News Briefs
July 2, 1996
Web posted at: 11:00 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT)At Auschwitz, first lady urges vigilance against intolerance
WARSAW, Poland (CNN) -- U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the former Auschwitz Nazi death camp Tuesday, calling it a symbol of "irrational evil," and saying the Holocaust site showed the need for constant vigilance against extremism and intolerance.
She cited the example of church burnings, some apparently racially motivated, in the southern United States, and said society should "make a statement against those who would deny the humanity and rights of others based on their race."
She is on a goodwill tour of Eastern and Central Europe. She also visited a revitalized Jewish community in Warsaw.
Related story:
- First lady tells Romanians democracy is right path - July 1, 1996
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Judge refuses to block extradition of N. Ireland fugitive
SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- A U.S. federal judge Tuesday rejected an attempt by Northern Ireland fugitive Jimmy Smyth to avoid extradition to Britain.
Smyth's lawyer said it would be illegal to return him to Britain because it would violate a U.N. convention against torture. But U.S. District Judge Charles Legge turned down the request for a temporary restraining order, saying his court had no jurisdiction over the issues raised.
Legge said he would sign the certificate authorizing Smyth's extradition. He also ordered that Smyth, who has been free on $1.5 million bail, be taken into custody. The decision on whether to extradite Smyth now rests with U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
Smyth was convicted in 1978 of the attempted murder of an off-duty prison guard in Belfast and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has been in the United States since 1983, when he and 37 other inmates escaped from Northern Ireland's Maze Prison.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Ramos jeered over Muslim peace deal
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (CNN) -- Philippine President Fidel Ramos was mobbed in the southern part of the country Tuesday by more than 1,000 mostly Christian protesters angry over a plan to give Muslims more say in the government. (595K QuickTime movie)
Philippine leaders have agreed to create an autonomous Muslim region in the south as a way to quell a two-decade-long insurrection that has left tens of thousands dead.
Israeli jets blast Palestinian bases
RASHAYA, Lebanon (CNN) -- Israel jets bombarded Palestinian bases in southern Lebanon on Tuesday in retaliation for a guerrilla attack in the West Bank last week that left three Israeli soldiers dead, security sources said.
There was no word on casualties at the bases, which are operated by Col. Saeed Moussa, a dissident member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Moussa's Syrian-backed Fatah-Uprising claimed responsibility for last week's attack near the Jordanian border.
Chinese fireworks factory explosion kills 40
BEIJING (CNN) -- Forty people died in rural Sichuan province when a fireworks factory exploded, the Shanghai newspaper Wenhui Bao reported Tuesday. Forty-seven people were injured.
The newspaper said authorities took the plant manager into custody and were investigating the cause of the Saturday blast. Most of those killed and injured were young female workers.
Democrats prepare to form new government in Mongolia
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia (CNN) -- Mongolia's opposition Democratic Union Coalition was celebrating Tuesday its stunning victory in national elections that ended 75 years of rule by communists and their heirs.
The deposed Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party had not made an official statement, but U.S. election observers said government leaders were prepared to relinquish control to the democrats.
Coalition leader Enkhsaikhan said the group would try to form its new government by mid-July.
U.S. begins swapping armored units for MPs
TASZAR, Hungary (CNN) -- The United States has begun to swap its heavily armored units in Bosnia for military police and other alliance forces will begin that process soon, NATO commander Gen. George Joulwan said Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry, visiting a staging area, said the swap reflected the success of NATO's peacekeeping operation in the region.
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