Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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f Fuel leak causes SUV recall by Nedra Pickler Associated Press WASHINGTON —Isuzu Motors Ltd • is recalling some 2000 and 2001 model year Troopers after the sport utility ve hicle leaked fuel in crash tests by an in surance industry group. The recall affects 18,460 vehicles, all of them 2000 Troopers with four wheel drive and 2001 models with four wheel drive that were produced before the problem was discovered this month. The Troopers leaked fuel in two of three front crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which released the results Tuesday. Fu el leaks are considered a serious prob lem because they can result in a fire if ignited. “We’ve conducted well over 100 frontal offset crash tests, and this is the first time we’ve seen a major fuel sys tem leak,” said Brian O’Neill, president of the Arlington, Va.-based institute. On June 21, a fuel line separated in the first test conducted on a 2000 Troop er. Isuzu engineers found a design prob lem and issued a voluntary recall of the 2000 vehicles. The automaker sent a letter to ve hicle owners and dealers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Sept. 21 but did not announce the re call to the media. The institute conducted a second test the day after the recall with a 2001 mod el with the new fuel line design, but the fuel hose tore, causing a second leak. Isuzu issued another recall to cover 2001 models on Monday. There was no fuel leak in the insti tute’s third test Nov. 2, but the organi zation still gave the vehicle a “margin al” rating, largely because of poor bumper performance and injuries measured on a crash-test dummy’s legs. The institute tests a vehicle by run ning it at an angle into a barrier at 40 mph, then rates it as good, acceptable, marginal or poor. The institute’s tests are particularly demanding because only the driver’s side of a vehicle strikes the bar rier, forcing a relatively small portion of the vehicle to absorb the crash eneigy. The federal government’s crash tests involve driving vehicles into a rigid bar rier with the full width of the front end making contact. The federal government has not tested the 2000 or 2001 model years of the Trooper. The institute also tested the 2001 BMW X5, the 2001 Mitsubishi Mon tero and the 2000 Nissan Xterra. The BMW was rated good and also earned a coveted “best pick” designation, while the other two SUVs were rated accept able. ‘We've conducted well over 100 frontal offset crash tests, and this is the first time we’ve seen a major fuel system leak.' Brian O’Neill Insurance Institute for Highway Safety President Women embark on record-breaking Antarctic journey by Mike Cohen Associated Press QUEEN MAUD LAND, Antarcti ca — An American polar adventurer and her Norwegian partner snapped on their skis Tuesday and pushed off across the ice and snow of Antarctica to try and become the first women to ski across the world’s coldest continent. Before setting off on their three month journey, Ann Bancroft, 45, of Scan dia, Minn., and Liv Amesen, 47, of Oslo, made a satellite telephone call to then expedition’s organizers to say they were prepared to start. People at this camp in Queen Maud Land confirmed the pair b^an ski ing in clear weather about 6 a.m. The two had hoped to begin their 2,400-mile journey Nov. 1, but were forced to wait 12 days in South Africa until the Antarctic weather cleared enough to let their plane land. Upon arriving Monday in Antarcti ca, the two tested out their equipment, took their sleds loaded with gear and food for a test run and declared themselves ready for their 100-day journey in which they will endure temperatures of minus 30 degrees and winds of up to 100 mph. “It feels good to be back in the har ness,” Bancroft said as she strained against the weight of the sled. “If we get agood start, we’ll be real confident.” Bancroft and Amesen intend to ski and windsail 12 hours a day and arrive at the South Pole by Christmas, despite their delayed start. If all goes according to plan, they will travel from the South Pole down to the McMurdo Station on the Ross ice shelf, where a boat will wait to take them away. The two teachers plan to use high tech computer equipment to relay their experiences to schoolchildren around the world via the Internet. In 1994, Amesen became the first woman to ski alone and unaided to the South Pole—a 50-day journey. Bancroft was the first woman to ski to both the North Pole and the South Pole. Now they hope to become the first women to ski across the continent