2A
The Inside Front
Friday October 24,1997
News
from campus, the state, the nation and the world
NATIONAL
WASHINGTON: Researchers have identified a natural molecule that prevents HIV from infecting cells, a basic discovery they say could lead eventually to powerful new types of AIDS drugs or even a vaccine.
WASHINGTON: The Clinton administration endorsed a national drunken-driving standard yesterday that would force two-thirds of the states to toughen their laws or lose federal highway money.
INTERNATIONAL
ALGIERS, Algeria: As thousands of soldiers kept an eye out for terrorists, Algerians picked candidates yesterday in the first local elections since 1990 — the last of four votes aimed at squelching an Islamic revival that has mushroomed into a relentless and bloody revolt.
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo: The Republic of Congo's new military leader swept into its devastated capital yesterday in a looted Mercedes, promising to seek international aid and imploring citizens to help "restore brotherhood" to the country.
BONN, Germany: Delegates to U.N. talks called President Clinton's gradual approach to curbing global warming "modest" and "disappointing" yesterday — polite criticism that only hints at their frustration in trying to salvage a global agreement.
HONG KONG: interest rate hikes pushed Hong Kong's main stock index down by 14 percent yesterday, its worst plunge since the worldwide markets crashed a decade ago.
2410
NATIONAL
New discovery may lead to weapon against AIDS
WASHINGTON — Researchers have identified a natural molecule that prevents HIV from infecting cells, a basic discovery they say could lead eventually to powerful new types of AIDS drugs or even a vaccine.
The molecule, discovered by a team led by famed AIDS researcher Robert Gallo, works against HIV by physically blocking the portal used by the virus to invade lymphocytes and other types of blood cells.
Gallo's team at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, earlier identified three similar molecules, all called chemokines. But the new molecule is much more effective because it protects all the cell types attacked by HIV, Gallo said.
"Its breadth of activity and its potency will make it more important than any of the other chemokines found so far," Gallo said in an interview.
But he emphasized that before chemokines can be tried against HIV in humans, the molecules must be extensively tested in monkeys against a related virus called SIV. Such testing could take several years.
Discovery of the new chemokine comes just as doctors report that some strains of the AIDS virus are developing a resistance to the three-drug combination that has successfully suppressed HIV in thousands of patients. That combination of reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors works against the virus inside the target cell.
Congress may tighten laws on drunken driving
WASHINGTON — The Clinton administration endorsed a national drunken-driving standard yesterday that would force two-thirds of the states to toughen their laws or lose federal highway money.
A bill pending in Congress would make all states set their drunken-driving thresholds at a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent. Two-thirds of the states and the District of Columbia now use a minimum of 0.10 percent to determine when a driver is legally drunk.
Fifteen states already use the 0.08 percent limit, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said at a news conference. He said drunken-driving deaths had declined an average of 16 percent in the first five states to adopt the lower limit — Utah, Oregon, Maine, California and Vermont.
"The president is ready today to sign this legislation." Slater said.
Some opponents contend the bill would trample on states' rights. Industry groups also oppose it.
"When people see the facts, they will operate as most state legislatures have operated and they will reject 0.08 as meaningless," said Rick Berman, general counsel for the institute that represents restaurant operators.
He said that eight of 10 states with the
Under the bill, all states would have to make 0.08 percent the legal limit by 2000 or risk losing a portion of their federal highway dollars.
best records against drunken driving last year used the 0.10 percent blood alcohol level.
The change would mean the difference between five drinks and four drinks in one hour for a 170-pound man on an empty stomach. A 137-pound woman would reach 0.08 percent after three drinks in an hour, sponsors said.
INTERNATIONAL Violence a major theme in Algerian referendum
ALGIERS, Algeria — As thousands of soldiers kept an eye out for terrorists, Algerians picked candidates yesterday in the first local elections since 1990 — the last of four votes aimed at squelching an Islamic revival that has mushroomed into a relentless and bloody revolt.
Security forces kept a discreet watch on voting areas in the capital, but were out in force in some suburbs that have been flashpoints for violence.
Soldiers in camouflage patrolled near the decrepit schoolhouse that served as a polling station in Eucalyptus, at the start of the so-called "Triangle of Death" just south of Algiers. The region — a stronghold of the most militant Islamic faction — has been the focal point of the insurgency that has killed an estimated 75,000 people in nearly six years.
Violence wracking Algeria was a favorite theme of many of the candidates — 10 of whom were killed while campaigning—and the dominant reason cited by voters for going to the polls.
"I'm voting above all for safety, so that my children don't die with their throats slit," said Farah, a 36-year-old teacher and mother of three.
"If I came here to vote, it's to make the country stronger," said a stooped 88-year-old woman, Tala Malek Yamina, in El Harracr, a working class suburb that has been the site of numerous bombings. "I voted for Algeria. It's my duty."
It was the first vote for local and regional officials since 1990, when the Islamic Salvation Front swept into the political spotlight with a resounding victory, taking nearly half of all city halls and all major cities.
The now-banned party called for a boycott of yesterday's vote for some 15,000 local and regional assembly representatives. More than 84,000 candidates were running nationwide. Final results were not expected before today.
The pro-government National Democratic Rally won June legislative elections, taking 157 of the 380 seats. International observers noted numerous cases of fraud.
