Troops sweep to within 25 miles of Baghdad
BAGHDAD, April 2 (UPI) -- U.S. forces pushed to within 25 miles of Baghdad Wednesday and appeared ready to march past weakened Republican Guard divisions and into Saddam Hussein's capital. The troops drove forward from the southeast and southwest against slackening Iraqi resistance, aiming to outflank the five Iraqi Republican Guard divisions south of Baghdad and cut them off from the city in a classic encirclement battle, military sources said. That would force the surrounded Iraqi elite troops to surrender before they could fall back into the city.
U.S. checks hospital, civilian bombings
WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Iraqi forces are firing on coalition forces from inside the Ali Mosque in An Najaf, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday. The mosque is one of the most important religious shrines to Shia Muslims around the world, according to Central Command. Late Tuesday, an Iraqi civilian was injured when a U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter fired on his vehicle near An Najaf. He was evacuated to a military field hospital and is listed in serious condition. The incident is under investigation, U.S. Central Command said.
Powell indicates no major war in N. Iraq
ANKARA, Turkey, April 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Wednesday seemed to win a clean sweep in his Turkish negotiations, reporting Turkey will help the United States maintain its force in northern Iraq and unlikely to sends its own troops into the primarily Kurdish area. In a news conference with Abdullah Gul, deputy prime minister of Turkey, Powell said, "There is no need for any movement of Turkish forces across the border," claiming that the United States is "monitoring it closely. We have it under control."
Bush: 'Great news' on POW rescue
WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush told Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld it was "great news" that U.S special forces teams had rescued Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who was rescued in a daring late night raid. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the president was "full of joy" for Lynch and her family but worries about other POWs still in captivity. Brig. Gen. Vince Brooks showed video clips of Lynch's rescue to reporters in Qatar. He cited privacy in declining comment on the Army supply clerk's condition but reports after the Tuesday rescue indicated several broken bones and gunshot wounds. Lynch, 19, of Palestine, W.Va., was among 12 people listed as missing in action after her convoy was ambushed March 23.
Bosnian leader quits in Iraq arms scandal
BRUSSELS, April 2 (UPI) -- Bosnian President Mirko Sarovic resigned Wednesday over claims he authorized the illegal sale of arms to Iraq and sanctioned snooping on NATO peacekeepers in the former Yugoslav Republic. The president's position became untenable after a recent report by a group of Western intelligence agencies concluded: "Sarovic bears significant responsibility for RS (Republika Srpska -- the Serb part of Bosnia) defense industry violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions against Iraq."
Parts of shuttle Columbia's engines found
PICKERING, La., April 2 (UPI) -- NASA officials said Wednesday they have found additional pieces from space shuttle Columbia's engines in two craters on the grounds of Fort Polk in western Louisiana. Kelly Humphries, a NASA spokesman, said an engine power head was found in one crater and a turbo pump and power head in the second. The area is at the easternmost end of the debris field that begins in the Texas Panhandle. Columbia broke up Feb. 1 over Texas on its final approach to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Seven astronauts died in the event.
Bush to meet with Wall Street economists
WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush Wednesday talked with a group of Wall Street economists to get their opinions on the U.S. economy as Congress continues to debate his growth and job creation plan, the White House said. The mid-afternoon meeting comes as lawmakers consider the president's economic stimulus package and try to reconcile his nearly $75 billion supplemental appropriations request for war costs.
Feds toughen light truck fuel standards
WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Federal auto regulators have formally raised fuel economy standards to require automakers to boost average mileage for light trucks 1.5 miles per gallon over three years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the rule change originally proposed in December would save 3.6 billion gallons of gasoline over the lifetime of the vehicles affected. Light trucks currently are required to meet a corporate average fuel economy of 20.7 miles per gallon.
Factory orders fall 1.5 percent
WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- The Commerce Department said Wednesday orders for manufactured goods fell in February for the first time in three months, led lower by reduced bookings for industrial machinery, aircraft and computers. The government said factory orders dropped 1.5 percent during the month to $321.2 billion. Most Wall Street economists were expecting new orders placed with U.S. factories to fall 0.7 percent during the month after rising 1.7 percent in January and 0.3 percent in December.
Global equity prices rally on war optimism
NEW YORK, April 2 (UPI) -- Prices on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market were sharply higher in busy trading Wednesday, lifted by signs the war in Iraq might not drag out for months. In early afternoon trading, the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average, which rose 77.73 points Tuesday, was ahead 214.23 points at 8,284.09. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, which added 7.13 points in the previous session, was ahead 49.23 points at 1,394.53.
