WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday refused President Bush’s demand to ratify a free trade deal with Colombia, voting to delay consideration of the pact until after the November elections. The House’s action effectively pushed debate on the issue into the next administration and averted a potentially embarrassing showdown for the Democratic presidential candidates. Republicans denounced the move, saying it damaged a key ally and undermined American credibility.
Navy officer worked at escort firm
A Navy officer could face punishment — including discharge — after testifying Thursday that she moonlighted for the alleged prostitution ring run by the so-called “D.C. Madam” while stationed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca C. Dickinson, 38, managed the Naval Academy’s food services between September 2004 and May 2007, Navy officials said. She acknowledged on the witness stand Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington that she worked as an escort for a service run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey.
Hawaii: Gasoline tops $4 a gallon
The average price of regular gasoline on Maui island has reached a record $4 a gallon. Wailuku is the first area in the nation tracked by AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report to hit the $4 mark. In the remote coastal town of Hana, the price is around $4.55 a gallon. Maui’s average is up about half a cent from Wednesday, 5.7 cents from a month ago and about 74 cents from a year ago. The state’s average stands at $3.67.
Virginia: MLK confidant convicted
A jury in Leesburg convicted an iconic civil-rights figure of incest Thursday after concluding that he had sex with his teenage daughter 15 years ago. The Rev. James L. Bevel, 71, a top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. who also helped organize the Million Man March, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced. Bevel’s daughter testified that she was repeatedly molested by Bevel beginning when she was just 6 years old.
Pennsylvania: Cop linked to heist
A New York City transit officer made off with $113,000 in an armed bank heist Thursday but was arrested a few blocks away, police in northeast Pennsylvania said. Rookie officer Christian Torres, 21, had his New York Police Department badge and identification card on him when he was arrested, Muhlenberg Township police said. A bag of cash was found on the front seat, they said. Torres was off work Thursday and used a personal handgun in the crime, police said.
Russia: Soyuz spacecraft docks
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying South Korea’s first astronaut docked successfully at the international space station Thursday, officials said. The Soyuz TMA-12 craft carrying Yi So-yeon, a South Korean bioengineer, and cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko hooked up with the orbiting station two days after its launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome. South Korea paid Russia $20 million for Yi’s flight.
Britain: $3.3 million for dagger
A dagger used by the emperor who built the Taj Mahal sold Thursday for $3.3 million, an auction house said. The dagger once belonged to 17th century Mogul emperor Shah Jahan, whose empire spanned the entire Indian subcontinent and what is now Afghanistan, Bonhams auctioneers said. A royal emblem and dates inscribed on the curved-tip blade suggest it was made in 1630 for the emperor’s 39th birthday. Shah Jahan’s name and title are also inscribed on the blade. The dagger sold for three times its expected auction price at Bonhams Indian and Islamic sale in London.
France: School cuts spark protests
Police sprayed tear gas at demonstrators who threw rocks and scuffled Thursday with riot officers on the edges of a protest that organizers say drew tens of thousands of high school students worried about teacher job cuts. Students have been marching in solidarity with their teachers amid fears that job cuts will lead to overcrowded classes and limit the number of subjects taught. The government plans to cut 11,200 jobs in the national education system in the next school year.
Indonesia: Padlocks for masseuses
Massage parlors in an Indonesian town are asking their female workers to padlock their skirts and pants to make it clear that sex is not on offer. At least one parlor in the tourist town of Batu on Java island has required its masseuses to padlock their skirts or trousers to make it clear that the establishment does not tolerate prostitution. Others in the town started following suit. “The padlocking phenomena has been seen at various parlors and it is something we like,” the head of the town’s public order authority said. He denied media reports that he had formally ordered them to wear padlocks.
From Herald news services
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