Afternoon Edition for Wednesday, November 04, 1998
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U.S. Front Page Stories
-----------------------
*** Democrats gain 5 in U.S. House, but miss majority
*** White House barely conceals satisfaction over vote
*** Bin Laden charged in attacks on Americans
*** Possible witness sought in N.Y doctor murder
*** Deadly Mitch regains strength, heads for Fla.
*** Glenn back in space, but does his back hurt?
The U.S. Political Scene
------------------------
*** Democrats back in business after U.S. elections
*** Analysis: Bush, Gore looking to 2000 White House race
*** Cigarette tax initiative squeaks through in Calif.
*** Democrat claims victory in Ga.
*** U.S. offers food aid to Russia, may consider more
The Courts
----------
*** Apple executive says Microsoft 'sabotaged' product
*** Kevorkian convicted on misdemeanor assault charges
U.S. Business and Financial News
--------------------------------
*** Fed's Rivlin sees slower U.S. growth ahead
*** Wall Street rallies in aftermath of elections
*** GM, Ford post gains in October sales
*** Mouse squeaks out 4% profit hike
*** PepsiCo plans changes
*** Orders to U.S. factories up 0.4% in September
World Front Page Stories
------------------------
*** Cohen on Iraq crisis mission, Baghdad defiant
*** Israel signals possible end to deal impasse
*** British court told Pinochet has no immunity
*** Kosovo stable but guerrillas exploit vacuum
*** Pope urges swift aid for hurricane-hit C. America
*** Hopes for global climate treaty rise
The World Political Scene
-------------------------
*** Dalai Lama may make gesture to China on U.S. tour
*** New political deal faces big hurdles in Kosovo
*** Europe sees U.S. vote as lifeline to Clinton
*** Libya's Gaddafi condemns UN Lockerbie sanctions
*** Irish ready for visit by British Queen - McAleese
*** U.S. envoy meets Congo rebels in Rwanda
The Americas
------------
*** Crisis-torn Brazil faces crucial reform vote
*** Colombia fighting dies down, peace plan under fire
*** 13 die in clash on Brazil Indian reservation
*** Venezuelan voting process too complex, Carter says
*** French diplomat says relations with Peru poisoned
*** Menem denies daughter, Prince Andrew romance
Europe and Russia
-----------------
*** 9 teen victims of Swedish disco blaze buried
*** Bonn backs role in Kosovo air surveillance
*** Russia says food running short, debt huge
*** Alleged NATO spy gave key info to Serbs - French media
*** Gay 'marriages' cause uproar in French parliament
*** Spain, ETA talks seen as step toward peace
Africa
------
*** Mugabe says Zimbabwe, Angola reinforce Congo
*** Sierra Leone ex-president escapes treason charge
*** Sudan assembly approves local state of emergency
*** Algeria says rebels slash throats of 6 people
*** Zimbabweans walk home in fuel-price protest
*** Bombed S. African Planet Hollywood reopens
India and the Middle East
-------------------------
*** Arafat says 12 suspects already arrested
*** Afghan Taleban reports freeing 107 war prisoners
*** Israel to charge agent in Rabin murder case
*** Turkey says Iraq arms row 'dangerous'
*** Buddha's ashes to return for holy Indian ceremony
*** India says foils Pakistan attack on Kashmir border
The Far East
------------
*** Tempers flare in trial of Malaysia's Anwar
*** Ethnic Koreans in Japan outraged by firebombing
*** Indonesia riot report undermines army
*** Taiwan sends $2.6 mln to stricken Central America
*** Singapore PM to make surprise Malaysia trip
*** Vietnam chides UN religion envoy over criticism
World Business and Financial News
---------------------------------
*** Asian markets advance; Nikkei soars
*** Stocks advance across Europe lifted by U.S. election
*** Siemens to spin off chip unit as it continues its revamp
*** PC sales in Europe surge in 3rd quarter
*** Finance firms to buy branches of Argentina's Banco Mayo
Science and Medicine
--------------------
*** Study finds new ways aspirin works
*** Tough bugs may help transform organ transplants
*** Meat, milk linked with prostate deaths in study
*** FDA to meet makers of new anti-cholesterol spread
Technology
----------
*** Online ad rates falling - study
*** Gateway revolutionizes online buying
*** Publishers turn to InfoBeat for e-mail communications
*** Nintendo, LucasArts use the force
The Environment
---------------
*** U.S. says greenhouse gas emissions rate slows
*** Smog puts a damper on sex lives of birds - magazine
Human Interest
--------------
*** Iranians celebrate annual anti-American festival
*** Court says no cheating on workaholic spouse
*** Chinese doctors craft new penis for child
*** Hearse towed away
*** A bottle of wine, candlelight and, uh, eggplant?
*** China wants TV in every village by end-century
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Front Page Stories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Democrats gain 5 in U.S. House, but miss majority
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats defied historical trends Wednesday
by picking up five seats in the House but still fell short of winning
the big prize, control of the chamber. For the first time since 1934
the party of a sitting president gained seats in a non-presidential
election year, buoyed by a healthy economy and an electorate unfazed
by President Clinton's sex scandal. With several close races decided
early Wednesday, Republicans held 223 House seats and Democrats 211,
a setback for Republicans who had hoped to widen their majority.
Instead, Republicans were left with one of the smallest margins of
control in the 435-seat House this century. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932635-5a4 ***
Sidebar: Results of U.S. Senate elections, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556926696-243 ***
Sidebar: Results of U.S. House of Representatives elections, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932762-efe ***
Sidebar: Results of U.S. governors' elections, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933595-0fe
*** White House barely conceals satisfaction over vote
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Wednesday tried only a little
to conceal a feeling of vindication over the strong Democratic
showing in mid-term elections, after months of pummeling over the
Monica Lewinsky scandal. It was evident everywhere. "There was a
message for the Congress. I think the American people said get back
to the people's business," Vice President Al Gore said, welcoming the
opportunity to answer a press question at a White House event. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934786-c76
*** Bin Laden charged in attacks on Americans
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wealthy Saudi exile Osama bin Laden was indicted
by a federal grand jury in Manhattan Wednesday in connection with
vicious attacks on Americans including the August bombings of U.S.
embassies in East Africa. U.S. law enforcement sources confirmed that
charges against bin Laden along with a group of other suspects were
unsealed Wednesday afternoon. For part 2, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935982-610
*** Possible witness sought in N.Y doctor murder
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Reuters) - U.S. and Canadian authorities announced
Wednesday they are searching for a Vermont man as a possible witness
in the recent killing of a New York doctor who performed abortions.
