Clinton: New Israeli homes hinder peace

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says U.S. position on new Israeli settlement is clear She says they "set back the cause of a negotiated peace" Israeli media reported the government ok'd the construction of 3,000 homes in the West Bank The Palestinians have said there can be no talks until Israel stops settlement expansion Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Israel to reconsider plans to build thousands of homes in its occupied territory, saying it will set back efforts to bring about a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians. Clinton's comments Friday followed news reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the construction of 3,000 new homes, a move widely viewed as retaliatory after the Palestinians won a United Nations bid to recognize their claim to become a "non-member observer state." "In light of today's announcement, let me reiterate that this administration — like previous administrations — has been very clear with Israel that these activities set back the cause of a negotiated peace," Clinton said in remarks delivered at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in Washington. Netanyahu has not publicly acknowledged the approval of the new construction -- details of which were reported by a number of Israeli news organizations, citing unnamed senior government officials. Clinton did not refer to any specific settlement in her remarks, though published reports have said among the West Bank areas being zoned is a four square-mile area east of Jerusalem. The Obama administration has repeatedly warned Israel against settling the West Bank, particularly that plot of land, because it would make it impossible to create a contiguous Palestinian State. Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula during the 1967 war. The Sinai has since been returned to Egypt. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a move not recognized by the international community and condemned by Syria, which still claims the land. The more militant Palestinian group Hamas now controls Gaza, while the moderate group Fatah -- headed by President Mahmoud Abbas -- administers the West Bank, site of a growing number of Israeli settlements. Ultimately, the Palestinians are aiming to unite Gaza and the West Bank under the authority of a new state with the capital of East Jerusalem. The United States was opposed to Palestinian efforts to gain recognition by the United Nations as a "non-member state," warning that such a move might cause Israel to react. "Palestinian leaders need to ask themselves what unilateral action can really accomplish for their people. President Abbas took a step in the wrong direction this week, to say the least. We opposed his resolution," Clinton said. "But we also need to see that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank still offers the most compelling alternative to rockets and permanent resistance. At a time when religious extremists claim to offer rewards in the hereafter, Israel needs to help those committed to peace to deliver for their people in the here and now." Palestinian officials have refused to enter into new talks with Israel until it stops building settlements on West Bank land. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has said there can be no preconditions on talks. The Palestinian bid to the United Nations and news of Israeli settlement construction came just days after a cease-fire took hold between Israel and Hamas that brought about an end to a series of Israeli military airstrikes against Gaza launched in an effort to stop Hamas rocket attacks. Clinton called on Egypt to use its "unique relationship" with Hamas to make clear it opposes any escalation of tensions. "We look to Egypt to intensify its efforts to crack down on weapons smuggling from Libya and Sudan into Gaza—and I am concerned that, if more rockets are allowed to enter Gaza through the tunnels, that will pave the way to more fighting again soon," she said. CNN's Bob Kovach reported from Washington, and CNN's Chelsea J. Carter reported from Atlanta.

