Nation/world digest 04/19/05

Rep. Henry Hyde says he will retire in 2006

CHICAGO -- U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who steered the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton and championed government restrictions on abortion funding, announced Monday that he will retire when his term ends in 2006. Hyde, who serves as chairman of the House International Relations Committee, made the announcement on his Web site on his 81st birthday. Hyde also serves on the House Judiciary Committee, which he chaired from 1995 to 2001. Aides to Hyde did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

CDC: Many have 'wrong idea' on alcohol, health

ATLANTA -- The government Tuesday warned that a few drinks a day may not protect against strokes and heart attacks after all. Some studies in recent years have touted the health benefits of moderate drinking. Some have even said that up to four drinks a day can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease in people 40 and older. But researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from 250,000 Americans who participated in a 2003 telephone survey. They found that the nondrinkers had many more risks for heart disease -- such as being overweight, inactive, high blood pressure and diabetes -- than the moderate drinkers. Based on those results, the agency could not say that moderate drinking actually was a factor in reducing the risk of heart disease.

India, Pakistan seek 'final settlement' in Kashmir

NEW DELHI -- India and Pakistan will reach a "final settlement" to the decades-old dispute over Kashmir, their leaders vowed Monday, concluding three days of talks with a series of agreements to boost trade and cross-border travel. With Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf beside him, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the two had agreed to continue talks on Kashmir in "a sincere and purposeful and forward-looking manner for a final settlement."

Obelisk taken by dictator going back to Ethiopia

AXUM, Ethiopia -- If the weather cooperates, a giant cargo plane will today return the 82-foot top section of Axum's revered obelisk's to this wind-swept town that was the seat of the ancient Axumite kingdom. The Italian Foreign Ministry said Monday that the two other pieces of the 176-ton obelisk should be back by the end of April. After his troops overran Ethiopia, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini ordered the monument moved to Rome in 1937.

Israel's Sharon looks to delay in Gaza pullout

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he favors a three-week delay in Israel's planned pullout from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements this summer, ostensibly because of a Jewish mourning period marking the destruction of the biblical temples. A postponement could give the ill-prepared government more room to plan for the withdrawal, but would also give Jewish extremists more time to organize resistance.

GOP takes in record $32 million in first quarter

WASHINGTON -- The Republican National Committee raised a record $32.3 million from January through March, more than double the Democrats' total. The RNC finished March with $26.2 million on hand, chairman Ken Mehlman said Monday. The money it collected in the first quarter tops its fundraising during the same period in 2001 and 2002, before the national party committees were banned from collecting corporate and unlimited donations. It also exceeds its fundraising in early 2003, the first year the parties were limited to contributions from individuals and political action committees. The Democratic National Committee raised $13.8 million in the first quarter. That includes at least $1 million a week since former Vermont governor and presidential hopeful Howard Dean took over as chairman in mid-February.