U-Wire Fall 2003
U-Wire DC Bureau
BRIEF: Web site offers look at campus crime
Posted 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13
George Washington U. students react to suicide bombings in Israel
Posted 5:50 p.m. Dec. 12
American man captured among Taliban soldiers
Posted 2:15 p.m. Dec. 8
Liverpool mourns loss of Harrison
Posted 2:15 p.m. Dec. 8
Virginia governor's race atypical
Posted 4:15 p.m. Dec. 3
Holiday shopping off to slow start
Posted 11:30 p.m. Nov. 30
Supreme Court looks at high school drug testing
Posted 11:30 p.m. Nov. 30
Number of women behind bars in Britain up 20 percent
Posted 11:30 p.m. Nov. 30
COLUMN: Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Posted 11:30 p.m. Nov. 30
Feds can investigate doctors for assisted suicides
Posted 10:30 p.m. Nov. 19
Campaigns don't maximize Internet use
Posted 1:00 p.m. Nov. 15
International briefs: British special forces play key role in N. Alliance success
Posted 1:00 p.m. Nov. 15
Cell phone ban hits N.Y. drivers
Posted 1:00 p.m. Nov. 15
CD REVIEW: McCartney's 'Driving Rain' is mixed bag
Posted 1:00 p.m. Nov. 15 MANCHESTER, England - It is impossible to listen to a Paul McCartney album and not compare it to his earlier work with the Beatles. With a catalogue including "Yesterday," "Get Back," and "Blackbird" it is difficult not to. It is a fact that dogged both McCartney and John Lennon throughout their solo careers, and fair or not, it is still the first reaction I had when hearing McCartney's new offering Driving Rain. Driving Rain is a worthwhile addition to any fan's collection and with the addition of David Kahne the album brings the recently domestic Macca sound a fresh edge.
D.C. tourism shaky after attacks
Posted 6:20 p.m. Nov. 2 Ratan Barun is a taxi driver in Washington, D.C., but these days, he is considering a different line of work. With as few as five fares a day, Barun said his income has been hard hit by the sudden drop in tourism after Sept. 11. He thinks it will be some time before people feel comfortable returning to Washington. "If something is broken it takes a long time to fix," he said. "It just happened and nobody is ready."
U.S to launch troops in southern Afghanistan in search of al Qaeda members
Posted 5:41 p.m. Oct. 31 Close to two weeks ago, the United States announced it would deploy elite ground troops in Southern Afghanistan, adding a new and significant dimension on the war against terrorism by partially shifting its focus to a land-based campaign. The Pentagon said the special operations forces would gather intelligence and help to identify places where al Qaeda members may be hiding.
Interns anticipate getting back to work on Capitol Hill
Posted 6:55 p.m. Oct. 29 Unfazed by the new dangers of bioterrorism, determined students working as interns on Capitol Hill said they eagerly anticipate returning to their offices this week. Because of the security sweeps conducted by health and law enforcement authorities, many students have been out of work for weeks.
Anthrax keeps postal workers on edge
Posted 6:55 p.m. Oct. 29 Relatives and coworkers buried two postal workers over the weekend who died last week from inhalation anthrax as thousands of their coworkers were tested for the disease and given precautionary antibiotics. Thomas L. Morris Jr. and Joseph Curseen, the two employees who died, worked in the Brentwood Road Post Office, the main postal facility that processes mail bound for Washington, D.C.
Dating abuse most common form of student violence
Posted 4:35 p.m. Oct. 29 Dating abuse is the most common form of violence on campus today, according to the Feminist Majority Foundation, a group focusing on domestic violence awareness during the month of October. One in three women are victims of dating abuse, not including cases of sexual abuse according to the foundation. On Oct. 17, the group held a forum at George Washington University to open a dialogue about what they consider to be a vast number of college students who are in abusive relationships.
