Bush: U.S. aid fights ' violent extremism'
WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush Saturday said U.S. aid for political development, AIDS and other issues helps "defeat the forces of violent extremism."
In his weekly radio address, Bush said he will sign legislation passed this week by Congress expanding the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, also known as PEPFAR.
"PEPFAR is the largest international health initiative dedicated to fighting a single disease in history," he said. "And it is a testament to the extraordinary compassion and generosity of the American people."
Bush said 1.7 million people with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are receiving anti-retroviral treatment through the program -- up from 50,000 when the program began more than five years ago.
The president said similar aid programs help promote freedom by "combating hopelessness."
"This is because the only way that the enemies of freedom can attract new recruits to their dark ideology is to exploit distress and despair," he said.
"With all these steps, we're helping defeat the forces of violent extremism by offering a more hopeful vision of freedom," he said. "And as this vision takes hold in more nations around the world, America will be safer here at home."
U.S. Senate to vote on housing bill
WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate, meeting in a rare weekend session, was poised Saturday to pass a landmark housing bill meant to ease the effects of mortgage crisis.
The bill offers up to $300 billion in loan guarantees for consumers saddled with subprime adjustable-rate mortgages and establishes a rescue plan for the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage finance giants, CNN reported.
The measure passed the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday soon after U.S. President Bush dropped his veto threat. Once the Senate passes it as expected Saturday, it will go to the White House for Bush's signature.
The centerpieces of the bill include allowing the Federal Housing Administration to insure up to $300 billion in new 30-year fixed-rate mortgages for at-risk borrowers if their lenders agree to write down loan balances to 90 percent of the homes' current appraised value; and to establish a stronger regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, CNN said.
Calls mount for Brown's resignation
LONDON, July 26 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Saturday faced more calls to resign after the Labor Party suffered another unexpected by-election loss.
Considered the third-safest Labor Party seat in Scotland, Brown's home turf, voters in the Glasgow East district Friday instead voted for the Scottish Nationalist Party candidate, triggering predictions Brown is leading the party to certain defeat against the Conservatives, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed Cabinet minister as saying, "We cannot go any lower. We are at rock bottom. The evidence is there for all to see. We are not a one-nation party any more. We cannot win in Scotland, we cannot win in England, we cannot win in Wales. There is only one thing that can be done, and it's a change of leader."
Another unnamed minister told the Telegraph, "It has just moved from possible to probable that Gordon will be toppled."
Other Cabinet members, however, defended Brown. Chancellor Alistair Darling said: "Gordon Brown is the best Prime Minister. He is the best leader. He has a clear sense of direction where he believes we as a country ought to go."
Tourists flee from Greece forest fire
ATHENS, Greece, July 26 (UPI) -- Forest fires in Greece have forced the evacuations of thousands of people, including three tourist hotels on the island of Rhodes, officials said Saturday.
More than 2,000 tourists were ordered to leave their hotels and were taken to the mainland, the BBC reported.
"Three hotels were evacuated as a precaution, mainly because smoke from the fire had created an unpleasant atmosphere," Haralambos Kokkinos, the South Aegean regional governor, told the British broadcaster. "The evacuation was orderly and there were no problems. The tourists were taken to the nearby coast and will remain there until the smoke clears."
Firefighters from France, Italy and Cyprus have arrived to help Greeks battling wildfires in the southern part of the country for the fourth straight day. A dangerous blaze just north of Athens was contained Friday. Some 65 people were killed in wildfires in Greece last year, the BBC said.
Rafsanjani: Iran ultimatums won't work
TEHRAN, July 26 (UPI) -- Iran will not accept any ultimatums or deadlines from the West regarding its nuclear program, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said.
Rafsanjani, speaking Friday at a prayer congregation in Tehran, said Israel and the West need to "accept realities" and acknowledge a country's right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, the Khaleej Times reported.
"We have agreed to talk (with the world powers) on the issue for finding a settlement (in the nuclear dispute) and are indeed hopeful to do so," Rafsanjani said. "But again they come up with ultimatums, timetables and even threats which are unacceptable for Iran."
The five members United Nations Security Council plus Germany have given Iran a two-week deadline to either freeze its uranium enrichment activities and in return gain Western economic and political incentives, or face further financial sanctions.
Iran denies its nuclear program is meant to produce atomic weapons.
Luxury goods maintain appeal in hard times
NEW YORK, July 26 (UPI) -- Affluent U.S. residents and foreign tourists are maintaining their appetite for luxury goods as many Americans are suffering economically, market watchers say.
Companies that specialize in luxury goods are reporting higher sales and earnings as their appeal spreads from the "super rich" to the "merely rich" and even the middle class, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
The newspaper noted that Hermès International SA reported its sales from April to June climbed 10 percent in the Americas, while Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, owner of the Cartier and Montblanc brands, saw a 6 percent sales jump for the same period.
Meanwhile, Burberry Group PLC's sales in the Americas climbed 27 percent while Patek Phillippe SA, a manufacturer of wristwatches that start at $17,500, reported it is on its way to selling out its entire inventory for the year in the United States.
But because so many U.S. residens are suffering, high-end luxury goods have an image problem, Marc Cohen, director of a luxury consulting firm based in London, told the newspaper. Cohen said the wealthy are being more careful to avoid coming across as conspicuous consumers.