Judge refuses to ban anti-Islam film from YouTube

By Reuters LOS ANGELES -- An actress who said she was duped into appearing in an anti-Islam film that stoked violent protests against the United States across the Muslim world lost on Friday her second legal bid to force the video off YouTube. Denying a request by actress Cindy Lee Garcia for a court order requiring the popular online video site to remove the crudely made 13-minute clip, a federal judge found she was unlikely to prevail on her claims of copyright infringement. U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald of Santa Clara, California, also canceled a December 3 hearing he had previously set for oral arguments over Garcia's request. Garcia's lawyer, Cris Armenta, told Reuters she planned to appeal the decision. Actress sues, says she was fooled into acting in anti-Muslim movie The lawsuit, filed in September, names YouTube and its parent company Google Inc as defendants, along with the film's producer. A previous motion by Garcia for a temporary restraining order against YouTube's continued posting of the video was rejected by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. Garcia's case was the first known civil litigation stemming from the video, billed as a film trailer, which depicts the Prophet Mohammad as a fool and a sexual deviant. The clip sparked a torrent of anti-American unrest in Egypt, Libya and dozens of other Muslim countries. A judge denied bail for the alleged producer of an anti-Muslim film that sparked Mideast outrage. He was arrested for violating probation from a bank fraud conviction. KNBC's Beverly White reports. The outbreak of violence coincided with an attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi in September that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. For many Muslims, any depiction of the prophet is considered blasphemous. Google has refused to remove the film from YouTube, despite pressure from the White House and others to take it down, though the company has blocked the trailer in Egypt, Libya and other Muslim countries. Copyright claim Garcia has accused the purported filmmaker of fraud, libel and unfair business practices. But her federal lawsuit also asserts a copyright claim to her performance in the video, titled "The Innocence of Muslims," and accuses Google of infringing on that copyright by distributing the video without her approval via YouTube. US-based anti-Islam filmmaker, 6 others sentenced to death by Egypt court But in a three-page ruling, the judge questioned the validity of such a claim. He held that even if she could prove a legitimate copyright interest in her film performance, she effectively relinquished her rights to producers of the film. Fitzgerald also ruled that Garcia failed to show that she would suffer irreparable harm without an injunction. Protests ignited by a controversial film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad spread throughout Muslim world. Garcia's lawsuit identifies Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian living in the Los Angeles area, as the film's producer. His legal name has since been established to be Mark Basseley Youssef and he served time in federal prison for bank fraud. According to the lawsuit, Youssef operated under the assumed name of Sam Bacile when he misled Garcia and other performers into appearing in an anti-Muslim film they believed was to be an adventure drama called "Desert Warrior." She claims to have since received death threats. Man behind 'Innocence of Muslims' film sentenced to one year in prison for violating probation "We hope that worldwide the message has been heard that Ms. Garcia was not complicit and did not voluntarily participate in this heinous piece of hate speech," Garcia's lawyer said in a statement, despite Friday's ruling against her. Youssef was sent back to jail for a year on November 7 for probation violations stemming from his role in making the video, including his use of an alias in connection with the film. More content from NBCNews.com: 66 species of coral proposed for protection by US College students witness murder suicide in class Wikileaks case: Manning asked why he didn't complain earlier Missouri Powerball jackpot winners revealed: 'We're still stunned by what's happened' Mystery man claims winning Powerball ticket ... in Maryland? Harvard latest college to accept BDSM club Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Syrian rebels tighten grip on airport

A Syrian rebel mans a Dska heavy machine as he scans the skies for Syrian air force fighter jets in Maarat al-Numan. Rebels say they control a swath north of Damascus International Airport The territory is connected by roads and includes a military chopper port Syria's Internet and phone systems remain down, but the opposition is using work-arounds Video images out of Syria have become rarer with the Internet outage (CNN) -- In a continued strategic attempt to knock down President Bashar al-Assad's air prowess, Syria's resistance fighters have surrounded the country's main airport on one side. Despite government bombardments, which have rained death and destruction indiscriminately from above for months upon rebel stronghold neighborhoods, revolution fighters have gained ground. They have taken over towns, villages and checkpoints. They have captured military bases, driving out regular army troops, heisting their heavy weaponry and turning it back on them -- including anti-aircraft guns and missiles. Friday, rebel groups claimed to tighten their grip on Damascus International Airport. They have taken control of a crescent shaped swath of land about 20 kilometers long just north and east of the main road leading to the airport, according to a revolutionary council for the Damascus area. Residents return to homes in Syria Assad shuts down internet in Syria Syrian crisis nearing end game? The airport is "the gate of death that supplies the regime in Damascus and its suburbs with more tools to kill the Syrian people," said Abu Eyaad, spokesman to the Revolutionary Military Council in Damascus and its Suburbs in an audio message posted late Friday. Although rebel forces have not taken the airport, they have shut down its operations, claimed Abu Eyaad, which is his nom de guerre. "Our main goal is to sap the strength of the regime's air force and supplies." He accused Russia and Iran of delivering arms to Assad's army via the airport. The captured swath stretches from the town of Harran Al-Awameed, almost within a mile of the airport, up to the Damascus suburb of Deir Asafeer and includes a captured military helicopter airport and a road to connect them all, the military council said. In the last week, the rebels claim to have shot down one plane and two helicopters in Aleppo province. CNN's Arwa Damon went to the crash site of the plane Wednesday, and saw chunks of metal being carted off by locals. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday called for ongoing support of the opposition's "current momentum" via non-military aid to Syrian rebels in a speech in Washington. The United States and many of its allies have thrown their support behind the rebel movement and openly advocate the overthrow of President Assad's government. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged the international community Friday, "in particular the Security Council," to pull together in their actions. Council members China and Russia, which are allies of Assad, are at loggerheads over the handling of the crisis with the other permanent members France, Britain and the United States, which oppose Assad. Ban said he would soon visit Syrian refugees who have fled over the borders to neighboring countries. Syria's Internet and phone systems, which blacked out Thursday, remained off line Saturday, three opposition spokesmen said. Fighters are relying on radio communication, which they say is easier for the Syrian government to tap. The US Embassy in Damascus and expat opposition supporters are urging people to use "Speak to Tweet," a service which allows users to leave an audio message which is tweeted out as a link for people to click on and play. The phone service outage could make it difficult to use. As a result of the Internet shutdown, the flood of daily video images of fighting and decimation has dried up. Abu Eyaad accused the government of creating the blackout to hide its mass killings from the outside world. Samira Said contributed to this report

