Four die in Louisiana outbreak of West Nile virus; governor declares emergency
Associated Press
SLIDELL, La. ÷ After four deaths in the biggest outbreak of the West Nile virus since it was first detected in the Northeast three years ago, Louisianaās governor declared a state of emergency and asked for federal aid for more spraying in the swampy, mosquito-filled state.
The outbreak has infected 58 Louisiana residents. The four deaths are the first in the country this year, bringing the national toll to 22 since 1999, when the mosquito-borne virus was first detected in the New York area.
The virus has since headed west and south. Eight people in Texas and five in Mississippi are sick with West Nile encephalitis, a potentially fatal swelling of the brain. The virus has been found in birds and animals in the Dakotas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
"It will eventually get to all the Western states over time, we believe," Dr. Roy Campbell, medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference Friday.
The Lousiana victims include three men, ages 53 to 75, and an 83-year-old woman, all of whom died in the past few weeks, state health officials said. Twelve people remained hospitalized, four in intensive care.
"This is only the beginning," said Dr. Raoult Ratard, the state epidemiologist.
Shelby warns of pre-Sept. 11 anniversary terror attacks, Iraqi weapons
Associated Press
WASHINGTON ÷ Al-Qaida operatives may try to prove they still can do harm with a strike timed for the run-up to the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Senate Intelligence Committeeās top Republican says.
"Although theyāve been dispersed around the world, theyāre beginning to reassemble in areas," Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama said Friday in an Associated Press interview. "We have not killed enough of them. We have not captured enough of them."
Shelby said he had no information about any specific al-Qaida strike. One counterterror official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his colleagues have observed no particular spike in terror threats ÷ the "chatter" ÷ so far as Sept. 11 approaches.
While al-Qaida is capable of launching an attack at any time, U.S. officials have no evidence the terror network is in a hurry to strike before the anniversary of the attacks, the official said. "They operate under their own timetable, and strike when itās logistically doable."
While officials acknowledge concern that al-Qaida might attempt a strike on the anniversary of Sept. 11, they note the group has not struck in the past on dates symbolic either to Americans or to Muslims.
Turkeyās parliament abolishes death penalty, grants rights to Kurds in EU bid
Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey ÷ After a raucous all-night debate, Turkeyās parliament approved a reform package aimed at boosting its chances of joining the European Union by abolishing the death penalty and granting greater rights to the nationās Kurds.
Pro-EU legislators pushed through the legislation over fierce opposition by nationalists, who said the reforms would divide the country and amounted to giving in to Kurdish rebels who fought a 15-year war in southeastern Turkey.
And debate over the reforms has hardly ended. They are expected to be a major issue in early elections called for November. The nationalists also said they may seek to overturn the new laws in the Supreme Court.
Supporters of the changes lauded the parliament vote as a step toward Europe and the West. The EU had made abolishing the death penalty a condition for Turkey to join the union after making it a candidate for membership in 1999.
The measures, passed by a show of hands, will replace the death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Capital punishment remains on the books, however, during times of war. The reforms also legalize long-banned TV and radio broadcasts in the Kurdish language and allow Kurdish and other regional dialects to be taught in special courses.
