Miami Herald
Weaker Paul still may bring flooding to Mexico
Hurricane Paul weakened to a tropical storm off Mexico's Pacific coast, but at least two people died in the storm.
BY MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press
SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico -- Tropical Storm Paul weakened Tuesday as it headed toward the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, still threatening to cause heavy flooding on Mexico's mainland.
A Baja California fisherman died after slipping off seabattered rocks, and rescue workers were searching for an American who they feared had drowned after being swept out to sea by the surging waves.
Paul had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph and was moving north at about 13 mph, but was expected to further weaken before slipping just south of Los Cabos early today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Forecasters, however, warned that remnants of the storm could still dump up to 10 inches of rain in the mountains on Mexico's mainland, potentially causing severe flooding.
A 23-year-old Mexican fisherman died Monday after he slipped off rocks pounded by the rough sea in Todos Santos, north of Los Cabos, according to José Gajón, the Baja California Sur state civil defense director.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15841189.htm
Crist, Davis aggressive in first TV debate
In a debate in Davie, gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis said he will stand up to insurers; Republican opponent Charlie Crist hit the Democrat on his House attendance record.
BY BETH REINHARD AND NOAH BIERMAN
Florida's candidates for governor got aggressive in their first head-to-head debate Tuesday night, pushing themes from their television advertisements and knocking each other as feckless leaders.
A lackluster, lopsided race picked up tempo Monday after a surprising poll showed Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist's lead over Democratic Rep. Jim Davis was tightening.
Crist didn't act like a complacent front-runner. He repeatedly took Davis to task for missing votes in Congress, accused him of wanting to raise taxes and called his insurance plan a ''risky scheme.'' He also revived an attack that dominated the Democratic primary: Davis' 1990 vote against restitution for two wrongfully convicted black men.
Crist balanced his sharp attacks with a cheery outlook for Florida's future, marveling at the balmy weather and referring to popular politicians -- even Democrats, including former Gov. Lawton Chiles.
Davis dished out just about as much as he got, accusing Crist of backing ''special interest tax giveaways.'' Referring to Florida's low graduation rates and high insurance costs, he warned voters that Crist wants to ''stay the course'' on such issues.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15841174.htm
Liberty Seven tipster gets 14-month sentence for gun possession
BY JAY WEAVER
A Chicago man who tipped prosecutors to the alleged plans of a local group of suspected terrorists -- the so-called Liberty Seven -- pleaded guilty to gun charges today in a Miami federal court.
Sultan Khanbey, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke to 14 months in prison with credit for the time he has served since his arrest in May.
Khanbey first came to the attention of authorities last April when he was arrested by Miami police after firing a gun inside the alleged terror group's Liberty City warehouse.
Freed on bond, Khanbey was re-arrested the following month by Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents and charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a gun. That's when Khanbey, who had a falling-out with certain members of the group, started cooperating with the terror investigation.
Investigators learned Khanbey was the mentor and teacher of Narseal Batiste, the Liberty Seven's alleged ringleader. Khanbey, who had first met Batiste in Chicago, accused him of allowing government informants to infiltrate the Miami group.
In June, Batiste and six other defendants were indicted on terrorism conspiracy charges in a high-profile case involving two FBI informants of Arabic descent who penetrated the Liberty City organization.
Authorities say the group wanted to blow up the tallest building in the United States -- the Sears Tower in Batiste's native Chicago -- along with the FBI headquarters in North Miami Beach and the federal courthouse complex in downtown Miami.
Seijas faces Dec. 19 recall vote
Voters in Northwest Miami-Dade will vote Dec. 19 on whether to keep a sitting commissioner -- Natacha Seijas -- in office.
BY CHARLES RABIN
crabin@MiamiHerald.com
Natacha Seijas, the pugnacious county commissioner from Northwest Miami-Dade, will face a recall vote a week before Christmas -- the first recall vote of a sitting county commissioner in more than three decades.
Tuesday morning, seated at the dais among her peers, Seijas read from a prepared statement, criticizing the citizens group that gathered signatures supporting a recall and accusing one of its organizers of attempting to take her seat on the commission.
Seijas asked for and received the unanimous support of the 13-member commission to schedule a vote for Dec. 19. Though she charged that hundreds of signatures were obtained fraudulently, she said she had decided to halt any further effort to fight the certified votes in the courts.
''I have come to respect the rulings of our judicial branch, even when I do not agree with them,'' Seijas said. ``Hopefully, the organizers of this fraud will one day be held accountable.''