N. Korea plans rocket launch within days

NEW: South Korea says the satellite launch is a long-range rocket test fire in disguise North Korea says the rocket will carry a working satellite into orbit Its last attempt to launch a rocket from the Sohae site was a failure Previous rocket launches have drawn international condemnation (CNN) -- North Korea plans to launch a rocket carrying a satellite between December 10 and 22, a spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology said Saturday, according to state-run media. The Unha-3 rocket will launch from the Sohae Space Center in North Phyongan Province and put a "working satellite" into orbit, the report by news agency KCNA said. The planned launch is unusual because it comes only months after a failed attempt in April and during the wintertime. On that occasion, Pyongyang also said the rocket was supposed to put a satellite into orbit, but the launch was seen by many other countries as cover for a ballistic missile test and drew international condemnation. Scientists and technicians have analyzed the mistakes made in April and worked to improve the reliability and precision of the satellite and carrier rocket this time round, KCNA reported. The polar-orbiting earth observation satellite will blast off southward on a trajectory designed so that parts of the carrier rocket that fall off during the launch will not land on neighboring nations, the news agency said. It said North Korea had acted with "utmost transparency" on the last occasion and would "fully comply with relevant international regulations and usage" this time too. Echoing its response to April's launch, South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a preliminary statement: "The so-called working satellite is a test fire of long-range rocket in disguise and it is clearly in violation of U.N. security council resolution 1874." Another big rocket launch by North Korea could further sour its relations with the United States and South Korea. The failed launch in April scuppered a deal for Washington to provide thousands of tons of food aid to the North's malnourished population. It also drew criticism from the U.N. Security Council, which repeated demands for Pyongyang not to carry out similar tests in the future. CNN's KJ Kwon, Jethro Mullen and Joseph Netto contributed to this report.