Law enforcement officials said the man, identified as James Charles
Kopp, was not a suspect in the Oct. 23 shooting of Dr. Barnett
Slepian, but believe Kopp may be able to help them find the
assailant. Slepian, 52, an obstetrician-gynecologist, was gunned down
by a sniper as he stood in the kitchen of his home in Amherst, N.Y.,
a suburb of Buffalo. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935479-7bd
*** Deadly Mitch regains strength, heads for Fla.
MIAMI (Reuters) - Forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for
parts of Florida Wednesday as the former Hurricane Mitch recharged
its engines and tacked into the Gulf of Mexico. Mitch, which has
caused at least 7,000 deaths in Central America, had weakened to a
tropical depression but was upgraded to a tropical storm with winds
increasing to 45 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Rain and thunderstorms were already hitting western Cuba and Florida
but the storm was not expected to grow stronger over the next 24
hours. The warnings covered the Florida Keys and the peninsula's west
coast south from Tarpon Springs and east coast south from New Smyrna
Beach. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934900-6c3
*** Glenn back in space, but does his back hurt?
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Does a 77-year-old back ache in the
weightlessness of space? John Glenn, the world's oldest astronaut,
was to answer that question Wednesday when he and three crewmates
aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery fill out a medical
questionnaire about their backs. Astronauts on extended space trips
often suffer back pain because their muscles weaken from disuse and
their spines stretch out in the zero-gravity environment. The
short-statured Glenn, who is a guinea pig for geriatric research on
the flight, said earlier his back was not bothering him but joked
that he hoped to gain a couple of inches in height during his return
to space after 36 years. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935775-6a3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The U.S. Political Scene
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Democrats back in business after U.S. elections
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats declared Wednesday that their
odds-defying election victories showed they were back in the
political ballgame and Americans wanted to shut off talk of
impeaching President Clinton. Republicans admitted they were
outperformed in Tuesday's congressional and gubernatorial elections
but pointed out they were still in charge and would be back in
January with their agenda including tax cuts. "This is a party that's
back all over the country, competitive in every region," said Steve
Grossman, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "I think
voters spoke loudly and clearly ... Republicans in Congress ought to
listen up." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935332-638
*** Analysis: Bush, Gore looking to 2000 White House race
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Goodbye Campaign '98. Bring on Campaign 2000 -
for the White House. As politicians and pundits digested the
unexpected Democratic successes in Tuesday's state and congressional
elections, two men may have emerged as the big winners. Texas Gov.
George W. Bush, namesake and son of the former president, won
re-election by a landslide and emerged as clear front-runner for the
Republican presidential nomination, trumpeting an agenda of
"compassionate conservatism." And Vice President Al Gore was not on
any ballot but worked tirelessly for Democrats around the nation,
supporting 224 candidates in person. He remains the favorite by a
long way for the Democratic presidential nomination. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934930-c27
*** Cigarette tax initiative squeaks through in Calif.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Californians will have to start paying an
extra 50-cent tax on a packet of cigarettes after a voter initiative,
which looked to be losing Tuesday night, squeaked in with the
narrowest of margins Wednesday. Proposition 10, the brain-child of
Hollywood director Rob Reiner, makes California the third-highest
taxed state in the nation when it comes to cigarettes. Dubbed the
"Meathead and Moses" campaign because it also featured Charlton
Heston in its TV ads, the measure was losing by 6 percentage points
in early returns but came back to snatch victory by 50.1% to 49.9%,
or by 13,214 votes out of the more than 7 million cast. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934525-bdd ***
Also: Sanchez beats Dornan handsomely in Calif. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556927846-aa8 ***
And: Calif. voters reject electric deregulation challenge, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934968-4aa
*** Democrat claims victory in Ga.
ATLANTA (Reuters) - A multimillionaire who spent $11.6 million of his
own money to become the first Republican governor of Georgia this
century conceded defeat Wednesday, blaming his loss on a heavy
turnout by black voters. Republican Guy Millner, who has never held
elective office, said his loss to Democrat Roy Barnes, a veteran
politician, could be attributed to "a significant turnout of African
Americans in this election" who voted against him. "The people of
Georgia very loudly and very clearly said we're not going to be
divided up by race because it's economically harmful to us. Georgia
and Atlanta have had a reputation of being too busy to hate," Barnes
said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935162-390
*** U.S. offers food aid to Russia, may consider more
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is prepared to provide at
least 3.1 million tons of food aid to help Russia through the coming
winter, provided Russia promises that the $500 million package will
be fairly distributed, the White House said Wednesday. "We will be
prepared to consider additional assistance if necessary," said a
spokesman for the White House. For part 2, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935970-fe7
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Courts
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Apple executive says Microsoft 'sabotaged' product
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Apple Computer Inc. executive questioned by
a Microsoft Corp. lawyer Wednesday stuck by his accusation that the
software giant had "sabotaged" Apple's multimedia software. The
lawyer for Microsoft, Theodore Edelman, challenged the 45-page
written testimony of Apple software executive Avadis Tevanian during
cross-examination in federal court. The Justice Department and 20
states have alleged that Microsoft violated the nation's antitrust
laws by competing unfairly against Netscape Communications Corp. in
the market for Internet browsers. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935719-623
*** Kevorkian convicted on misdemeanor assault charges
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (Reuters) - Dr. Jack Kevorkian was found guilty of
misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest charges Wednesday, the first
time the crusader for assisted suicide has been convicted of a crime
in nearly a decade of battling police and prosecutors. Jurors in 44th
District Court agreed with prosecutors that Kevorkian, 70, assaulted
and interfered with police who tried to question him and his
associate, Dr. Georges Reding, after they dropped the body of a
California man off at a local hospital. For part 2, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934107-527
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Business and Financial News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Fed's Rivlin sees slower U.S. growth ahead
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. economy will slow considerably next
year but should not fall into recession, Federal Reserve Vice Chair
Alice Rivlin said in an interview published Wednesday. "Some slowing
is inevitable," USA Today quoted Rivlin as saying. "But you don't
want it to slow so much that people's lives are seriously disrupted."
Rivlin said that, for now, the economy is "quite strong," and
consumer confidence, the housing sector and the labor market remain
vigorous. But the current global economic malaise poses a significant
threat to the domestic economy, she said. The newspaper said Rivlin's
comments suggested she is open to further interest rate cuts to spur
growth. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933107-6fa
*** Wall Street rallies in aftermath of elections
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - A robust, broad-based rally continued to rage on
Wall Street in afternoon trading Wednesday as investors celebrated
the outcome of U.S. mid-term elections and a show of strength in
stock markets around the world. Shortly before 2:30 p.m. ET, the Dow
Jones Industrial Average rallied 83 points, or 0.95%, to 8,789.
