Morning Coffee Edition for Wednesday, August 05, 1998
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U.S. Front Page Stories
-----------------------
*** Update: Clinton, Lewinsky brace for grand jury testimony
*** House panel heads for contempt battle with Reno
*** Mother of switched 3-year-old seeks conclusive tests
*** GM to restructure North American operations
*** ABA acts to restrict lawyers' campaign contributions
*** Alternative campaign plan pushed in House
The U.S. Political Scene
------------------------
*** House Republican split could boost IMF deal
*** House panel moves against assisted suicides
*** Government offers $4 million for Teamsters election
*** House votes to restore legal aid funds to poor
*** House Republicans want Clinton's word on spending
*** Kevorkian lawyer fights for Mich. governor's nomination
The Courts
----------
*** WTC convicted bombers to be resentenced
*** Convicted ex-cadet says did not kill teen-age girl
*** Microsoft asks court to limit Gates deposition
*** Woody Harrelson denounces lawyers in father's case
*** Johnnie Cochran libel suit against newspaper thrown out
U.S. Business and Financial News
--------------------------------
*** Wall St. reels as big caps succumb to market woes
World Front Page Stories
------------------------
*** Iraq, U.S. face off as weapons talks breakdown
*** Revolt spreads in Kabila's Congo
*** Update: Kosovo clashes continue, despite West's pleas
*** Budget constraints seen limiting global arms sales growth
The World Political Scene
-------------------------
*** Israel Labor leader urges peace deal with PLO
*** Loyalists issue warning over N. Ireland peace deal
*** Afghan women under 'house arrest' - rights group
*** Myanmar say Suu Kyi unwise to try to leave Yangon
The Americas
------------
*** Update: Colombia rebels in nationwide offensive, 76 dead
*** Update: Historic Canadian Indian treaty initialed
*** Haitian leaders set massive police drug crackdown
*** Britain's Lloyd meets Falkland protests in Argentina
*** Suspected Mexican drug lord freed, then rearrested
*** Suspect arrested in Brazil park murders case
Europe and Russia
-----------------
*** Rescuers recover first body from Berlin rubble
*** Update: Huge fire engulfs village, burns homes near Athens
*** World Bank to consider $1.5 billion Russia loan
Africa
------
*** UN envoy meets Angola's Savimbi on war fear
*** Rwandan army says 60 Hutu rebels killed
*** Sudan government and rebels restart peace talks
India and the Middle East
-------------------------
*** 2 Jewish settlers killed in West Bank
*** Update: Death toll from collapsed India building hits 35
*** Yemen, Saudi teams meet after Red Sea island clash
*** Update: Afghan Taleban says it takes province
*** Update: Sri Lanka delays crucial local elections
The Far East
------------
*** Typhoon Otto kills 5 in Taiwan
*** Australian deputy PM steps down, reelected
*** Retired Indonesia generals urge Suharto probe
World Business and Financial News
---------------------------------
*** Oil edges higher on fresh Iraqi flare-up
Science and Medicine
--------------------
*** Aspirin eases plant aches, too, researchers say
*** Drug studied in U.S. to block cocaine addiction
*** Exercise may not cut breast cancer risk - study
*** To retire happy, be rich - in friends, study finds
Technology
----------
*** House backs new copyright for the digital age
The Environment
---------------
*** Group pushes EPA to come clean on water pollutants
*** No sign of Gulf ills from uranium ammo - Pentagon
*** Brazil task force to assess Atlantic deforestation
*** 2 quakes hit Ecuador coast, no serious injuries
*** Pollution makes for wet weekends
Human Interest
--------------
*** Mozart makes mazes manageable for rats
*** Stray San Francisco crocodile gets stay of execution
*** Fishing village to be Venezuelan capital for a day
*** Year 2000 no 'apocalypse' for Eternal City
*** Galoob to produce Titanic dolls
*** Vatican colonnades get facelift for year 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Front Page Stories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Update: Clinton, Lewinsky brace for grand jury testimony
President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky met with their attorneys
Tuesday to prepare for grand jury testimony about their relationship,
as a group of congressional Democrats offered Clinton their ringing
support. A Supreme Court ruling also cleared the way for a White
House lawyer to appear before special prosecutor Kenneth Starr's
grand jury probing the Lewinsky sex-and-perjury allegations. Chief
Justice William Rehnquist cleared lawyer Lanny Breuer, who
specializes in dealing with the scandal, to testify over White House
objections that such testimony violates attorney-client
confidentiality. Clinton picked up political support from the
congressional Hispanic caucus, who met with him at the White House.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395782-c50
*** Also: 4 years on, Ken Starr's motto is 'just the facts,' see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395798-205
*** Also: Hispanic lawmakers offer Clinton support, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394696-e0f
*** House panel heads for contempt battle with Reno
A House committee probing alleged campaign fund-raising abuses
threatened Attorney General Janet Reno with contempt Tuesday if she
did not turn over confidential memos recommending the appointment of
an independent counsel on the issue. But Reno, who has refused to
seek an independent counsel to take over the Justice Department Task
Force's probe of alleged Clinton administration fund-raising
violations, said she was reviewing both memos and would not make a
quick decision. She said release of the memos could threaten the
ongoing probe and said she would not release them simply to satisfy
the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555396750-519
*** Mother of switched 3-year-old seeks conclusive tests
Two Virginia families raising daughters apparently switched at birth
are exchanging pictures and trading stories about the toddlers as
they cope with the heartrending discovery, the mother of one girl
said Tuesday. A tearful Paula Johnson said she has no intention of
giving up the blue-eyed, blonde-haired daughter she has raised since
birth, but is seeking genetic tests to confirm that another girl born
at the hospital in late June 1995 is her biological daughter. On July
3, Johnson, 30, learned from court officials that genetic tests
conducted for a paternity suit confirmed that Callie Johnson, the
youngest of her four children, was not her biological daughter. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394972-64d
*** GM to restructure North American operations
General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it would restructure its North
American operations in a bid to cut costs and streamline how it sells
cars and trucks. The world's largest automaker said it would replace
its current five marketing organizations with a single sales and
service operation divided into five regions in the U.S. GM said it
will keep the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac
brand names. The target date for completing the restructuring is Jan.
