Morning Coffee Edition for Monday, May 18, 1998
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U.S. Front Page Stories
-----------------------
*** Microsoft talks collapse, antitrust lawsuit likely
*** Clinton denies donations influenced foreign policy
*** Sinatra funeral set for Wednesday
*** Carter raps U.S. outrage over India nuclear tests
*** Hikers on Appalachian Trail warned about fugitive
*** U.S. to wait and see on Pollard clemency
The U.S. Political Scene
------------------------
*** Republicans say cut taxes, shrink debt with surplus
*** Senate set to debate historic tobacco bill
*** Senate approves funds for police vests
*** Cohen says too few black U.S. military officers
*** Ashcroft wins S.C. presidential poll
*** N.Y. Sen. D'Amato announces re-election bid
The Courts
----------
*** U.S. court dismisses Lewinsky's immunity appeal
*** U.S. wants to end claims in knew of Okla. City bombing
*** Ky. farmers sue U.S. for right to grow hemp
*** Judge dismisses Mattel lawsuit against MCA over song
*** Grocer loses house for food stamp laundering
*** Palm Beach man's ex-wife lied about drink
U.S. Business and Financial News
--------------------------------
*** Wall St. ends weaker, frets about Asia, Fed meeting
*** Fed set for lively rate debate, no rise seen
*** Pearson/Hicks, Muse buy Viacom publishing units
*** Laura Tyson to head Berkeley business school
*** Analyst moves keep Disney stock in slump
World Front Page Stories
------------------------
*** Pakistan denies N-test, nervous West watches
*** Indian N-tests may spur U.S.-Russia cuts
*** Students renew demands for Suharto to go
*** Over 2,000 Rwandans plead guilty to genocide
*** 3 Kosovo Albanians die in battle with police
*** New Iraq oil-for-food deal could face delays
The World Political Scene
-------------------------
*** G8 pledges debt relief, confident on Asia
*** Netanyahu ends U.S. visit; Albright, Arafat to meet
*** U.S., UK, Irish leaders unite in peace plea
*** U.S., EU hold last-minute Helms-Burton talks
*** Jewish settlements worry Swiss president
*** Lebed set to become governor of Siberian region
The Americas
------------
*** Colombia death squads slays up to 30 in oil town
*** Helms' Cuba aid plan draws wrath of God - Havana
*** Mexican officials said linked to drug trade
*** Argentina moves close to breaking ties with Iran
*** Pan-American police agency under discussion
*** Dead man's party wins big in Dominican elections
Europe and Russia
-----------------
*** Italy govt. sound despite hardleft NATO vote - Prodi
*** Yeltsin's kidnaped Chechnya envoy alive
*** Kohl hopes speech will turn tide for CDU
*** Libel verdict could spell trouble for Croatia
*** Swiss pledge to bar violence around trade summit
*** Palace says paper 'scaremongering' about Margaret
Africa
------
*** Ethiopia says 20 killed, 370 displaced
*** Kabila's allies boycott Congo celebrations
*** Slain exile's friends accuse Rwandan govt.
*** Rebels hit Algerian town, troops kill 38
*** Nigerian Catholic bishops warn of danger
*** S. Africa struggling under a millstone of corruption
India and the Middle East
-------------------------
*** Taleban bomb opposition, 30 reported killed
*** 4 villagers shot dead in Kashmir attack
*** Iran begins air force war games
*** Mystery bombs kill 2 in restive Karachi
*** Tamil gunmen kill Sri Lanka mayoress
*** Yemen govt. sworn in, opponents see no change
The Far East
------------
*** Over 20 feared dead in Manila hospital fire
*** Marcos children 'rise from ashes' to win election
*** China police fired on Tibet prison protest
*** French woman climber and sherpa die in Nepal
*** Cambodian opposition seen staying in election
*** Australia offers visa extensions
World Business and Financial News
---------------------------------
*** Japanese paper berates govt for economic 'failure'
*** Iran approves plan for Caspian pipeline to Tehran
*** India to build strategic stocks of imported crude
*** Trade meet set to emphasize open markets
*** Israelis with foreign income to file tax statement
Science and Medicine
--------------------
*** Teen in transplant debate in critical condition
*** Trials show Herceptin slows spread of breast cancer
*** NASA to test lightweight shuttle tank
*** New class of cancer drugs may help leukemia, too
*** Managed care keeps depressed from treatment
*** Doctor says sex pill could become 'lifestyle drug'
Technology
----------
*** Frank Sinatra mourned in cyberspace
The Environment
---------------
*** Environment group opens international whaling meet
*** Central America smoke blamed in small plane crash
*** Mexico heat wave claims 2 more victims
*** Italian town evacuated as hard rain falls again
*** U.S., Canada end salmon talks with no agreement
*** Quake hits Mexico's Pacific coast, no damage seen
Human Interest
--------------
*** Disney World celebrates 10,000th wedding
*** Tiny fragment of Mars meteorite sells for $4,600
*** Philadelphia police chief nabs purse snatcher
*** Brits prove patriotic when it comes to G8 beer
*** Netanyahu greets New Yorkers in surprise detour
*** Warhol paintings set records at auction
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Front Page Stories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Microsoft talks collapse, antitrust lawsuit likely
A defiant Microsoft Corp. braced Sunday for a landmark antitrust case
that is casting a cloud of uncertainty over its Windows 98 operating
system and could distract its executives for years to come. Federal
antitrust regulators and attorneys general from 20 states were
expected to file closely related lawsuits Monday after settlement
talks collapsed over what Microsoft executives termed unreasonable
demands for changes in its flagship Windows operating system. The
pending lawsuit raised questions about the launch of Microsoft's
next-generation Windows 98 computer system, which is scheduled to go
on sale worldwide June 25. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554203172-a62
*** Related: As Microsoft power grows, so do legal battles, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554170508-c9d
*** Related: Gates says will continue to seek settlement, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554200608-c92
*** Clinton denies donations influenced foreign policy
President Clinton denied Sunday alleged Chinese donations to his 1996
re-election effort influenced U.S. foreign policy decisions but said
he would support an investigation into the matter. "All the foreign
policy decisions we made were based on what we believed .... were in
the interests of the American people," Clinton said in Birmingham,
England, where he attended this weekend's Group of Eight summit. "If
someone tried to influence them, that's a different issue and there
ought to be an investigation into whether that happened and I would
support that," he added. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198697-1c5
*** Related: Berger denies Chinese funds influenced policy, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198996-557
*** Sinatra funeral set for Wednesday
Tributes to Frank Sinatra poured in Saturday and his publicist said a
private funeral mass would be held for the legendary entertainer in
Beverly Hills Wednesday. Susan Reynolds said Cardinal Roger Mahony
would conduct the service at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, not far
from Sinatra's home in Beverly Hills. She said Mahony will also lead
an invitation-only vigil for friends and family Tuesday night at 7:30
p.m., also at Good Shepherd. An employee of the church confirmed the
two services but declined to give further details. The famous
crooner, born in Hoboken, N.J., was expected to be buried next to his
mother Dolly and father Martin at the Sinatra family plot in Desert
Memorial Park near Palm Springs. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554189160-83a
*** Related: Press reports predict battle over Sinatra fortune, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554202720-479
*** Related: Sinatra lost zest when couldn't sing, buddy says, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554175776-eff
*** Related: Sinatra, adored by millions, hid a dark side, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173962-3ce
*** Carter raps U.S. outrage over India nuclear tests
The U.S. is in a weak position to criticize India's nuclear tests in
light of Washington's refusal to reduce its own nuclear arsenal,
former President Jimmy Carter said Sunday. "It's hard for us to tell
India you cannot have a nuclear device," Carter said in a
commencement speech at Trinity College. "We'll keep ours (nuclear
weapons), 8,000 or so, we're not ready to reduce them yet," he said.