British government: Marijuana not arrestable crime
Posted 4:35 p.m. Oct. 29 MANCHESTER, England - Marijuana will be reclassified by the British government so that possession of the drug will no longer be an arrestable offense, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced Tuesday. The drug will now be classified as a class C drug rather than a class B drug. Other class C drugs include steroids and anti-depressants. "Cannabis would remain a controlled drug and using it a criminal offense," said Blunkett. "It would not detract from the simple message that all drugs are harmful and that no one should take drugs."
Critics skeptical of Senate-mandated security measures in airports
Posted 10:00 p.m. Oct. 22 In a rare demonstration of bipartisan solidarity, the Senate Oct. 11 unanimously passed legislation strengthening the safety of the country's air transport system. It would require strengthened cockpit doors, put armed federal marshals on most flights and allow pilots to arm themselves with firearms under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC) drafted the legislation which is now under consideration in the House of Representatives.
International Desk: Anthrax scare hits Europe
Posted 8:10 p.m. Oct. 17 MANCHESTER, England - British fears of a possible terrorist attack with the lethal anthrax bacteria increased Monday when Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's office received a letter containing the deadly agent. As American officials sealed off portions of the Hart Senate office building on Capitol Hill, Anthrax scares hit around the globe. In Britain, Rochester Cathedral in Kent was sealed by police when a suspicious package and white powder were reported. Nearby, Canterbury Cathedral fell victim to a similar scare one day earlier.
A Traveler’s Diary: Morocco is Mediterranean treasure
RABAT, Morocco — From the window of an Air France 737 over Morocco’s capital, it's hard to tell where the suburbs end and the race of date and fig trees begins. Here in Rabat, fig trees reach the desert first. There, the spindly date trees make their last stand before a few brave ones trail off into what looks like an endless dirt field. It's hard to call them groves because their edges are jagged. They lack the vibrant patchwork of green and yellow French fields, many of which I passed en route to Morocco from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Narrow roads that look cloudy and dusty, even from this far above, zigzag through them. Black, roundish tents group in clumps along the roadside.
International Desk: Protests decry U.S. bombing on Afghanistan
Posted 10:53 a.m. Oct. 13 BERLIN, Germany - Protests and celebrations that broke out shortly after the first American attacks against on Afghanistan showed no sign of ending in Germany's capital, while the only moderate rhetoric continued to come from politicians. About 200 right-wing extremists celebrated in the streets in the central part of the city Sunday night, lighting fires, and forcing police in riot gear to keep bystanders from joining in the melee.
INTERNATIONAL DESK: People of Northern Ireland sympathize with U.S. terrorist victims
Posted 6:05 p.m. Oct. 10 BELFAST, Northern Ireland - In Northern Ireland, a province notorious for tension and terrorism between Loyalists and Republicans, students reacted to the latest stage of the United States-declared war on terrorism with mixed emotions. Many who live, work and attend school in Belfast sympathize with the families of those killed in last month's attacks in New York and Washington. But others quietly say the worldwide attention on America's terrorist blight reopens old wounds in a region where unofficial counts estimate more than 3,000 people have been killed in terror-related incidents in the past 30 years.
Air strikes begin in Afghanistan
Posted 6:00 p.m. Oct. 8 American and British forces launched air strikes in Afghanistan Sunday, clearing the way for what President Bush said would be a long and sustained campaign against the al Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban regime. In a televised address Sunday afternoon shortly after the strikes began, Bush said the Taliban would "pay a price." "These carefully targeted local actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime," he said.
INTERNATIONAL DESK: British military aids in strikes
Posted 6:00 p.m. Oct. 8 MANCHESTER, England - British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged that British forces took part in Sunday's missile strikes against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, saying the attack on Sept. 11 "represented the worst terrorist outrage against British citizens in our history." Blair reiterated President Bush's statements that the strikes were directed against military sites of the terrorist network al Qaeda headed by Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban government.