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo The Republic of Congo's new military leader swept into its devastated capital
Congo's military leader seeks peace, restoration
It was Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso's first appearance in Brazzaville since his Cobra militia seized the central African capital and the country's second-largest city, Pointe Noire, from President Pascal Lissouba last week.
yesterday in a booted Mercedes, promising to seek international aid and imploring citizens to help restore brotherhood to the country.
In brief comments to thousands who gathered outside his Brazzzaville home, Sassou-Nguesso, riding in a car seized from his predecessor's government, promised to end the looting that has continued to traumatize the city. He also appealed to civilians who fled the fighting to return home.
"We fought the enemy and we have won, the criminals fled. Now we have to get Brazzaville back on its feet," Sassounguesso said. "We must restore brotherhood, we must work together and listen to each other. Congo must become what it used to be."
Sassou-Ngesso said he was asking the international community to help rebuild the devastated city, but added that repairs were needed for more than infrastructure.
"There have been fractures in our society," he said from his Brazzaville residence. "It will take lots of work to regain harmony in all of this. And after that, elections."
Sassou-Nguesso is to be inaugrated president tomorrow at the parliamentary palace. The building is one of a few not badly damaged during the war, and Red Cross workers for the past two days have been clearing bodies away from the area around it in preparation for tomorrow's ceremony.
This will be Sassou-Nguesso's second chance to lead the Republic of Congo. He ruled over a one-party Marxist state from 1979 to 1991, when public demands for democratic reforms and anger over the country's economic problems forced him out. He lost the country's first multiparty election to Lissouba in 1992.
U.N. delegates cool to U.S. global warming plan
BONN, Germany — Delegates to U.N. talks called President Clinton's gradual approach to curbing global warming modest and disappointing yesterday — polite criticism that only hints at their frustration in trying to salvage a global agreement.
Clinton unveiled the U.S. proposal for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases Wednesday, setting in motion the decisive phase of bargaining over a global accord that is to be signed at a Dec. 1-10 meeting in Kyoota, Japan.
No breakthrough on emission targets was expected at the present lower-level talks in Bonn, which end Oct. 31.
Clinton's proposals, condemned as too timid by many European nations, developing countries and environmentalists, would commit industrial nations to cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to 1990 levels by 2012. Cuts below 1990 levels would follow in the next five years.
The 15-nation European Union wants emissions cut to 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2010.
"My first impression is that (Clinton's) offer is a very modest one," said Raul Estrada-Oyuela, the Argentine chairman of the U.N. meeting of about 150 nations.
German Environment Minister Angela Merkel said the U.S. plan was insufficient; the French Foreign Ministry called it disappointing.
After the United States presented its proposal at yesterdays session, Zimbabwe — speaking for African nations — scathingly rejected it before Estrada-Oyua postponed debate until Monday, according to meeting participants.
Hong Kong stock index suffers big drop in points
HONG KONG — Interest rate hikes pushed Hong Kong's main stock index down by 14 percent yesterday, its worst plunge since the worldwide markets crashed a decade ago.
The Hang Seng Index broke through the 10,000-point level in morning trading to 9,998.07, down 1,639.7 points.
It was the biggest drop in points in the market's history, and the largest percentage fall since Oct. 26, 1987, when the market shed 1,120.70 points to close at 2.241.69
Yesterday's stock market plunge followed three days of steep falls that had already shaved 14 percent from the market's value since Friday. The market has lost 40 percent of its value since hitting a high of 16,673.27 on Aug. 7.
The main reason for yesterday's fall appeared to be a huge rise in short-term interbank rates, driven by Hong Kong central bank measures — to 150 percent from 7 percent Wednesday.
Banks also announced their prime rate would rise by 0.75 of a percentage point to 9.5 percent from Friday.
ON THE RECORD
A KU student's 1985 Toyota Corolla and JVC compact disc player were damaged between 5 p.m. Oct. 16 and 4:04 p.m.
Oct. 17 from the southwest of McCallum Hall, KU police said. The damage was estimated at $300.
A KU student's windbreaker and mittens were stolen between 3:30 and 5 p.m. Wednesday from room 4039 in Wescow, KU police said. The items were valued at $60.
A Kahler wallhung urinal was stolen from a man's bathroom in the Art and Design building between 5 p.m. Oct. 10 and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, KU police said. The urinal was valued at $200.
CORRECTIONS
A story in yesterday's "Kansan" gave an incorrect phone number for the KU chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The correct number is 331-2203.
- Captions underneath two photographs in yesterday's "Kansan" incorrectly implied that the University of Kansas uses surveillance cameras in its parking lots. There are no surveillance cameras in University parking lots.
ET CETERA
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The University Daily Kansas (USPS 650-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 119 Stuart-Flunt Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 66045, daily during the regular school year, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods, and Wednesday during the summer session. Periodical postage is paid in Lawrence, Kan. 66044. Annual subscriptions by mail are $120. Student subscriptions of $2.33 are paid through the student activity fee.
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K.U.A.C. Campus Blood Drive Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday,
October 28, 29 & 30
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Allen Field House
Classic Gourmet coupons for donors!
More stories in the UDKi
Go for the extra pint. Donate Blood!
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