Mir, Ground Control Talk

The Russian-American crew of the damaged Mir space station has been engaged in intensive discussions with ground control near Moscow, and officials say a repair strategy will be agreed on within hours. An exchange today between Mir and Earth was devoted to urgent discussion between the cosmonauts and experts at ground control. NASA representatives at ground control at Korolyov declined to comment until after the repair strategy is announced. A cargo craft crashed into Mir's science module early yesterday.

Hong Kong Democrats Rip UK, US

Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp today raged at the United States and Britain for dropping a planned boycott of inaugural ceremonies for a new Beijing-picked legislature. Newspaper editorials and cartoonists had a field day with the decision by Washington and London to send envoys to the swearing-in ceremony for the new legislature, which will replace a democratically elected body. Washington and London, citing concern over human rights under Chinese rule, had decided to boycott the investiture but couldn't persuade allies to follow. In backing down, they cited a need to work with the new legislature.

China Imposes New Punishments

A family member today said prison authorities accused Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng of fighting another inmate and imposed new punishments. The relative says the democracy activist blames his situation on the West's move to soften its stand on China's human-rights record. Prison authorities cut off electricity to Wei's cell and banned him from shopping at the prison canteen. In 1996, the European Parliament awarded Wei the Sakharov prize for freedom of thought. Past winners include South African President Nelson Mandela and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- both of whom became Nobel laureates.

US: Ready to Help Russia

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense John White said today that Washington is telling Moscow it's ready to help Russia with its proposals to reform its huge but demoralized armed forces. White, on a European tour, told reporters the United States is committed to adapting its forces to the new age but began from a better position. President Boris Yeltsin has said he wants his military cut by 600,000 troops to 1.2 million part of a strategy to transform the forces into a leaner, professional force.

Clinton Backs Clean Air Rules

President Clinton has approved new U.S. air pollution controls. Clinton announced his support for Environmental Protection Agency proposals curbing soot and smog during an appearance in Nashville, Tenn. Under the plan, major producers of smog and soot such as big power plants would be required to meet new, stricter standards and violators could be severely punished. The White House says the new standards will prevent about 15,000 premature deaths each year from air pollution. The White House says it is giving polluters several years to comply. Businesses and some states and cities call the new regulations too costly.

House, Senate Pass Medicare Cuts

The House and Senate have approved deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid spending as lawmakers took the first concrete step to implement a massive five-year balanced budget deal with the White House. The broad legislation passed the Senate by a 73-27 margin and a companion measure cleared the House soon after 270-162. The mood was cooperative in the Senate, where 21 of the chamber's 45 Democrats voted yes. The tone in the House was sharply partisan, however, as angry Democrats accused Republicans of reneging on major elements of the budget deal. About three-fourths of House Democrats voted no, ignoring White House pleas for support.

Testimony in Top Soldier's Case

A woman soldier told graphically how the Army's top enlisted soldier had sex with her when she was nearly eight months pregnant, likely ruining her career and making her feel "like trash." Sgt. Christine Roy, 25, was speaking on the first day of a hearing to decide whether Gene McKinney, the Sergeant Major of the Army, will be court-martialed on charges of sexual misconduct involving three Army women and a female sailor. McKinney, 46, the Army's highest ranking enlisted soldier, told the court at the start of the session he was not being given a fair hearing.

Panel Recommends IRS Overhaul

A national commission has recommended that an independent board be appointed to oversee the Internal Revenue Service and called for simplification of the 9,451-page U.S. tax code. Leaders of the commission, Sen. Robert Kerrey and Rep. Rob Portman, said legislation would be filed in mid-July to enact the recommendations in the report. But the Clinton administration quickly served notice it will vigorously oppose the key recommendation for the IRS to be run by a seven-member board, drawn mostly from the private sector, rather than by the Treasury Department.

Albright Cancels Cambodia Trip

Cambodia's first prime minister said today he regrets that U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright cancelled a trip to the Southeast Asian country out of security concerns. Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Albright had considered stopping off at Phnom Penh airport for talks with him and Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, but the two premiers had agreed that such a setting would have been inappropriate. Albright is to visit the region again in three weeks, and Ranariddh says he hopes she'll visit Cambodia then.

Cremation Case Suspect Dead

Authorities in California have identified the body of a missing pilot who allegedly put thousands of boxes of cremated human remains in storage after he was hired to spread them over mountains and at sea. Sheriff's deputies say the pilot, Allan Vieira, appeared to have committed suicide. Investigators have been searching for weeks for Vieira, who was hired by funeral homes in California to spread the ashes. Instead, authorities say he placed more than 5,000 boxes of the cremated remains in public storage lockers and an aircraft hangar. Vieira's badly decomposed body and a handgun were found just south of San Andreas, about 100 miles east of San Francisco, near an abandoned car.

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