Top UN inspector: War, peace Iraq's choice
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said Friday the "war-and-peace" question for Iraq "is not really in our hands." Blix, chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, told reporters he and Mohammed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, would have to file their first report on findings to the Security Council by Jan. 27. The two are expected to arrive in Baghdad Monday for the first time in nearly four years.
White House tones down terror warning
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The White House and the FBI Friday began back-peddling from a warning the bureau issued saying al Qaida was plotting "spectacular" attacks against the United States after critics latched on to it to show progress in the war on terror was faltering. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said at a White House briefing the FBI's warnings this week are "really are a summary of intelligence, not a new warning. This is a summary of intelligence as we know it." Her statement came as the Bush administration rushed to offset the FBI's startling language and refute charges by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle that the war on terror was faltering and an attack on Iraq would distract the nation from the more pressing danger posed by al Qaida.
CIA killer's body to be sent to Pakistan
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Several hundred Pakistanis and local Muslims Friday participated in funeral prayers for Mir Aimal Kasi, a Pakistani citizen executed Thursday for the 1993 killing of two CIA employees. The funeral was said in Richmond, Va., after the traditional Friday prayers. Kasi, 38, was executed amid warnings by the State Department of global retaliation against Americans. He died by lethal injection at the Greensville Correctional Center.
Israelis slain in West Bank town of Hebron
TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Gunmen killed 10 Israelis and wounded about 15 others Friday night in an attack on the Jewish quarter in the West Bank town of Hebron, a military source said. Channel 2 TV said gunmen fired at worshippers on the road to the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Armed man subdued at Texas school
SCURRY, Texas, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- An 18-year-old former student armed with a shotgun was subdued at a northeast Texas high school Friday after he poured gasoline in the hallways and ordered students into a cafeteria. No one was injured. Principal Larry Sneed told The Dallas Morning News he and some football players and teachers overpowered the gunman at Scurry-Rosser High School in Kaufman County about 30 miles southeast of Dallas. The suspect was taken to the Kaufman County Jail.
GM recalls 1.5 million '96s-'98s
DETROIT, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- General Motors Friday recalled 1.5 million vehicles because of a problem with the lower pinion bearing in the power steering gear assembly. The recall involves the 1996-98 Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire cars, Chevrolet Lumina/Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Transport minivans and the 1997-98 Pontiac Grand Prix. About 1.2 million of the vehicles are in the United States and the rest in Canada. They were built between Jan. 1, 1996, and Oct. 31, 1997.
US consumer sentiment improves
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Consumer sentiment in the United States improved in November from the previous month, according to the latest University of Michigan's consumer sentiment study, released on Friday. The sentiment index rose to 85.0 vs. the reading of 80.6 posted in October, which was its lowest level in nine years. The latest reading was higher than the 82.0 consensus that had been expected by Wall Street analysts.
US shares end mixed on econ data
NEW YORK, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Shares ended mixed Friday, following the release of economic reports giving contradictory signals on the U.S. economy. Tech share downgrades also hurt prices. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average gained 36.13 points, or 0.42 percent, to close at 8,578.26, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was flat closing down 0.99 points, or 0.07 percent, ending at 1,410.53.
Moya win gives Hewitt spot in semifinals
SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Carlos Moya gave it his all Friday, and it was enough to guarantee Lleyton Hewitt a spot in the season-ending Tennis Masters Series semifinals. Moya already had clinched the Red Group before he faced fellow Spaniard Albert Costa to finish round-robin action. Some thought Moya might take it easy against his friend to help him earn a place in the semifinals. Hewitt needed Moya to win to earn the group's second berth. Moya did, disposing of Costa, 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-4, in 2 hours, 54 minutes - his longest match of the week.
