Craig vows to stay put

Craig vows to stay put

WASHINGTON — Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, vowed to serve out the remainder of his term Thursday despite losing his bid to withdraw his guilty plea for disorderly conduct in an airport men’s restroom. Craig, who had earlier vowed to resign if unable to withdraw his plea, said that he was considering appealing Thursday’s decision by a Minnesota judge. The judge ruled that some of the senator’s legal arguments were “illogical.”

U.S. is proud to stand with Muslims, Bush says

WASHINGTON — The United States has a proud history of standing with Muslims and “mainstream citizens across the broader Middle East,” President Bush said Thursday during a dinner to mark the end of the daily fast during Ramadan.

Speaking to about 90 attendees during the White House’s annual iftar dinner marking the occasion, Bush said the United States has supported Muslims seeking liberty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon and has stood with Muslims across the world facing hardship. He said violent extremists do not represent Islam.

“They believe that by spreading chaos and violence they can frustrate the desire of Muslims to live in freedom and peace. We say to them, you don’t represent Muslims, you do not represent Islam — and you will not succeed,” Bush told the attendees

Calif. candy factory owner
faces federal drug charges

SAN FRANCISCO — The founder of an Oakland food factory that laces everything from cookies to barbecue sauce with marijuana surrendered Thursday to face a federal drug charge. Michael Martin, 33, was freed on $300,000 bond on the charge of conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana. Federal drug agents last week raided Tainted Inc. in Oakland and arrested three of Martin’s employees on drug charges for allegedly producing such marijuana-laced products as honey, soda and other snacks. Federal officials couldn’t find Martin and considered him a fugitive. Martin said he was on vacation and arranged to turn himself in once he heard of the raids, according to his supporters.

Mom faces neglect charge

ORLANDO, Fla. — The mother of a 13-year-old boy accused of killing his 8-year-old brother over a dessert was arrested Thursday on a charge of aggravated child neglect. Authorities said Tangela Key had previously beat 8-year-old Levares Key and repeatedly hit the child. He was killed Saturday while she was away. Tangela Key, 34, was being held on $2,500 bail at the Orange County jail Thursday. It was not clear if she had an attorney. Demetrius Key, 13, was in custody on a first-degree murder charge in Levares’ death, with a detention hearing set for today.

Japan probe reaches orbit

TOKYO — Japan has placed a satellite in orbit around the moon for the first time, officials said Friday, in a major space breakthrough for the Asian nation. The mission involves positioning the main satellite at an altitude of about 60 miles and deploying two smaller satellites in polar orbits, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. Researchers will use data gathered by the $279 million Selenological and Engineering Explorer — or SELENE — project to study the moon’s origin and evolution. The main orbiter will stay in position for about a year.

Mad cow concern prompts
S. Korea to make move

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea suspended quarantine inspections of U.S. beef imports after a banned bone piece was found in a recent shipment, a news report said today. Without such inspections, American beef cannot be brought into the market. A 4-inch piece of neck bone was found in a shipment that arrived in South Korea earlier this week, news cable channel YTN reported. The bone material is considered to be “specified risk material,” such as the vertebral column, brain, skull, eyes, spinal cord and other nerve tissue, all of which can carry mad cow disease.

Willing to talk in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar — Hoping to deflect outrage over images of soldiers gunning down protesters, Myanmar’s hard-line leader announced Thursday he is willing to talk with detained democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi — but only if she stops calling for international sanctions. Senior Gen. Than Shwe also insists Suu Kyi give up urging her countrymen to confront the military regime, state television and radio said in reporting on the conditions set by the junta leader during a meeting this week with a special U.N. envoy. The surprise move is aimed at staving off the possibility of economic sanctions and keeping Myanmar’s bountiful natural resources on world markets, while also pleasing giant neighbor China, which worries the unrest could cause problems for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Combined dispatches