Over the past two years , the Ventura County district attorney 's office in four separate incidents has declined to prosecute suspects who contended that they were victims of police brutality while being arrested for various offenses by Oxnard officers , records show . In a fifth and more recent incident , the district attorney 's office declined to file a charge of assaulting an officer against an Oxnard man who says he and several other guests at a June 15 private party were beaten by Oxnard police . Instead , Anthony Flores , 22 , was charged with five misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest . The men involved in three of the five incidents have filed police brutality lawsuits against the city , the department or the police officers involved . The suits , which seek unspecified damages and medical and legal expenses , are pending . Two of the incidents have led to an investigation by the Police Department 's internal affairs division . Deputy Dist . Atty. Edward Brodie , misdemeanor supervisor for the office , said the decisions not to prosecute the suspects do not necessarily mean that Oxnard police were not justified in making the arrests . In each of the four cases , Brodie said , his office did not prosecute because it found that police did not provide enough evidence to prove the charges `` beyond a reasonable doubt . '' But Jean Farley , a supervisor for the Ventura County public defender 's office , said it is extremely rare for the district attorney 's office not to prosecute a suspect who is accused by police . The district attorney 's office may have declined to prosecute the suspects because police brutality has been alleged , she said . Prosecution is usually turned down when the arresting officer is suspected of using excessive force , she said . Assistant Police Chief William Kady declined to discuss the brutality allegations against the Oxnard officers because of pending litigation . He said , however , that the decisions by the district attorney 's office not to prosecute the suspects do not reflect poorly on the department . `` I do n't think our reputation is any worse than any other department 's , '' he said . `` There is always going to be a disagreement over how much force is used . '' The latest incident involving an accusation of police brutality stemmed from the June 15 clash between 18 officers and about 12 party guests at a house in the 1300 block of South E Street . It began when four officers answered complaints about a loud party . A police report said Flores started the fight by shoving a policeman . Flores and his brothers , Alex , 19 , and Luis Jr. , 24 -- all of whom suffered gashes and scrapes on their heads and bodies -- said the officers beat them without provocation . Police had arrested Flores on suspicion of assaulting an officer and of resisting arrest but the district attorney 's office decided two weeks later to prosecute Flores on the five misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest . `` Based upon my review of all the reports , the charges were the most appropriate charges to file , '' said Deputy Dist . Atty. Donald Gran , who declined to elaborate . Police Chief Robert Owens has ordered an investigation into the incident . In an incident April 7 , Sergio E. Gonzalez , 19 , accused Oxnard officers of ordering a police dog to attack him before he was arrested . In a suit filed June 29 , Gonzalez said he was standing on Sunkist Circle when the dog attacked him , biting him on the arm and left shoulder . Gonzalez was taken to St. John 's Regional Medical Center , where he underwent surgery and spent two weeks recovering from his injuries . Edward M. Fox , an attorney representing Gonzalez , said his client , a gardener , might suffer some permanent injury to his right arm . According to a police report filed by Officer Michael Cole , police were sent to a parking lot outside the Oxnard Moose Lodge to investigate a report of an altercation between several men after a wedding reception . Cole 's report said Gonzalez was found hiding in the parking lot and `` was bit by a police service dog during the arrest . '' The report , however , does not say why the dog attacked Gonzalez or whether Gonzalez resisted arrest . Police arrested Gonzalez on suspicion of disturbing the peace , Brodie said . But the district attorney 's office declined to file any charges because the police report failed to show that Gonzalez was involved in the altercation , Brodie said . Fox said Gonzalez did not attend the wedding but was visiting a friend nearby and went to the parking lot to find out what was causing the commotion . In a third incident , Louis M. Cornett , a retired teacher and licensed gun dealer , said he was beaten on Oct. 20 while in custody at Oxnard police headquarters . Cornett said the altercation began as he was returning home after scouting out a site for quail hunting near Santa Maria . Officer Robert Camarillo said in a police report that Cornett was arrested in the 3600 block of Taffrail Road on suspicion of brandishing a weapon , resisting arrest and possessing a loaded firearm . Camarillo said in the report that he stopped Cornett while investigating a complaint of a man waving a gun from a car and threatening youngsters packed into another vehicle . Camarillo said Cornett fit the description of the man who allegedly brandished the weapon . When he searched Cornett 's car , Camarillo said , he found a semiautomatic handgun , several rounds of ammunition and a 12-gauge shotgun . Camarillo admitted that he later shoved Cornett against a wall at police headquarters because the suspect had struggled and had clenched his fists in a threatening manner . But a lawsuit against Camarillo filed May 8 , 1989 , alleges that while in custody at the police station , Camarillo shoved and punched Cornett in the mouth . `` He slammed me in the mouth once , twice and a third time , '' Cornett said in an interview . Cornett , maintaining that he never struggled with the officer , said he suffered a broken tooth and a cut lip during the beating . The district attorney 's office declined to file charges against Cornett because , Brodie said , there was insufficient evidence to prove that Cornett brandished a gun . In a fourth incident , Alejandro Guzman-Flores , 21 , accused three Oxnard officers of beating him on his face , causing severe damage to his eyesight . Guzman-Flores said he was working in a motorcycle repair shop on Jan. 27 , 1989 , when his boss asked him to investigate a noise in the alley behind the shop in the 1500 block of South Pine Street . In a suit filed against the city Nov. 14 , 1989 , the Police Department and officers Jana Younger , Fred Sedillos and James Struck , Guzman-Flores contends that he was grabbed from behind by Younger while in the alley . The officer poked him with a baton and questioned him about a car parked nearby , Guzman-Flores said in the suit . The Police Department declined to release Flores ' arrest report because , police officials said , it contains his criminal history . But Flores ' lawyer , Sherrie L. McCracken , said the report states that officers were at the shop responding to a complaint of a man with a gun . McCracken said the officers continued to question Flores in English , but Flores -- a recent immigrant from Mexico who speaks only Spanish -- could not respond . Flores was handcuffed and shoved to the ground , causing Sedillos to trip and fall on him , according to the suit . Sedillos got up and punched and kicked Flores several times while Younger held Flores in a `` choke-hold , '' the suit alleges . Flores was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and obstructing an officer . The district attorney 's office decided to prosecute Flores but later dismissed all charges during Flores ' trial because police failed to turn over a recording of a dispatcher 's call requesting that officers investigate the incident at the motorcycle shop , McCracken said . McCracken said Flores never struggled with the officers until after he was placed in the choke-hold . McCracken said Flores was beaten so severely that he suffered a detached retina and might lose partial sight in one eye . `` They essentially beat the hell out of him for nothing , '' she said . In another incident , Luis C. Luna , 50 , alleges in a complaint filed with the city on June 27 , 1989 , that he was beaten by three officers near a restaurant in Port Hueneme . Luna said in an interview that he , his wife and several friends were leaving the restaurant on July 16 , 1988 , when an Oxnard police car pulled up in front of the group . Luna , a public works inspector for the city of Port Hueneme , said he walked up to the police car and asked Officer Peter Ruggiero `` in a kidding manner '' what he was doing in Port Hueneme . `` The officer jumped out and started pushing me back against the pillar in front of the building , using his baton on my throat , '' Luna said in the complaint . When he asked the officer why he was being shoved , Ruggiero told him that he was under arrest , according to the complaint . Officers Steven Vendt and Humberto Jimenez were called to assist Ruggiero , the complaint said . `` They used forcible brutality by hitting me with the baton on my elbow , knees and back , forcing me to drop down on the sidewalk with my face slammed against the pavement , '' Luna said in the complaint . Luna was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct under the influence of drugs . The district attorney 's office decided to prosecute Luna , but in September , 1988 -- before his trial began -- all charges against him were withdrawn for lack of evidence , Brodie said . Owens ordered the department 's internal affairs division to investigate Luna 's complaint . But Luna said the Police Department later sent him a letter saying the investigation revealed no wrongdoing on the officers ' parts . Luna had asked the city for $ 50,000 for medical expenses and to compensate for `` humiliation suffered in public . '' He failed , however , to submit the claim for damages during the statutory six-month period after the incident and was barred by law from filing a lawsuit .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

