2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 22, 2002 I NATION/WORLD Suicide blast kills two, iniures 60 IN BRIEP f. -,~ J. JERUSALEM (AP) - A former Palestinian policeman blew himself up in the heart of Jerusalem's shopping district yesterday, killing three Israelis, wounding more than 60 people and prompt- ing Israel to call off.a round of U.S.-brokered truce talks. Moments after the late afternoon blast, the dead and injured lay on a blood-splattered pavement on King George Street, amid glass shards and twisted awnings from a hat boutique, a shoe store and a candy shop. A policeman screamed for help. Passers- by knelt over a wounded young boy. More than 60 people were injured. The Al Aqsa Brigades, a militia linked to Palestin- ian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, claimed responsibility for the bombing, which came a day after an Islamic militant set off explosions on a crowded bus in northern Israel, killing himself and seven others. In Washington, the Bush administration said it is taking steps to declare the Al Aqsa group a terror organization. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Arafat and demanded that he denounce the bombing, spokesman Philip Reeker said. Later, Powell called Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the state depart- ment said. Sharon's office said Powell expressed con- dolences. In a rare step, Arafat personally condemned the bombing and promised to take immediate steps to prevent such attacks. But President Bush said he was "disappointed" by Arafat's response to calls for an end to attacks on Israel. "We've set some strong conditions," Bush said. "We expect Mr. Arafat to meet those conditions." Yesterday night's scheduled talks between Israeli and Palestinian security officials were called off - by Israel, the Palestinians said - and it was not clear whether the meeting would resume. U.S. truce negotiator Anthony Zinni met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and senior Cabi- net ministers late yesterday in an apparent effort to rescue his mission. Israel held Arafat directly responsible. In a veiled warning that retaliation might be forthcom- AP PHOTO A woman screams for help as soldiers tend to a victim of a bomb blast in a main shopping area in Jerusalem. ing, a statement from Sharon's office said, "Israel cannot continue for long a unilateral effort" to enforce a cease-fire. ii Ei i EUUFOMIWAROUND THE WORI~LD A&U - TKHOST, A.hanis.a... r1 Afghan warlords rival for divided land Caught on the front line of the Afghan war, the people of this volatile city near the Pakistani border long for the good old days of Taliban rule, when they say security was good and guns were rarely seen. That changed with the arrival of coalition forces seeking to oust al-Qaida and Taliban fighters from their former stronghold. Local security officials say U.S. special forces have played the old game of power-brokering with Afghan warlords, literally dividing Khost among rival tribesmen. The rampant lawlessness threatens to explode into tribal warfare - which could shift local loyalties back toward the Taliban, creating an even more hostile environment for U.S. forces operating in the region. Since arriving in the border region in December, the Americans have recruited men loyal to Bacha Khan Zardran, a local warlord, and to the city's police com- mander, Mohammad Mustafa, to help to secure the area while coalition forces hunt al-Qaida and Taliban forces. Their men are each paid $200 a month. But there's a hitch in the security equation: The two men and a couple of other minor players have become embroiled in a battle of their own for con- trol of the city. Bill passed to limit employer stock options A Senate committee narrowly passed legislation yesterday that would limit employer stock in 401(k) plans, a response to hundreds of Enron workers who lost their retirement savings last year because they heavily invested in company stock. The Democrat-controlled Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Com- mittee passed the bill along party lines, with Republicans arguing that the legisla- tion would prompt companies to stop matching contributions or cease offering 401(k) plans altogether. Ranking Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire criticized the bill as "paternalistic" because it is "us here in Washington managing people's lives" The legislation, sponsored by committee chairman Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D- Mass.), would let employers make matching contributions to their employees' plans with company stock or let workers buy the stock as a retirement investment option, but not both. "If this bill had been the law of the land, Enron employees would not have lost their entire retirement savings," Kennedy said. "Our bill will protect America's workers and prevent future Enrons." Bush travels despite bombing in Lima EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Undeterred by what he called "two-bit terrorists," President Bush opened a Latin American trip yesterday that will take him from the border with Mexico to the U.S. embassy in Peru where a car bomb exploded Wednesday night. "Sometimes it seems like the terror threat might be going away, but all you got to do is look on your TV today and be reminded about how evil these murder- ers are," Bush told Texans at a noisy sendoff rally on the first leg of his four-day trip to Mexico, Peru and El Salvador. Telling his audience about an overnight car bomb- ing outside the U.S. embassy in the Peruvian capital of Lima and a suicide bombing in Jerusalem, Bush said "We cannot let the terrorists take over freedom- loving societies and we will not." He said he was asking Congress, as part of his request for $27 billion in emergency spending submit- ted yesterday, for an additional $5 billion to beef up counter-terrorism security at U.S. airports and borders. He said he wanted to "make sure Americans are more secure and more safe than