Opposition leads in early Georgia polls

Georgian opposition supporters staged jubilant celebrations in the capital late on October 1, 2012. The nation's two main power brokers claim victory Constitutional changes mean the new parliament will have more influence Georgia politics are highly polarized, analysts say The U.S. and Europe has praised reforms under President Mikheil Saakashvili (CNN) -- An opposition coalition backed by a Georgia billionaire held an early lead over President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement in parliamentary election results reported Tuesday. Headed by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, the "Georgian Dream" alliance claimed 54% of the votes, with 20% counted, according to the Central Election Commission. The United National Movement was second with nearly 41% and the Christian Democratic Union was a distant third with 2%. Ahead of the results, the ruling United National Movement and the Georgian Dream Coalition both said they would win a majority of seats in the new 150-member body. Ivanishvili claimed exit polls showed his alliance would win 100 seats. Saakashvili conceded his rivals would win most of the seats apportioned by vote percentages but said he expected his group would gain most of 73 seats decided by majority vote. In Georgia, voters pick a candidate for their district and also vote for a party list. An official from the Georgian Central Election Commission said that 61% of eligible voters took part in the election. Both sides poured large amounts of money into the election. The Central Electoral Commission has been professional and independent, however, said Lorne Craner, president of the International Republican Institute, a U.S. congressionally funded democracy support organization. "There's no question in my mind ... the election commission can be relied upon." "But the question is will everyone stay calm when the results come out," Craner, who is in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, added. Observers: Georgia opposition may be premature in declaring victory The result will affect the structure of political power in the southwest Asian nation, and the role of the presidency -- almost nine years after the Rose Revolution brought Saakashvili to power. The new parliament will be elected as the country prepares to usher in constitutional changes that will go into effect once Saakashvili's term ends in 2013. The new system, according to Thomas de Waal, an expert on Georgia and senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, will shift power from the president to a prime minister. "The prime minister will be chosen by parliament, which thus hands important powers to whichever political force obtains a majority in parliament in the ... elections," de Waal said. Until recently, Saakashvili and the United National Movement have controlled much of political life in this country of 4.5 million people and has been praised by U.S. and European officials for making progress in the fight against corruption and continuing economic reform. But critics, who have coalesced behind Ivanishvili, say reform is only skin-deep, charging that Saakashvili is pulling all the levers of Soviet-style "administrative measures." They raised concerns about a level playing field for the opposition during the election, alleging harassment and limitations on their access to the media. High stakes in polarized election For his part, Saakashvili refers to the opposition leader Ivanishvili as that "big money guy." The president accuses Ivanishvili of wanting to "buy the whole system," and sees the hand of Russia behind him, with which Georgia fought a brief but bitter war four years ago. The president said he is concerned with the amount of wealth that Ivanishvili made in Russia, and that that money is being used to influence the elections. "We know what Russian money is all about," he said. "How it was made, what kind of methods were used, and certainly it is a source of concern," he said. Those charges are false stereotypes, Ivanishvili told CNN in a phone interview from Tbilisi. A self-made businessman who made his money in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ivanishvili left Russia shortly after Vladimir Putin came to power. His staff confirms his status as Georgia's richest man, with a fortune estimated at approximately $6.4 billion, equal to almost half of Georgia's economic output. "It's not money and wealth which is my capital," he said. "It's trust from the people toward me. Money has nothing to do with this." The billionaire said he has sold all his Russian assets, and defended his reputation. But the president insisted that not only the opposition leader but Putin himself is trying to undermine Georgia. "Vladimir Putin said clearly that he is interested in the Georgian election outcome. He clearly said that he wanted the Georgian government out. He clearly said that he wanted me to be physically destroyed, he said it publicly," Saakashvili said. Georgia's electoral waters have been roiled by a shocking video that emerged last month showing abuse in a Georgian prison, including one male prisoner being sexually assaulted. The opposition claims the video is proof of a repressive system put in place by Saakashvili and his government. Former Georgian prison guard: I witnessed abuse for years Saakashvili said his government acted quickly and decisively to the video, citing an investigation that has led to arrests. "Not only were the immediate perpetrators arrested," he said, "but two government ministers resigned because they shared political responsibility for allowing the system to fail." Read more: Georgia interior minister quits over prisoner abuse videos The torture shown on the video is no accident, but part of a system that is in shame, Ivanishvili said. De Waal said the video is significant, as the prison population quadrupled over the last eight or nine years. "I do think it (the video) supports the opposition narrative that the government is arrogant and unaccountable, and this is obviously a war of two narratives over Georgia that we're seeing in this election," he said. Ivanishvili complained that opposition supporters have been arrested, beaten and had property seized, but nevertheless, "we still hope we will be able to achieve something close to a democratic election...we hope that the process will be carried out at least close to the democratic fashion." Still, incidents of violence are possible, he said. Read more: Country profile: Georgia Georgia experts, too, point to the nation's political volatility because it is so polarized. If such polarization is institutionalized through a vote, it can be healthy, but when it's not it can create a dangerous and unpredictable environment, said Cory Welt, associate director of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. "We've seen the clash of the titans," said de Waal. "We've seen the clash of two very big figures in Georgian politics, Saakashvili and Ivanishvili, who do not want to share power. They both are claiming total victory, and this, obviously, will have some impact in the U.S., because both sides will be looking to the U.S. and calling on the U.S. to be arbiter, which is rather an unrealistic thing to happen, but I think Washington's going to have to brace itself for those calls." CNN's Jill Dougherty, Stephanie Halasz, Joyce Joseph and Journalist Elene Gotsadze contributed to this report.

