Monday, September 20, 2004

Video Shows 3 Hostages Beheaded in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A militant group posted a video on the Internet purporting to show militants sawing off the heads of three Iraqi members of a Kurdish party for cooperating with U.S. forces. Another group claimed to have kidnapped 15 members of the Iraqi National Guard. In another hostage case, the British government and brother of a British man abducted in Iraq appealed for his release. Kenneth Bigley and two American colleagues were kidnapped in Baghdad last week by a group linked to al-Qaida. Monday is the day that the deadline for sparing their lives expires. Israeli Missile Kills Senior Hamas Leader GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas threatened revenge after an Israeli helicopter blew up a car on a busy Gaza City street, killing a Hamas militant who was involved in making and firing rockets at Israeli towns. Six bystanders were wounded, two of them seriously, hospital officials said. Hu Becomes Undisputed Leader of China BEIJING (AP) - President Hu Jintao's new status as commander of China's military should strengthen efforts to fight corruption and control a surging economy, forcing resistant lower-level officials to recognize Hu as their undisputed leader, analysts said Monday. Former President Jiang Zemin's decision to hand over his last post as military chief on Sunday, almost two years after Hu succeeded him as Communist Party leader, ended tensions over control that had let local officials resist pressure to cut spending and carry out painful reforms, the analysts said. Indonesian Challenger Set for Elections JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A former general who has pledged to fight terror and fix the economy was headed for a landslide win over incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia's landmark elections Monday, according a nationwide sampling of votes. Challenger Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was expected to win 62 percent of the votes compared to 38 percent for Megawati in the runoff election, according to the survey conducted by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, the international arm of the U.S. Democratic Party. States Turn to Cleanup After Ivan CARNEGIE, Pa. (AP) - The residents and business owners in this tiny Pittsburgh suburb have begun to clean up from the weekend's flooding caused by Hurricane Ivan. It was an overwhelming task for many, who say they have lost more than just furniture and carpeting. John Ferri rushed feverishly around his mud-soaked monument business over the weekend, cleaning off the granite gravestones with window cleaner and carrying out boxes of trash. Leaders Spotlight Gap Between Rich, Poor UNITED NATIONS (AP) - World leaders are hoping to put a spotlight on the growing gap between rich and poor and the failure to find $50 billion a year to help more than one billion people escape extreme poverty and start sharing global prosperity. At two meetings here Monday - the eve of the annual U.N. General Assembly debate - leaders and ministers will focus on innovative ways to finance the alleviation of poverty and to ensure that millions of the world's poor don't get left behind by globalization. More Young People Registering to Vote Voter registration drives aimed at young people are turning 18- to 24-year-olds into an important variable in the presidential election, especially in decisive battleground states such as Michigan - where nearly 100,000 young people have registered in recent months - and Wisconsin, where the numbers are even higher. They are the nation's newest swing voters, with polls showing their support for the major candidates has vacillated in recent months. A Harvard University poll found that, in a five-month period, 19 percent of young potential voters changed their minds about whom they'd support. Microsoft Expands Sharing of Source Code SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Corp. is expanding a program to give government organizations access to some of its tightly guarded software blueprints amid growing competition from rivals who make such source code freely available. Beginning Monday, Microsoft will offer more than 60 governments and international organizations the option of viewing the proprietary source code for the latest version of its ubiquitous Office software, including the Outlook e-mail program, Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheet application. 'Sopranos' Gets Its Due at Emmys Awards LOS ANGELES (AP) - "The Sopranos" finally whacked its competitors in the best drama category at the Emmy Awards, and a comedy series victory for ratings-starved "Arrested Development" proved SOMEBODY was watching - but it was HBO and its record-breaking "Angels in America" that fluttered away with the most trophies. HBO's megahit about a New Jersey mob family collected the best drama Emmy on its fifth try Sunday, and the channel's "Sex and the City" and "Angels in America" helped cable overshadow the traditional networks. Field Goal Puts Bengals Over Miami 16-13 CINCINNATI (AP) - Chad Johnson wriggled open for a 20-yard catch that put the Cincinnati Bengals in range for Shayne Graham's 39-yard field goal and a 16-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. Graham's kick with 2 seconds left completed Carson Palmer's first game-winning drive, a modest achievement on a night in which neither inexperienced quarterback did much. Mass. Fair Accident Kills 1, Injures 2 SHREWSBURY, Mass. (AP) -- A carnival ride broke apart during a church fair Sunday, killing a man and injuring two other people. Shrewsbury police said the spinning-car ride came apart about 2 p.m. near Saint Mary's Church and parochial school. Witnesses said they saw one of the men being thrown from the ride and crashing to the ground. "It was really just a nightmare, a lot of children crying, mothers crying, more blood than I've ever seen," said Kathleen Madaus, 44, of Shrewsbury. "I saw (one victim) about a foot off the ground and land on his face," said Madaus' 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. "There were like 5-year-olds who had to see that and I feel bad for them." All three victims were residents of the Glavin Regional Center in Shrewsbury, a state-run facility for the mentally retarded, said Dick Powers, a spokesman for the state Department of Mental Retardation. "It's a terrible tragedy, our condolences go out to the families and the friends of the victims," Powers said. "We will begin grief counseling immediately."

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