USA

President Bush visits New Orleans Monday and Tuesday for a North American summit with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderón. Trade is a major issue on the agenda, as it was for Bush Saturday in his weekly radio address, when he urged the House to reconsider what he called a "serious error" in blocking a vote on the Colombia free-trade agreement. The president says the deal is needed to remove tariffs on American exports.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has begun an investigation of artificial-turf fields after New Jersey closed two last week when health officials found they contained unexpectedly high levels of lead. The industry denied its products are dangerous. About 800 synthetic-turf playing fields are installed annually in the US.

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and President Bush Saturday completed two days of meetings at Camp David by calling on North Korea to provide a full declaration of its nuclear programs and proliferation activities "in a verifiable way."

Danica Patrick of Phoenix became the first woman to win a major auto racing event when she sped past pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 198th lap of the 200-lap Indy Japan 300 Sunday in Motegi, Japan. The win was her first in 50 starts since joining the IndyCar circuit in 2005, when she briefly led the Indianapolis 500 and wound up fourth, the race's best-ever finish by a woman.

The Bush administration has waived more than 30 environmental and land-management laws to build part of the fence along the southern US border, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Some wildlife researchers believe the barrier could endanger animals by bisecting their habitat.

The Hockey Humanitarian Foundation named Will Bruce of Williams College this year's Hockey Humanitarian winner for his work providing low-income adults with financial education and assistance in filing tax returns. A group he organized helped generate about $100,000 in tax refunds.

An estimated crowd of 2,000 to 5,000 Chinese-Americans demonstrated outside CNN's Hollywood office Saturday, calling on the network to fire commentator Jack Cafferty. CNN apologized to anyone who misinterpreted his references about China's goods as "junk" and to its leaders as a "bunch of goons and thugs" as racial.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to USA
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2008/0421/p03s02-nbgn.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe