hNew Bolivian leader

hNew Bolivian leader
LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Evo Morales, who rose from rural poverty to become a crusader for disenfranchised Indians and a fierce critic of U.S. policy, was sworn in Sunday as the first indigenous president of this impoverished Andean nation. "The 500 years of Indian resistance have not been in vain," Morales declared in his inaugural speech in the government palace as thousands watching on a giant screen outside cheered. "From 500 years of resistance we pass to another 500 years in power."
Relief helicopter missing
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan -- A Red Cross helicopter that had been used for earthquake relief in Pakistan since October was missing Sunday with a crew of seven aboard, the aid agency said. The Mi-8 helicopter, operated by Turkmenistan Airlines, lost contact with Pakistani air control just before entering Afghanistan on Saturday, the International Red Cross said. The crew members are employees of Turkmenistan Airlines, and there were no Red Cross staff on board.
Canadians head to polls
OTTAWA -- Canadians voting today for a new leader and House of Commons will choose between 13 years of Liberal Party rule or a new government that could shift the country toward a conservative right seeking to cut social programs funded by high taxes. It's a tough call for the nation's 22.7 million registered voters. Many support the social and economic policies of the Liberals and worry that Conservative leader Stephen Harper may be too extreme in his views on abortion and gay marriage, but Canadians also have grown weary of the broken promises and corruption scandals that have plagued the ruling party. The battle is largely expected to be between Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin and Harper. Martin, 67, has trumpeted the eight consecutive budget surpluses under Liberal Party rule and sought to paint Harper as a right-winger posing as a moderate to woo mainstream voters.
Michael Schiavo remarries
SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. -- A man whose brain-damaged wife was at the center of a contentious end-of-life battle that played out on a worldwide media stage has remarried, family members said. Michael Schiavo and Jodi Centonze were married Saturday in a private church ceremony, said John Centonze, the brother of the bride. Schiavo's former wife, Terri Schiavo, died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed. Terri Schiavo suffered irreversible brain damage after collapsing at age 26 in 1990. Her parents and siblings fought to keep her alive for years, arguing that she had some level of consciousness. Gov. Jeb Bush, the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress, the White House, and even the Vatican became involved in the case. An autopsy supported Michael Schiavo's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state with no consciousness and no hope of recovery. Because of the attention attracted by the Schiavo saga, family members kept the location of the ceremony secret and reporters were not allowed inside the church in Safety Harbor, about 15 miles northwest of Tampa. "It was very emotional," John Centonze said after the noon ceremony. "It's been a long time coming. A lot of things happened in between."
Benefits of soy challenged
DALLAS -- Veggie burgers and tofu might not be so great at warding off heart disease after all. An American Heart Association committee reviewed a decade of studies on soy's benefits and came up with results that are now casting doubt on the health claim that soy-based foods and supplements significantly lower cholesterol. The findings could lead the Food and Drug Administration to re-evaluate rules that currently allow companies to tout a cholestorol-lowering benefit on the labels of soy-based food. The panel also found that neither soy nor the soy component isoflavone reduced symptoms of menopause, such as "hot flashes," and that isoflavones don't help prevent breast, uterine or prostate cancer. Results were mixed on whether soy prevented postmenopausal bone loss. Based on its findings, the committee said it would not recommend using isoflavone supplements in food or pills. It concluded that soy-containing foods and supplements did not significantly lower cholesterol, and it said so in a statement recently published in the journal Circulation.
Combined dispatches