U.S. troops amassing in Persian Gulf
WASHINGTON — By mid to late February, the U.S. military force in the Persian Gulf could exceed 150,000 soldiers, according to military officials.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has signed three large deployment orders to send reinforcements of troops, armor, warships and combat aircraft. In the latest order, 27,000 troops are being directed to the region.
The recent orders signal a new phase in the Bush administration’s campaign that puts pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to disarm or face an attack.
Signs are emerging among allies that indicate a desire to forestall any possible offensives and thus provide U.N. weapons inspectors with more time to complete their work.
The government of Turkey has not consented to staging American ground troops from its bases, threatening Pentagon plans for a northern attack on Iraq.
Budget increases help fight corporate fraud
WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush said his budget for next year will propose a 73 percent increase from last year’s level to help the Securities and Exchange Commission fight corporate fraud.
The announcement continues the administration’s efforts to deal with a recent wave of corporate scandals that has left Bush vulnerable to criticism from Democrats that who say he has not done enough to fight big business corruption.
Bush specifically seeks $842 million in the budget for the commission, which Congress has yet to agree on. The commission has been understaffed and limited in its ability to open investigations. With a budget increase, the commission will have the ability to hire more accountants and lawyers to review corporate books, supports of the plan said.
In his radio address, Bush tied his efforts to combat corporate wrongdoing with his proposed $670 billion tax cut, suggesting both were necessary for economic growth.
Talks indicate North Korean cooperation
SANTA FE, N.M. — After three days of unofficial talks with two North Korean envoys, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson cited North Korea’s “willingness to have better relations with the United States” and “to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue.”
Richardson called on the Bush administration to engage in its own direct talks with North Korea.
In response, a senior administration official said, “The North Korean delegates did not address the issues of concern to the international community.”
The North’s admission to secret nuclear programs despite a 1994 agreement to freeze such programs has raised mounting alarm among the United States and other countries.
The message relayed by Richardson contrasts with threatening comments made by North Koreans at the United Nations and in Beijing.
In the last week, North Korea has expelled United Nations monitors and declared its withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
At a news conference, Choe Jin Su, North Korea’s ambassador to China, did not say when or whether missile tests would resume.
Indian dispersion gathers with wealth
NEW DELHI, India — The Indian government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry organized the largest gathering of the Indian diaspora, or dispersion of Indians, since independence in 1947.
Last Saturday, nearly 2,000 “nonresident Indians” from 63 countries, represented one of the world’s largest and most productive diasporas.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said in his opening speech that the government was seeking the diaspora’s “richness of experience.”
The annual income of the 20 million Indians living abroad equals 35 percent of India’s gross domestic product.
Illinois governor frees up death row
CHICAGO — Just 48 hours before the end of his term, Illinois Gov. George Ryan emptied death row, commuting all Illinois death sentences to prison terms of life or less.
Ryan condemned the capital punishment system as flawed and unfair. The move is seen as the most significant questioning of capital punishment since the Supreme Court struck down old death penalty laws in 1972.
Ryan’s actions raised anguish and frustration among state prosecutors, politicians and relatives of murder victims.
The lives of 163 men and four women, who have served a collective 2,000 years for the murders of more than 250 people, were spared in the sweep.
California water dispute heightens
SAN FRANCISCO — Southern California farmers filed a lawsuit to strike back at the federal government for taking away the state’s disputed supply of Colorado River water.
The Imperial Irrigation District, the farmers’ water supplier, has asked a federal judge to block a decision by the secretary of the interior that reduces the district’s allocation from the river.
The long history of fighting over water from the Colorado River was supposed to ease through the transfer of the Imperial district’s water to San Diego. It was a part of an agreement two years ago among seven states that depend on the Colorado River. However, failed negotiations on Dec. 31 have increased tensions among various groups in California.
Two Yemeni men arrested in Germany
SANA, Yemen — Two Yemeni men in Frankfurt were arrested by German authorities, one of whom is suspected to be an Al Qaeda fund-raiser.
Yemeni officials reacted with surprise to the arrests, saying that the American government did not warn them. According to German officials, the arrests were made at the request of the United States.
The main suspect was identified as Sheik Muhammad Ali Hassan al-Mouyad, a prominent citizen of Yemen who is the imam at a mosque in Sana and runs a charity for the poor.
The other man arrested was Muhammad Moshen Yahya Zayed, an employee for Sheik Mouyad’s charity, described as a “companion of far less import and significance” by an American official.
Clonaid subpoenaed by Florida attorney
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Vice President of Clonaid, Thomas Kaenzig, has been subpoenaed to testify in court on Jan. 22. Florida attorney Bernard Siegel seeks a guardian for the baby the cloning organization claims to be the first human clone.
Siegel delivered two summonses, one to Kaenzig and one to the child’s alleged mother. The summons asked Clonaid to reveal the whereabouts of the unverified baby.
Last month, Clonaid announced that a cloned baby named “Eve” had been born Dec. 26. The Raelian sect founded the company based on the belief that mankind was created by extraterrestrials.
Clonaid has barred a team of scientists who were to verify the cloning claim.
– Compiled from news sources
January 16, 2003