Study: More pesticides used on 'superweeds'

By Reuters U.S. farmers are using more hazardous pesticides to fight weeds and insects due largely to heavy adoption of genetically modified crop technologies that are sparking a rise of "superweeds" and hard-to-kill insects, according to a newly released study. Genetically engineered crops have led to a 404 million pounds increase in overall pesticide use by from the time they were introduced in 1996 through 2011, according to the report by Charles Benbrook, a research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University. Of that total, herbicide use increased over the 16-year period by 527 million pounds while insecticide use decreased by 123 million pounds. Benbrook's paper -- published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Sciences Europe over the weekend and announced on Monday -- undermines the value of both herbicide-tolerant crops and insect-protected crops, which were aimed at making it easier for farmers to kill weeds in their fields and protect crops from harmful pests, said Benbrook. 'Major problem' Herbicide-tolerant crops were the first genetically modified crops introduced to world, rolled out by Monsanto Co. in 1996, first in "Roundup Ready" soybeans and then in corn, cotton and other crops. Roundup Ready crops are engineered through transgenic modification to tolerate dousings of Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. The crops were a hit with farmers who found they could easily kill weed populations without damaging their crops. But in recent years, more than two dozen weed species have become resistant to Roundup's chief ingredient glyphosate, causing farmers to use increasing amounts both of glyphosate and other weed-killing chemicals to try to control the so-called "superweeds." "Resistant weeds have become a major problem for many farmers reliant on GE crops, and are now driving up the volume of herbicide needed each year by about 25 percent," Benbrook said. Could genetically modified seeds be a drought solution? Monsanto officials had no immediate comment. "We're looking at this. Our experts haven't been able to access the supporting data as yet," said Monsanto spokesman Thomas Helscher. Benbrook said the annual increase in the herbicides required to deal with tougher-to-control weeds on cropland planted to genetically modified crops has grown from 1.5 million pounds in 1999 to about 90 million pounds in 2011. Similarly, the introduction of genetically modified "Bt" corn and cotton crops engineered to be toxic to certain insects is triggering the rise of insects resistant to the crop toxin, according to Benbrook. 'Best year ever' for some farmers outside drought region Insecticide use did drop substantially - 28 percent from 1996 to 2011 - but is now on the rise, he said. "The relatively recent emergence and spread of insect populations resistant to the Bt toxins expressed in Bt corn and cotton has started to increase insecticide use, and will continue to do so," he said. Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops now dominate U.S. agriculture, accounting for about one in every two acres of harvested cropland, and around 95 percent of soybean and cotton acres, and over 85 percent of corn acres. "Things are getting worse, fast," said Benbrook in an interview. "In order to deal with rapidly spreading resistant weeds, farmers are being forced to expand use of older, higher-risk herbicides. To stop corn and cotton insects from developing resistance to Bt, farmers planting Bt crops are being asked to spray the insecticides that Bt corn and cotton were designed to displace." More content from NBCNews.com: Calif. governor vetoes bill that OK'd towns freeing undocumented immigrants Feds: Suspect in multimillion-dollar scam is Harvard law grad Pranked teen shines at homecoming ceremony Police: No foul play in missing NJ teen Kara Alongi case Video: Gearing up for Wednesday's big debate Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Study: More pesticide used on 'superweeds'