forcible brutality
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Hurricane Chantal , the first of the season , aimed for the Texas and Louisiana coasts Monday , a day in which the storm 's winds capsized an oil drilling work vessel and trapped as many as 10 crew members inside . Three of the crewmen were picked up by a nearby fishing vessel and a fourth was plucked from the water by a Coast Guard helicopter . The Coast Guard also said there were unconfirmed reports that two others had been picked up by another boat . Rescue divers , however , were unable to search the overturned service vessel for survivors because of increasingly strong winds and high waves . The hope was that at least some of the crew would be in airtight cabins with enough oxygen to survive until help reached them . But Coast Guard Petty Officer Bob Morehead said the search was called off in the late afternoon because winds were in excess of 60 m.p.h. and waves were at 12 feet and building . Shortly thereafter , the National Hurricane Center in Miami announced that Chantal was blowing at more than 74 m.p.h. , strong enough to move it into the lowest hurricane classification , and the winds were later reported at 75 m.p.h. . The 72-foot service vessel , leased to the Chevron Corp. by the Avis Bourg Co. , capsized about 25 miles south of Morgan City , La. . It is a self-propelled vessel with legs that can be extended to the ocean floor . The boat was ordered into port because of the impending storm . Late Monday afternoon , Chantal was about 200 miles south-southeast of Galveston , Tex. , traveling northwest at about 10 m.p.h. Officials at the National Hurricane Service in Miami said the storm was expected to reach land some time this afternoon or evening . The best estimate Monday was that the center of the hurricane would hit the western Louisiana or upper Texas coast . Hurricane warnings were issued from Freeport , Tex. , to Morgan City . Tropical storm warnings were issued as far south as Port O'Connor , Tex. , and as far east as Mobile , Ala. . Bob Ebaugh , a weather specialist at the hurricane center , said 10 to 15 inches of rain was expected in southern Mississippi , Louisiana and East Texas . Meanwhile , coastal residents began what has long been a ritual along the Gulf Coast during hurricane season , which begins in late spring and runs through early fall . Grocery stores began reporting a steady demand for hurricane staples -- bottled water , batteries , canned goods and tape for windows . One particular concern in Houston was the possibility of major flooding should the city be on the wet , or eastern , side of the hurricane . In that event , the Houston area would have `` extensive flooding , '' said Bill Evans , flood watch director for the Harris County Flood Control District . Besides heavy rains and wind , the hurricane is expected to cause tides 5 to 7 feet above normal . Chantal is the third named storm since the beginning of the hurricane season June 1 . Tropical Storm Allison dumped huge amounts of rain on Texas and Louisiana in June , and Tropical Storm Barry dissipated in the Atlantic without reaching land .