Chen: Nephew is 'scapegoat' for me

NEW: Chen Guangcheng says his nephew is being punished in his stead The father of Chen Kegui says he's been sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison Chen Kegui is the nephew of prominent human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng He was arrested shortly after his uncle fled house arrest and sought U.S. help in Beijing Beijing (CNN) -- Prominent human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng told CNN on Friday the conviction of his nephew in China was retribution for Chen's escape from house arrest and move to the United States. The People's Court of Yinan County in Shandong Province on Friday convicted Chen Kegui, the nephew, of "intentional infliction of injury" during a clash with local officials in his home, said Chen Kegui's father, Chen Guangfu. The nephew was sentenced to more than three years in prison. He was arrested in early May in Linyi, a city in Shandong where much of the family lives, shortly after his uncle escaped more than 18 months of heavily guarded house arrest and fled to Beijing. The family has maintained that Chen Kegui injured a few officials with a kitchen knife in self-defense, when they broke into his house in the middle of the night and attacked his family. Chen Guangfu told CNN that "the verdict was unfair" and that he feels "really disappointed" about it. "Kegui was just defending himself," his father said, "and it was them breaking into our house and started beating us and trying to take us away." Chen Guangcheng, in an interview with CNN's Richard Roth in New York, said authorities in China want to perpetuate fear. "With regard to Chen Kegui, the way that they have handled his case ... in fact this is just the continuation of my own case," the activist said. "With this sentence, Chen Kegui is being made a scapegoat for my situation. Because before this, they tried many times to provoke me, but I didn't fall for their trick." Authorities in China promised to guarantee the safety of his family and to open an investigation into "the harms my family and I suffered through illegal treatment for years in Shandong," Chen Guangcheng said. His arrival in the United States on May 19 -- along with his wife and children -- brought an end to a diplomatic firestorm between Beijing and Washington that erupted after he fled from house arrest in Linyi in late April and hid inside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for a week. In a video posted online after his escape, Chen addressed Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, detailing grotesque abuses -- including repeated beatings -- he said he and his family had suffered at the hands of local authorities during captivity. In the interview Friday, Chen Guangcheng said China has no choice but to change, but he was skeptical. "Based on the information I have now, especially in light of Chen Kegui's case, I think the new leadership offers no reason for people to put any faith in them," said the activist, who is studying law at New York University. Amnesty International called the conviction of Chen Kegui "appalling" and retribution for his uncle's escape. "Amnesty advocates worked with Chen -- a true hero -- in his fight to win rights for China's poor and women and to demand his freedom when it was denied. Now, we will keep this fight going to demand Chen Kegui's freedom." Suzanne Nossel, executive director, Amnesty International USA, said in a statement. Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based senior Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said on his Twitter account that "Chen Kegui's trial failed to meet minimum standards of fair trial under domestic or international standards." Chen Guangfu said his son has told him that he's "in good shape." He said the family was notified of his son's trial only 15 minutes before it began. The sudden trial Friday also came as a surprise to Chen Kegui's lawyers, who said they became aware that it was happening only when they received calls about it from the news media, said Ding Xikui, one of the lawyers. Chen Kegui was instead represented by a lawyer designated by the court, according to an official in the court's research office who gave his name only as Li. His father gave a slightly different account. According to him, local authorities had promised the family that it was free to hire lawyers for Chen Kegui. But when the family came up with the lawyers, his father said, the local court turned them down and designated two lawyers, Song Kuiyuan and Wang Haijun, to take over the case. Chen Guangfu, the activist's older brother, said last month that he hadn't been allowed to see his incarcerated son since his arrest. "There has never been any fairness in this case -- they ignored the facts and refused to let us appoint lawyers for Kegui in accordance with law," he said then. "The whole thing is their revenge against Guangcheng's escape, so I don't have any hope for a fair trial." CNN's Dayu Zhang and journalist Connie Young in Beijing contributed to this report.

Suspect kills self after deadly classroom attack

Police Chief Chris Walsh said officers canvassing the building found two bodies in a third-floor classroom. NEW: "This is the worst day of my career," the Casper College president says NEW: The suspect "appeared to be completely alone," Casper police chief says 3 are dead at two separate, but related crime scenes, according to police They were killed by "a sharp-edged weapon," though authorities did not elaborate (CNN) -- A man fatally injured one person, then burst into a Wyoming college class Friday morning to kill another person and, ultimately, himself, police said. According to Casper police, "there were no firearms involved in the crime(s), and the (victims') injuries were caused by a sharp-edged weapon." It was not immediately clear how the three people -- one of whom was a Casper College faculty member -- were killed. "I've been a college administrator for about 40 years, (and) I can say without a doubt this is the worst day of my career," said college President Walter Nolte. Police Chief Chris Walsh did not immediately identify the three dead but said one was a woman and two were men, including the suspect. All of them knew each other, he added. Authorities got their first call shortly after 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. ET) about "a traumatic injury on the campus of Casper College." About 33 law enforcement officers from various agencies arrived within minutes, according to Walsh. Casper College subsequently went on lockdown, as did the Natrona County Schools, as authorities tried to ascertain what happened. As they canvassed the world physical science building, officers found two dead bodies in a third-floor classroom, the police chief said. Meanwhile, two minutes after that first call, police learned of another "traumatic injury" at a site off-campus. Police are working under the assumption that this death is related to the other two and that the man behind all the violence is dead. "There is no one at large, and there's no threat of violence or anything like that," Walsh told reporters early Friday afternoon. The police chief said the suspect was not a current Casper College student, although he didn't elaborate or explain how the three dead knew each other. Walsh did say "the suspect appeared to be completely alone."

