Beijing
Chinese court sentences American engineer to 5 years imprisonment
Associated Press
An American electrical engineer whose detention has drawn protests from Washington was sentenced by a Beijing court yesterday to five years in prison for obtaining state secrets and giving bribes.
The time that Fong Fuming has spent in detention will be deducted from his prison term, the U.S. Embassy said. Fong has been in detention for two years, his U.S. lawyer said, but China says it's less than that.
Fong, of West Orange, N.J., was accused of obtaining secret documents from a state power official and giving out $245,000 in bribes. He was among a series of U.S. citizens and residents charged over the past two years with violating Chinese national security laws.
Fong denied paying bribes and contended that the power official was trying to extort money from him, according to his U.S. lawyer, Jerome A. Cohen.
The United States has repeatedly protested to China over the handling of Fong's case, saying Chinese courts violated international standards by holding Fong for months without indicting him. His family says Fong, 67, has also been mistreated in detention.
Bush says terrorists will not deter him from going to Latin America
El Paso, Texas
Bush says terrorism will not deter him from going to Latin America
Associated Press
President Bush said yesterday "two-bit terrorists" who exploded a bomb near the U.S. Embassy in Peru would not stop him from going there as part of a Latin American trip.
Bush said "we might have an idea" who set off the bomb. "They've been around before," he said. He spoke in the Oval Office minutes before leaving the White House for a flight to Mexico, the first leg of a four-day trip that also will take him to Lima, Peru and El Salvador to promote democracy and reform. The president did not identify the group who might have set off the bomb about four blocks from the Embassy in the Peruvian capital. But he nodded when a reporter asked if the terrorist group Shining Path, thought to be in eclipse, was on the upsurge. Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Shining Path is suspected in the Wednesday night attack.
At least nine people were killed and dozens injured in the blast near an open shopping mall. None was American, the State Department said.
"You bet I am going," Bush said, indicating he wasn't worried about security for the trip.
"You know, two-bit terrorists aren't going to prevent me from doing what we need to do, and that is to promote our friendship in the hemisphere," he said.
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said, "We have talked to security officials on the ground and are satisfied that it will be safe for the president to travel there."
Bush will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit Peru.
Man in dump truck crashes while trying to elude police
Phoenix
Man in dump truck crashes while trying to elude police
Associated Press
A man driving a stolen dump truck sped through the city while trying to elude police yesterday but was captured after colliding with a car and flipping the truck on its side, authorities said.
Kenneth Ray Thomas, 38, of Phoenix, was treated at a hospital following the collision and then booked into the Maricopa County Jail for investigation of eight counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and other charges, said police Detective Tony Morales. The couple and three children who were in the car Thomas hit after running a red light were not seriously hurt, authorities said. The crash took place about 40 minutes after police spotted the truck in northeast Phoenix and gave chase. However, officers later backed off and left the pursuit to a police helicopter.
Police said the truck was taken during an overnight burglary at a west Phoenix rental yard. Authorities said Thomas tried to escape after the crash, but a passer-by chased him down with a baseball bat and police officers quickly took Thomas into custody.