India's five underground nuclear explosions last week were sharply
criticized by President Clinton. Carter suggested U.S. policy on
nuclear weapons and land mines smacks of hypocrisy. "We claim we're
for a comprehensive test ban to prevent all testing of nuclear
weapons, but we still haven't ratified the treaty," he said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554204286-3de
*** Hikers on Appalachian Trail warned about fugitive
Hikers along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia were warned Saturday a
fugitive wanted in connection with January's fatal Birmingham, Ala.,
abortion clinic bombing may be using the mountain trail to flee
federal agents. Wanted posters for Eric Robert Rudolph, a fugitive on
the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list with a $1 million reward for his
arrest, were handed out to hikers attending a week-long Trail Days
festival in Damascus, Va., near the state's border with Tennessee. An
FBI agent in charge of the manhunt for Rudolph, 31, in the area
around Murphy, N.C., his last known address, said they have no
evidence Rudolph is on the trail, which stretches from Georgia to
Maine. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554183094-8da
*** U.S. to wait and see on Pollard clemency
The U.S. will wait and see whether its position on convicted spy
Jonathan Pollard changes because Israel has officially recognized him
as its agent, a top adviser of President Clinton said Sunday. Israel
officially announced last Monday Pollard, an American Jew, worked as
its agent 13 years after he was denied sanctuary at the Israeli
embassy in Washington. Pollard, a former U.S. naval intelligence
officer currently serving a life sentence, was caught passing to
Israel information on Arab countries he said the U.S. had withheld
from its ally. "He served his time and simply on an humanitarian
basis and nothing else, we would like to see him released, and
allowed (to) go to Israel," said Israel Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554202563-c70
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The U.S. Political Scene
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Republicans say cut taxes, shrink debt with surplus
Republicans promised Saturday to use surpluses from the nation's
overflowing coffers to cut taxes and reform Social Security, and
hammered President Clinton for pushing old-fashioned "tax and spend"
policies. Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson delivered the message
during the weekly Republican radio address, amid a swirl of debate on
Capitol Hill over what to do with money from the suddenly flush
federal budget. "We believe there are only two responsible ways to
handle the budget surplus: Let hard working American families keep
more of the money they earn and reduce the $5 trillion debt the
government built-up over 30 years of runaway spending," Hutchinson
said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554182725-30b
*** Senate set to debate historic tobacco bill
The tobacco bill that the Senate takes up Monday aims to slash teen
smoking and transform an industry that has been a mainstay of U.S.
culture and economy since colonial times. The bill's author, Arizona
Republican John McCain, was not among the long-time anti-tobacco
campaigners in Congress, but once he seized on the issue, he became
increasingly determined to push through a major initiative with or
without the cooperation of the tobacco industry. "Every public health
expert, every living former surgeon general, every living American
who is involved in the issue of kids and smoking says you have to
take a comprehensive approach," said McCain. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554183160-319
*** Related: Lott predicts tobacco bill will be scaled back, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172609-43a
*** Senate approves funds for police vests
The Senate unanimously approved legislation Friday to help state and
local police agencies buy bulletproof vests. The measure provides $25
million for a 50% matching grant program run by the Justice
Department to assist purchases of body armor. President Clinton is
expected to sign the bill, which was approved by the House Tuesday.
"This is a practical way to protect and thank the officers who risk
their lives every day to serve the public," said Sen. Patrick Leahy,
a Vermont Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill. This week the FBI
announced 64 law enforcement personnel were killed in the line of
duty in 1997, up from 56 in 1996. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554171635-e01
*** Cohen says too few black U.S. military officers
Defense Secretary William Cohen, marking 50 years since the U.S.
military was desegregated, said Saturday there were still too few
black commanding officers in the armed forces. Speaking to ROTC
cadets at predominantly black Norfolk State University in Norfolk,
Va., Cohen called the U.S. military "one of the most racially
integrated institutions in America," but said it would still take
years to increase the number of black generals and admirals. "We are
right to recognize it takes a decade or more to develop military
leaders," Cohen said. "We cannot have more African-American generals
and admirals simply by wishing it were so." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554186207-176
*** Ashcroft wins S.C. presidential poll
Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri won an early Republican presidential
straw poll in South Carolina Saturday, topping a field of 22
potential GOP candidates who may seek the party nomination in the
2000 presidential election. Ashcroft garnered pivotal support on the
convention floor from members of the Christian Coalition and won with
32% of the 788 votes cast during the state party convention. Texas
Gov. George Bush, who has emerged as a leading Republican candidate
in recent nationwide polls, captured 15% of the vote and former State
Department official Alan Keyes had 11%. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554187094-679
*** Related: Ohio's Kasich says presidential bid serious, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554171022-866
*** N.Y. Sen. D'Amato announces re-election bid
New York Republican Alfonse D'Amato used his "Sen. Pothole" nickname
against his Democratic opponents Sunday when he formally declared his
candidacy for a fourth term in the Senate. Since the beginning of the
year, one-time vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, Rep.
Charles Schumer and New York City Public Advocate Mark Green have all
pilloried D'Amato. But the feisty Senator shot back at his
challengers in an emotional speech to about 1,000 supporters in the
posh Waldorf Hotel. "There are those who criticize me and say that I
deal in small problems. They call me Sen. Pothole. But let me tell
you, people's problems are not small. And the people who have
problems are not small," said D'Amato, 60, who was elected to the
Senate in 1980. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554203839-484
*** Related: Primary election set for Senate seat in Ark., See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196608-836
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Courts
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** U.S. court dismisses Lewinsky's immunity appeal
A U.S. court has dismissed Monica Lewinsky's appeal claiming she has
an immunity deal with independent counsel Kenneth Starr in the
sex-and-perjury investigation involving President Clinton. The
three-judge panel threw out on technical grounds the appeal of a
federal judge's ruling rejecting Lewinsky's claim she had a binding
deal with Starr granting her full immunity from prosecution in
exchange for her testimony. Starr has maintained he never reached an
immunity agreement with Lewinsky's lawyers in February because they
refused to allow her to be interviewed or take a lie-detector test.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554185884-85b
*** U.S. wants to end claims in knew of Okla. City bombing
The Justice Department said Friday it wants to cooperate with an
Oklahoma grand jury to end baseless claims the government had advance
knowledge the Oklahoma City federal building would be bombed. Federal
prosecutors, in a court filing, asked the bombing trial judge to
allow FBI agents to testify before the grand jury in Oklahoma City
that is trying to identify more possible co-conspirators. Only
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were charged in the federal case,
but the grand jury is investigating the possibility there was more to
the crime than federal authorities have revealed. The former Army
buddies were convicted last year of different roles in the April 19,
1995, truck bombing that resulted in 168 deaths. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554174211-978
*** Ky. farmers sue U.S. for right to grow hemp
Kentucky farmers sued the Attorney General and two U.S. law
enforcement agencies Friday, arguing laws against marijuana were
wrongly used to stop them from growing hemp, a practical cash crop.
Marijuana was outlawed in 1937, but the Kentucky Hemp Growers
Association said Congress did not intend to ban marijuana's virtually
non-narcotic cousin, hemp, which was then widely used to make rope,
clothing, paper and other products. Imported hemp, which was widely
grown during World War II to aid the war effort, has made a comeback
supporters of the suit compared to the nascent plastics industry. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554170633-149
*** Judge dismisses Mattel lawsuit against MCA over song
Barbie, the world's most famous and litigious doll, has lost one of
her court battles after a judge dismissed a suit filed by Barbie
maker Mattel Inc. over the pop song "Barbie Girl," the record's
producer said Friday. Mattel's trademark lawsuit, filed in September,
alleged MCA Records violated copyright laws when it released the hit
single by the Danish group Aqua. The El Segundo, Calif.-based
toymaker claimed the song contained lyrics that "associate sexual and
other unsavory themes with Mattel's Barbie products." MCA, which is
owned by Seagram Co. Ltd., said Friday all claims were dismissed by
court order. Mattel said it was appealing certain decisions by the
court. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554170706-907
*** Grocer loses house for food stamp laundering
A Georgia grocer has forfeited his house and other property in
partial restitution for illegally redeeming $3.7 million in food
stamps, federal officials said Friday. The Agriculture Department,
which oversees the food stamp program, said Leroy Smith, 40, of
Augusta, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison for money
laundering and ordered to pay more than $3.9 million in restitution.
