News Brief

Edwards Joins Kerry’s bid to unseatBush
WASHINGTON (AP) – Presidential candidate John Kerry on Tuesdaychose former rival John Edwards as his running mate, selecting thesmooth-talking Southern populist over more seasoned politicians inhopes of injecting vigor and small-town appeal into the Democraticticket. “I trust that met with your approval,” Kerry told aboisterous crowd of supporters in Pittsburgh who shouted theirconsent while waving hot-off-the-presses “Kerry-Edwards”placards.

Group Claims abduction of Egyptian inIraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – An insurgent group in Iraq said Wednesday theyhad kidnapped an Egyptian truck driver working in the country andreleased video to the al-Jazeera television station of the man. Thegroup, calling itself the “Iraqi Legitimate Resistance,” said theytook the man, who identified himself as Alsayeid Mohammed AlsayeidAlgarabawi, captive while he was driving a truck of fuel for U.S.forces from Saudi Arabia.

Unions vote to accept latest Freightlinercontract proposal
GRESHAM, Ore. (AP) – Unions representing 1,100 workers at heavytruck manufacturer Freightliner have voted to accept new,three-year contracts. Union members had voted to go on strike afterrejecting the contract offer from Portland’s largest manufacturerlast month. Union workers said they rejected last month’s contractoffer because it failed to make up for the wages and medicalcoverage they voluntarily gave up in 2001. Freightliner employs3,000 in Portland, including nearly 2,000 at its corporateheadquarters.

Sept. 11 panel repeats Iraq-Osama tieweak
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Sept. 11 commission is standing by itsfinding that al-Qaida had only limited contact with Iraq before theterrorist attacks, a determination disputed by Vice President DickCheney. The 10-member, bipartisan panel issued a one-sentencestatement Tuesday saying it had access to the same information asCheney, who suggested strong ties between ousted Iraqi leaderSaddam Hussein and al-Qaida.

U.N.: HIV Cases Hit Record High in2003
LONDON (AP) – The world is losing the race against the AIDS virus,which last year infected a record 5 million people and killed anunprecedented 3 million, the United Nations reported Tuesday. Thevirus has now pushed deep into Eastern Europe and Asia, andtackling it will be more expensive than previously believed,according to the most accurate picture to date of the global statusof HIV infections.