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Show DAILY A4 Wednesday. March 21, 2007 HERALD FAST FACT MORNING BRIEFING The first gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for his recording "Chattanooga Choo Choo" on his radio program of Feb. 10,1942. , Source: The Book of Answers Compiled from Daily Herald wire services The WORLD The Nation if meets Palestinian minister, ends boycott , U.S. HMi tt The United JERUSALEM States made its first contact with the new Hamas-Fatacoalition Tuesday, ending a yearlong diplomatic boycott of the Palestinian government. The meeting between a U.S. diplomat and the Palestinian finance minister signaled a break in policy between Israel and its closest ally, and could mark a significant step toward ending a painful aid cutoff to the Palestinian government. Jacob Walles, the U.S. consul in Jerusalem, set the precedent drive jp the with a West Bank city of Ramallah, where he met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, h . I , vj wf 1 r V .a i ..- -4 I f : i I six-mi- an internationally respected economist and political independent. It was the first official U.S. meeting with a Palestinian Cabinet minister in a year. YOU ROB CARRAssociated Russia to pull experts from Iranian reactor Press Protesting Alabama RusVIENNA, Austria sia is bringing home its technicians and engineers from Iran's unfinished nuclear reactor site at a time of growing in- Jane Stroud of Wedowee, Ala., center waves U.S. flags Tuesday in Montgomery, Ala., while taking part in a protest against the 62 percent raise Alabama lawmakers gave themselves earlier this month in an unrecorded voice vote. Gov. Bob Riley vetoed the pay raise for legislators Tuesday after protesters held a rally at the statehouse to voice outrage over the pay increase. Supreme Court blocks Ohio inmate execution The LUCASVILLE, Ohio Supreme Court blocked the execution of a man who had been scheduled to die Tuesday for killing a woman in 1991 and scattering her remains across two states. Inmate Kenneth Biros and the family of the vichad tim, Tami Engstrom waited for the decision more than six hours past his 10 a.m. scheduled execution time at Ohio's death house. The justices' decision agreed with two lower courts that delayed the execution so he could continue arguing that Ohio's method of lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. ternational pressure on Tehran to curb its atomic ambitions, U.S. and European representa- tives said Tuesday. Although both Russia and Iran officially say their differences are financial, the dispute has a strong political component that the West hopes could result in Moscow lining up closer behind U.S.-leefforts to slap harsher U.N. sanctions on The findings of the test With tears in his eyes, Auberry added: "To have our son that most seats "failed disasback is a tremendous blesswere withdrawn trously" two weeks after their Jan. 4 ing." It was not immediately publication when the magaclear exactly how the boy was zine learned its able to survive or whether he tests had simulated speeds side-impa- twice as fast as it reported. The error prompted criticism from the manufacturers involved and confusion among readers, especially parents of young children. The results of the magazine's investigation were released Tuesday and will be Purdue student published in the May issue, among reports on Teflon and found electrocuted lawn-car- e products. The issue also includes a pledge from WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The discovery of the body Jim Guest, president of parent of a missing Purdue Univercompany Consumers Union, that in the future he will have sity student in a dormitory's utility room has to sign off on "any report that calls a product Not Acceptable school officials and his famrefused earlier Tuesday to al- ily wondering how a door to or raises questions about an entire group of products." low a hearing before the full such a dangerous area was left unlocked. court to consider the state's According to the report, Consumer Reports wanted School officials Tuesday appeal. to test the effect of a 38 mph The execution team had said they would investigate been waiting while the high side impact on children in car why a door that opens to the seats. The magazine chose court debated, and was ready outdoors was unlocked and that speed because that is how to administer the lethal injecwhy numerous searches for tion if the court granted the cars themselves are tested by Wade Steffey, 19, since he went missing Jan. 13 did not federal regulators. state's request to proceed include a full inspection of the with the execution. When such a crash occurs, much of the momentum of the room. "The search for Wade Stef- striking car is absorbed by Boy found after 4 days fey is over, but the search for the struck car and the struck in N.C. wilderness car moves away at about half answers continues," Purdue g the impact speed. But the lab A McGRADY, N.C. spokeswoman Jeanne said. tested the car seats as if they Boy Scout whose moved off at 38 mph, which A maintenance worker favorite book was about a would have been the result of investigating a "pinging" youngster lost in the wildera much more violent crash, ness now has his own harrow- sound Monday found the the probe concluded. body slumped over machining survival tale to tell after Consumer Reports then rescuers found him Tuesday, ery. Steffey, a freshman from Bloomington, was last seen presented the findings as the dehydrated and disoriented from four days in the wooded in the area after he left a fra- results of a 38 mph impact mountains of North Carolina. ternity party. The Tippecanoe and said only two of 12 seats A rescue dog picked up County coroner identified the tested were worth buying. The experts Michael Auberry's scent less body Tuesday. Kennedy H. Digges, former director The worker unlocked a than a mile from the campsite where he had wandered away door to the room from inside of vehicle safety research at coed the National Highway Traffic from his troop Saturday. The the roughly Owen Hall and found StefSafety Administration, and boy's father speculated that he was simply homesick and Brian O'Neill, former presifey 's body, Norberg said. dent of the Insurance Institute wanted to hitchhike home. for Highway Safety The disappearance touched said Consumer Reports off an intensive search involvreleases investigation the misunderstanding persisted throughout the testing ing bloodhounds, heat seeking on its car-seerror because the test was devised helicopters and dozens of volWHITE PLAINS, with little input from outside unteers on foot. hired by Consum"He saw the helicopters and consultants. er Reports to investigate how Consumer Reports said