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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 1998)
t.fr- . - ■' 1 I - 1 I | 1 ■- - _ „ ... . re Wednesday, August 26,1998 Page 2 Bonnie gains strength HEAD,N.C. (AP) - About200,000 residents and visitors were ordered to leave North Carolina’s low-lying, exposed Outer Banks on Tuesday as Hurricane Bonnie accelerated on a path feat could carry its fury into fee banter island chain The National Weather Service said Bonnieh center wife its 115 mph wind could be near the Outer Banks by today. Hurricane warnings were posted from Murrells Inlet, S.C., to the North Carolina-Virginia state line. The warn ings mean dangerous wind and heavy rain could hit fee area within 24 hours. Hurricane watches extended south to Savannah, Ga., and north to Cape Henlopen, Del. While the storm was still hundreds of miles away, the Atlantic was showing its effects wife 10-foot waves reported on fee North Carolina beach. Gray, white-cappedwaves hit the New Jersey shore in breakers 4 feet to 6 feet high, pounding onto the sand wife a (hill roar. Margaret Boone, of Thurmont, Md., wasn’t surprised feat her vacation to the Outer Banks with six friends was ending Tuesday rather than Saturday. The state of Virginia and some coastal communities elsewhere already had banned swimming because of rip tides- strong currents near fee beaches - that are blamed for three drownings over the weekend in South Carolina, North Carolina and Delaware. “People were getting sucked out left and right,” said Margate Beach, NJ., lifeguard Mike Palmer. One man was missing Monday in the surf off Point Pleasant Beach. By midmorning Tuesday, the storm’s eye was centered about 450 miles south of Cape Hatteras, which sits on the Chita Banks 50 miles south of Nags Head. Its outer ring of clouds was not even reaching the mainland yet as thehurri cane wobbled toward die northwest at about 11 mph. Evacuation orders, which were called mandatory although they don’t have the force of law and can’t be enforced, were issued for the Outer Banks by Dare County and Ocracoke, an island accessible only by ferry. Farther south, Carteret County planned to decide whether to order an evacua tion after a late morning meeting. Although the hurricane warning covered part of South Carolina, Gov. David Beasley said Ibesday there was no reason yet to evacuate any of that stated coast Nearly 2,000 South Carolina National Guard troops and law enforce ment officers were available to conduct an evacuation if one becomes neces sary, said Gary Karr, a spokesman for Beasley. People on the Outer Banks were urged to head for the mainland immedi ately. But as dawn broke with a blue sky, runners took their morning jog on the beach road and golfers kept their tee times. Paul Peck, a retiree from Charlottesville, Va., said he’d never experienced a hurricane and wanted to watch the ocean change. “We’d like to hang around for one more day, but I’m worried about the traffic if we do,” said Peck, who turned to the desk clerk at the Holiday Inn Nags Head for advice. “You’ve got 12 to 15 hours, plenty of time,” said desk cleric Sheri Ward. Residents of the North Carolina shore haven’t forgotten about Hurricane Fran, which struck the region in 1996. “1th really starting to concern peo ple around here,” said Ronna Lewis, whose home on North Carolina’s Topsail Beach, perched four feet off the ground on concrete supports, escaped flooding during Fran by inches. “It’s just hurry up, wait and see.” s ^/vr) — vvnue a Sudanese pharmaceuticals plant hit by U.S. missiles publicly provided medi cine to Iraq undo* a U.N.-approved pro gram, plant scientists secretly worked with Iraqi counterparts on chemical weapons projects, according to U.S. intelligence. U.S. intelligence intercepts of phone conversations between scientists at the plant in Khartoum, Sudan, and some of the top officials in Iraq’s chem ical weapons program influenced ; President Clinton’s decision:to order a. : cruise missile strike on the plant, an | action that drew loud protests.* ■** A key factor in the strike was a soil sample from the plant site that showed traces of a man-made chemical that is a key ingredient in the deadly nerve agent VX, a U.S. intelligence official said Monday. The Shifa Pharmaceuticals plant was destroyed last Thursday in a U.S. cruise missile attack at the same time Navy-launched cruise missiles struck at a suspected terrorist base in eastern Afghanistan. In an echo of the contro versy over the bombing of what Iraq ciaunea was a Daoy mine iactory during the Persian Gulf War, Sudanese offi cials have protested to the United Nations that the plant made medicine, not weapons. Underpressure to back up its claim, the Clinton administration on Monday let U.S. intelligence officials discuss some of the evidence that led to the decision to strike. A U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the physical evidence being cited repeatedly by Clinton administration officials is a soil sample “obtained by clandestine means” from the Sudan plant property. The sample showed traces of a man-made chemical called EMPTA, or O-ethylmethylphospho nothioic acid - a material with no com mercial uses that is a key ingredient of VX. “Once you have it, you’re a long way toward the production of VX,” the intelligence official said. The material apparently got into the soil immediately outside die plant, but on the plant prop erty, “either through airborne emissions or spillage from die manufacturing process, me omcial did not describe how the soil sample was obtained. “This is something we went out of our way to get” While defending its actions, the administration nevertheless conceded that the facility probably also manufac tured medicines. “That facility very well may have been producing pharmaceuticals,” State Department spokesman James Foley said. Among other things, the plant had been approved to produce medicine for shipment to Iraq under the humanitarian exception to the U.N. imposed trade sanctions on that coun try. “But that in no way alters the fact that the