Iraq may be target of expanded war on terrorism
Speaking after discussions with Vice President Dick Cheney, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq poses a threat to world peace and needs to be addressed, according to CNN.com. Blair said that no decisions had been made on how to proceed in the wider campaign against terrorism but that Iraq was "no doubt" an international terrorist threat. He specifically cited Iraq's quest to acquire a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction as requiring attention, according to CNN.com. Cheney, who arrived in the UK on Sunday at the start of a 10-day trip, said that Washington was concerned about the "potential marriage" between terrorist organizations like al Qaeda and states acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Cheney refused to speculate on any future military action but said, "There is a lot of evidence [Hussein] is continuing to develop weapons of mass destruction," according to The New York Times. Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan accused U.N. weapons inspectors of spying and said that they would never be allowed to return to Iraq, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.
New York, New York
Six month anniversary of 9/11 brings tribute to heroism
Six months to the day after the destruction of the World Trade Center complex, the "Tribute in Light," a memorial to the victims of the September 2001 terrorist attack was unveiled in New York City. The illumination of these two pillars of light was part of a nationwide day in honor of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, according to CNN.com. Located about a block from "Ground Zero," the two banks of 44 high powered searchlights will remain lit from dusk until 11 p.m. for 32 days, projecting two blue columns of light into the sky to "fill the void left by the destruction of the Twin Towers," according to The New York Times. The lights can be seen up to 25 miles away and will cost more than $10,000 to power. All costs relating to the project are covered by donations. At a White House ceremony on Monday, President George W. Bush unveiled a commemorative stamp featuring the image of three firefighters raising an American flag on the rubble of the World Trade Center. The stamp will sell for 45 cents, of which eight cents will go to victims' charities.
Boston, Massachusetts
MIT denies responsibility for student's suicide
MIT sophomore Elizabeth Shin set herself on fire in April of 2000. Shin's parents, Kisuk and Cho Shin, sued MIT in January for negligence and wrongful death, alleging that their daughter would be alive today if officials had informed them of the severity of her mental illness. Mrs. Shin claimed that her daughter never showed signs of depression before her freshman year. Elizabeth Shin had used MIT counseling services for more than a year before her death. According to the Boston Associated Press, MIT officials said she had shown "self-mutilating behavior" in high school. On Feb. 12, 1999, Elizabeth Shin was treated at a nearby hospital after overdosing on Tylenol with codeine. MIT officials said that the hospital record showed that Shin's parents picked her up from the hospital and returned her to MIT, according to the AP. The University also said that Elizabeth Shin told an MIT counselor on March 23, 2000 that she was intentionally cutting herself. MIT said it was in no position to tell Shin's parents about this because of confidentiality requirements.