Nation briefs 3/3/04

Government: Estrogen alone is still too risky

WASHINGTON -- The government, ending the last major study of estrogen, says taking it alone isn't as bad as using it with the hormone progestin. But officials advise that estrogen still is too risky for long-term use. Women who took estrogen alone after menopause had a significantly increased risk of stroke, and possibly a higher risk of dementia too, the National Institutes of Health announced Tuesday. For now the government's advice: If you use hormones for menopausal symptoms, use the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible duration.

U.N. resumes aid to Afghan refugees

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.N. refugee agency resumed helping Afghans make their way home Tuesday, months after the slaying of a French aid worker prompted a suspension in aid and the withdrawal of staff from lawless provinces bordering Pakistan. The aid program -- which gives $8 per person and a travel allowance to help families return -- was suspended after two gunmen killed Bettina Goislard on Nov. 16 in the eastern city of Ghazni.

Mars rover finds evidence of water on Red Planet

WASHINGTON -- Mars was once soaked with water, enough to support life in a "good, habitable environment," NASA scientists said Tuesday after reviewing data from the Mars rover Opportunity, although they said the finding doesn't prove that life existed. A study of a fine, layered rock by the rover detected evidence of sulfates and other minerals that form in the presence of water. The study, however, has found no direct evidence of living organisms.

Killing of Palestinian official in Gaza raises fear

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Gunmen killed an adviser to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in a street ambush early Tuesday, feeding fears of growing lawlessness ahead of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Arafat denounced the killing of Khalil al-Zaben, 59, as a "dirty assassination" and convened his Cabinet and national security council to discuss what was seen as one of the most serious challenges yet to the Palestinian Authority.

New York mayor charged for marrying gay couples

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- New Paltz Mayor Jason West was charged Tuesday with 19 criminal counts for performing weddings for gay couples, an act of defiance that thrust the small community into the national debate over same-sex marriage. West was charged with solemnizing marriages for couples who had no licenses, a misdemeanor under the domestic relations law.

Europe launches probe to land on comet in 2014

DARMSTADT, Germany -- A European rocket blasted off Tuesday on a pioneering 10-year journey to land a probe on a comet and search for clues to the solar system's origins. The Rosetta lander soared into the skies above South America atop an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, at 1:17 a.m. It is expected to reach an ice-caked comet called 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko in May 2014 and go into orbit around it, then release the lander that will try to touch down on the surface.

-- From wire reports