Briefs

NationalBriefs New pleas, new deals for Snoop OBERLIN, Ohio — A lawyer for rapper Snoop Dogg, aka Calvin Broadus, appeared in an Ohio court to plead innocence for his client for charges of marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession charges. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of $250 and 30 days in jail. Dogg was cited Oct. 17 during a traffic stop. Highway patrolmen pulled over his “Puff Puff Pass 2001” tour bus for speeding. Drug sniffing dogs found six bags of marijuana in the cargo hold. The lawyer, Jay Milano, said that Dogg is an easy target and that his busses are sometimes pulled over just because they are Dogg’s. The pretrial hearing is set for Dec. 11. Dogg and his label, Doggy Style Records, has left Master P’s label No Limit and has signed on with MCA records. Dogg said that he has nothing against Master P or his label but he left because he felt that P’s distributor, Priority Records, was making too much profit off of his albums. Dogg had been with No Limit and Priority Records for three years. In other music news, Blink 182 will appear on Mad TV Nov. 24 in a skit that is a parody of “Leave it to Beaver.” They will not be performing. Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins is reuniting with the now-defunct band’s former drummer and two other musicians to form a new band called Zwan. They will perform four times in Southern California in November. — Reuters, Associated Press, Rolling Stone Terrorists may target Calif. bridges LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gray Davis announced Thursday that “credible evidence” has been received that major suspension bridges on the West Coast could be the targets of terrorist attacks during rush hour. Six incidents have been planned between Nov. 2 and 9, an FBI statement said. Davis said possible targets included the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge, both in the San Francisco Bay, the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles, and the Coronado Bridge in San Diego. Security in the area has been increased, including efforts by the National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and the California Highway Patrol. This is only the second credible bomb threat in the state out of hundreds that have been received. The first said that Los Angeles movie studios would be targeted. A Justice Department spokeswoman said that they are working to verify the information. Also on Thursday, Davis announced the appointment of George Vinson, 57, to the post of state security officer. Vinson will advise Davis on anti-terrorism strategies and be a liaison to the federal Office of Homeland Security. Vinson is a 23-year FBI veteran. — Associated Press Treasure found in World Trade Center rubble NEW YORK — Over $230 million in gold and silver was recovered from a delivery tunnel beneath 5 World Trade Center Wednesday. Canada’s Bank of Nova Scotia stored over $200 million in gold and silver in their vaults under the building. They are still unsure how much of the recovered metal was theirs. It is believed that there were other valuables stored in the vaults but there is no information on how much of it has been lost or recovered in the disaster. Officials finally reached the trove Tuesday after removing a 10-wheel truck and several cars that had been crushed by the debris. No bodies were recovered. More than 100 armed officers watched the workers. The contents of the vaults had to be removed because authorities need to demolish the building. — Reuters and New York Daily News Anthrax found in Midwest WASHINGTON — Mail facilities in Kansas City, Mo., and Indianapolis are closed and being cleaned up after traces of anthrax were found in them. Workers at the facilities are being treated with antibiotics; none have reported illness so far. The Indiana office received mail from the Trenton, N.J., postal facility that has been shut down due to mail containing anthrax. In Kansas City, traces of anthrax were found in two wastebaskets. The source of the anthrax is believed to be a shipment of 7,000 pieces of mail that came from the contaminated Brentwood facility. The center received the shipment on Oct. 19; it was isolated and shrink-wrapped Oct. 22 after anthrax was found at the Brentwood site. The Post Office is planning on conducting tests at 200 postal facilities. Tests have been completed at 64 locations. Results for 39 returned clear, 17 have not been returned yet and eight tested positive and have been closed. — Associated Press InternationalBriefs Middle East JERUSALEM — Israeli forces have targeted and killed four wanted Palestinian militants in two days in what they refer to as a war on terrorism. The men were on a most wanted list that contains the names of people whom the Israeli government says are the command structure of Hamas militants that are blamed for suicide bombings that killed 36 this summer. Ten of the listed have been killed. Israel says that the killings are necessary because the militants were planning more attacks, and they were on a list of suspects that the Palestinian Authority have refused to arrest. Palestinians say that the assassination policy only feeds violence and that it will only create more militants. Western nations, including the United States, have condemned the targeted killings and warn that they will only continue the cycle of violence and create more anger. Israeli leaders say that the Palestinians were given the opportunity to avoid the deaths by arresting the men themselves and that there is a marked decrease in activity after the “actions.” Sixty Palestinians have been killed in the past year during strikes against people the Israeli government blames for attacks on civilians. — Associated Press Caribbean HAVANA — Six men went on trial Thursday for their alleged role in supplying the boat that sank in November 1999 while carrying Elian Gonzalez and 13 other migrants. Ten people drowned during the incident, including the mother of Gonzalez; three, including Gonzalez, survived. The men were charged with “illegal departure” and could face three to seven years in prison if convicted. Family members of the suspects claim that the men thought that the boat they were constructing, transporting, repairing and hiding was intended for fishing and that they are being targeted for political reasons because authorities seldom press “illegal departure” charges against those trying to leave Cuba. Cuban officials have not commented on the case. The trial started only after five of the six men went on a hunger strike for nearly a week. They demanded that they be released or that the court proceedings begin. — Reuters United Nations UNITED NATIONS — Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council was urged by an Afghan woman, identified only as Jamila, to ensure the inclusion of women in any peace negotiations for Afghanistan. The speech occurred on the first anniversary of a U.N. resolution that committed governments to include women at peace tables and also protect them from the abuses of war. Jamila was joined by women from Kosovo and East Timor. They urged the United Nations to keep their promises. She told the Council even though women are second-class citizens under Taliban rule, they still have a voice and can be effective leaders. She said that for the last 20 years, the leadership of men has brought only pain and suffering. She wants an acceptable government for the people of Afghanistan and one that will honor equal rights for women. The Council reaffirmed its support for a larger role for women in decision-making in regard to conflict prevention and resolution. Females represent 54 percent of the Afghan population. In the 1960s and 1970s Afghan women served as government ministers and were included in loya jirga, a traditional grand council of elders. — Associated Press Briefs compiled from various news services by Mustang Daily contributor Anne Guilford.