1999. GM expects the restructuring to save $200 million to $300
million and result in job losses. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394229-53c
*** ABA acts to restrict lawyers' campaign contributions
The American Bar Association passed a controversial resolution
Tuesday aimed at stopping lawyers from making contributions to public
officials in hopes of winning business. The resolution urges state
and local bar associations to condemn the practice known as
"pay-to-play" and to create systems in which lawyers would report
contributions to political campaigns. It also suggests that merit
processes should be adopted to select lawyers doing work for
government agencies. The ABA's policymaking body, its House of
Delegates, also ordered its ethics committee to develop a new rule
declaring that lawyers and law firms should not make political
contributions to obtain work. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395869-891
*** Alternative campaign plan pushed in House
Members of a coalition of first-term lawmakers pushed Tuesday for
their own plan to revamp campaign finance laws, saying the overhaul
already approved by the House would not pass muster in the Senate.
"Ours is a new bill with the potential for greater support," said
Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) and co-sponsor of the plan known as "the
freshman bill." He and other members of the coalition said the plan
to ban soft-money and tighten restrictions on "issue advocacy" ads
approved by the House Monday, sponsored by Reps. Christopher Shays
and Marty Meehan faced possible constitutional questions and was dead
on arrival in the Senate. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555396884-3fc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The U.S. Political Scene
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** House Republican split could boost IMF deal
The White House's $18 billion funding package for the International
Monetary Fund has divided the Republican leadership in the House,
boosting its chances of passage, analysts said Tuesday. Though House
Republican Leader Richard Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay oppose
full funding for the lending agency, several other leading
Republicans say they want to replenish the IMF's reserves, drained by
bailouts for Russia and three Asian states. Aides said Tuesday that
Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner was likely to back the
$18 billion package if the lending agency agreed to reforms. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555396456-fb2
*** House panel moves against assisted suicides
In a move aimed at undermining Oregon's assisted suicide law, a House
panel Tuesday backed a measure that would penalize doctors who aid
such deaths by taking away their ability to prescribe certain
controlled drugs. The House Judiciary Committee on a voice vote
approved the bill. The panel earlier voted along party lines against
several Democratic amendments aimed at modifying the bill. The bill
does distinguish between giving a drug to control pain, though it
might hasten death, and giving a drug to cause a death. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393904-c90
*** Government offers $4 million for Teamsters election
The U.S. government offered Tuesday to reimburse the Teamsters union
some $4 million to help pay for oversight of its rerun leadership
election. Lawyers representing the government submitted the offer in
Manhattan federal court, which the Teamsters' union has asked to help
pay for supervision of rerun balloting. The election is being held to
replace former Teamsters President Ron Carey, whose narrow win over
James P. Hoffa in 1996 was thrown out because of illegally
fund-raising by Carey's campaign. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555397349-de3
*** House votes to restore legal aid funds to poor
Saying the federal government must give poor people access to the
justice system, the House rejected a Republican effort Tuesday to
slash funding for the Legal Services Corp. On a 255-170 vote, House
members agreed to restore $109 million that was cut at the committee
level, raising funding to $250 million for the program that uses
federal funds, donations and attorneys' pro bono time to provide poor
people with lawyers and legal help. The White House, in an escalating
dispute with Congress over next year's budget, threatened to veto the
$28 billion spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State
departments the House is considering this week unless it provides
enough money for its priorities such as Legal Services. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555399163-0a5
*** Also: Clinton strikes a last vestige of old welfare system, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394846-d4c
*** House Republicans want Clinton's word on spending
In an exchange of letters, the White House and House Republicans
agreed Tuesday to work to find money to pay for priority programs
next fiscal year without violating the balanced budget agreement. But
responding to a letter from House Speaker Newt Gingrich and
Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, White House chief
of staff Erskine Bowles chided House Republicans for proposing tax
cuts that he said would tap into the Social Security trust fund and
undermine "the strict 'pay as you go' budget rule." Gingrich and
Livingston sought assurances Tuesday from President Clinton that he
would not violate the balanced-budget agreement or risk a government
shutdown to find more money for his pet programs. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555398105-cd4
*** Kevorkian lawyer fights for Mich. governor's nomination
Millionaire attorney Geoffrey Fieger, best known as the legal
defender of suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian, remained locked in a tight
race for the Michigan Democratic gubernatorial nomination Tuesday.
