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Washington, June 19, 2002 - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Coordinating centre for Kosovo-Metohija Nebojsa Covic said that a Yugoslav delegation and US officials agreed that independence of Kosovo is out of the question, since it would provoke new clashes in southeast Europe. The themes of the meeting were current problems in Kosovo: return of the Serbs, safety, freedom of movement, and means of creating a sustainable common approach in resolving these problems, said Covic to the Voice of America after talking to American senators, congressmen, State Department officials, and Director for Eastern Europe in the US...

Reprinted from NewsMax.com Islamic Scholar Warns U.S. of 'Two-Faced' Muslims NewsMax.com Wires Thursday, June 20, 2002 WASHINGTON – A leader of the small worldwide Muslim reform movement is warning the West against wishful thinking as the U.S. government promotes an intensive dialogue with Islam. "The dialogue is not proceeding well because of the two-facedness of most Muslim interlocutors on the one hand and the gullibility of well-meaning Western idealists on the other," Bassam Tibi said Tuesday in an interview with United Press International. Syrian-born Tibi, who claims to be a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed and teaches political science...

On June 13 The Guardian (UK) reported that “European satellite TV viewers can watch live broadcasts of peacekeeping and anti-terrorist operations being conducted by US spyplanes over the Balkans.” (See URL) For six months super-secret video links from U.S. military and paramilitary operations have been accessible to ordinary satellite TV receivers. Someone even linked these sensitive communications to the Internet. This lapse in U.S. security was discovered last November by John Locker, a British engineer and satellite enthusiast. Locker realized that somebody in the U.S. had made a “deadly error.” Locker’s first thought was to warn British, NATO and U.S....

I just received official word that our settlement with the LAT/WP in their alleged copyright infringement and unfair competion suit against Free Republic (click Source link above for complete history of the case) is completely finalized with the court. I do not have a copy of the final order yet, but the basic terms are as follows: Unless we receive prior written permission on an article by article basis, Free Republic agrees to continue posting only excerpts (as allowed by fair use) and links from any of the LAT/WP or related publications. Free Republic agrees to remove all full...

<p>The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has taken up the case of The Koala, a student publication, which the university is prosecuting over a parody of the Hispanic hate group Mecha. The Koala stands charged with "disruption" for "taking photographs" at a Mecha meeting that was open to the public--though in fact the photographer was not a member of The Koala and submitted the photos to the publication after the fact.</p>

Relatives of Canadian soldiers killed and injured in an accidental bombing in Afghanistan reacted with sadness and resignation Wednesday to a report that blamed an American pilot for the tragedy. Joyce Clooney, whose grandson Pte. Ricky Green died in the April incident, said the report by U.S. military investigators confirmed what she and many other families had long suspected -- that the pilot who dropped the bomb acted improperly. "I always felt sure the Canadians were in the proper place," Clooney said from her home in Bridgewater, N.S. "The pilot just made the decision quickly. I'm not angry, but we're...

Chabot urges late-abortion banBill would prohibit 'partial birth' procedure By Derrick DePledge, ddepledge@enquirer.comEnquirer Washington Bureau        WASHINGTON — House conservatives, counting on support from President Bush, will press for a federal ban on a controversial late-term abortion procedure that President Clinton twice rejected.         Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, will introduce a bill today that would prohibit so-called partial-birth abortion and punish doctors who perform it with a fine and up to two years in prison.         The bill describes the rare procedure, where doctors induce labor and collapse the skull of...

BOGOTA, Colombia - Sixty police officers, including top commanders of anti-narcotics police, are being investigated in the disappearance of more than $2 million in U.S. funds, Colombian authorities announced Tuesday. The widening scandal threatens to undermine confidence on Capitol Hill in Colombia's security forces, just as the Bush administration is asking U.S. lawmakers to provide more than $500 million in additional aid. The list of police officers under "disciplinary investigation" by the Colombian inspector-general's office reads like a Who's Who in the Colombian police anti-drug operations. The list includes Gen. Gustavo Socha, who resigned last month as chief of the...

<p>Washington -- A day after a government report blasted his agency as inept and incapable of regulating electricity markets, the nation's top energy regulator called the findings "right on."</p> <p>"Quite frankly, most anybody that would look at this would come to the same conclusion," Patrick Wood III, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle.</p>

British engineers say they have invented a revolutionary tooth implant that works like a mobile phone and would not be out of place in a James Bond spy movie. The "tooth phone" consists of a tiny vibrator and a radio wave receiver implanted into a tooth during routine dental surgery. The phone was designed by James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau. The implant does not yet have its own microchip installed, but Auger says the technology is tried and tested, and a fully functional phone could be put together in no time at all. "With the current size of microchips, this...

