News In Brief
Surrounded by cheering supporters, George W. Bush arrived in Philadelphia on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention. Later, the delegates were to cast enough votes for the Texas governor to nominate him officially for president. Bush's running mate, former Defense Secretary and Congressman Dick Cheney, was to make his acceptance speech aimed at reassuring undecided voters after fierce Democratic criticism of his conservative record in the House.
Protests outside the convention heated up considerably Tuesday, as police arrested at least 280 demonstrators. Law-enforcement authorities used batons after being hit by protesters; five officers were reported hurt in scuffles. Estimates of the number of demonstrators ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 4,000.
The latest attack against the tobacco industry came from a report by the World Health Organization, which accused the cigarettemakers of secretly trying to undermine its campaign to reduce smoking around the world. The report, detailed in advance by The Washington Post, claimed tobacco companies viewed the WHO as "one of the foremost enemies." Also described was a sophisticated effort to pit other UN-affiliated agencies against WHO initiatives. Much of the information in the report came from tobacco company documents made public through court proceedings, the Post said.
Sales of new homes fell 3.7 percent in June to the slowest sales pace in more than two years, the Commerce Department reported. It was the third straight monthly drop and was attributed to mortgage rates, which have risen as a result of the Federal Reserve's effort to slow the booming economy. Existing home sales, however, defied the impact of mortgage rates, rising by 2.8 percent.
Sending a strong signal in the debate over how to teach about the origin of life, Kansas voters picked three candidates for the state Board of Education who promised to back science standards with a greater emphasis on evolution. Last year, the board approved standards, which school districts don't have to follow, that omit the big-bang theory of the universe's origin. The chosen candidates - who were running in a Republican primary - are vying for five board seats that will be filled in November.
Authorities announced the arrests of at least 140 people across the US during the course of Operation Mountain Express - a federal effort to dismantle a ring allegedly supplying chemicals to make methamphetamines, known on the streets as speed. The ring was headed by a group of 10 people who shipped their profits to the Middle East, Drug Enforcement Administration officials said.
Californians were asked to conserve electricity during a fourth day of soaring temperatures. Demand for power had reached 95 percent of capacity by midday Tuesday, prompting the state's electricity control center to declare an emergency. But after neighboring states sent several thousand megawatts of power to California, officials predicted a rolling series of blackouts would be averted.
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society
