Mir Suffering After Collision

Russian space officials say Wednesday's collision between the space station Mir and an unmanned cargo craft was serious. But they're emphasizing that the three crewmembers aboard -- a U.S. astronaut and two Russian Cosmonauts -- are in no immediate danger. However, the space travelers are having problems. "The cosmonauts say there is a fall in the electrical supply," said mission control head Vladimir Lobachyov, who adds that the collision tore a hole in a Mir module "whose size is still unclear." A spokesman for NASA, the U.S. space agency says the crew was able to seal off the damaged compartment after the collision, which occurred during a docking exercise.

Cousteau Remembered with Praise

Words of tribute are flowing in honor of oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who died Wednesday at the age of 87. French President Jacques Chirac says Cousteau dedicated his "life and work in the service of a cause." French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin says Earth "has lost one of its best known defenders." Vice President Al Gore says Cousteau was "a hero to men, women and children all over the world." And delegates at the Earth Summit at the United Nations paused to remember Cousteau as "one of the giants of our time." From the Antarctic to the Amazon or in the depths of the ocean, surrounded by colorful fish, Cousteau won a worldwide reputation as a champion of the environment. Chirac says Cousteau was probably the best known Frenchman in the world for his pioneering films on subjects ranging from the Antarctic ice shelf to the blue lagoons of coral atolls.

Airport Battle Ends Congo Truce

A ferocious battle for Brazzaville airport Wednesday shredded Congo's week-old truce, sending hundreds of civilians fleeing. Panicky troops loyal to President Pascal Lissouba assaulted France's ambassador, beat up his bodyguard and shot at his escort as he tried to leave Lissouba's palace after a meeting, members of his entourage said. Diplomats said Lissouba's foe, former president Denis Sassou Nguesso, appeared to have launched an assault on the city's strategically vital airport. Shells slammed into the landmark high-rise Sofitel hotel beside the Congo river and landed around the nearby French embassy, just 200 yards on Lissouba's side of the frontline that divides the city.

Netanyahu Delays Cabinet Shakeup

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday delayed a shakeup of his fractious cabinet that could give hardliner Ariel Sharon more power and sound alarm bells in Washington and across the Middle East. The former general, architect of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and champion of Jewish settlement in the West Bank and Gaza, is poised to be named finance minister and is demanding to be included in an inner team of top decision makers. Foreign Minister David Levy reportedly threatened to resign if the inner team role was given to Sharon, who was forced to resign as defense minister after being held indirectly responsible for the 1982 massacre of Palestinians by Christian militiamen in Lebanon.

Blair Unveils N.Ireland Plans

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, warning there was no time to waste, adopted U.S.-backed proposals Wednesday for disarming rival Northern Irish guerrillas. Blair said he hoped for a political settlement by next May in one of the world's longest-running and most intractable guerrilla conflicts. The initiative, coordinated with the Irish government, envisages setting up an independent commission to oversee the "decommissioning" of arms in parallel with progress on substantive aspects of a political settlement. "There is no time to waste. The situation on the ground in Northern Ireland is fragile," Blair said, alluding to fears that this summer's annual round of street parades would trigger renewed sectarian violence in the province.

Russia Working on Econ Reforms

Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said Wednesday he was disappointed with parliament's rejection of the cabinet's economic reforms, but added he would work further with the conservative legislature. In the meantime another top minister brandished the threat of new parliamentary elections in a sign of growing irritation with the uncooperative mood in the communist-dominated State Duma lower house. "It's a shame that the Duma did not back us," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Chernomyrdin as saying in reference to the Duma's refusal Tuesday to back the welfare reform and budget cuts that the government sees as crucial for economic reform. Also Wednesday, President Boris Yeltsin suspended Justice Minister Valentin Kovalyov, who has been at the center of a scandal for several days.

N. Korea Ponders Peace Talks

South Korean government sources said Wednesday that North Korea has agreed to help arrange four-nation peace talks aimed at closing the books on the Korean War. President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam proposed last year that the two Koreas, the United States and China work out a peace settlement to replace the cease-fire that halted hostilities 44 years ago. North Korea said in a commentary today that it would be ready for peace discussions "as long as the enemies do not provoke a war." Observers said acceptance of peace talks represented a reversal of North Korea's previous stand that any treaty to secure peace on the Korean peninsula must be signed directly by Washington and Pyongyang, excluding South Korea.

Problems with Hong Kong Party

Hong Kong's huge handover "party of the century" doesn't take place until Monday, but logistical problems are giving the territory what one organizer called the "mother of all headaches." The participation of mainland China is one. Photojournalists took pictures of a contingent of mainland Chinese troops at the newly built handover venue, believing they were highly trained security experts inspecting the area. But they were simply members of a People's Liberation Army orchestra sent to join the planned night festivities, the government said. It insisted that only police controlled security. The incident caused a stir, the fourth involving the PLA in Hong Kong in as many weeks, prompting the news media to suggest the military get media-trained aides to avoid misunderstandings.

China Hails US Vote on MFN

China Wednesday welcomed a decisive vote in the U.S. Congress that assured Beijing of Most Favored Nation trade status from Washington for another year. State television says a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation welcomed the vote as being in the interests of China and the United States. The House of Representatives voted by a sizeable margin of 259-173 to renew China's MFN status, backing the decision President Clinton made last month.

Cambodia Cool to US Wishes

Cambodia's prime minister, who sought U.N. help for an international tribunal to try Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot for the deaths of over a million people, appeared Wednesday to reject U.S. efforts to bring him to justice. Prince Norodom Ranariddh said the interests of Cambodia were paramount when it came to deciding what should happen to the guerrilla strongman. "I am very respectful to China and very respectful to the United States but please don't get involved in our internal affairs," the prince told reporters. U.S. State Department officials said Tuesday they are studying ways of bringing Pol Pot to trial on genocide charges, assuming he can be taken into custody.

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