According to officials, Smith bought food stamps at a discounted
price at two grocery stores and illegally redeemed about $3.7 million
of them at full price. Smith forfeited an 8,000 square-foot house,
two vehicles and four pieces of real estate in partial restitution,
the department said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172169-347
*** Palm Beach man's ex-wife lied about drink
The lawyer for Stephen Fagan, a Florida man accused of kidnaping his
daughters and telling them their mother was dead, said Friday the
man's ex-wife was lying about her drinking. Fagan, 56, is facing
kidnaping charges for taking his two daughters from their
Massachusetts home almost 20 years ago and telling them their mother,
Barbara Kurth, was dead. In the ensuing decades, Fagan created a
lifestyle of luxury in posh Palm Beach based apparently on charm and
wealthy wives. "My client may have lied to protect the welfare of his
children. Barbara Kurth lied to put the children in imminent danger,"
Fagan's lawyer said. "She's a liar. She lied then. She's lying now."
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554171253-1c5
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Business and Financial News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Wall St. ends weaker, frets about Asia, Fed meeting
Wall Street ended weaker Friday, riven by worries over Asia, next
week's Federal Reserve meeting and a slide in key computer stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed off 76 points at 9096. The
blue chip index was still up 41 points on the week after Wednesday's
record close at 9212. Blue chips were little changed until an
afternoon slide. The S&P 500 index closed off nine points at 1109.
Declining issues outpaced advances by a margin of 11 to 17 with 616
million shares changing hands. The tech-studded Nasdaq ended off 19
points at 1847, shedding 17 points over the week. The dollar rose to
around 134.70 yen and 1.7850 marks. For the full text story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172020-662
*** Fed set for lively rate debate, no rise seen
Sparks could fly Tuesday when Federal Reserve policy makers meet
behind closed doors to discuss whether to raise interest rates to
rein in the strong U.S. economy and head off inflation. In the end,
those favoring keeping rates steady will probably win out, analysts
say. But an unusually high level of suspense surrounds the upcoming
Fed session. "There will be a 'frank exchange of views,' which is
what the diplomats call it when people are going to be at each
other's throats," said Bill Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock
Financial Services in Boston. Cheney saw a strong case for nudging
rates higher to guard against an overheating economy, but he said the
wish to see more data, and fears tighter U.S. credit might exacerbate
turmoil in Asia, would likely stay the Fed's hand. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196445-b2b
*** Pearson/Hicks, Muse buy Viacom publishing units
British publisher Pearson Plc. and Texas buyout firm Hicks, Muse,
Tate & Furst won the bidding war for a big piece of U.S. publisher
Simon & Schuster, the publisher's owner Viacom Inc. said Sunday.
Pearson, publisher of the Financial Times newspaper, was the buyer of
record, paying $4.6 billion in cash for the educational, business and
professional units. Pearson will keep the educational division and
sell the professional and reference divisions to Hicks, Muse, lately
a big buyer of radio and television stations, for $1 billion. Pearson
is a major player in the U.S. educational market through its Addison
Wesley Longman unit. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554204276-833
*** Laura Tyson to head Berkeley business school
Former National Economic Adviser Laura D'Andrea Tyson was appointed
Friday as the new dean of the Haas School of Business at the
University of California at Berkeley. Tyson, who chaired the White
House Council of Economic Advisers from 1993-95 and succeeded Robert
Rubin as the nation's top economic strategist in 1995, has been a
professor at Berkeley since 1977. "As dean I will work to strengthen
the Haas school's involvement and leadership in the development of
business education most suited to the new challenges posed by
increasing globalization and technological change," Tyson said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172296-24f
*** Analyst moves keep Disney stock in slump
The Walt Disney Co.'s recent stock slump accelerated Thursday after
Wall Street firm Schroders reduced its rating on the stock and cut
its earnings estimates. Disney closed down $2.37 to $116.12 after
Schroders took Disney off its recommended list, while maintaining a
positive rating, and cut its fiscal 1999 earnings estimate by 7% to
$3.48 a share. Disney's stock, which last week was trading above
$127, has now fallen 9% since Goldman Sachs analyst Richard Simon
reduced his fiscal 1998 and fiscal 1999 estimates May 7. Simon, who
kept Disney on Goldman's recommended list, cited worries about
Disney's stock price surge, the impact of the Asian economic crisis,
costs of Disney's football rights TV deals and the ABC advertising
environment. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554165619-b28
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Front Page Stories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Pakistan denies N-test, nervous West watches
Pakistan strongly denied Sunday it had carried out a nuclear test to
match arch-rival India, but said it could do so whenever it wished.
Reports of a Pakistani test, which the West wants desperately to
avert, caused a nervous stir at a Group of Eight summit in Britain.
President Clinton warned Cold War-style conflicts could destabilize
South Asia. U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee leaders said Pakistan
should be rewarded with a delivery of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets if
it showed restraint. India, widely condemned for conducting five
underground blasts last week, said it could now design a variety of
atomic weapons. But it kept the world guessing about whether it was
ready to join a treaty banning nuclear tests. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554197996-6d6
*** Pakistan should get F-16s for restraint - U.S. senators, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554200992-e7a
*** U.S. incentives to avert Pakistan nuke tests, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554186994-669
*** Indian N-tests may spur U.S.-Russia cuts
President Clinton said Sunday India's nuclear tests may give a new
push to U.S. and Russian efforts to cut their nuclear arsenals. "I
think all of us, because of the Indian nuclear tests, feel an even
greater sense of urgency to change the debate ... over nuclear issues
toward less, not more," Clinton said after a 45-minute meeting with
Russian President Boris Yeltsin. India drew international
condemnation and provoked U.S., Canadian and Japanese sanctions by
conducting five underground nuclear tests last week. Clinton told
reporters Yeltsin had again assured him he would push Russia's State
Duma, the lower house of parliament, to ratify the START-2 arms
control pact. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198592-9b5
*** India won't reveal nuclear test material, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198922-420
*** Suspected Indian weapons lab acquired IBM supercomputer, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554200717-508
*** India says N-tests show weapons capability, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554194998-6a4
*** Students renew demands for Suharto to go
Hundreds of Indonesian students moved on parliament Monday to renew
their clamor for President Suharto to quit. Four buses and a convoy
of cars left the campus of the University of Indonesia in Jakarta,
packed with 500 students crying "Merdeka (freedom)" and "Long live
reform." Watched by a contingent of troops carrying automatic rifles,
they departed in a carnival mood. Many waved roses at the impassive
soldiers. Dozens of troops backed by armored cars lined up in front
of parliament. The Greater Jakarta military command issued a stern
warning that after days of looting and death on the streets of the
capital last week, no further violence would be tolerated regardless
of who was responsible. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554207225-87f
*** Indonesian military faces dilemmas, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554195000-a8d
*** Ruling party member says Suharto must go, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196224-5b5
*** Japan upgrades Indonesia alert, puts planes on standby, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198208-bba
*** Death tolls mount at gutted Jakarta malls, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554180677-3d6
*** Over 2,000 Rwandans plead guilty to genocide
Over 2,000 imprisoned Rwandans have pleaded guilty to taking part in
the country's 1994 genocide, state-run radio said Friday. The mass
confessions at Rilima prison, about 32 miles south of Kigali, were
made Thursday before government officials and Western diplomats, the
radio said. They come in the wake of last month's public executions
of 22 people found guilty in Rwandan courts of "category one"
genocide crimes. Over 130,000 suspects, mainly ethnic Hutus, are
crammed into Rwanda's jails awaiting trial on charges they
participated in the 1994 genocide of over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate
Hutus. Those who plead guilty have their charge downgraded to a
category two crime. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173087-6f9
*** 3 Kosovo Albanians die in battle with police
Three ethnic Albanians died during clashes with Serbian police in the
village of Iglarevo on the main Pristina-Pec highway in central
Kosovo Sunday. A policeman was hurt in the gun battle and Serbian
farmer Milivoj Djuricic was shot in the stomach by a sniper in a
separate incident as he worked his land near Iglarevo. Police said
one of their patrols was attacked in the village by suspected members
of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army. The bodies of the
ethnic Albanians, with assault rifles lying nearby, were shown to
journalists by police. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198433-cdc
*** Serbia blockades private trucks to Kosovo, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198307-957
*** Albania welcomes Kosovo talks, asks for NATO help, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554182748-b29
*** New Iraq oil-for-food deal could face delays
Iraq's request to use part of the funds from a new oil-for-food deal
with the UN for upgrading its telecommunications is expected to meet
with resistance from some countries, Western diplomats said.