66 species of coral proposed for protection by US

Seaview Survey, in partnership with Google, has been capturing 360-degree views of famous coral reefs. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports. By Miguel Llanos, NBC News In its most sweeping use of the Endangered Species Act, the nation's oceans agency on Friday proposed listing 66 species of coral as endangered or threatened -- and cited climate change as driving three key threats: disease, warmer seas and more acidic seas. "Climate change and other activities are putting these corals at risk," Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in announcing the proposal. "This is an important, sensible next step toward preserving the benefits provided by these species." Lubchenco argued that the benefits extend to fishermen -- some of whom are worried that any coral protection could mean less fishing. "Corals provide habitat to support fisheries that feed millions of people," she said, as well as generating jobs through recreation and tourism, and protecting coastlines from storms and erosion. In its press release, NOAA emphasized that since President Barack Obama had directed agencies to minimize regulatory burdens it would strive to "adopt the least burdensome means" of compliance should it create protected habitat. "A full analysis of economic impact, including impact on jobs," will also be undertaken, it stated. Dave Gilliam and Liz Larson Nova Southeastern University and James Byrne, The Nature Conservancy discuss the large scale environmental program that is underway in Florida's coral reefs. The proposal is the result of a court settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity, which petitioned to have 83 coral species listed. NOAA agreed to review 82 of those species. "While the government decided that 16 of the corals we proposed do not warrant listing, the fact that dozens are moving forward with protections is good news," the group's oceans director, Miyoko Sakas hita, told NBC News. "Our coral reefs are dying and need federal protection," she added. Last April, NOAA scientists reported that more than half of those 82 species were "more likely than not" to face extinction by 2100. Corals are very sensitive to disease and temperature change, and the fact that seas have warmed and become more acidic as carbon dioxide emissions have risen led to NOAA's proposal and focus on climate change. The acidity weakens the skeletal structure of coral. The polar bear is the only other species listed under the Endangered Species Act because of climate change, and that's because of shrinking sea ice. Since climate change is global in nature, NOAA can't do much to protect coral from that threat, but Sakas hita said actions that the U.S. could eventually take include protecting corals from overfishing. "For example, in the Caribbean we have a lawsuit pending that challenges overfishing of parrotfish, which are important grazers for coral reefs to keep them free of algae," she said. "Other local threats that need attention include water pollution, dredging, or coastal construction that impacts coral habitat." See dozens of wonders from coral reefs and other exotic seascapes, courtesy of the Catlin Seaview Survey. To date, just two species of coral -- staghorn and elkhorn -- are on the Endangered Species Act, and both are in Florida and the Caribbean. Now listed as threatened, they would be reclassified as endangered under the proposal. Of the 66 species now proposed for listing, 12 would be listed as endangered -- seven in the Pacific and five in the Caribbean; 54 would be listed as threatened -- 52 in the Pacific and two in the Caribbean. NOAA aims to finalize the listings in late 2013, after public meetings and a comment period. Comments can be made via NOAA's listing proposal site. NOAA had never before analyzed so many species over such a wide geographic range. The closest in scope was a review of 30 West Coast salmon and steelhead species in 1994. Friday's proposal came as nations met in Qatar to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol with a new framework for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Little progress has been made, and the talks continue next week. More content from NBCNews.com: Missouri Powerball jackpot winners revealed: 'We're still stunned by what's happened' Mystery man claims winning Powerball ticket ... in Maryland? For Salvation Army, there's gold in them thar kettles Dozens hospitalized after train derails near Philadelphia, spilling hazardous chemical Video: Sinkhole the size of four football fields stops traffic in Ohio Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook