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Show NM105vRLI) IRIIMY. SUM! Mil! K 17. W GLOBAL BRIEFING ! ; THE DAILY HERALD i . Congress OKs raise for lawmakers, president By ALAN FRAM Scandal rocks LAPP Associated Press Writer percent increase in federal civil servants' salaries sure's chief author, said he was "bothered" by the amount of opposition the congressional p8y raise engendered. "The ones who demagogue it most and voted against it are the ones who put it in their pockets," he told a reporter. Campbell said he believes lawmakers deserve higher pay, and said their 3.4 percent increases were less than the 4.8 percent raises federal Sen. Mike DeWine, who faces next were LOS ANGKLKS - - A polia-man'- i convict ion far blt'iiling cocaine from lot lur ii.i exploded into an I'viih-iiH- i a wide invest iution of a frame-up- , drug doiiling atiJ other uiiiics allegedly covered up by a code of sik-ncin the Angeles Police menl. Depart Ten officers and a police supervisor have been tuiKpcnded in two internal investigations into cor ruption within the department. And federal authorities announced Thursday they would conduct their own investigation into what is believed to be one of the biggest corruption scandals in uVD history. Ford gets reprieve WASHINGTON Congress voted final approval Thursday to legislation dou- bling the next president's salary to $400,000 and letting lawmakers themselves receive pay boosts of $4,600 or more. Also getting pay raises in January would be Vice President Al Gore, Cabinet secretaries and about 1,300 other executive branch officials. By law, they get the same increases members of Congress do. The raises plus a 4.8 top-lev- cost-of-livin- g part of a $28 billion year. The 3.4 percent boost measure financing the rounded and to the nearest $100 Treasury Department some smaller agencies for the coming fiscal year. The Senate approved it by a day after the House gave its endorsement by is President Clinton expected to sign the measure. Spending bills generally pass the Senate by wider margins. Senators from both sides attributed Thursday's 38 "no" votes largely to anxiety over boosting their own salaries. "I did not want to vote for a congressional pay raise," said 54-3- 292-12- would raise most members' pay to $141,300 beginning in January-Leaderearn more, topped by House Speaker Dennis who will make Hastert, $181,400. Gore will also earn $181,400, while Cabinet secretaries will make $157,000. By law, federal judges would also be entitled to the "employees received. Even so, same 3.4 percent increase, he said he donates his conbut Congress must approve gressional pay raises to charthat separately. ity The salary boosts were not Sen. Ben Nighthorse the mentioned mea the during Campbell, s ., Senate's brief debate over the Treasury bill. In fact, the bill does not contain even language increasing lawmakers' pay. A 1989 law grants annual congressional increases unless Congress votes to block them, and the Treasury measure is the traditional vehicle for doing "cost-of-livin- that. last gave Lawmakers themselves increases in 1998 and 1993. This year, the combination of a sturdy economy and a balanced federal budget led many lawmakers to conclude that the political climate for a pay raise was safe. ' A SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Modesto judge overturned a $290 million damage award against Ford Motor Co. on Thursday, ruling that a juror's dream and a TV show tainted deliberations about three deaths in a rollover accident with a Ford Bronco. Superior Court Judge Roger Dcauchciaio granted Ford a new trial on the punitive damages, saying jury misconduct may have influenced the July 12 verdict. He also reduced $5 million in compensation awarded to surviving family members by $469,000. The judge upheld the jury's unanimous finding that a defective roof was responsible for the deaths of a husband, wife and son when their Ford Bronco overturned on a freeway in ; . June ':' lm. Typhoon hits Kong Kong - HONG KONG (AP) Typhoon York roared across Hong Kong on the first direct hit by Thursday such a powerful storm in 16 years knocking windows out of skyscrapers and yanking trees from the ground as the normally bustling city collapsed into a chaotic mess. One man died after being struck by flying debris, three people were missing and at least 493 people were 11 seriously as York injured hurricane-forc- e with Hong Kong pounded winds for nearly 11 hours. The typhoon triggered floods across the territory, cutting off power to remote villages. It blocked roads with uprooted trees, huge shards of glass and bamboo scaffolding that was ripped violently off of buildings. White House relents WASHINGTON (AP) The White 1 louse agreed Thursday to allow U.S. companies to sell the most powerful data scrambling technology overseas with virtually no restrictions, a coninduscession to America's high-tec- h law nationover enforcement and try al security objections. The move was a defeat for the Justice Department, which had forcefully argued that criminals and terrorists might use the technology to scramble messages about crimes or deadly plots. Even as the new policy was announced, Attorney General Janet Reno said at the White House, "In stopping a terrorist attack or seeking to recover a kidnapped child, encountering encryption might mean the difference bet ween success and catastrophic failure." She said the policy "will mean that more terrorists and criminals will use encryption." To help law enforcement, the White House will urge Congress to give the FBI $80 million over four years to develop techniques to break messages scrambled by terrorists. Gates donates $1 billion . SEATTLE (AP) Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates pledged Thursday to donate $ 1 billion for col-- , lege scholarships for minority stu-- ;' dents, saying he wants to change the includ-- ! face of American leadership own of his that company. ing The "G ates Millenniu m Scholars Program," supported by the world's a Harvard dropout richest man and his wife, Melinda, will provide 1,000 scholarships a year for 20 years black, Hispanic to and American Indian students. Asian-Anierica- Russia in crisis:: following 4th bomb CHURCH SHOOTING hooter X'UW'- -t Baptist 0,uu.(, l iftftnicr 4 a "I u. nod lmnwncm 1 W V j II '' I . " J 4L left few clues Russia VOLGODONSK, President Boras (AP) Yeltsin, facing a political crisis after a fourth bombing in a month killed 17 people and wounded 180 others Thursday, said he has "enough will and enough resources for the Man described as 'troubled' . struggle against terrorism."'