Fieger and Larry Owen, a lawyer and businessman, both had about 40%
of the vote with 20% of the ballots counted. The third candidate
vying for the Democratic nomination, former state commerce director
Doug Ross, conceded defeat earlier in the evening. Two-term
Republican Gov. John Engler easily secured the nomination for a third
bid, winning over token opposition from Gary Artinian, a
cardiologist. Analysts said Engler is considered the early favorite
to win in November. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400359-581
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Courts
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** WTC convicted bombers to be resentenced
A federal judge upheld the convictions Tuesday of four men in
connection with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center which
killed six people, but ruled that the men must be re-sentenced. The
U.S. Court for the Second Circuit ruled that since the men did not
have legal representation at their sentencing before District Court
Judge Kevin Duffy they must be re-sentenced. The men were ordered
remanded and are to be re-sentenced by Judge Duffy. Mohammed Salameh,
Nidal Ayyad, Mahmoud Abouhalima and Mohammad Ajaj were convicted and
later sentenced May 24, 1994, following a six-month trial. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555396820-5c0
*** Convicted ex-cadet says did not kill teen-age girl
A former Air Force Academy cadet convicted last month of killing a
16-year-old girl said in a television interview broadcast Tuesday he
did not commit the crime. David Graham, 20, told interviewer Stone
Phillips on "Dateline NBC" that his girlfriend, former Naval Academy
midshipman Diane Zamora, shot Adrianne Jones to death in a field near
Fort Worth, Texas, in Dec. 1995. "I was not there," said Graham from
a cell in the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth. Graham confessed to
the crime when police arrested him in Sept. 1996, but told Phillips
he made up the confession because Zamora wanted it. "She just had me
to the point where I'd do anything for her," Graham said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400000-fd7
*** Microsoft asks court to limit Gates deposition
Microsoft Corp. lawyers asked a federal judge Tuesday to limit the
U.S. government to no more than eight hours of deposition with its
chairman and chief executive, Bill Gates. In response to the Justice
Department's request last week that Gates be made available for two
consecutive days of testimony, Microsoft accused the government of
"gamesmanship" aimed at disrupting the company's efforts to prepare
for a landmark antitrust trial, set to begin Sept. 8. In its 25-page
filing, the world's leading software company said the government
"inexplicably" waited two months after filing its lawsuit to seek
depositions from 17 Microsoft executives including Gates. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395030-294
*** Woody Harrelson denounces lawyers in father's case
Actor Woody Harrelson denounced as a "stone cold liar" Tuesday a
lawyer who represented his father 20 years ago when the elder
Harrelson was convicted of murdering a federal judge. Woody Harrelson
listened closely during the second day of testimony at a federal
court hearing on a bid by his father, Charles Harrelson, to win a new
trial. The elder Harrelson claims he received inadequate legal
counsel during his first trial. "I didn't buy it. I think he's a
stone cold liar," the younger Harrelson said after listening to his
father's former attorney, Thomas Sharpe, almost cry on the witness
stand. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395675-572
*** Johnnie Cochran libel suit against newspaper thrown out
Lawyer Johnnie Cochran has learned from a federal judge that he can't
beat freedom of speech. The celebrity lawyer may have headed the
"Dream Team" that won freedom for accused double murderer O.J.
Simpson, but he was a loser Tuesday in a $10 million libel suit
brought against New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who implied he
was an unethical liar. In a written opinion, Judge Kim Wardlaw
dismissed Cochran's suit against the Post and Peyser, saying what the
journalist wrote was an opinion protected under the freedom of speech
provisions in the U.S. Constitution. Wardlaw wrote, "Peyser's right
to express her opinion on the subject is absolutely protected by the
First Amendment." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394822-c21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Business and Financial News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Wall St. reels as big caps succumb to market woes
Wall Street got a bloody nose Tuesday as big caps finally succumbed
to the slew of worries that have dented the broader market for some
time. The Dow whipsawed deep into negative territory before closing
off 299 points, or 3.41%, at 8487. It was the Dow's weakest close
since 8445 on March 5 and its third biggest one-day points loss.
