OCR Text |
Show FAST FACT After the Romans it was not until the 14th and 15th centuries that there was a major revival of furniture making, with new types of cupboards, boxes with compartments and desks, Source: Micropedia of World Facts Compiled from Daily NI services The NATION Judge acquits Campbell instructor in pool death PARRIS ISLAND,S.C.— A military judge Wednesday found a Marine Corps swim finds new wayto cut Lopez had sodium been accused offailing to recognize orignoring signs that 19-year-old Jason Tharp was too tired or incapable of continuing before he drowned in a training poolon Feb. 8, 2005. Executives at the Campbell Soup Co. have heard the same thing almost since Andy Warhol was making art out oftheir cans in the 1960s: Lowerthe sodium in soup without sacrificing taste and people will eat even moreofit. Now,after years of gradually reducing the But the judge, Maj. Mark Griffith, acquitted’ Lopez in the nonjury court-martial just 40 minutes after defense attorneys rested withoutcalling any witnesses. They contended prosecutors simply failed to provetheir case. NYC manhospitalized with anthrax A New YorkCity drum maker has been hospitalized with a case of inhaled anthrax thatofficials say he may have contracted from the raw animal hides that he imports from Africa, Authorities said Wednesday the infection appeared to be accidental — not terrorism — anddid not pose a serious public health threat. Vado Diomande, 44, had traveled recently to the west coastof Africa andfell ill in Pennsylvania last week shortly after he returned to this country with somehides, authorities said, It was not exactly clear how Diomande cameinto contact with the deadly substance,or whetherit happened in Africa orin this country. But aides to Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it was related tohis job making drums from animal skins, Naval Academy charges quarterback with rape ANNAPOLIS, Md. — In an- other embarrassmentfor one of the nation’s service academies, Navy quarterback Lamar Owens has been charged with raping a female midshipmanin her dormitory room. Owens,a 22-year-old senior from Savannah, Ga., was charged underthe military codeofjustice because the alleged attack took place on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy, academy spokesman Cmdr.Rod Gibbons said Wednesday. Investigators said Owens at- tacked the woman last month after entering her room in Bancroft Hall without her consent. Journalism school to be namedfor Jennings PHILADELPHIA — The National Constitution Center will use part of 2$6.4 million grantto establish a journalism institute named after late ABC NewsanchorPeter Jennings. The funding for the Peter JenningsInstitute for Journalists and the Constitution comes from the Annenberg Foundation andwill also support six other outreach programs. Jennings, the longtime anchor of ABC's “World News The WORLD sodium in its soups, the | New Jersey-based companysaysit has made a breakthrough:natural, low-sodium seasalt.It | will be used in about 30 soups — both new and reformulated recipes — scheduled to be on supermarket shelves in August, Campbell announced Wednesday. “We've been everywhere on the globe trying to find a sea salt withall the characteristics of this one,” Chief Executive Douglas R. Conanttold The Associated Press. Tonight,” died last summerof lung cancer. Teensplead notguilty in homeless beatings case Three Florida teenagers accused in series of brutal beatingsthat killed a homeless man andseriously injured two others the same night pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of murderandattempted murder. In one ofthe attacks, captured ona university surveillance tape, two young men with baseball bats repeatedly hit the victim as he lay on a sidewalk andtried to block the blowswith his hands. In the otherattacks, authorities said the assailants used a panttall gun,bats and a golf dl The videotaped attack sparked public outrage and helped lead authorities to the teens. Brian Hooks and William Ammons,both 18, and 17-yearold Thomas Daugherty were indicted earlier this month on murdercharges in the killing of 45-year-old Norris Gaynor and attempted murderin the beatings of RaymondPerez and Jacques Pierre. Gaynorwas beaten witha baseball bat while he slept on apark benchJan. 12 and was shot witha paintball gun, Perez was assaulted with a golfclub outside a nearby church, andPierre was bludgeoned with a bat on the Fort Lauderdale campus of Florida Atlantic University, the attack caught on tape. EMILIO MORENATTI/Associated Press At the barrier Palestinians walk neara sectionofIsrael's separation barrier at the Kalandia checkpoint near the West Bank town of Ramallah on Wednesday. “Armednets $43 millon Iran offers to finance a Hamas-run government TEHRAN,Iran — Iran offered Wednesdayto fund a Hamas-led Palestinian governmentif the West cuts off aid. But Israel vowed to block any money from Tehran and warned the Palestinians against aligning with whatit called “international pariahs.” Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's SupremeNational Security Council, issued the pledge after a meeting with Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas political leader. Mashaal andhis delegation werein Iran ontheir latest stop of a tour of Arab andIslamic nations to build support. Iran, one of Hamas’strongest backers, shares a nearly identical regional political strategy with the Islamic militant group that wonlast month’s Palestinian parliament elections. Both havecalled for the destructionofIsrael and neither recognizes the Jewish state. In India,fear of avian flu knocks chicken off menu NEW DELHI— The regulars still hoverin the alley outside Khan Chacha Kabab Corner at lunchtime, but there’s one thing they're no longereating: chicken. Thehole-in-tl.e-wall New Delhi institution knocked poultry off its 11-item menulast weekend,just after India reported its first cases ofavian flu. Indian governmentofficials havestressed that avian flu can't be passed to people by eating cooked poultry — they evenatefried chickenat a newsconference earlier this week — but their efforts have donelittle to reassure panicked consumers, Chicken consumption has plunged in the land of tandoori