By Reuters U.S. farmers are using more hazardous pesticides to fight weeds and insects due largely to heavy adoption of genetically modified crop technologies that are sparking a rise of "superweeds" and hard-to-kill insects, according to a newly released study. Genetically engineered crops have led to a 404 million pounds increase in overall pesticide use by from the time they were introduced in 1996 through 2011, according to the report by Charles Benbrook, a research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University. Of that total, herbicide use increased over the 16-year period by 527 million pounds while insecticide use decreased by 123 million pounds. Benbrook's paper -- published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Sciences Europe over the weekend and announced on Monday -- undermines the value of both herbicide-tolerant crops and insect-protected crops, which were aimed at making it easier for farmers to kill weeds in their fields and protect crops from harmful pests, said Benbrook. 'Major problem' Herbicide-tolerant crops were the first genetically modified crops introduced to world, rolled out by Monsanto Co. in 1996, first in "Roundup Ready" soybeans and then in corn, cotton and other crops. Roundup Ready crops are engineered through transgenic modification to tolerate dousings of Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. The crops were a hit with farmers who found they could easily kill weed populations without damaging their crops. But in recent years, more than two dozen weed species have become resistant to Roundup's chief ingredient glyphosate, causing farmers to use increasing amounts both of glyphosate and other weed-killing chemicals to try to control the so-called "superweeds." "Resistant weeds have become a major problem for many farmers reliant on GE crops, and are now driving up the volume of herbicide needed each year by about 25 percent," Benbrook said. Could genetically modified seeds be a drought solution? Monsanto officials had no immediate comment. "We're looking at this. Our experts haven't been able to access the supporting data as yet," said Monsanto spokesman Thomas Helscher. Benbrook said the annual increase in the herbicides required to deal with tougher-to-control weeds on cropland planted to genetically modified crops has grown from 1.5 million pounds in 1999 to about 90 million pounds in 2011. Similarly, the introduction of genetically modified "Bt" corn and cotton crops engineered to be toxic to certain insects is triggering the rise of insects resistant to the crop toxin, according to Benbrook. 'Best year ever' for some farmers outside drought region Insecticide use did drop substantially - 28 percent from 1996 to 2011 - but is now on the rise, he said. "The relatively recent emergence and spread of insect populations resistant to the Bt toxins expressed in Bt corn and cotton has started to increase insecticide use, and will continue to do so," he said. Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops now dominate U.S. agriculture, accounting for about one in every two acres of harvested cropland, and around 95 percent of soybean and cotton acres, and over 85 percent of corn acres. "Things are getting worse, fast," said Benbrook in an interview. "In order to deal with rapidly spreading resistant weeds, farmers are being forced to expand use of older, higher-risk herbicides. To stop corn and cotton insects from developing resistance to Bt, farmers planting Bt crops are being asked to spray the insecticides that Bt corn and cotton were designed to displace." More content from NBCNews.com: Calif. governor vetoes bill that OK'd towns freeing undocumented immigrants Feds: Suspect in multimillion-dollar scam is Harvard law grad Pranked teen shines at homecoming ceremony Police: No foul play in missing NJ teen Kara Alongi case Video: Gearing up for Wednesday's big debate Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Gold, gems stolen in $2 million mining museum heist

