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**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 05:10 AM

Lawyers for an Oklahoma man filed a taxpayer lawsuit Thursday seeking to overturn a state immigration law as an alleged violation of the state constitution. The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 denies illegal immigrants state identification and requires all Oklahoma government agencies to verify immigrants' citizenship before conferring benefits. The suit, which names Gov. Brad Henry and the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners , argues that the law is unconstitutional because "it creates a Bureau of Immigration and allows for the appropriation and expenditure of public funds" and improperly delegates legislative power to federal authorities. AP has more. The Tulsa World has local coverage.

The bill, which took effect on Nov. 1, 2007, was challenged by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders in federal court last October. US District Judge James Payne dismissed the challenge by saying the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue because none of them had suffered a cognizable injury as a result of the bill. The constitutionality of the law remained open to challenge in other proceedings as Payne did not rule on the merits of the case. The bill is considered one of the country's toughest on illegal immigration

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 05:17 AM

US District Judge Laura Swain Wednesday dismissed Spanish damage claims against the American Bureau of Shipping , a non-profit organization that inspects and certifies ships, in connection with a major 2002 oil spill. Spain had filed suit in the Southern District of New York against ABS after the Bahamas-flagged oil tanker Prestige sank off the northwest coast of Spain, spilling nearly 77,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil in the country's worst pollution disaster. Citing the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage , which provides that the owner of a vessel that has spilled oil carries liability for pollution damage and exempts third parties unless they acted recklessly, Swain ruled that "Spain, as a signatory to the CLC, is bound by CLC's provisions and, therefore, must pursue its claims under that convention in its own courts." Reuters has more.

In mid-November 2002, one of the twelve tanks on the Prestige burst during a storm off Galicia, prompting the captain to radio for help from Spanish authorities. Spain, however, refused to give the ship port and the leaky vessel was tugged around stormy seas for six days before it split in two and sank. Spain argued that ABS was negligent in classifying the 26-year-old, single-hulled vessel as fit to carry fuel six months prior to the disaster. ABS disputed Spain's allegations, stating that the disaster could have been averted if Spain had better handled the situation.

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 05:23 AM

A coalition of civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund , filed a new federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging an Arizona law aimed at preventing employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants . US District Court Judge Neil V. Wake Friday dismissed an earlier lawsuit filed by the groups, holding that that suit was premature because the law had not gone into effect and no one had been harmed, and also that the plaintiffs were wrong in suing the governor and the attorney general, because under the law, only county prosecutors, who were not defendants, would have the power to enforce the law. The rights groups said Wednesday that they expected the new lawsuit - filed against Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, Director of the Arizona Department of Revenue Gale Garriott and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas would address the court's procedural concerns and allow it to rule on the merits of the case. The Arizona law in dispute goes into effect January 1.

The Legal Arizona Workers Act gives the Superior Courts of Arizona power to suspend or revoke the business licenses of businesses that intentionally or knowingly employ illegal immigrants. Under the law, employers will be required to check the legal status of new hires using a free online federal program that checks names and identification documents to determine employment eligibility. The ACLU and other civil rights groups had filed the original lawsuit in federal court against the state of Arizona claiming that the law was unconstitutional and could lead to discrimination against minorities, especially Latinos. When Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the legislation in July, she called the law "the most aggressive action in the country against employers who knowingly or intentionally hire undocumented workers.

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 05:29 AM

Britain should not deport foreign students even if they overstay their visas, an immigration chief has said in a leaked memo published Monday.

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Students from China and India are among hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who come to study in Britain every year, most of them legitimately to secure a British graduate degree.

But critics allege that many use a student visa as a smokescreen to enter the country to work, and then refuse to leave after their paperwork has run out.

A December 17 memo, sent to regional chiefs of the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) and revealed by the Daily Mail newspaper, advises against deportation except in high priority cases.

"Please instruct your enforcement teams not to proceed with enforcing any student refusal cases unless they are deemed, at at least inspector level, to be a priority," says the memo from Jonathan Lindley, the BIA's director of enforcement.

Immigration Service Union official John Tincey blasted the memo.

