Japanese and Russian leaders open talks in St. Petersburg

April 30, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, APR 29 (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said in an interview published Saturday that his meeting with President Vladimir Putin will help Japan and Russia to develop a new relationship.

"I want to strengthen even further the foundations for developing relations between Japan and Russia, which were forged in the 90s, to promote the further progress of these relations in

various fields," Mori said in an interview with the newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

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Thousands of South Korean workers march ahead of May Day

April 30, 2000

SEOUL, APR 29 (AP) - About 15,000 workers marched through downtown Seoul on Saturday ahead of May Day, demanding a shorter work week and opposing the sale of auto firms to foreign investors.

"Five-day work week," they chanted, picking up the slogan blared from loudspeakers mounted on vans. "Let's crush foreign sales and protect our right to survival."

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Missiles untouched by fire in army ammunition depot

April 30, 2000

NEW DELHI, APR 29 (AP) - Missile stockpiles in an army ammunition dump were untouched by the inferno in northern India and killed two soldiers, a domestic news agency reported Saturday.

Surface-to-air and antitank missiles are part of the armory of the Bharatpur Ordnance Depot, where deafening explosions were heard much of Friday.

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Singapore launches "Speak Good English" drive

April 30, 2000

SINGAPORE, APR 29 (AP) - Singapore's unique brand of English may sound funny, but it could have serious consequences, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong warned on Saturday at the launch of a "Speak Good English Movement."

"If we speak a corrupted form of English that is not understood by others, we will lose a key competitive edge," Goh said in a speech.

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Thousands take to streets to protest Fiji's government

April 29, 2000

SUVA, Fiji, APR 28 (UNB/AP) - Thousands of ethnic Fijians marched Friday through the capital Suva demanding the resignation of the Pacific nation's first Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, who took office last May under a new constitution.

Among the crowd were members of the former government carrying a petition demanding the dissolution of the administration and protesting Chaudry's policies for the leasing of Fijian tribal land to non Fijians.

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Nelson Mandela to call for quick end to war in first visit to Burundi

April 29, 2000

BUJUMBURA, Burundi, APR 28 (UNB/AP) - In his first visit to Burundi, former South African President Nelson Mandela will step into his role as peace mediator and try to convince the reluctant Tutsi-led army to complete a power-sharing agreement with Hutu rebels.

The army and the rebels have been battling for seven years in a civil conflict that has left more than 200,000 people dead. Most Burundians blame it on politicians and officers who refuse to relinquish their tight grip on power.

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Vietnam downplays security concerns, but troop presence says otherwise

April 29, 2000

HO CHI MINH CITY, APR 28 (UNB/AP) - The government downplayed security concerns for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Vietnam War's end, despite the presence of armed troops and the scaling back of what had been planned as a major street parade.

Streets in this southern city formerly known as Saigon were filled with bright colored bunting proclaiming the anniversary of Vietnam's victory, along with North Vietnamese and Communist Party flags and photos of the legendary communist hero Ho Chi Minh.

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Steinem urges girls to keep the `healthy rebellion'

April 29, 2000

UNITED NATIONS, APR 28 (UNB/AP) - Feminist author Gloria Steinem urged girls on Thursday to keep that "healthy rebellion" that inspires youngsters to say what they want and do what they want.

Steinem made the comments after presiding over a U.N. program for the annual "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" - a nationwide campaign in the United States to boost girls' self-confidence that was launched seven years ago by Steinem's Ms. Foundation. 

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Court denies Miami relatives' bid for visits with Elian

April 29, 2000

ATLANTA, APR 28 (UNB/AP) - A U.S. federal appeals court denied a request by Elian Gonzalez's Miami relatives to visit him and declined to appoint a guardian for the boy other than his father.

But in its decision Thursday, the court still kept the relatives' appeal alive. It put off a decision on the father's request that he be substituted for Elian's great-uncle as the boy's representative in the case. Such a move would allow the father to drop the appeal.

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Crops wither, cattle die in 11 Indian states as water shortage spreads

April 28, 2000

NEW DELHI, APR 27 (AP) - Trains and navy ships were being readied Thursday to ferry water to India's parched states, where crops have withered, cattle are dying and humans are becoming desperate for drinking water.

