world

Bush urges tolerance in China

By Alyson Brodsy and Ron Fournier · Wednesday, Feb. 20,2002 11:46 p.m.

SEOUL, South Korea -- President Bush urged Chinese President Jiang Zemin Wednesday to respect religious freedoms and consider the Vatican's plea to free Catholic bishops, sticking points in otherwise improving U.S.-Chinese relations.

Possible terrorist plot uncovered in Italy

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Feb. 20,2002 11:44 p.m.

ROME -- Italian authorities arrested four Moroccans in a raid on a Rome apartment where they found maps detailing the U.S. Embassy and a substance apparently containing small quantities of cyanide, officials said Wednesday.

Overseas support causes concern

By Sally Buzbee · Wednesday, Feb. 20,2002 1:18 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is working on a plan to influence public opinion in both hostile and friendly nations to help the war against terrorism -- a still-developing effort that critics say could spread false information at home and abroad. The Office of Strategic Influence, set up after the Sept. 11 attacks, has come up with proposals including the placing of news items -- false if need be -- with foreign news organizations, a defense official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Bush aims to ease Asian concerns

By Ron Fournier · Tuesday, Feb. 19,2002 11:53 p.m.

SEOUL, South Korea -- President Bush sought to assure South Korea Tuesday that he is not rushing toward military confrontation with communist North Korea, which he has branded part of "an axis of evil." Bush was to visit the heavily guarded demilitarized zone dividing the Korean peninsula Wednesday (late Tuesday EST) and was to renew an offer to negotiate with North Korea.

Afghans begin training army

By Louis Meixler · Tuesday, Feb. 19,2002 2:01 a.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- On Monday, a U.S. general began a mission to help Afghanistan establish a national army with fighters loyal to the central government instead of the tribal leaders or local warlords. The visit by Maj. Gen. Charles Campbell, chief of staff of the U.S. Central Command, is part of a plan to create a training program for the Afghan army, a military representative at the U.S. Embassy said.

Mom faces jury for drowning deaths

By Pam Easton · Tuesday, Feb. 19,2002 12:06 a.m.

HOUSTON -- A lawyer for Andrea Yates said Monday that the Houston mother was suffering from postpartum depression and severe psychosis when she drowned her five children, "the cruelest and most severe of mental illnesses." George Parnham told the jury in opening statements that Yates' mental illness kept her from knowing right from wrong. "It takes the very nature and essence of motherhood -- to nurture, to protect and to love -- and changes the reality," he said.

Nepal Maoist rebels kill 129 people

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, Feb. 17,2002 11:41 p.m.

KATMANDU, Nepal -- Nepal's rebels staged their deadliest assault ever Sunday, killing at least 129 policemen, soldiers and civilians in attacks on a district headquarters and airport in the nation's northwest, officials said.

Enron hearing continues

By Marcy Gordon · Thursday, Feb. 14,2002 11:32 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Enron Corp. executive Sherron Watkins accused two top company officials Thursday of duping then-Chairman Kenneth Lay and the board of directors about improper -- and possibly illegal -- partnerships that concealed over $1 billion in debt. Watkins said when she told Lay of her concerns, the chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow, wanted her fired and her computer seized.

Bush keeps option open with Iraq

By Alyson Brodsy and Barry Schweid · Thursday, Feb. 14,2002 1:36 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Wednesday President Bush left open the option of a military attack on Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein. Bush said the Iraqi president "needs to understand I am serious." A senior U.S. official told The Associated Press that Bush's top advisers and agencies of the government had been directed to develop and refine a full range of options.

Legality of U.N. court challenged

By Alyson Brodsy and Dusan Stojanovic · Thursday, Feb. 14,2002 1:35 a.m.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Faced with graphic images from a ruthless campaign of ethnic cleansing that prosecutors say he masterminded, Slobodan Milosevic lashed back Wednesday at the U.N. court, challenging its legality, in his first comments at his war crimes trial.

FBI identifies possible attackers

By Alyson Brodsy and Ted Bridis · Tuesday, Feb. 12,2002 11:16 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The FBI; warning about a possible terrorist attack against the U. S. or against Americans in Yemen, lists individuals with suspected ties to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Attorney General John Ashcroft, speaking in San Antonio, urged citizens and law enforcement officers across the country to "be on the highest alert." The FBI distributed photographs of men believed to be involved, and police nationwide were put under orders to detain any of them immediately.

