April 7,  2004  Wednesday

Rice plans no apology in 9/11 testimony
Forbes - 4-7-04

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice has no plans to make a public apology for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in her public testimony before the 9/11 commission, a senior Bush administration official said Wednesday...

Nader calls for Bush to be impeached
San Francisco Chronicle, CA - 4-7-04
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader called Tuesday for President Bush to be impeached for "deceiving the American people night after night after ...
 

Powell rebukes Kennedy in rare political foray

AFP - Tue Apr 6, 4:47 PM ET

US Secretary of State Colin Powell rebuked a leading Democratic senator for comparing the war in Iraq..

Disturbing News

Mosque Hit During Fighting in Fallujah

AP - 4-7-04

U.S. forces battling Sunni insurgents in this violent city apparently hit a mosque filled with people Wednesday, and witnesses said as many as 40 people were killed.

days.

Amnesty: China, Iran and U.S. Top World Executioners

Reuters - Tue Apr 6,12:11 PM ET

China, Iran, the United States and Vietnam were the world's top users of the death penalty in 2003, accounting for 84 percent of known executions, human rights body Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Interior Accused of Shortchanging Indians

AP - Tue Apr 6, 7:57 PM ET

A court-appointed investigator has resigned from the multibillion-dollar lawsuit by American Indians against the Interior Department, contending the government wanted him off the case after he found evidence that energy companies got special treatment at the expense of impoverished Indians.

Senate Again Tries Medical Malpractice Bill

AP - 4-7-04

Senate Republicans are trying for a third time to persuade Democrats to curb medical malpractice lawsuits and help alleviate what proponents of limits call a health care crisis.

Newsview: Bush's Problems Mount in Iraq

AP - Tue Apr 6, 6:06 PM ET

President Bush's Iraq problems are piling up as violence spreads, U.S. casualties rise and his poll numbers fall at home.

Threat Names Thailand as Iraq Target 'After Spain'

Reuters - 4-7-04

Thailand's embassy in Sweden has received a letter threatening the Southeast Asian country with attacks like those on Spain in retaliation for sending troops to Iraq, Thai and Swedish officials said on Wednesday.

Military News

Rumsfeld Backs More Iraq Troops if Needed

AP - Wed Apr 7,12:35 AM ET

If violence in Iraq gets worse, U.S. military commanders will get the troops they need to deal with it, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday.

U.S. Military Helicopter Crashes in Iraq

AP -  4-7-04

A U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing in the city of Baqouba on Wednesday after it was hit by small arms fire, the military said.

US toll mounts in Iraq as Bush vows to crush "thugs"

AFP -  4-7-04

US marines lost at least 12 dead in their worst single toll in Iraq this year as occupation forces battled Shiite and Sunni opponents and US President George W. Bush vowed to crush those he called "thugs and killers".

Up to 12 U.S. Marines Die, Iraq Violence Worsens

Reuters - 4-7-04

U.S.-led forces battled Sunni guerrillas in two cities on Wednesday and grappled with a radical Shi'ite uprising in a two-front war that has killed more than 30 soldiers and 160 Iraqis in three

Marine Sentenced For Selling Body Armor
Military.com - 4-7-04
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling stolen body armor over the Internet. ...

Helicopter blunders hit UK forces
CNN International, World -  4-7-04
... The report also found that Britain's fleet of military search and rescue helicopters was not ... to essentially ground eight Chinook helicopters worth £259 ...

Tech News

Groups Slam Google's New E-Mail Service

AP -4-7-04

Google Inc. hails its new e-mail service as a breakthrough in online communication, but consumer watchdogs are attacking it as a creepy invasion of privacy that threatens to set a troubling precedent.

Google's Gmail Headache Grows with Trademark Claim

Reuters -4-7-04

First, it was privacy advocates who vowed to fight Google's proposed e-mail service, Gmail. Now, a small-cap independent investment research firm said it owns the trademark to "Gmail" and it intends to battle to keep it.
Tech.gov: Your Right to X-Rated Sites

PC World - Wed Apr 7, 4:00 AM ET

The ACLU and the government butt heads over privacy, free speech, and protecting kids online--again.
FCC to Seek Stay of Cable Internet Ruling

Reuters - Tue Apr 6, 6:49 PM ET

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday it would join cable companies in seeking to suspend a ruling that could force them to offer rivals access to their high-speed Internet lines while they appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
New Bugbear Worm Exploits Unpatched IE Vulnerability

TechWeb - Tue Apr 6, 4:00 PM ET

Bugbear.e, also known as Tanatos.e and PWSteal Hooker, spreads via e-mail and uses a vulnerability in Internet Explorer to run a malicious program.

Business News

Asia's Stockpiles of Dollars Pose U.S. Economic Risks

Los Angeles Times - Tue Apr 6, 7:54 AM ET

HONG KONG — A massive buildup of U.S. dollars held by Japan, China and other Asian countries is fueling increasing unease among analysts and policymakers, who fear it poses risks to the fragile American economic recovery and global financial stability.

Higher Prices? Thank China

U.S. News & World Report - Tue Apr 6, 4:50 PM ET

China's insatiable hunger for raw goods is starting to sting U.S. consumers

U.S. Import Prices Powered Higher by Oil

Reuters - 4-7-04

U.S. import prices rose by much more than expected in March as the cost of imported fuel jumped, while home refinancings were dampened by higher mortgage rates, new data showed on Wednesday.

Rate Rise Dampens Mortgage Refinancings

Reuters - 4-7-04

A rise in mortgage rates dampened demand for home loan refinancings, but the rates remained low enough to encourage consumers to apply for loans to buy homes last week, a industry trade group said.

Odd News

2-Year-Old Runs Cash Register at Eatery

AP - Tue Apr 6, 6:02 PM ET

Formosa Gardens restaurant has an unusual worker manning the cash register: 2-year-old Gordon Tan.

Entrepreneurs are born, but can they be taught?

USATODAY.com -

With a mother like his, no wonder Richard Branson became an entrepreneurial dynamo.

Gymnast's Skills Save Him in Fourth-Floor Fall

Reuters - Tue Apr 6, 1:30 PM ET

A British junior gymnastics team member fell from the fourth floor of a Ljubljana hotel but suffered only a broken ankle after putting his gymnastics skills into practice, the Slovenian press reported Tuesday.
 

Diet of worms eases that gut feeling

AFP -  

Fancy a change from orange juice for breakfast?

Alabama Lawmakers Designate State Whiskey

4-7-04

Alabamans now have something to toast: The state has an official whiskey.

Ohio Priest Gets Probation for Growing Pot

Tue Apr 6, 6:40 PM ET

A Roman Catholic priest received two years of probation Tuesday for growing marijuana in his church residence. The Rev. Richard Arko, 40, pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal cultivation of marijuana related to 35 plants in the rectory of Prince of Peace Roman Catholic Church.

Austrian Air offers in-flight vote

Tue Apr 6, 8:54 AM ET

After in-flight entertainment, drinks and duty-free shopping, voting for your president in the air is all part of the service for Austria's national carrier Austrian Airlines Group.
Ohio woman found guilty of falsely claiming to have won a $162M jackpot

Tue Apr 6, 5:13 PM ET

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (AP) - A woman who claimed that she bought and lost a $162-million lottery ticket was found guilty Tuesday of filing a false police report. She was fined $1,000 and ordered to perform 50 hours of community

British scientist's death blamed on gas leak as he made marmalade

Mon Apr 5,11:44 AM ET

LONDON (AP) - A scientist died while stirring homemade marmalade, unaware his faulty gas stove was emitting deadly carbon monoxide gas, the man's brother said Monday.