Drought conditions, or prolonged periods of dryness leading to crop failure, exist in 11 of India's states, the national government said in a status report. It warned that food grain production will

be drop by up to 30 percent, and oil seed crops will be cut in half in some of the worst hit areas.

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China warns U.S. over trade status

April 28, 2000

BEIJING, APR 27 (AP) - With a U.S. congressional vote on a landmark trade deal approaching, China warned Thursday of possible repercussions for American companies in China if it is rejected. 

The warning came during a visit by a congressional delegation that President Clinton hopes will solidify support for giving China permanent low-tariff access to U.S. markets.

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Clinton promises to finish Senate term if elected

April 28, 2000

BUFFALO, APR 27 (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton has vowed not to run for president in four years if elected to the Senate - even if Republicans win the White House this year.

"I am going to serve my six-year term as senator. I owe it to the people of New York," the first lady said Wednesday during a town meeting broadcast by CNN.

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Aznar sworn in as prime minister for second term

April 28, 2000

MADRID, APR 27 (AP) - Jose Maria Aznar was sworn in before King Juan Carlos on Thursday for a second term as Spanish prime minister.

Aznar, whose center-right Popular Party won 183 seats in the 350-seat Parliament in recent elections, was to return to the Zarzuela royal palace later in the day to present the monarch with

his new Cabinet list.

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Divided partner debates future in new Italian government

April 28, 2000

ROME, APR 27 (AP) - The Greens party, one of the center-left partners in Premier Giuliano Amato's one-day-old government, on Thursday debated whether to pull out of the coalition over losing the environment ministry.

Nearly three hours into their meeting, there was no sign of whether the Greens would stay in the government, which Amato hopes to lead to elections next spring, or quit, either offering backing

in Parliament anyway or go their own way.

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New Zealand businesses favor single currency with Australia: Report

April 27, 2000

WELLINGTON, APR 26 (AP) - There is strong support in New Zealand for a single Australian-New Zealand dollar, a study by the independent Institute for Policy Studies reported Wednesday.

The study, commissioned by the Australia-New Zealand Business Council, a voluntary association of business leaders, said there was a strong case for policy-makers to give "genuine consideration" to the adoption of a currency based on either the Australian or United States dollar.

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Amato's new, rehashed center-left government is sworn in

April 27, 2000

ROME, APR 26 (AP) - Premier Giuliano Amato was sworn into office Wednesday along with a rehashed center-left coalition already looking frayed after one of his choices refused to take up his ministry post.

Amato, a respected treasury minister in the 18-month-long government of Massimo D'Alema which collapsed last week, is expected to put his government, formed Tuesday evening, to the required confidence votes in both chambers of Parliament in the next couple of days.

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Villagers throng food-for-work program in India's drought zone

April 27, 2000

ARABASAN, India, APR 27 (AP) - With necklaces and anklets jangling under their saris, village women joined their men to dig water tanks Wednesday in India's smoldering western expanse, where severe drought is punishing 50 million people - and is likely to worsen.

Tens of thousands of desperate villagers are said to be fleeing their parched lands, leaving hordes of cattle to die across a huge swathe of two western states. But many others are staying put, hoping an aid-for-work program started this week by the government will bring them money, food and water.

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EU, China set date for more talks on WTO membership

April 27, 2000

BRUSSELS, APR 26 (AP) - The European Union and China will resume talks next month on Beijing's bid to join the World Trade Organization, the two sides announced Wednesday.

"On both sides, there is now hope that this will be a very important meeting. As to whether it will bring the final outcome, we

don't know," said Anthony Gooch, spokesman for EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.

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Official: China unlikely to wage war with Taiwan

April 27, 2000

TAIPEI, APR 26 (AP) - China is engaging in a new round of psychological warfare with Taiwan, a Taiwanese official said

Wednesday, one day after the island's military claimed China is stepping up military exercises.

Beijing was trying to intimidate Taiwan into starting reunification talks because Chinese leaders lacked the confidence to

act on their threats of an all-out war with the island, said Lin Chong-pin, vice-chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council which

handles Taiwan's China policy.

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Crisis behind them, Asian countries should refocus on poverty: ADB

April 27, 2000

BANGKOK, APR 26 (AP) - With their economies climbing out of the crisis that rocked the region three years ago, Asian countries need to work harder to lift 900 million people living on less than 1 dollar a day out of poverty, the Asian Development Bank said Wednesday.