`AN URGENCY'
Michael Pizzi, the attorney and Miami Lakes town councilman who Seijas believes wants her seat, wouldn't rule out a run for District 13 if Seijas were recalled. But he denied he pushed for the recall as a power grab.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15840956.htm
Danny Rolling is executed for Gainesville killings
BY MARC CAPUTO AND STEPHANIE GARRY
MEMORIAL: Sadie Darnell, who was the police department's spokeswoman at the time of the 1990 murders, looks at a panel on a graffiti wall with the names of the victims in Gainesville.
STARKE - Danny Rolling, the man who murdered five University of Florida students and plunged the city of Gainesville into panic in the summer of 1990 was executed tonight.
The governor's office said Rolling, 52, died around 6:13 p.m.
Rolling didn't give a last word just before he died. Instead he sang a hymn in his haunting Southern drawl. Rolling, who had a Pentecostal advisor minister to him before his execution, repeatedly sang: ``None greater than thee, O Lord, none greater than thee.''
The song also made a reference out of the New Testament book of Corinthians, about about seeing ``through a glass now darkly.''
About 15 members of the victims' families watched the execution, some stone-faced, some shaking their heads, and some grimacing and rubbing their eyes.
The five victims, students who had just arrived at UF after the summer break and were preparing for classes, were mutilated and some of the women sexually assaulted.
Rolling died after a final appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court was unsuccessful.
He pleaded guilty in 1990 to the murders of Sonja Larson, 18, Christi Powell, 17, Crista Hoyt, 18, and Tracy Paules and Manny Taboada, both 23.
During the afternoon today, about 200 people gathered outside Florida State Prison, about evenly divided between pro and anti-death penalty advocates.
Supporters of the death penalty -- among them friends of the victims -- began cheering and whistling when news that the execution had occurred leaked out.
Opponents of the death penalty stood in a circle began singing ``Amazing Grace.''
''It's just justice for the victims. It doesn't bring them back, but at least they know he's going to meet his maker,'' said Tonya Wilson, 34, who was to be the roommate of victims Sonja Larson and Christi Powell. Wilson had not had a chance to move in yet before her fellow students were slain.
Aid to Colombia will stay the same despite rights allegations
The Bush administration pledged to extend Plan Colombia for another two years, but some funding outlays are being delayed over corruption concerns.
BY SIBYLLA BRODZINSKY AND PABLO BACHELET
BOGOTA - The Bush administration plans to keep U.S. aid to the Colombian military at current levels through 2008 despite human rights and corruption scandals that already have delayed some U.S. disbursements, a top official said Tuesday.
''We intend to ask our Congress to maintain the current level of funding'' for 2007 and 2008, said Nicholas Burns, the State Department's acting No. 2 official, with the title of under secretary of political affairs.
But Burns also noted that he would raise the recent allegations of corruption scandals and human rights abuses in the army, reported by the media and non-government organizations (NGOs) here, during his two-day visit.
''We raise these issues when there are allegations made by credible NGOs,'' he told reporters on his arrival, ``and I will be raising them with Colombian officials.''
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15841191.htm
Family killed on Turnpike buried in Texas ceremony
BY LYNN BREZOSKY
The Associated Press
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A mariachi group played funeral songs Monday as mourners buried a family of four who were gunned down along Florida's Turnpike after pulling to the side of the road.
About 200 mourners watched as four caskets were placed side-by-side in a single grave. Some wore white T-shirts printed with family photos and the words ``In Memory of the Escobedo Family.''
Investigators believe the family's Jeep was pulled to the side of Florida's Turnpike early Oct. 13 and that someone inside the vehicle shot the family and drove away. Authorities have said the victims appeared to be lying or kneeling when shot.
There have been no arrests, and authorities have not revealed a motive for the slayings of Yessica Guerrero Escobedo, 25; her husband, Jose Luis Escobedo, 28; and the couple's toddler boys, Luis Julian, 4, and Luis Damian, 3. The family had moved from Texas to Florida just four months earlier.
Their bodies were found in a grassy area off the highway in Port St. Lucie. The couple's vehicle was found abandoned 70 miles south in West Palm Beach.
At a funeral service, Deacon Roberto Cano remembered marrying the couple in December 2002. ''They were in love. They were very ready to begin married life, to begin a family,'' he said in Spanish. ``Know that Jose Luis and Jessica are in the realm of God.''
U.N. will slam trade embargo, Cuban predicts
WASHINGTON - (AP) -- American hostility toward Cuba has reached ''unprecedented levels'' under the Bush administration, a senior Cuban official said Tuesday. He predicted that the U.N. General Assembly will deliver a sharp rebuke of U.S. policies in a resolution next month.
Cuba's chief diplomat in Washington, Dagoberto Rodríguez, said the world assembly will denounce the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, as it has each year since the early 1990s.
''The longest running and most ruthless blockade ever known to mankind will be rejected again,'' Rodríguez said, noting that 182 countries voted to end ''this cruel and genocidal policy'' last year.