with out outside assistance, a feat completed only by a handful of men. “It’s just a huge relief to finally get going,” Amesen said. Report: USS Cole guards were told not to fire first shot Associated Press IWASHINGTON — Sailors guarding Ithe USS Cole when terrorists bombed lit last month in Yemen didn’t have am I munition in their weapons and were in structed not to shoot unless fired upon, I The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Crew members told the newspaper ■ their “rules of engagement” prevent them from firing without obtaining permission from the ship’s captain or another offi cer. Suicide bombers in a small, explo sives-laden boat approached the Cole while it was refueling Oct. 12 in Aden harbor and detonated the explosives, rip ping a 40-by-40-foot hole in the steel hull. The blast killed 17 American sailors and injured 39. Petty Officer John Whshak told the Post he was manning an M-60 machine ' ;gun shortly after the Cole was hit Wishak said he waved the weapon at a second ! small boat that was approaching, but a senior chief petty officer ordered him to turn the gun away. Washak said he protested, fearing the ship was still under attack. But even in the aftermath of the bombing, “with blood still on my face,” he said he was told, “That’s the rules of engagement no shoot ing unless we’re shot at.” Rules of engagement aboard a U.S. warship are set by its captain following Navy guidelines. Pentagon officials won’t publicly discuss the specific rules in ef fect aboard the Cole. But senior offi cers said in congressional testimony that the ship filed a detailed security plan, which they think was followed. “If we had shot those people, we’d have gotten in trouble for it,” said Petty Officer Jennifer Kudrick, a sonar tech nician. “That’s what’s frustrating about ii. we would nave gonen in more trou ble for shooting two foreigners than losing 17 American sailors.” Navy spokesman Cmdr. J.D. Gradeck would not comment to the Post about the crew’s accounts, citing the ongoing investigation. The Post interviewed about 20 mem bers of the ship’s crew. Some said FBI investigators have told them the Cole might have been secretly boarded and surveyed by Islamic militants, possibly including one of the suicide bombers, as it passed through the Suez Canal a few days before the attack. The FBI also has been questioning crew members about the behavior of the Yemeni pilot who guided the Cole into port; some described him as “agitat ed.” Some crew members also said they thought Yemeni harbor workers acted suspiciously, the newspaper reported. Crew members also said their ship might have been looked over by Islam ic militants as it passed through the Suez Canal on the way to Yemen. While in the canal, the ship followed the Navy tradi tion of bringing Egyptian vendors aboard to sell souvenirs, they said. Paul Riddle, an operations specialist who worked in the Cole’s combat infor mation center, said FBI investigators told him “they think the Egyptians might have been doing a reconnaissance on us.” The Cole was operating under a mod erate-threat condition as it sailed into the Yemeni port. Crew members said the ship had a few guards on deck, but no one was posted on big machine guns near the bow and stem. “It wasn’t supposed to be a high threat port,” said crewman Nathan Bair. U.S. must make decision on tax measure by Friday by Jim Abrams Associated Press WASHINGTON-Havingpost poned broader budget and tax de cisions until December, Congress sent President Clinton a tax mea sure Tuesday that will replace a U,S. export tax system ruled an illegal trade subsidy by the World Trade Organization. The United States is facing a Fri day deadline to have the Senate passed measure signed into law or risk European Union trade sanctions against U.S. products. Clinton supports the bill, which passed the House on a 316-72 vote. “The clock is ticking, and only by acting now can we avoid a de structive trans-Atlantic trade war,” said Rep. Bill Archer, R-Texas, chair man of the House Ways and Means Committee. “There will be no win ners in such a war.” The bill, costing $4.5 billion over 10 years, would replace the current U.S. Foreign Sales Corpo ration tax system the EU success fully challenged in the WTO. The U.S. aim is to rewrite but preserve tax breaks used by more than 6,000 U.S. companies to avoid double taxation on income earned from exports. Lawmakers had intended to fin ish other bucket and tax work this week in the ninth lame-duck ses sion in the past half-century, but congressional leaders decided with tiie presidential race still unsettled to return in early December. “The feeling was there was just ’ too much uncertainty swirling around Washington and the presi dential campaign to conclude any thing tliis week,” said Senate Mi nority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. The House on Monday for the 16th time approved a temporary spending measure, this one through Dec. 5, to keep government pro grams running. The Senate followed suit on a voice vote Tuesday. The stopgap measure includes $1 million for Congress and near ly $6 million for the District of Co lumbia to cover presidential inau guration expenses and $200,000 for White House moving and transition costs. Before the election, the White House was agreeing to only one-day extensions in an effort to force Con gress into session-ending negotia tions. Wliite House budget director Jack Lew said the three-week ex tension “had a kind of inevitability to it” after the delay in complet ing the presidential election and law makers’ reaction to it. With the next occupant of the Wliite House uncertain, neither par ty knows how much leverage they have in pusliing for their priorities in the last days of this session. “Knowing what’s going to hap pen next year is going to be helpful in coming to a conclusion this year,” said Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a mem ber of the GOP leadership. Congress and the Wliite House have yet to agree on five of the 13 spending bills to run the federal gov ernment in fiscal 2001, which start ed Oct. 1. Also left hanging is a 10-year, $240 billion tax relief package that includes a $ 1 increase in die hourly minimum wage and liigher Medicare reimbursements for health care providers. The GOP leadership lias also re sisted Democratic efforts to make it easier for some Central Ameri can immigrants and illegal aliens to apply for permanent residence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Mon day brought to a head another high ly divisive issue when it issued new rules aimed at protecting some 100 million workers who perform repet itive functions such as typing, lift ing heavy loads or working on as sembly lines. The business community has lobbied hard against the rules, say ing they will add billions of dollars in costs. Republicans have pressed for a compromise under which the next president would have the au thority to withdraw the regulations before they go into effect. Before the election, the work place safety issue held up an agree ment on a $350 billion bill tc fi nance labor, health and education programs that provided new mon ey for hiring teachers and school re pair eagerly sought by the White House. House Majority Whip Tom De Lay, R-Texas, said OSHA’s issuing of the rules “pretty well blows up everything” on the labor-health-ed ucation talks. But Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said there was still room for negotiations. Busi nesses have until October to com ply with the new rules. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-SD., cau tioned Republicans against ignoring the president in his last days in of fice. “The president still has veto au thority until Jan. 20,” Daschle said. “It isn’t going to get any easier for them.” Global trade dispute continues among nations in Pacific Rim ■ Officials debate environmental, labor standards by Dirk Beveridge Associated Press BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI —After Pacific Rim nations agreed to push for new global trade talks, officials reverted Tuesday to squabbling over the same issues, the environment and labor standards, that wrecked the last effort to launch WTO negotiations. Thailand’s deputy prime minister, Supachai Panitchpakdi, insisted fresh talks at the World Trade Oiganization must steer clear of environmental and workers’ rights issues, which the Third World says would destroy its ability to exploit key economic advantages: nat ural resources and cheap labor. U.S. Trade Representative Char lene Barshefsky countered that the next U.S. Congress would be unlikely to act on any trade deal that excludes the issues held dear by'labor unions and environmentalists, who contend de veloping nations are competing un fairly when they pollute the environ ment and treat workers badly to produce goods at low cost. Poorer countries, led by Malaysia, have held firm against letting wealthy countries dictate the strate gy for proceeding with a new trade deal. Supachai, who will become leader of the Geneva-based WTO in 2002, recommended contentious topics be left off the table. “For the really controversial is sues of non-trade items, like environ ment and labor, I would