B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

hurricane chantal
oil drilling work vessel
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coastal residents
hurricane staples
hurricane season
coast guard


INVESTORS are being asked to provide money for a diamond mine near the River Limpopo in Zimbabwe , which De Beers , the South African group that dominates the diamond business , discovered but then let get away . The mine is River Ranch , 12km upstream from Beitbridge on the southern border of Zimbabwe . De Beers found diamonds there in 1975 but decided to concentrate instead on another site 60km away and , importantly , given the heat generated by the politics of the region , across the border in South Africa . After an investment of Dollars 500m that site went into production as Venetia , one of the world 's biggest diamond mines . The South African group eventually gave up its rights to River Ranch in 1991 after it failed to reach agreement with the Zimbabwe government about marketing the diamonds . The government insists that all minerals are sold through its state-controlled Minerals Marketing Corporation . Mr Robin Baxter-Brown , chairman of Redaurum Red Lake Mines , one of the new joint owners of River Ranch , said yesterday that De Beers bulldozed the site before leaving . Also , all documentation about the deposit has mysteriously disappeared from the Zimbabwe Ministry of Mines . -LRB- A De Beers official said equipment would usually be removed from a site before it was abandoned but he could neither confirm nor deny that River Ranch had been bulldozed . -RRB- Mr Baxter-Brown is a South African geologist who started his career with De Beers and has 36 years of diamond exploration experience . He helped Auridiam , an Australian-quoted company that he co-founded and where he was once chairman , win the mining rights to River Ranch when they were put up for tender by the Zimbabwe government in 1991 . The deposit is estimated by the joint venturers to have resources of 17.5 m tonnes containing 5m carats of diamonds , and since mining started in March last year it has produced 43,000 carats of diamonds , 60 per cent of them of gem quality , Mr Baxter-Brown said . Redaurum , which is quoted in Toronto , is raising CDollars 1.5 m -LRB- Pounds 780,000 -RRB- net of expenses via a placing by London stockbrokers Carr Kitcatt & Aitken to help boost annual output from the present rate of 50,000 carats to 330,000 carats . The increase will be reached in two phases . The first , costing USDollars 2.1 m , will raise output to 180,000 carats next year , while the second will cost Dollars 8.7 m . The partners have spent about Dollars 850,000 to buy and move a heavy minerals separation plant recently decommissioned at the RTZ Corporation 's diamond mine near Mafikeng , 500km away . The joint venturers have exclusive exploration rights to 13,474 hectares of ground around the mine and Mr Baxter-Brown suggested the chances of finding another diamond deposit were good . While most of River Ranch 's gem diamonds are small , typically under half a carat , the mine has yielded some big stones , the biggest so far being 29.6 carats . A 28-carat stone was sold for Dollars 110,000 or Dollars 4,000 a carat , and one of 17 carats for Dollars 95,000 -LRB- Dollars 6,000 a carat -RRB- . Diamonds are being sold directly to the market in Antwerp , Belgium , and not through De Beers ' Central Selling Organisation , which controls about 80 per cent of the world rough -LRB- uncut -RRB- diamond trade . But as Mr Baxter-Brown pointed out : ' 330,000 carats a year is no threat to De Beers . '

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

diamond business
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diamond exploration experience
joint venturers
exclusive exploration rights
central selling organisation
diamond trade
diamond deposit
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south african group