Who Pays for the Pill? Women See Progress in Getting Birth Control Covered by Health Insurance By Geraldine Sealey June 19 — Within weeks of hitting the U.S. market in 1998, more than half of Viagra prescriptions received health insurance coverage. If many women weren't already outraged that they had to pay for birth control out of pocket, they were infuriated at the preference given to the anti-impotence pills. But the fury over Viagra may have given the fight for contraception covered under insurance plans just the momentum it needed. Women's groups say they're making significant progress in their battle...

Auditor irked by flagCounty disdains townships, Rhodes says By Dan Klepal, dklepal@enquirer.comThe Cincinnati Enquirer        Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes won't be saluting the new county flag anytime soon. Hamilton County's flag, held here by Todd Portune, is offensive to townships, says Auditor Dusty Rhodes.(Steven M. Herppich photo)| ZOOM |         Mr. Rhodes, a longtime Delhi Township resident who served as a trustee for 21 years, said the flag disrespects the township form of government.         The flag has a golden circle on its blue field. Inside the circle are 36...

WASHINGTON -- The nation's top immigration official said Wednesday he is willing to consider the economic impact on the travel industry of an administration proposal to limit how long foreigners can visit the United States. James Ziglar, commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, agreed in a House committee hearing to meet with industry members to address their concerns, as long as Bush administration officials approve and the law allows it. The Bush administration wants to eliminate the automatic six-month stay currently granted to international tourists when they arrive in the United States. Instead, it wants inspectors to grant tourists...

1992 Ruby Ridge standoff left question of immunity for agents unresolved By Gail Gibson Sun Staff Originally published June 19, 2002 As prosecutors in Anne Arundel County prepare to ask a grand jury whether an FBI agent who mistakenly shot an unarmed man should be indicted, they face a confusing legal roadmap stemming from one of the most divisive events in recent FBI history - the deadly standoff at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. When the 11-day siege at separatist Randy Weaver's cabin ended in August 1992, state prosecutors in Idaho took the rare step of bringing involuntary manslaughter charges against...

Future of "Alan Keyes is Making Sense" Uncertain! Dear supporter of "Alan Keyes Is Making Sense," MSNBC, in announcing their new programming line up, has left Alan's show out of prime time. They are intending to offer no conservative host in their evening programming. As grassroots activists who have benefited greatly from the truth and integrity that "Alan Keyes Is Making Sense" consistently affords its viewers, we are deeply disappointed by MSNBC's ill-advised action. We believe a time change out of their evening line up would severely limit the influence of the show, reduce its likelihood of succeeding, and send...

Is our war against the Islamic fanatics is really a sex driven war? From the beginning of time the human animal addressed the basic biological need for sex, in a way much similar to animals. The men need sex basically for its pleasure, and the women need it mostly for propagating the human race. Thus men looked at women as a sex object? And women looked at men for protection/commitment. Since then, civilization and religions imposed different rules on the human animal, and sexuality. We cannot walk around naked, men cannot have as many wives as they want, men cannot...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) --  The nation's top immigration official said Wednesday he is willing to consider the economic impact on the travel industry of an administration proposal to limit how long foreigners can visit the United States.</p> <p>James Ziglar, commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, agreed in a House committee hearing to meet with industry members to address their concerns, as long as Bush administration officials approve and the law allows it.</p>

Thirty players on each side, at least one player from each team, starters listed first: NATIONAL LEAGUE Catcher: Mike "Deep Dish" Piazza Damian "The Omen" Miller First Base: Todd "Stayin' at the" Helton Richie Sexson "The City" Second Base: Jose "In" Vidro Luis "They Call Him 'The Streak'" Castillo Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins Jose Hernandez Third Base: Mike Lowell Edgardo Alfonzo Outfield: Barry "U.S." Bonds Sammy Sosa Jim Edmonds Vladimir Guerrero Luis "Gummo" Gonzalez "The Life of" Brian Giles Larry "Sky" Walker Andruw "I Got a Baseball" Jones Pitcher: Tom Glavine Curt "Half" Schilling Randy Johnson Matt Morris Greg Maddux Roy...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - You can still find brass spittoons on the floor of the United States Senate, but don't look for personal computers -- they're not allowed in the historic chamber. Sen. Mike Enzi found that out when he first showed up for work in 1997. The Wyoming Republican asked permission to bring his laptop computer onto the Senate floor, where votes and debate take place, but was told to check it at the door by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Citing advances in technology and the need to stay informed, Enzi has asked the committee to reconsider. In...

Suspicious package causes evacuation The Cincinnati Enquirer        The federal building in downtown Cincinnati was partially evacuated this morning after someone found a suspicious package in the garage.         People working on the first and second floors of the building, at Fifth and Main streets, were evacuated about 9 a.m. The Cincinnati Fire Department's bomb squad responded, and disarmed the package.         District Fire Chief Howard Reed said the box - with "some materials'' in it - was being investigated by the fire department's investigative unit.