Washington Recap
Posted 6:00 p.m. Oct. 8 A weekly roundup of news from Washington, D.C. Bush calls for $320 million to help Afghans Washington area prepares for bioterrorism National unemployment remains at 4.9 percent Secret court cranks out secret warrants
BREAKING NEWS: U.S. launches strikes on Taliban, al Qaeda
Posted 3:30 p.m. Oct. 7 The United States began a targeted military campaign against the Taliban and al Qaeda terrorist network Sunday. U-WIRE's Washington Bureau and International Desk is following the story and will have complete coverage as events unfold. Specific content requests should be forwarded to Zeb Eckert, Washington Bureau Chief, at (202) 994-6399 or via e-mail at dcbureau@uwire.com
Blair offers Taliban ultimatum
Posted 11:30 p.m. Oct. 4 MANCHESTER, England - British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban government to "surrender the terrorists or surrender power," firing the latest salvo in a ever-growing assault of words against the government harboring accused terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden. Blair spoke to his Labor party at their annual conference in Brighton, assuring his fellow leaders that the only outcome of the war or terrorism would be "our victory, not theirs."
Oxford U. official predicts tuition increase
Posted 11:30 p.m. Oct. 4 MANCHESTER, England - Oxford University students could see their tuition skyrocket if the university is to maintain its position as top-notch institution, a college bursar predicted last month. David Palfreyman, director of the Oxford's Center for Higher Education Policy Studies and bursar of New College, said such changes would likely be needed to allow the university to compete with leading American universities and meet the needs of poorer students.
Column: Splendidly Above Zero
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — "Mom, I don't want to go to England, I don't want to hear the word 'splendid'." These are the opening lyrics of a song by a popular Finnish band, called "The Absolute Zero." The song is clearly meant to be cynical, but I still think it tells a lot about the Finnish mentality: don't try anything new, be safe at all times, avoid everything unfamiliar. And I can clearly see why the modest, reserved and introvert Finn might find the word 'splendid' a bit too expressive and overwhelming.
World Back/IMF postpone meetings, look ahead to 2002
Posted 4:15 p.m. Sept. 28 The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) will not hold their annual meetings this weekend in Washington, a move that could cut in half the number of demonstrators expected to attend. Police officials now estimate up to 10,000 demonstrators could visit the nation's capital, a number sharply cut from the original estimate of 100,000 people. The decision came shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.
Militant Islamic group recruits on British campus
Posted 1:45 p.m. Sept. 26 MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — The Islamic extremist group Al-Muhajiroun took its message to the streets in one of England's largest student centers during freshman orientation week in an effort to recruit followers and argue a message with sexist, racist and homophobic connotations. The group, who has been banned from British University campuses by the National Union of Students (NUS), manned a station on a public street on Manchester's Oxford Road and attracted crowds with loud rhetoric and graphic pictures.
Netanyahu joins House committee to examine attacks
Posted 4:25 p.m. Sept. 21 State supported terrorism must be stripped of its resources if the United States hopes to mount a successful campaign against violence, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a House committee Thursday. Speaking from his experience as leader of a country long involved in a bloody religious and political struggle with its Palestinian neighbors, Netanyahu called last week's attacks on the United States a "wake-up call from hell."
NEWS NOW: Presidential address calls for unity
Posted 9:55 p.m. Sept. 20 In a highly anticipated address to a joint session of Congress Thursday night, President Bush announced the creation of a Cabinet-level position to fight terrorism and pledged a vigorous military campaign against rogue nations. The President appointed Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to lead the newly-created Office of Homeland Security, aimed to develop a "comprehensive strategy against terrorism."
U.S. citizens eager for retaliation; experts theorize on possible suspects
Posted 7:00 p.m. Sept. 12 A sweeping percentage of Americans would support military action against terrorist groups suspected in Tuesday's deadly attacks, a Washington Post-ABC News Poll reported Wednesday. Close to 95 percent of adults interviewed in a random telephone survey were adamant that the United States should swiftly retaliate. Whether the numbers represented the heightened emotions of the day or the solid beliefs of Americans, the government said it would not delay in finding the suspects.
Students across the nation react to tragedy
Posted 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12 College students across the country experienced a full tumult of emotions from shock, horror and disbelief as they watched images of the unprecedented terrorist attacks on New York and Washington Tuesday. The leveling of the World Trade Center in New York and part of Washington's Pentagon shook the campuses of approximately 15 million students causing numerous universities to cancel classes and hold vigils. Students huddled in front of television sets watching news reports that looked more like movies than reality.