He said the United States pursues regime change in Cuba and seeks to annex the island.
The Bush administration says it is seeking, through a policy of economic denial and other means, a peaceful transition to democracy on the island.
In response to a question about the possible reinstatement of Fidel Castro, Rodríguez said, ``His health has been improving every day. He will soon be assuming his duties as president.''
A month ago, Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said Castro will take charge on Dec. 2. He relinquished power to his brother, Raúl, on July 31 after reportedly undergoing intestinal surgery.
Industry player: Stacy Frati's Hialeah factory cranks out her Sweet Pea line
BY VALERIE NAHMAD
It is the late 1990s and grunge is all the rage. We're wearing Guess jeans and skorts while watching the first season of MTV's The Real World.
Fashion agent and native New Yorker Stacy Frati has a glaring hole in her closet. She spends her days with industry insiders, but she can't find a reliable, sexy, stylish top to wear with jeans. That elusive flirty shirt nags at her.
Frustrated, ambitious and in love with third-generation Italian textiler Mario Frati, she decides to take matters into her own hands -- and head to Miami.
And so began Sweet Pea by Stacy Frati, today a player in the $92 billion women's apparel business. The popular line of tops and dresses has since permeated the retail market, distinguished by its signature nylon mesh fabric.
Her flouncy baby doll tanks, flirty halter dresses and form-framing tunics hang on racks at Nordstrom, Anthropologie and local boutiques Scarlet and IOS. Frati introduces 25 new styles and patterns each month, steadily churning out a functional, sexy and inherently wearable line.
''The clothes have flavor,'' Frati says. ``They talk to you. They tell you which shoes match, what jewelry goes. You shouldn't have to worry about how to wear them.''
Indeed, a crimson halter dress patterned with bright flowers screams flip-flops and funky necklace, while a black and white tunic calls out for ballet flats and pearls. Frati understands what the clothes say to her customers because she is one.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/15834207.htm
STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
Eat your veggies
A big fear of Americans as they get older is the mental decline that often accompanies old age. Now, along comes a new research study that says consuming vegetables helps to stave off this dreaded disability.
Granted, there is no cause-and-effect proof -- yet. But the study reported in yesterday's Miami Herald offers evidence that vegetables are good for the heart and the brain.
Aging baby boomers should heed the study. It says that two vegetable servings a day can improve mental function and deliver a better lifestyle.
The study of 1,946 men and women aged 65 and older was conducted by a Chicago medical center, published in the journal Neurology, and funded by the National Institute on Aging.
All of that just to prove the truth of what Mom used to say -- eat your veggies!
Yes, expand the canal
OUR OPINION: MODERNIZED WATERWAY WILL BE A BOON TO COMMERCE
Without a doubt, the people of Panama made the right choice on Sunday by approving a $5.25 billion plan to modernize the Panama Canal by building a third set of locks on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the waterway. This will ensure that newer container ships, cruise liners and tankers that are too wide for the canal's present dimensions will be able to navigate it in the future.
The project will double the capacity of the 50-mile canal, which remains one of the engineering marvels of the world. If completed in eight years as currently expected, the new locks could be inaugurated in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canal.
Over the years, the canal has been a mainstay of Panama's economy, providing jobs and revenue. The expansion will ensure that it remains an essential route for seafaring commerce in an age when global business networks are multiplying.
It is important for the United States, as well. Roughly two-thirds of shipping traffic using the canal is destined for or originates in this country. That figure will likely rise even higher after expansion is complete.
About 18 percent of traffic through the canal comes from China, making it the second-biggest user. As a result of the expansion, the impact on Florida -- and anyone living and working on the East Coast of the United States -- will be direct and favorable.
Since taking control of the waterway in 2000, the Panama Canal Authority has run this vital shipping channel safely and efficiently. It expects to pay for the project by gradually increasing tolls, although shippers support the expansion because they see it as a boon to commerce. As U.S. Ambassador to Panama William Eaton said after the vote, transit costs from Asia will be cheaper, ``and that will have an effect on the market.''
Stand against racism
Our community owes a debt of gratitude to Rep. Gus Barreiro for his decision to speak out in what otherwise might seem a conspiracy of silence shrouding the racist epithets state Rep. Ralph Arza allegedly used.
I regret that Barreiro and his family have had to endure threats. Perhaps if there were more of a public outcry among leaders against racist speech and behavior, regardless of the offender's position of power, there would be more safety for the few who choose to do the right thing. Perhaps the few would become the many.
Such an outcry would send the clear signal that we no longer will tolerate hateful speech, not among our neighbors and certainly not among our elected leaders.
