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Show ' THE NATION U.S. DIGEST HOUSE SEEKS TO CUT NATION'S DRUG USE IN HALF IN FOUR YEARS: The House, over the strong objections of the administration, approved a measure yesterday that would bring dramatic changes to the White House office that coordinates anti-drug policies. The measure, passed by voice vote, would give the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy greater powers but require him to meet stiff goals, including cutting overall drug use in half over the next four years. "This fundamentally restructures the way the drug war is fought," said Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., chief sponsor of the legislation. MOTHER SHOT AT BUS STOP AS CHILDREN LOOK ON: A young mother was shot at a bus stop in front of at least 16 schoolchildren yesterday in Lowell, Mass., and died with two of her own youngsters holding her.hand. Her former boyfriend, Richard Kenney, 35, was arrested about six hours after the shooting, 25 miles south of Lowell, after police found the car witnesses had described. Richard Kenney was arrested on suspicion of murder. Kenney Ms. Glenn was shot three times, twice in the head and once in the upper body. TESTS SHOW KNOWLEDGE FALLS IN HIGH SCHOOL: Four out of 10 high school seniors don't know basic science that should be taught at their grade level, according to a test that required students to do small-scale experiments and give written, reasoned answers. The results of this test called National Assessment of Educational Process were announced yesterday. For Utah, 30 percent of the students taking the test scored below basic, 70 percent scored at basic, 32 percent scored proficient, and two-percent scored at the advanced level. WORLD DIGEST JAPAN WARNS OF DEATHS FROM CANCER DRUGS: The manufacturer of an anti-cancer drug has been ordered to warn doctors in Japan that 30 patients taking the medicine may have died of side effects.The drug is sold in the United States under the same name. Prior to approving its use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined that the drug's potential benefits outweighed the risks. In the United States, the drug comes with strong warnings that it can cause serious, even fatal side effects. U.S. WANTS IRAQ PUNISHED FOR WEAPONS VIOLATIONS: Despite a personal appeal by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the United States failed yesterday to persuade Russia to support new sanctions against Iraq for refusing to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. The Security Council was to have met yesterday afternoon to finalize a resolution Madeleine on Iraq. That meeting was postponed until Albright today because of disagreement among the 15 _ _::a...,._ _ members. However, the United States' objective appeared dead in the water. ELTON JOHN'S SONG FOR PRINCESS DIANA DECLARED BIGGEST SINGLE EVER: Just 37 days after its release, "Candle In The Wind '97" - Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana - has been declared the world's biggest-selling single recording. The Guinness Book of Records said yesterday that nearly 31.8 million copies of the record had been shipped around the world, overtaking Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," which has sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide since its release 55 years ago. In the days after Diana's death, John rewrote the 1970s song, originally dedicated to Marilyn Monroe to perform at Diana's funeral. FBI chooses controversial lab head WASHINGTON (AP) - Emerging threats of Reno said, "when it became clear that the chemical, biological, nuclear and computer immense challenges ... required a brilliant crime inspired the selection of a former nuclear scientist as well as a brilliant manager, Director weapons lab director with no forensic Freeh rightly broadened his search, seeking experience to head the troubled FBI crime lab, someone with a high-level background in Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director managing complex and important laboratory Louis Freeh said yesterdi!Y· issues." They defended Freeh's decision to depart from Freeh said Kerr's management skills would the FBI's written promise last April to hire an help the FBI build a new laboratory, due for experienced forensic completion in scientist. But the chief summer 2000, at its Senate overseer of the training facility in FBI, Sen. Charles Quantico, Va., and Grassley, R-Iowa, help lead the lab into blasted Freeh's move new research on yesterday as groups of chemical, biological government criminal and nuclear weapons defense lawyers had ~ and computer crime. last week. re "His remarkable The FBI hired ~ background will be Donald M. Kerr Jr., 58, ~ invaluable as the FBI a physicist-engineer 8 carries out its priority who from 1979 to ~ efforts to prevent 1985 headed the ~ terrorists from using government's Los nuclear, biological or FBI Director Louis Freeh. right, announces at FBI Alamos National chemical weapons in headquarters the selection of Donald Kerr, left.as Laboratory that the United States," the new director of the troubled FBI crime lab designed nuclear Freeh said. He noted weapons. He also that the FBI has had served as an acting assistant secretary of energy to get help from Defense Department labs, for in charge of nuclear weapon production during some work in these areas. the Carter administration. Crassley, who chairs the Senate · "This is indeed a very good day for the FBI, for subcommittee that overseas the FBI, said that in its laboratory and for justice in America," Reno choosing Kerr "the FBI fell miserably short of told a news conference. even its own standards. This is evidence that Although the search began "by looking for an the American people simply cannot trust what outstanding forensic scientist," the FBI tells them." Nurse allegedly kills 22 patients COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - A nurse and a doctor have been charged with killing 22 people with drugs at a nursing home for the elderly, police announced yesterday. The 32-year-old nurse allegedly gave the victims a morphine-based drug, authorities said. She is charged with murder, theft and embezzlement from nursing home patients. Police referred to the killings as "euthanasia," 'but it was not immediately clear if any of the victims - ages 65 to 97 - were cases of assisted suicide. Both are illegal in Denmark. The nurse, who was arrested Monday, denied the killings but told a Copenhagen court that she had given medicine to patients without consulting with a doctor on one or two occasions, Danish radio reported. She cried during her court appearance and also said she bad given the morphine-based medicine to patients on orders of the doctor, the radio reported. The doctor was charged with breach of duty and negligent homicide. "I'm shocked," lb Schultz, manager of the nursing home facility in downtown Copenhagen, told Danish television. Police said the killings, which came to light during an investigation of fraud at the facility, took place at the nursing home in Copenhagen between August 1994 and this March. The victims were 15 women and seven men. The nurse was fired in March; the reason for the dismissal was not immediately known. The Copenhagen City Court today banned A nurse arrives at the Copenhagen City Court, where she was charged with killing 22 people publication of the names of the nurse, the doctor, the home or any of the 22 deceased - a common practice in Denmark. Jan Brockhoff, a member of a local council that advises city officials on matters concerning the elderly, said the investigation began in February. "The family of a person who died there contacted the council ...because the death itself was unnatural," Brockhoff told reporters. Police said the killings came to light during a fraud investigation. In the initial investigation, medical authorities learned there had been eight deaths in the nurse's department this year while only one person had died in another, similar department, the radio said quoting courtdocuments. |