factory also was producing pre cursor elements” of nerve gas, Foley said. Last week, senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters following the attack said they knew of no commercial prod ucts made at the Shifa plant. Eyewitness accounts by Western jour nalists who toured the wreckage, how ever, included descriptions of pills and medicine bottles strewn all over die site. Blast rocks Planet Hollywood CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - one woman was killed. Her nationality and those of the injured were not imme diately known. A witness who had been at the ground-floor bar in the two-story Hollywood-theme restaurant described a horrific scene. ‘1 saw people without limbs,” Bertie Liebenberg, who was visiting from Johannesburg, told the South African Press Association. “Decor on the ceiling came crashing down, and crashed onto people, tables and chairs.” Reger Sedres, a local photographer, said he heard the explosion as he drove past the restaurant, then saw the wound S % 4 Building administrator refuses to authorize vigil OMAHA (AP) - A building administrator said he will not authorize another vigil to commemorate a 1919 incident in which a Mack man was lynched by a mob at the Douglas County Courthouse. Building Administrator Erie Pherson said later; however, he would let the Omaha-Douglas Public Building Commission decide whether to authorize a second vigil to remember die case of William Brown. A group of Creighton University students held a candlelight vigil on the anniversary of Brown’s hanging last year. The students and professor David Lopez want to do so again Sept 27. Pherson, in a letter to Lopez last week, said he would not authorize the vigil. He cited a city ordinance prohibiting activities that incite race riots. Douglas County Clerk Tom Cavanaugh said die stance of Pherson’s letter disturbed him and Pherson should resign Cuban-Americans indicted for Castro murder conspiracy WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven Cuban-Americans were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to murder Cuban President ' Fidel Castro. The indictment, returned in San Jnan, Puerto Rico, and announced by the Justice Department here, alleged the defendants plotted for four years to kill Castro outside the United States and particularly during his trip to a summit meeting on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, inNoveniber 1997. If convicted, they could face up to life in prison, the department said. At least one of the defendants, Jose Antonio Llama, is a member of the Cuban American National Foundation, but the foundation’s president, Francisco ‘Tepe” Hernandez, was not charged in the indictment Lawyers for both men had predicted in Miami last week that they would be charged with such a plot this week. teSHBHI I1 Northern Israeli town bombed, injuring at least 19 people KIRYAT SHEMONA, Israel (AP) - Katyusha rockets slammed into northern Israeli towns Tuesday night, injuring at least 19 people, after a top ) Lebanese guerrilla leader was killed by an Israeli helicopter that ambushed his car in south Lebanon. Along the northern border, Israeli residents dashed for shelters after the rockets took them by surprise. “People are in panic, in panic and fear. There are the wails of women and children,” resident Samir Sulidan told Israel radio. i The barrage fell only hours after an Israeli helicopter gunship fired a rocket of its own, killing guerrilla commander Hossam al-Amin, reported ly the second-in-command of the military faction of Shiite Muslim guer rilla group, Arnal, as he was driving along a south Lebanese coastal road not far from the Israeli border. Blair to recall Parliament to approve anti-terrorist bills OMAGH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Prime Minister Tony Blair promised Tuesday that the United Kingdom will toughen its anti-terrorist powers, abol ishing toe right to. silence for suspected members of violent splinter groups, so that “the future contains no more Omaghs.” Standing amid toe boarded-up, gutted downtown where Irish Republican ' Army dissidents slaughtered 28 people and wounded 330 others 10 days ago, Blair announced Parliament would be recalled Sept. 2 to approve what he called “Draconian and fundamental” hills The proposals were announced after Blair shook hands and said “I’m so sorry” to hundreds of appreciative residents in the drizzling rain. The legislation would end the right to silence for those accused of orga- \ nizing bomb or gun attacks in opposition to April’s multi-party peace agree ment The British proposals closely mirror bills that the Irish government intends to enact at its own emergency parliamentary session before President Clinton arrives Sept 3 to tour Northern Ireland and toe Irish Republic. “ —-1 i Nphr&dranL j __ „ . __ Questions? Comments? PAIHW* dill UIDSOQ A»L |nj ennmnrlMa ■■ «J|ne> —sa* — ^ WSSST Aiwuiiif newsmm» oryccoicqh m^ —«_<_ ^ ■— Associate News Editor: Brad Davis Of MN dnCunllnfO.unl.edu. Assignment Editor: KaseyKober Opinion Editor: Cliff Hicks General Manager: DanShattil aporo tumor. ottn mcilcwod ^iipycMiom iwiru jcssci jhoh my hi, A&E Editor: Bret Schulte Chairwoman: (402)466-8404 Copy Deric Chief: Diane Broderick Professional Adriaer: Don Walton, Photo Chief: Matt Miller (402) 473-7301 DafattCMef: Nancy Christensen Advertising Manager- NickPaitsch, Art Director: Matt Haney (402)472-2589 Online Editor: Gregg Steams Asst Ad Manager: Andrea Oeltien Diversions Editor: Jeff Randall daadflrld Ad Manager: Mami Speck Fax number (402) 472-1781 World Wide Web: www.unLeduA)aiiyNeb The Daily Nebraskan (USPS144-080) is pubfehed by the UfcPubicatiore Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R SL, Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday duming the academe yean weekly during the summer sessions.The pubic has access to the Publications Board. Readers are encouragedto submit story ideas and comments to toe Daily Nebraska by caKng (402)472-2588. if Subscriptions are $55 tor one year. 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