US destroys Tailban weapons cache
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- After more than 100 days into the war to dismantle the Taliban and al Qaida terrorist network in Afghanistan, military officials were surprised to find a large weapons cache just 40 miles from the U.S. base in Kandahar in a midnight raid Wednesday, Joint Staff spokesman Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem said Friday. The store of weapons, hidden in several buildings in and immediately outside a walled compound near Hazar Qadam, included 300 rocket-propelled grenades, nearly 300 100 mm rockets, 400 60 mm mortar rounds, 1,000 rocket fuses, 250 automatic grenade launcher rounds and half a million small arms rounds.
UK wants Muslim fanatics isolated
OXFORD, England, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Friday called on Britain's 2 million-strong Muslim community to take a stand against extremists and to marginalize those who use terror in the name of Islam. Straw spoke to a gathering of Islamic scholars, diplomats, academics and students at Oxford's Center for Islamic Studies.
Ex-Enron executive takes life
SUGAR LAND, Texas, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A former Enron executive who reportedly challenged company practices was found dead in a parked car, the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said. About 2:23 a.m. Friday officers found the body of J. Clifford Baxter, former vice chairman and strategic officer of the bankrupt energy company about three miles southeast of Houston. A suicide note was found at the scene but its contents were not disclosed. There were no signs of foul play. Baxter, 43, had resigned from Enron in May 2001 after a decade with the Houston-based corporation.
Israeli warplanes shell Gaza
GAZA, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Israeli warplanes shelled two Palestinian military installations Friday, witnesses said, apparently in retaliation for two Palestinian attacks earlier in the day that killed two Israelis and injured dozens more. Three explosions were heard in a beachfront Gaza City neighborhood where a Palestinian naval police base is located, witnesses said. F-16 warplanes also fired rockets at Palestinian security installations in the West Bank town of Tulkarim. There were no immediate reports of injuries in either attack, though ambulances rushed to the Gaza City neighborhood. Witnesses said they saw white smoke and fire in the Gaza City neighborhood after shelling began.
Powell downplays India missile test
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Friday said he would have preferred it if India had not tested its Agni-II missile but does not think the move exacerbated tensions with Pakistan. "I haven't had occasion to talk to any of the Indian leaders about the test," Powell told reporters. "It was a test of a short-range missile. I would just as soon they had not performed that test at this time of high tension but I don't think it will inflame the situation particularly." India Friday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable missile, a move neighboring Pakistan termed a threat to regional stability.
Brake lights, flashers could fail in SUVs
DETROIT, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A defective steering column switch that may prevent the brake lights and emergency flashers from working has prompted General Motors Corp. to recall about 546,000 2000-2001 sport-utility vehicles. Two accidents have occurred involving Chevrolet Blazer, GMC Jimmy and Oldsmobile Bravada models, but company officials Friday said no injuries were reported. The rear lights, high-mounted center stop lamp and turn signals are not affected by the potential problem. GM was testing a replacement switch and said letters notifying owners of the recall would be mailed when the replacement part was produced and shipped to dealers.
Superhard electrical crystal carbon film
MITAKA, Japan, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Japanese scientists have made crystalline films of carbon, nearly as hard as diamond but many times more electrically conductive, which they hope will have practical uses in electronics. The researchers hope these films -- thinner than the visible wavelengths of light -- may soon find use in electronics the size of nanometers, or billionths of a meter. "The film is easy to manipulate in order to develop device applications," said lead researcher Shigeru Hirono, a scientist at the NTT Afty Corp. in Mitaka, Japan. "The prospects for this technology are good."
Dow rises, Nasdaq slips
NEW YORK, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Favorable earnings reports sent blue chips up to end the week on the New York Stock Exchange but the Nasdaq Stock Market fell slightly. The Dow Jones industrial average, encouraged by news from DuPont, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. and Honeywell International, gained 44.01, or 0.45 percent, to 9,840.08 on volume of 1.34 billion shares. The technology-rich Nasdaq composite index lost 4.88, or 0.24 percent, to 1,937.70.
Zoeller makes his senior skins debut
MAUI, Hawaii, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Fuzzy Zoeller will play in his first Senior Skins Game this weekend, but the concept is nothing new to him. Zoeller, who turned 50 in November and will make his Senior Tour debut, won the Skins Game on the PGA Tour in 1986 and 1987. Defending champion Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer will join Zoeller in the competition for the $600,000 purse. All 18 holes will be played Saturday at the Wailea Golf Club.
Safin reaches Australian Open final
MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Marat Safin rallied after a rain delay in the fourth set to defeat Tommy Haas Friday and charge into his first Australian Open final. He will play for the title on Sunday, his 22nd birthday, against Thomas Johansson, another first-time finalist. Following a delay of approximately 45 minutes, the ninth-seeded Russian took 11 of 13 games to rally past No. 7 Haas of Germany, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-0, 6-2. Safin said later that rain break made all the difference.