Advances smothered declines 2 to 1 as 624 million shares changed
hands on the New York Stock Exchange. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 30,
or 1.69%, to 1,819 and the S&P 500 index climbed 8, or 0.75%, to
1,119. The bond market fell, dragged down by the stock market's
success with investors. The benchmark 30-year Treasury bond lost
29/32 of a point in price for a yield of 5.3%. ###
*** GM, Ford post gains in October sales
DETROIT (USA Today) - General Motors Corp. extended its recovery from
two devastating summer strikes with an October U.S. sales gain of 6%
over year-ago levels. Ford Motor sales edged up 2%. The reports from
the world's two largest automakers Wednesday closed out an unusually
strong October for the industry, despite the stock market's gyrations
and fears of an economic slowdown. Several major automakers set
October records. GM's sales were strong across the board, with 6%
gains in cars and light trucks. Ford's robust sales of sport utility
vehicles and pickups led to its overall gain despite an 8% drop in
car sales. ###
*** Mouse squeaks out 4% profit hike
NEW YORK (Variety) - Losses on recent film releases and the new NFL
football contract helped send Walt Disney Co.'s net profit down 24%
to $296 million in the fourth quarter, it said Tuesday, concluding
one of the weakest fiscal years for the House of Mouse in some time.
Disney still managed to produce a 4% increase in net profit for the
full fiscal year ended Sept. 30, to $1.9 billion on 6% higher
revenues of $23 billion. But the company strives for, and in past
years has often achieved, net profit growth of between 15% and 20%.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556930941-c98
*** PepsiCo plans changes
PURCHASE, N.Y. (USA Today) - PepsiCo, the world's No. 2 soft-drink
maker, is expected to swap some sales territories in the U.S. for
bigger stakes in its main independent bottlers to strengthen its
system for distributing drinks. The moves are a precursor to Pepsi's
plan to spin off its own bottling and distribution operations into a
separate company early next year. Phil Marineau, who oversees Pepsi's
domestic beverage operations, is holding a conference call Wednesday
with some large bottlers to discuss how the company can better work
with them. The Wall Street Journal reports that PepsiCo Wednesday
will announce a top-to-bottom reorganization of the company,
including reinstituting the position of domestic marketing chief. ###
*** Orders to U.S. factories up 0.4% in September
WASHINGTON (USA Today) - Orders to American factories rose 0.4% in
September, reflecting jumps in demand from the military and for
industrial machinery and communications equipment. The Commerce
Department said orders totaled a seasonally adjusted $339.2 billion.
However, excluding orders coming from the military, U.S. factories
saw a 0.2% decrease in demand for September, the first drop since
May. Orders are an important indicator of how busy factories will be
in the months ahead. ###
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Front Page Stories
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Cohen on Iraq crisis mission, Baghdad defiant
DOHA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen tried Wednesday
to whip up support among America's Gulf allies over a new crisis with
Iraq, but Baghdad newspapers thundered defiance in the face of
possible military strikes. During intense round-the-clock diplomacy
to persuade Iraq to reverse a decision to suspend cooperation with
inspectors searching for banned weapons, Washington and London
repeatedly warned that one option to gain compliance was the use of
force. U.N. inspectors in Iraq are overseeing the destruction of
weapons of mass destruction as a pre-condition for the lifting of
international economic sanctions, imposed to punish Baghdad for the
1990 invasion of Kuwait. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932068-7d9 ***
Also: Thousands of Arabs stage protest against embargo, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934087-456 ***
And: Iraq could revive biological threat within week - expert. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933128-9b1
*** Israel signals possible end to deal impasse
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said Wednesday a security row with the
Palestinians could soon be settled, clearing the way for its cabinet
to approve a new peace deal. "We do have indications that perhaps the
matter is being dealt with and that we should expect some progress in
the next few hours," said a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. For the third time in a week, Netanyahu put off a cabinet
meeting meant to ratify the land-for-security deal he signed at the
White House Oct. 23. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934429-49c ***
And: Pollard's wife says Clinton review a sham, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935058-883 ***
Also: Radical Palestinians to boycott meeting on Charter, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932763-f31
*** British court told Pinochet has no immunity
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's highest court was told Wednesday that
Augusto Pinochet had no right to immunity given the "savage and
barbarous crimes" Chile's former dictator is alleged to have
committed. On the first day of a landmark appeal, the House of Lords
was urged to overturn a ruling that Pinochet cannot be extradited to
Spain and reject the "repugnant" notion that he enjoyed immunity
because he had been Chilean head of state. The appeal may run into
next week. About 150 people, many of them Chilean exiles and
relatives of those who "disappeared" under Pinochet's 17-year-long
rule, crowded into a room in the House of Lords to hear the arguments
presented to the panel of five law lords who will decide Pinochet's
fate. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934758-a48
*** Kosovo stable but guerrillas exploit vacuum
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - One week after NATO shelved its threat to launch
air strikes, the situation in Kosovo is stabilizing with no reports
of significant fighting, a NATO official said Wednesday. But the
alliance is concerned that the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army is
occupying positions which NATO has compelled Yugoslav security forces
to abandon, he told reporters. Reports from Western diplomatic
observers confirmed that the Yugoslav Army was in its barracks as
demanded, army frontier patrols were sticking to border tasks, and
special police roadblocks had virtually disappeared, he added. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935315-14d ***
And: Kosovo guerrillas said to attack coal miners, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933556-7a3 ***
Also: Yugoslav war crimes prosecutor digs in over Kosovo, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556930578-5cd
*** Pope urges swift aid for hurricane-hit C. America
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul II expressed his deep sadness
Wednesday over the thousands of deaths across Central America caused
by Hurricane Mitch and appealed for urgent assistance to help the
storm-hit region. Addressing thousands of pilgrims at his weekly
audience in St. Peter's Square, the Pope urged all people to provide
aid in any form for a region hit by one of the century's most
devastating Atlantic storms. The 78-year-old Pontiff said he shared
the suffering of all those affected by the hurricane and wanted to
assure the people of the region that he was spiritually close to
them. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556930906-72c ***
Also: Big European aid response to C. America hurricane, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933689-bfa
*** Hopes for global climate treaty rise
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Talks between developing nations at U.N.
climate negotiations boosted hopes Wednesday a deal could be struck
to please the United States and help ensure survival of the global
climate treaty negotiated last year in Japan. Argentina organized
early contacts with South Korea and Chile to discuss ways of limiting
their greenhouse gas emissions, Argentine delegation chief Raul
Castellini said. He said he understood Mexico would participate in
the informal talks as well. The Buenos Aires summit, which began
Monday and runs through Nov. 13, is meant to establish a plan to make
promises made last December in Kyoto, Japan, a reality. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935264-104
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The World Political Scene
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Dalai Lama may make gesture to China on U.S. tour
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama, exiled god king of Tibet, may
make a gesture to the Beijing government during a nine-day visit to
the United States starting Wednesday, a source close to the Tibetan
exile movement said. "He may be willing to announce some concession
if it would push negotiations forward, if it would be a practical
contribution to bring the sides together," said John Ackerly,
president of the International Campaign for Tibet. The aim would be
to accelerate preparations for a meeting between the Dalai Lama and
Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who offered talks earlier this year on
condition the Dalai Lama recognize Tibet and Taiwan as parts of
China. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934338-7d9
*** New political deal faces big hurdles in Kosovo
PRISTINA, Serbia (Reuters) - A week after Belgrade pulled many of its
forces out of Kosovo under the threat of NATO air strikes, Serb and
ethnic Albanian negotiators are poring over a new, U.S.-authored
draft political agreement. Chris Hill, assigned by Washington to try
to turn a shaky ceasefire into a lasting peace, has been shuttling
between Belgrade and the Kosovo capital Pristina with the secret
agreement, meant to take into account both sides' views. No deadline
has been set for a deal, but diplomats say the extreme fragility of
the current ceasefire, which follows eight months of fighting that
has killed more than 1,000 people, makes it a matter of urgency. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934192-59a ***
Also: Think tank proposes permanent Balkans conference, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932748-5be
*** Europe sees U.S. vote as lifeline to Clinton
PARIS (Reuters) - European commentators said Wednesday the U.S.