JIM HOWE, executive director, Greater Miami Region of The National Conference for Community and Justice, Miami
Blaming `emotions'
It is discouraging to hear public figures such as Ralph Arza, Johnny Winton and Mel Gibson blame alcohol and their ''emotions'' for their embarrassing tirades and actions. In the most recent example, Arza said, ''My emotions got the best of me'' and that this tends to happen when he drinks too much alcohol.
Arza's emotions are a part of who he is; they are not a distinct evil spirit that acts on a helpless person.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15841208.htm
Seoul Times
http://theseoultimes.com/ST/index.html
UK Deputy PM John Prescott to Visit Seoul
The Right Honourable John Prescott MP, the UK's Deputy Prime Minister since 1997, will arrive in Seoul on Tuesday 24th October on a two-day visit aimed at further strengthening the relationship between the UK and the Republic of Korea.
The visit demonstrates both countries' commitment to the strong bilateral relationship. Reflecting his broad range of responsibilities, the Deputy Prime Minister will pay a series of calls on high-level members of the Korean government. Meetings will be held with Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, Foreign Minister and UN Secretary General designate Ban Ki-moon, Minister for Environment Lee Chi-beom and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy Chong Se-kyeon, to discuss how the two governments can collaborate more closely in a range of areas.
Strong trade and investment ties have long been the hallmark of the bilateral relationship. An increasing number of British companies are doing good business in and with Korea. On the morning of Wednesday 25th the Deputy Prime Minister will mark the arrival in Korea of one of the UK's most respected luxury car marques by opening the first official dealership for Bentley Motors Korea in Seoul.
Recognising some of the more established business relationships between the two countries, later that evening the Deputy Prime Minister will be guest of honour at the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea's (BCCK) annual awards ceremony. The BCCK awards acknowledge excellence in business relationships. The occasion will see the announcement of the winners of the hotly-contested awards in Corporate Social Responsibility, Trade and Investment between Korea and the UK, and Partnership between a Korean and UK organisation.
The visit will also include a reception for some of those who work and contribute to the bilateral relationship and an opportunity for the Deputy Prime Minister to pay his respects to UK servicemen and women who served during the Korean War.
Media Opportunities
7: 30 p.m. Tuesday 24 October. Photo opportunity at reception at Orchid Room, Westin Chosun Hotel.
7: 00 p.m. Wednesday 25 October. Photo opportunity and speech at the BCCK annual awards ceremony, Topaz room, Shilla Hotel.
For media enquiries contact Jenny Hong, British Embassy Media Officer on 02 3210 5562,
Who Is John Prescott?
John Prescott was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in 1997 and is one of the longest-serving members of Her Britannic Majesty's Government. In May 2006 the Prime Minister asked John Prescott to chair a number of major Cabinet Committees and to oversee the efficient development of Government policy.
He also asked him to continue his international role particularly with regard to China and Eastern Europe and, in recognition of his work in delivering the Kyoto Treaty, to work with the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for the Environment on developing the post Kyoto agenda. This will be Mr Prescott's first visit to Korea.For over 60 years Bentley's factory in Crewe in the north of England has been producing some of the world's most luxurious and desirable cars. The luxury British car manufacturer has established Bentley Motors Korea, its official importership in the Korean market. The opening of their dealership partner Bentley Seoul in Cheongdam-dong will mark the company's first official inroads into the Korean market. The opening ceremony of Bentley Seoul is by invitation only. www.bentleyseoul.com, www.bentleymedia.com
The BCCK annual awards are now in their second year and were presented in 2005 by His Royal Highness The Duke of York. Reflecting their high-profile guests of honour, the awards have developed a reputation for recognising business excellence and highlighting the benefits that foreign investment brings to both the UK and Korea. The awards attract significant interest in the business community and attract a high standard of applications from British and Korean companies. www.bcck.or.krBritain was second only to the United States in the contribution it made to the UN effort during the Korean War. 87,000 British servicemen and women took part in the Korean conflict. 1,109 Britons lost their lives and 2,674 were wounded.
N. Korean leader told China
2nd Nuke Test Hinges on US: Sources
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told a Chinese envoy in talks last week that while Pyongyang has no plan at the moment to carry out more nuclear tests, whether it will do so in the future hinges on U.S. policy toward the country, Kyodo News reported on Oct. 22 quoting diplomatic sources in Beijing..
In the meeting with State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, Kim also repeated North Korea's position that it will return to the six-party nuclear talks if the United States lifts sanctions on a Macao-based bank suspected of laundering money and counterfeiting for North Korea, the sources said.
Tang visited North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday as Chinese President Hu Jintao's envoy to help resolve the standoff over North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test.
The content of Tang's conversation with Kim has not been made public, although Tang briefed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about it when they met in Beijing on Friday, and China has discussed it with some other countries.
According to the sources, Kim said that while there is no plan to hold a second nuclear test for the moment, North Korea "would have to respond if the United States continues to pressure" the country.