On May 6 the Queen and President Mitterrand will declare the Channel Tunnel open . That should be the starting signal for a recovery in the property market in Kent and north eastern France . At the moment , agents report more inquiries , but the markets in both countries are still quiet and prices low , especially in France . That is an excellent long-term reason to buy . Le Shuttle 's high starting prices for a vehicle and its passengers will eventually come down creating price competition between rail , ferry , catamaran and Hovercraft . Far-sighted prospective buyers looking near Calais include hauliers wanting to set up a base on the Continent , and Asian entrepreneurs who see an advantage in being close to Belgium . John Hart , author of A House in France , notes : ` It is not a rush . The tunnel does not mean much to the continentals . Most of the ferry trade is from Britain to France . ' The British are mainly looking for houses , rather than apartments , although French and Dutch buyers are also in the market . Inquiries about northern French property picked up just before Christmas , says Maggie Kelly , of French agents L'Abri-tanique in Hesdin . Growing confidence in the UK market is slowly stimulating interest in French property . UK buyers can now sell their UK home to put money into a main residence or second home in France . Prices have stopped falling in northern France and hopes are high that the tunnel , motorways and new railways will resuscitate the region . Britons who bought in 1989 or 1990 may find it a good time to sell , if they did not pay too much at the time and have renovated their properties since . But some paid far too much . Spectacular price cuts can be found . For example , a glorious , repossessed abbey with five acres in Tortefontaine , with a 12th century hall and many outbuildings , is on sale at around FFr750 ,000 -LRB- Pounds 86,000 -RRB- from agents Latitudes or L'Abri-tanique . Four or five years ago it cost FFr2 .5 m -LRB- after being put on the market at FFr4m -RRB- . A mill near Montreuil , which cost FFr2m in 1989 , sold last year for FFr500 ,000 . French banks and mortgage providers have taken it ` on the chin ' , said Kelly , and some smaller banks in Calais are none too happy when Britons seek loans . However , show you have the cash and there are bargains to be had . A house in Hesdin , or a nearby country cottage , make good weekend retreats and are far cheaper than their English equivalents . A small house in Montreuil , a walled town with cobbled streets , costs FFr280 ,000 from La Residence . A small , partly-restored farmhouse near Montreuil can be bought for FFr135 ,000 from A House in France . Thirty minutes ' drive from Boulogne , a long , low , Norman-style , half-timbered , farmhouse is for sale at FFr515 ,250 , and 50 minutes away another costs FFr436 ,800 -LRB- reduced from FFr650 ,000 -RRB- . Near St Omer agent Cote d'Opale is selling an 18th century chateau with wings added in 1908 for FFr4 .46 m. La Residence offers another with 28 watercress beds and 12 hectares -LRB- 30 acres -RRB- in good condition for FFr2 .6 m and a flat in town for FFr380 ,000 . In Hesdin , the Wine Society , an English-based group of wine enthusiasts , has an outlet for members where they can pick up society-recommended wines free of UK taxes . When Kelly sees Range Rover and Jaguar drivers collecting their cases of wine in Hesdin , she would like them to drop into her office 100 metres away and choose a house as well . Latitudes has on its books an 18th century town house with internal courtyard for FFr1 .3 m , a snip when you think what you would pay in Paris . Near Fruges is a water mill for FFr900 ,000 and , in the valley of the Ternoise , an 18th century brick house needing work is available for just FFr450 ,000 . On the coast , Boulogne is a smart , pleasant town far preferable to Calais . It has good shops - including the Philippe Olivier cheese shop - and restaurants . The French favourite is Le Touquet , still an elegant place for Parisians to spend le weekend . Shops open in winter on Saturdays and Sundays - and close on Wednesdays and Thursday mornings . You can play golf and tennis , ride , go to the casino and live in an elegant domaine in the Foret . As in Deauville , the town 's cachet has kept prices up . Penny Zoldan , of Latitudes , has a flat in Le Touquet and sees it as a good base for foreigners . Nearby , at Hardelot , there are plenty of building plots for sale beside the two golf courses -LRB- consult Latitudes -RRB- . Outside Le Touquet , A House in France offers a chateau complete with fortification wall and tunnels for FFr1 .3 m . In the countryside beyond Dieppe , a typical Norman house , restored and including most of the furniture and a cottage , is for sale for Pounds 125,000 from Domus Abroad . Towards Paris , off the autoroute from Calais , Philip Hawkes is selling the 18th century Chateau de Pronleroy for FFr13m . Egerton and Knight Frank & Rutley is offering the more recent Chateau de la Chaussee , near Chantilly , the centre of French racing , at FFr19m . At the other end of the tunnel Cluttons reports Belgians and Dutch registering at the Canterbury office for period cottages for around Pounds 200,000 , and French and Belgians at the Folkestone office - where David Parry reports that Arabs are interested in blocks of flats on the sea front . ` The tunnel has more psychological impact than anything . Vendors see it as a bonus . Buyers do n't see that yet . ' Once the tunnel is open , said Parry , industry will be attracted to the area and people will move in . Central and east Kent need a stimulus but it may take four or five years before there is any evidence of new opportunities in the area . An apartment in The Grand at Folkestone , the former hotel , is for sale from Cluttons for Pounds 89,500 . Along the M2 , Strutt & Parker offers 52 St Margaret 's Street , Rochester , a Grade II * late 17th century house , for Pounds 190,000 , and a Tudor -LRB- 1508 -RRB- and Georgian Kentish hall , Cobrahamsole Hall at Sheldwich near Faversham for Pounds 275,000 . Lane Fox is selling the half-timbered Manor Farmhouse at Milstead , near Sittingbourne , for Pounds 275,000 . In the old Cinque Port of Deal , Strutt & Parker and Bright & Bright offer Woodbine , a Georgian house with walled garden and studio , for Pounds 330,000 . Cluttons ' Canterbury office and Weatherall Green & Smith are selling Highland Court , at Bridge , a columned stately home , for Pounds 750,000 . The far-sighted are buying now , either side of La Manche . The value in France is formidable . And it is not bad in Kent . Further information in France : L'Abri-tanique , Hesdin -LRB- 21 81 59 79 -RRB- ; Cote d'Opale , Le Touquet -LRB- 21 05 21 05 -RRB- ; Knight Frank & Rutley , Paris -LRB- 1 -RRB- 42 96 88 88 ; Philip Hawkes , Paris -LRB- 1 -RRB- 42 68 11 11 . And in England : Bright & Bright , Deal -LRB- 0304-374071 -RRB- ; Cluttons , Canterbury -LRB- 0227-457441 -RRB- and Folkestone -LRB- 0303-850 422 -RRB- ; Domus Abroad -LRB- 071-431-4692 -RRB- ; Egerton -LRB- 071-493-0676 -RRB- ; A House in France -LRB- 081-959-5182 -RRB- ; Lane Fox , Sevenoaks -LRB- 0732-459 900 -RRB- ; Latitudes -LRB- 081-958-5485 -RRB- ; La Residence , Ruislip -LRB- 0895-622020 -RRB- ; Strutt & Parker , Canterbury -LRB- 0227-451123 -RRB- ; Weatherall Green & Smith -LRB- 071-405-6944 -RRB- .

O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O B O O B I O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

channel tunnel
recovery
property market
britain
france
prospective buyers
starting signal
uk market
french property
price competition