John Palmer / California State Parks via AP Authorities say thieves made off with an estimated $2 million in gold and precious gems during the armed robbery at the California State Mining and Mineral Museum, seen in this 2009 photo. By NBC News staff and wire reports LOS ANGELES -- Robbers wearing masks and goggles broke into a mining museum in California in broad daylight and stole gold and gems valued at up to $2 million, authorities said. Although no-one has been identified in connection with the burglary, California investigators are searching for at least two suspects. The masked men broke into the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa, California, on Friday afternoon with pickaxes and forced employees into one end of the building, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a state parks spokesman. Read the story on NBC station KCRA But the thieves didn't get away with the biggest prize of all -- the nearly 14-pound Fricot Nugget, a giant crystalline gold mass unearthed in the California Gold Rush era. The robbers triggered an alarm as they tried to break into the iron safe where it was held. According to the museum's website, the Fricot Nugget was discovered in the American River in Northern California in 1864 and is the largest intact mass of crystalline gold remaining from the Gold Rush era. The California State Mining and Mineral Museum is described on its website as offering visitors the chance to explore the variety of the state's mineral wealth and view "breathtaking gems and minerals from around the world." The California department of parks and recreation issued a statement on Monday saying the museum would be closed "until further notice while repairs are completed." The statement added that the museum is taking an inventory of the stolen items this week, which will allow it to confirm what was taken and exactly how much the items were worth. The Los Angeles Times reported that the museum had moved its treasures to an undisclosed location in the meantime. The burglary was the second theft of this year involving rare, valuable minerals in Northern California. Chunks of gold were stolen from the Siskiyou County courthouse in February. No suspects have been identified and authorities are investigating whether there is a connection between the two incidents. NBC News staff and Reuters contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: Calif. governor vetoes bill that OK'd towns freeing undocumented immigrants Feds: Suspect in multimillion-dollar scam is Harvard law grad Pranked teen shines at homecoming ceremony Police: No foul play in missing NJ teen Kara Alongi case Video: Gearing up for Wednesday's big debate Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Court to rule on cleric's extradition

Radical cleric Abu Hamza gestures at the 'Rally for Islam' in central London in August 2002. Abu Hamza al-Masri's followers include the so-called "shoe bomber" He faces a potential life sentence if convicted in the U.S. Monday's hearing will determine if there is a compelling reason to halt extradition (CNN) -- Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri finds out Tuesday if he can avoid extradition from Britain to the United States to face terrorism charges. Al-Masri, whose followers included the so-called "shoe bomber" Richard Reid and who once called al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a "hero," faces 11 charges in U.S. courts. Extradition ruling marks end of era for radical cleric The charges include conspiracy in connection with a 1998 kidnapping of 16 Westerners in Yemen, and conspiring with others to establish an Islamic jihad training camp in rural Oregon in 1999. He faces a potential life sentence if convicted. Last week, after almost a decade of legal battles, the European Human Rights Court ruled that the cleric and four other suspects could be sent to the United States. The men's lawyers appealed the ruling. A two-judge panel at London's High Court now decides whether the defendants' lawyers can show new and compelling reasons to stop the extradition. Born in Egypt in 1958, al-Masri travelled to Britain to study before gaining citizenship through marriage in the 1980s. A one-time nightclub bouncer in London's Soho district, al-Masri -- also known as Mustafa Kamal Mustafa -- has said he lost both hands and one eye while fighting against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. He often wore a hook in place of one hand. In 1997, al-Masri became the imam of a north London mosque, where his hate-filled speeches attacking the West began to attract national attention and followers, including Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" who attempted to blow up a Miami-bound passenger airplane three months after the September 11 terrorist attack in 2001. Al-Masri has called the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center "a towering day in history" and described bin Laden "a good guy and a hero." He also described the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003 as "punishment from Allah" because the astronauts were Christian, Hindu and Jewish. The cleric is one of the highest-profile radical Islamic figures in Britian, where he was already sentenced to seven years for inciting racial hatred at his north London mosque and other terrorism-related charges. Last week's decision, which was signed by seven judges from different European nations, followed a ruling this spring in which the same court likewise said that Hamza and four other terror suspects could be extradited. The court determined, then and now, that the suspects would not get "ill treatment" in super-maximum security prisons if they are extradited to the United States and convicted in American courts, according to the European court's decision Monday. That ruling noted that conditions in such U.S. prisons were in some ways better for inmates than in Europe, given that they'd have access to things like television, newspapers, social visits and hobby-related items. It acknowledged the prisoners may be confined in their cells most of the time, but said this is warranted given the charges they face. In addition to al-Masri, the four others who are up for extradition to the United States are Syed Thala Ahsan, Adel Abdul Bary, Khaled Al-Fawwaz and Babar Ahmad. More: BBC apologizes to Queen Elizabeth over Abu Hamza

