UPI NewsTrack TopNews

Protesters interrupt Bush speech

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 4 (UPI) -- President George Bush was interrupted by protesters on a July 4 visit to what he called the "first Western White House" -- Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia.

The president presided at a naturalization ceremony for 76 new citizens.

Several people yelled out criticism during his speech in Charlottesville, Fox News reported. One man shouted "This man is a fascist," while another screamed curses.

"We believe in free speech in America," Bush ad-libbed.

The protesters were removed by police.

In the ceremony at Monticello, Bush paid tribute to Jefferson, the nation's third president, and to the immigrants taking the oath of citizenship.

"We honor Jefferson's legacy by aiding the rise of liberty in lands that do not know the blessings of freedom, and on this Fourth of July we pay tribute to the brave men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America," he said. "We also honor Jefferson's legacy by welcoming newcomers to our land, and that is what we're here to celebrate today."

New U.S. embassy in Berlin criticized

BERLIN, July 4 (UPI) -- The new U.S. embassy in Germany, criticized by some as ill-conceived in its design and location, was officially opened in Berlin Friday.

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and U.S. Ambassador William Timken cut a red ribbon to mark the opening of the $130 million diplomatic headquarters. About 4,500 people were invited to the ceremony by U.S. officials.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled how the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan had once stood nearby and appealed to the Soviet Union's last communist leader: "Mr. (Mikhail) Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Bush credited the wall's removal with "ending the division of Europe."

While German critics have focused on the structure's bland design, U.S. critics have lambasted the project for its focus on symbolism rather than security.

"We could have built an embassy out in the woods at half the cost and twice the security," Timken said in defending the building. "We are here as a symbol of our desire to be a partner to Germany."

Henrich Boll Foundation foreign policy director Bastian Hermisson said the new embassy and its opening event should help promote diplomacy, The Christian Science Monitor reported Thursday.

"These July 4 festivals can be important -- not as receptions for the political class, but something open, where the Americans are saying, 'Hey, let's have some burgers together.' This is something we like," he said.

Betancourt arrives in Paris

PARIS, July 4 (UPI) -- French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt landed in Paris Friday where she was met at the airport by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The two held a news conference at Villacoublay, a military airfield outside Paris, The New York Times reported. Betancourt told reporters she was "crying for joy."

"For seven years I have been dreaming of this moment." she said. "I am emotional to be here today and I am happy to be alive."

Betancourt and Sarkozy then went to the Elysee Paris.

A dual citizen of France and Colombia, Betancourt was one of 15 hostages rescued Wednesday by Colombian government forces who tricked followers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also called FARC, into believing they were comrades.

Betancourt, a presidential candidate when kidnapped in 2002, pledged to become Colombia's president and free the remaining hostages held by rebels, the British newspaper said.

She said the release of at least 25 political hostages and hundreds of other Colombians held for ransom by FARC has become her mission.

Buddhists protest U.S. beef imports

SEOUL, July 4 (UPI) -- Thousands of Buddhists in South Korea Friday protested the resumption of U.S. beef imports, participants say.

A Buddhist monk, identified only as Sugyeong, told Yonhap News Agency the street rally outside Seoul's City Hall represented a new religious movement aimed at supporting civic rallies throughout the Asian country.

"The 1 million candles firmly showed that the owner of this nation is the people," the monk said.

The South Korean government reached an agreement with the United States last week that allows U.S. beef products to once again be brought into the country.

Some citizens had been fearful of the imported meat due to concerns about mad cow disease. South Korean officials have attempted to dissuade such fears by only accepting meat from cattle younger than 30 months old.

Yonhap said such reassurances did not pacify opponents of the imports, who demanded a new agreement be reached and ratcheted up their protests against the current deal.