Bush addresses Warsaw summit
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The world since the Sept. 11 attacks has seen the true nature of terrorists who kill innocent people and then rejoice in it, President George W. Bush on Tuesday told a summit of eastern European heads of states gathered in Warsaw. The European leaders are considering strategies for sharing intelligence and halting money laundering. Bush used the speech to explain and maintain support for U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, as well as to keep foreign governments in the fold of the coalition, he spearheaded to fight terrorism following the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Bush taking bin Laden statements seriously
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he would take seriously comments made by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden calling the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction a "religious duty." Bush said the United States will work to deny bin Laden access to chemical or biological weapons. "This morning I did say that Osama bin Laden and al Qaida were seeking to develop weaponry, weapons of mass destruction. The reason I said that is because I was using his own words. He announced that was his intention," Bush said after an Oval Office meeting with French President Jacques Chirac.
Germany prepares to enter conflict
BERLIN, Germany, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder met with key parliament leaders and the federal security council Tuesday as a prelude to Berlin's anticipated public response to a formal U.S. request for military support. Schroeder, following a mini-summit with other European Union leaders Sunday in London, has been scrambling since Monday to line up political support for an expected deployment that could include elite forces, aircraft, medical support and regular troops.
Anthrax recovery continues on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Another Congressional office building reopened Tuesday even as the cleanup of anthrax contamination on Capitol Hill stalled while government experts debated how best to use a chlorine dioxide gas treatment to get the job done. The Ford House office reopened for the first time since all House offices were closed Oct. 17 but the mailroom remains closed. Also on the House side, the Longworth building opened Monday after a final round of testing, but the offices of three lawmakers remained closed because they have not been decontaminated. Another piece of good news, said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, was there had been no new cases of anthrax reported in the United States since last Friday.
Anthrax found in U.S. Consulate mailbag
MOSCOW, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A mailbag sent to the U.S. Consulate General in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg has tested positive for anthrax spores, reports said Tuesday. The NTV network quoted experts from a Yekaterinburg sanitary laboratory as saying the spores were found in one of the six mailbags brought in by consulate workers for examination Oct. 26. According to reports, the mail arrived in Yekaterinburg on Oct. 25. The next day, consulate officials requested a laboratory examination after learning a dockworker for the U.S. State Department had contracted inhalation anthrax infection.
Congress pushes bioterrorism bill
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A Senate panel Tuesday considered how to keep dangerous biological agents in American laboratories out of the hands of terrorists. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., unveiled a bill that would prohibit individuals from possessing dangerous biological agents, require government certification for any lab that would use such agents and set harsh penalties for handling them in an unsafe manner. It would also require background checks for individuals with access to the agents at the certified labs.
S. Korea unveils anti-terror measures
SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The South Korean military will be granted police authority and implement "comprehensive counter-terrorism measures" if the country comes under terrorist attacks, government officials said Tuesday. The government also has decided to expand the no-fly zones surrounding nuclear power plants and other key atomic facilities, officials said at the end of a meeting of senior security ministers presided over Prime Minister Lee Han-dong. The measures are part of South Korea's efforts to prepare against terrorism ahead of the World Cup soccer finals and Asian Games to be held in the country next year. The two international sports events are considered a potential target for terrorism.
UNFPA: Cut consumption to feed hungry
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- With 86 percent of private consumption blamed on 20 percent of the 6.1 billion people in the world, the U.N. Population fund said Wednesday that environmental damage must be reversed to fight poverty among the poorest 20 percent, which account for only 1.3 percent of private consumption. A child born today in an industrialized nation will add more to consumption in a lifetime than 30 to 50 children in developing countries, the UNFPA said in its annual report, "The State of the World's Population 2001; Footprints and Milestones: Population and Environmental Change." The world's population, which has doubled to 6.1 billion since 1960, is heading to 9 billion in 2050, the agency said.
Fed rate cut boosts stocks
NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The decision by the Federal Reserve's Open Markets Committee to cut interest rates for the 10th time this year to boost the sagging economy sent stocks higher Tuesday. The Fed cut the rate by a half point to 2 percent and observers said the cut is not likely the last of the year. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average jumped 150.09 points, to 9.591.12, while the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index rose 41.43 points to 1,118.86.
U.S. out, Belgium favored
MADRID, Spain, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- With the two-time champion United States having withdrawn, Belgium is the favorite heading into the Federation Cup Finals beginning Wednesday at the Institute Ferial Madrid. The Americans, which feature five of the top 10 ranked women in the world, pulled out of the final due to security concerns stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. They have been replaced by Germany, but it is Belgium that has the event's top players in Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.