Carl Lewis said he knew Ben Johnson was taking performance-enhancing drugs just after their 100-meter final last fall at the Seoul Olympics . `` He got out of those blocks like a caged lion , '' Lewis said in an interview Sunday at the Los Angeles Marathon , where he was representing a sponsor . `` How can anybody in the world do that after running all those rounds -LRB- preliminary heats -RRB- ? `` I said , ` Look , I do n't know what he is taking or what he is doing , but he is doing something . ' '' Now Lewis has been implicated in an alleged sabotage of Johnson 's drug test , which returned a positive result for the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol . At a Canadian inquiry into drug use in sport Monday at Toronto , Charlie Francis , a Canadian sprint coach , testified that Johnson might have drunk contaminated beer before a urinalysis . Francis based his theory on the fact that Johnson took the steroid furazabol three weeks before the Games , not the difficult-to-detect stanozolol . According to Francis ' testimony , Johnson said that an unidentified man who had been talking with Lewis sat near the beer that was provided for the athletes to facilitate them in providing urine samples . Francis said that two witnesses told him that the stranger had spoken with Lewis in another area of the waiting room . Lewis had finished second to Johnson , who set a world record of 9.79 seconds in winning the 100-meter gold medal , and subsequently also had to be tested . `` Any allocation or innuendo that Carl Lewis tampered with Ben Johnson 's drink or sample is ludicrous , '' said David Greifinger , Lewis ' attorney . `` These sound like the last acts of desperate men who know they 've committed wrong and see no other way out other than to continue to lie and to fabricate stories . `` Charlie and Ben should own up to the fact that what they did was wrong , and should promise to never to do it again and move on with their lives . By continuing their present course of action they are just embarrassing themselves further . '' Lewis could not be reached for comment Monday . Though Johnson 's gold medal and Seoul world-record time were both revoked , his world mark of 9.83 seconds stands . He set the record at the 1987 World Championships at Rome , where Lewis finished second in 9.93 seconds . Lewis said Sunday that officials of the International Amateur Athletics Federation should disallow Johnson 's world record from Rome because Francis has testified his sprinter took drugs before the World Championships . If that were to happen , Lewis would replace Johnson as the world record-holder . IAAF officials , however , said the record will stand because Johnson passed a drug test after the 1987 race . `` If it has been proven that he took drugs , I would think that -LRB- withdrawing the record -RRB- is the responsible thing for the sport , '' Lewis said Sunday . Lewis also contended that Francis ' testimony painted a false picture as to why Johnson would take performance-enhancing drugs . According to testimony , since 1981 Johnson has taken such drugs as furazabol , stanozolol and the human growth hormone , which is taken from the pituitary glands of human cadavers or can be taken in synthetic form . The drugs induce the growth of muscle tissue , and some athletes claim , help performances . `` He is trying to say that everyone was on it , so they got on it , '' Lewis said . `` That 's not true . They wanted to beat people . That 's why they got on drugs . '' Lewis said track and field is not infested with steroid users as some are beginning to believe in light of the Canadian inquiry . He said about 90 % of the athletes are drug-free . `` Most of your great athletes are clean , '' Lewis said . `` There are athletes who do have a problem . I can tell who 's on it . I 've been around it too long . '' Lewis , however , refused to implicate any of his colleagues . But Lewis defended Evelyn Ashford , a world-class sprinter who was implicated as a steroid user in Francis ' testimony last week . Lewis and Ashford are teammates on the Santa Monica Track Club . `` No way in the world does she take drugs , '' Lewis said , pounding a table . `` She is a victim . That 's going to happen . I do n't think that will hurt her image because Evelyn is clean and she always stood for being clean . People who know her know it . '' In finishing second at the Olympics , Lewis set a U.S. record of 9.92 seconds . Even before Lewis replaced Johnson as the gold-medal winner two days after the race , the U.S. Olympian said he was happy with his result . `` I 've come to grips with the fact that I 'm the best I can be and I ca n't ask for anything more , '' he said . `` I 'm doing what is right . I have to feel there is some merit to that . It did n't ease the pain of not winning and feeling he -LRB- Johnson -RRB- was on drugs . But it made me feel like I 'm putting something back into track and field because I 'm setting an example . '' Lewis called for Johnson to also become a role model . `` I think Ben is 110 % irresponsible in not coming out and telling kids to stay off drugs , '' he said . `` He needs to stand up and say , ` Do n't do it . Look what happened to me whether I knew it or not , make sure you know . Do n't take it unless you know what it is . ' `` But he is perpetuating continued drug use . I think he 's just lying to himself . The biggest thing about drug use is denial . Somebody takes cocaine because they want to get high . Some people take steroids because they want to run faster . It 's the same thing . You 're trying to cheat somehow . '' Lewis , who won four gold medals at the 1984 Summer Games and has been one of the great sprinters and long jumpers in track and field , said he is determined to help the sport 's image . `` That 's what people do n't realize , '' he said . `` I could leave it all alone but the thing is , I want track to be a better sport than when I came . If anybody gets what they deserve in track and field , it 's me . I make the most money , I get the appearances . But I still believe that through it all I want to help every single person whether they make $ 50 a meet or near what I make . '' Lewis said his deep-rooted conviction comes from his parents , who raised him to stand by his beliefs . Lewis said their philosophy was inspired by the late Dr. Martin Luther King , who once said it is important to make such sacrifices . `` That people can not sacrifice for something in their life , whether it is a small insignificant thing to others or a big thing to the world , what 's the use of living ? '' Lewis asked . `` I feel if I ca n't sacrifice myself for the betterment of other people in track and field , well , then I can not leave a legacy that will be remembered . ''

B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

ben johnson
carl lewis
seoul olympics
drug test
anabolic steroid stanozolol
drug use
steroid furazabol

performance-enhancing drugs
world record-holder


Pneumonia-stricken actress Elizabeth Taylor has suffered complications in her fifth week of hospitalization , including new infections , and doctors now say she will be hospitalized six more weeks . The recovery of Miss Taylor , near death two weeks ago with a viral pneumonia , has been complicated by bacterial pneumonia and a yeast infection , her doctors said today . `` Miss Taylor has a resolving , newly acquired bacterial pneumonia secondary to her hospital stay at St. John 's Hospital and Health Center , '' the doctors said in Santa Monica through Taylor 's publicist , Chen Sam . `` It is improving significantly , '' the physicians said . `` She has also developed a fungemia of Candida albicans -LRB- infection in the blood -RRB- , more commonly referred to as yeast and will be hospitalized for approximately six more weeks for intravenous therapy , '' the doctors added without elaboration . Bacterial pneumonia is generally considered less serious than the viral pneumonia Taylor initially contracted because antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not viruses .

O B I I O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O

actress elizabeth taylor
hospitalization
miss taylor
bacterial pneumonia
yeast infection
viral pneumonia
intravenous therapy