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was the third heaviest ever
with 834 million shares changing hands. Declining issues thrashed
advances by a five-to-one margin. The Nasdaq suffered its second
biggest single day points loss, tumbling 65 points, or 3.53%, to
1786. The broader market S&P 500 slid 40 points, or 3.62%, to 1072.
The 30-year Treasury was up 15/32 to yield 5.62%. The dollar fell to
1.7715 marks and 144.80 yen. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394571-2a1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Front Page Stories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Iraq, U.S. face off as weapons talks breakdown
A fresh crisis over Iraqi disarmament loomed after U.N. inspector
Richard Butler refused Baghdad's demands he end his mission and the
White House warned that military action was again an option. Butler
was expected to land in New York Wednesday and may brief
Secretary-General Kofi Annan later in the day before meeting the
Security Council behind closed doors Thursday. He left Baghdad
abruptly Tuesday, refusing Iraqi demands that he declare his mission
accomplished. Iraq, meanwhile, said it had made "a series of
decisions" - which it did not specify - aimed at ending
eight-year-old U.N. sanctions against Baghdad imposed after its
invasion of Kuwait. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555397353-5d1
*** Also: Britain's Cook says Saddam must back down, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395423-41a
*** Also: U.S. disturbed but not surprised by Iraq stand-off, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394671-0e5
*** Revolt spreads in Kabila's Congo
President Laurent Kabila faced a growing revolt in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo Tuesday and his government accused estranged
ally Rwanda of outright aggression. "We say explicitly that Rwanda is
attacking us," said Government Spokesman and Information Minister
Didier Mumenge. "We are the attacked. We can only defend ourselves
militarily," he said, when asked how Congo would respond. With
fighting reported in several towns, regional security sources said
rebels had firm control of the border towns of Goma and Bukavu in the
east. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394095-037
*** Also: Rwanda-Congo border shut as rebellion continues, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395020-900
*** Also: U.S. urges Americans to leave Congo, seeks to halt revolt,
see http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555398806-ec8
*** Also: Revolt in Congo stokes tension with Rwanda, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395435-f6f
*** Update: Kosovo clashes continue, despite West's pleas
Serbian security forces kept up their drive against ethnic Albanian
guerrillas in Kosovo Tuesday with no sign that the demands of Western
powers for a ceasefire were having effect. One U.N. agency said the
Serbian attacks were depopulating the province. Another more than
doubled - to 70,000 - its estimate of the number of people displaced
by fighting over the past week alone. But Serbia's prime minister
said the crackdown was justified and vowed to push on. In central
Kosovo, a Serbian province with a 90% ethnic Albanian majority,
clashes continued. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394105-35f
*** Also: Western peace demands unheeded in Kosovo, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395274-50a
*** Also: Albanian housing ablaze after Serbian offensive, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393731-e4b
*** Budget constraints seen limiting global arms sales growth
Developing nations are still ordering billions of dollars worth of
conventional weapons, but budget constraints will limit growth in the
global arms trade in coming years, according to a new report released
Tuesday. Major economic developments such as the Asian financial
crisis and falling oil prices were reducing potential arms sales to
buyers in Asia and the Gulf, leading the report to predict a more or
less stagnant arms market. Latin American states wanted to modernize
their older military equipment, but domestic budget constraints
curtailed potential purchases, according to the report by the
Congressional Research Service, part of the Library of Congress. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400413-69b
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The World Political Scene
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Israel Labor leader urges peace deal with PLO
Israeli opposition leader Ehud Barak, on a U.S. visit criticized by
Israel's government, called Tuesday on the Jewish state to take
calculated risks for peace with the Palestinians while it still had
the chance. Barak warned at a press breakfast that if the present
window of opportunity slipped away, Israel risked a fresh explosion
of violence that could turn it into a new Bosnia or Northern Ireland.
Barak said he and other Labor Party leaders visited Washington to
meet U.S. officials and members of Congress to show there were
different views in Israel, despite charges by the ruling Likud Party
that the trip could harm the country. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393553-1fe
*** Loyalists issue warning over N. Ireland peace deal
Pro-British "Loyalists" issued a grim warning Tuesday that Northern
Ireland's peace process could collapse unless the IRA's Sinn Fein
political allies declare that their war for the province was over.
David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, which speaks
for the banned loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force, said that any loss of
life from republican violence could mean an end to the loyalist
ceasefire. Dissident republican guerrillas from a splinter group
called the "Real IRA" claimed responsibility for a large bomb which
devastated the center of the town of Banbridge Saturday. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394583-5eb
*** Afghan women under 'house arrest' - rights group
A U.S.-based human rights group accused Afghanistan's Taleban Islamic
movement Wednesday of targeting women for extreme repression and
forcing them into virtual "house arrest." "To our knowledge, no other
regime in the world has methodically and violently forced half its
population into virtual house arrest, prohibiting them on pain of
physical punishment from showing their faces, seeking medical care
without a male escort, or attending school," the report said. After
taking control of the capital Kabul in Sept. 1996, the Taleban issued
edicts forbidding women from working outside the home, attending
school, or to leaving their homes unless accompanied by a husband,
father, brother or son, it said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555402418-aeb
*** Myanmar say Suu Kyi unwise to try to leave Yangon
Myanmar's military government said Wednesday it would be very unwise
for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to try to venture out from her
house in Yangon Saturday to visit supporters. Saturday marks the 10th
anniversary of an uprising of pro-democracy supporters Aug. 8, 1988,
suppressed by the army. Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development
Council says several dozen police and civilians died in the unrest.
Opposition groups say thousands were killed. A government spokesman
said officials did not know what Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy would do to mark the anniversary, but added they did not
expect much trouble. He said it could be dangerous for Suu Kyi to try
to travel to see her supporters outside the capital. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555402262-1c7
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Americas
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Update: Colombia rebels in nationwide offensive, 76 dead
Marxist rebels stormed ahead with their nationwide offensive Tuesday,
in which at least 76 people have died, in a bloody "show of strength"
just before the new Colombian president was to take office,
authorities said. The guerrillas unleashed a coordinated wave of
attacks overnight Monday, and fighting continued to rage in eastern
Colombia Tuesday in the worst wave of politically motivated violence
in many months. Insurgents from Latin America's oldest and largest
guerrilla forces battled police and army close to a rebel stronghold
in the foothills of the Andes mountains in eastern Meta province well
after nightfall Tuesday, officials said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555399011-b4a
*** Update: Historic Canadian Indian treaty initialed
Against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and beating drums, the
Nisga'a Indian Nation celebrated Tuesday the initialing of a treaty
it hopes will restore land lost to Europeans some two centuries ago.