-'Hi3 statement came after the latest explosion at an apartment building! By STEFANI G. KOPENEC Associated Press Writer g early-mornin- FORT WORTH, Texas Police picked through Larry Gene Ashbrook's trashed home and old journals on Thursday, finding holes punched in walls, concrete poured in toilets and family but photographs shredded no explanation for why he opened fire in a church, killing seven people and him- The four explosions together have killed at least 292 people. HON T. ENN1S The Associated Press Time for a prayer: Adam Bradiey, left, and Frank Garner pause for a prayer at the edge of the Wedgewood Baptist Church property on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. A gunman opened fire in the church Wednesday evening killing seven people before turning the gun on himself. self. ments about Baptists. They The Ashbrook scrambled for cover as appeared to be "a very trouAshbrook opened fire, pausbled man who ... sought to ing at least twice to reload. quiet whatever demons that "The guy pointed at me bothered him," FBI agent and shot at me!" an Robert Garrity said, "I don't man told a 911 disknow that we'll ever know patch operator. "I saw the the answer to the question of flash of a muzzle and headed why it happened." the other direction." Ashbrook, dressed in blue "There's a woman here jeans, a black jacket and who looks like she's bleeding smoking a cigarette, entered in the head!" a church nursthe Wedgwood Baptist ery worker told another operChurch in Fort Worth on ator. Wednesday evening as teenAshbrook lit and rolled a agers listened to a Christian homemade pipe bomb down rock band in the sanctuary. an aisle at one point. It In the church lobby, exploded but did not harm Ashbrook confronted his first anyone. victims with a question: Seven people choir "What's the program?" Then members, seminarians and he shot a janitor who high school students were approached him and killed killed. Seven others were two other people before walkwounded, three seriously. ing into the crowded sanctu- Ashbrook then killed himself ary. in a rear pew. s The 150 gathAuthorities said ered inside initially thought Ashbrook two carried Ashbrook was part of a skit a 9mm Ruger weapons, as he began cursing and semiautomatic handgun spouting derogatory com- - and a AMT teen-ager- .380-calib- m. I citizens to protect themselves. "I want to turn to military veterans, police veterans. Take the initiative on yourselves," he said. Moscow is abuzz with speculation the government will declare a state of which would allow Yeltsin to rule by decree. But Yeltsin has denied that and said he will serve out .the remainder of his term, which, expires in j. On Thursday, police discovered a "huge amount" of explosive powder in a southern emer-genc- mid-200- RODGER M ALLISON The Associated Press Mourning a loss: Katy Baker, left, and Jennifer Simmons, right, both freshmen at Brewer High School in White Settlement, Texas, hug friends as they gather Thursday at First Baptist Church of White Settlement, to mourn the death of their friend and classmate, Joseph Ennis. handgun. were 30 spent 9mm shell casings inside the church. The .380 was purchased flea legally from a market shop, Mendoza said. Investigators found six loaded 9mm clips in his jacket pocket but were unsure if the .380 was fired inside the church. Acting police Chief Ralph Mendoza estimated there now-close- Officials d still were research- ing the purchase of the 9mm. Indonesian leader pledges troop withdrawal next week DILI, Indonesia (AP) Indonesia's military commander in East Timor promised Thursday he would begin withdrawing his troops from the devastated province next week, ending a long, bitter occupation and making way for a multinational peacekeeping force. A company of 250 British Gurkhas army sporting and with camouflage green rifles at the ready, arrived in on Darwin, Australia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave government agencies three days to come, up with plans for strengthening security in industry, transport, communications, and energy installations, as well as in residential areas. During a meeting of his Cabinet, he turned to the television cameras and appealed to Thursday to be part of that by the military began rampag-.- . force, as well as elite troops ing through the capital, Dili. ; from New Zealand. The delay posed an imme; In Washington, President diate threat to at least Clinton ordered 200 U.S. mil200,000 people who the itary personnel to take part United Nations says are at risk of starvation. in the force to provide logistical support. Australia had planned to But in a sharp reversal, begin the drops today, but Australia announced delayed the aid because Thursday it would delay vital Indonesia had not cleared it air drops of food to tens of and international peacekeepthousands of East Timorese ers were not yet on the who had fled to the hills and ground to distribute it, forests since militias backed Australian Defense Minister . .'. , John Moore said. "You just can't fly over and drop it," he added. The drops are unlikely now to begin before Sunday or Monday. militias ignited a campaign of killing, looting and arson after, U.N. officials announced Sept. 4 that voters in East Timor had overwhelmingly chosen to become independent from Indonesia in an Aug. 30 vote. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of residents hay? beeo killed. ..Pro-Indonesia- n . f i i t , Moscow suburb, hidden among sacks of sugar from a plant in southern Russia, a spokesman said. The Interfax news agency reported that the cache was almost 3 12 tons. Police also uncovered six timing devices, apparently designed to detonate bombs, the Federal Security Service said. Thursday's bomb, hidden in a truck or an underground pipe, sheared off the front pf a nine-stor- y apartment building in the city of Volgodonsk, about 500 miles south of Moscow, around dawn, officials said. The blast left a crater 16 12 feet deep in front of the building and severely damaged a nearby police station and about 20 other buildings, Interior Ministry officials said. Traces of explosives were found in the wreckage, he Federal Security Service said. The force of the blia$t 0 was equivalent to about tons of TNT, it said. ? At least 17 people, including two children, were killed, and 184 others were wouiui-- t ed, with 69 of them hospitalized, officials said. tOO-30- "y 'WWII. ' J i!MIilim" i) POOR |