"This is an astonishing order. But this is the way the BIA is going in an era of 'risk assessment' and 'intelligence-led operations'," he said.

"The main priorities are removing foreign national prisoners, followed by failed asylum seekers.

"Student visa overstayers aren't on the list at all. Home Office priorities depend on what the media are paying attention to at any particular time... It all comes down to the service running out of money."

The memo followed a case in which BIA chief Lin Homer personally intervened to halt a deportation.

In response to the leaked document, Homer said: "The case that prompted this memo concerned a student who entered the wrong credit card details on an application that was submitted within time.

"Student cases that show evidence of fraud or corruption will continue to be referred for enforcement action."

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 05:32 AM

As of Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, at least 3,910 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,178 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

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The AP count is six higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EST.

The British military has reported 174 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 05:34 AM

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai police sergeant was charged on Monday with killing a Canadian and attempting to kill the man's pregnant ex-wife during an argument between the tourists in the northern tourist town of Pai, the local police chief said.

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Sergeant Uthai Dechawiwat was allowed to walk free during the investigation because he turned himself in after what he said was an accident and promised not to tamper with witnesses, Pai police chief Wanchai Suwanririkate said.

"Since he has surrendered after the shootout, we let him go free after informing him of charges of murder and attempted murder," Wanchai told Reuters by telephone from the picturesque hill town popular with foreign backpackers.

Wanchai quoted witnesses as saying Uthai, who had just finished his shift, was asked to stop a fight between John Leo Del Pinto, 25, and his ex-wife Carly Reisig, 24, on Saturday night.

But the man, 5ft 11in tall, and his ex-wife turned on the 5ft 3in policeman, who pulled out his pistol when they started beating him, they were quoted as saying.

"The policeman, who is about 1.6 meters, was beaten to the ground by the man, a bodybuilder 1.8 meter tall, and the hippy woman," Wanchai said.

Del Pinto tried to snatch the pistol, shots were fired and the couple fell, according to witnesses, Wanchai added.

Del Pinto, a frequent visitor to Pai, died at the scene. Reisig was being treated in a hospital in nearby province of Chiang Mai and her wounds were not life threatening, Wanchai said.

Police and Canadian consular officials would interview Reisig, who was pregnant by a Thai man, Wanchai said.

**4now** · 01-07-2008, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by mike_2007:
Britain should not deport foreign students even if they overstay their visas, an immigration chief has said in a leaked memo published Monday.

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Students from China and India are among hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who come to study in Britain every year, most of them legitimately to secure a British graduate degree.

But critics allege that many use a student visa as a smokescreen to enter the country to work, and then refuse to leave after their paperwork has run out.

A December 17 memo, sent to regional chiefs of the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) and revealed by the Daily Mail newspaper, advises against deportation except in high priority cases.

"Please instruct your enforcement teams not to proceed with enforcing any student refusal cases unless they are deemed, at at least inspector level, to be a priority," says the memo from Jonathan Lindley, the BIA's director of enforcement.

Immigration Service Union official John Tincey blasted the memo.

"This is an astonishing order. But this is the way the BIA is going in an era of 'risk assessment' and 'intelligence-led operations'," he said.

"The main priorities are removing foreign national prisoners, followed by failed asylum seekers.

"Student visa overstayers aren't on the list at all. Home Office priorities depend on what the media are paying attention to at any particular time... It all comes down to the service running out of money."

The memo followed a case in which BIA chief Lin Homer personally intervened to halt a deportation.

In response to the leaked document, Homer said: "The case that prompted this memo concerned a student who entered the wrong credit card details on an application that was submitted within time.

"Student cases that show evidence of fraud or corruption will continue to be referred for enforcement action."

<span class="ev_code_RED">But critics allege that many use a student visa as a smokescreen to enter the country to work, and then refuse to leave after their paperwork has run out.</span>

See... america is not unique.

Good job Mike

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 03:56 PM

Oil futures fell sharply Monday, extending their retreat from $100 as investors sold on concerns that a cooling economy will curb demand for oil and gasoline.
Comments by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Monday suggesting there is no simple fix for the nation's housing crisis added to worries about the economy raised by last Friday's Labor Department jobs report; the government's data showed that employers added far fewer jobs last month than expected.

