News In Brief
The US
Southern Baptists amended their statement of beliefs, saying a woman should "submit graciously" to her husband's leadership and defining marriage exclusively in heterosexual terms. For the nation's largest Protestant denomination, it was the first restatement of beliefs in 35 years.
The Federal Reserve might have to raise interest rates if demand in the economy fails to abate noticeably, Chairman Alan Greenspan said. In testimony to Congress, Greenspan said the Fed had not yet seen reason to tighten monetary policy but was watching inflation pressures closely.
The Senate broke a two-week impasse over tobacco legislation, striking a tentative deal that includes tobacco-financed tax cuts and using funds that had been earmarked for public-health programs for the war on illegal drugs. A 52-to-46 vote favored shifting $16 billion to the antidrug effort. All Democrats and one Republican voted against the measure.
President Clinton signed a massive highway and mass-transit bill that provides $167 billion over the next six years for highways, bridges, and railways - as well as $36 billion for bus and subway programs.
The House passed and sent to the president a bill imposing sanctions on nations exporting missile technology to Iran. Clinton has promised to veto it, but the outcome is uncertain since the measure passed both the House and Senate by seemingly veto-proof majorities. The bill is aimed mainly at Russia, which some members of Congress say has helped Iran refine its missile-delivery system, but would apply to any country or business found supplying ballistic-missile technology to Iran.
The House voted to create a commission to explore what happened to Holocaust victims' assets that came into US government control. The presidential advisory panel, already approved by the Senate, would also investigate bank accounts that might have been set up on behalf of Jews or others killed in the Holocaust and try to discover which insurance firms issued policies to Holocaust victims before World War II.
Visiting South Korean President Kim Dae Jung raised the issue of easing sanctions against North Korea. After private talks with Clinton, Kim said he would prefer to use positive incentives to open up the Communist North. Clinton, making no promise to ease the sanctions, spoke of a "policy of reciprocity" toward North Korea and announced steps to encourage US investment in South Korea.
US Rep. Robert Inglis won 75 percent of the vote in South Carolina's GOP primary runoff. He will challenge Sen. Fritz Hollings, the incumbent Democrat, in the November election. In other US Senate primaries:
- In Arkansas, former Rep. Blanche Lincoln defeated Attorney General Winston Bryant in race to decide which Democratic candidate would oppose Republican state Sen. Fay Boozman for the US Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of Dale Bumpers.
- In North Dakota, Republicans chose state Sen. Donna Nalewaja to challenge the reelection bid of Sen. Byron Dorgan (D), who ran unopposed.
A new version of a religious-liberty law struck down by the Supreme Court last year was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a renewed effort to protect the practice of religion from undue government interference. The new bill would require the government to prove it has a "compelling interest" before restricting religious practices.
The National Park Service said it was extending visiting hours at the Statue of Liberty in the morning and afternoon. But - to cut down on long lines and people bothered by hot weather - only the first 1,800 people obtaining passes each morning will be allowed to climb to the statue's crown.
The World
To boost confidence in its troubled economy, Japan is considering a "new yen," officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said. The proposal, to be presented to parliament by September, would revalue the yen at the rate of one to the US dollar. The dollar currently buys about 140 yen. The announcement came as economists predicted Japan would face its first negative growth in more than 20 years. Elsewhere in financially troubled Asia, Thailand's stock index fell below 300 points for the first time in 11 years.
Nigerian opposition and human rights groups blasted new President Abdulsalam Abubakar's first speech for having "nothing to offer" and called for more protests against military rule. Abubakar said he remained "fully committed" to the programs and policies of his late predecessor, Sani Abacha.
Clashes between drunken soccer fans and riot police marred the eve of the World Cup tournament in Paris, resulting in 34 injuries and 50 arrests. Witnesses said the trouble began when some visiting fans were denied entry to an extravaganza in the Place de Concorde. Meanwhile, the official airline of the tournament, Air France, reached agreement with striking pilots to end a 10-day walkout that had cost the carrier $166 million.
