Nation/world roundup
A 3rd President Bush? First 2 All for It
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Could there be a third President Bush? The current chief said Wednesday that younger brother Jeb would make a great one, too, and has asked him about making a run. The first President Bush likes the idea as well. Jeb Bush, the Republican governor of Florida, has one asset that his presidential brother doesn't right now -- approval from most of his constituents. While George W. Bush's approval ratings are in the low 30s, some 55 percent of Florida voters surveyed last month by Quinnipiac University said Jeb was doing a good job.
Iran President Unconcerned With Sanctions
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Iran's president on Thursday accused Western powers of double standards in their campaign against his country's nuclear program, and declared the threat of sanctions doesn't worry him.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his comments after key U.N. Security Council members agreed to present Tehran with a choice of incentives or sanctions in deciding whether to suspend uranium enrichment.
Israeli company halts gasoline supplies to Palestinians
NABLUS, West Bank -- Palestinian gas stations began shutting down and motorists lined up at pumps after an Israeli fuel company cut off deliveries Wednesday, deepening the humanitarian crisis that has followed Hamas' rise to power.
Dor Energy, the Israeli company that has been the sole fuel provider to the Palestinians since interim peace agreements were signed in the mid-1990s, cited growing debts for its decision, Palestinian officials said. Dor officials declined comment, but the company had threatened to cut off supplies twice before this year -- only to be paid at the last minute by the Palestinians.
Asaf Shariv, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Israel would "absolutely not" bail out the Palestinians. Shariv said that since the Palestinian government resells gasoline to consumers, there is no reason for it not to have money to pay its debts.
Internet oversight agency rejects xxx domain name
NEW YORK Ã-- Faced with opposition from conservative groups and some pornography Web sites, the Internet's key oversight agency voted Wednesday to reject a proposal to create a red-light district on the Internet.
The decision from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers reverses its preliminary approval last June to create a ".xxx" domain name for voluntary use by the adult entertainment industry.
ICANN had postponed making a final decision in August after the U.S. government stepped in just days before a scheduled meeting to underscore objections it had received, an intervention that had led some ICANN critics to question the organization's independence.
UC, students reach agreement on apparel
OAKLAND, Calif. -- University of California officials have agreed to a new policy requiring that at least 25 percent of UC clothing and other items featuring the university's logo be made in factories where workers are paid living wages and represented by democratic unions.
The issue of where and how UC-branded items were produced had spurred a number of protests by United Students Against Sweatshops in recent months and members of that group said they were happy with the new policy.
In a letter to university chancellors, UC President Robert Dynes said the policy does not affect production of university uniforms, which will be handled separately.
Is $599 too much for a video game console?
LOS ANGELES -- The buzz at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo usually surrounds the latest new video games.
This year, the hot topic isn't a sneak peek at "Halo 3" or "Metal Gear Solid 4" but a price tag -- namely, the $499 and $599 Sony Corp. said it will ask for its eagerly awaited, next-generation PlayStation 3 gaming consoles when they hit retail shelves around the world on Nov. 17.
Analysts and industry experts attending this week's E3 show said they aren't surprised by the price. The PS3 does, after all, include a Blu-ray optical drive for playing high-definition movies.
The current crop of stand-alone Blu-ray players retail for around $1,000.
But at $599, is Sony is pushing -- or perhaps even crossing -- the line on what consumers will be willing to pay for games?
"A lot of people are like, 'OK, this is a lot of money and I need more justification for dropping this money,'" said John Davison, editorial director of the video game Web site 1UP.com.