Kim also said he thinks the United States is trying to crush North Korea by taking a hostile policy against it, and complained about the U.S. financial sanctions, which have been in place since September 2005, the sources said.
He called the financial sanctions "an obstacle" to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs, and said that it would be possible for Pyongyang to return to the discussions if there is a guarantee that the sanctions will be lifted, according to the sources.
North Korea does not wish for a deterioration of the situation, but future developments will depend on the actions of the United States, Kim was quoted by the sources as telling Tang.
The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia have stalled since last November, with North Korea refusing to participate until the United States lifts the financial sanctions.
The United States has rejected that demand, saying the sanctions are a law enforcement issue that should not be linked to the nuclear negotiations.
Kim's comments were made in response to a message from Hu conveyed by Tang, telling North Korea that it is important to achieve a breakthrough in the current situation through the six-party talks, the sources said.
In the talks, Tang urged Pyongyang not to go ahead with a second nuclear test, saying that North Korea should not carry out any acts that would further aggravate the situation, according to the sources.
He also told Kim that North Korea becoming a nuclear power is not beneficial either for North Korea or the East Asia region, according to the sources.
Tang, who visited the United States and Russia before visiting North Korea, conveyed to Kim the U.S. position that North Korea's nuclear test is unacceptable, and that Washington will protect Japan and South Korea in line with its bilateral treaties with the two countries, the sources said.
He also told North Korea that the United States still hopes to resolve the issue through peaceful means, and that the country wants Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks as soon as possible, according to the sources.
In response to the nuclear test, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Oct. 14 against North Korea, paving the way for economic and diplomatic sanctions against the country.
China takes tough stance on North Korea
An exasperated China took a newly tough approach to communist ally North Korea on Friday, siding with the United States in saying the North must back away from nuclear confrontation, and moving to cut Pyongyang's vital supply of hard currency, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 14 in its Beijing-datedlined dispatch.
Chinese banks have stopped financial transfers to North Korea under government orders, bank employees said Friday. And at an appearance with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, China's foreign minister nudged the North to resume negotiations over its nuclear program and assured Washington that China would carry out United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang.
"We hope all relevant parties will maintain coolheadedness, adopt a prudent and a responsible approach and adhere to peaceful dialogue," Li Zhaoxing said as Rice concluded crisis talks in Asia following the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test blast.
China, which is North Korea's longtime protector, has been reluctant in the past to use economic pressure for fear Kim Jung Il's government might collapse.
But Chinese leaders were stung when the North ignored their warnings not to test-fire missiles over the summer, and again when it defied Beijing by detonating the underground blast this month. China previously had reduced food aid to North Korea amid complaints that Pyongyang had ignored Chinese interests.
The move by China's banks could deal a significant blow to the already impoverished North. China is North Korea's top trading partner — accounting for more than half its total foreign trade of less than $4 billion last year — and is a key conduit for its hard currency.
China's actions are considered key to enforcing U.N. sanctions on the North over the test, and to coaxing the North to back away from the nuclear brink and rejoin talks.
Rice told reporters China has new resolve against the North that shows it has re-evaluated its relationship with Pyongyang. Last week's U.N. Security Council vote to impose sanctions on Pyongyang, which Beijing supported, proves the point, Rice said.
"In this entire 30-year history of the North Korean nuclear program, this is the first time that the international system has been able to actually impose a cost on North Korea for its nuclear behavior," Rice said. "It's able to impose that cost because China has been brought into the process in a way that China never was before."
The U.S.-backed sanctions were watered down partly at China's request, but China's vote in favor of punishment still represents a shift for Beijing.
All four major Chinese state-owned banks and British-owned HSBC Corp. have stopped financial transfers to the North, according to bank employees in Beijing and the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.
China has also been inspecting North Korean trucks at some points along the two nations' 880-mile border, and it dispatched a top envoy to Pyongyang this week to warn the North against a second nuclear test and try to bring it back to the arms talks.
Discussions over Pyongyang's nuclear program have been stalled for a year because of a boycott by the North over U.S. financial sanctions. The talks involve the United States, host China, the two Koreas, Japan and Russia.
Beijing was the final and most important stop on Rice's hastily arranged tour of Asian capitals. She continues to Moscow on Saturday for talks on the dual nuclear challenges posed by North Korea and Iran.
In Beijing, Rice appealed to North Korea to return without condition to stalled international talks over its nuclear program. She downplayed differences among the U.S., China and South Korea over the strength and tone of world response to Pyongyang.
The U.N. sanctions ban trade with the North in major weapons and materials that could be used by its ballistic missile and unconventional weapons programs, and in luxury goods enjoyed almost exclusively by elites around Kim.
