Russian parliament to consider nuclear test ban in closed session

April 21, 2000

MOSCOW, APR 19 (AP) - Russia's upper house of parliament on Wednesday easily ratified the long-delayed START II nuclear arms reduction treaty, which would halve U.S. and Russian warhead stockpiles and clear the way for further massive cuts.

The lower house, the State Duma, approved the treaty last week at the urging of President Vladimir Putin, after years of resisting ratification. The upper house, the Federation Council, generally follows the government's wishes and had been expected to approve the treaty with little delay.

more....

After winning in Geneva, China appears conciliatory to US

April 21, 2000

BEIJING, APR 20 (AP) - After defeating a U.S. effort to censure China for human rights abuses before a U.N. commission, Beijing on Thursday held out the prospect of renewed talks with Washington on protecting civil liberties.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said China hoped to resume an official dialogue on human rights with the United States if Washington first takes "concrete actions" in that  direction.

more....

Italy: President starts search for D'Alema successor

April 21, 2000

ROME, APR 20 (AP) - Emboldened by gains in local races and eager to parlay those victories into national power, Italy's conservative opposition is pushing for early elections now that Premier Massimo D'Alema has quit.

The decision belongs to President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who accepted D'Alema's resignation Wednesday.

more....

Poll finds most Americans want trigger locks, stricter enforcement

April 21, 2000

 WASHINGTON, APR 20 (AP) - Three-fourths of Americans, including a majority of gun owners, favor requiring guns to be sold with trigger locks, an Associated Press poll found. People had mixed feelings about whether tougher gun laws or stricter enforcement was the most effective way to cut violence.

The poll found that 43 percent thought stricter enforcement was more likely to cut gun violence, while 33 percent said enacting tougher gun laws was a better approach. A fifth of those polled said neither option was best.

more....

Russia stresses ASEAN ties, better Indo-Sino relations

April 21, 2000

MOSCOW, APR 20 (AP) - Russia's foreign policy goals in Asia include seeking closer ties with ASEAN and helping to improve relations between China and India, a senior official said Thursday.

Sergei Ivanov, secretary of the Russian Security Council, said better relations between India and China would boost regional stability, trade and other forms of regional cooperation, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

more....

Russia's upper house of parliament approves START II

April 20, 2000

MOSCOW, APR 19 (AP) - Russia's upper house of parliament on Wednesday easily ratified the long-delayed START II nuclear arms reduction treaty, which would halve U.S. and Russian warhead stockpiles and clear the way for further massive cuts.

The lower house, the State Duma, approved the treaty last week at the urging of President Vladimir Putin, after years of resisting ratification. The upper house, the Federation Council, generally follows the government's wishes and had been expected to approve the treaty with little delay.

more....

Britain's unemployment unchanged at 4 percent

April 20, 2000

LONDON, APR 19 (AP) - Britain's unemployment rate held steady at 4 percent in March, based on the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, the government said Wednesday.

Britons without jobs numbered 1,148,800, down by 7,700 from February, according to the Office of National Statistics.

more....

All 131 confirmed dead in plane crash in southern Philippines

April 20, 2000

SAMAL, Philippines, APR 19 (UNB/AP) - All 131 people on board an Air Philippines passenger plane that crashed Wednesday in the southern Philippines have been confirmed dead, making it the country's worst aviation disaster, airline officials said.

The plane, flight 541 from Manila, was unable to land on its first approach to Davao city because another plane was on the runway, air traffic controllers said.

more....

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Trust agree on merger

April 20, 2000

TOKYO, APR 19 (UNB/AP) - The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corp. agreed Wednesday to set up a joint holding company, creating the world's fifth-largest financial group.

The two banks will form the holding company by April next year, officials said. The alliance would have 87 trillion yen (dlrs 837 billion) in deposits and other assets, the world's fifth-largest.

more....

