WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Nicholas Berg, who was executed in Iraq, was eulogized and interred in private ceremonies here Friday – far removed from the spotlight that has focused international attention on his family. Berg, 26, the communications entrepreneur whose beheading was videotaped by his militant Islamic captors, was described as a caring and adventurous young man during a memorial service attended by about 450 friends and family members. Berg was buried in a family plot at a Jewish cemetery outside Philadelphia, neighbors said.
D.C.: Statement on troops in Iraq
U.S.-led coalition forces would leave Iraq if a new interim government asks them to, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday. However, he added such a request is unlikely. Powell said the United States believes a U.N. resolution passed last year and Iraqi administrative law provide necessary authority for coalition forces to remain beyond the scheduled June 30 hand-over of government to Iraqis. “We’re there to support the Iraqi people and protect them and the new government,” he said. “I have no doubt the new government will welcome our presence and am losing no sleep over whether they will ask us to stay.”
Bush to mark twins’ graduation
President Bush and his wife, Laura, will dash from Texas to Connecticut next weekend for private celebrations of their twin daughters’ college graduations. Jenna Bush graduates May 22 from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English. Barbara Bush graduates May 24 with a degree in humanities from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The Bushes will attend private dinners for family and friends Saturday in Austin and Sunday in New Haven, but will not attend graduation ceremonies at either school, a spokesman said.
65 arrests in child porn crackdown
A nationwide inquiry into child porn trafficking using Internet file-sharing networks has resulted in 1,000 investigations and at least 65 arrests, federal officials said Friday. The investigation centers on the growing use of “peer-to-peer” networks that allow users to connect computers directly with one another to exchange files. That provides greater anonymity than traditional Internet servers, which are easier to track. The maximum sentence for a federal child pornography distribution conviction is 20 years in prison. First offenders face a minimum sentence of five years.
N. Carolina: Billy Graham in hospital
Evangelist Billy Graham was hospitalized Friday for the second time this year after he fell at his home, a family spokesman said. Graham, 85, was listed in stable condition at a hospital. Preliminary tests indicated a possible hairline pelvis fracture. Graham said in a statement he is resting comfortably, and expressed gratitude for prayers on his behalf. Doctors planned more tests today to determine the extent of his injuries.
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