Stories from 2002-04-20

"In a city abloom with dogwoods, tulips and azaleas and packed with tourists in shorts and T-shirts, the protesters have promised there will be noise ó but no violence ó as thousands voice their assorted grievances." [more]

"District police officials said the crowds were larger than they had anticipated, and put their numbers at about 75,000. Organizers of a Palestinian-rights rally at the Ellipse south of the White House said the gathering was the largest demonstration for Palestine in U.S. history." [more]

"Chanting, singing and beating drums, tens of thousands of protesters converged on the U.S. capital on Saturday to demonstrate against the U.S.-led war on terror, Israeli military actions in the West Bank and globalisation." [more]

"Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Washington to protest against Israel's military actions in the West Bank, the United States' war on terror and globalisation." [more]

"Rebuilding Afghanistan will be a massive task requiring years and many billions of dollars. But the job could be under way, and pay quick dividends, if the United States were to respond promptly to petitions for relief by hundreds of Afghans who lost loved ones or property as a result of U.S. bombing attacks." [more]

"President George W. Bush's administration opposes a Senate plan to ban U.S. imports of Iraqi oil out of concern it could undermine a U.N. program to meet Iraq's humanitarian needs. On Thursday, the Senate adopted Sen. Frank Murkowski's amendment to the pending energy bill prohibiting U.S. direct and indirect import of Iraqi oil until the Iraqi government stops paying families of Palestinian suicide bombers, curtails oil smuggling and cooperates with U.N. weapons inspectors." [more]

"A United Nations envoy has said that the devastation left by Israeli forces in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank is 'horrific beyond belief.' Terje Roed-Larsen, who toured the Jenin refugee camp on Thursday, said it was 'morally repugnant' that Israel had not allowed emergency workers in for 11 days to provide humanitarian relief." [more]

" 'This decision has been made taking into account the public concern of Congressman Javier Diez Canseco, with whom we share the view that we do not want a foreign military base in Peru,' [Foreign Minister Diego] Garcia Sayan said." [more]

"Under the Patriot Act the FBI 'can go into a public library and ask for the records on anybody who ever used the library, or who used it on a certain day, or checked out certain kinds of books. It can do the same at any bank, telephone company, hotel or motel, hospital or university — merely upon the claim that the information is "sought for" an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.' " [more]

"U.S. representatives said they were counting on Japan to send warships to the Arabian Sea to stand in for U.S. forces that would be moved closer to the action in the Persian Gulf if an attack were imminent. Japanese government sources said this would be both politically and legally difficult under the constraints of recently adopted legislation allowing Japanese cooperation in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism." [more]

"Officials said the administration has requested $28.5 million in the emergency supplemental budget for fiscal 2002. The money is meant to help countries that are participating in the U.S. campaign against terrorism. Bahrain is home for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean." [more]

"Hundreds of US army engineers have arrived on the Philippine island of Basilan to bolster Manila's efforts to hunt down a Muslim kidnap gang said to be linked to the al-Qaeda terror network. The arrival of the 300 engineers brings the number of US troops in the southern Philippines to more than 1,000." [more]

"Uncertain about how they will be able to prosecute many of the nearly 300 prisoners detained at a naval base in Cuba, Bush administration officials are considering a new legal doctrine that would allow prisoners to be brought before military tribunals without specific evidence that they engaged in war crimes." [more]

"Environmentalists charge that the Pentagon's proposal would dilute the definition of 'harassment' so much that the National Marine Fisheries Service would find it difficult to regulate military activities that affect marine mammals. The changes also would make it harder for citizens and environmental groups to sue the military for endangering marine mammals. "The Pentagon's proposal, a draft of which was obtained by The Times, also would give the military exemptions under the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and hazardous waste laws." [more]

"I have come out to kill Allah's enemies the Americans anywhere (everywhere), killing and fighting them in their homeland, I am asking for the shahadah and I am working for it, to raise my religion high and kill its enemies. I am out to look for the jihad land to get ready to kill the Americans and Islamís enemy. By this Iím helping my Creators religion and taking revenge for my brotherís bloods." [more]