News In Brief
THE US
Bob Dole was set to take his place in the race for president when formally nominated as the Republican candidate at the GOP convention in San Diego. Earlier, keynote speaker Susan Molinari led the Republican attack on President Clinton and the GOP effort to attract women voters., Also, Dole may be on the rebound in popularity thanks to the GOP convention, according to ABC News's polling director Jeffrey Alderman. Data from ABC interviews conducted Monday night indicated the race may be tightening slightly.
The timing of the explosion of TWA Flight 800's center fuel tank may help determine whether a bomb was involved, a source close to the investigation said. An initial blast could have sparked the explosion of the fuel tank as much as 20 seconds later. A bomb remained the leading theory for the downing of the plane because it would carry a force strong enough to cause a secondary explosion in the fuel tank.
Clinton signed legislation cutting red tape for companies drilling for oil and gas on federal lands in Kelly, Wyo. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the new law will result in $51 million to the federal government and $33 million to states over seven years, the White House said. Royalties from oil and gas represent the third-largest source of revenue for the federal government.
The latest images from the Galileo spacecraft reveal dark spots that could indicate slush-spewing geysers on Europa, Jupiter's frozen moon. The presence of slush would strengthen the argument that Europa is not frozen solid. The more geologically active Europa is, the more likely it could harbor life, scientists say.
The immediate family members of two Cuban refugees who died en route to the US will be given asylum, the Cuban American National Foundation said. US immigration officials are interviewing the rest of the 27 refugees, found earlier clinging to a capsized boat near Miami, to determine which have legitimate asylum cases. The Clinton administration is proceeding carefully to avoid a mass exodus of Cuban refugees.
Workplace productivity fell 0.1 percent at an annual rate during the second quarter, the government said in a report key to Federal Reserve decisionmaking on interest rate moves. Analysts say that the current tight labor market could lead to increased wages that, without sufficient gains in productivity, would be passed on to consumers as higher prices.
In Colorado's primaries, three-term Rep. Wayne Allard beat state Attorney General Gale Norton in the Republican Senate race. Democrats chose lawyer Tom Strickland to face off against Allard. Also, in the first contested Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District since voters sent Rep. Pat Schroeder to Washington 24 years ago, Democrats in Denver chose state Rep. Diana DeGette to face Republican lawyer Joe Rodgers.
Jack Kevorkian filed a federal lawsuit aimed at preventing the Oakland County, Mich., prosecutor from enforcing the state's now-expired ban on assisted suicide. The lawsuit also seeks to have a Michigan Supreme Court ruling declared unconstitutional: The ruling said assisted suicide could be prosecuted under common law.
The Justice Department sued Waukegan, Ill., to block a housing ordinance the government says was enacted to limit the number of Hispanic families who could live there. The government alleged the city ordinance violated the Fair Housing Act because it limited the number of people related by blood or marriage who could live together. The ordinance was not an appropriate response to overcrowding because it would still permit overcrowding by non-relatives in one dwelling, the government said.
Parents expect to spend more this year on back-to-school supplies for children, an American Express survey found. Average budget is $363 per child - up 12 percent from last year.
THE WORLD
Representatives of the Russian military command in Chechnya held further talks with Chechen rebels, Itar-Tass news agency reported. Fighting eased in Grozny amid confusion over whether the two sides had agreed to end eight days of fighting. Earlier, Russian troops denied they had a cease-fire agreement with rebels. Commander Konstantin Pulikovsky said he and rebel commander Aslan Maskhadov gave mutual "obligations" to stop fighting that fell short of a formal agreement. Also, rebels accused Russian troops of rocketing a group of fleeing refugees.
Israel resumed talks with the Palestinians that had been stalled since March. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision last month to lift a freeze on construction on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza was expected to top the agenda.
US Secretary of State Warren Christopher pressed Balkan presidents in Geneva to keep the Bosnia peace agreement on track. Also, a NATO inspection team declined an opportunity to arrest Gen. Ratko Mladic, NATO said. The team was trying to investigate a site at Han Pijesak and was told it could proceed only if Mladic escorted them. They declined, because NATO refuses to accept conditions on inspections. And the Pentagon said there was additional information indicating there could be threats against US installations in Bosnia. Officials have found unauthorized people monitoring US camps.
Thousands of South Korean police stormed a Seoul campus to break up a rally calling for the reunification of North and South Korea. Reunification rallies are banned in South Korea. Some 2000 student activists participated in the annual event, which also demands the withdrawal of the 37,000 US troops in South Korea.
Western disarmament negotiators in Geneva scurried to keep alive a global nuclear test-ban treaty, as India and Iran pledged to fulfill their threatened veto. India, the main holdout, is demanding a commitment from the five declared nuclear powers to eliminate their stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
Japan apologized for the first time to Filipina women forced to be sex slaves during World War II. Three Filipina women became the first to accept $18,600 each in compensation from a private fund. Most of the "comfort women" have refused the money, saying they want Tokyo to compensate them directly.
Middle Eastern businessmen are funding terrorists who attack the US and Israel, The New York Times reported. Businessmen in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are believed to have funneled money to Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, who is charged with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York and an aborted plot to blow up 11 US jets.
A Saudi opposition group said six Muslim militants have been arrested and confessed to the bombing that killed 19 US servicemen in Dhahran. The Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia's claims could not be confirmed. Neither Saudi nor US officials have reported any arrests for the June 25 bombing.
Turkish troops on Cyprus fired on hundreds of Greek Cypriot protesters who stormed across the divided island's cease-fire line. One person was killed, and two UN peacekeepers were wounded. It was the second time in four days that Greek Cypriots have clashed with Turkish troops in the buffer zone.
Typhoon Kirk, the most dangerous typhoon to hit Japan this season, picked up speed as it headed for northern Japan. The typhoon has killed two people, and a US serviceman on Okinawa is also missing.
ETCETERAS
"If the Israelis say 'no peace without security,' we say 'no
peace with settlement activities.' "
-- Chief Palestinian negotiator Jamil Tarifi, on Israel's decision to lift a freeze on construction on Jewish settlements.
Greenpeace presented the auto industry with a SmILE - a Small, Intelligent, Light and Efficient car, that is. The custom-designed car unveiled in Switzerland uses half the fuel of existing models and emits half the exhaust gases blamed for climate change. Greenpeace challenged the world's motor companies to match it.
French Impressionism took on new meaning at Trie-sur-Baise's annual pig festival. Some 3,000 Frenchmen gathered to listen to contestants mimic pigs in various states of mind, including hunger and boredom. Joseph and Constance Ceschin won the hearts of the jury and the championship for their imitation of pigs in love. The prize? A cooked pig.
THE DAY'S LIST
What That New Do Would Cost You Worldwide
Here's what some cities charge for a woman's haircut and blow dry, according to Runzheimer International, a management consulting firm in Rochester, Wis., that specializes in travel and living costs. LA may not be so pricey after all.
Tokyo $76.24
Copenhagen 56.47
Rio de Janeiro 53.68
Vienna 52.48
Munich 49.44
Hong Kong 45.49
London 44.35
Rome 38.72
Paris 37.63
Madrid 35.06
Athens 32.28
Sydney 29.93
Toronto 22.79
Los Angeles 20.00
Mexico City 17.94
-- Runzheimer International