The controversial agreement has been hailed as a "template" to ease
the damage unresolved Indian land claims have inflicted on British
Columbia's economy, but has also been condemned for eroding the
rights of the Canadian province's non-Native residents. "Today we
make history as we correct the mistakes of the past and send a signal
of hope around the world," said Chief Joseph Gosnell, resplendent in
native dress with a carved head dress symbolizing the eagle. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394207-d51
*** Haitian leaders set massive police drug crackdown
Three Haitian police officers have been arrested and hundreds of
others fired in a crackdown on drug trafficking within the force,
government officials said Tuesday. Police Inspector General Chief
Eucher Luc Joseph said 315 members of the 7,000-person force had been
fired during the two-month investigation and another 100 had been
placed under observation since the government began looking into
allegations that police were involved in the illicit trade. He vowed
the probe would continue. Plagued by poverty, an inexperienced police
force and an ineffective justice system, Haiti has become a favorite
transit point for traffickers shipping drugs to the U.S. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393922-11c
*** Britain's Lloyd meets Falkland protests in Argentina
Falklands war veterans chided British deputy foreign minister Tony
Lloyd Tuesday and President Carlos Menem's brother told him that a
ban on Argentines in the islands was "discrimination." Lloyd, making
a three-day visit to Argentina, put a wreath Monday at the monument
to Argentina's war dead. He said Tuesday it was "a human gesture that
we are very happy to have made." But he had a tense encounter with
the Veterans' Association. They impressed on him Argentina's claim to
the remote South Atlantic islands, which dates from 1833, and told
him he was "not welcome" in Congress. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395856-90b
*** Also: Britain warns Argentina on Falklands oil bill, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394164-dbb
*** Suspected Mexican drug lord freed, then rearrested
A Mexican judge freed one of two brothers Tuesday dubbed by
authorities the "kings of methamphetamines," but police immediately
arrested him again for possible extradition to the U.S., the attorney
general's office said. Jesus Amezcua walked out of a prison in the
state of Jalisco after a judge dropped minor money-laundering charges
against him. However federal police arrested Jesus Amezcua outside
the jail and sent him to a Mexico City prison to await the results of
an extradition hearing, a statement said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555401022-851
*** Suspect arrested in Brazil park murders case
Police arrested the chief suspect Tuesday in the murders of at least
six, and possibly eight, women in a park in Sao Paulo, a police
official said. Armando Oliveira, head of criminal investigation in
Rio Grande do Sul state, said police arrested Francisco Assis de
Oliveira in Itaqui, a town on the border with Argentina. A reporter
with local newspaper Zero Hora said de Oliveira worked in a brick
factory in the town and was arrested after a local fisherman
recognized him. Brazilian police have been searching for the office
messenger since last month when he emerged as the principal suspect
in the murders. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555398734-ed7
*** Also: Brazil cracks down on pharmaceutical underground, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395223-174
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Europe and Russia
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Rescuers recover first body from Berlin rubble
Rescue workers pulled the body of an elderly woman from the rubble of
a Berlin apartment block that collapsed after a suspected gas
explosion but up to six more people remained buried, officials said.
A spokesman for firefighters said the body, the first recovered from
the rubble, had been found in the morning. Up to six more people,
including a 13-year-old boy, were feared buried in the rubble of the
four-storey building in the western district of Steglitz which
collapsed Tuesday morning. The cause of the blast was not clear but
police said a gas explosion was the most likely explanation. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555401434-65d
*** Update: Huge fire engulfs village, burns homes near Athens
A huge forest fire raging unchecked for two days engulfed a village
near Athens Tuesday, destroying at least 20 homes, and threatened
several other holiday communities, police said. No injuries have been
reported in the blaze, which a local mayor blamed on arsonists.
Flames raced through the village of Anthoussa, 15 miles northeast of
Athens at the foot of Mount Pendeli and lapped at the outskirts of
the coastal resort of Lagonissi. The fire also burned a summer camp
for disabled children and threatening a state hospital. They had been
evacuated, along with a monastery, as flames leaping 65 feet came
dangerously close. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555390559-641
*** Also: Greek PM interrupts holiday to deal with huge fire, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393113-f93
*** Also: Heat sparks dozens of forest fires in Portugal, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393115-08e
*** Also: Eastern Europe swelters in heat wave, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393118-920
*** World Bank to consider $1.5 billion Russia loan
The World Bank is expected to approve a $1.5 billion loan for Russia
Thursday, offering an immediate cash injection to the battered
economy. Approval of the structural adjustment loan by the World
Bank's board of directors would be a show of international support
for President Boris Yeltsin and his government as they struggle to
put a tough anti-crisis plan in place. World Bank officials declined
to comment on the loan and on the state of Russian economic reforms.
