Carter accepts Nobel

Carter accepts Nobel
OSLO, Norway -- Jimmy Carter accepted the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize today and urged people to work for peace in a world that has become "a more dangerous place."
The 78-year-old former American president was honored for his pursuit of peace, health and human rights that began with the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt that, but for a formality, would have won him the prize 24 years ago.
"It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I accept this prize," Carter said. "I am grateful to my wife Rosalynn, to my colleagues at the Carter Center and to the many others who continue to seek an end to violence and suffering throughout the world."
Carter accepted his prize in a world unnerved by the threat of terrorism, and uneasy that a new war in Iraq may erupt if it fails to obey U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding it prove it has no weapons of mass destruction.
"Instead of entering a millennium of peace, the world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place. The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect," he said.
Carter, a Democrat, has repeatedly urged President Bush to avoid a war in Iraq by working through the United Nations, and to support weapons inspections.
Palestinian court ordersthe release of suspect
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Palestinian high court today ordered the release of the alleged mastermind of a clandestine shipment of Iranian weapons to the Palestinian Authority, but it appeared unlikely he would be set free soon.
The defendant, Fuad Shobaki, is being held under British supervision at a Palestinian jail in Jericho, the only West Bank town not under Israeli occupation.
Israel, which initially demanded that Shobaki be extradited and only reluctantly agreed to have him jailed in Jericho, said his release would violate international agreements and give Israel the right to try to capture him.
Meanwhile, violence continued in the Gaza Strip, where undercover Israeli soldiers shot dead a Hamas activist early today. The army said he threw bricks at the soldiers from a roof and fled when they tried to arrest him.
U.N. officials said Israeli soldiers also fired late Monday on a U.N. bus carrying Palestinian students to a technical university in Gaza, injuring a 20-year-old. The army said it was unaware of any vehicle being hit in the area.
Judge dismisses suitagainst vice president
WASHINGTON -- Despite impending Republican control of both the House and the Senate, the investigative arm of Congress may nonetheless pursue its court battle to force information from Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force.
A federal judge rebuffed congressional efforts to learn about meetings that industry executives and lobbyists had with the task force while it formulated the Bush administration's energy plan.
U.S. District Judge John Bates noted Monday that only seven lawmakers had expressed support for efforts to get the information. All seven are Democrats.
"This case, in which neither a house of Congress nor any congressional committee has issued a subpoena for the disputed information or authorized this suit, is not the setting for such unprecedented judicial action" in a battle between the executive and legislative branches, wrote the judge.
The White House said the ruling underscores the necessity for the president to receive "unvarnished advice."
Chavez supporterssurround TV stations
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Hundreds of supporters of Hugo Chavez surrounded the offices of television stations that they accused of backing a general strike in Venezuela to force the president's ouster, ransacking one station in a western state.
"Shut it down!" chanted protesters in front of Globovision television in Caracas on Monday. Waving Venezuelan flags, demonstrators spray-painted the station's walls.
Globovision broadcast images of its ransacked headquarters in the western state of Zulia, claiming Chavez supporters forced their way in, destroying windows, equipment and furniture.
Demonstrators also surrounded Radio Caracas Television, Venevision, Televen and CMT in Caracas, as well as regional television stations in the cities of Maracay, Merida, Maracaibo and Barquisimeto. They also protested against a newspaper in Maracay.
"The people are in the streets defending their values and principles," said Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello in a televised address during the protests. "The government doesn't want violence."
Associated Press