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Traders seemed to shrug off news of a confrontation Sunday between U.S. and Iranian warships in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The market overall is still a bit spooked by the larger economy question," said Kevin Saville, managing editor for the Americas energy desk at Platts, the energy research arm of the McGraw-Hill Cos.

A stronger dollar Monday also weighed on oil prices. Crude futures offer a hedge against a falling dollar, and oil futures bought and sold in dollars are more attractive to foreign investors when the greenback is falling. Many analysts believe the weakening dollar helped draw speculative investors into oil markets this fall and winter, driving oil prices above $100 a barrel last week.

On Monday, light, sweet crude for February delivery dropped $2.82 to settle at $95.09 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the third day in a row oil prices have declined.

Earlier Monday, oil prices rose after U.S. military officials said Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats harassed and provoked three U.S. Navy ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"There was a bit of a jump there ... but unless there were shots being fired, it wasn't going to be sustained," Saville said.

Concerns that the West's standoff with Iran could grow into a wider confrontation helped boost oil prices last year.

At the pump, meanwhile, gas prices rose 0.2 cent overnight to a national average of $3.106 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Gas prices have been on the rise for weeks, following oil's jump back into record territory. But with oil prices now sliding, the gains at the pump are likely to be limited, analysts say.

February gasoline futures fell 8.12 cents to settle at $2.4298 on the Nymex Monday.

Heating oil futures fell on forecasts for unseasonably warm weather in the Northeast over the next few days, said Addison Armstrong, director of exchange traded markets at TFS Energy Futures LLC in Stamford, Conn., in a research note.

"Longer range forecasts are also expected to yield warmer than usual temperatures for the month of January, keeping a lid on demand until colder temperatures return," Addison said.

February heating oil futures fell 9 cents to settle at $2.5935 a gallon on the Nymex.

February natural gas, on the other hand, rose 3.8 cents to settle at $7.879 per 1,000 cubic feet on revised forecasts for cooler weather in the Midwest, which relies more heavily on natural gas than heating oil.

In London, Brent crude futures fell $2.40 to settle at $94.39 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Associated Press Writers George Jahn in Vienna and Gillian Wong in Singapore contributed to this report.

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A man killed his girlfriend, then filleted and cooked parts of her body before calling police to tell them what he was doing, authorities said Sunday.

Christopher Lee McCuin allegedly killed his girlfriend and then called police to say he was boiling her body parts.

Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, called 911 on Saturday and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Jana Shearer, 21, and was boiling her body parts at his mother's home, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.

When authorities arrived at the home, they found Shearer's mutilated body, one ear boiling in a pot of water on the stove and a fork sticking out of some human flesh sitting on a plate on the kitchen table.

Authorities said it was unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of Shearer's body.

"We cannot prove that he did," Smith told The Associated Press. "He was either going to, had been or led us to think that he was doing it."

Authorities believe Shearer, 21, was abducted from her home Friday night and killed. Her death and mutilation was apparently the beginning of a crime spree that also included McCuin allegedly stabbing the boyfriend of his estranged wife and breaking into a business.

The stabbing victim is in critical condition at an area hospital, officials said.

McCuin, of Tyler, about 110 miles east of Dallas, was charged with capital murder. He was being held in the Smith County Jail on a $2 million bond Sunday and did not have an attorney, officials said. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday, Smith said.

Before he called 911, McCuin told his mother and her boyfriend to look in their garage, authorities said. There the couple saw the remains of Shearer. McCuin's mother and her boyfriend fled the home and flagged down a police officer. McCuin dialed authorities after they left. Watch how killing shocks quiet Texas neighborhood »

A man who answered the door Sunday night where the body was found declined to comment.

Shearer appeared to have died from blunt trauma to her head, Smith said. She may have been kidnapped Friday night, when her mother witnessed her get into McCuin's truck.

"There was no struggle but she could see the girl left with no shoes, no purse and no cell phone," Smith said.

McCuin then drove to his estranged wife's home, where he stabbed William Veasley, 42, Smith said. McCuin was still in that home when deputies arrived, but escaped in his car after a short chase, Smith said.