that heard people calling him, but he yelled back and they didn't it botched a story about infant reflected "the organization's car seats concluded Tuesday hear him," said his father, policy of limitKent Auberry. "He's very that a major misunderstanding contact with government tired. He's very dehydrated. ing between the magazine and and industry to avoid comBut he came through this in the lab that conducted the test promising the independence resulted in the error. of its judgment." unbelievable fashion." put any of his Scout wilderness training to use. A few hours after an emotional reunion, Kent Auberry said he still didn't know much about his son's ordeal, mostly because decided not to ask too many questions. d Tehran for refusing to freeze uranium enrichment. The representatives a European diplomat and a U.S. official said a large number of Russian technicians, engineers and other specialists were flown to Moscow within the last week, around the time senior Russian and Iranian officials tried but failed to resolve differences over the nuclear reactor outside the southern city of Bushehr. Russian officials deny links between the dispute over Bushehr and Iran's nuclear defiance. high-volta- Fire kills Nor-ber- N.Y.-Consu- ltants f 13 ' Press gov't takes office Hamas militants on KARNI CROSSING, Gaza Strip Monday claimed responsibility for a shooting that wounded an Israeli civilian near the border with the Gaza Strip the first serious violence after formation of the new Palestinian unity government. The shooting dealt an embarrassing blow to Hamas political leaders, who have been trying to persuade the international community to recognize their coalition with the rival Fatah movement and lift a year-ol- d economic boycott against the Palestinian government. It also exposed divisions within the Islamic militant group. Israel said the attack proved the coalition was flouting international demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist, and accept past peace accords. "The terrorist attack today is a direct result of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's call on Saturday for resistance against Israel His followers have turned his words into actions," said Miri Eisin, spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. However, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz broke with Olmert on Monday, calling for peace talks with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert said contacts would be limited to humanitarian issues. and nearly all of those who did Tel Aviv, Hooters spokesman Mike McNeil said Tuesday. get out suffered injuries. Egypt sets early vote on constitution changes The Egyp- CAIRO, Egypt tian president on Tuesday scheduled a referendum next Russian nursing home week on constitutional amendments that would limit the KAMYSHEVATSKAYA," Russia Flames engulfed a country's largest opposition movement, drawing accusanursing home in this village without a fire station Tuesday, tions that the government was killing 62 frail and elderly resi- speeding up the process to avoid debate. dents after the night watchThe government says the man ignored two alarms and emergency teams took nearly changes will help increase dean hour to arrive. At least 30 mocracy in a country where President Hosni Mubarak has people were injured. ruled unchallenged for a Coming a day after a gas ntury. explosion that killed more But opponents say the than 100 coal miners in Sibeamendments are part of a ria, the fire could undermine Kremlin contentions that conplan to ensure the ditions are improving in newly president's son succeeds him in a future election. prosperous Russia. Mubarak set the national Angry residents hurled referendum for March 26, accusations of negligence at more than a week earlier than the regional envoy of President Vladimir Putin, who anexpected. nounced that today would be a national day of mourning Hooters to open for those killed in the fire and restaurants in Israel mine catastrophe as well as a plane crash Saturday that ATLANTA Hooters, the killed six. restaurant chain known for its Authorities blamed the nurs- tasty wings and scantily clad ing home disaster on safety t, servers, is heading to Israel. Atlanta-baseviolations at the home, toxic Hooters of America Inc. said in a statebuilding materials used in a renovation, negligence by the ment Monday that it has staff and the nearest firehouse reached a franchise deal with liana and Of er Ahiraz to open being about 30 miles from a town on the the first Hooters restaurant this year in Israel, with several Azov Sea in southern Russia. more locations in Israel to folMany of the 93 elderly resilow. dents of the home were too The first location will be in frail to escape on their own, d at MORENATTIAssociated Palestinian unity quarter-ce- nt long-standi- at least 62 at EMILIO Israeli soldiers carry a stretcher with a fake human body during an exercise simulating a missile attack on a house in the Israeli coastal city ofNetanya on Tuesday. The franchisees are from Eventually, other parts of the country may be considered for locations, but there have been no formal decisions about where, McNeil said. "For the most part, it will be identical to what you're going to see in the United States the same uniform for the girls, chicken wings and burgers," he said. Dutch heavy metal band to rock the heck out of religious town AMSTERDAM, Netherlands A heavy metal rock festival hoping to hold an open-ai- r concert in an area known as the Dutch Bible Belt received a permit on one condition: no cursing. The Elsrock festival caused an uproar last year when it was held for the first time outside the small, heavily religious town of Rijssen, 75 miles east of Amsterdam. Two religious political parties complained that heavy metal "is typified by lyrics about death and decay, and vocals that change between a hellish wail and deep grunts." Churches protesting a new concert this year were pacified only by "the stated readiness of the organizers to make sure that no blasphemous words are used, and that the honor of God's name is not besmirched," Mayor Bort Koelewijn wrote in a letter granting the permit, made public on Tuesday. H V TP 4 It' 1 ' v. x 1 ' , few MIKE DERERAssociated Press v Associated Press Students against war Persian New Year Students and others march in an anti-wa- r protest in the southbound lanes of Route 18 in New Brunswick, NJ., on Tuesday. Some students and peace groups at Rutgers University walkout and demonstration against the Iraq war. staged a campus-wid- e An Uzbek man performs during celebrations marking the upcoming Persian New Year ' known as Nowruz, in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on Tuesday. 'V. f ' |