mid-term election results had shored up Bill Clinton's troubled
presidency and Washington's global leadership. French Foreign
Minister Hubert Vedrine, asked how the vote would affect U.S. foreign
policy, said it would strengthen Clinton's hand and assure continuity
in Washington. "Clinton's mandate runs for another two years and we
can continue to work with a partner we know well," the Socialist
minister said. As for the Republican-led drive to impeach Clinton
over the Monica Lewinsky affair, Sorbonne University history
professor Andre Kaspi said the poll outcome made it likely the
Congress would now work out a compromise short of impeachment. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556930813-5ff
*** Libya's Gaddafi condemns UN Lockerbie sanctions
TUNIS (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has branded as
"illegal" a Security Council decision last week to extend sanctions
against Tripoli over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and renewed his
threat to quit the United Nations. In a letter to U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and to the Security Council's current
chairman, Gaddafi said the Security Council had no right to extend
sanctions against Libya for another four months. The sanctions were
imposed for failing to hand over for trial two Libyan suspects in the
bombing nearly 10 years ago of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie,
Scotland, that killed 270 people. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929986-b9b
*** Irish ready for visit by British Queen - McAleese
DUBLIN (Reuters) - President Mary McAleese said Ireland is ready to
shelve centuries of acrimony and welcome Queen Elizabeth to the Irish
Republic for the first visit by a British monarch. McAleese said in a
newspaper interview published Wednesday that a meeting with Queen
Elizabeth, at a ceremony next week in Belgium to commemorate Irish
soldiers killed in World War I, would advance the prospect of such a
visit. McAleese said the signing of Northern Ireland's peace deal in
April had led to "a new level of comfort" both between northern and
southern Ireland and between Ireland and Britain. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929145-3d1
*** U.S. envoy meets Congo rebels in Rwanda
KIGALI (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat held a meeting Wednesday in
the Rwandan capital with rebels fighting in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, a U.S. embassy spokeswoman said. U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice held talks with the
rebels fighting to oust President Laurent Kabila, the spokeswoman
said. Rice, who later arrived in the Ugandan capital, also met
Rwandan President Pasteur Bizimungu and Vice-President and Defense
Minister, General Paul Kagame. Rice is on a week-long African tour
aimed at helping to restore peace to the region. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933775-971 ***
Also: Come clean about Congo, EU, SADC tell Rwanda. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933063-db4
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Americas
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Crisis-torn Brazil faces crucial reform vote
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's government braced for a crucial vote
later Wednesday to reform the state pension system, its first test of
a new, sweeping austerity plan to save Latin America's biggest
economy from collapse. As investors around the world worried about
Brazil's chances of avoiding a currency devaluation, the lower house
of parliament prepared to vote on the final three opposition
amendments to a long-delayed bill to plug huge losses in the pension
system. "All eyes are on Congress today because that could define the
future of other government reforms," said one local trader. The bill,
stuck in Congress since 1995, seeks to introduce minimum retirement
ages and link pensions to contributions to save an expected $15
billion over the next three years. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933818-44d
*** Colombia fighting dies down, peace plan under fire
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Security forces retook control of a jungle town in
eastern Colombia Wednesday in the wake of a Marxist rebel attack that
left around 150 people dead and sparked a backlash against the
government's nascent peace plans. More than 1,000 Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) fighters overran the police base in Mitu,
capital of Vaupes province close to the border with Brazil, Sunday.
About 110 police and soldiers, 15 civilians and 25 guerrillas were
killed in three days of fighting, which ended early Wednesday as
1,200 troops poured in drove the rebels into the surrounding jungle,
army and Red Cross officials said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934248-cd6
*** 13 die in clash on Brazil Indian reservation
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Indians killed 11 wildcat gold miners
in a remote jungle region near Suriname in apparent retaliation for a
fire in which an Indian woman and child died, the government's Indian
Foundation said Wednesday. The clash in the Tumucumaque reservation,
which straddles the northern Brazilian states of Para and Amapa, took
place early Tuesday, a spokesman for the Indian Foundation (FUNAI)
said. The information was based on a radio broadcast from inside the
reservation to FUNAI's regional headquarters in Macapa, the capital
of Amapa state. The wildcat gold miners, or "garimpeiros," were
reported to have threatened retaliation in the fight for control of
the region, a demarcated Indian territory believed to be rich in gold
deposits. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932847-d5d
*** Venezuelan voting process too complex, Carter says
CARACAS (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in Venezuela
to monitor preparations for upcoming regional and presidential
elections, voiced concern Wednesday about the complexity of the
voting process. "The general concern is that many people will not be
adequately instructed in the (voting) process," he told a news
conference at the end of a two-day visit. Venezuela will hold
congressional and gubernatorial elections Sunday and the presidential
election Dec. 6. The Atlanta-based Carter Center will have a small
team watching Sunday's vote and will deploy a 25-member team for the
presidential election, to observe the vote count and performance of a
new electronic voting system. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933585-1f4
*** French diplomat says relations with Peru poisoned
LIMA (Reuters) - France's ambassador in Lima said his government's
relations with Peru were poisoned by an "unfair" court ruling over a
disputed stake in Latin America's largest gold mine, a newspaper
reported Wednesday. A French state exploration firm had brought a
$560 million compensation claim against Peru because the French
government believed "there was interference in the judicial process"
over the increasingly profitable Yanacocha mine, ambassador Antoine
Blanca said. "The French government is convinced the ruling was made
without fairness," Blanca said in an interview with Peru's leading
financial daily Gestion. "This has gone down very badly with the
French authorities. It has poisoned our relations." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933677-6be
*** Menem denies daughter, Prince Andrew romance
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - President Carlos Menem denied Wednesday that
warmer relations between Argentina and Britain had extended to
romance between his daughter, Zulema, and Prince Andrew during a
visit to London last week. Asked in a radio interview if Zulema's
relationship with Prince Andrew had gone beyond pure protocol during
the week-long visit, Menem said "absolutely not." Zulema, 27, has no
known boyfriend at the moment but often travels with her divorced
father in the role of first lady. The 38-year-old Prince Andrew,
Queen Elizabeth's second son, is divorced from the Duchess of York,
Sarah Ferguson. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935212-4ed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Europe and Russia
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** 9 teen victims of Swedish disco blaze buried
GOTHENBURG, Sweden (Reuters) - Teen-agers wept as coffins were
lowered into the ground Wednesday at the funeral for the first nine
of 63 young people killed in a disco fire last week. Boys in leather
jackets shared cigarettes in freezing cold, veiled mothers wailed and
fathers bowed their foreheads onto the cold ground in prayer as some
2,000 mourners waited for the funeral procession to arrive at a
Muslim burial ground near Gothenburg. Most of the 400 young people
aged 12 to 20 who were dancing at the Gothenburg disco which was
engulfed in fire last week were immigrants and more than half of them