Telecommunications was one of the items Iraq listed in its new aid
distribution plan to be discussed and approved by Secretary General
Kofi Annan, according to UN officials in Baghdad. "The most
contentious issue will be telecommunications. Under the new plan
there is a big jump from nutrition, water and health to
telecommunications. Obviously the Americans will see it as a security
issue, that it has a dual purpose and can be used for other
purposes," one diplomat said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554197089-8a0
*** Related: Iraq says UN inspection reforms fall short, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173129-257
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The World Political Scene
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** G8 pledges debt relief, confident on Asia
World leaders ended their annual Group of Eight summit Sunday by
announcing agreement in principle to ease the debt burden on some of
the planet's poorest nations and voicing confidence in Asia's
economic recovery. But their pledge to support a speedy and
determined extension of debt relief for the world's poorest countries
fell short of the sweeping debt forgiveness demanded by tens of
thousands of anti-poverty campaigners who had earlier linked hands in
a human chain around the conference center. The three-day G8 summit
was overshadowed by India's nuclear tests as well as chaos in
Indonesia, events on which the world's most powerful men acknowledged
they have little power. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198752-bf0
*** Full text of G8 summit communique, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199249-235
*** G8 papers over cracks on climate change, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198941-a3f
*** Highlights of Birmingham G8 summit, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198846-972
*** G8 returns to roots, accepts U.S. lead, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198832-f8c
*** Netanyahu ends U.S. visit; Albright, Arafat to meet
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Sunday on Israel's right
to defend its borders, a day before talks between Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Albright,
in London for a U.S.-EU summit, will meet Arafat there Monday.
Palestinian officials said the surprise meeting signaled progress in
Mideast peace talks in Washington Sunday between Netanyahu and U.S.
Mideast envoy Dennis Ross, but Israeli and U.S. officials declined to
characterize those talks. Netanyahu wound up a five-day visit to the
U.S. with a fiery speech to a powerful pro-Israeli lobbying group,
drawing a standing ovation for a pledge Jerusalem will forever be
Israel's capital. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554206353-70d
*** Hamas founder urges Palestinians to fight Israel, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198118-49c
*** King Hussein says U.S. should be firm on peace, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554194264-d01
*** Lebanon won't negotiate on Israeli pullout, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554182737-2e9
*** U.S., UK, Irish leaders unite in peace plea
The leaders of the U.S., Britain and Ireland issued a plea for peace
Sunday, urging voters to end 30 years of bloodshed with a 'yes' vote
in Friday's referendum on Northern Ireland. In an orchestrated show
of solidarity, President Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair
and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern all threw their weight behind
the month-old peace plan for Northern Ireland that is up for scrutiny
on Friday. The so-called Good Friday peace pact would maintain
Britain's links with Northern Ireland while also building
cross-border links with the Irish Republic. Citizens on either side
of the Irish border get their say on the politicians' package Friday,
with all three leaders urging voters to shun fear and grasp the
future. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196684-7d1
*** Related: Car bomb defused in Northern Ireland, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554194652-9a1
*** Related: Man shot during Dublin children's church service, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554183292-81a
*** Related: New N. Irish truce silences last pro-British guns, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172471-d8d
*** U.S., EU hold last-minute Helms-Burton talks
U.S. and European Union officials held last-minute talks on a row
over U.S. sanctions laws Sunday, trying to hammer out agreement
before a summit Monday, EU sources said. One source said although
some problem areas remained he was hopeful an agreement to the
long-running dispute would be reached at Monday's London summit
between President Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
European Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan and U.S. Undersecretary
of State Stuart Eizenstat met Saturday to discuss the Helms-Burton
law and Iran Libya Sanctions Act at the G-8 summit in Birmingham,
England, the sources said. EU and U.S. officials also met on Sunday
morning, they said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199269-dc6
*** Castro voices concern on EU-U.S. Helms-Burton deal, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554185086-4de
*** Jewish settlements worry Swiss president
Swiss President Flavio Cotti said in Israel Sunday his country viewed
Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a violation of
international law. Cotti, who is also foreign minister, urged Israel
to implement West Bank pullbacks promised in peace deals with the
Palestinians. "Let me tell you how preoccupied we are by some
transfers of populations, including the construction of settlements
in the occupied territories which constitutes a violation of the said
(Geneva) Convention," Cotti said. The 1949 Geneva Convention bars
countries from settling its citizens in areas captured in war. At
least 150,000 Jews have moved to the West Bank and Gaza Strip since
Israel occupied them in the 1967 Middle East war. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199902-464
*** Related: Israeli army and Palestinians clash in Hebron, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554183041-512
*** Lebed set to become governor of Siberian region
Reserve general Alexander Lebed was firmly on track Monday to become
governor of the vast, resource-rich Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia and
win a power base to contest Russia's presidency. Unofficial results
from Sunday's election gave him around 56% of the votes, a
comfortable 17 percentage points more than his Kremlin-backed rival,
incumbent Valery Zubov, who conceded defeat. Turnout was about 63% in
the mineral-rich region that stretches from the Arctic north
virtually to the Mongolian border and covers a seventh of Russian
territory. Lebed's success crowned a stunning political comeback by
the tough-talking former paratroop commander who was sacked from
President Boris Yeltsin's Kremlin team 18 months ago for being too
ambitious. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554203493-263
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Americas
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Colombia death squads slays up to 30 in oil town
At least 10 people were killed and 20 were missing, feared dead,
after a suspected right-wing death squad swept through Colombia's
main oil town Sunday, officials said. The attack in Barrancabermeja
was the latest in a wave of violence political analysts say is part
of a paramilitary campaign to sow terror before May 31 presidential
elections. If the latest death toll is confirmed, it will take to
more than 80 the number of victims slain by ultra-right death squads
across the country in the last month. President Ernesto Samper
condemned the mass murder but so far security forces have proved
unable to fulfill the promise he made late last year to chase
paramilitary gangs "to hell and back" in a bid to wipe them out. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554205250-6ff
*** Colombia falters in fight against heroin, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554202491-649
*** Helms' Cuba aid plan draws wrath of God - Havana
Cuba condemned Friday a proposal by Sen. Jesse Helms to send American
aid to the Cuban people and back democratic change on the
communist-run island, saying the plan would provoke even the wrath of
God. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman formally
proposed Thursday a Cuban Solidarity Act to provide $100 million in
food, medicine and supplies to the Cuban people via the Roman
Catholic church and other independent groups. The bill, which would
keep intact the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba and support opposition
groups, would address humanitarian concerns while keeping the heat on
Cuban President Fidel Castro. A strongly worded article by the Cuban
state news agency, Prensa Latina, affirmed Havana would reject the
aid proposal, even if the Congress approved it. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172580-a56
*** Mexican officials said linked to drug trade
Mexican military intelligence uncovered links between cocaine cartels
and leading politicians, including state governors and the son of an
ex-president in 1995, according to a report Sunday. Respected
newsmagazine Milenio published excerpts from what it said was a
classified 69-page military intelligence document detailing a web of
ties between drug lords and officials of Mexico's ruling
Institutional Revolutionary Party. A spokesman for the PRI said the
party was not in a position to defend individual politicians from
accusations of wrongdoing. But he stressed the report did not offer
proof of the allegations. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554204868-53a
*** Also from Mexicio: Police hold alleged Mexico City serial killer,
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554187941-a99
*** Argentina moves close to breaking ties with Iran
Argentina moved to the brink Friday of breaking diplomatic ties with
Iran over suspicions Tehran was involved in the 1994 bombing of a
Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 86 people.