But the region's "impressive" success in putting the worst recession in a generation behind it has bred complacency sapping the will to put painful but still necessary reforms into effect, the bank said in an annual regional survey, Asian Development Outlook 2000.

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Gore to criticize Bush plans on health care

April 27, 2000

BOSTON, APR 26 (AP) - Republicans care and can't get it in the United States of America have to go across the border to Mexico to get their health care. It happens every day in Texas." 

Bush campaign spokesman Ari Fleischer, saying Gore's "credibility" was shining through, countered that Bush's proposed

health reforms would instead help as many as 18 million low-income Americans gain health insurance.

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India's ruling coalition, opposition to meet as drought persists

April 26, 2000

NEW DELHI, APR 25 (AP) - India's major political parties were set to meet Tuesday to seek ways to fight a devastating drought that has affected 50 million people and killed thousands of cattle, officials said.

Across the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, thousands of villages are sizzling, some areas suffering the worst conditions in a century. No human deaths have been reported due to the heat but newspapers have reported some killings by rioters desperate for water.

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Chinese and South African heads of state pledge cooperation

April 26, 2000

PRETORIA, APR 25 (AP) - Chinese President Jiang Zemin and South African president Thabo Mbeki agreed Tuesday not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and to respect sovereignty.

During Zemin's visit, the first by a Chinese head of state since South Africa and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations on Jan. 1, 1998, a high-level binational commission was established to promote dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. The United States and South Africa have established a similar commission.

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Pakistan paid back more money than it received from lenders

April 26, 2000

ISLAMABAD, APR 25 (AP) - Cash-strapped Pakistan paid back more money to global donor agencies this year than it received in loans, Foreign Minister Shaukat Aziz said Tuesday.

"We returned more money to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank than the amount we received," Aziz told a news conference.

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NASA fuels shuttle for afternoon launch despite dismal forecast

April 26, 2000

CAPE CANAVERAL, APR 25 (AP) - NASA fueled space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Tuesday on a mission to repair the international space station, even though high wind threatened to delay the launch again.

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Second U.N. convoy goes into Chechnya

April 26, 2000

GENEVA, APR 25 (AP) - United Nations relief agencies said Tuesday they were sending a convoy carrying aid supplies into the devastated Russian province of Chechnya - only the second convoy to go into the area.

Seventeen trucks were due to enter Chechnya on Tuesday after spending the night in North Ossetia, said Ron Redmond, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. He said their exact destination would be decided after meetings with Russian aid officials.

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Non-nuclear states want nuclear powers to move on disarmament

April 25, 2000

UNITED NATIONS, APR 24 (AP) - Russia's ratification last week of two anti-nuclear agreements has lifted some of the pessimism surrounding a major conference to review efforts at worldwide nuclear disarmament.

But countries without nuclear arms are still expected to press the five major nuclear powers to make an unequivocal commitment to disarmament at the four-week Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty conference which begins Monday.

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Russia exported uranium to US under deal

April 25, 2000

MOSCOW, APR 24 (AP) - Russia has exported recycled uranium worth dlrs 2 billion to the United States since the two countries signed a deal in 1993 to reduce Russia's nuclear arsenal, a news report said Monday.

The 20-year contract, worth about dlrs 11 billion, calls for Russia to export 500 metric tons of recycled uranium from scrapped weapons to the United States. So far, about 80 tons have been sent, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

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Prime Minister asks Indians to help combat drought

April 25, 2000

NEW DELHI, APR 24 (AP) - Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked Indians to make contributions to help more than 50 million people affected by a severe drought in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, newspapers reported Monday.

In a nationally televised appeal Sunday, Vajpayee acknowledged that government funds to meet the demand for food, fodder and water were inadequate and urged people to contribute "no matter how small the amount," to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

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IMF pleased by Indonesian reforms, warns against backsliding

April 25, 2000

JAKARTA, APR 24 (AP) - The International Monetary Fund's acting director said Monday he was encouraged by Indonesia's economic reform but warned that the government must not waver from the reform program demanded by the fund.

Speaking after meeting President Abdurrahman Wahid, Stanley Fischer said he expects the flagging national currency to strengthen if reforms are put in place.