"We thought it was a disturbance or an assault," Smith said.

McCuin wasn't seen again until Saturday morning, when he arrived at his mother's home and called her into the garage so she could "come see what he had done," Smith said.

When sheriff deputies arrived, McCuin barricaded himself in the home for a short time before coming out. After he emerged, officers entered and found Shearer's body, Sgt. Gary Middleton said.

Detectives were trying to determine where the slaying happened. They think McCuin drove to his mother's home with the dead woman in the back seat of his extended-cab pickup, Smith said.

Freddy Castillo, who lives two houses down, said he frequently heard McCuin and his girlfriend argue in the house and the yard.

"They would get pretty loud," Castillo said. "They'd yell back and forth and then he would just get in his car and leave
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A family friend said Monday that Princess Diana had described her relationship with Dodi Fayed as "all over" just two weeks before the couple died in a car crash in Paris.

Diana, Princess of Wales, in London on March 6, 1996.

1 of 2 Under questioning at the British inquest into the deaths, Rodney Turner conceded that Diana might have told other friends something very different.

Turner, a car dealer and long-standing friend of Diana's family, said he had told the princess that he opposed her relationship with Fayed. That opposition was based on his opinion of Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, Turner said.

In a conversation in mid-August 1997, Turner said Diana told him: "It's all over." Turner said that statement "was really a shock to me."

He said Diana added: "Don't fuss, don't fuss. It's all over. I've had a wonderful time."

Later that month, however, she joined Dodi Fayed in southern France on a holiday. They died on August 31, 1997, after their car crashed into a concrete pillar in a highway tunnel in Paris.

Turner supplied BMW cars for Diana's use starting in 1995.

He said she had never expressed any fear that someone might tamper with her car, although others have reported such fears to the inquest.

Steven Davies, who was a chauffeur for Diana starting in 1994, said he could not recall any occasion when he was asked to check a car for signs of tampering.

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In October 1995, Diana told her lawyer, Lord Mishcon, that "reliable sources" whom she did not identify had told her that an attempt to kill or seriously injure her would be made through a car accident, possibly caused by tampering with the brakes, according to a 2006 police report. Diana said she believed that Camilla Parker Bowles, who was to marry Prince Charles in 2005, was also a target of this conspiracy.

Mishcon, who died in 2006, recorded that he found the claim incredible but was surprised to hear that Diana's private secretary, Patrick Jephson, "half believed" it.

Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, said he received a letter from her in October 1996 that said in part: "This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous, my husband is planning an accident in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for Charles to marry" another woman who worked as a royal nanny.

Other witnesses have questioned whether that letter is genuine, noting that in October 1996 Diana and Charles had been divorced for two months. Burrell has yet to testify at the inques
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A British citizen who spent two decades on Ohio's death row was released from jail Monday after pleading no contest to three charges related to a fire that killed a 2-year-old girl.

Ken Richey smiles as he tastes freedom.

Ken Richey, who once came within an hour of being executed, walked free for the first time since he was convicted of setting an apartment fire that killed the toddler in 1986.

Prosecutors approved the deal after an appeals court overturned Richey's conviction and death sentence last year.

The deal let Richey, a U.S.-British citizen, go home to Scotland without admitting that he had anything to do with the fire.

Richey pleaded no contest to attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and breaking and entering. His hands were cuffed in front of him during the half-hour hearing in Putnam County Common Pleas Court.

A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but a statement that no defense will be offered, leaving the defendant subject to being judged guilty and punished.

As part of the deal, Richey, 43, agreed to exit the country within a day, and plans to leave for Scotland on Tuesday. Prosecutors told him they were worried about threats against Richey, his family and attorney said.

He'll be free, though, to return to the United States, because he's a citizen.

Richey had been set to get out three weeks ago until a trip to the hospital for chest pains delayed his release. He's been in a county jail in Ottawa since then.

Richey was convicted of setting a fire that killed 2-year-old Cynthia Collins and stayed on death row until a federal appeals court determined in August that his lawyers mishandled his case.

The court overturned his conviction and sentence, saying expert testimony could have contended that the fire was an accident and not intentionally set.

