Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Census response rate increases by Randoplh Schmid Associated Press i WASHINGTON —Two-thirds of Americans re turned their census fomis tliis year, reversing a long slide in initial participation in the official national head count, the government reported Tuesday. The final 2000 census response rate by mail or Internet was 67 percent, two percentage points higher than the mailback rate in 1990, Census Di rector Kenneth Prewitt said. “That result halts a... slide and actually begins to reverse it,” said Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. The wider participation also saves money, Pre witt said, because every percentage point of mailed response represents 1.2 million households that don’t have to be visited by Census workers. Thanks to that improvement in response, the $6.5 billion effort “will be in the black,” he said. “The American people stepped forward and sent, in their forms and that made it less expensive.” The Census had budgeted for a 61 percent re sponse rate, following declines from 78 percent in 1970 to 75 percent in 1980 and 65 percent in 1990. Census field workers are now completing fol low-up visits to homes that failed to answer their forms, said Prewitt. The 1990 rate was topped despite controver sy about questions on the long form which some people felt were intrusive. Prewitt said the return rate for the short form was about 11 percent bet ter than for the long form, but the difference was made up during follow-up visits to people’s homes. , • The actual tabulation of the nation’s popula tion must be delivered to President Clinton by Dec. 31. The Supreme Court hist year ruled those fig ures must be used to reapportion the 435 seats in the House. Population figures, adjusted by using a statisti cal method known as “sampling,” are scheduled for release by April 1. Those numbers will be based on adjustments to the head count after a survey of 314,000 house • holds. Sampling has provoked controversy and con tinues to face scrutiny in Congress. Supporters of sampling say it helps account for people missed in prior counts, especially the poor, minorities and inner-city residents — segments of the population that tend to vote Democratic. Opponents contend that only an actual head count can be accurate. The suite and local numbers are used in draw ing legislative district lines and allocating billions of dollars in federal and other aid. The top response rate, 76 percent, was scored by Iowa and 14 states topped 70 percent, the agency said. Puerto Rico had the lowest rate at 53 percent. IMF: World economy improving by Martin Crutsinger Associated Press WASHINGTON — The world economy should achieve its best growth in more than a decade this year, with conditions remaining strong in 2001, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. It warned of numerous risks to its optimistic forecast, however, which include rising world oil prices and record trade deficits in the United States. The IMF said in its new Wforld Economic Out look that conditions continue to improve after se vere recessions caused by Asia’s financial crisis in 1997-98. The projection of 4.7 percent growth in world output this year represents a 0.5 percent upward re vision from the IMF’s last forecast, issued in May. If realized, it would mark the world’s strongest eco nomic growth since another 4.7 percent rise in 1988. Growth was projected at a strong rate of 4.2 per cent in 2001, a 0.3 percent increase from prediction in May. “This improvement has been led by the con tinued strength of the U.S. economy, a robust ex pansion in Europe and a nascent — albeit still frag ile — recovery in Japan,” IMF economists said. The IMF outlook was released in advance of an nual meetings of the 182-nation IMF and its sister lending agency, the World Bank, scheduled to start this weekend in Prague, Czech Republic. Those meetings are expected to attract thousands of anti globalization protesters. While optimistic about prospects for growth, the IMF said the economic outlook is clouded by potential risks that include America’s soaring trade deficit, its liigh-flying stock market and superchaiged growth that could trigger inflation troubles in the United States. The imbalance in America’s current account, the broadest measure of U.S. trade, hit a record $331.5 billion last year and has been running this year at an annual rate above $400 billion. A huge U.S. trade deficit could tum into a seri ous problem for the American economy if foreign ers were to decide suddenly to dump dollar-de nominated assets, which could push the U.S. currency down sharply and trigger steep declines in U.S. stock and bond markets. Briefing reporters in Prague, IMF chief econ omist Michael Mussa said it is possible the