Firefighters got the upper hand Friday on an 8,200-acre brush fire in Cleveland National Forest that destroyed 11 structures near Lake Elsinore in Riverside County . Aided by higher humidity and a decrease in wind , fire crews had more than 85 % of the blaze surrounded late Friday afternoon and began releasing many of the 2,300 people who had been fighting the fire . Officials predicted that the blaze would be completely under control by Saturday morning but would not be extinguished until midday Sunday . 2,000 Acres Burned Meanwhile , a brush fire that burned more than 2,000 acres of mostly rugged terrain in the Antelope Valley this week was contained by firefighters Friday morning , authorities said . Authorities estimated that fighting the fire near Lake Elsinore will wind up costing $ 1.5 million . They said the blaze resulted in more than $ 1.1 million damage to various structures in remote canyons and to the watershed that feeds Lake Elsinore . Investigators said the fire appears to have been caused by people near a roadside store just across the Orange County line , near the crest of Ortega Highway . They again appealed to the public for help in identifying those responsible . Charred Landscape Dean McAlister , a U.S. Forest Service spokesman , said fire crews late Friday were hiking into the rugged , charred landscape along the Orange-Riverside county line to do battle with sections of the fire still consuming brush and timber . Officials said they hope to salvage some of the unaffected terrain , which can act as habitat islands for birds and other wildlife . Although officials first believed that the fire would be contained by late Friday afternoon , they revised their estimates because of troubles battling lingering flames on the southern edge of the blaze , inside the rugged , 3,400-acre San Mateo Wilderness . Fire crews were forced to work mostly with shovels , picks and other hand equipment to cut fire lines in that area . `` It 's down to the hard grunt work , the stuff for the guys who like to sweat , '' said Stephen Guarino , a Riverside County Fire Department spokesman . Residents Return Residents evacuated from 200 homes near Lake Elsinore on Wednesday evening have returned to their houses , authorities said . The Ortega Highway will remain closed through the weekend as crews continue to work , effectively shutting down several popular campgrounds and picnic spots over the busy holiday . Four firefighters were injured fighting the blaze , one of them seriously , authorities said . U.S. Forest Service spokesman Robert Brady said the Antelope Valley fire was 100 % contained at 8 a.m. Friday . All Los Angeles County firefighters were released from the fire lines , and a crew of 95 Forest Service firefighters were left to `` mop up , '' Brady said . Home Burned The fire claimed 2,250 acres along the outskirts of Elizabeth Lake and Green Valley . Six structures were burned , including one home , and more than 1,000 people were forced to temporarily evacuate on Wednesday . More than 300 firefighters battled the blaze during the three days . Brady said there were no injuries reported . Times staff writer Michael Connelly contributed to this article .

B O O O O O O O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

brush fire
cleveland national forest
fire crews
firefighters
investigators
blaze
damage


THE Clinton administration will soon announce support for a North American Development Bank , which would fund projects in communities hit by job losses resulting from the North American Free Trade Agreement . The so-called NADBank has been strongly supported by Congressman Esteban Torres , who has insisted on some sort of lending institution to support adjustment throughout the continent . Agreement by the administration is expected to bring Mr Torres and at least 7 other Hispanic congressmen into the pro-Nafta fold . The administration believes it can garner 200-210 pro-Nafta votes , out of the 218 needed . It is assuming that every undecided congressman only wants a reason - favourable constituent mail - to vote for the pact , and it is pushing feverishly to turn anti-Nafta public opinion around . The White House ` war room ' believes the vote currently breaks down into 110 Republicans in favour , 65-75 Democrats in favour ; and 20-30 leaning towards it . Under this hopeful scenario , the White House will use the last few days before the November 17 House vote to cajole , bargain and twist arms to get the remaining 8 votes . However the anti-Nafta forces expect a different outcome . They count 190-200 Democrats against , 10-15 Democrats leaning against , and 5-10 Republicans opposed . The pro-Nafta campaign this week began moving into high gear . State by state , undecided congressmen are being lured to the White House for intimate briefings , as are business leaders and journalists . Members of the cabinet are being sent to congressional districts , where they visit and publicise factories that are expected to gain jobs if Nafta passes . President Bill Clinton on Wednesday gave his second impassioned speech on Nafta at an exhibit on the White House lawn of products likely to benefit from Nafta . He envisioned continent-wide free trade ` when we 'll have over 700m people in this trading bloc , united in believing that we can help one another grow and flourish , ' he said . The Nafta opposition has been just as busy . Across town , the AFL-CIO trade union grouping on Wednesday had its own products exhibit , but those were likely to be hurt by Nafta . The speakers were workers who had lost their jobs when their employers moved to Mexico .

O B I O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

north american free trade agreement
north american development bank
job losses
undecided congressman
house vote
president bill clinton
clinton administration

pro-nafta votes
anti-nafta public opinion
pro-nafta campaign


`` Mad cow disease '' has killed 10,000 cattle , restricted the export market for Britain 's cattle industry and raised fears about the safety of eating beef . The government insists that the disease poses only a remote risk to human health , but scientists still are n't certain what causes the disease or how it is transmitted . `` I think everyone agrees that the risks are low , '' says Martin Raff , a neurobiologist at University College , London . `` But they certainly are not zero . I have not changed my eating habits , but I certainly do wonder . '' Mad cow disease , or bovine spongiform encephalopathy , or BSE , was diagnosed only in 1986 . The symptoms are very much like scrapie , a sheep disease which has been in Britain since the 1700s . The incurable disease eats holes in the brains of its victims ; in late stages a sick animal may act skittish or stagger drunkenly . The suspicion is that the disease was transmitted through cattle feed , which used to contain sheep by-products as a protein supplement . The government banned the use of sheep offal in cattle feed in June , 1988 , and later banned the use of cattle brain , spleen , thymus , intestines and spinal cord in food for humans . Sheep offal is still used in pig and poultry feed . In March , the government announced that it would pay farmers 100 % of market value or average market price , whichever is less , for each animal diagnosed with BSE . `` I think it is a recognition -- not just of pressure from farmers -- but that the public would feel more confident that no BSE-infected animal would ever be likely to go anywhere near the food chain if there was 100 % compensation , '' said Sir Simon Gourlay , president of the National Farmers Union . The disease struck one of his own cows , Gourlay said . `` In the course of 24 hours , the animal went from being ostensibly quite normal to very vicious and totally disoriented . '' As of Feb. 9 , the Ministry of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food said that 9,998 cattle have been destroyed after being diagnosed with BSE . The government has paid $ 6.1 million in compensation , and is budgeting $ 16 million for 1990 . Ireland 's Department of Agriculture and Food said about 20 cases have been confirmed there , all of them near the border with the British province of Northern Ireland . Because of the disease , the U.S. Department of Agriculture 's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in July banned imports of cattle , embryos and bull semen from Britain , said Margaret Webb , a USDA spokeswoman in Washington . Similar embargoes have been imposed by Australia , Finland , Israel , Sweden , West Germany and New Zealand , according to the Agriculture Ministry , and the European Community has proposed a ban on exports of British cattle older than 6 months . David Maclean , a junior agriculture minister , has complained of `` BSE hysteria '' in the media and has insisted that the risk of the disease passing to humans is `` remote . '' The government has committed $ 19 million to finding the cause of the disease . A commission chaired by Sir Richard Southwood , a professor at Oxford University , reported last year that the cause of BSE `` is quite unlike any bacteria or known viruses . '' The report said the disease is impossible to detect in apparently healthy animals because it does not prompt the immune system to produce antibodies . The Southwood report said it is `` most unlikely '' that the disease poses a threat to humans . But the report added : `` If our assessments of these likelihoods are incorrect , the implications would be extremely serious . '' There is a human variant of spongiform encephalopathy , known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease . About two dozen cases were reported in Britain last year . Another form , known as kuru , had been found in cannibals in New Guinea . According to a report in the British Medical Journal , the incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is no higher in Britain than it is in countries free of scrapie . `` It is urgent that the same reassurance can be given about the lack of effect of BSE on human health , '' a consultative committee reported to the Agriculture Ministry . The committee 's report , released early this year , said it is only a `` shrewd guess '' that BSE is transmitted through sheep offal in cattle feed .