chicken. Pakistan hunts for Talibanfugitives ISLAMABAD,Pakistan — Pakistan was hunting for morethan 100 Taliban fugitives whose names wereona list provided by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, officials said Wednesday. Karzai gavethe list to Pakistan last week during visit, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpaotold The Associated Press. “Wedid receive information about these suspects, and wewill capture them,if they are here,” he said, Sherpao declined to say how many names were on the list or provide other details about the in near-record British heist LONDON — An armed gangdressed as police officers stole at least 25 million pounds — the equivalent of about $43.5 million — early Wednesday froma private cash-sorting companyin oneofthe largest robberies in British history, police and Bank of Englandofficials said. Atleast six robbers abducted a managerofthe private | company, as well as his wife and young son, and forced the | managerat gunpoint to cooperatein the theft in Kent County, | in southeast England,accordingto police. That techniqueis | similar to one used by robbers who took more than 26 million \ds — then about $50 million — from the Northern Bank in Belfast, NorthernIreland,in December 2004,the United Kingdom'slargest cash robbery. Police at the Kent County Constabulary said Wednesday's robbery targeted a cash depot operated by Securitas Cash ManagementLtd.in the town of Tonbridge. “Membersofour staff havehadinflicted on them the most terrible and traumatic experience,” Securitas spokesman Tony Bensontold the BBC.“The fact that no one has been physically injured should not mask the brutality ofthis crime, and weareall committed to working withthepolice to catch those responsible andsee justice broughtto bear.” The Bank of Englandsaid in a statementposted onits Web site late Wednesdaythatit had “already been reimbursed by Securitas for the initial estimate”of 25 million pounds taken. “Any further sum will be reimbursed to the Bank as soon as the amountis known,”the statementsaid. “Thereis no cost at all to the Bank orthe taxpayer.” The statement offered no furtherdetails aboutthe stolen cash anddid not explain why the bank was being reimbursed. | | tin told journalists ona visit to Azerbaijan. The Russian leadersaid that the Kremlin'soffer to enrich uranium for Tehranto avert suspicions that the Iranians could divert the nuclear fuel for atomic weapons should be “perfectly acceptable”to Iran and could be used as “a means to solve the problem.” Heavy rains, idledrill frustrate landslide search GUINSAUGON,Philippines — It was another day of frustration Wednesday with no sign of survivors as rescue workerstried tofind an elementary schoolburied by a landslide under 100 feet of mud. Heavyrain forced troops tocall off work, and a two-tondrill broughtin by U.S. Marinessat idle with its braces missing Up to 300 children and teachers were thought to have been trapped in the school when a mountainside collapsed Friday after two weeksof heavyrain, burying the farmingvillage of Guinsaugonin a 100-acre blanket of mud. Hopesfor a miracle have focused on the school largely becauseof unconfirmed reports that survivors there sent mobile phone text messagestorelatives shortly after the landslide. Kazakhintelligence chief quits The murderof a prominent opposition leaderin Kazakhstan this month continued to reverberate Wednesday as the headof the country’sintelligence service quit following thearrest offive of his subordinates for alleged involvement in thekilling. The Kazakhstan Today news agency also reported that police had arrested the administration chief of the country’s senate on suspicion of involvementin thekilling of Altynbek Sarsenbayev.Thecrimeis generating increasing political pressure on the government of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Official says China must step in for farmers BEIJING — A senior Chinese official said Wednesdaythat the government musttake immediatestepsto raise theliving standards of disgruntled farmers and soften the blow when urban development swallows up their fields andvillages. The declaration, from Chen Xiwen,a high-level Communist Party functionary for rural finances, was the latest drumroll in a large-scale campaign by the Chinese governmentto showit is determinedto help China’s 750 million increasingly restive farmers. Rice questioned about democracy in Mideast RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is encountering sharp questions as she triesto sell the Bush administration's policy of promoting democracyin the Middle East. Arabjournalists want Rice to explain howthe United States can pushelections that brought Hamas,the radical Palestinian group, to power — and then turn around andtrytoisolate the group. Arableaders,at least those in Saudi Arabia and in Egypt, her first stop on a four-day tour, refused to cutoff aid to a future Hamas-led government. as Washington had hoped. And Arabsecular opposition leaders in Egypt questioned U.S. support for the authoritarian regimeof President Hosni Mubarak. in ‘ani cities or in rugged tribal regions near Afg! fan. Putin: Russia's talks with JAMES A, FINLEY/Associated Press: "Dick Cheney beads’ Pete Sharamitaro holds a set of beads he describes as “Dick Cheney beads,” with shotgun casings placed between the Mardi Gras beads,in St. Louis. St. Louis is getting ready for its annual Mardi Gras celebration; the Cheney beads are in reference to Cheney's accidental shooting of a hunting ion. The St. Louis Mardi Gras celebration is expected r than ever because of the damage suffered in New tobe Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. Iran not going easily BAKU,Azerbaijan — Talks with Iran on a Russian proposal aimed at resolving an international crisis over Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons binds are not going “easily,” ident Vladimir Putin sai SAYYID AZIM/Associated Press Wednesday Religious learning vane weare countingon reaching a positive result,” Pu- A Chad Muslim girl holds the verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book,written on wood to learn by heartin a street in N’djemena, Chad. Memorizing the Quran is a must for Muslim children , |