were Muslim. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933888-00a
*** Bonn backs role in Kosovo air surveillance
BONN (Reuters) - The German cabinet approved German participation in
NATO's Operation Eagle Eye, an unarmed air surveillance mission to
ensure Yugoslavia heeds agreed limits on troops and heavy weapons in
Kosovo. Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping told a news briefing
Germany would make available one unmanned surveillance aircraft
together with back-up staff for the operation. He also signaled
German readiness to take part in a multi-country "extraction force"
to protect unarmed foreign observers in the region once NATO members
had agreed final operational plans for the mission. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934032-0ca ***
Also: EU defense chiefs back stronger military role, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933299-dec
*** Russia says food running short, debt huge
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's government presented its proposed
anti-crisis laws to parliament Wednesday with a warning that the
country had nearly run out of food and faced debilitating payments on
its foreign debts. A car exploded outside the Kremlin, sending plumes
of smoke rising over the multicolored domes of St. Basil's cathedral,
although it was not immediately clear what had caused the blast. In
the latest sign of the severity of the country's economic woes, First
Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Maslyukov said that over the last two
months food stocks had fallen to levels sufficient for a maximum of
only two or three weeks. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934470-034
*** Alleged NATO spy gave key info to Serbs - French media
PARIS (Reuters) - A French army officer suspected of passing NATO
secrets to Belgrade provided far more sensitive information than is
being publicly admitted, French media said Wednesday citing a
confidential report on his interrogation. The daily Le Monde and
Europe 1 radio quoted a secret report by the DST counter-intelligence
agency saying Maj. Pierre Bunel divulged a 25-page plan for possible
NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia designed to resolve the Kosovo
crisis. It said Bunel, now under arrest in Paris, had admitted the
charges, saying he had acted out of humanitarian concern. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931857-d02 ***
Also: Paris denies pro-Serb bias after alleged spy held, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929001-414
*** Gay 'marriages' cause uproar in French parliament
PARIS (Reuters) - France's National Assembly, in a stormy debate
lasting into the early hours of Wednesday, threw out a conservative
bid to sink a controversial bill to improve the lot of gay and
non-married couples. The ruling left-wing coalition defeated by 299
votes to 233 the conservatives, who wanted the so-called Civil
Solidarity Pact (PACS) rejected out of hand. Parliamentarians nearly
came to blows over the bill, which opponents say could open the way
to gay marriages and adoption of children by homosexual couples. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934839-d91
*** Spain, ETA talks seen as step toward peace
MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish government's plan to open talks with
allies of the Basque guerrilla group ETA was welcomed Wednesday as a
major step toward cementing the peace process following the
separatists' ceasefire declaration. Politicians from across the
spectrum applauded the surprise news that Prime Minister Jose Maria
Aznar had authorized talks between the government and ETA allies, six
weeks after the guerrillas implemented a unilateral ceasefire. The
spokesman for the Socialist party, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, told
state radio that contacts with ETA were important in order to
understand the group's real intentions. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932817-263
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Africa
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Mugabe says Zimbabwe, Angola reinforce Congo
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said Wednesday
his country and its main ally Angola had reinforced military
positions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo against Rwandan
and Ugandan-backed rebels. As a senior U.S. envoy continued to work
towards a negotiated settlement to the war in Africa's third largest
country, Mugabe said reports of an Angolan withdrawal attributed to a
U.S. diplomat in Kinshasa were "nonsense and rubbish." Mugabe,
speaking after talks with embattled Congolese President Laurent
Kabila, said Kabila's allies - Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe - were
determined to drive Rwanda and Ugandan troops from Congo. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934326-643 ***
And: Nigeria explores training of Congolese police, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932266-655
*** Sierra Leone ex-president escapes treason charge
FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's former president Joseph Momoh was
found guilty of conspiracy Wednesday after the judge ruled out a
charge linked to treason which can carry the death penalty. The jury
in Freetown High Court found 13 people, on trial with Momoh, guilty
of treason. The ex-president and two other accused were convicted of
conspiracy and five of the 21 in dock were acquitted. Legal sources
said Judge Sydney Warne had ruled that Momoh answer a conspiracy
charge and not one of aiding and abetting treason. The judge
adjourned the court until Thursday for sentencing. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933675-929
*** Sudan assembly approves local state of emergency
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's parliament has approved President Omar
Hassan al-Bashir's call for a state of emergency in four states to
combat robbery, newspapers said Wednesday. Private newspapers
reported that many parliament members from the states, Northern
Darfur, Southern Darfur, Western Darfur and Northern Kordofan,
opposed the declaration, saying it would interfere with civil
liberties. In the past, state-level emergencies, usually called over
tribal conflict and robbery, have meant tighter security, checkpoints
and searches of public and private buildings. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931472-09e
*** Algeria says rebels slash throats of 6 people
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian security forces said Wednesday Muslim
rebels had killed six people by slashing their throats and hurt three
others overnight in western Algeria, while a bomb wounded 21 bus
passengers near Algiers. The forces said that rebels stormed Boukaat
Sidi Touil village in Chlef province, about 100 miles west of
Algiers, Tuesday night. They slashed the throats of six people and
wounded three others, the statement carried by the official Algerian
news agency APS said. Algeria has been beset by violence since early
1992 when the authorities canceled a general election. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929211-7dc
*** Zimbabweans walk home in fuel-price protest
HARARE (Reuters) - Anger over soaring prices and Zimbabwe's military
involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo erupted in
protests and arson attacks around Harare Wednesday, witnesses said.
Cars and buses were stoned and riot police prevented a mob of youths,
who were protesting against a 67% increase in the price of fuel last
weekend, from setting fire to a gas station. At least one bus was
reported to have been burned in Chitungwiza. Witnesses said major
roads leading out of Harare, which has a population of over a
million, were clogged up with thousands of workers walking home. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934554-35e
*** Bombed S. African Planet Hollywood reopens
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The Virgin Mary has replaced Arnold
Schwarzenegger's mutilated android body in Cape Town's bombed Planet
Hollywood restaurant which reopened for business Wednesday. Unknown
assailants bombed the bustling U.S.-franchised restaurant in the
Waterfront tourist area 10 weeks ago killing two people and injuring
26. Bradley Michael, chief executive officer of Planet Hollywood
South Africa, said the closure and refurbishment had cost about 5
million rand (US$870,000), including beefed up security, metal
detectors and surveillance cameras. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929004-ec1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
India and the Middle East
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Arafat says 12 suspects already arrested
MADRID (Reuters) - Yasser Arafat said Wednesday the Palestinian
Authority had already arrested 12 of the 30 Palestinians that Israel
has named as being responsible for the deaths of nearly 100 Israelis.