Foreign Minister Guido Di Tella said the Argentine government would
reduce its already limited diplomatic mission in Tehran to a single
envoy and had ordered the Iranian government to do the same in Buenos
Aires. "It is an extreme measure, but of course there is one even
more extreme - which is breaking relations," Di Tella said. "A
rupture is a possibility." The announcement came a day after Iran
informed Argentina it was applying trade sanctions in retaliation for
Buenos Aires' insistence on keeping it at the heart of its probe into
the bombing of the AMIA center, which also injured 200 people. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173419-f28
*** Pan-American police agency under discussion
Police chiefs from the Americas are considering the establishment of
a regional agency to improve cross-border crime fighting, FBI
Director Louis Freeh said Friday. Wrapping up a five-country South
American visit, Freeh told reporters in Venezuela he and regional
police officials had discussed the possibility of creating a
pan-American force. Freeh, the first FBI director to visit South
America, said the new agency could mirror Europol - an organization
that will gather information among European Union countries to help
fight international crime. Freeh, who visited Chile, Argentina,
Brazil and Colombia, said talks had not progressed to the planning
stage and creating such a force would depend on the willingness of
the region's countries to cooperate. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172121-a2f
*** Dead man's party wins big in Dominican elections
Voters in the Dominican Republic, inspired by the ghost of a dead
politician and tired of economic hardship, handed a huge victory to
opponents of President Leonel Fernandez in legislative and local
elections, results showed Sunday. Fernandez's Dominican Liberation
Party won barely 30% of the vote across the country in the Saturday
elections, while the Social Christian Reform Party of former
strongman Joaquin Balaguer won just 10%. Outstripping even the most
optimistic polls, the opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party
garnered more than 62% of the vote, winning 25 seats in the 30-member
Senate and an absolute majority in the lower house. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554200102-31b
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Europe and Russia
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Italy govt. sound despite hardleft NATO vote - Prodi
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Saturday his government was
not in danger of collapse after its key hard-left allies broke ranks
over NATO expansion. "This is not a problem for the government ... On
this issue, at least, I'm not afraid," Prodi said in an interview
with CNN to be broadcast Monday. Asked whether the refusal of the
hard-left Communist Refoundation party to vote for NATO expansion in
parliament could bring down the government, Prodi answered, "No, I
don't think so." Refoundation, which nearly toppled the government
last October in a row over the 1998 budget, voted against expanding
the NATO in the upper house Senate Wednesday. The measure passed
because Prodi's center-left coalition has enough senators in the
Senate to pass laws. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554182660-490
*** Yeltsin's kidnaped Chechnya envoy alive
A Russian official said Friday President Boris Yeltsin's personal
envoy to Chechnya, who was kidnaped in the breakaway region two weeks
ago, was alive and police had a general idea of where he was.
Interior Minister Sergei Stepashin ruled out paying a ransom for the
captured peace negotiator for fear of encouraging further kidnapings.
Since winning a 20-month war to expel Russian troops from the Muslim
region in 1996, Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov has failed to stem
a wave of hostage-taking that has left hundreds captive, including
foreigners, and isolated Chechnya from aid. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172018-c2c
*** Related: 2 senior Chechen officials shot dead, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554181050-0df
*** Kohl hopes speech will turn tide for CDU
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl begins the fight for his political life
Monday with a speech he hopes will turn the election tide for his
Christian Democrats. The West's longest-serving leader will use a
conference of the CDU to try to silence rebels within the
center-right party ahead of September elections polls predict it will
lose. Aides said the 68-year-old chancellor would open the two-day
meeting in the north German city of Bremen with an address outlining
his vision for taking Europe's premier economy into the 21st century.
Many of the 1,000 delegates will want to be reassured Kohl has a
here-and-now strategy for closing the party's 10-point gap in the
polls with the opposition Social Democrats and their candidate
Gerhard Schroeder. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554203812-943
*** Libel verdict could spell trouble for Croatia
Two independent Croatian journalists may hear Monday whether they
will be jailed for libeling President Franjo Tudjman in an article
that compared him to Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Their trial
was adjourned in December when the Zagreb municipal court requested
information from the Spanish Justice Ministry on Franco's political
doctrine - a decision declared a farce by lawyers and human rights
activists. The judge later changed his ruling and a law professor
from Split University is expected to give his opinion of Franco's
policies and their similarities to Tudjman's Monday. He will be the
only expert witness and will conclude the trial unless new evidence
is presented. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554180600-24d
*** Swiss pledge to bar violence around trade summit
Swiss authorities warned Sunday violence would not be tolerated
around this week's World Trade Organization conference in Geneva
after youths burned cars and looted shops following a protest against
free trade. The warning was issued as police tightened a
barricade-and-barbed wire blockade around international sites in the
city, to be visited briefly by President Clinton Monday and by other
global leaders Tuesday. The statement came after a relatively
peaceful march by up to 5,000 supporters of a movement that says the
132-member trade body is an instrument of capitalist exploitation
degenerated into a night of mayhem in the usually city. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198527-90f
*** Palace says paper 'scaremongering' about Margaret
Buckingham Palace dismissed as "scaremongering" a British Sunday
newspaper report saying an ailing Princess Margaret was preparing for
a possible withdrawal from public life. A palace spokeswoman said
Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, who suffered a stroke in February,
would not on medical advice undertake any public engagements until
the end of June when the state of her health would be reviewed. But
the 67-year-old princess has fulfilled a number of private
engagements, including a recent Windsor Castle reception, and would
attend the Chelsea Flower Show in London Monday in a private
capacity, the spokeswoman said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199035-2f2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Africa
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Ethiopia says 20 killed, 370 displaced
Ethiopia said Sunday 20 people were killed, a further 20 wounded and
370 people were displaced by Eritrean forces which invaded the
country's northern territory Tuesday. Eritrea admitted last week its
forces had engaged Ethiopia in a battle over territory but insisted
it was merely retaking land which its neighbor grabbed six month ago.
ENA said the Eritrean troops had ransacked health centers and schools
in the district, adding a number of civil servants in the region had
been kidnaped. Ethiopia has threatened to make a "firm response"
unless the Eritrean forces unconditionally withdraw from the
territory they occupied in what Ethiopia says was a surprise attack
Tuesday. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199308-d6f
*** Related: Ethiopian press, students denounce Eritrea, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554184165-485
*** Kabila's allies boycott Congo celebrations
More than a dozen invited African heads of state stayed away from
celebrations Sunday marking President Laurent Kabila's takeover of
power in the former Zaire, officials said. Senior government
officials said privately the apparent snub underlined serious
differences between Kabila and key regional allies who helped him
topple veteran dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. The ceremony started with a
military parade in the Chinese-built Martyrs stadium in the capital
Kinshasa. Soldiers had been celebrating in barracks since Saturday.
But as crowds built up slowly in the stadium, there was no sign of
delegations from either Rwanda or Uganda, power brokers in Central
Africa's turbulent Great Lakes region. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554195972-642
*** Related: Kinshasa indifferent to Kabila anniversary, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554201218-82f
*** From the Congo, Death penalty call for Congo detainees, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554181040-bed
*** Human rights leader arrested in Kabila's Congo, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172559-dee
*** Slain exile's friends accuse Rwandan govt.
Friends of a slain Rwandan opposition leader accused the Kigali
government Sunday of ordering his assassination in Kenya, where he
was in exile. Seth Sendashonga, who survived an attempt on his life
in Nairobi in 1996, was shot dead in his car in a Nairobi traffic jam
Saturday. His driver later died of his wounds. "The government in
Kigali does not tolerate opposition. There is no doubt in my mind
that they did this," said Sendashonga's personal secretary. "He was a
threat to them because he was moderate and he knew too much," said a
political supporter of Sendashonga who declined to be quoted. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198287-994
*** Church accused of shielding Rwanda genocide suspects, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554181060-6ce
*** Rebels hit Algerian town, troops kill 38
Moslem rebels bombarded Algeria's main garrison town with mortar
fire, wounding six people, while troops elsewhere shot dead 38
guerrillas and had others trapped, Algerian newspapers said Sunday.
