The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 6

MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009 THE MORNING CALL NATIONWORLD SNAPSHOT -s w- BANGLADESH 1,000 charged in mutiny DHAKA More than 1,000 border guards were charged Sunday with murder and arson in an uprising that left at least 148 people dead or missing, most of them army officers whose bodies were hurriedly discarded by the mutineers. The details of what Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called "a planned massacre" emerged after the government withdrew its promise of amnesty and sought to repair its increasingly tense relations with the military The government announced that those directly responsible would not fall under the amnesty Firefighters have recovered 77 bodies, but at least 71 officers were still unaccounted for in the uprising. PAKISTAN 8 killed in missile strike DAVE MARTINAP PHOTO ALABAMA A chance to study rare case of wintry weather Auburn University students play in the snow after a storm blanketed much of the state with up to 4 inches of powder Sunday. In Georgia, snow and ice made roads treacherous and canceled flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where the average delay was nearly two hours, according to a Federal Aviation Administration Web site. BELGIUM No bailout for E.

Europe BRUSSELS German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other EU leaders flatly rejected a new $240 billion bailout for Eastern Europe on Sunday, suggesting that additional aid be given to struggling nations only on a case-by-case basis. Germany and the Netherlands also shot down suggestions that Eastern European countries that have seen their currencies plummet be given a quick entry to the euro, which has remained strong against the U.S. dollar and Japanese yen. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the EU could look at reviewing the stringent euro currency membership criteria and two-year waiting period once the global economic crisis ends. CALIFORNIA Swearing off swear words 0LOS ANGELES Pay no attention to that eerie silence in the nation's most populous county this week; it will simply be the sound of 10 million people not cussing.

At least that's the result McKay Hatch, 15, is hoping for once his campaign to clear the air is recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. On Tuesday the board is scheduled to issue a proclamation making the first week in March No Cussing Week. "Next year I want to try to get California to have a cuss-free week," said Hatch, a lOth-grader at South Pasadena High School. From news services WASHINGTON, D.C. ISLAMABAD A missile attack near Pakistan's border with Af Lead levels in kids show steep fall 0 JT ghar Decline over 20 years hailed as result of aggressive effort against pollutant ghanistan, believed to have been carried out by a U.S.

drone aircraft, killed at least eight people Sunday, Pakistani officials said. The strike, the first of its kind since a high-level Pakistani military delegation visited the United States last week, suggested the Obama administration intends to press ahead with a campaign of targeting militants in Pakistan's tribal areas. Local and intelligence officials said at least some of those killed in the strike were "foreigners" the term usually meant to describe militants from Central Asia or Arab countries who often have links to al-Qaida. Bin a stunning improvement in children health, far fewer kids have high lead levels than 20 years ago, new government research reports a testament to aggressive efforts to get lead out of paint, water and soil Lead can interfere with the developing nervous system and cause permanent problems with learning, memory and behavior. Children in poor neighborhoods have generally been more at risk because they tend to live in older housing and in industrial areas.

Federal researchers found that just 1.4 percent of young children had elevated lead levels in their blood in 2004, the latest data available. That compares with almost 9 percent in 1988. The government considers levels of at least 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood to be elevated The 84 percent drop extends a trend that began in the 1970s when efforts began to remove lead from gasoline. The researchers credited continuing steps to reduce children's exposure to lead in old house paint, soil, water and other sources. The study, released Monday in the journal Pediatrics, is based on nearly 5,000 children, ages 1 to 5, who were part of a periodic government health survey.

Palcistani group vows to kill American hostage if demands aren't met IHt WORKING LAW Helping Encouraging HERQVK RMing By Abdul Sattar Of The Associated Press QUETTA, Pakistan A suspected separatist group that has been holding an American U.N. worker in Pakistan for a month said Sunday it would kill him in four days if the government does not release more than 1,000 prisoners. The threat on the life of John Solecki was made in a letter sent Sunday to local news agency Online Interna- Overcoming Congratulations to our ff TOR in IS Mil Publish your aw winner for the fourth quarter '08! The Morning Call proudly recognizes the following employee for being a change agent and helping to transform our organization. Li1 IJ1 in The Morning Call! tional News Network that was also read by an Associated Press reporter. The group said Feb.

13 that it would kill Solecki within three days unless similar demands were met, but apparently did not follow through. U.N. spokeswoman Maki Shinohara said the world body was aware of Sunday's threat through news reports and "took it seriously." Gunmen seized Solecki on Feb. 2 after shooting his driver to death as the pair drove to work in the southwestern city, of Quetta in Baluchistan. The kidnappers have identified themselves as the Baluchistan Liberation United Front, suggesting a link to local separatists who have waged a long insurgency against Pakistan's government rather than to the Taliban or al-Qaida, which are fighting U.S.

forces in Afghanistan. In the letter, the group demanded the release of 1,109 activists from Baluchistan nationalist groups it claimed had been arrested by the government. "John Solecki's mother and his relatives and international human rights groups should play a role for the recovery of thousands of our sons who are in state-run torture detention cells," the one-page letter said. "The United Nations and state institutions are forcing us to kill Mr. John Solecki in our protest," it said.

Pakistani officials were not immediately available for comment. Violent separatist groups have waged a long campaign for independence in Baluctiistan, a natural gas-rich region that borders Afghanistan and Iran. They have no known links to al-Qaida and the Taliban, which have stepped up attacks on for eigners recently. Introducing www.lvbrideandgroom.com The exciting website for engaged couples planning their dream wedding ill Register for your free ad and be eligible to win valuable prizes including an all-inclusive honeymoon at the adult-only SECRETS resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. All taxes and airport transfers nrp inr1nHfH This trip is courtesy of 1 Use it for life.

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