U.S. econ omy could once again surprise forecasters with stronger-than-expected growth next year. He said the IMF believes “more risks are on the downside.” The IMF said it worries also about the euro, the new currency of 11 European countries, which has been hitting record lows in recent weeks. Referring to the various threats, the IMF said, “The possibility that these imbalances may unwind in a disorderly fashion remains a risk to the global expansion.” As for oil, the IMF said oil prices are about 20 percent higher than the IMF had assumed in its eco nomic forecast, an increase of $5 a barrel. It esti mated this should add $40 billion over a year’s time tlio r»il ininr»rt Hillc of inHllCtnul PHIintriPS Aflfi Cllt their economic growth by 0.2 percentage points. A senior IMF official who briefed reporters on the coming meetings said that “high oil prices are a risk for next year, but in our judgment we should not exaggerate the situation.” This official, who spoke on condition his name not be used, said the IMF currently calculates that the 4.7 percent estimate for overall world growth could be trifumed next year by between 0.3 per centage point ;uid 0.5 percentage point if oil prices remain above $30 per barrel for an extended time. On Monday, oil prices soared to a new lCfyear high of $36.88 on spot markets amid escalating ten sions between Iraq and Kuwait and doubt among tnideis tint OPEC’s promise to increase output would liave much impact. For the United Suites, IMF economists predicted growth tills year of 5.2 percent, 0.8 percenuige point higher tlnui the May estimate, slowing to 3.2 per cent in 2001. The IMF said this would represent the hoped »■ Economy seepages Commission wary of AOL, Time merger by Robert Wielaard Associated Press BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Commission said Tuesday it has serious reser vations about America Online’s proposed merg er with Time Warner, heightening pressure on the companies-to amend their deal. The concerns arise in pan front the merg er's potential to dominate the online distribu tion of music. The European Commission is si multaneously examining a planned joint venture between Time Warner Inc.’s music subsidiary and Britain’s EMI Group PLC, two of the biggest music companies. The snag adds to worries expressed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which is pre pared to block the proposed $ 129 billion deal unless the companies agree to let competing services use their high-speed cable lines. A spokeswoman for the European Com mission, the administrative body of the Euro pean Union, declined to confirm reports Tues day that the EU stood ready to block the Time Wamer-AOL merger. But she said the EU re mained concerned about the proposal. The commission has set an Oct. 24 dead line to rule on the AOL-Time Warner deal and Oct. 18 deadline for Winter Music’s venture with EMI. Time Winter and AOL have until Sunday to offer concessions. EMI issued a statement in London on Tues day saying it has sent EU Competition Com missioner Mario Monti “a balanced set of reme dies intended comprehensively to address the issues raised by the Commission (and) intend ed to increase competition across the European music industry.” It did not elaborate. EU officials have never hid their doubts about both ventures. When it launched its extended probe into the Tune Wimer-AOLmetger in June, the Eu ropean Commission cited concerns the two com panies would hog the market for Internet mu sic distribution, Internet dial-up access and con tent. “We’re talking mainly about the concerns expressed in June,” European Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres said Tuesday. The European Commission has said Warn er Music’s venture with EMI — which markets the music of The Beatles, The Spice Girls, Garth Brooks, Pink Floyd and many others — could harm fair competition in sales of recorded mu sic, music’publication and the digital delivery of music. Time Warner and AOL played down con cerns about a possible EU veto of their deal. “This is a normal part of the process with the EU. We are totally comfortable with where we are at this stage of the negotiations,” the two companies said Monday in a joint statement. Time Winner and AOL need European an titrust approval if they want to do business in the 15-nation EU. r Many Kosovars might boycott election by Merita Dhimgjoka Associated Press KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia — A dark red marble marker overlooking Kosovo’s tensest community stands as a lonely relic of the years when Seths and Albanians fought a com mon enemy, the Nazis, instead of each other. It’s a reminder, as Yugoslavia heads into elec tions Sept. 24 with Slobodan Milosevic fighting to stay on as president, that things were once very different — that in its communist period Yu goslavia’s official credo was ethnic tolerance, and many of its citizens actually believed in it. Nowadays the memorial to those who “gave their lives for the freedom of the future genera tions” is overshadowed by other realities — the antennas and radio transmitters set up by NATO and the United Nations charged with keeping the peace between Serbs and Albanians. Below the monument lies kosovska Mitro vica, divided into hostile halves. The presidential and parliamentary elections include Kosovo, which nominally remains part of the Balkan federation despite being under NA TO and U.N. control. But the Serbs of Kosovska Mitrovica have other concerns — the approach of winter, and the fear of their Albanian neighbors, still in a venge ful mood over the Serb crackdown that led to the NATO bombing last year. Most of the 200,000-strong Serb minority has fled Kosovo. Those who remain are pressed in to NATO-protected enclaves, and they are angry — with the West for taking the Albanian side, but also, in many cases, with Milosevic for causing the war. The Yugoslav president rose to power more than a decade ago by promising to protect all of Yugoslavia’s Serbs. Instead, after goading Serbs into war tirst in Croatia, then Bosnia, and finally in Kosovo, he abandoned them, leaving them to the mercies of rival ethnic groups now in control. Still, Milosevic seems to hope Kosovo can help him win the election against his main rival, Vojislav Kostunica, who is presently ahead in the polls. Most of Kosovo’s 2 million Albanians, hav ing fought to break away from Serbia, will like ly boycott the elections. So will many Serbs, ac cording to some of their moderate leaders. Still, it is feared a boycott will play into Milo sevic’s hands by allowing him to claim the votes of those who stayed away. That should be relatively easy. The United Nations and NATO have said they will not monitor the voting, and restrict their role to keep ing the peace. Thus, like elsewhere in Yugoslavia, there will be no independent verification of who voted for whom. U.S. joins deep-sea exploration program by Randolph e. Schmid Associated Press WASHINGTON— With the impact of the oceans on weather and climate becoming in creasingly apparent, scientists are launching an ambitious worldwide effort to test the waters. They are planning to Launch some 3,000 ob servation buoys to measure the temperature and salinity of the oceans that cover nearly three quarters of the planet’s surface. The United States’ participation in the in ternational effort, known as Argo, was announced Tuesday by Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. “We are taking the plunge to understand our oceans,” he said. “What happens in the deep oceans is a big part of where the weather pat terns begin.” Sample buoys have already been deployed and a ship was setting sail from San Diego Tues day to launch six more, said D. James Baker, head of the National Oceanic and Atniospheric Administration. The buoys will enable scientists to study fur ther the impact of the oceans. Some of these ef fects are known already. It’s the change in the surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that drives the El Nino and La Nina phenomena that have affected weath er around the world — sometimes in spectac ular and disastrous ways. It’s the warm tropical waters that provide moisture and eneigy to generate the great storms known as hurricanes and typhoons. And it’s the Atlantic Ocean’s mild Gulf Stream that keeps the climate of Europe warm and pleasant, compared to other regions at the same latitude. The Aigo probes will test the waters where only occasional surface ship measurements have been available before. The buoys initially will be distributed about 185 miles apart and when deployed they will sink to a level 2,000 meters —just over a mile — deep where they will drift for 10 days. The buoys will then surface, measuring the temperature and salinity of the layers of wa ter they pass through. Once on the surface, they will radio their position and data to a satellite and sink again for another 10-day drift. The data collected will be retrieved from the satellites and made available freely to all in terested scientists for use in computers that help forecast the weather and to better understand how the oceans operate. The deep-water measurements will provide vertical profiles of water conditions similar to the atmospheric measurements currently col lected by balloons. The movement of the probes a mile below the surface will help chart deep currents in the oceans. The temperature profiles will give sci entists information on the energy contained in the waters and the salinity helps them under stand its density. For example, the giant Gulf Stream moves warm tropical water