U-WIRE International Desk: Europe shaken by attacks on U.S.
Posted 4:55 p.m. Sept. 12 MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - The day after the World Trade Center was reduced to a smoldering pile of rubble by hijacked passenger jets, England and the European Union struggle to both respond to the tragedy and assess what this means for the future of the world politics. The United Kingdom and the E.U. have offered the diplomatic support expected in the wake of such disasters, but there is marked apprehension about the expected response by the United States when a response comes.
Tragedy leads to major rescue efforts
Posted 12:00 a.m. Sept. 12 Less than twelve hours after a catastrophic act of terrorism leveled New York's World Trade Center towers and ripped through the Pentagon, the streets in the nation's capital were eerily quiet. Even as firefighters extinguished the last flames at the Pentagon and World Trade Center and began a rescue effort for hundreds of people feared dead, the destruction and chaos from earlier in the day seemed as confusing and horrific as when it all began.
Hijacked planes cause devastation in New York, D.C.
Posted 7:39 p.m. Sept. 11 As smoke and fire continue to billow from the Pentagon, government officials believe the explosion that rocked the home of the Department of Defense Tuesday morning happened when a hijacked American Airlines 757 slammed into the side of the building. The Los Angeles-bound Flight 77 originated from Dulles International Airport, approximately 40 miles from the center of Washington.
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Terrorists strike New York, D.C.
Posted 4:35 p.m. Sept. 11 In an unparalleled assault, terrorists struck targets in New York and Washington today, causing widespread damage and panic as explosions leveled New York’s World Trade Center towers and part of the Pentagon, near Washington D.C. Casualty figures have yet to be counted but numbers are expected to be disastrous, as approximately 50,000 people on average work at the twin towers every day and thousands of personal are employed at the Pentagon.
BREAKING NEWS
Posted 11:31 a.m. Sept. 11 Terrorist explosions rocked points around the nation Tuesday morning. The Washington Bureau of U-WIRE is following the developments and will provide updates throughout the day. Requests for unique coverage should be forwarded to Editor Zeb Eckert at (202) 994-6399.
Washington Recap: Sept. 4, 2001
A weekly roundup of top news briefs from the nation's capital.
Pentagon prepares to send forces abroad
Posted 6:50 p.m. Sept. 19 The Pentagon secured plans Wednesday to shift an arsenal of combat and supply aircraft to the Persian Gulf, the first clear sign that an organized military response to last week's terrorist attacks could be soon underway. While those aircraft remain in the United States, the decision by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is considered an integral first move in preparing for the arrival of combat forces.
U-WIRE International Desk: U.S. students, Africans mourn abroad
Posted 5:42 p.m. Sept. 17 NAIROBI, KENYA — Terrorist attacks of three years ago in Nairobi, Kenya, were rehashed last Tuesday afternoon as Kenyans listened to news of assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In August 1998, terrorists associated with Osama bin Laden bombed U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Nigeria's capital Dar, killing 224 people and injuring more than 4,000. For many Kenyans, a sympathetic cry went out Tuesday for the innocent lives lost.
U-WIRE International Desk: Europe and NATO rally support for U.S.
Posted 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17 MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — The U.S. is working to secure international support for possible retaliation against the perpetrators of the worst terrorist act in history. While authorities continue to speculate who is to blame, consensus seems to have settled on Saudi-born international terrorist Osama bin Laden. In an unprecedented move, NATO voted last week to evoke Article 5 of its charter, which stipulates that an attack on any NATO member is an attack on the group as a whole.
Commentary: Watching the violence from abroad
Posted 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17 MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — When I heard the news, I ran to the nearest television in the Student Union's bar. In a special report, the BBC played the now familiar video of the airliners as they plunged through the towers of the World Trade Center, plumes of flaming jet fuel punching their way through the buildings seconds later. The film, etched into the minds of the world, continued as the two towers fell to the streets of lower Manhattan from where they had been raised 30 years before.