Palestinian leader Arafat told reporters during a visit to Spain to
explain the Middle East peace agreement that the Palestinians would
continue to work "100%" towards detaining the remaining people.
Israel named 30 Palestinians Wednesday, including 12 it said were
members of the security forces, whom it insisted the Palestinian
Authority had to arrest on suspicion of killing or trying to kill
Israelis. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932264-737 ***
Also: Israel names 30 'wanted' Palestinians, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929579-54e
*** Afghan Taleban reports freeing 107 war prisoners
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taleban movement said it released
107 opposition prisoners Wednesday as efforts continued to establish
another ceasefire to allow a prisoner exchange. A Taleban spokesman,
quoted by a Pakistan-based Afghan news service, said the prisoners
were freed from the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on humanitarian
grounds on the orders of the purist Islamic movement's supreme
leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. A one-week ceasefire between the
factions, brokered by an Afghan scientist based in Saudi Arabia and
designed to allow the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each side, ended
Monday. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931892-94e ***
And: Afghanistan says 9 agencies can resume aid work, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931107-a16
*** Israel to charge agent in Rabin murder case
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said Wednesday it would charge a former
undercover agent with failing to prevent an extremist Jew he had
befriended, Yigal Amir, from killing Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in
1995. On the third anniversary of Rabin's murder, Attorney General
Elyakim Rubinstein said charges would be brought against Avishai
Raviv, 31, who was an informer in the ranks of Israel's militant
right for the Shin Bet security service. The once ubiquitous Raviv,
known to his purported secret service contacts as "Champagne," has
been virtually untraceable - but for a single interview - since
shortly after Amir gunned down Rabin Nov. 4, 1995. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556933384-152
*** Turkey says Iraq arms row 'dangerous'
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said Wednesday neighboring Iraq's refusal
to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors was a cause of concern to
Ankara and the Kurds of northern Iraq. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit was speaking to reporters after a meeting with Iraqi Kurdish
faction leader Massoud Barzani, who rules a section of a Kurdish
enclave carved out of northern Iraq following the 1991 Gulf War.
Baghdad at the weekend decided to stop cooperating with U.N. arms
inspectors, sparking condemnation from the United States and Britain.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932636-526
*** And: Iraqi Kurd head assures Turks on alliance, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932495-d4b ***
Also: Turks hope Kurd guerrilla finds no Moscow refuge, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932952-7d9
*** Buddha's ashes to return for holy Indian ceremony
PATNA, India (Reuters) - The ashes of the Lord Buddha will be carried
Thursday to Bodh Gaya, the place where he is said to have attained
spiritual enlightenment under a tree 2,500 years ago. The
flower-bedecked vehicle carrying holy ashes and relics of Lord
Buddha, revered by millions of Buddhists across Asia, will travel the
70 miles from the eastern city of Patna under high security,
officials said. The ashes are being taken to Bodh Gaya for the
conclusion of the Baudha Mahotsava ceremony, between Nov. 5 to 8. The
casket, a piece of broken conch, a thin strip of gold and a
punchmarked copper coin will be placed for a few hours inside the
Mahabodhi Mahavina temple on Lord Buddha's seat of enlightenment
under the sacred tree. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932554-8cb
*** India says foils Pakistan attack on Kashmir border
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - India said Wednesday its soldiers had
foiled fresh attempts by Pakistan to capture "strategic" military
posts on the disputed Kashmir border. "Pakistan launched a heavy
attack on Nov. 3 to capture one of the shoulders of a strategic pass
in the northern part of the Siachen Glacier," an Indian defense
ministry statement said. Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in the
clash on Siachen, it said. At some 21,000 feet above sea level in the
Karakoram range of the Himalayas, the 50-mile long Siachen Glacier is
the world's highest battlefield - an icy no-man's-land where the
arch-foes wrestle for strategic control. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931564-cae
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Far East
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Tempers flare in trial of Malaysia's Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Tempers flared on the third day of the trial
of sacked Malaysian finance minister Anwar Ibrahim when the judge
warned two defense lawyers that they could be held in contempt of
court for arguing with him. "I would like to take a serious view of
the behavior of the counsel," High Court Judge Augustine Paul said
after defense lawyer Gurbachan Singh had called him rude. Anwar was
sacked from the cabinet Sept. 2 and arrested 18 days later after
leading anti-government protesters through the capital. He has
pleaded not guilty to five counts of corruption and five of sodomy in
a trial which started on Monday and has focused world attention on
Malaysia's politics and human rights record. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932620-34a ***
And: Anwar accused of abusing power, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556928877-589
*** Ethnic Koreans in Japan outraged by firebombing
TOKYO (Reuters) - Pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans lashed out Wednesday
at Japanese right-wingers for attacking North Korea's de facto
embassy in Tokyo. Tokyo police said an unidentified man tossed a
firebomb into the hall of the Tokyo headquarters of the General
Association of Korean Residents in Japan early Tuesday morning. No
one was hurt, but the incident angered pro-Pyongyang Koreans in Japan
and prompted them to urge the Japanese government to prevent similar
incidents. The fire bombing was the latest in a series of attacks and
harassment by Japanese nationalists towards Korean residents since
North Korea's launch Aug. 31 of what Japan has said was a ballistic
missile. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556928094-5fc
*** Indonesia riot report undermines army
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's long-awaited report on bloody May
riots which helped topple President Suharto is a slap in the face for
the military and threatens to further undermine the government's
credibility, analysts said Wednesday. The report, published Tuesday
by a government-appointed team, held elements of the military
responsible for the violence and verified at least 52 rapes. The team
also said it suspected an army unit led by Suharto's son-in-law was
linked to the violence. Human rights activists have said that at
least 160 women, mainly ethnic Chinese, were systematically raped
during the rioting which left at least 1,200 people dead and helped
force Suharto to step down after 32 years of autocratic rule. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929920-9c6
*** Taiwan sends $2.6 mln to stricken Central America
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan said Wednesday it had donated US$2.6
million in humanitarian aid to help its Central American diplomatic
allies recover from the devastation of Hurricane Mitch. "We feel
their hunger and their suffering," the ministry said. Hemmed in by
rival China's diplomatic embargo, Taiwan has only 26 diplomatic
allies around the world - including the Central American states of
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Taipei gave US$800,000 each to Honduras and Nicaragua and US$500,000
each to El Salvador and Guatemala, the ministry said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556927709-bf8
*** Singapore PM to make surprise Malaysia trip
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong will
make a one-day visit to Kuala Lumpur Thursday for talks with his
counterpart Mahathir Mohamad in another bid to smooth out tensions
between the two neighbors. Goh's office said Wednesday Mahathir had
invited the Singapore leader to Kuala Lumpur to continue talks on
bilateral problems last held in April. The announcement was a
surprise as the two men were already expected to meet and talk next
week during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit. They
have much to talk about after some 18 months of spats, some of them
acrimonious. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931623-c05
*** Vietnam chides UN religion envoy over criticism
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam chided the U.N. Special Rapporteur
Wednesday for Religious Intolerance over recent criticism, and said
the envoy had enjoyed freedom of movement during a controversial
visit to the communist country. Phan Thuy Thanh, foreign ministry
spokeswoman, said it was necessary to "correct" statements made by
Abdelfattah Amor made in Tunis. She added that every effort had been
made to fix a full schedule for the landmark visit that ran from Oct.
