U.S.-Soviet trade accord set

WASHINGTON The United States and the Soviet Union reached basicagreement Thursday on an economic pact that would normalize traderelations between the two superpowers for the first time in nearlyhalf a century, a senior U.S. negotiator announced.

U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Julius Katz said he expectedthe agreement would be ready for signing at the May 30-June 3 summitbetween President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Thursday's announcement, which followed three days ofclosed-door talks in Paris, came despite calls by some members ofCongress for Bush to postpone the negotiations until Moscow resolvesits current tensions with Lithuania. Bush …

Syrian troops sweep through north; unrest kills 32

YAYLADAGI, Turkey (AP) — Elite Syrian forces moved swiftly through the country's restive north on Friday, raining tank shells on rebellious towns, torching farmland and shooting protesters who tried to tear down a poster of President Bashar Assad, activists and refugees said.

At least 32 people were killed, activists said, and undaunted protests extended to every major city.

The leader of neighboring Turkey, angered by violence that has sent more than 4,000 Syrians streaming across the border, accused the Assad regime of "savagery."

Backed by helicopters and tanks, the troops responsible for most of Friday's violence were believed to be from an elite division commanded …

Dutch government approves carbon dioxide storage

The Dutch government has approved a pilot project to pump carbon dioxide into depleted gas fields as a way of reducing emissions blamed for global warming.

Residents of Barendrecht, a suburb 12 miles (18 kilometers) from Rotterdam, fiercely oppose the plan announced Wednesday and the local municipality immediately said it would launch legal proceedings to prevent it.

The …

Subpoenas issued in probe of former energy secretary

The House committee investigating campaign fund-raisingirregularities has issued subpoenas regarding allegations thatbusinessman Johnny Chung was pushed to contribute to then-EnergySecretary Hazel O'Leary's favorite charity to get a meeting with her,the panel's chairman said Sunday. So far, Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.)said, his House Government Reform and Oversight Committee has issuedeight to 10 subpoenas on the matter.N.H. cop killed after attending funeralJust hours after returning from a funeral for New Hampshire statetroopers killed in last week's rampage by a lone gunman, a rookiepoliceman was killed in a shootout Sunday. Two suspects werearrested after a highway pursuit. …

Transforming the doctrinal development process

The factors that affect today's military operations are so great that our soldiers and leaders require new and unique solutions to quickly prepare them to execute their new and unexpected missions in varying environments.

America's Army is the world's premier land-fighting force. To maintain our global military prowess in the 21st century, the Army is transforming to a more strategically responsive and dominant land force across the full spectrum of operations in a complex, dynamic global environment.

The needs of the future force drive the requirement for information superiority-the state of relative advantage over an opponent that is obtained by being able to get the right …

Fontenot's homer in eighth lifts Cubs past Giants

Mike Fontenot hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs continued their offensive resurgence in a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Jim Edmonds also homered for the Cubs, who have scored 16 runs in the first three games of this four-game series after being held to nine runs while getting swept by the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

Carlos Marmol (2-3) picked up the win for Chicago despite giving up a tying three-run homer to Ray Durham in the seventh. Bob Howry pitched a perfect eighth and Kerry Wood worked the ninth for his 21st save.

Wood retired the first two he faced before Jose Castillo's …

New York's cigarette tax climbs to highest in country

ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers start paying the highest cigarettetaxes in the nation today with the latest $1.25 spike per pack thatofficials expect to bring in $265 million a year.

Convenience stores across the state and the smokers who will bepaying the price are angry about the change, but health officialshail the tax increase as a success. Cigarette taxes will raise atotal of $1.3 billion for the state budget in fiscal year 2008-09,including the new tax.

"Isn't that something - to say that I'm excited about a taxincrease? But I am," said Dr. Richard Daines, the New York healthcommissioner. "This is a public health victory. We know one of thereally effective tools to …