Maldives lawmaker stabbed to death

The body of Afrasheem Ali is taken to the cemetery from ADK hospital in Male on October 2, 2012. Police are investigating the killing of a lawmaker early Tuesday He is the first legislator to be assassinated in the island nation The death comes amid a period of political turmoil in the Maldives (CNN) -- A lawmaker in the Maldives has died after he was stabbed in the neck, authorities said Tuesday, the first legislator to be attacked and killed in the Indian Ocean country. Police are investigating the stabbing early Tuesday of Afrashim Ali, a lawmaker for the Progressive Party of the Maldives, said Hassan Haneef, a police spokesman. He said the motive for the attack was so far unclear. The killing comes during a period of political turmoil in the Maldives, an archipelago that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Trouble in paradise: Understanding Maldives' political turmoil The nation's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, and his supporters say he was forced from office in February in a coup. His successor, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, insists the transfer of power was legitimate. Afrashim was "a very nice guy, a very gentle person," said Ahmed Mahloof, another lawmaker for the Progressive Party who said he had seen his colleague's body in hospital. Maloof said Afrashim was believed to have been attacked as he returned home after appearing on a live television broadcast. Waheed ordered Tuesday that the national flag be flown at half-staff until the end of Thursday.

Group: Police rape woman, charge her

Amnesty calls it an "insidious attempt" to discredit the woman Police say they found couple in "an immoral position" The couple denies the charges Tunisians will protest outside the courthouse where the woman will appear (CNN) -- Outraged Tunisians will take to the streets Tuesday to protest the treatment of a woman who was allegedly raped by police officers -- and then charged with public indecency when she filed a complaint against them. "At best, charging the victim of a rape by police officers instead of protecting her from intimidation and stigma highlights the deep flaws on Tunisian law and criminal justice system," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy Middle East and North Africa program director at Amnesty International. "At worst, it is an insidious attempt to discredit a rape victim and protect those she accused of raping her." The case began September 3 when three police officers approached the woman and her fiance while they were in their car in the capital Tunis, the woman's lawyer told Amnesty. Two of the officers then raped the woman inside the car, while the third took her fiance to a nearby ATM to extort money from him, the woman claimed. It was only after she filed a complaint against the officers -- and they were charged with rape and extortion -- that the officers said they found the couple in an "immoral position" in the car. Authorities have not specified what they meant by "immoral position," but the claim was later repeated by the country's interior ministry, Amnesty said. The couple was charged with "intentional indecent behavior," which could yield up to six months in prison. Both have denied the charges, and expect to appear at a court hearing Wednesday. The decision to charge the woman incensed human rights groups like the Tunisian League of Human Rights and the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, who have called for protests outside the Tunis courthouse. "We fear that the treatment afforded to the young woman will deter other victims of sexual abuse from coming forward and as they may fear being treated as the accused rather than the victim," Amnesty's Sahraoui said. Tunisia is the birthplace of the Arab Spring, a series of revolutions that swept across northern African and the Middle East. On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire in protest, sparking the movement that still ripples through the region. Tunisia's revolution ousted President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and brought about a new government and political system, including a new draft constitution. But challenges remain. Last month, the government rejected a U.N. Human Rights Council's recommendation to abolish discrimination against women in areas such as inheritance and child custody. In addition, Tunisian authorities have charged journalists and human rights activists in recent months with "public immorality" and "public disorder" to restrict freedom of expression, rights group say.