News In Brief
The US
Paula Jones was to reveal whether she would appeal the dismissal of her sexual-harassment lawsuit against President Clinton. She had reportedly held meetings with her lawyers, who have said it was likely she would pursue the case. The suit was thrown out April 1 by US district Judge Susan Webber Wright in a stunning legal victory for the president.
The Christian Broadcasting Network said it would likely appeal a court ruling that it must produce notes by Monday about its financial dealings with the Christian Coalition. The notes are being sought as part of a Federal Election Commission investigation of allegations that the coalition violated its tax-exempt status by engaging in partisan politics. The Rev. Pat Robertson, who heads the network, said the notes - sought by a US court in Norfolk, Va. - were records from auditors.
The US proposed mandatory changes in early model Boeing 737s, the world's most commonly used commercial plane. The proposed Federal Aviation Administration directive calls for electrical surge-suppression systems or shielding of wiring routed to the plane's fuel tanks, as well as flame arrestors and pressure-relief valves in fuel-vent systems.
A Paraguayan Embassy official said his country would pursue a complaint against the US over violation of Angel Francisco Breard's rights. Breard was executed Tuesday night in Virginia after Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) ignored pleas from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the World Court that the execution be delayed. Virginia officials acknowledged they failed to inform Breard of his right to contact the Paraguayan consulate after his arrest on murder charges as required by the 1963 Vienna Convention.
Booming business on the Internet is boosting economic growth and moderating inflation, the Commerce Department said. Its report found that growth of data-technology industries accounted for more than one-quarter of the nation's growth over the past five years. It said Internet business, which was merely a trickle last year, could pass the $300 billion level by 2002.
A judge in Arkansas called for an inquiry into Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr's ties to other conservatives. US district Judge Henry Woods said groups accused of funneling money to key government witness David Hale might also have orchestrated removal of Woods from a Whitewater case. Woods, a Democrat, was assigned to hear a fraud and conspiracy case against then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker (D) until the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals removed him in March 1996. Starr had asked that Woods be removed after the judge tossed out Tucker's initial indictment.
A planned launch of the space shuttle Columbia was delayed for at least a day because of an equipment problem. A space agency official said a device in the crew cabin that routes voice and data transmissions had failed during the final hours of the countdown.