The $1.5 billion loan forms part of a $22.6 billion package assembled
by the International Monetary Fund last month to bolster investor
confidence. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394149-b69
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Africa
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** UN envoy meets Angola's Savimbi on war fear
U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Jonas Savimbi, the leader of
the former UNITA rebels and they spoke Tuesday about restarting
Angola's faltering peace process, state TV reported. The station said
Savimbi had also promised to send his special envoy Isias Samakuva
back to Luanda as part of efforts to go back to the diplomatic
solution. The former Algerian foreign minister, who is assessing the
potential for preventing a slide back into civil war, said he was
optimistic about the meeting. Savimbi has refused to travel to the
capital Luanda citing fears for his safety in government-controlled
areas. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394276-1c2
*** Rwandan army says 60 Hutu rebels killed
The Rwandan army said Tuesday it had killed 59 rebels and their
commander during a military operation in the troubled northwestern
province of Ruhengeri. Military sources in Ruhengeri said the rebels,
including Lt. Col. Froudourd, also known as Mugarura, were killed
Monday in the village of Rusebeya in Nyarutovu commune. The
government army acted on a tip off from the local population, and
encircled the rebel force in a valley, an official said. Twenty
rebels were killed as they tried to snatch the commander's body, he
added. Five assault rifles were seized as well as the commander's
pistol. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394914-1c3
*** Sudan government and rebels restart peace talks
Peace talks aimed at ending Sudan's protracted civil war resumed in
the Ethiopian capital Tuesday against a backdrop of famine in south
Sudan. Kenyan Foreign Minister Bonaya Godana appealed to the warring
parties to set aside controversial issues which could impede efforts
to find a solution to the 15-year civil war, in which an estimated
1.3 million people have died. The government of Sudanese President
Lt-General Omar Hassan Al-Bashir announced Monday it was expanding a
limited ceasefire agreed to in July to other parts of the
war-stricken south. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395123-c45
----------------------------------------------------------------------
India and the Middle East
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** 2 Jewish settlers killed in West Bank
Guerrillas ambushed and shot dead two Jewish settlers in the West
Bank, puncturing their jeep with gunfire during a night patrol at a
settlement near Palestinian-ruled Nablus, the army said Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Moshe Yaalon said two terrorists working together carried
out the ambush, firing on a vehicle that was on guard patrol around
the settlement. "No doubt this is a planned ambush ... These are
terrorists who observed the guard activity in the settlement and
apparently observed that the car was passing along this path a number
of times and ambushed it," Yaalon said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400390-014
*** Update: Death toll from collapsed India building hits 35
The death toll from a collapsed building in Bombay climbed to 35
Wednesday and rescue officials said more people could be trapped in
the rubble. Rescue workers pulled out 56 people, including the 35
dead, after the seven-storey apartment block tumbled Monday night.
Firefighters used bulldozers, blowtorches and cranes to sift through
the rouble of the Govind Tower building in the middle-class suburb of
Bandra. The building had shops on the ground floor, a hotel on the
top three floors and about 18 flats. Officials said most people were
trapped in bathrooms or on staircases as they took shelter or fled
when the building began to shudder. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555401619-ba3
*** Yemen, Saudi teams meet after Red Sea island clash
A joint Yemen-Saudi military committee has met in Riyadh for the
first time since the two countries clashed over a disputed Red Sea
island, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. It said the two
teams met Tuesday and "considered all subjects on the agenda,
discussed border issues and both sides demonstrated goodwill in
settling matters which have troubled relations." SPA said talks would
continue Wednesday. Yemeni and Saudi forces clashed in July over the
disputed Red Sea island of Duwaima. Saudi Arabia claims 75% of the
island and says the remaining 25% is Yemeni. Yemen says the whole
island is part of its territory. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555401450-0fa
*** Update: Afghan Taleban says it takes province
Forces of Afghanistan's Taleban Islamic movement made further gains
against the country's northern-based opposition alliance Tuesday,
capturing another province with little resistance, a Taleban
spokesman said. Spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen said the Taleban militia
captured all of Sar-i-Pul province Tuesday. "The enemy has left
behind a large part of its arsenal and have set fire to some," he
said. "They put up very little resistance and fled from the area
after an hour's skirmishes." The opposition alliance said the Taleban
had advanced in the region "causing heavy loss of human lives and
property." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393492-e5e
*** Update: Sri Lanka delays crucial local elections
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has delayed crucial
provincial elections scheduled for Aug. 28, officials said Wednesday.
Kumaratunga issued a special gazette notification Tuesday postponing
the polls on the same day she declared an island-wide one-month state
of emergency, the officials said. A new poll date was not fixed. The
polls to five of the nation's eight provincial councils can be
delayed indefinitely as long as emergency rule is extended monthly by
a majority vote in parliament. The polls, if held, would not only
test the ruling coalition's popularity but also its peace package
aimed at ending 15 years of ethnic war. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400261-cb0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Far East
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Typhoon Otto kills 5 in Taiwan
Typhoon Otto headed for southern China Wednesday after slamming
eastern Taiwan, where it left at least five people dead and caused
$7.2 million in damage to farms and fisheries, officials said. After
lashing the island Tuesday with strong winds and heavy rains that
paralyzed sea, land and air traffic in parts of the south and east,
Otto was moving toward Fuzhou in China's southeastern Fujian
province, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said. The typhoon was the
second to hit Taiwan this year and brought floods and landslides to
the central, southern and eastern parts of the island, police said.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555401232-837
*** Australian deputy PM steps down, reelected
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer stepped down as leader
of his National Party Wednesday in a bid to quell party disunity in
the face of the rising political threat from far right MP Pauline
Hanson. But Fischer was immediately reelected unopposed by his
rural-based National Party colleagues, ensuring his continued
position as Liberal Prime Minister John Howard's deputy. The party's
deputy leader, John Anderson, also stood down and was reelected, said
National MP Larry Anthony. Australia's prime minister is a
party-elected position, not popularly elected, and the premier
traditionally anoints his coalition party leader as his deputy. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400318-f41
*** Also: Australia's Hanson faces down street protesters, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555398765-d83
*** Retired Indonesia generals urge Suharto probe
A group of retired Indonesian generals has urged a special military
board investigating the abduction of political activists to probe the
possible involvement of former president Suharto, a newspaper
reported Wednesday. Armed forces chief Gen. Wiranto announced this
week that a military board was investigating three high-ranking
officers, including Suharto's son-in-law Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto,
over their suspected involvement in the kidnapings. "If Prabowo was
involved, then there is a possibility that Suharto was involved too,"
former Lt. Gen. Kemal Idris was quoted as saying by the Merdeka
daily. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555400823-f40
*** Also: Indonesian parliament wants troops out of Aceh, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555401438-58c
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Business and Financial News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Oil edges higher on fresh Iraqi flare-up
World oil prices clawed back a little lost ground Tuesday as the
collapse of talks between Iraq and the U.N. threatened another
showdown over weapons inspections. Benchmark Brent blend closed 16
cents higher at $12.72 a barrel, still less than a dollar up from the
March 10-year low which prompted a groundbreaking producer deal to
reduce output. Producers' best hope of a price turnaround now seems
to lie with potential disruptions to Iraqi supplies after chief U.N.
