Here's the News for the day as of 12:23pm
Central European Time:
________________________________________________________________________________
International Herald Tribune (www.iht.com)
Democrats to Control Senate After Republican Defection
Senator James Jeffords of Vermont announced Thursday that he was leaving the Republican Party and would help Democrats regain control of the Senate in a move expected to profoundly affect Bush administration initiatives.
McCain Slams White House as Democrats Woo Other Moderates
After four months in which President George W. Bush, by general agreement, has used the Republican majority here smartly, the departure of Senator James Jeffords has rattled the political china, illuminating divisions within the party and raising talk of further defections.
North Korean Bomb: Do They Have It?
A high-level team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has opened negotiations in Pyongyang with fresh demands for access to the nuclear weapons project that North Korea agreed to abandon seven years ago.
Africans Uncertain How to Interpret Powell's Visit
As one of the world's highest-profile diplomats, General Powell has lived the kind of African-American story that makes many Africans fiercely proud. But they are also deeply suspicious of General Powell's Republican affiliation.
Placebo Effect? A Myth, New Research Indicates
In a new report that is being met with a mixture of astonishment and, sometimes, disbelief, two Danish researchers say that the placebo effect is a myth.
Japanese in U.S. Baseball Break Mold
On the mound, at the plate and in the box seats behind home, something different is clearly in play when Major League Baseball's new Japanese stars are in the lineup.
China to Release Plane
China said Thursday that it had agreed to let the United States dismantle and take home in pieces the damaged U.S. Navy surveillance plane that landed on Hainan Island on April 1 after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet. ________________________________________________________________________________
BBC (www.news.bbc.co.uk)
Frantic search for Jerusalem survivors
Dozens of people remain buried beneath the rubble of a reception hall that collapsed in Israel's worst civil disaster.
Blair talks up euro
The UK prime minister says he believes he could win a referendum on Britain joining the euro, as he prepares to make a key speech on Europe.
Danger ahead, says US Fed chief
US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan signals that the country still faces the threat of recession as growth remains slow.
McVeigh execution confirmed
The US attorney-general says Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh will be executed on 11 June as withheld FBI documents contain no new evidence.
Intensive care failings 'cost lives'
Many patients discharged from critical care units over the past 10 years died unnecessarily, UK research suggests.
________________________________________________________________________________
The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
G.O.P. Strategy Challenged After the Jefford's Defection
Senator James M. Jeffords's decision to become an independent is an example of the perils of President Bush's strategy of governing from the right.
Rate Cuts Are Paying Off, Greenspan Says
Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, hinted that the most aggressive phase of the Fed's effort to ward off a recession may be over.
Power Trader Tied to Bush Finds Washington All Ears
Enron, the nation's largest electricity trader, has become close enough to the Bush administration to possibly have influence on federal energy policy.
Devastating Picture of Immigrants Dead in Arizona Desert
Federal officials say a smuggler likely abandoned more than two dozen men in the Arizona desert in an effort that killed at least 14 Mexican immigrants.
Israeli Hall Collapses; 25 Dead, Scores Injured
A festive Israeli wedding party turned into a national tragedy Thursday night as a crowded dance floor collapsed onto a packed dining hall.
________________________________________________________________________________
Panapress (www.panapress.com/english)
Intrigues beset voter registration in Gambia
Banjul, Gambia - Barely four days into the exercise, voter registration in Gambia ahead of the next presidential, parliamentary and local government elections has sparked off a controversy, with observers already anticipating a repeat of the whole process.
Kenyan motor industry may collapse
Nairobi, Kenya - A Kenyan minister has predicted the imminent collapse of the country's motor industry due to the influx of cheap imports.
South African bank signs deal to provide cellphone banking
Johannesburg, South Africa - Absa Bank in South Africa has signed a deal with Vodacom to make cellphone banking available to its six million clients.
South Africa reports 232 new cholera cases
Cape Town, South Africa - A total of 232 new cholera cases have been reported in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa since Wednesday afternoon
Chad to get 260 million-dollar debt cut
New York, US - The World Bank and IMF have agreed to support a debt reduction package of 260 million dollars for Chad under the debt initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC).
________________________________________________________________________________
China Daily (http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/index.html)
Jiang: Asia-Europe partnership bodes well for new century
The Third ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Foreign Ministers' Meeting opened in Beijing Friday, with Chinese President Jiang Zemin calling for a strengthening partership between the two huge areas.
Supachai: China could join WTO by next year
China could join the World Trade Organisation by the beginning of next year, the incoming chief of the trade body said on Thursday
Done Deal or No?
China says US agrees to take back EP-3 in pieces, but US questions
Article slams US for backing Dalai's separatist activities
The Human Rights Society of China (HRSC) Friday slammed the United States for its support of the Dalai clique's separatist activities and interference in China's internal affairs.
China backs peace in Korean Peninsula
Top visiting Chinese legislator Li Peng said Thursday that China supports the reconciliation process in the Korea Peninsula.
________________________________________________________________________________
Moscow Times (www.themoscowtimes.com)
Putin Wins Vote to Limit Parties
A bill that could wipe out most of Russia's political parties was passed in the second reading Thursday.
Russia Tries to Get Off Black List
The Duma has given tentative approval to an effort to take the country off a money-laundering black list.
Mr. Chubais Goes to Washington
UES chief Anatoly Chubais met with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Washington this week.
Drug Market $560M in Q1
Russia's pharmaceutical market grew to $560 million in the first quarter, according to Farmexpert.
Putin Pledges Gold for Flood Victims
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday toured the area Siberia that has been devastated by floods and promised to find federal funds to help rebuild the region's damaged homes.
________________________________________________________________________________
A Very Merry UnBirthday to
everyone