O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O B I I O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O

mad cow disease
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
bse
sheep disease
cattle feed
british cattle
exports
imports
ban


The UK will get strong backing from Brussels today when Germany seeks a ban on British beef exports because of fear of ` mad cow disease ' , or bovine spongiform encephalopathy -LRB- BSE -RRB- . The European Commission planned to tell Germany that it would take legal action if Bonn attempted to introduce a unilateral ban , commission officials said yesterday . Health ministers of the 12 will also discuss the BSE row tomorrow afternoon . Mr Horst Seehofer , the German health minister , has been the prime mover for action against the UK . Bonn is calling for a ban on all live cattle and beef exports from the UK after the discovery in Germany of BSE imported from the UK . The commission has reminded Germany that it is the EU that sets veterinary rules , and that there is no scientific evidence proving a link between BSE and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease , which affects humans . A series of restrictions have been imposed in the UK beef sector , which Britain and the commission say are working . In 1990 , certain bovine offals , like brain and spleen , were banned for human consumption . Since June 1990 there has been a ban on the export of live cattle over six months from the UK , and on the progeny of BSE-affected cows . In addition , all British exports of bone-in beef must be certified as coming from herds that have been free of ` mad cow disease ' for two years . British officials say that the EU single market will be disrupted unless all member states stick to the scientific evidence , and that Germany 's threat of unilateral action risks a collapse in beef consumption similar to the fall that followed the 1990 BSE scare . ` We feel we have a sound case and other member states and the Commission agree with us , ' a senior British agriculture official said .

O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B I I O O O O O B I I O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

mad cow disease
british beef exports
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
unilateral ban
british exports
restrictions
germany