weapons inspector Richard Butler called off his latest set of
disarmament talks in Baghdad. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393679-1c8
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Science and Medicine
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Aspirin eases plant aches, too, researchers say
Aspirin helps ease the aches and pains suffered by plants much in the
way it helps people and animals, researchers say. They said their
findings shed more light on the "pain" mechanism that plants have,
which is similar to that of animals. Researchers in the past have
found that plants do register injury, and can release chemical
signals to alert their neighbors. An example is the acacia tree,
which responds to browsing by animals by sending chemical signals
into the air. Neighboring trees respond by producing a chemical in
their leaves that tastes nasty. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394309-0fc
*** Drug studied in U.S. to block cocaine addiction
An epilepsy drug shows promise as a treatment for cocaine addiction,
with tests on animals shedding light on both the biochemical and
behavioral aspects of cocaine abuse, U.S. scientists announced
Wednesday. The scientists said preliminary results from a decade-long
study said that the drug Vigabatrin could possibly also be effective
in combating other addictions such as tobacco. They reported in the
scientific journal Synapse the drug appeared to prevent the "high"
and other effects of cocaine in much the same way it prevents an
epileptic seizure - it alters the way brain cells communicate with
each other. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555398624-c19
*** Exercise may not cut breast cancer risk - study
Researchers reported more confusing news on breast cancer Tuesday,
saying exercise may not cut the risk for breast cancer, after all.
But they said women should still exercise to prevent other kinds of
cancer and heart disease. Several studies have shown mixed findings
on whether women who exercise regularly have a lower risk of breast
cancer. Beverly Rockhill and colleagues of the Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston and Harvard University looked at the largest study
ever done on women - the Nurses' Health Study of more than 100,000
nurses. "Women who were more active in late adolescence were not at
reduced risk of breast cancer compared with less active women," they
wrote in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395704-a68
*** To retire happy, be rich - in friends, study finds
A happy retirement depends on being rich, not in money but in
friends, researchers say. They said as people age they should invest
as wisely in their friends as they do in money. Toni Antonucci and
Alicia Tarnowski at the University of Michigan analyzed data on 100
people interviewed before and after retirement. A quarter, 25%, said
they were more satisfied with life after retirement, while 34% said
they were less satisfied. The rest reported about the same levels of
satisfaction before and after. The researchers looked at a variety of
factors in these peoples' lives, including physical health, income,
divorce, death of a spouse, age and gender. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395492-ee8
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** House backs new copyright for the digital age
The House approved legislation updating U.S. copyright laws for the
digital age Tuesday that included a compromise protecting use of
materials by libraries and schools. Lawmakers managed to find a "fair
use" provision for copyright works acceptable to Hollywood studios,
music and book publishers and the software industry. Earlier versions
of the copyright legislation would have prohibited any circumvention
of encryption and other security measures that publishers have used
to protect copyrighted works in digital form. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395527-1f6
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Environment
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Group pushes EPA to come clean on water pollutants
Activists said Tuesday new U.S. rules on safe drinking water do not
go far enough, and leave pregnant women, infants and the elderly at
risk. The Natural Resources Defense Council said regulations to be
released later this week by the Environmental Protection Agency
contain loopholes that could result in health risks to certain
people. Under the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA will issue
rules that compel water companies, for the first time, to tell
customers in annual reports what pollutants are in their drinking
water. NRDC has called on states and local governments to go beyond
EPA rules by posting reports on the Internet, auditing programs
regularly and serving notices to water users. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395906-802
*** No sign of Gulf ills from uranium ammo - Pentagon
There is no indication the extensive use of depleted uranium
ammunition by U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War caused health problems
among American troops, the Defense Department reported Tuesday. An
investigation of incidents involving accidental attacks on American
troops with the anti-tank shells did not suggest any tie with
undiagnosed ills among thousands of Gulf War veterans, the Pentagon
said in a report. Extremely dense depleted uranium is used in shells
to penetrate thick tank armor and can pose chemically toxic or
radiological hazards under specific conditions. Some veterans have
voiced fear they might have suffered kidney or other damage from
"friendly fire" accidents during the war. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393599-395
*** Brazil task force to assess Atlantic deforestation
Brazilian police teamed up with environmentalists Tuesday to assess
and prevent damage to the Mata Atlantica, a coastal rain forest that
once stretched from Rio to the mouth of the Amazon. The government's
environment arm, Ibama, joined forces with the military police and
State Forests Institute in a 35-day project to find the area's worst
deforestation, officials said. The Mata Atlantica is home to many
unique plant and animal species and one of the most threatened
ecosystems in the world, experts say. The Atlantic rain forest once
covered 12% of Brazilian territory, but now covers less than 1%. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394486-b10
*** 2 quakes hit Ecuador coast, no serious injuries
Two strong earthquakes hit the coast of Ecuador Tuesday, damaging
houses but causing no serious injuries, authorities said. The tremors
were the strongest in the region since 1958 according to the U.S.
