Politics

Muslims Kill 2 More American Soldiers

2 U.S. Troops, Translator Killed in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. military convoy Monday, killing two American soldiers and an Iraqi translator, the military said. Two other soldiers from the 1st Armored Division were wounded in the attack at about 11:45 a.m. in Baghdad. The soldiers' names were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Three American soldiers have now been killed in combat in the past week, raising the toll to 317 soldiers killed in combat since military operations began in March.

Closed Doors Are Wrong, No Matter Who is President
When George W. Bush was running for president, he was inspiring on the subject of privacy. But it was not your privacy or mine he was talking about. He has gone all out to keep his administration's energy-legislation deliberations from public scrutiny.

Officials Make Recommendation
for Soldier Who Refused Vaccine
COLUMBUS -- Military officials recommended an Ohio Army National Guardsman be jailed for 40 days, demoted to the rank of private and be given a dishonorable discharge for disobeying a lawful order. Spec. Kurt Hickman, 20, of Granville, became the first National Guardsman to be court martialed for refusing to accept the anthrax vaccine. The court martial, held in Columbus at Beightler Armory, lasted just under four hours and ended with the recommendation by Col. Emmett Moran, said Ohio Army National Guard spokesman James Sims.

Dollar's Drop Becomes More Ominous
NEW YORK -- After months of looking at nothing but the bright side of a weaker dollar, investors are starting to look at the dark side of its struggle against the euro. Demand for the dollar has been dampened by concerns about the widening U.S. current account deficit and expectations that benchmark U.S. interest rates will remain low.

Nation's Retailers Have Glum Weekend
NEW YORK -- The critical last weekend before Christmas didn't deliver the sale bonanza merchants were hoping for, with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announcing Monday that last-minute buying showed "some improvement," but was not enough to offset weak business in the early part of the month. The world's largest retailer said that December same-store sales growth was still tracking at the low end of its projected 3 percent to 5 percent range. For the second week in a row, traffic was down from year-ago levels for the week ended Friday, the company said on its pre-recorded conference call.

Bus Detained For Bomb Threat
Police on Sunday escorted an NJ Transit bus carrying 15 passengers to Campbell's Field and detained it for nearly three hours after authorities were told an explosive device was on board. But bomb-sniffing dogs and investigators from the federal, state, county and municipal levels did not find anything suspicious.

Dad of Convicted Sniper Malvo to Testify
CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Convicted killer Lee Boyd Malvo is described by his friends and teachers as bright and sweet, courteous and lonely - not the vision of evil he was called by the daughter of one sniper victim. Now, Malvo's estranged father is expected to talk again about his son as the defense makes its last bid to persuade jurors to spare the 18-year-old's life.

Posted by Editor at December 22, 2003 09:26 AM