19-28. Amor said Friday he had not been granted freedom of movement,
was denied the right to meet who he wanted and was worried for the
security of some of those people he did meet. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556928826-e06
----------------------------------------------------------------------
World Business and Financial News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Asian markets advance; Nikkei soars
(WSJ) - Asian stocks advanced Wednesday, with the Japanese market
soaring 4.1% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rising 1.4%. Japan's
stocks rallied after Morgan Stanley analyst Barton Biggs increased
his Japan weighting from 40% to 75% in the Morgan Stanley Capital
International Index. Hong Kong shares continued their upward climb,
pushed by buying in HSBC Holdings. The Jakarta Stock Exchange
composite index jumped 4.2%. Easing of interest rates in Singapore
helped lift shares 3%. In Thailand, stock prices jumped 3.2% as
buying in small bank shares led to a rally in the broader market.
Local investors pushed South Korean shares higher, while Australian
shares got a boost from Tokyo's strong performance and hopes for a
domestic rate cut. Local institutional funds lifted Malaysian shares.
###
*** Stocks advance across Europe lifted by U.S. election
(WSJ) - European stocks rose through midday Wednesday, supported by a
better-than-expected showing for the U.S. Democratic Party in
mid-term elections and anticipation of a strong advance on Wall
Street later in the day. Meanwhile, Tuesday's interest-rate cuts in
Sweden, Spain, and Portugal, and strong gains in key Asian markets
Wednesday added fuel to the rally. The rate cuts bolstered equities
in France, Italy, and Belgium. Financial stocks led advances in
Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, while the banking sector
dominated a rising market in Spain. South African shares also surged,
buoyed by Tokyo's advance. ###
*** Siemens to spin off chip unit as it continues its revamp
FRANKFURT (WSJ) - German electronics giant Siemens AG Wednesday said
it will shed operations with more than $10 billion in annual sales,
including its struggling semiconductor unit. Details were scanty, but
investors liked what little they knew of the plan. In afternoon
trading in Frankfurt, Siemens shares were up 1.70 marks, or 11.5%, to
113.70 marks. Siemens said it will spin off the chip operations, but
it didn't say when. The chip division has been weakened by a
prolonged slump in the global semiconductor industry, caused by a
glut in capacity of low-end memory chips. Expectations of a
turnaround last year were dashed by the Asian financial crisis, which
put renewed pressure on prices and a lesser demand. ###
*** PC sales in Europe surge in 3rd quarter
LONDON (WSJ) - Record purchases of personal computers by consumers
underlined Europe's position as the world's fastest-growing computer
market, according to Dataquest, the market research unit of Gartner
Group. European PC sales grew 23.4% in the third quarter, outgunning
other regions, including the United States, for the fourth straight
quarter. "Europe had a bonanza this quarter," said Philip Williams, a
senior analyst at Dataquest in London. The boost was the result of
falling prices for quality consumer PCs and the growth of alternative
sales outlets, such as supermarkets. Despite poor sales in Central
and Eastern Europe - in particular Russia where sales fell 40% -
Western Europe grew 29.5%, its biggest quarterly growth since early
1995. ###
*** Finance firms to buy branches of Argentina's Banco Mayo
BUENOS AIRES (WSJ) - Eleven financial institutions have agreed to
acquire a total of 25 branches of shuttered Argentine bank Banco Mayo
Cooperativo Ltd., the central bank said. The banks will retain all of
the employees currently employed at the Banco Mayo branches, the
monetary authority said in a statement issued late Tuesday. The
branches to be acquired were left out of the bid submitted for
certain Banco Mayo assets and liabilities by Citigroup Inc.'s
Citibank NA unit. The central bank last week approved Citibank's
offer to buy 54 of Banco Mayo's 108 branches, and assume its 728
million pesos (US$728 million) in deposits. ###
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Science and Medicine
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Study finds new ways aspirin works
LONDON (Reuters) - It's used to treat ailments ranging from headaches
to heart attacks and may help prevent colon cancer but surprisingly
little is known about exactly how aspirin works. Scientists know that
aspirin, one of the world's most popular drugs, relieves pain and
inflammation by inhibiting cyclo-oxygenases, or COX, enzymes that
control small molecules called prostaglandins. But they also
suspected it worked in other ways. Researchers at the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas have discovered another
enzyme that aspirin affects. This could lead to the design of more
effective anti-inflammatory drugs. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935641-0a0
*** Tough bugs may help transform organ transplants
LONDON (Reuters) - Japanese scientists have developed a method of
storing organs which could transform the transplant industry, a
science magazine said Wednesday. Borrowing a trick from a tiny bug
called a tardigrade that can survive under extreme conditions,
scientists at Kanagawa University in Japan have revived a rat's heart
after 10 days in storage, 10 times longer than normal. "The
team...says the work may lead to organ banks similar to blood banks,"
New Scientist magazine said. A lack of available human organs is a
daunting problem for transplant surgeons. Organs often become
available at the last minute and there is a frantic rush to get them
to patients in time to save them. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934445-1fa
*** Meat, milk linked with prostate deaths in study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Men who eat the most meat and dairy products
are the most likely to die from prostate cancer, while those who eat
plenty of grains and nuts are the least likely to succumb to the
disease, an international study showed Wednesday. A survey of
prostate cancer deaths in 59 countries showed that diet is strongly
linked to mortality from the disease, the second-biggest cancer
killer of men after lung cancer. "Animal energy was positively
associated with prostate cancer mortality," James Hebert of the
University of Massachusetts Medical School and his colleagues wrote
in a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934640-b19
*** FDA to meet makers of new anti-cholesterol spread
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The makers of Benecol, a new margarine
promoted as a cholesterol-lowering supplement, are scheduled to meet
with the FDA this week to see if there is any way to legally sell the
product in the United States. Benecol was supposed to hit its first
U.S. test market in Oregon Tuesday. But last week the FDA put a halt
to that, telling makers McNeil Consumer Products, a division of
Johnson & Johnson, that they could not sell a margarine spread as a
dietary supplement. William Schultz, the FDA's deputy commissioner
for policy, said Benecol looked like a food product to him and to
others at the FDA, and that there was a big difference between a food
product and a dietary supplement. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556935048-652
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Online ad rates falling - study
PALO ALTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Although advertising on the Internet is
becoming a popular promotional tool for more and more businesses,
online advertising rates are going down, a new AdKnowledge survey
shows. In September, Internet advertising rates fell to their lowest
level since last December, when AdKnowledge, a Palo Alto-based
company that makes online advertising software, began tracking such
data. The dip partly reflects a surplus of online space relative to
advertiser demand, AdKnowledge said. In other words, the number of
businesses advertising online is growing, but the number of Web sites
that are looking for advertisers is growing faster. ###