Entrenched in mountainous territory, the rebels hit the Bou Arfa area
on the outskirts of Blida with 10 mortar bombs Saturday wounding six
people, including two women, newspapers said. Army artillery hit back
to silence the rebel mortars, they said. It was the fourth time
rebels bombarded the Blida region where the armed forces have their
main headquarters and bases. At least two people died and 43 were
wounded last month when guerrillas pounded downtown Blida for several
hours. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554195384-6f6
*** Related: 57 Algerians die in latest violence, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554180629-cbb
*** Nigerian Catholic bishops warn of danger
Catholic bishops in Nigeria expressed grave concerns for the country
Sunday, saying danger lay ahead of its planned transition to civilian
rule by October. Political tension have risen in multi-ethnic Nigeria
since five registered political parties chose military ruler Sani
Abacha last month to run as sole candidate in August presidential
elections. The 54-year-old infantry general, who seized power in
1993, has not confirmed he will run but has not stopped campaigns by
his supporters and state media pressing him stay in power as a
civilian ruler. Opponents and pro-democracy groups have dismissed
Abacha's democracy plan as a farce and called May Day protests
against continued military rule. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196924-637
*** Related: Nigerian police arrest 19 over anti-Abacha protest, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554180433-d6e
*** S. Africa struggling under a millstone of corruption
South Africa is struggling under a millstone of corruption in local
government departments that has cost the country billions of rand,
the chief of a special investigations unit said Friday. "We have
found that checks disappear all over the country," said Judge William
Heath. "There is maladministration and corruption all over government
departments. We have to have approval from the president's office
before we can investigate a case, and there have been holdups," Heath
said, noting the all clear had been given to just 337 inquiries out
of 807 applied for. Heath, whose unit has a budget of just 16 million
rand a year, highlighted a number of cases ranging from missing farms
to motor vehicles, stolen checks and fraudulent loans. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173206-f32
----------------------------------------------------------------------
India and the Middle East
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Taleban bomb opposition, 30 reported killed
Afghanistan's Taleban Islamic militia bombed the opposition-held town
of Taloqan Sunday and 31 people were killed, Afghan Islamic Presser
said. It was thought to be one of the most serious attacks since
U.S.-backed peace talks broke down in Islamabad last month. AIP said
the Taleban bombed Taloqan four times from the air, killing 31 people
and injuring 43. The movement is known to have ageing Soviet-era jet
fighters and some helicopters. The agency said eight bombs hit the
town. Taleban sources told AIP it had carried out the attack because
opposition leaders were holding talks in Taloqan at the time. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198636-77c
*** 4 villagers shot dead in Kashmir attack
At least four people were shot dead and six wounded Saturday by
suspected Kashmiri separatist guerrillas in India's Jammu and Kashmir
province, police said. Officials said seven people died in the attack
at Binola Chuora village, but a senior police official later said the
toll could be lower as he could confirm only four deaths. Four people
were wounded seriously in the attack and two of them have been
airlifted to Jammu, police said. All the victims were Moslems, said
to be former guerrillas who had a change of heart and were made
police representatives and/or members of village defense committees
formed against the separatists. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554183217-968
*** Iran begins air force war games
The Iranian air force began three days of exercises Sunday and ground
forces said they would launch six days of separate military maneuvers
Monday. About 800 air force personnel from seven bases took part in
Sunday's war games at the Gulf port of Bushehr, the news agency IRNA
said. Brig. Gen. Siyavosh Moshiri, commander of the Bushehr 6th
fighter base, said beefing up the combat readiness of the air force,
promoting its know-how and testing new equipment were among the main
objectives. He said positions of a hypothetical enemy would be
attacked with bombs and missiles. Fighter and reconnaissance planes
would perform attack and counter-attack operations in formations of
four every 40 minutes. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196035-a29
*** Related: Syrian armed forces conduct maneuvers, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199161-ed8
*** Mystery bombs kill 2 in restive Karachi
Explosions killed two people and injured 18 in the restive Pakistani
port city of Karachi Saturday, police said. "Apparently they appear
to be bomb explosions, but it is too early to give details," a police
official said. The blasts occurred in roadside cabins in the eastern
Gulshan-e-Iqbal area. They exploded one after the other in Zia al-Haq
Colony, a residential area. Two people were killed instantly while at
least 18 were injured and receiving treatment. More than 120 people
have been killed in Karachi's political, ethnic and sectarian
violence so far this year, compared to 400 in 1997. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554180171-43c
*** Tamil gunmen kill Sri Lanka mayoress
The mayoress of Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna town, Sarojini
Yogeswaran, was shot dead by Tamil Tiger rebel gunmen Sunday, the
government said. Sarojini Yogeswaran was shot dead by Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam gunmen. At the time of the shooting the mayor
was at her residence in Jaffna, a government statement said.
Officials of her Tamil United Liberation Front party said Yogeswaran,
the widow of an assassinated moderate Tamil politician, was rushed to
hospital by soldiers but declared dead on arrival. A TULF councillor
who was at Yogeswaran's home was wounded. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196243-975
*** Yemen govt. sworn in, opponents see no change
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh swore in a new government Sunday
but opposition leaders said the lack of fresh faces dashed hope for
change in the impoverished Arab country. The 30-member cabinet,
headed by Prime Minister Abdul-Karim al-Iryani, was appointed
Saturday, two and a half weeks after Faraj Said bin Ghanem resigned
as premier over differences with the president. Key portfolios such
as defense, oil and mineral resources, finance and the interior were
unchanged. Only three new faces were brought in. Bin Ghanem quit
April 29 after less than a year in office. Officials said he tendered
his resignation after President Saleh rejected cabinet changes he had
proposed. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554196101-185
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Far East
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Over 20 feared dead in Manila hospital fire
At least 22 patients were believed killed when fire engulfed a
hospital in the Philippine capital Manila Saturday, officials said. A
total of 10 bodies were recovered from the hospital site 10 hours
after the fire broke out. The 10, all patients, died from burns and
suffocation in their beds after a power outage cut off oxygen
supplies to several who were hooked up to respirators. 12 more were
believed trapped in the intensive care ward. Hospital staff evacuated
scores of patients from the three-story Lung Center of the
Philippines, some using cigarette lighters to find their way through
the darkness. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554180610-671
*** Marcos children 'rise from ashes' to win election
Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos said Sunday her family had
risen from the ashes with the landslide victories by two of her
children in the national election, signaling a political comeback for
the Marcos name. "This is a miracle from heaven," the wife of late
dictator Ferdinand Marcos said after celebrating her children's twin
victories with a mass at the sprawling family compound in Manila's
San Juan district. The lone Marcos son, Ferdinand Jr, 40, has been
elected governor of Ilocos Norte, his father's home province in the
north of the country. Eldest daughter Imee, 42, won a seat in
Congress, also representing Ilocos Norte. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554194920-826
*** Related: Philippines poor choose man who makes elite cringe, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554193003-a8d
*** Cheating accusations intensify in Philippine poll, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554182502-c45
*** Latest unofficial results in Philippine poll, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554181539-0ab
*** China police fired on Tibet prison protest
Chinese police shot at Tibetan prisoners who staged a nationalist
demonstration inside the jail walls earlier this month, a Tibetan
rights group based in India said Saturday. Some 150 inmates in
Tibet's Drapchi Prison flew the Tibetan flag and demonstrated within
the compound's walls May 1, the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and
Democracy said. "Armed police used every forcible means to clamp down
on the demonstrators, leading to firing by the PSB and PAP armed
forces on the unarmed political prisoners," it said. "Many are
believed to have later been put in solitary confinement and to
undergo brutal atrocities in those cells." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554178492-c78
*** China dissident charged with aiding escape - agency, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554191975-7a3
*** French woman climber and sherpa die in Nepal
French mountaineer Chantal Mauduit was found dead on the slopes of
the world's seventh highest peak, Nepal's Tourism Ministry said
Sunday. It said 34-year-old Mauduit from Les Houches was found dead
in her tent at 21,000 feet on Mount Dhaulagiri I in north-central
Nepal Saturday with her regular mountain guide, Sherpa Ang Tserang.
Mauduit was part of a Spanish team led by Juan Jose San Sebastian.
According to the Spaniards' agents in Kathmandu, two members of the
Spanish group who were stranded in a camp above Mauduit's for a few
days due to bad weather, found the two bodies on their descent.
