Plane crashes on its way to pick up former president crashes
HOUSTON (AP) - A private jet that was en route to Houston to pick up former President Bush clipped a light pole and crashed Monday as it approached Hobby Airport in thick fog, killing all three people aboard.
The Gulfstream G-1159A jet coming into Houston went down about 6:15 a.m. in an undeveloped area 1 and one-half miles south of the airport, officials said. The former president had been scheduled to travel to Ecuador for a conference.
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the plane crash this morning," Bush said through spokesman Tom Frechette.
Bush praises Columbia's war against narcoterrorism
CARTAGENA, Colombia (AP) - Under a security web of warplanes, ships and 15,000 troops, President Bush praised Colombia's battle against drugs and Marxist guerrillas Monday and pledged to keep U.S. aid flowing so "this courageous nation can win its war against narcoterrorists." In a country that is the world's largest producer of cocaine and a major supplier of heroin, Bush said President Alvaro Uribe is achieving results with a massive aerial fumigation program against coca - the main ingredient in cocaine - and an aggressive military buildup against insurgents who fund themselves through drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion.
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Iran to freeze uranium enrichment program
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran said Monday it has frozen all uranium enrichment programs, weakening a U.S. effort to refer Tehran's suspect nuclear activities to the U.N. Security Council. President Bush said he hoped the statement is true, but "there must be verification." Iran's claim was welcomed by Europe and cautiously endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. atomic watchdog agency. But even if verified by the IAEA, such a freeze falls short of European and U.S. hopes of an Iranian commitment to scrap enrichment ambitions.
Demonstrators denounce election, pull for reformist
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Tens of thousands of demonstrators jammed downtown Kiev in freezing temperatures Monday night, denouncing Ukraine's presidential runoff election as fraudulent and chanting the name of their reformist candidate who authorities said was trailing in the vote count. Viktor Yushchenko stood beaming on a platform with campaign aides and flashed a "V" for victory sign - even though the Central Election Commission said earlier that with nearly all the votes counted, he was losing to Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