Richey was sent to county jail after the decision, and the state was set to try him again in March and seek another death sentence.

Instead, Richey pleaded no contest to the state's charges accusing him of telling the toddler's mother he would baby-sit the girl, but failing to do so and leaving her in harm's way.

Richey's case has generated limited interest in Ohio, but his name is a familiar one in Britain where there is no death penalty. He drew support from members of the British Parliament and the late Pope John Paul II.

Richey plans to spend his first night of freedom playing video games and watching movies -- Superman III, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Transformers -- said his brother, Steve.

He'll leave for Scotland on Tuesday and stay with his mother in Edinburgh. He's said he might live on a farm, travel around Scotland, or maybe open his own nightclub. "I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

He also wants to write a book and speak out against the death penalty.

"That's something I've got to do," he said. "There's still a lot of innocent people on death row that don't have a voice

**SonofMichael** · 01-07-2008, 04:08 PM

Someone seriously needs to get a life.

**mike_2007** · 01-07-2008, 04:36 PM

and who will be this somebody mr. sonofmichael?

**Adam** · 01-07-2008, 09:28 PM

Asif Ali Zardari, I lived in Indian subcontinent for some time. also during her first term. she and Nawaz Sharif, had taken many political turns during their time. Killed many peoples for personal gains.
He is well know as Mr. 10% in all business community. Its long history of both families. The only honest person in that system was Asghar Khan.
You can read Dawn news paper of Pakistan, and read letters from Mr. Cowsjee, you will come to know the complete photo of that political setup.

**mike_2007** · 01-08-2008, 06:40 PM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - This oil-rich Persian Gulf state has outfitted high-rises with the latest security, installed an iris-recognition ID system and nearly completed a 500-mile-long barrier along its borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia.

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With such efforts, the United Arab Emirates has created one of the world's most comprehensive homeland security and anti-terrorism systems. That has kept Dubai "” the jewel in the nation's crown and a stop on President Bush's Mideast trip "” free from the Islamic extremist attacks that have plagued other countries in the region.

Al-Qaida's American spokesman, Adam Gadahn, urged the group's fighters in a weekend videotape to attack Bush with "bombs and ****y-trapped vehicles" during his Mideast tour. The FBI said it was scrutinizing the tape for any information that might signal a specific threat or shed light on al-Qaida planning.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt "” all on the itinerary of the presidential tour that begins Wednesday "” have fought back hard against the terror threat in recent years, rounding up militants and tightening security. Yet only the UAE, and some less prominent countries like Oman, have largely escaped threats or attacks.

However, many anti-terror analysts believe the threat in Dubai is growing "” fueled by the city's image as a bastion of Western-style capitalism and nightlife, its new status as home to the world's tallest building and the frequent port calls by U.S. Navy ships. Alcohol flows freely in its many hotel bars, and bikini-clad Western tourists soak up the sun on its beaches.

"There are all kinds of radical actors out there who view Dubai as a symbol of Western debauchery in the Middle East," said Matthew Levitt, a former Treasury Department terrorism expert who is now with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

In a video marking the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on the United States, Osama bin Laden lambasted capitalism and multinational corporations, calling their leaders the real terrorists and threats to human freedom. The al-Qaida leader did not mention Dubai by name, but nowhere in the Middle East are the targets of his ire flourishing with such intensity.

Some anti-terrorism analysts argue that established extremist groups like al-Qaida have their hands full with higher priority operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. But others point to the potential threat from "self-starter" terrorists, like those who attacked Madrid and London, who take guidance from leaders like bin Laden but are not reliant on them for support.

"The growth and disorganization of the jihadist movement means that the threat level in Dubai will go up over time," said Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Dubai's government rarely speaks publicly of its efforts to counter extremists, apparently worried about endangering its image as the Mideast's business hub by associating the city with terrorism. It did not respond to numerous inquiries by The Associated Press for this article.

Tourism is booming, indicating most tourists find the risk low.

Ibrahim al-Aktar, a Saudi who comes to Dubai for work, expressed confidence in the government's efforts.

