Today's Story Line
BOSTON
A death sentence for Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan in Turkey came as no surprise. An appeal is likely. But how will Kurds react to the verdict? And what will this mean for Turkey's quest to join the European Union? Demonstrations protesting the sentence were held in several European capitals.
Yes, Ricky Martin is everywhere. But English-only advocates in the United States need not fear. Latino pop stars won't make Spanish the dominant language in US culture. Second- and third-generation Hispanics, like other immigrants before them, show a preference for English.
Wind power is moving out of the granola category of alternative energy sources and into the mainstream. The US, playing catch-up with Europe, just set a goal to use the breeze to produce 5 percent of its electricity. Quote of note: "Not long ago at our conferences we'd still see people with long hair and nice ideas. Now there are more ties and three-piece suits than anything else." - Christophe Bourillon, head of a European wind industry group.
As in cricket, so in war. On the Indian side of the high-altitude Himalayan conflict between India and Pakistan, most Kashmiris are rooting for Pakistanis.
- David Clark Scott, World editor
REPORTERS ON THE JOB *A COMPASS BUT NO MAP: South Asia correspondent Bob Marquand is visiting an area of incomparable Himalayan vistas that was once a tourist mecca. But it's also the scene of a border conflict between India and Pakistan. Like any tourist hoping to familiarize himself with the region, Bob went to the main bookstore in Srinagar (the Kashmir capital on the Indian side) to look for a map. There was only one - a map of India. Puzzled, he asked the store clerk about the absence of maps covering Kashmir itself. Detailed local maps cannot be sold to "ordinary people," said the clerk. It's not clear if this ban is to prevent local insurgents from planning attacks or simply because any Kashmir map showing a border line could be a source of contention - depending on the customer's political views.
*JOSE NO HABLA ESPAOL: Mexico City correspondent Howard LaFranchi researched and wrote today's page 1 story on Spanish speakers during a recent trip to the US-Mexico border. But Howard says he felt a little strange speaking Spanish to other Americans who were working in an El Paso, Texas, supermarket where he went to buy film. Later, when Howard went to a bookstore to inquire about a book, he automatically spoke Spanish to the employee with a name tag that indicated a Hispanic ancestry. The young man said, "Uh, sir, do you speak English? I don't really speak Spanish."
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