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Philippine troops move closer to rebel stronghold in hostage rescue

April 25, 2000

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, APR 24 (AP) - Philippine troops battled up the sides of a thickly forested mountain Monday toward a Muslim rebel stronghold in an effort to rescue 27 hostages, including many school children, held for more than a month.

At least 10 Abu Sayyaf rebels and four soldiers have died in the fighting in the hinterlands of the southern province of Basilan, officials said.

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South Korean president and opposition leader discuss summit

April 25, 2000

SEOUL, APR 24 (AP) - In a rare gesture of conciliation, President Kim Dae-jung and South Korea's top opposition leader met Monday and agreed to cooperate on ensuring the success of a summit with North Korea.

The luncheon meeting between Kim and Lee Hoi-chang, head of the main opposition Grand National Party, was unusual because they have long been political foes. Lee lost to Kim in 1997 presidential elections by a razor-thin margin.

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Iran: Hard-liners close down reformist newspapers

April 25, 2000

TEHRAN, APR 24 (AP) - A dozen pro-democracy newspapers and magazines were missing from newsstands Monday, following a ban by Iranian hard-liners who have openly challenged presidential reforms that were widely backed by the liberal press.

Eight major daily newspapers and four weekly or biweekly magazines were among the publications closed down by order of the hard-line judiciary in Tehran late Sunday, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

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Singapore committee looks at falling birth rate

April 25, 2000

SINGAPORE, APR 24 (AP) - A government committee is looking at why Singaporeans have so few babies and how it can help reverse the trend, an official said Monday.

"The problem we've been having for some years is that a growing number of men and women don't marry too early," committee member Ong Keng Yong said.

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Japanese nuclear reactor shuts down

April 25, 2000

TOKYO, APR 24 (AP) - A nuclear reactor at a research plant northeast of Tokyo shut down automatically Monday after its fuel rods malfunctioned during an output increase, officials said.

The reactor at the state-run nuclear research institute at Oarai, 950 kilometers (590 miles) northeast of Tokyo, shut down while its output was being raised from 500 kilowatts to 3.5 megawatts, according to the Science and Technology Agency.

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Non-nuclear states want nuclear powers to move on disarmament

April 24, 2000

UNITED NATIONS, APR 23 (AP) - Countries without nuclear weapons have put the United States and other nuclear powers on notice that they want an unequivocal commitment to total nuclear disarmament at a major conference starting Monday.

Thirty years after the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty came into force, many signatories who have disavowed nuclear weapons are frustrated that the treaty's goal of a nuclear weapons-free world appears to be slipping further and further away - even with Russia's ratification of two key nuclear agreements last week.

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Japan: Top policy maker wants tax cuts, more holidays for workers

April 24, 2000

TOKYO, APR 23 (AP) - Japan's ruling party will try to spur economic growth by reducing inheritance taxes and giving workers more free time, the party's top policy maker was quoted Sunday as saying.

Shizuka Kamei said the Liberal Democratic Party plans to raise the amount of inheritance money excluded from taxation from 600,000 yen (dlrs 5,673) to 10 million yen (dlrs 94,553), according to Kyodo News agency.

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Brazil's 500th anniversary marked by protests

April 24, 2000

PORTO SEGURO, Brazil, APR 23 (AP) - Celebrations marking Brazil's 500th anniversary were tempered by violence as police clashed with thousands of Indians and their supporters protesting what they called Portugal's invasion.

Police used clubs and tear gas to break up the protests Saturday, and there were unofficial reports that 15 Indians were injured. More than 140 people were detained and could be charged with disturbing public order, said Gustavo Rios, the local public security chief.

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S Korean president to discuss inter-Korea summit with opposition leader

April 24, 2000

SEOUL, APR 23 (AP) - President Kim Dae-jung will meet main opposition party leader Lee Hoi-chang Monday to seek cooperation in state affairs including a historic inter-Korea summit.

Kim proposed the meeting shortly after the April 13 parliamentary elections, in which Kim's ruling Millennium Democratic Party won 115 seats and Lee's Grand National Party won 133 seats.

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Rebels in Sri Lanka claim military base captured, 1,000 government troops killed

April 24, 2000

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lankan rebels fighting for an independent homeland said they captured a key military complex after a furious two-day battle, and inflicted heavy casualties on

government troops.