northeastward across the Atlantic, moderating the climate of Europe before cooling and sinking for a return trip south deep in the oceans. Some scientists fear that global warming could melt the Arctic ice cap, sending masses of Water SEE PAGE 5 Russian court refuses to free American prisoner by Judith Ingram Associated Press MOSCOW — A Moscow court on Tuesday turned down an appeal for freedom by Ameri can Edmund Pope, who has been jailed for five months on espionage chaiges. Pope had asked to be freed from jail so that he could undeigo treatment for cancer. But the Moscow city court ruled that the espionage charge was too serious to merit freeing him. He will re main in custody, the court’s secretary said. “The judicial authorities have decided they’ll observe the letter of the law, without paying attention to the spirit of the law,” said Pavel As takhov, Pope’s lawyer. According to his family, Pope has a rare form of bone cancer that was in remission when he was arrested. They aigue that he can’t get ade quate medical attention in jail. Astakhov said his client needed English speaking doctors. And Pope himself said that he needed cancer specialists. “I need proper care, I need someone who’s qualified and who understands the type of can cer that I’ve been threatened by,” he said from the defendant’s cage in the courtroom, where he stood to hear the court’s ruling. Russia’s Federal Security Service said that Pope was well enough to remain in custody. It said that cancer specialists had examined Pope on Thursday. “Nothing indicating that his disease is pro gressing was found,” security service spokesman Vasily Stavilsky said. Prisoner see pact 5 News Briefs ■ Senate votes on China trade bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is about to change the nature of U.S. China trade relations in a vote support ers say will add a critical element of stability between the two nations. Senate passage Tuesday of the PN TR, or permanent normal trade rela tions, bill is near certain, sending the legislation to President Clinton for his •signature. The measure is aimed at opening up China’s markets, bringing billions in new business to American companies and making China a more responsible and accountable member of the world ■ Buchanan visits Greenville, attacks U.N., Hollywood GREENVILLE (AP) —Pat Buchanan was as feisty as ever and richer than before as he restarted his presidential campaign at fundamental ist Bob Jones University. Decrying moral decay out of Hol lywood, he said: “Instead of breaking up Microsoft, why don’t we break up Disney?” Attacking what he sees as a drift to one-world government, he said the United States should kick the United Nations headquarters out of the coun try. That brought the heartiest applause from the 2,000 students and supporters who showed up Monday night to see the conservative commentator, recent ly sidelined by gall bladder surgery, try to rev up his campaign. ■ Town gives survivor Richard honorary day MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AP) — In August, “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch sued his hometown. Now the city has named a day after him. Hatch was presented with a com memorative town tile and a proclama tion on “Honorary Richard Hatch Day”—Sept. 18,2000 — inacere mony that highlighted the 39-year old’s ingenuity and guile but avoided talk of the litigation. Not long after Hatch returned from filming “Survivor,” police charged him with second-degree child abuse of his 9-year-old adopted son. Prosecu tors decided last month to drop the charge. Hatch now is seeking unspecified damages from the state Department of Children, Youth and Families. ■ Japan beats United States in softball BLACKTOWN, Australia (AP) — Stretched to 11 innings for the first time in two years, the U.S. softball leant gave up a pair of unearned runs on Dot Richardson’s two errors to hand Japan a 2-1 victory Tuesday and snap a 112-game winning streak. The game was the Americans’ longest since playing 12 innings against Australia in the 1998 world champi onships; that wits also their last loss. Even with the end of the winning streak, the defending Olympic champi ons’ have their medal hopes intact. The top four in the eight-team ( tournament advance to the medal round, and the favored Americans can still finish first. ■ Bomb kills 16 in Pakistan’s capital ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A bomb placed in a crate of grapes ripped through a crowded market Tuesday morning, killing 16 people and wounding more than 80 in Pak istan’s capital, police said. The blast was the deadliest of 40 bombings that have rocked Pakistani cities this year, and the government has blamed arch rival India for many of the previous attacks. £ No group immediately claimed re sponsibility.