Mauduit successfully scaled six of the world's 14 highest mountains.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554197104-647
*** Cambodian opposition seen staying in election
Cambodia's opposition was expected to stay in the running for the
July election for now, even though conditions for a free and fair
vote are still not in place, party officials said Sunday. Deposed
co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh and other Cambodian opposition
leaders said in April they were setting a May 18 deadline for what
they said were minimum requirements necessary for a free and fair
poll. Party officials said Sunday no official decision on the matter
had been reached but one said he did not expect a pull-out. The
registration of voters for the crucial July 26 election is due to
begin Monday and will run until June 15. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554195046-383
*** Cambodia's Hun Sen orders military to be neutral, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554178706-3ad
*** Australia offers visa extensions
Australia said Saturday it will consider extending visas for visiting
Indonesians afraid to go home and had arranged extra flights for its
own citizens to return from Indonesia. Australia's immigration
department said any extensions would be decided on an individual
basis and remain valid until law and order is restored in the
troubled country, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Phillip
Ruddock said. Australian carrier Qantas Airways runs a daily
Jakarta-to-Sydney service and said it had replaced a smaller Boeing
747 with a larger model capable of accommodating an additional 100
passengers. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554179684-ae0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Business and Financial News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Japanese paper berates govt for economic 'failure'
Japan's largest circulation newspaper attacked the administration of
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto Monday, accusing him of failing to
shore up the economy. The Yomiuri Shimbun called on Japan's private
sector to seize the initiative from Japan's bureaucracy, the
perennial source of policy. At the same time it slammed what it
called the bureaucracy's arrogant belief it generates the best ideas
on how to run the country. The bureaucracy's credibility has come
under increasing scrutiny as the nation's economic slump worsens, and
after a series of scandals involving officials of the Ministry of
Finance and the central bank, the Bank of Japan. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554207248-295
*** Iran approves plan for Caspian pipeline to Tehran
Iran said Sunday plans have been approved to issue an international
tender for a 240 mile pipeline to carry crude oil from Iran's Caspian
Sea port of Neka to Tehran, the Iran News reported. The paper,
quoting officials from the National Iranian Oil Company, said the
pipeline was intended for the transport of Caspian Sea crude to
Tehran in exchange for Iranian crude to be shipped out of the Gulf to
export markets in swap arrangements. The pipeline project, estimated
to cost $400 million, will have the capacity to transport 380,000
barrels per day. Iran regularly says it offers the most
cost-effective route for the transport of Caspian and Central Asian
oil and gas, but its efforts to position itself as the prime route
have been blocked by the U.S. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199622-8d6
*** India to build strategic stocks of imported crude
India will build strategic stocks of imported crude oil to insulate
it from future exigencies of war and price volatility of petroleum
products, a government official said Sunday. "As in most advanced
nations, India will construct storage tanks for building stocks of
crude oil. These (stocks) will be for providing oil security in times
of war or a war-like situation," the official said. "The stocks will
be used (for producing products) in times when the international
prices are too steep or too volatile." The official clarified the
proposal had been pending since Oct. 1995 and was floated after
product prices skyrocketed to touch a new high. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554195491-d5c
*** Trade meet set to emphasize open markets
World leaders and trade ministers will focus on ensuring markets stay
open despite financial and political crises rocking Asia when they
meet at a major conference in Geneva this week, diplomats said
Sunday. At a three-day gathering of the World Trade Organization,
they will also try to agree on how to push ahead to realize a vision
of global free trade in goods and services sometime in the 21st
century. The message that trade liberalization is vital for the world
economy will be the central theme of an opening address by WTO
Director-General Renato Ruggiero and a speech by President Clinton
Monday, diplomats said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199700-bea
*** Israelis with foreign income to file tax statement
Israelis with foreign income will have to file a personal tax
statement during 1999 for the 1998 year under draft legislation
published by the Income and Property Tax Authority Sunday. The
changes are to bring the tax code into line with Israel's new
liberalized foreign currency regime, which went into effect last
Thursday, the authority said. Among other things, Israelis can buy
and sell property abroad and hold and make transactions in foreign
currency. Income tax commissioner Doron Levy said personal tax
statements would have to be filed by Israelis holding foreign bank
accounts or property and/or making foreign currency transactions
during the year. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199017-84f
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Science and Medicine
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Teen in transplant debate in critical condition
A teen-age boy at the center of a national debate on organ
transplants was in critical condition Sunday, two days after
successfully undergoing a four-organ transplant. A hospital
spokeswoman said Daniel Canal's condition was typical for someone who
had received so many new organs. "He is still critical. He will be
the whole weekend. We really shook up that poor guy's body," a
spokeswoman said. Canal, 13, received a small intestine, liver,
pancreas and stomach at Jackson Memorial Hospital Friday and was
still in the intensive care unit Sunday. He is from Wheaton, Md. He
had been on the transplant list at the University of Pittsburgh for
five years, and had been hospitalized in Pittsburgh for nearly eight
weeks. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554201826-5dc
*** Trials show Herceptin slows spread of breast cancer
Human trials of Genentech Inc.'s drug Herceptin showed it can prevent
the spread of metastatic breast cancer by up to three months, cancer
researchers said Sunday. Phase III trials of the drug in human
patients, typically one of the final hurdles before approval by the
Food and Drug Administration, showed Herceptin helped stop the spread
of cancer and slowed tumor growth in women with metastatic breast
cancer when added to chemotherapy. If Herceptin gains FDA approval,
as expected later this year, it will become the first monoclonal
antibody for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin
works by targeting the HER2/neu protein. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554202099-417
*** NASA to test lightweight shuttle tank
A redesigned lightweight fuel tank for the space shuttle, needed to
haul heavy space station parts into orbit, will undergo a crucial
preflight test Monday, NASA officials said. The new tank, which feeds
the shuttle's main engines with about 1,000 gallons of rocket fuel a
second, is to make its maiden flight June 2 and is 7,500 pounds
lighter than the older design NASA has used since 1983. The old tank
weighed 65,500 pounds. In Monday's test the tank, attached to shuttle
Discovery, will be loaded with 500,000 gallons of super-cold liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen rocket fuels, shuttle launch director
David King said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554201005-c3e
*** New class of cancer drugs may help leukemia, too
A new class of cancer drugs that have recently won a great deal of
attention because of their impact on tumors in mice may also work
against leukemia, their discoverer says. Dr. Judah Folkman of Harvard
University and Boston Children's Hospital, whose anti-angiogenesis
compounds have made front-page news and tongue-twisting drug names a
household word, said Sunday he was surprised to find they worked
against leukemia in mice. One of the drugs, endostatin, seems to put
leukemia in remission when used alone in mice. And Folkman said he
had found a third natural protein, called vasculostatin, to add to
the growing arsenal of angiogenesis inhibitors. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554198753-f37
*** Related: U.S. cancer group says report of cure unrealistic, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554187471-1bc
*** Managed care keeps depressed from treatment
Managed care policies that make people see a family doctor before
going to a specialist are the biggest obstacle to getting people the
right treatment for depression, experts said Friday. But they said
with a little training, primary care doctors can learn to look for
the signs of depression and greatly improve treatment. Dr. David
Brody, a director at Allegheny University Hospital Systems in
Philadelphia, said, "While managed care is blocking progress right
now, it also has a unique opportunity to lead in the reorganization
and improvement of the delivery of mental health care in the primary
care setting." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172474-3e0
*** Doctor says sex pill could become 'lifestyle drug'
Viagra, the new impotence wonder drug, may be so effective it could
become a lifestyle drug, a German doctor said over the weekend,
warning great care must be taken in prescribing it. Professor Hartmut
Porst, a Hamburg urologist, said the sex pill could cure the most
hopeless cases of male impotence. "This pill opens a new era," Porst
said Monday. "I have been working in this area for 18 years and I
never thought this possible." The drug, produced by Pfizer, is
already selling in record volumes in the U.S. Delighted users include
former U.S. senate leader Bob Dole. Viagra, which has yet to be
approved for use in Germany, works by improving the flow of blood to
a man's penis, enabling him to get and maintain a reliable erection.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554182788-e68
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Frank Sinatra mourned in cyberspace
The outpouring of grief over the death of Frank Sinatra Friday spread
from the old media of radio, print and television to the new media,
as fans and family shared memories of the legendary singer on the
Internet. The "Sinatra Family Album," featuring snapshots of Sinatra
with his daughters and grandchildren (http://www.sinatrafamily.com),
has a black-background home, or introductory page titled "rest in
peace." It plays the song "Softly as I leave you," over and over.