Military spokesman Brig. Palitha Fernando said he could not confirm or deny the rebels' claim to have seized the vital Elephant Pass base and the adjoining Yakachchi camp. But he admitted the government has made some strategic withdrawal.

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Malaysia suspends issuing work permits for foreign workers

April 23, 2000

KUALA LUMPUR, APR 22 (AP) - Malaysia has suspended the issuing of work permits to foreigners while the government revises its system for handling mounting applications, an official said Saturday.

The secretary-general of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jamaluddin Haji Ahmad Damanhuri, said the move was taken as the ministry was studying the situation on recruitment of foreign workers in all sectors.

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25 years after a bitter war, Vietnam beckons American tourists

April 23, 2000

HANOI, APR 22 (AP) - With tousled blond hair and several days worth of stubble, young John McCain wears a look of stoic determination in the grainy black-and-white photo hanging in the

"Hanoi Hilton," the infamous prison-turned-war museum.

McCain's prisoner-of-war ordeal, which sent him home with a battered body and an iron will, helped frame his recent presidential quest. Here, it's made him the poster boy for a tourist landmark in a country now actively wooing Western visitors to the most poignant sites of the Vietnam War, which ended 25 years ago this month. From young backpackers to war veterans, a growing number of Americans feels compelled to make the pilgrimage.

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NATO peacekeepers arrest war-crimes suspect of Bosnia

April 23, 2000

SARAJEVO, APR 22 (AP) - NATO-led troops arrested a Bosnian Serb charged with war crimes allegedly committed when he commanded a prison camp at Susica during the Bosnian war, NATO announced Saturday.

A statement said Dragan Nikolic was charged with crimes against humanity, violations of the laws on customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva conventions.

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Clinton, Gore interviewed by federal prosecutors on campaign money

April 23, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 22 (AP) - Federal prosecutors have interviewed both President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in the government's long-running investigation into alleged fund-raising abuses in the Democrats' 1996 re-election campaign.

After Friday's White House disclosure, Gore's spokesman said the vice president's lawyer was assured Gore is not a target of the Justice Department Campaign Finance Task Force. A White House official said Clinton also is not a target of the investigation. Clinton's interview was Friday, Gore's Tuesday.

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Brazil: Tension rises at 500^th anniversary of colonization

April 23, 2000

PORTO SEGURO, Brazil, APR 22 (AP) - Thousands of Indians and landless farm workers, and thousands of police officers converged on the beach resort where the government on Saturday commemorates the first landing by Portuguese colonizers 500 years ago.

Indian leaders plan to march Saturday to Porto Seguro, where President Fernando Henrique Cardoso will meet with Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio. They could be joined by some 2,000 members of the Landless Rural Workers Movement, camped on a roadside 40 miles (65 kilometers) to the west.

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U.S. Earth Day festivities to use `clean' energy

April 23, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 22 (AP) - Those celebrating Earth Day on the National Mall in the U.S. capital Saturday may find the smell of popcorn or sizzling french fries in the air, but it won't be coming from food stands.

The smell will be coming from a number of electric generators that will provide much of the power for the Earth Day festivities, including stage lights and power for musical instruments.

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Clinton seeks dlrs 200 million in aid for Africa

April 23, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 22 (AP) - President Bill Clinton asked Congress on Friday to provide dlrs 200 million in emergency funding for countries in southern Africa. Most of the funding would go to Mozambique, where flooding has left at least 700 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.

Clinton's request includes dlrs 131 million for Mozambique to repair and reconstruct roads and rail lines and rehabilitate farm areas and health and education services. The request also would

restore the Defense Department's authority to use dlrs 37.5 million in existing accounts to finance humanitarian relief operations.

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Clinton, Gore interviewed by federal prosecutors on campaign money

April 23, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 22 (AP) - Federal prosecutors have interviewed both President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in the government's long-running investigation into alleged fund-raising abuses in the Democrats' 1996 re-election campaign.

After Friday's White House disclosure, Gore's spokesman said the vice president's lawyer was assured Gore is not a target of the Justice Department Campaign Finance Task Force. A White House official said Clinton also is not a target of the investigation. Clinton's interview was Friday, Gore's Tuesday.

