Maersk Alabama attacked...Holder defends decision...Obama in Korea

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) For the second time in seven months, Somali pirates have attacked the Maersk Alabama. But guards on board the U.S.-flagged cargo ship repelled the takeover attempt.

Pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding in a lifeboat for five days.

Washington (AP) Attorney General Eric Holder is defending his decision to put the professed Sept. 11 mastermind on trial in New York. Holder is set to testify today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He plans to urge critics of the plan not to cower in the face of terrorists.

BEIJING (AP) President Barack Obama says he won't set a new deadline for closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison, but does expect the facility to shut down sometime next year. The president tells Fox News Channel he isn't disappointed about missing the deadline, but has realized that things move slower in Washington than he expected.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) President Barack Obama is now in South Korea, after wrapping up his visit to China with a stop at the Great Wall, which he described as "magical." Dressed in a winter jacket against the biting cold, Obama led a group of people for a half-hour jaunt.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) A somber candlelight vigil has concluded Texas A&M University's marking of the 10th anniversary of a bonfire collapse that killed 12 people. More than 3,000 people attended the vigil that began at 2:42 a.m. Central time, the exact time of the Nov. 18, 1999 accident.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-18-09 0537CST | save this article / add to your favorites list