The U.N. restrictions call for inspections of all cargo leaving and arriving in North Korea, but it is not clear how that will work in practice. Rice has stepped gingerly around that point this week, saying all nations are obligated to enforce the sanctions but leaving the details vague.
Several Defense Department officials said Friday that the U.S. Navy is tracking a North Korean cargo ship that left port and was headed south from the Korean Peninsula. One of the officials, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, said the U.S. does not know what the ship is carrying or its destination.
South Korean news reported Friday that Kim said Pyongyang doesn't plan to carry out any more nuclear tests and expressed regret about the country's first-ever atomic detonation last week. Kim told a visiting Chinese envoy, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, that the North had "no plans for additional nuclear tests," Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unnamed diplomatic source in Beijing.
Rice met with Tang in Beijing on Friday and later told reporters that he had carried a "strong message to North Korea about the seriousness of what has happened."
Rice would not provide details of Kim's response, but White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters in Washington that the North had not offered to return to six-nation arms talks stalled since late last year.
OPEC to Cut Output by 1.2 Mil bbls Per Day
DOHA (WAM) — In a surprise move, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced Friday that it has decided to cut its oil output by 1.2 million barrels per day to 26.3 million bpd from November 1.
The group took the decision at a consultative meeting held in Doha on Oct.20..
Speaking at a news conference, UAE Energy Minister Mohammad bin Dhaen Al Hamli said: "We are cutting from actual production of 27.5 million. Every country is cutting production .. We are talking about the OPEC 10." The cut is the biggest since 2002 and also the first since December 2004, when oil traded slightly above US$40 a barrel.
Crude futures rose on Thursday as OPEC unexpected cut was announced.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, gained 85 cents to close at 58.50 dollars a barrel. London's Brent North Sea crude for December delivery jumped 1.29 dollars to a settlement of 60.87 dollars a barrel.
The group will meet again in December 14th in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.
US Bishops Given Misleading Guidlines
Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick
Catholic bishops have been mislead regarding Vatican guidelines on the reception of Holy Communion by Catholic politicians in the USA. Consider the following:
"It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a 'good Catholic' and poses no obstacle to the reception of the sacraments. This is a grave error"
- Pope John Paul II (Los Angeles speech to U.S. bishops, Sept. 16, 1987).In June, 2004 Cardinal Ratzinger, (now Pope Benedict XVI) sent a memorandum to Cardinal McCarrick that offered guidelines to bishops for discussing the Communion/abortion issue at their meeting near Denver. However, Cardinal McCarrick did not reveal critical contents of the cover letter to the bishops, but instead suggested each bishop decide for himself the action to be taken.
Some of the key points in that cover letter:
1. In the case of abortion or euthanasia, a Catholic politician manifests "formal cooperation" in grave sins by "consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws."
2. The politician's pastor should "meet with him, instructing him about the Church's teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist."
3. "When these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible, and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it."
4. "Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgment on the person's subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person's public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin."
Unfortunately, a number of two-faced "Catholic" politicians (especially spiritually warped, permissive liberals in the Democratic Party) are taking advantage of this confusion.
Vincent Bemowski - Writer (U.S. Politics & World Affairs & Veteran, U.S. Army)
1325 Lucerne Dr. Apt. 12Menasha, WI 54952 USAWebsite: Catholic Messages USA http://www.catholicmessagesusa.com/ bemowskivince@sbcglobal.net
World Citizens Reject Torture: Global Poll
Special ContributionBy Doug MillerPresident of GlobeScan Incorporated
A torture scene
A majority of people around the world are opposed to torture even if its purpose is to elicit information that could save innocent lives from terrorism, according to a BBC World Service poll of more than 27,000 people in 25 different countries.
The poll shows 59 percent of the world's citizens are unwilling to compromise on the protection of human rights, however 29 percent think governments should be allowed to use some degree of torture in order to combat terrorism.
Most Americans (58%) are against any use of torture. But opposition to torture in the US is less robust than in Europe and the percentage of Americans favouring the practice in certain cases (36%) is one of the highest among the 25 countries polled.
The survey of 27,407 respondents across 25 countries was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. GlobeScan coordinated fieldwork from May through July 2006.
Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, notes, "The dominant view around the world is that terrorism does not warrant bending the rules against torture."
GlobeScan President, Doug Miller, adds, "The poll reveals a public opinion climate in which human rights violations by governments are likely to cause outrage, especially in Western Europe."
There is however somewhat less support for outlawing torture in several countries that have suffered terrorism attacks or political violence including India, where slightly more respondents (32%) favour relaxing the rules against torture than not (23%).
The largest percentage endorsing torture was found in Israel. Forty-three percent say some degree of torture should be allowed, though slightly more, (48%) think the practice should be prohibited.
