Congress debates Iraq resolution
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Congress Wednesday debates a White House-supported resolution authorizing military force against Iraq. While the House seems set to pass the measure by Thursday, the final vote in the Senate could come next week. The Senate Tuesday began official debate on amendments to the resolution, whereas the House Monday passed a rule setting the number of hours of debate and the amendments to receive votes. CIA Director George Tenet warned in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein may attack the United States if he believes an American-led operation is inevitable.
No Iraq decision yet from U.N.'s big five
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- The five veto-holding permanent members on the U.N. Security Council were no closer Wednesday to hammering out a draft resolution on Iraq, despite some additional, last-minute, bilateral street-corner negotiations. But it's not that they were really expected to reach any accord, especially in the immediate wake of President Bush's tough Iraq address Monday night in Cincinnati. The French delegation Tuesday presented their ideas for resolutions to the panel of five.
U.S. mulls blacklisting Saudis on religion
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- The United States is debating whether to include Saudi Arabia on a blacklist of "countries of particular concern" that restrict religious freedoms and a decision may be affected by U.S. plans for military action against Iraq, U.S. officials said. The country was included on a list of nations that show "hostility toward minority or non-approved religions." The report is mandated under a 1998 law. However, the president is not obliged to act against countries on the list though he could use it to name "countries of particular concern" and impose sanctions against them.
Pakistan, FBI raid Afghan base, catch five
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Pakistani commandoes and FBI agents raided the base of a rebel leader near the Afghan border and arrested five men for suspected links with al Qaida terrorists, officials said Wednesday. U.S. officials said the group is working with al Qaida to topple Afghan President Hamid Karzai. All those arrested are associated with rebel leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami party, officials said. In another operation, Pakistani police arrested five men they said were working for rival India to sabotage Thursday's parliamentary elections.
Work in macromolecules wins Nobel Prize
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- John B. Fenn of the United States, Koichi Tanaka of Japan and Kurt Wuthrich of Switzerland have been selected to receive the 2002 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday. The academy, which gave half the award to Wuthrich while Fenn and Tanaka will split the other half, cited the scientists' work with biological macromolecules -- the large, highly complicated molecules of life such as proteins. The Nobel Prize recognizes the research as having revolutionized the development of new drugs and some early cancer diagnoses.
Faceless killer taunts investigators
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- The sniper who is stalking the Washington area may have left a chilling message on a tarot card near the scene of the latest shooting, police officials confirmed. "Dear policeman, I am God," the message said. It was written on a Tarot card representing death in fortune-telling, police said late Tuesday, adding the card may have been left by a prankster. The card was discovered in a wooded area near Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie, Md., where a 13-year-old boy was shot in the chest Monday morning. He suffered significant damage to several of his vital organs and remains in critical condition.
Bush request to reopen ports approved
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A federal judge Tuesday approved President Bush's request to open West Coast ports, ending a 10-day lockout that has cost the U.S. economy at least $1 billion a day. U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup agreed to an 80-day cooling-off period in the dispute under the Taft-Hartley Act. Bush's move to seek the court order had sparked outrage from the longshoremen's union and charges of "collusion" with management.
Asian-Pacific stocks slide
TOKYO, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Asian and Pacific markets were mostly lower Wednesday on concerns over U.S. markets and fears Japan may take drastic economic measures. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average closed down 165.76 points, or 1.9 percent, at 8,543.14. Hong Kong, Seoul, South Korea, and Sydney, Australia, also were lower. Taipei, Taiwan, closed slightly higher.
Safin, Grosjean advance at Lyon
LYON, France, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Top seed Marat Safin of Russia and No. 3 Sebastien Grosjean of France advanced Tuesday to the round of 16 at the $761,000 Lyon Tennis Grand Prix, but fifth seed Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco will not be joining them. Safin, who lost in the semifinals on Saturday in Moscow, edged 16-year-old wild card Richard Gasquet of France, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Gasquet, who won the boys' draws at both the French Open and the U.S. Open earlier this year, became the youngest player to win a Tennis Masters Series match when he defeated Franco Squillari at Monte Carlo in April as a 15-year-old. He lost to Safin in the second round, 6-4, 6-1.
