Ship off English coast leaks 200 tons of oil

Ship off English coastleaks 200 tons of oil
LONDON -- A damaged ship grounded off the English coast leaked more than 200 tons of oil, leaving a five-mile sheen on the surface of the water and threatening the nearby coastline, officials said Sunday. Salvage teams battled rough weather to try to secure the stricken ship after containers of battery acid and other hazardous materials also slipped off. But their efforts were hampered by gale-force winds that struck the English coast late Saturday. The MSC Napoli was deliberately run aground in waters close to Sidmouth in southwest England after it was damaged during a storm Thursday. Helicopters rescued the 26 crew members in rough seas, 45 miles off Lizard Point on England's southwest tip.
Sudanese rebels saygovernment broke truce
KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Government planes breached a cease-fire by bombing villages in northern Darfur, rebel commanders said Sunday as the U.S. called on Sudan to let insurgent factions meet to discuss holding joint peace talks with the regime. The reports on the bombings, which could not be independently confirmed, came days after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir vowed to adhere to a truce brokered by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and others during a visit earlier this month. Sudan's military spokesman denied the government conducted any bombings, which would violate the new cease-fire as well as a May peace accord between the government and one rebel group, and several U.N. Security Council resolutions.
U.S.: Prison inmates livinglonger than those outside
WASHINGTON -- State prison inmates, particularly blacks, are living longer on average than people on the outside, the government said Sunday. Inmates in state prisons are dying at an average yearly rate of 250 per 100,000, according to the latest figures reported to the Justice Department by state prison officials. By comparison, the overall population of people between age 15 and 64 is dying at a rate of 308 a year. For black inmates, the rate was 57 percent lower than among the overall black population -- 206 versus 484. But white and Hispanic prisoners both had death rates slightly above their counterparts in the overall population.
Agents question man, 81,over letter to the editor
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- An elderly man who wrote in a letter to the editor about Saddam Hussein's execution that "they hanged the wrong man" got a visit from Secret Service agents concerned he was threatening President Bush. The letter by Dan Tilli, 81, was published in last Monday's edition of The Express-Times of Easton, Pa. It ended with the line, "I still believe they hanged the wrong man." Tilli said the statement was not a threat. "I didn't say who -- I could've meant [Osama] bin Laden," he said Friday. Two Secret Service agents questioned Tilli at his Bethlehem apartment Thursday, briefly searching the place and taking pictures of him, he said. The Secret Service confirmed the encounter. Bob Slama, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Philadelphia office, said it was the agency's duty to investigate. The agents almost immediately decided Tilli was not a threat, Slama said.
N. Korea nuke talks have'potential,' envoy says
BEIJING -- The U.S. envoy to talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament said today he believed there was potential for progress in the next round of negotiations and China would soon announce a start date. The comments follow pledges by the key players, Washington and Pyongyang, to strive for progress in the slow-moving negotiations. The Chinese-organized international talks took on added urgency after North Korea alarmed its neighbors in October by testing a nuclear bomb. But the latest round ended in December in Beijing with no breakthroughs. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters that Washington was disappointed with the lack of progress in the last round but that he believed there was "a basis for making progress" when negotiators meet again. He did not elaborate.
For 1st time in 40 years,no Princeton tuition rise
TRENTON, N.J. -- Aided by one of the nation's largest endowments, Princeton University decided Sunday not to raise tuition, something it hasn't done in four decades. Trustees chose to keep tuition, for both in-state and out-of-state students, at 33,000 for the 2007-08 school year. It's the first time since 1967-68 that annual tuition hasn't increased. Tuition at Princeton rose 5 percent, to 31,450, in 2005-06, and it went up an additional 4.9 percent, to 33,000, for 2006-07.