall with a first-run entertainment-news magazine. At least that's the word the studio has put out to some members of the station community. The show would be a companion to Warner Bros.' Extra, which was an entertainment …

Banks Seek Mortgage Work-Outs.

NEW YORK -- Some trends are developing in the way the nations biggest banks have begun to work out new forbearance and refinance agreements with borrowers facing adjustable-rate mortgage resets that will lead to higher payments many of the borrowers will be unable to make.

The American Banker, an affiliate of the Credit Union Journal, said interviews with JPMorgan Chase & Co., Fifth Third Bancorp, SunTrust Banks Inc., and HSBC Holdings PLC, found lenders have clearly stepped up their outreach in advance of interest rate resets. Where modifications are not feasible, short sales have caught on as a possibly less costly alternative.

At the same time, lenders …

SCHENECTADY FIRE UNION ACTS TO SAVE JOBS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: MARV CERMAK Staff writer SCHENECTADY The City Council voted Monday night to eliminate 10 firefighter positions for a savings of $601,826 in next year's budget. -

But before the ink could dry on the legislation, fire union President Rod Rosate said a new proposal given to city labor negotiator James Roemer before the session would save well over $700,000.

Mayor-elect Albert P. Jurczynski said the new offer will be examined.

``We will not have a closed mind about the latest development, but this is the 11th hour and we have to move forward,'' said Jurczynski, noting that layoffs could be averted if the proposal is valid.

Rosate …

Officials refuse 2 Russian women same sex marriage

Two women have been denied a marriage license in what they say is the first effort in Russia by two lesbians to wed.

Irina Fedotova and Irina Shipitko were handed a written rejection from a registry office in central Moscow Tuesday.

Official Svetlana Potamoshneva said Russian law recognizes a marriage …

Denis Leary sizzles on his firefighter drama 'Rescue Me'

NEW YORK - Fire somehow befits Denis Leary.

He plays New York City firefighter Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me, of course, and the promotional photography for this FX drama depicts him, in character, brazenly engulfed in flames.

But Leary is combustible in pretty much everything he does.

As a standup comic he's a truthtelling hothead. In films such as The Ref, Wag the Dog and The Thomas Crown Affair, along with the two animated Ice Age movies, he gives searing performances.

Not that he gets the respect he deserves. Leary's standup persona - enraged, rapid-fire, chain-smoking - remains lodged in the public mind, shortchanging him from credit due as an actor who …

Jordan operates humanitarian flight to Iraq; Syria to follow suit.

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A Royal Alia Airlines flight from Jordan carrying a 75-member delegation composed of parliamentary members, doctors, nurses and journalists, landed in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday (27 September).

The flight is the third such humanitarian flight to arrive in the country since 22 September.

Syria has now also indicated that it will be sending an aircraft with a humanitarian mission onboard and the Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa has called on the global …