World/nation briefs 10/21/04

Study: Traffic boosts risk of heart attack

BOSTON -- Does heavy traffic make you feel all sweaty and tight in the chest? It could be more than road rage: It could be a heart attack. People prone to a heart attack face triple their usual risk as a result of traffic, whether they are in cars, on bicycles or on mass transit, according to a German study. The researchers put most of the blame on polluted air. Evidence over the past decade shows that microscopic particles in the air also hurt the heart and blood vessels, probably even more than the lungs.

Explosion in Chinese coal mine kills 56

BEIJING -- A gas explosion in a coal mine in central China killed 56 people and left scores trapped and missing, the government said today. The explosion occurred late Wednesday at the Daping Mine in the city of Xinmi in Henan province, southwest of Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local officials. More than 400 people were at work in the mine at the time of the explosion, Xinhua said. Some 200 escaped, but 148 were trapped.

Scientists slash estimate for number of human genes

NEW YORK -- In a blow to human vanity, researchers now say that people have about the same number of genes as a small flowering plant or a tiny worm. The new estimate is down sharply from just three years ago. The new estimate is 20,000 to 25,000 genes, a drop from the 30,000 to 40,000 the same group of scientists published in 2001. By comparison, C. elegans, a worm that is a favorite research subject, has around 19,500 genes. Another lab favorite, a plant in the mustard family called Arabidopsis, has about 27,000.

Typhoon Tokage hits Japan; 31dead

TOKYO -- A powerful typhoon blasted across Japan on Wednesday, reportedly killing at least 31 people and prompting thousands to flee their homes as it caused deadly mudslides and flash floods before veering east into the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 40 people were feared missing. Typhoon Tokage made landfall on Japan's main islands early Wednesday and was downgraded to a tropical storm by the evening, but its winds and torrential rains were the deadliest in more than a decade.

Homeland Security officials head to battleground states

WASHINGTON -- When Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge leaves the Washington area on official business, nearly three-fifths of his public events are in the 17 states considered the most hotly contested in the presidential election. Overall, Ridge and his senior executives, who have pledged that the department would not become entrenched in politics, did nearly half their public events in those 17 states, according to a review by The Associated Press. That includes the electoral prizes of Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Army reservist pleads guilty to prisoner abuse

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.S. Army staff sergeant pleaded guilty Wednesday to abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, telling a military court that prisoners were forced to submit to public nudity and degrading treatment "for military intelligence purposes." Army reservist Ivan "Chip" Frederick, 38, of Buckingham, Va., confessed to eight counts of conspiracy, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of detainees, assault and committing an indecent act. He was expected to be sentenced today and could receive 11 years in prison.

Some lawmakers get flu shots despite shortage

WASHINGTON -- President Bush didn't get one. Neither did most of his Cabinet. Same for Democrat John Kerry and running mate John Edwards. The presidential candidates said they passed up a flu shot because of the vaccine shortage. But on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., allowed his office to be used as a makeshift clinic for dispensing shots to senators on Oct. 7. That was two days after federal officials announced there would be a severe shortage this year and urged healthy adults to forgo shots so that children, the chronically ill and people 65 and older could get vaccinated. Those are the groups considered most at risk of serious complications from the flu.

Lebanese Cabinet resigns after Prime Minister steps down

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the self-made billionaire who rebuilt Beirut from the ruins of civil war, dissolved his Cabinet on Wednesday and said he won't lead the next government, a surprise move that could bolster Syria's role in Lebanese affairs. Hariri's decision could make him a more powerful force in Lebanese politics, building support among a disillusioned public ahead of parliamentary elections in May. It is more likely, however, to indicate that Syria is strengthening its hand in Lebanon by seeking to bring in an entirely loyal Lebanese administration to face the mounting international pressure on Damascus' dominance here.

African Union to send more troops to Darfur

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- The African Union's Peace and Security Council voted Wednesday to boost the number of peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region and send a contingent of civilian police to monitor efforts to end violence that has driven more than 1.5 million people from their homes. The Peace and Security Council approved the increase in the size of its force in Darfur from 390 to 3,320 troops and civilian police, said Said Djinnit, head of the 16-member council.

-- From wire reports