Peace a possibility between Israel and Palestine

By Alyson Brodsy and Greg Myre · Tuesday, Feb. 12,2002 11:15 p.m.

JERUSALEM -- Foreign Minister Shimon Peres outlined a peace plan Tuesday negotiated with a senior Palestinian lawmaker that calls for a cease-fire followed quickly by the establishment of a Palestinian state. Long on optimism but short on supporters, the plan was reached between Peres and Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia, known as Abu Ala, over several months of unannounced meetings in which they strove to move beyond the daily violence and heated rhetoric.

Trustee may run UN agency

Tuesday, Feb. 12,2002 2 a.m.

An IU board of trustees member may be bound for diplomacy on an international scale. James T. Morris, head of the parent company for the Indianapolis Water Company and Trustee member since 1996, is expected to receive a nomination to lead the United Nations World Food Program in Rome. Morris' spot allows the U.S. to maintain a major spot in a UN agency.

Iranians unite, condemn Bush's 'axis of evil' claim

By Ali Akbar · Tuesday, Feb. 12,2002 1:58 a.m.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Angered by the United States' labeling of Iran as part of an "axis of evil," hundreds of thousands of Iranians chanted "Death to America" on Monday during demonstrations to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The gathering was much larger than last year's commemorations as Iranians used the occasion to show their anger with President Bush's condemnation of their country in his State of the Union address. Many Iranians who said they rarely join such celebrations spoke of taking to the streets to show solidarity.

Pentagon defends drone missile strike in Afghanistan

By Robert Burns · Monday, Feb. 11,2002 11:16 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. soldiers who scoured the site of a CIA-directed missile attack in Afghanistan found evidence disputing claims that those killed were innocents, a senior Pentagon official said Monday. Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem said a team of more than 50 U.S. military personnel recovered ammunition, an empty box for a hand-held radio, English-language documents -- including credit card applications and commercial airline schedules -- and pieces of human remains.

Afghan warlord vows to keep fighting

By Alyson Brodsy and Louis Meixler · Sunday, Feb. 10,2002 10:53 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- An Afghan warlord who led the worst factional fighting since the fall of the Taliban vowed Sunday to fight rather than step down as governor of an eastern province. In the north, warlords agreed to create a "security belt" to keep unauthorized weapons out of a major city.

Lawmakers saying Saddam should be removed

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, Feb. 10,2002 10:51 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Emboldened by success in Afghanistan, some lawmakers are beating the drum for quick action to get rid of Iraq's Saddam Hussein. They take a different view of other nations singled out by President Bush as trouble. Saddam should be removed, and soon, Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut said Sunday.

Soldiers land in Philippines

By Ana M Contreras · Thursday, Feb. 7,2002 11:09 p.m.

This week 650 American soldiers, including 160 Special Forces, landed in the Philippines to cooperate in a mission dubbed "Balikatan" or "shoulder to shoulder" according to The Associated Press. The purpose of their deployment was to advise Filipino troops in their conflict with the Abu Sayyaf, an organization with connections to al Qaeda terrorists. The opinions of Filipinos both locally and abroad are varied; the majority are supportive of renewed American military presence in the Philippines.

U.S. to help Colombia

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Feb. 7,2002 12:20 a.m.

BOGOTA, Colombia -- The Bush administration's plan to help Colombia protect an oil pipeline from guerrilla attacks proves that Washington wants to intervene militarily in this country's civil war, a rebel leader said Wednesday. "The mask has been taken off," rebel commander Simon Trinidad said in a telephone interview from a southern stronghold of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Bush administration officials, who ended a three-day visit to Colombia Wednesday, announced plans Tuesday to train and arm Colombian troops to protect a key oil pipeline that has been a frequent target of guerrilla attacks.

Senate committee subpoenas Lay

By Alyson Brodsy and H. Josef Hebert · Wednesday, Feb. 6,2002 1:11 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to subpoena Kenneth Lay, the former Enron chairman who refused to appear voluntarily to answer questions about the collapse of the energy trading company. "We have no choice," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D--N.D.