"They have a good security system here," al-Aktar said while shopping in an enormous mall. "It would be difficult to bomb Dubai "” at least, I hope it would be."

But many Dubai citizens privately say they are concerned about the threat of a terrorist attack. Most are reluctant to express such views publicly for fear of attracting unwanted government attention.

Rumors of foiled attacks abound, and the government's silence has fueled theories that UAE officials or Arabs with Dubai investments have somehow cut deals with extremists to get them to leave the city alone.

The government refused to comment on such accusations, and former U.S. officials and homeland security experts who have worked in Dubai say they have found no evidence backing these claims.

They instead point to the UAE's homeland security infrastructure, which is backed by abundant resources and an intense, behind-the-scenes government focus often lacking in the West.

"They are willing to invest financial resources and logistical assets that make a plan move faster than you would see in the West," said Chris St. George, managing director of the Dubai-based Olive Group, one of the city's leading security consultants.

Among the UAE's steps so far: construction of a 500-mile-long fence along the borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia and iris scanning of all foreigners who enter the UAE on a visa.

"The UAE was the first to do something on this scale with iris recognition," said Joe O'Carroll, vice president of IrisGuard Inc., the European company that installed the system.

Because so many of Dubai's buildings and facilities, like airports, are new, the government has been able to install the latest technology more easily.

"They can build the finest security into their new infrastructure as it is constructed, unlike the U.S. and in Europe where it has to be retrofitted into the older installations, like ports, airports and critical infrastructure," said David Stone, former head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Experts acknowledge that threats remain, including the possibility of radicalization among the UAE's large foreign worker population.

"They are tightly controlled, but there is recognition throughout the Persian Gulf region that foreign workers present a security threat," said Mustafa Alani, director of security and terrorism studies at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center.

The UAE, which sits just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, has a long coast and remote desert borders, making it vulnerable to infiltration despite the port security and new border fence, one leading Western security consultant said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity.

Even the world's best security system can't provide 100 percent protection, the consultant noted "” adding that he is surprised the UAE hasn't been attacked already

**mike_2007** · 01-08-2008, 06:41 PM

- Arizona Sen. John McCain won the New Hampshire Republican primary Tuesday night, completing a remarkable comeback and climbing back into contention for the presidential nomination. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton dueled with Sen. Barack Obama in an unexpectedly tight Democratic race.

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"We showed the people of this country what a real comeback looks like," McCain told The Associated Press in an interview as he savored his triumph. "We're going to move on to Michigan and South Carolina and win the nomination."

The Arizona senator rode a wave of support from independent voters to defeat former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a showing that reprised his victory in the traditional first-in-the-nation primary in 2000.

It was a bitter blow for Romney, who spent millions of dollars of his own money in hopes of winning the kickoff Iowa caucuses and the first primary "” and finished second in both.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa GOP caucuses last week, was running third in the Republican race in New Hampshire.

Clinton, the former first lady who finished third in Iowa, was mounting an unexpectedly stiff challenge to Obama in the nation's first primary.

With votes counted from 14 percent of the state's precincts, she had 40 percent to 35 percent for Obama, who is seeking to become the nation's first black president. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina trailed with 17 percent.

McCain was winning 39 percent of the vote, Romney had 28 and Huckabee 12. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 9 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul 8.

Clinton's performance, based on the early returns, surprised even her own inner circle.

In the hours leading up to the poll closing, her closest advisers had appeared to be bracing for a second defeat at the hands of Obama.

Officials said her aides were considering whether to effectively concede the next two contests "” caucuses in Nevada on Jan. 19 and a South Carolina primary a week later "” and instead try to regroup in time for a 22-state round of contests on Feb. 5.

These officials also said a campaign shake-up was in the works, with longtime Clinton confidante Maggie Williams poised to come aboard to help sharpen the former first lady's message. Other personnel additions are expected, according to these officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity while discussing strategy.

Obama, who won the leadoff Iowa caucuses last week, looked for an endorsement from the powerful Culinary Workers union in Nevada in the days ahead. South Carolina's Democratic electorate is heavily black and likely to go for the most viable black presidential candidate in history.

The Republican race turns next to Michigan, where McCain and Romney already are advertising on television, and where both men planned appearances on Wednesday.

