2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 2, 2005 NATION/WORLD Nepalese king closes borders NEWS BRIEF 0I KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - King Gyanendra dismissed Nepal's govern- ment yesterday and declared a state of emergency, closing off his Himala- yan nation from the rest of the world as telephone and Internet lines were cut, flights diverted and civil liberties severely curtailed. Britain and India both expressed con- cern, saying the king's actions under- mined democracy. This was the second time in three years the king has taken control of the tiny South Asian constitutional monarchy, a throwback to the era of absolute power enjoyed by monarchs before King Biren- dra, Gyanendra's elder brother, intro- duced democracy in 1990. King Gyanendra denied his take- over was a coup, although soldiers sur- rounded the houses of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other gov- ernment leaders. The king also suspended several provi- sions of the constitution, including free- dom of the press, speech and expression, peaceful assembly, the right to privacy and the right against preventive detention, according to a statement from the Naray- anhiti Palace. "We will oppose this step," Deuba, who was not allowed to leave his home, told reporters. "The move directly violates the constitution and is against democracy." Nepali Congress, the country's larg- est party, said the king had "pushed the country toward further complications" and called for a demonstration. India, Nepal's southern neighbor and close ally, also criticized the king. "These developments constitute a seri- ous setback to the cause of democracy in Nepal and cannot but be a cause of grave concern to India," India's foreign minis- try said. "The safety and welfare of the political leaders must be ensured, and political parties must be allowed to exer- cise all the rights enjoyed by them under the constitution." India said the king had violated Nepal's constitution, which enshrines a multiparty democracy alongside a con- stitutional monarchy. Britain expressed similar concerns. "This action will increase the risk of instability in Nepal, undermining the institutions of democracy and constitu- tional monarchy in the country. We call for the immediate restitution of multi- party democracy and appeal for calm and restraint on all sides during this dif- ficult time," said Foreign Office Minister Douglas Alexander. Armored vehicles with mounted machine guns patrolled the streets of Kat- mandu, Nepal's capital, and phone lines in the city had been cut. Many flights into the city were canceled, although the air- port remained open. Long lines quickly formed at grocery stores and gas stations, as worried resi- dents stocked up on supplies. "We are so confused. We don't know what is going on or what will happen," said Narayan Thapa, a government work- er. "I am worried I can't reach my family on the phone." In an announcement on state-run tele- vision, the king accused the government of failing to conduct parliamentary elec- tions and to restore peace in the country beset by rebel violence. "A new Cabinet will be formed under my leadership,"he said. "This will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years." Later, state-run television reported a state of emergency had been declared. "This is not the first time that the king has tried to impose himself by force, depriving the Nepalese people of their freedom of expression," interna- tional media freedom group Reporters Sans Frontieres said. "The international community has failed to respond to a deteriorating human rights situation in the country. It is now urgent that the U.N. reacts firmly." SAN JUAN, Puerto RICo Report: Videotapes show detainee abuse Videotapes of riot squads subduing troublesome terror suspects at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay show the guards punching some detainees, tying one to a gurney for questioning and forcing a dozen to strip from the waist down, according to a secret report. One squad was all-female, traumatizing some Muslim prisoners, the report said. Investigators from U.S. Southern Command in Miami, which oversees the camp in Cuba, wrote the report that was obtained by The Associated Press after spending a little over a week in June reviewing 20 hours of videotapes involving "Immediate Reaction Forces." The camp's layout prevented videotaping in all the cells where the five-person teams - also known as "Immediate Response Forces" - operated, the report said. Reviewers said they did not look at all of the available videotapes. Although the report cited several cases of physical force, reviewers said they found no evidence of systemic detainee abuse, according to the six-page summary. WASHINGTON Troops' fali'es may receive more money Lawmakers and military officials said yesterday that President Bush's proposal to boost government payments to families of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, Afghani- stan and other war zones was a good start but too narrow. Republicans suggested that those who die while training for combat missions also should be eligible for the increased death benefits. Democrats argued that the benefits should extend to all military personnel who die while on active duty. Uniformed officials with the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force told the Senate Armed Forces Committee, during a hearing on the proposal, that the Defense Department should not give an extra $250,000 in benefits to surviving spouses and children based simply on the geography of where a death occurs. WASHINGTON Medicare will cover drugs for impotence Sexual performance drugs like Viagra will be covered by Medicare's new prescrip- tion benefit beginning next year, along with medications for other conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease, Health and Human Services officials said yesterday. And like those other drugs, prescriptions for Viagra will be tightly controlled. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1 at a cost of more than $500 billion over a decade, says Viagra can be prescribed only when medically necessary and in limited quantities. "The law says if it's an (Food and Drug Administration)-approved drug and it is medically necessary, it has to be covered," said Gary Karr, spokesman for the Cen- ters for Medicare and Medicaid Services. WASHINGTON Democrats push plans for Iraq, Social Security Consigned by the voters to another season out of power, Democrats are eager to lay down markers for President Bush and congressional Republicans on Iraq, Social Security and more at the same time they try to absorb the lessons of last fall's elections. It's a challenge complicated by Republican insistence on stirring echoes of the 2004 campaign at every turn, labeling President Bush's critics as obstructionists lacking alternative proposals. "I promise they'll hear us across the aisle. I promise they'll hear us down" at the White House, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada assured his rank and file on the day he was chosen Democratic leader. In the weeks since, he, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and others have hastened to fulfill that pledge. 0 0 Nepal's King Gyanendra, center, greets people in the suburbs of the Nepal- ese capital of Katmandu. Gyanendra dismissed the government yesterday. Pope hospitalized with influenza ROME (AP) - Pope John Paul II, suffering from breathing problems and the flu, was rushed to the hospital last night, Vatican officialssaid. The 84-year-old pope has been suffering from the flu since Sunday and apparently suffered a "breath- ing crisis," a Vatican official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Earlier, a close member of the pope's staff, American Archbishop James Harvey, said he didn't know the pope had gone to the hospital but knew that the pope had congestion and a slight fever during the day. The Vatican planned to issue a com- munique toward midnight yesterday. In the meantime, cars with Vatican license plates were speeding toward Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital where the pope had been taken, according to an AP correspondent at the scene. a It was the same Roman Catholic teaching hospital he was taken to when he was shot in the abdomen in 1981 and at which he has undergone several operations. As late as 11 p.m. local time, the Vatican appeared calm with no traffic or sign of an alert. The sudden trans- fer of the pope caught his own staff by surprise. The frail pontiff has Parkinson's disease, which makes his speech dif- ficult, as well as chronic hip and knee problems. He was reported to have come down with the flu Sunday, when he made his regular noontime appearance at his window overlooking St. Peter's Square and released a dove in a sign of peace. He appeared remarkably lively, but his words were barely audible. Until the pope had been taken to the hospital, the Vatican had been issuing reassuring news about his condition, up to yesterday's late night news cast on Vatican radio. First word of his transfer to the hos- pital yesterday night came from Italian news media. The Vatican announced earlier yes- terday that it had canceled the pope's engagements for the next few days. His canceled appointments included John Paul's weekly public audience today. Besides the traditional morn- ing gathering with the faithful, he had been scheduled to preside at a candle- blessing service in St. Peter's Basilica that evening. The flu has been sweeping through Italy since December. The Rome region, which is shivering through a cold spell that has dropped tempera- tures below freezing at night, has been among those hit the hardest. About 40 percent of the flu cases have been children, with the elderly making up only a small fraction of cases after an aggressive campaign of flu vaccinations for older people, health officials said. It was not known whether the pontiff had a flu shot. Clinton tapped for U.N.- position NEW YORK (AP) - U.N. Secre- tary-General Kofi Annan selected former President Clinton yesterday to be the U.N. point man for tsunami reconstruction, saying no one could better ensure that the world doesn't forget the needs of the countries devastated by the Dec. 26 disaster. Clinton said in a statement that he looked forward to serving as Annan's special envoy starting next month. Soon after the disaster, President Bush named Clinton and his father, President George H.W. Bush, to head a nationwide private fund- raising effort to help the 11 coun- tries affected by the tsunamis. The disaster killed more than 157,000 people and displaced mil- lions of others. Clinton said he will continue to focus on his work with Bush "to urge people to contribute to this cause, and the two of us hope to visit the region together later this month." U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said Annan wanted to appoint a special envoy not only to focus on the cleanup and reconstruction but to help resolve conflicts with reb- els in the two worst-hit countries - Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This would give Clinton a chance to use his political skills to tackle, longstanding conflicts with rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province who MARKETUPDATE WED. 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