*** Gateway revolutionizes online buying
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Gateway announced the debut
of a new company Web site designed specifically for the company's
Your:)Ware purchase program. The new site, www.yourware.com, was
developed to help computer shoppers easily and conveniently research,
purchase and finance their new Gateway PCs via the Your:)Ware
program. Gateway introduced the program in May 1998 and the service
has since enjoyed a high level of acceptance from clients. The
Your:)Ware program offers clients the option of financing their new
PCs through Gateway and MBNA America Bank. A client may trade in his
or her Gateway PC after two years and before the end of the fourth
year for a credit towards the purchase of a new Gateway system. ###
*** Publishers turn to InfoBeat for e-mail communications
NEW YORK (InfoBeat) - The number of publishers using InfoBeat to
extend their brands and acquire new readers via e-mail has reached
20, the global e-mail services leader announced Wednesday at The
Folio: Show in New York. Giving InfoBeat more active publishing
clients than any other e-mail hosting company, the latest media
properties turning to InfoBeat's outsourcing service are
ChannelSeven.com, Women.com, BrainPlay.com, firstsource.com and
Advance Internet. ###
*** Nintendo, LucasArts use the force
(Reuters) - Nintendo of America, LucasArts Entertainment and Lucas
Licensing have signed a five-year worldwide agreement for three new
Star Wars games, granting limited exclusivity to Nintendo. Terms of
the deal were not disclosed. Two of the games will be based on the
upcoming 1999 Star Wars feature film, "Star Wars: Episode I: The
Phantom Menace." The games will debut exclusively in home console
form on the Nintendo 64, and in portable form on Nintendo's Game Boy
Color system. All titles will be distributed exclusively by Nintendo.
###
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Environment
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** U.S. says greenhouse gas emissions rate slows
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases rose 1.4%
in 1997, a slower annual rate than the year before but about average
for most of this decade, the U.S. Energy Information Administration
said Wednesday. The EIA said carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.5% last
year, with most of the increase attributable to fossil-fuel burning.
The growth of other greenhouse gases was "relatively flat" at a
growth rate of 0.7%, the agency said. Greenhouse gas emissions are
blamed for global warming, which, scientists warn could lead to dire
consequences, ranging from the spread of disease to floods and
droughts. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934524-47e
*** Smog puts a damper on sex lives of birds - magazine
LONDON (Reuters) - Pollution in the atmosphere is ruining the sex
lives of some birds, New Scientist magazine said Wednesday. Finnish
researchers studying a species of small birds called great tits, or
Parus major, found that pollution can kill green caterpillars that
contain cartenoid pigments that give the birds their yellow plumage.
The brilliance of a bird's feathers is a key to its sex appeal. "The
more polluted areas have fewer caterpillars," Tapio Eeva, of the
University of Turko in Finland, told New Scientist magazine. "This
changes both the weight and color of the great tits." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556934285-954
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Interest
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Iranians celebrate annual anti-American festival
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Iranians gathered Wednesday outside
the gates of the former U.S. embassy for the annual official protest
against the "arrogant" policies of the "Great Satan." Schoolchildren
bussed in for the occasion swelled the crowd in central Tehran,
celebrating the 19th anniversary of the embassy takeover by militant
students. Some of the young people wore military fatigues while
others sported green-and-red headbands proclaiming "Allahu Akbar"
(God is Great). "The Iranian nation still considers the arrogant
government of America its No. 1 enemy," read the official statement
from the rally marking National Anti-Global-Arrogance Day. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556929655-6a4
*** Court says no cheating on workaholic spouse
ROME (Reuters) - Workaholic men take heart and neglected women take
note. Italy's high court has ruled that a wife has no justification
to cheat on her husband simply because he is always at the office.
Although adultery stopped being a crime in traditionally Catholic
Italy 30 years ago, the ruling by the Court of Cassation made it
clear that courts still considered it morally wrong. The woman,
Annamaria, from the eastern Adriatic city of Ancona, had challenged a
lower-court ruling that said she should be responsible for the
breakdown of her marriage and subsequent separation. Annamaria, whose
husband's occupation was not disclosed, said her marriage failed
because he was always at work and because her mother-in-law was too
much to take. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556931792-d0e
*** Chinese doctors craft new penis for child
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese doctors have crafted a new penis for a
boy who lost his natural one in a scuffle with a temperamental
donkey, state media said Wednesday. Army surgeons in China's capital
made the new organ for 6-year-old Jiang Rongming out of his own skin
and abdominal tissue, Xinhua news agency said. Jiang said he was
"quite happy" with the doctors' handiwork, adding he was now able to
urinate normally for the first time since the accident earlier this
year, Xinhua said. Jiang's penis was bitten off while he was petting
a donkey outside his home in northeastern Jilin province. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556930430-bb0
*** Hearse towed away
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Two German undertakers were stranded on a
street with a coffin after traffic police towed their illegally
parked hearse. The vehicle was parked in the city of Wiesbaden while
the undertakers were collecting a corpse, and police said they did
not realize it was a hearse. The car was returned after two hours and
the corpse was driven away, the Bild newspaper reported Wednesday.
City authorities apologized and said the undertakers would not have
to pay the towing charges - but they will have to pay the parking
fine. ###
*** A bottle of wine, candlelight and, uh, eggplant?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Biting into a voluptuous, succulent tomato at an
elegant restaurant can be every bit as sensual as sliding an oyster
slowly from its shell into your waiting mouth - and in some cases
even more expensive. Indeed, some of the nation's finest restaurants
have elevated red beets, eggplant and wax beans from wallflower side
dishes to pyrotechnics on the plate with multi-course vegetable menus
that can cost as much as $95 per person. "You can lead a healthy
lifestyle by eating very clean food, pure food, but you can also have
food that is unbelievably flavorful and indeed even sensual," said
Charlie Trotter, the prominent Chicago chef and author. "And that's
what we're really striving for here, to achieve a certain sensual
glorification of food preparation." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556932800-67a
*** China wants TV in every village by end-century
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China plans to beam TV into every village by the
end of the century, a senior official said Wednesday. TV covers 88%
of China's 1.2 billion people but does not yet reach many poor and
remote rural areas, said Tian Congming, head of the State
Administration of Radio, Film and Television. "Positive steps are
being taken to ensure that we reach the goal of every village having
access to radio and television broadcasts by the end of the century,"
Tian told a broadcast industry meeting. China had 923 TV stations at
the end of last year. It also had 1,363 radio stations, serving 86%
of the population, the official said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556926567-b46
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