Italians are the most opposed to the use of torture with 81 percent against, followed by three-quarters of respondents in Australia and France, 74 percent in Canada, 72 percent in the UK, and 71 percent in Germany.
Countries polled were Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the US.
Respondents were asked the following question:
Most countries have agreed to rules that prohibit torturing prisoners. Which position is closer to yours?
Terrorists pose such an extreme threat that governments should now be allowed to use some degree of torture if it may gain information that saves innocent lives.
Clear rules against torture should be maintained because any use of torture is immoral and will weaken international human rights standards against torture. The poll found strong support for the latter position in favour of upholding the rule against torture with a majority in 19 countries endorsing it, plus another 5 with a plurality. There is however somewhat less support for outlawing torture in several countries that have suffered terrorist attacks or political violence including India, where a slight plurality favours relaxing the rules against torture.
All of the countries surveyed are parties to the Geneva Conventions that contain Article 3 forbidding torture as well as other forms of abuse. All countries surveyed are also parties to the more recent Convention Against Torture that goes further in how explicitly it prohibits torture, except India, which has signed but not yet ratified it.
Italians (81%) are the most opposed to the use of torture in all circumstances and the British are among the highest with 72 percent opposed and 24 percent in favor. Other countries with high numbers favouring a total ban are in Australia and France (75% in both) as well as Canada (74%) and Germany (71%). Only in India do more respondents favour allowing "some degree of torture:" Thirty-two percent say using physical coercion is sometimes permissible—a bit more than the 23 percent who say existing rules should be maintained. Nearly half of Indian respondents (45%) favour neither position or did not answer. India has a long history with terrorism and political violence, including a 2001 attack on its Parliament. This survey was completed before July 11, 2006 when terrorists bombed seven crowded commuter trains in Mumbai. Interestingly, there is no difference in the views of Hindus and Muslims in India on this question.
The largest percentage endorsing torture is found in Israel where 43 percent say that some degree of torture should be allowed, though slightly more (48%) say the practice should be prohibited. Israeli responses vary significantly by religion. A majority of Jewish respondents (53%) favour allowing governments to use torture to obtain information while 39 percent want clear rules against it. In contrast, Muslims in Israel (who represented 16 percent of total responses in that country) are overwhelmingly (87%) against any use of torture. No other country polled has a majority of any major religious subgroup that favours allowing torture.
In addition to India and Israel, there were four other countries where those rejecting torture fell short of a majority: Russia (43% reject torture, 37% accept), Nigeria (49% reject, 39% accept), China (49% reject, 37% accept), and Mexico (50% reject, 24% accept).
In the United States, most Americans (58%) oppose any use of torture. But opposition to torture in the United States is less robust than in Europe and the percentage of Americans favouring the practice in certain cases (36%) is one of the highest among the 25 countries polled.
There is little variation in the worldwide averages by income or education. But support for a ban on torture increases slightly with age: 57 percent of those younger than 35 years old were against torture compared to 61 percent of those 35 and older. Men are five points more likely to accept some use of torture than are women. As for religion, Israel is the only country where statistically significant differences exist between major religious groups on this question.
In total 27,407 citizens in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States were interviewed between 26 May and 6 July 2006. Polling was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan and its research partners in each country. In 7 of the 25 countries, the sample was limited to major urban areas. The margin of error per country ranges from +/-2.5 to 4 percent.
For more details, please see the Methodology section or visit www.globescan.com or www.pipa.org.
For contact: Doug Miller, PresidentGlobeScan Incorporated, London+44 20 7958 1735(Mobile: +44 78 999 77 000)Doug.Miller@GlobeScan.com
The Chicago Tribune
Sensitive CT scanners offer hope to lung cancer patients
By Ronald KotulakTribune staff reporterPublished October 25, 2006, 5:47 PM CDT
A new generation of CT scanners that can detect a cancer in the lungs as small as a grain of rice -- when the tumor is still highly curable -- is raising hopes that screening may dramatically reverse the grim outlook for lung cancer just as mammography did for breast cancer.A major long-term study reported in Wednesday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that at least 88 percent of patients whose early-stage lung cancer was detected through CT screening would survive for 10 years after the tumor was surgically removed.
The 10-year survival rate for people diagnosed with stage-one lung cancer is usually about 70 percent. But many tumors are not detected until they are more advanced and difficult to treat.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-061025lungcancer,1,6362802.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
New trial ordered in 1997 attack
By Maurice PossleyTribune staff reporterPublished October 25, 2006, 5:30 PM CDT
A federal judge has ordered a new trial for a man serving a 30-year prison term for a 1997 attack on a woman who was slashed in the face with a box cutter while waiting for a bus near Michael Reese Hospital.A jury convicted Robert Wilson, 51, in the Feb. 28, 1997, attack on June Siler as she stood in a bus shelter at 29th Street and King Drive.