Some Web sites provided virtual "books of condolence" enabling
computer users to send messages of sympathy to Sinatra's family. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173781-a55
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Environment
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Environment group opens international whaling meet
The International Whaling Commission opened its 50th annual meeting
in Oman Saturday amid calls by an animal rights group for the use of
sanctions to enforce an international moratorium on whaling. Campaign
Whale said in a report that an existing ban had so far failed to stop
Norway and Japan from reaping huge profits from the slaughter of the
protected mammals. Omani officials said 300 delegates from 33
countries would discuss the world's whale population and
international violations of the moratorium. The failure to stop
Norway and Japan from hunting whales will also be discussed at the
meeting, the IWC said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554184058-03c
*** Central America smoke blamed in small plane crash
Dense wildfire smoke blamed on El Nino choked much of Central America
Saturday, snarling up air traffic in the region and possibly causing
a small plane crash that killed three men in Guatemala. Rony Paz,
civil aviation operations chief, said the three men on board were
flying over the northern province of Peten to monitor the spread of
wildfires burning since February, threatening national parks and
precious jungles. Months of El Nino-related drought have caused one
of the worst fire seasons in memory in Mexico and Central America. In
the dry conditions fires set off by farmers clearing land have burned
out of control in many areas. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554186302-3d7
*** Related: Central Amer. wildfire prevention said inadequate, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554173661-504
*** Related: Mexico asks U.S. for help in dousing fires, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554171864-2a9
*** Related: Texas governor says Mexico smoke no cause for panic, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554172424-fb0
*** Mexico heat wave claims 2 more victims
Two children died of heat exposure near Cancun, Mexico, bringing to
nine the number of deaths from a heat wave in eastern Quintana Roo
state, health officials said Saturday. Daytime high temperatures in
Quintana Roo have hovered between 104 to 111 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nearly every major Mexican city has set heat records in the past two
months. Mexico has also been plagued by an El Nino-fed drought and
the country's worst fires in at least 50 years. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554185861-765
*** Related: Mexico City residents advised to stay indoors, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554178236-853
*** Related: Mexico's El Nino drought said worst in 70 years, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554201163-810
*** Italian town evacuated as hard rain falls again
Quindici, one of the towns devastated by mudslides that killed at
least 148 people in southern Italy last week, was evacuated Friday
after torrential rains hit the area again, officials said. Italian
television showed residents and civil protection workers leaving by
car as alarm sirens sounded to warn of the risk of more mudslides.
Most residents had begun leaving the small town earlier in the day
when a preliminary alarm was sounded warning them to prepare for a
possible evacuation. Eleven of those killed last week died in
Quindici. The worst-hit town was Sarno, where 125 people died and 103
were missing. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554170783-864
*** U.S., Canada end salmon talks with no agreement
U.S. and Canadian salmon negotiators ended a week of talks Friday
with no signs of progress toward an interim agreement to cover the
upcoming Pacific fishing season. The third round of talks in two
months ended with no new negotiations scheduled, although the two
sides left open the possibility for future discussions, officials
said. Chief U.S. negotiator Roberts Owen said the U.S. offered a
number of proposals for a new agreement and said he was "frustrated
that we didn't reach that goal." Both negotiators were appointed this
year to resolve the battle over the $1 billion salmon harvest, which
has been simmering since at least 1993, when quotas established by
the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty expired. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554174564-ae2
*** Quake hits Mexico's Pacific coast, no damage seen
An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the open-ended Richter scale shook
Mexico's southwest Pacific coast Saturday, but no damage or
casualties were reported. Mexico's National Seismological Service
said the quake struck in the Petatlan region of southwestern Guerrero
state. Some residents of Mexico City, some 150 miles to the northeast
of the epicenter, felt the quake. (REUTERS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Interest
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Disney World celebrates 10,000th wedding
The groom arrived on a white stallion, the bride in a glass carriage,
and their vows were exchanged before one of the world's most famous
castles. A royal wedding? Not when oversized ducks, dogs and mice
join the receiving line. Walt Disney World pulled out all the stops
Sunday for the Florida park's 10,000th wedding. Disney World replaced
Niagara Falls long ago as the number one U.S. destination for
honeymooners, according to travel industry figures, and the number of
weddings performed there has grown to about 2,300 a year since Disney
opened its Wedding Pavilion two years ago. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554205912-b76
*** Tiny fragment of Mars meteorite sells for $4,600
A piece of a meteorite from Mars sold Sunday for $4,600, more than a
thousand times the value of its weight in gold, Phillips auction
house said. "This is a new world record for a piece of Mars," said
Darrell Pitt, one of the auction house's natural history specialists.
The pre-sale estimate was $1,000 to $2,000. The meteorite, called
Governador Valadares, was found in Brazil in 1958 and was described
by the Smithsonian Institute last year as the "least understood of
the Martian meteorites." "It sold for 1,600 times the current price
of gold," said Pitt. The piece weighs around a hundredth of an ounce
and measures 0.08 x 0.08 x 0.16 inches. Gold currently trades at
around $300 an ounce. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554205422-6b3
*** Philadelphia police chief nabs purse snatcher
Philadelphia's new crime-busting police commissioner ran down a purse
snatcher while out jogging and held the suspect until patrol officers
arrived, police said Sunday. John Timoney, 49, was jogging through
Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square Friday when a resident stopped him
and reported the crime. "Well, I am the police commissioner," he was
quoted as saying before taking off after the suspect, a homeless man
identified as Jesse Lotman. Timoney, a marathon runner who jogs 6-7
miles a day, replaced former Police Commissioner Richard Neal in
March, amid widespread expectations he would bring to Philadelphia
the same crime-fighting acumen he displayed in New York City. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554199151-213
*** Brits prove patriotic when it comes to G8 beer
What's yours? A pint of Boris' Belter, Bill's Best Brew or Blair's
Cool Britannia Bitter? A Birmingham pub brewed a special beer in
honor of each of the leaders at the Group of Eight summit and found
the English are patriots when it comes to their ale. Thirsty visitors
to the Prince of Wales drained the 9-gallon barrel of Blair's Cool
Britannia Bitter, named after the British prime minister, faster than
all the others. Next came the brew honoring Russian President Boris
Yeltsin and third was President Clinton's ale. Trailing them were
Chirac's Cracker, Kohl's Quencher, Chretien's Creation, Prodi's Prize
Ale and Hashimoto's Tokyo Tipple. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554187344-dac
*** Netanyahu greets New Yorkers in surprise detour
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took time out Saturday from
discussing Middle East peace and greeted New Yorkers and tourists in
an impromptu detour en route to a synagogue. Netanyahu emerged from a
Manhattan hotel surrounded by Israeli and U.S. security officers to
walk six blocks to a synagogue. Escorted by a police motorcade and
his guards, Netanyahu strolled through streets blocked off with dump
trucks before suddenly moving toward a waiting crowd beneath blue and
white Israeli flags flying from lampposts. His move surprised police,
who toppled a photographer's tripod and slightly injured a
photographer as they scrambled to move a police cruiser and
barricades to make room for the prime minister. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554187090-633
*** Warhol paintings set records at auction
A two-day auction of contemporary art yielded more than $42 million
in sales and set a new record for silk-screens by pop icon Andy
Warhol, Sotheby's said Friday. At Friday's concluding session of
Sotheby's spring sale of contemporary works, Warhol's "Multicolored
Marilyn" was bought by a European dealer for $211,500. The auction
house pre-sale estimate was $80,000 to $100,000. Warhol's "Mick
Jagger" went for $189,500 to a private collector. The pre-sale
estimate was between $100,000 and $150,000. "Orange Marilyn" went for
a Warhol-record $17.3 million Thursday to a private collector. Its
pre-sale estimate was between $4 million and $6 million. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554174179-5a8
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