FRIDAY, SEPT. 28, 2001
NEWS
THEUNIVERSITYDAILYKANSAN = 5A
Bosnian pleads not guilty
Army commander enters murder plea to U.N. tribunal
The Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A former Bosnian Muslim army commander pleaded not guilty yesterday to war crimes charges stemming from the 1993 massacre of dozens of Croats.
Sefer Halilovic, 49, was indicted by the U.N. tribunal on one count of murder, a violation of the laws or customs of war. He is accused of failing to prevent troops under his command from committing atrocities during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.
Halilovic is the highest-ranking Bosnian Muslim to give himself up to the court. He was serving as minister for refugees in
Bosnia's new Cabinet when the court revealed its sealed indictment against him Monday. He arrived at the U.N. detention unit Tuesday.
Appearing before Judge Mohamed Fassi Fihri of Morocco, Halilovic told the court: "I haven't understood the indictment," then waived his right to have it read to him.
When the judge asked him to enter a plea, he started taking notes, apparently misunderstanding what was asked of him.
the judge repeated his request for a plea. Halilovic then stood up and said: "In the name of the merciful God, I say I'm not guilty."
According to the indictment, the former commander helped plan and lead troops in the "Neretva-93" offensive in Herzegovina to capture territory
held by Bosnian Croat forces.
Soldiers under his command murdered villagers, including children and the elderly, in the towns of Grabovica and Uzdol, the indictment says, listing the names of 62 victims of the September 1993 massacre.
Dozens of bodies were dumped in the Neretva River in southern Bosnia, the indictment said.
The document describes how two boys in Grabovica fled after witnessing the murders of their father, grandfather and grandmother, leaving their mother and sister behind.
"When they returned ... they saw five dead bodies of their entire family near their house. They also saw the bodies of some of their neighbors," the indictment said.
Attacks affect charity donations
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The $500 million-plus outpouring of donations for victims of the terrorist attacks is undercutting other charities and prompting some organizations to postpone fund drives and scale back programs.
"In three days, we haven't had a single direct-mail response come in," said Kendra Fox, a representative for World Neighbors, a development organization working with the rural poor. The Oklahoma City-based group, which has a $5.6 million annual budget, reported that donations have fallen 77 percent in the two weeks since the terrorist attacks.
Charities not playing a direct role in the relief efforts, such as those focused on AIDS or the environment, have delayed fund-raisers, stopped direct-mail programs and told their telemarketers to tone down their sales pitches.
They have done so out of concern that making their pleas after the attacks might anger would-be donors and that the relief efforts in New York and Washington should take precedence.
"At this point, we consider our needs to be incidental to theirs," said Marshall McNott, president of the Los Angeles
Mission, which helps the homeless.
At the same, a plunging stock market has reduced the reserve funds that many charities rely on to sustain their operations.
The Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it would lay off eight of its 55 employees and close two pet-adoption centers.
"The donations have essentially dried up," said president Madeline Bernstein. "Since the attack, there's almost no mail coming into the organization. If we get nothing this Christmas, if people forget about some of the local charities because they're all consumed with this issue, then we have to go to a more serious wave of layoffs and closings. So a lot of things could get nastier."
The Chronicle of Philanthropy estimated this week that more than $558 million had been raised for the terrorism victims, and the Foundation Center reported that contributions from corporations and foundations alone totaled more than $400 million. The American Red Cross alone has raised a record $200 million or so.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group based in New York, pulled its direct-mail campaign and canceled an event
"The donations have essentially dried up."
Madeline Bernstein President of Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
connected with a movie premiere. The day after the stock market reopened, the group saw a major gift for climate-change research shrink from a multi-year, seven figure promise to a smaller one-year gift, said Jack Murray, development director. The group will be unable to expand such research as it had hoped to do, he said.
At the San Francisco chapter of the Salvation Army, one regular donor asked that his $1.7 million donation be sent to New York. Chapter officials worry they might not have enough money to buy toys for 33,000 families in December or fill 2,000 food bags.
The Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation postponed several events, including a Malibu triathlon bumped back two weeks from its original Sept. 15 date and a Washington gala set for November that now will be take place sometime next year.
Blast rocks fire works company
Owner killed, three injured in bunker explosion
The Associated Press
MOSCOW, Pa. — The longtime owner of a pyrrotechnics company was killed when a storage bunker for powder used in dynamite was rocked by an explosion.
Wednesday's blast at J & J Pyrrotechnics was heard 15 miles away and was followed by a series of secondary explosions and fires.
Lackawanna County Coroner Joseph Brennan confirmed yesterday that the body found in the wreckage was John Iannarone, 57.
Company employee John Aston was in critical condition yesterday at Lehigh Valley Hospital's burn center. He had been pulled from the hillside bunker by his brother, Ken, who heard the explosion as he was driving by, officials said.
Two other workers suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene in Spring Brook Township, about six miles from Scranton.
The company, which makes dynamite and fireworks, was storing about 10,000 pounds of explosive black powder, complicating the rescue effort.
About 200 residents were evacuated while small fires burned at the 30-acre site. All but those living in the nearest five or six homes were allowed to return by late afternoon.
Neighbors of the facility said Iannarone was once president of the town's volunteer fire department. In a 1999 interview with The Scranton Times, he said making fireworks was "a dream come true, being able to make a living at something I love so much."
Officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were investigating the explosion.
Emergency officials received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly a helicopter over the plant to determine the extent of the fires. Helicopter flights had been banned as an anti-terrorism measure.
Here's your last chance to see what you missed in yesterday's issue of the Kansan:
-New National Merit Scholar enrollment decreases
-Organizations, greek living help Hispanics fit in at KU
- Señores pongan asunto:
Cuba es música
- Henry's Upstairs provides a "classic" alternative
Get another chance with the kansan.com archives
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Have you wondered if these ads are true? This is what KU Golden Key students found out:
Students surveyed were demographically representative of the diverse ethnic backgrounds, majors, ages and living environments of KU students.
Students reported partying an average of 5 hours at a time, so most KU students drink about one drink/hour. The liver needs one hour to metabolize one drink.
MOST KU
STUDENTS DRINK MODERATELY OR NOT AT ALL 0-5DRINKS
WHEN TheyParty About one drink per hour over a 5 hour period
67% of KU Students set a limit on the number of drinks they will have.
*Based on survey responses from 1,608 KU students. Survey administered by the KU Office of Institutional Research & Planning (2001).
"0-5" was determined by surveying 1,608 students in their classes, which we learned is more people than surveyed for most political polls!
A "drink" was defined on the survey as 12 oz. beer,4.5 oz.wine or 1-1.5 oz. liquor.
Golden Key International Honor Society