Labor group threatens nationwide strike in Korea

April 20, 2000

SEOUL, APR 19 (AP) - A militant labor umbrella group threatened to organize a nationwide strike next month to protest plans to sell Daewoo Motor Co. to a foreign buyer.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the nation's second-largest umbrella labor group, which claims a membership of 600,000, said it would start an indefinite strike on May 31.

more....

Washington police avoided 'another Seattle' - but at what price?

April 19, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 18 (AP) - For three days, thousands of protesters paralyzed the heart of the U.S. capital and sorely tested the resolve of police, but failed to shut down meetings of the two international institutions they accused of giving short-shrift to the poor.

With residents and commuters reclaiming the streets Tuesday, the time for taking stock is setting in: What is the cost to the city's image of the alternately patient-then-stern posture adopted by police? What legal costs will result from widespread arrests on minor charges such as parading without a permit?

more....

China's economic growth up

April 19, 2000

BEIJING, APR 18 (AP) - China on Tuesday reported economic growth and prices up in the first three months of the year, but it wasn't clear whether a 2-year-old slump was finally bottoming out.

Growth accelerated to 8.1 percent, while consumer prices crept up 0.1 percent, the State Statistical Bureau said. It said growth for the full year could beat last year's 7.1 percent - the lowest in 10 years.

more....

Dalai Lama calls for Tibetan autonomy, not independence

April 19, 2000

TOKYO, APR 18 (AP) - The Dalai Lama said Tuesday that he only wants autonomy for Tibet, not independence from China.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, in Japan for a weeklong visit, urged China to stop oppression in his homeland.

more....

U.S.-Russian negotiators weigh arms-cut prospects

April 19, 2000

GENEVA, APR 18 (AP) - U.S. and Russian arms negotiators held more meetings Tuesday as the two countries sought to lay the groundwork for further strategic arms cuts, officials said.

U.S. officials refused to comment on a first round of talks Monday on START III, which would cut nuclear arsenals even further.

more....

Croatia: U.N. war crimes tribunal experts dig at alleged mass grave site

April 19, 2000

GOSPIC, Croatia, APR 18 (AP) - Investigators for the U.N. war crimes tribunal began digging Tuesday at a suspected mass grave site outside this central Croatian town, searching for bodies of ethnic Serbs allegedly killed during the 1991 Serbo-Croat war.

Between 60 and 120 people - mostly Serbs, but also some Croats disappeared in late 1991 and were presumed killed and buried near Gospic, 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the capital, Zagreb.

more....

Scientists find way to look behind the sun

April 19, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 18 (AP) - Scientists have found a way to peek behind the sun to see whether dangerous solar storms are brewing that could affect Earth.

The process may make it possible to predict the appearance of sunspots before they rotate around from the far side of the sun, giving time to protect Earth satellites and other systems that may be damaged by the radiation.

more....

Thousands march to protest Washington Finance Summit

April 18, 2000

WASHINGTON, APR 17 (AP) - Thousands of marchers failed to stop world finance leaders from meeting, but paraded through the capital in a show of celebration and anger that provoked one ugly episode - a surging crowd met by a stinging cloud of irritants fired by police.

Festive street theater with giant puppets coexisted Sunday with pushy confrontations between police and protesters agitating about the plight of the poor and "decadence" of the rich. Protesters accuse the World Bank and IMF of destroying the environment with dams and similar projects, allowing sweatshops and imposing harsh debt-repayment programs that weaken developing countries.

more....

Japan eager to listen to developing countries at G-8 summit

April 18, 2000

TOKYO, APR 17 (AP) - Japan would welcome the presence of representatives from developing countries at the G-8 summit in July, an official said Monday.

"We are glad to hear their views and interests," said Kazuhiko Koshikawa, the chief spokesman for Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

more....

China warns Hong Kong media again on Taiwan coverage

April 18, 2000

HONG KONG, APR 17 (AP) - China reiterated a warning Monday to the Hong Kong media against advocating views supporting Taiwanese independence, stirring concerns that press freedoms have come under threat here.

"It is inappropriate and not right to advocate and disseminate views of independence for Taiwan," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

more....