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Show Thursday, May 8, 2008 HERALD DAILY A12 New Russian president sworn in Megan LOS Press HUSSEIN MALLAAssociated protester holds a gasoline bottle as he stands near a burning car during a protest called by labor unions in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday. An opposition Clashes eruDt in Lebanon as Hozliolla l stages strike SanrFr6ha THE ASSOCIATED BEIRUT, e streets- after sunset, and many of the blocked roads remained closed, indicating that the protest will likely continue at ersremamed-ertth- PRESS Lebanon-Lebano- n's political crisis erupted into gunfire and explosions Wednesday w hen a labor strike devolved into clashes between rival Hezbollah and government supporters. Demonstrators supported by militant Hezbollah protested the government's economic policies and paralyzed much of Beirut with roadblocks of burning tires. The strike turned violent when both sides began throwing stones at each other, and gunfire and explosions rang out in some areas for brief periods. The cause of the explosions was not immediately known There were a few injuries reported, mostly from the d stone-throwin- g. . The clashes threatened to degenerate into art sectarian conflict. Shfite Hezbollah seized the offices of a major Sunni group ' and the fighting spread to '' several mixed Sunni-Shiit- e neighborhoods. Most Sunnis back Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government, while Shiites generally support the opposition led by Hezbollah, which the ; U.S. has labeled a terrorist organization. The Sunnis' spiritual leader denounced the militant Shiite faction and appealed to the Islamic world to intervene. "Sunni Muslims in Lebanon have had enough," Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani said in a televised address from his office, demanding an "end to these violations." In unusually harsh words, he called Hezbollah "armed gangs of outlaws" and called on the group's leaders to withdraw from Beirut's Sunni neighborhoods. Shiite opposition support- all-o- least until Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks at a planned news conference on Thursday. , The standoff between the two sides has lasted 17 months. It's left Lebanon without a head of state since November, when opposition-alliePresident Emile Lahoud's term ended with the government and the opposition deadlocked on electing a successor. Tensions reached a new high Tuesday, when the Cabinet said it would remove Beirut airport's security chief over alleged ties to Hezbollah. The militant group and lead: ers of the Shiite community, believed to be Lebanon's largest sect, rejected the decision, and the airport security chief continued on the job. Wednesday's strike was called by labor unions after they rejected a government e offer as insufficient. It was largely confined to Shiite areas that back the opposition. ..Striking workers caused the delay or cancellation of dozens of arriving and departing flights at Beirut's airport. Flights resumed later, but the roads to the airport remained closed, trapping scores of pay-rais- arriving passengers in the terminal, Hezbollah supporters seized two local offices of Sunni parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri's group, security officials said. Earlier in the day, an Associated Press photographer saw gunmen from Hezbollah and the allied Shiite Amal group controlled by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shooting toward one of the buildings housing Hariri's Future Movement office. Police also were seen firing toward a building. K. Stack ANGELES TIMES MOSCOW Dmitry a corporate. lawyer ... tapped and groomed for the Kremlin by Vladimir V. Putin, was sworn in as president Wednesday under the watchful gaze of his mentor and predecessor. As soon as the ceremony was over, just as they had planned for months, Medvedev nominated Putin for prime minister. With the two men apparently poised to rule in tandem, Russians were left waiting with a mix of anxiety and curiosity for hints of who's really Medvein charge: dev, who holds the highest job in the land, or Putin, the former KGB officer and wily politician who seems determined to keep a grip on power. "Now it is extremely important that we together continue 4lie4XairseQfthe country, which has already justified itself," Putin told 2,000 dignitaries, referring to his years in office as a "breakthrough to new life" for Russia. He also hinted that he regards his policies and plans as shaping Russia for decades to come, noting: "We are already formulating goals not for one or two months, but for 20 and 30 years ahead." L 1 f, f- - -- s . k T f ' A" J J ' i '7l 1 Dmitry Medvedev before taking the oath of office during Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday. DMITRY power-broker- Medvedev might come into his own as a Russian leader. "I don't even think they themselves understand how this will work," said Lilia Shevtsova, a senior associate at the Carnegie Moscow Center. "It's quite an unusual scenario." During his rule, Putin guided Russia through years of growing wealth and influence, as skyrocketing oil prices filled the nation's coffers and allowed Moscow to throw its ham-mere- Associated to wait and see how it works." Sergei Robov director, USA and Canada Institute in Moscow who was chosen by Putin and ushered to a landslide victory in an election that allowed no chance for serious opposition. Medvedev takes over a country saddled with trouble despite its natural resources and wealth. Squalid living standards and poverty remain; the population is shrinking; international tensions are high with the West as well as with former Soviet republics such as Georgia and Ukraine. The economy is heavily dependent upon oil prices, and inflation is rising. The prospect of a power struggle adds further uncertainty. The coming months will pit Putin's tremendous political power against the overwhelming authority granted to Medvedev by Russia's constitution. According to law, Medvedev is now in charge of foreign and domestic policy, as well as the military and security, Still, Putin speaks of himself in epic terms and recently re- ferred to the prime minister's post as the highest executive Press pool in the authority. He has agreed to head the ruling