Nation briefs 3/3/05

Judge postpones cattle imports from Canada

BILLINGS, Mont. -- A federal judge Wednesday blocked the reopening of the U.S. border to cattle and expanded beef imports from Canada because of mad-cow fears. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to reopen the border on Monday. But after a U.S. livestock group objected, U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull granted a temporary order preventing the action.

Man may have planned U.S. terror training camp

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A British computer specialist tried to set up a terrorist training camp in Arizona, where he met with Islamic radicals who claimed ties to Osama bin Laden, a government attorney alleged Wednesday. Babar Ahmad, who is being held in London on charges he ran terrorist fund-raising Web sites, met in Phoenix in 1998 with Yaser Al Jhani, a member of the Islamic mujahedeen militia, and others who claimed to have access to bin Laden, said John Hardy, a British attorney representing the U.S. government.

Witness: Jackson wanted to smear accuser's mom

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- A Las Vegas public relations specialist who briefly worked for Michael Jackson gave damaging testimony against the pop star Wednesday, suggesting his associates arranged a smear campaign against the family who would ultimately accuse him of molestation. Ann Marie Kite said she was told by a Jackson attorney that they would portray the mother of a boy as a "crack whore" in the media. Kite was hired to handle Jackson's crisis management after the airing of a damaging documentary, but she worked for him for only six days and never met the singer.

Colleges benefiting from private donations

After two years without growth, charitable contributions to U.S. colleges and universities rose 3.4 percent last year to a record $24.4 billion, according to a report released Wednesday. The increase was driven by a 9.7 percent increase in giving from individual donors, including a 21.5 percent surge in giving by non-alumni individuals. That offset a 6.1 percent decline in giving by foundations. Among alumni, total giving rose slightly, but the percentage of alumni donating fell, as it has every year since 2001.

Topeka will keep law barring gay discrimination

TOPEKA, Kan. -- A minister known for picketing the funerals of AIDS victims failed in his attempt to repeal a Topeka ordinance that prohibits discrimination against homosexuals in municipal hiring. The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. was undaunted after voters upheld the anti-discrimination measure Tuesday and publicly dared the city council to enact another, broader ordinance. In final, unofficial results, 53 percent, or 14,285, opposed the repeal effort, while 47 percent, or 12,795, voted for the repeal. Had it passed, the measure also would have blocked future efforts to reinstate such a law for 10 years.

Study: Patients benefit from cancer experiments

People with advanced cancers who try experimental treatments are helped more than previously thought, according to the most comprehensive look at government-sponsored tests over a decade. These are patients who haven't benefited from other therapies and have few options left. But testing new treatments on them has been criticized by some who feel the patients are given false hope since previous reviews showed they only worked in about 4 percent to 6 percent. However, this latest and largest study found that about 11 percent were helped by experimental treatment, and in some cases as many as 27 percent were better off.