By custom, the first handful of New Hampshire votes was cast, at midnight, in Dixville Notch in the far northern tip of the state.

By tradition, the first primary held the power to propel winners into the rush of primaries that follow "” and to send the also-rans home for good.

And by registration, New Hampshire's balance of power rested with its independent voters, more than 40 percent of the electorate, neither reliably Democratic nor Republican, with the power to settle either race, or both.

McCain, an Arizona senator, in particular, appealed for their support in the run-up to the primary. He battled Romney, the former governor of next-door Massachusetts, and to a lesser extent Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who won last week's Iowa caucuses.

According to preliminary results of a survey of voters as they left their polling places, more independents cast ballots in the Democratic race than in the Republican contest. They accounted for four of every 10 Democratic votes and about a third of Republican ballots. The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.

Republicans were split roughly evenly in naming the nation's top issues: the economy, Iraq, illegal immigration and terrorism. Romney had a big lead among those naming immigration, while McCain led on the other issues.

Half of Republicans said illegal immigrants should be deported, and this group leaned toward Romney. Those saying illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for citizenship leaned toward McCain, while the two candidates split those saying those here illegally should be allowed to stay as temporary workers.

Among Democrats, about one-third each named the economy and Iraq as the top issues facing the country, followed by health care. Voters naming the economy were split about evenly between Obama and Clinton, while Obama had an advantage among those naming the other two issues. Clinton has made health care a signature issue for years.

About one-third said if Bill Clinton were running, they would have voted for him on Tuesday.

"It has all the earmarks of a landslide with the Dixville Notch vote," an upbeat McCain quipped "” he got four votes there to Romney's two and one for Giuliani "” as his campaign bus headed to a polling place in Nashua. The crowd of supporters was so big, that voters complained and a poll worker pleaded with McCain to leave. Seconds later, the bus pulled away.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, Texas Rep. Paul and California Rep. Duncan Hunter completed the Republican field.

Obama, too, hoped independent voters would come his way, as they did last week in Iowa, where he won the first test of the campaign. Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady, ran third in Iowa. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was second.

Obama drew huge crowds as he swept into New Hampshire, and as the front-runner drew plenty of criticism from Clinton and her husband. Asked if he expected more, Obama said, "Oh, I don't think it will be just in the next few days. I think it'll be, you know, until I'm the nominee or until I quit." He said he understood their frustration.

Clinton, for her part, retooled her appeal to voters on the run. She lessened her emphasis on experience, and sought instead to raise questions about Obama's ability to bring about the change he promised.

Win or lose, she said she was in the race to stay "” never mind Edwards' suggestion that the voters of Iowa had told her that her presence was no longer needed.

There was no letup in the television ad wars.

TNS Media Intelligence, a firm that tracks political advertising, said Clinton spent $5.4 million to reach New Hampshire voters, and Obama spent $5 million. The total for Edwards was $1.7 million, reflecting a smaller campaign treasury. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, fourth candidate in the race, could afford about $500,000.

As happened in Iowa, Romney spent more than his rivals combined on television for the New Hampshire primary.

After losing Iowa, he could ill afford another defeat after basing his campaign strategy on victories in one or both states. Reflecting the stakes, he clashed in weekend debates with Huckabee over the Iraq war and with McCain over immigration as he tried to right his campaign.

On Tuesday, Romney put a positive face forward. "The Republicans will vote for me," he said. "The independents will get behind me."

McCain, too, was in need of a victory. Once the perceived front-runner, he suffered through a near-death political experience last year when his fundraising and support collapsed. He rallied, and by the final days of the New Hampshire race, held a celebration of sorts to mark his 100th town hall meeting in the state he won eight years ago

**4now** · 01-08-2008, 11:03 PM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - This oil-rich Persian Gulf state has outfitted high-rises with the latest security, installed an iris-recognition ID system and nearly completed a 500-mile-long barrier along its borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia.

I am happy for dubai and the increased tourism that they are experiencing. I wish to go someday. The wealth and technology is unbelievable.

It is an interesting culture that is forming with the east indians and the indigenous peoples there.

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