United Russia party, which controls the State Duma by a vast majority and has emerged as the de facto ruling party. The newfound clout conferred upon United Russia by Putin's leadership was on display at the inauguration, when the audience broke into spontaneous applause for State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov. The other men who stepped onto the stage, the constitutional court chairman and speaker of the upper house of parliament, were not members of the party and were greeted with silence. When the brief swearing-i- n was finished, Putin and Medvedev stood stiffly side by as side, watching stone-faceuniformed companies of the Kremlin regiment streamed ; past, medals and gold braid or flashing, trotting on horseback. State television cameras lingered on Putin, then on Medvedev, then on both men as Putin leaned over and spoke into his prodigy's ear. Putin was no longer president, but he was very much still there. A stranger would have been unable to guess which man had just become Russia's third president. For the time being, even career Kremlin watchers are d goose-steppin- g post-Sovi- stumped. "The president is supposed to be No. 1," said Sergei Robov, director of Moscow's USA and Canada Institute. "But people don't believe that Mr. Putin can be No. 2. So we'll have to wait and see how it works." Finance minister elected new Irish premier Shawn Pogatchnik THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Finance DUBLIN, Ireland Minister Brian Cowen was elected Ireland's new prime p t minister Wednesday, and he pledged to keep the country on its course through choppy economic waters. Cowen won in an 6 vote in Dail Eireann, Ireland's parliament. He received support from all three parties in the government of his predecessor, Bertie Ahern, who stepped down Tuesday after 11 years PETER MORRISONAssociated Press in power. President of Ireland Mary McAleese left talks with Brian A downcast-lookin- g Ahern and lawmakers from all parCowan during the presenting of the Seal of Office of ties offered Cowen a standing Taoiseach to Cowan, the new Irish Prime Minister, at Aras an ovation. Outside parliament, Uachtarain, Dublin, Ireland, on Wednesday. Cowen was mobbed by cheeras poing, singing lice escorted him to his prime mother, two brothers and two During his acceptance ministerial Mercedes. speech, Cowen's voice quivdaughters were watching from ered with emotion as he noted the public gallery above. Cowen, 48, immediately "I accept the honor with a reshuffled the Cabinet, appoint- that his political career began amid tragedy in 1984 when genuine sense of humility. That ing new ministers of finance, his lawmaker father, Ber, died sense is engendered in large justice, foreign affairs and several other posts. of a heart attack. His wife, part by my love for Ireland. - ft 88-7- mmmmmm ASTAKHOV an inauguration ceremony of the new government, the In"The president is terfax news agency reported. Nobody can say for sure supposed to be No. 1. whether this new president is But people don't believe simply a fresh face to front the of same ruling constellation that Mr. Putin can be s Putin and the No. 2. So we'll have, who shored him up, or whether A sober-faceMedvedev, speaking after his longtime boss, talked of the need for rule of law and decried the corruption that has plagued Russia since the fall of the Soviet ; and continued to rage Union throughout Putin's eight year presidency. "We ought to achieve a ' genuine respect for law, to overcome the legal nihilism which seriously hampers with weight around internationally modern development," he said. for the first time since Soviet In recent months, Medvedev days. Putin's admirers credit him with ushering in a new has been a steady presence at era of political stability to a Putin's side, following his felweakened and traumatized low St. Petersburg native durcountry, squashing the raucous ing state visits and key meet' ings. In one public appearance politics that defined Russia in , d the 1990s. after another, both men the theme of continu-- , ; ' However; critics point out that Russia has bought the ity, indicating that Medvedev would pick up where Putin left appearance of stability at the off. That message continued ;, ; price of democracy. Putin centralized power m the Kremlin, Wednesday. banned people from electing By midafternoon, Medvedev sent a letter to the State Duma, theif governors and clamped the lower house of parliament, state control on media until virnominating Putin as prime min- tually no independent voice remained. His government beat ister, then settled in to issue decrees on housing for World demonstrators, allowed ultranationalists free War II veterans and use of range of the streets and waged public lands. The parliament is scheduled a war in Chechnya. to debate Putin's nomination Perhaps nothing so neatly illustrated the authoritarian Thursday, but the discussion is a formality. Putin has nearly drift of Russia's government finished choosing the members as the election of Medvedev, d i 1 well-wishe- This is a wonderful country. We are a fortunate people," Cowen said. He said his top priority in coming weeks was to lead a successful referendum campaign to secure voter support for the European Union's next treaty. Ireland is the only EU member subjecting the Treaty of Lisbon to a popular vote and an Irish rejection June 12 could delay or block the pains- takingly negotiated treaty. A "yes" vote on the treaty would "secure our place in the heart of Europe," he said, while rejection would "only weaken our position and influence." Cowen's rise comes at a time of growing economic problems in Ireland, which has thrived as a favored base for more than multination-als- . 600 U.S. high-tecUnemployment this year has risen to 5.6 percent, a decade high, and government tax coffers dependent on Ireland's housing market have fallen sharply into the red because of the sudden L h long-boomi- downtura ' vt DENTAL Dr. Nick Groneman DMD 801-756-51- 36 186 South 1100 Eut American Fork, UT 84003 L .ink. 111 Low Interest Rates Low Monthly Payments for new homes Rates and prices are better than ever, which means that now is a great time to get into a beautiful new home at Countryside Estates in Santaqum Utah. 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