Geological Survey. They knocked down houses and power lines and were
felt in Quito 105 miles away. Authorities said six people in towns
near the quakes' epicenter, were slightly injured. Gustavo Burbano,
head of the nation's Civil Defense, called on President Fabian
Alarcon to declare a "yellow alert" for the Manabi province where the
quakes hit, in case of more tremors. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555397217-b27
*** Pollution makes for wet weekends
Saturday wet. Sunday wet and windy. Monday blue skies and endless
hours of sunshine. Scientists have finally found proof for what
weekday workers always suspected - weekends get the worst weather and
the sun comes out once everyone is safely back in the office.
Climatologists Randall Cerveny and Robert Balling of Arizona State
University said Wednesday research into weather patterns on the east
coast of north America showed the massive drift of pollution from the
area naturally created clouds and rain. As traffic builds up, and
office air-conditioners and factories crank up between Monday to
Friday, the pollution grows spawning the clouds for a wet weekend.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395333-893
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Interest
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Mozart makes mazes manageable for rats
Rats that have listened to Mozart sonatas since before birth learn
faster than other rats, researchers say. They said their findings
reinforce studies that indicate certain kinds of classical music,
played to human babies before and after birth, can make them smarter.
Unfortunately for Philip Glass fans, recordings of his minimalist
compositions did not help the rats, the University of Wisconsin
researchers found. Frances Rauscher and colleagues played Mozart,
"white noise," or Glass compositions to pregnant rats and then to
their babies for two months after birth. They then trained the rats
to run a maze in search of a food reward. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555393126-9c7
*** Stray San Francisco crocodile gets stay of execution
Ernest the crocodile, discovered last week wandering around San
Francisco, won a last-minute stay of execution Tuesday when animal
control experts found a possible new home for him. Officials at the
San Francisco Animal Care and Control Center had planned to euthanize
the reptile as early as Tuesday because they had no success in
finding him a suitable living environment. However, Melissa Flower, a
spokeswoman for the center, said Tuesday afternoon that Ernest's
execution was on hold because the center had received a lead on a
possible new shelter. Ernest was found last week after a woman
complained that an iguana was "staring" at her cat. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555396494-979
*** Fishing village to be Venezuelan capital for a day
Venezuela's capital will move 300 miles Wednesday to a dusty fishing
village accessible only by boat - but it will be the seat of
government for just a day. Under a decree signed by President Rafael
Caldera, the remote Caribbean village of Macuro, a town of 2,000
people, will become Venezuela's capital to mark the 500th anniversary
of Christopher Columbus' landing on mainland South America. The town,
a straggling collection of sun-baked colonial homes nestled amid palm
trees in a sandy horseshoe cove, looks nothing like a modern capital.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555394456-6e8
*** Year 2000 no 'apocalypse' for Eternal City
The mayor of Rome said Tuesday the turn of the millennium would not
be an apocalypse for the Eternal City - despite the 26 million
visitors expected to pour in for the Roman Catholic Church's Holy
Year celebrations. "There will be no apocalypse," said Francesco
Rutelli as officials presented a new report on expected tourism
trends in the year 2000, which Pope John Paul has declared a Jubilee
to mark the start of the third Christian millennium. According to the
data, Rome must brace itself for 40% more visitors than normal - in
all, some 16 million Italians and 10 million foreigners. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555392692-bfe
*** Galoob to produce Titanic dolls
Galoob Toys Inc. said Tuesday it will produce a series of collectable
dolls based on Rose, the female lead character in the blockbuster
romance movie, "Titanic." The role of Rose DeWitt Bukater earned
actress Kate Winslet an Academy Award nomination. Galoob said it will
market the dolls under a licensing agreement with News Corp.'s
Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising. The company
expects the first doll in the series to go on sale in October.
"Titanic," co-produced by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount and Twentieth
Century Fox, was the biggest grossing film of all time and is set to
be released on video this fall. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555395673-163
*** Vatican colonnades get facelift for year 2000
Workers began giving a facelift Tuesday to the elegant colonnades
around St. Peter's Square to prepare for Holy Year 2000, the
celebration Pope John Paul has ordained to herald the start of the
third millennium. Kaercher, a German company which has cleaned the
statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Brandenberg Gate
in Berlin and New York's Statue of Liberty, promised that the
semicircular 17th-century structure by baroque master Gian Lorenzo
Bernini would be white again when work was finished. Workers will
clean four of the 284 columns a day and workers should complete the
whole operation by the end of October. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555391518-9f8
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