ever before." Minutes before leaving the White House yesterday morning with first lady Laura Bush, the president addressed the car bombing that took place about four blocks from the embassy in Lima, which he is due to visit tomorrow. Bush said "we might have an idea" who set off the bomb. "They've been around before," he said. The President did not identify the suspected group; but he nodded when a reporter asked if the terrorist group Shining Path, thought to be in eclipse, was on the upsurge. ~ Priesthood Vsex abuse addrse -b Pope VATICAN CITY (AP) - Breaking his silence, Pope John Paul II denounced the "grave scandal" of priests implicated in sex-abuse cases rocking the Roman Catholic Church, saying they had betrayed their vows and succumbed to evil. In an annual pre-Easter message to priests released yesterday by the Vati- can, the pope used some of his strongest language to address an issue that has seriously embarrassed the church in the United States and elsewhere. "As priests, we are personally and profounidly afflicted by the sisof some of our brothers who have betrayed the grace of ordination," John Paul said. He said they had succumbed "to the most grievous forms" of what he called, using the Latin phrase, the "mystery of evil." "Grave scandal is caused, with the result that a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with hon- esty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice," the pope said. John Paul said the church "shows her concern for the victims and strives to respond in truth and justice to each r of these painful situations." aleg It was the first time the pope pub- licly addressed the issue since wide- spread accusations of sexual misconduct by priests surfaced in the United States in recent months. The accusations have led to the fall of one bishop, from Palm Beach, Fla., actions taken against dozens of priests around the country, and the tarnishing of the reputation of Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston for failing to take action against a child-molesting priest. A top cardinal who presented the pope's letter defended the church's efforts to uphold morality and punish wrongdoers within its ranks. He refused to answer any specific ques- tions, however, including whether the Vatican was planning new measures to screen candidates for the priesthood and whether Cardinal Law still had the pope's confidence. The pope's pre-Easter letter generally expresses his closeness to his corps of priests around the world without taking up such a burning issue as sexual abuse. The problem has worldwide implica- tions for the church. In a message in November to the bish- ops of Oceania, John Paul said that "sex- ual abuse (in that region) by some clergy and religious has caused great suffering and spiritual harm to the victims." .. . In January, the Catholic Church in Ireland agreed to a landmark $110 mil- lion payment to children abused by clergy over decades. More than 20 priests, brothers and nuns have been convicted of molesting children. Sexual abuse cases involving cover- ups have also been reported in Eng- land, France and Australia, among other courntries. ISABELA, Philippines Battles with Islamic rebels still going on The voice, tense and urgent, crackled over Capt. Harold Cabunoc's radio with the news that fighting had begun. "It's ongoing! It's ongoing!" came the raw-edged words from the battle zone. As the Philippine army officer called for an estimate of enemy strength, four U.S. Special Forces soldiers and three Philippine troops scrambled aboard a jeep to head for the scene. The latest battle with Islamic rebels was under way along this remote front of America's global War against terror- ism - the southern Philippine island of Basilan. Under the rules of the mission, U.S. forces can advise, assist and train Philippine units but are not supposed to engage in direct combat. They may shoot in self-defense, but there was no indication that Americans came under fire while helping rescue Philippine forces in yesterday's incident. RIO EJANEIRO, Brazil Dengue fever kills thousands in Brazil In the poor suburbs of this sweltering city, fearful residents have begun satu- rating their bodies and their homes with insect repellent. They have good rea- son: Leandro Caroni, 19, died last year after four days of splitting headaches, gut-wrenching coughs and a tempera- ture topping 106 degrees - telltale signs of dengue fever. The mosquito-borne ailment, caused by one of several viruses, is wreaking havoc in Brazil. It has hit especially hard in Rio de Janeiro, a dense metropolis packed between jade-colored mountains. Since Jan. 1, the illness, which attacks the blood and human immune system, has infected more than 160,000 people.in Brazil, Latin America's largest nation. It has caused at least 37 deaths and 90,000 infections since then in the state of Rio de Janeiro alone. PHILADELPHIA School letters alert to children's obesity Some parents are getting letters home from school these days, but not because their youngsters are acting up or flunking out. The problem is their children are too fat. The letters are worded with more sensitivity than that; of course, but the idea is to encourage parents to change their children's eating habits and help them get more exercise. Parents of students in the East Penn school system in Pennsylvania and in Florida's Citrus County district have been getting such weight alerts since the fall. "When an examination reveals a child has vision problems, hearing problems, we inform the family. We weren't doing anything for weight," said George Ziolkowski, director of pupil personnel services for the 6,800- student East Penn district. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. 01brI tibtn Iu The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip- tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Colle- giate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. 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