suggest we go around them very cautiously. I don’t think we should have them in the ne gotiations,” Supachai said Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Eco nomic Cooperation forum. APEC can do no more than uige WTO talks to proceed after its heads of state meet Wednesday and Thurs day. The United States, Japan and Aus tralia sought a 2001 deadline for start ing new talks, but they were unable to overcome resistance from Malaysia, which demanded to see an agenda first. The United States disputed con tentions Tuesday that it had conceded a round in the battle for freer global trade. Barshefsky stuck by her prediction that the 139 members of the WTO can launch a new round of global trade ne gotiations by next year, even though poor nations succeeded Monday in in sisting an agenda be set before talks be gin. Barshefsky tried to play down any differences. “Once we have the agenda, we have the launch,” Barshefsky told re- 1 porters. “That is the same thing.” APEC leaders, including President Clinton, arrived throughout the day Tuesday, with a few more due Wednes day for the annual summit. They will have the final say on APEC’s posi tion on free-trade issues. Restarting trade talks has been a U.S. priority since last year’s disastrous WTO meeting in Seattle, which end ed with rich and poor nations divided and anti-globalization riots outside the conference hall. APEC leaders are worried about issues such as the high price of oil, -APEC SEE PAGE 9 News Briefs > ■ Florida counties continue recount as rhetoric increases (AP) — The hand recount of contested ballots is continuing in scattered Florida counties while lawyers for George W. Bush and A1 Gore clash in court and the two sides exchange increasingly baibed public comments. One week after the nation voted, nei ther contender has an electoral college majority, and both need the 25 elec toral votes offered by Florida to obtain one. Bush holds a 388-vote lead in an un official statewide recount tally maintained by The Associated Press, not including an unknown number of overseas absen tee ballots to be counted Friday. ■ Gene that helps bodies store fat might cause obesity NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A thrifty gene that helped cavemen survive food shortages appears to be a common un derlying trigger of both obesity and dia betes, researchers reported Monday. German researchers said the gene ap parently prompts the body to store up fat for later. They said the gene could be an important explanation of an inherit ed tendency to gain weight, especially among black people. Their work shows about 90 percent of blacks, 50 percent of Asians and 30 percent of whites carry at least one copy of the gene. ■ Peru in crisis as Fujimori leaves for summits LIMA, Peru (AP) — Hours after an embattled President Alberto Fujimori left Peru on a diplomatic trip, lawmak ers ousted his key ally from her post as Congress president Monday, opening the way for debate on whether to remove Fujimori as well. Fujimori’s departure to two summits, one in Brunei and the other in Panama, came amid a growing corruption scan dal swirling around his former spy chief and top aide, Vladimiro Montesinos. The scandal weakened Fujimori, forc ing his announcement in September that he would step down next July after new elections in the spring. Lawmakers voted 64-51 to remove Martha Hilde brandt, one of Fujimori’s staunchest al lies, as president of Congress. ■ European military group closes doors after 52 years MARSEILLE, France (AP) — The Western European Union went out of business without a whimper Monday af ter 52 years of biding time on the side lines of history. It was a fitting, low-key end for a mil itary group that spent the Cold War and the decade following it unheard and unseen in the shadow of the U.S.-led NA TO alliance. In 2001, the WEU will be absorbed by the European Union, a separate or ganization, which is adding a defense and security dimension to match its economic rlmit ■ Injured Griese leads Broncos to 27-24 victoiy DENVER (AP) — Playing with a sep arated throwing shoulder, Brian Griese led the Denver Broncos to a 27-24 Mon day night victory over the Oakland Raiders. Griese had his third game-winning drive of his brief two-year career. Al though that total leaves him well behind the 47 comeback drives of his prede cessor, John Elway, Griese is putting up statistics that rival Elway’s. It was the second loss this season for the Raiders (8-2), both to the Broncos, and it ended their six-game winning streak Denver (6-4) has beaten the Raiders 11 out of 12 meetings under coach Mike Shanahan.