Pakistan pledges to end terrorism
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Pakistan assured the international community Friday it will do its best to eliminate terrorism. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf talking to the government-controlled Pakistan Television said, "If anyone thinks that he and his government will stray from their course (supporting the international coalition), then these elements are mistaken."
Pearl murder: Pakistan encircles militants
KARACHI, Pakistan, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Acting on an order from their president to catch "each and every terrorist" involved in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, security agencies Friday began a major crackdown on Muslim militants across Pakistan. The death of the Wall Street Journal reporter, who was kidnapped Jan. 23, was confirmed Thursday. A videotape turned over the Pakistani authorities reportedly shows Pearl's throat being slashed.
Farrakhan condemns Pearl's killing
CHICAGO, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan, condemned the killing of kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, saying Muslims cannot allow "our hurt or pain (to) cause us to harm the innocent." The fiery U.S. Muslim leader had appeared on CNN, which is available around the world, to ask for Pearl's release following his Jan. 23 kidnapping in Karachi. Farrakhan issued a statement Thursday night expressing "deepest sympathy" to Pearl's family, friends and colleagues.
US faces European ban over death penalty
BRUSSELS, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The United States faces possible exclusion from the Council of Europe, where it enjoys observer status, over its continued use of the death penalty, a council spokeswoman said Friday. The comments follow a decision of the council's Committee of Ministers on Thursday to ban the death penalty in all circumstances, including for crimes committed during war and the imminent threat of war. The Council of Europe, comprised of 43 member countries from the European continent and five observer countries, is the first organization to have drawn up a legal text on the abolition of the death penalty, which allows no exception. It already was a de facto rule and no executions have taken place in member countries since March 1997.
Bacterial discovery may help CF patients
SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A team of Australian and Danish microbiologists have discovered a way to prevent or disrupt the formation of bacterial colonies, which they believe may bring a string of benefits from preventing lung infections in cystic fibrosis sufferers to cleaner contact lenses. The discovery, by scientists at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience and the Technical University of Denmark, was released Friday and is published in the journal Science. Researchers found a DNA-destroying enzyme, called DNaseI, may break up or disrupt the formation of stubborn biofilms of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Ex-priest faces second sex trial
BOSTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A defrocked Roman Catholic priest sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for molesting a young boy in Massachusetts tried Friday to have even more serious child rape charges against him dismissed. Defense attorneys planned to argue in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston two counts of child rape against John J. Geoghan be thrown out on grounds the 10-year statute of limitations in the case has expired. Geoghan, 66, was indicted in 1999 on charges he fondled and raped the boy in the early 1980s. If the case goes forward to trial, it would be the second of three criminal trials for the former priest.
United brings back 1,200 flight attendants
CHICAGO, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- United Airlines is recalling 1,200 flight attendants who were laid off after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, leaving 700 flight attendants on involuntary furlough. United laid off 20,000 employees, including 2,700 flight attendants, last fall and cut more than 20 percent of its schedule because of the dramatic slump in passenger traffic following the attacks. United said it would add 127 flights effective April 1, in time of the Spring break travel season.
Shares mixed as tech jitters linger
NEW YORK, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Share prices were narrowly mixed in early afternoon trading Friday, as investors bought up blue chips but shied away from tech stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 27.26 points at 9,861.94, while the Nasdaq composite index was down 13.89 points at 1,702.35.
S. Koreans protest over Olympic
SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- South Korea's people and media unleashed a salvo of criticism on the United States, protesting the speed skating disqualification that gave a gold medal to American skater Apolo Anton Ohno. The protests have rekindled anti-American sentiment, which was sweeping South Korea during President Bush's trip to the country earlier this week.