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Taiwanese leader: Taiwan-China federation might be possible

April 22, 2000

TAIPEI, APR 21 (AP) - Taiwan's newly elected leader on Friday showed rare interest in reunification with China, saying forming a federation could be one possible way the two sides could reunify.

President-elect Chen Shui-bian, a former vocal supporter of Taiwan independence, rarely expresses enthusiasm for Beijing's sacred goal of repairing a 51-year split between this island and the mainland.

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At 500, Brazil remains the country of the future

April 22, 2000

RIO DE JANEIRO, APR 21 (AP) - When much of the Americas celebrated the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' 1492 discovery voyage, Brazil, the hemisphere's only Portuguese-speaking nation, paid no attention.

Now, Brazil is holding its own 500-year fest, honoring the arrival of navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral on April 22, 1500. But nationalist pride is mixed with frustration at the country's unfulfilled potential, and for many of Brazil's have-nots the

anniversary will be a day of protest.

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Lawmakers attack proposed stiffening of code

April 22, 2000

MOSCOW, APR 21 (AP) - A proposed new administrative code met stiff resistance in parliament Thursday with deputies across the political spectrum saying it boosts police powers and trims some civil liberties won after the Soviet Union's collapse.

"If we pass this, we lay the foundation stone of a totalitarian state," said Andrei Isaev, a deputy in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. 

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Officials say no hint of cause of Air Philippines crash

April 22, 2000

MANILA, APR 21 (AP) - Investigators still "don't have a hint" of what caused an Air Philippines jet to crash, killing all 131 people aboard, including many on Easter holidays, in the country's worst air disaster, an airline official said Friday.

Searchers completed their recovery of the badly mangled remains of the 124 passengers and seven crew aboard flight 541, which crashed Wednesday on the resort island of Samal as it was attempting to land at nearby Davao city in the southern Philippines.

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Top posts in Taiwan's new government filled

April 22, 2000

TAIPEI, APR 21 (AP) - The list of top Cabinet members in Taiwan's new goverment was announced Friday, a lineu  heavy with technocrats and academics who will be key in the push to improve relations with rival China and clean up corruption.

One of the most important posts was given to Tsai Ying-wen, an expert on international trade who will head the Mainland Affairs Council, which handles China policy.

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West has tackled famine's remedies, but not causes

April 22, 2000

ADDIS ABABA, APR 21 (AP) - Lagging Western efforts have contributed to the Horn of Africa's latest food crisis, despite early warning systems and emergency food reserves.

Aid groups say famine has been handled better since the mid-1980s when it took images of starving Ethiopians and celebrity appeals to pull at the heart- and purse-strings of the world. But experts contend the conditions that bring on famine have yet to be tackled.

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Russia says alleged spy had plans for underwater missile

April 22, 2000

MOSCOW, APR 21 (AP) - U.S. citizen Edmond Pope, arrested two weeks ago and charged with espionage, was seeking plans for a unique underwater missile fired by submarines, the Federal Security Service said Thursday, according to Russian news agencies.

The agency previously had said only that Pope was charged with divulging state secrets, a charge on which he could face 20 years in prison if convicted. He was arrested April 5 and is being held in Moscow's Lefortovo prison.

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CITES continues to protect big animals; sharks on their own

April 22, 2000

NAIROBI, APR 21 (AP) - Elephants, whales, tigers and turtles will continue to enjoy international protection, but sharks will have to defend for themselves following a 10-day meeting on trade in endangered species that wound up Thursday.

After often impassioned debate, delegates from 151 nations agreed to continue a ban on international trade in elephant ivory, to deny a Cuban request to sell hawksbill turtle shells and to keep the meat of minke and grey whales off international shelves. Japan and Norway hunt both for domestic consumption but failed in their bid to open up international trade in the seagoing mammals.

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U.S. vice president says 'family solution' still possible for Elian

April 22, 2000

FORT LEE, New Jersey, APR 21 (AP) - U.S. Vice President Al Gore urged Elian Gonzalez's feuding relatives on Thursday to get together "without government officials or lawyers" to try to resolve their increasingly entrenched and contrary positions.

Gore, pressed by reporters, refused to criticize the handling of the case of the 6-year-old Cuban boy by President Bill Clinton and his administration.

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