But in a ruling signed last Friday, U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo declared that Criminal Court Judge Kenneth Wadas had erroneously prohibited Wilson's defense lawyers from presenting evidence that another man had confessed to five similar slashing attacks in the same area. Jerryco Wagner confessed to the other attacks, which occurred shortly after Siler was slashed, saying, "God had ordered him to kill each of the victims because they were white," according to the ruling. Wagner was found mentally incompetent to stand trial and sent to a mental institution.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-061025wilson,1,7543811.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Agents: Elmo Doll Used to Hide Drugs
By COLLEEN SLEVINAssociated Press WriterPublished October 25, 2006, 2:31 PM CDT
DENVER -- Authorities said Wednesday that they have broken up a methamphetamine ring that shipped the drug in toys including an Elmo doll. Agents said 19 people were in custody, including the alleged leader of the northern Colorado drug ring, and that they seized more than 45 pounds of what they described as high-quality methamphetamine.
Officials released photos of an Elmo doll found in a car in Barstow, Calif., with a caption saying 4 pounds of methamphetamine was found inside. Eid said he could not discuss what happened because the doll of the "Sesame Street" character was evidence in the case. Authorities said other toys also were used to hide drugs but did not elaborate. Other photos showed drugs shipped in a suitcase and tucked inside a tire. U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said the alleged ringleader, Rigoverto Valle-Sierra, was arrested Tuesday in Greeley after a yearlong investigation.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-meth-ring,1,4523478.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Boeing income tumbles, stock loses ground
By Julie JohnssonTribune staff reporterPublished October 25, 2006, 11:23 AM CDT
Shares of Boeing Co. fell 3 percent in trading this morning after the aerospace company said its third quarter net income tumbled 31 percent to $694 million, or 89 cents a share.Contributing to the drop in profit: Boeing took a $280 million charge to shutter Connexion, its inflight broadband service, and also paid $615 million to the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve criminal and civil allegations that it rigged bids for federal contracts.Both moves had previously been disclosed by the Chicago-based company.Quarterly revenue rose 19 percent to $14.7 billion.Boeing continues to benefit as competitor Airbus SAS struggles to resolve production issues with its A380 jumbo jet.It booked 243 aircraft orders during the quarter and 730 for the first nine months of 2006. Revenues at its commercial aircraft business soared 45 percent to $6.7 billion from a year ago.Boeing expects its commercial aircraft business to buoy 2007 results, as well. The company boosted its earnings guidance for next year, saying it now expects to earn between $4.45 and $4.65, per share. That's 20 cents a share higher than its previous estimates.Jjohnsson@tribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-061025boeing,0,2654629.story?coll=chi-business-hed
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes to Wed in Italy
By Associated PressPublished October 24, 2006, 4:42 PM CDT
NEW YORK -- Hollywood's most high-profile engaged couple have finally set a wedding date. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will marry in Italy on Nov. 18, Cruise's representative, Arnold Robinson, confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Holmes will wear a dress designed by Giorgio Armani, Robinson also confirmed.
The wedding date was reported by Us Weekly magazine on its Web site. Holmes, 27, and Cruise, 44, became engaged in June 2005. Their daughter, Suri, was born April 18. She made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine last month. The photo showed Suri peeking out of a jacket worn by Cruise with Holmes looking on. Cruise and Holmes were first photographed together in Rome in April 2005. Two months later, the "Mission: Impossible" actor announced he had proposed to Holmes atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Holmes, who starred in TV's "Dawson's Creek," was previously engaged to actor Chris Klein. Cruise, previously married to Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman, also had a high-profile romance with Penelope Cruz.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-ap-people-cruise-holmes-wedding,1,1690667.story?coll=chi-entertainmentfront-hed
Madonna blames media for baby furor
Published October 25, 2006
Madonna told Oprah Winfrey on Tuesday that she was surprised by the firestorm surrounding her efforts to adopt a 13-month-old boy from the African country of Malawi. And she blamed the media for it.The interview, taped via satellite from London, was to air Wednesday. It was the first time she'd spoken in depth about her adoption of David Banda.
According to a member of the "Oprah" audience, Madonna said she was startled by press reports about the boy's father, Yohane Banda, who was quoted last week as saying that he didn't realize he was signing away custody "for good.""She said she met with the father, she looked him in the eye," audience member Sheryl Lewis recounted. Madonna, Lewis added, said she acted according to the law and had "oral and written approval . . . and now the press have gotten to him."In an interview posted Tuesday on Time magazine's Web site, Banda said he will not contest the adoption."I don't want my child, who is already gone, to come back," he said. "I will be killing his future if I accept that."
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