Beef producers reacted cautiously to word that the European Union was ready to end its ban on exports from Britain. The move still must be approv-ed tomorrow by a panel of EU veterinary experts, whose views are known to be divided. The ban was imposed in March 1996 after a possible link between so-called "mad cow" disease and a condition believed to cause deaths in humans was acknowledged. Before the ban, British beef exports were worth $8.1 billion a year.
The most powerful cyclone in India in 25 years was blamed for at least 385 deaths and 1,200 injuries. Hundreds of thousands of people in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan were left homeless.
Angry residents of East Timor rejected an offer of "special status" for their homeland from new Indonesian President Habibie. In a loud but peaceful protest in Dili, the capital, thousands demanded independence and the release from jail of separatist leader Xanana Gusmao, who is not among 15 other Timorese the Justice Ministry said it was freeing. Habibie would confer extra privileges - but little else - on East Timor, which Indonesia forcibly annexed in 1975.
Eritrean forces launched a fresh attack against Ethiopian strongholds, ignoring appeals for peace from Roman Catholic bishops in both countries. With no sign of letup in the conflict, the Organization of African Unity announced it would send a special peace mission to the region.
A rejection of mediation efforts to end the violent rebellion in Guinea Bissau appeared likely to scuttle a newly arranged cease-fire between government troops and those loyal to ex-Army chief Ansumane Mane. President Joao Bernardo Vieira, who fired Mane last weekend, reportedly told European diplomats he was not interested in peace talks. Reports said the arrival of heavily arm-ed units from neighboring Guinea and Senegal had strengthened Vieira's hand.
At least 30 Haitian refugees were believed dead after their boat capsized off the Turks and Caicos Islands, 600 miles southeast of Florida. Bermuda police were investigating reports that officers had fired warning shots from shore - a routine way to turn away boats that ignore orders to stop - causing the accident. Impoverished Haitians often seek work on the popular tourist islands.
Etceteras
" A wife is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband, even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ."
- A new 18th Article of the Baptist Faith and Message, adopted at the Southern Baptist convention in Salt Lake City.
Imagine your wedding day arriving without a clue as to whom you'll be marrying. That's the scenario awaiting eligible bachelor (and anthropology student) Dave Weinlick. Nearing 30 and weary of friends asking when he was going to tie the knot, he arbitrarily set a date: June 13, 1998. Yep, Saturday. So he's scheduled to report to a Minneapolis park, where a committee will pick his bride-to-be from a field of 40 registered candidates. If all goes well, they'll hold a pretend ceremony afterward - minus such formalities as a blood test and marriage license. Actual nuptials may or may not take place later.
Also due this weekend is young Sarah Doble's first slumber party in the Woodbridge, Va., treehouse built by her father. It'll probably also be the last. Not because her girlfriends wouldn't want to come back. At 10 feet by 13 feet, the hideaway has bunk beds, skylights, even electrical outlets for plugging in, say, a CD player. The problem is that it's twice as big as planned and visible from the street. Neighbors find it "obtrusive," and the village homeowners association ordered it torn down by June 30.
'Truman Show' Beats Out 'Godzilla' at Box Office
"Godzilla" stumbled in its third weekend in release, falling from No. 1 to No.3 among top-grossing movies. "The Truman Show," a film about a man who doesn't realize his life is actually the plot for a TV series, took over the top spot in its weekend debut. Another new release, the Hitchcock-esque "A Perfect Murder," placed second. Grosses for top films at North American theaters June 5-7 (in millions):
1. "The Truman Show" $31.5
2. "A Perfect Murder" 16.6
3. "Godzilla" 9.7
4. "Hope Floats" 8.6
5. "Deep Impact" 6.7
6. "The Horse Whisperer" 5.2
7. "Bulworth" 2.2
8. "Titanic" 1.6
9. "I Got the Hook-Up" 1.6
10. "The Quest for Camelot" 1.3
- Exhibitor Relations Inc./AP
