contributions

by MIKE ECKEL
The three-day hostage siege at a school in southern Russia
ended in chaos and bloodshed Friday, after witnesses said Chechen militants set
off bombs and Russian commandos stormed the building. Hostages fled in terror,
many of them children who were half-naked and covered in blood. Officials estimated
the death toll at more than 200.
Early Saturday, 531 people remained hospitalized, including 283 children - 92
of the youngsters in ``very grave’’ condition, health (…)

By FRANK ELTMAN
NEW YORK - Bill Clinton was hospitalized with chest pains and shortness of breath Friday and will undergo heart bypass surgery in an operation that could sideline the former president at the height of the campaign for the White House.
An angiogram showed that Clinton, who turned 58 two weeks ago, had significant blockage in his heart arteries but did not suffer a heart attack, a doctor who performed the test told The Associated Press.
Clinton said he was looking forward (…)

by Calvin Woodward
NEW YORK - President Bush’s boast of a 30-member-strong coalition in Iraq masked the reality that the United States is bearing the overwhelming share of costs, in lives and troop commitments. And in claiming to have routed most al-Qaida leaders, he did not mention that the big one got away.
Bush’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night brought the nation a collection of facts that told only part of the story, hardly unusual for this (…)

A daylong strike and demonstration marred President Vicente Fox’s state of the union speech in which he defended democratic gains in Mexico.
BY SUSANA HAYWARD
Knight Ridder News Service
MEXICO CITY - President Vicente Fox defended his government’s democratic gains Wednesday in his fourth state of the union address, but thousands of protesters staged a one-day strike and nearly paralyzed this metropolis, symptomatic of public anger over rising crime, corruption and poverty.
’’When I (…)

By David Usborne
There have been complaints and plaudits for the New York police this week as they toiled to contain myriad protests that erupted in Manhattan, arresting almost 2,000 people over four days, but mostly managing to keep activists away from the Republican Convention.
Once again yesterday, the streets of the city were coloured dark blue with the uniforms of thousands of police officers, and the skies vibrated with helicopters and a large NYPD airship as commanders braced for (…)

THE head of the Arms Control Association and a former senior US official accused the Bush administration today of trying to derail a proposed international ban on the production of material used to make nuclear weapons.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the private research group, said the administration’s position that airtight safeguards against cheating could not be found was "something of a poison pill".
"We do not agree that this treaty is not effectively verifiable," Mr Kimball (…)

By Craig Etchison
In a world where Mr. Bush mongers fear on an almost daily basis for political gain, a horrific insanity has slipped under the radar and become reality. The U.S. military has made warfare with deadly radioactive weapons a reality through its overwhelming use of depleted uranium munitions (DU) in its three most recent wars in the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The use of these radioactive weapons has set in motion a silent genocide that will endure for generations to come. (…)

THOUSANDS of people have taken to the streets of New York to protest against President George W. Bush as he accepted his party’s nomination for re-election.
The demonstrations were planned to coincide with Mr Bush’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention that is being held in this largely Democratic-leaning city.
Around 5000 people gathered in Union Square for a silent candlelight demonstration against the war in Iraq and blaming Bush for miring the United States in an unjust (…)

Mr. Chairman, delegates, fellow citizens: I am honored by your support, and I accept your nomination for President of the United States.
When I said those words four years ago, none of us could have envisioned what these years would bring. In the heart of this great city, we saw tragedy arrive on a quiet morning. We saw the bravery of rescuers grow with danger. We learned of passengers on a doomed plane who died with a courage that frightened their killers. We have seen a shaken economy (…)

By John Whitesides
NEW YORK - President George W. Bush has promised the Republican convention "a safer world" and said he launched the war against terror "not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at stake."
In prepared excerpts released ahead of his speech, Bush said on Thursday, "The freedom of many and the future security of our nation, now depend on us."
"We are staying on the offensive — striking terrorists abroad — so we do not have to face them here (…)