U.S. military helicopters on Sunday located the wreckage of a plane that crashed last Monday with Texas congressman Mickey Leland and 15 others aboard . Witnesses who visited the site said there were no survivors . U.S. rescue and recovery teams said that the plane hit a mountain about 4,300 feet above sea level , having missed clearing the peak by about 300 feet . The crash site is about 75 miles east of the Fugnido refugee camp that Leland was flying to visit when the plane vanished in heavy weather last Monday . `` If they would have flown over that peak they would have been home free , '' said Rep. Gary L. Ackerman -LRB- D-N.Y. -RRB- , a colleague of Leland 's who has accompanied search crews for the last two days and was aboard the helicopter that first spotted the wreckage Sunday . Ackerman said that the plane appeared to have hit `` nose first , right into the rocks ; its two wings sheared off , its engines melted , its fuselage gone . '' Wreckage Examined Ackerman said that military paratroopers lowered themselves from his helicopter on ropes to examine the wreckage . `` They told us everyone had died instantaneously , '' Ackerman said . The 44-year-old Leland , a Democrat , was making his sixth tour of refugee camps along the Ethiopia-Sudan border as chairman of the House Select Committee on Hunger , a panel he had helped to establish five years ago . Also aboard the plane were Hugh Anderson Johnson Jr. and Patrice Yvonne Johnson , both aides to Leland -LRB- who were not related -RRB- ; Joyce Francine Williams , an aide to Rep. Ronald V. Dellums -LRB- D-Berkeley -RRB- , and an expert on child nutrition ; Y. Ivan Tillen , a New York businessman and friend of Leland 's ; Robert Woods , a political and economic officer at the American Embassy in Addis Ababa ; Gladys Gilbert , a special projects officer for the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development attached to the embassy ; Thomas Worrick , the acting AID representative in Ethiopia , and Worrick 's wife , Roberta . 7 Ethiopians Killed Also on board were Debebe Agonofer , an Ethiopian agricultural economist with the AID mission , and six other Ethiopians , including the plane 's crew of three . Reaction to the news in the United States was one of sadness coupled with an outpouring of praise for Leland 's work . A statement issued by President Bush said that `` Mickey Leland and the other members of his traveling party , both Americans and Ethiopians , were engaged in a noble cause -- trying to feed the hungry . '' Dellums spoke of his staff aide who lost her life in the crash as `` a close personal friend for over a decade '' and said that everyone on the plane `` shared a common commitment to helping the poor , the starving and the dispossessed in that war-torn , drought-stricken land . '' `` Their deaths are a collective loss to all humanity , '' Dellums said . Discovery of the crash site ended what had been one of the most extensive American search and rescue operations ever conducted in a Third World country . By Sunday , 18 aircraft , including four American helicopters , two American C-130 airplanes and 12 Ethiopian aircraft , were involved in the search . Three more American helicopters were reported to be en route from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida when word of the discovery came . The search on Sunday was hampered again by thunderstorms , poor visibility and other conditions that characterized many of the previous days of search . `` The terrain was fairly rugged and the weather conditions were bad getting there , '' said Capt. Clair M. Gilk , commander of one of the two helicopters that were the first to spot the wreckage . Gilk said that the crash site , in a mountainous and heavily wooded region , is so remote and inaccessible that the nearest landing site for helicopters is half a mile away , a distance that he said could take as much as three hours to cover on foot . Recovery Planned for Today Air Force personnel were assigned to remain near the site Sunday night to keep it secure . Recovery of the remains of those aboard the plane , a twin-engine Twin Otter , was to commence at first light today . Because of the site 's inaccessibility , it could take at least two days to recover all of the bodies , according to Maj. Gen. James F. Record , who came here from Washington to oversee the search effort . Record arrived in Addis Ababa about 10 minutes after the first reports were received of the sighting of the crash site . In Washington , a Pentagon spokesman , Navy Capt. Stan Bloyer , said that the remains of the Americans will probably be returned to the United States through Torrejon Air Base near Madrid , where the American armed forces maintains full mortuary facilities . Dellums to Accompany Bodies Dellums , House Majority Whip William H. Gray III -LRB- D-Pa . -RRB- and Republican Reps. Bill Emerson of Missouri and Jack Fields of Texas plan to fly to Addis Ababa to accompany the bodies back to the United States . Discovery of the crash site came at about 1:15 p.m. local time Sunday . Ackerman said that the helicopter he was traveling in set down during the morning at an airstrip near the village of Dembi Dolo . There , the crew came upon a Roman Catholic missionary who told them that he had heard reports from local villagers that a plane had been heard nearby last week . Presently , the crew found an Ethiopian surveyor who said he could guide them to an area near where the plane had been heard . The surveyor was taken aboard , crew members said , but on their way toward their destination they spotted the crash site . The location was described as very steep , with the plane resting on land that was pitched at an angle of about 60 degrees . ` Mostly Rocks and Brush ' Crew members described the site as `` mostly rocks and brush '' and indicated that the pilot of Leland 's plane may have been trying to escape bad weather on Monday by following the pathway of a river flowing through a valley . Before the plane reached safety , it ran into the mountainside . Rep. Alan Wheat -LRB- D-Mo . -RRB- , who with Ackerman had been flying with search crews for the last two days , said he telephoned House Speaker Thomas S. Foley -LRB- D-Wash . -RRB- from Addis Ababa soon after the discovery was made . He said that Foley was `` heartbroken '' at the news . The crash site was described by U.S. authorities as being about 20 nautical miles due east of the town of Gambela and 230 nautical miles west-southwest of Addis Ababa . It appeared to be near the village of Bure . Area Had Been Covered The area of the site had apparently been searched within the first two days after the crash by American aircraft using electronic devices in an attempt to detect an emergency signal from the downed craft . However , Sunday was the first day that helicopters flew over the area to make visual inspections . The discovery , and indications that the passengers had died instantly , brought an end to charges that the American military response to the emergency was inadequate and tardy . Wheat , who was among those who had pressed Defense Department officials for the deployment of more aircraft in the search , said after the discovery Sunday : `` We could have brought every plane in the world that we have , and it would not have made a difference . '' President Bush , in his Sunday statement , said : `` I have known , admired and worked with Mickey Leland for many years . His sense of compassion and desire to help those in need has aided millions of people from Houston to Addis Ababa . Our hearts go out to -LRB- his widow -RRB- and to the families and friends of the congressional staff members , State Department , Agency for International Development and Ethiopian officials who joined Mickey on his important mission and who died with him trying to carry it out . '' ` Best in Compassion ' Foley said that `` in his search to look into the plight of the world 's most desperate and hungry individuals , Rep. Leland represented the best in compassion that we as a nation possess . '' Secretary of State James A. Baker III praised the congressman as `` an outstanding statesman and humanitarian who died serving his country . '' Baker also thanked Ethiopia , a Soviet-allied country with which Washington has had strained relations for several years , for its `` outstanding support '' in the search for Leland 's party . Bush offered U.S. help to the Ethiopian government for its investigation into the crash of the plane . Leland was a former Houston pharmacist who called the fight against hunger `` my passion . '' He leaves a wife , Alison Walton Leland , and a 3-year-old son , Jarrett . Mrs. Leland is pregnant with the couple 's second child . First elected to Congress in 1978 , he represented a mostly black and Hispanic section of Houston after the retirement of Rep. Barbara Jordan , a fellow Democrat . Leland had no significant opposition for his congressional seat since he was first elected , winning his most recent election with 96 % of the vote . Times staff writer Melissa Healy , in Washington , contributed to this story .

O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

crash site
fugnido refugee camp
heavy weather
texas congressman mickey leland
wreckage
rescue operations
american helicopters


Canadian Coach Charlie Francis , who claimed that sprinter Ben Johnson 's urine sample at the Seoul Olympics was spiked with a banned steroid , told an acquaintance in Seoul that Johnson had worried that he might test positive . Lynda Huey , who was at Seoul working for NBC-TV and as a physical therapist for some American athletes , said Tuesday that Francis had bragged to her about Johnson 's preparations for a showdown against U.S. sprinter Carl Lewis . Huey said she had known Francis since 1980 when he and sprinter Angella Taylor Issajenko stayed at her home in Los Angeles . Huey said she had seen Francis on a practice track at Seoul and he had greeted her as an old friend . `` Charlie came over to me and we started talking , '' Huey said . `` We were talking about how Ben might do . Charlie said , ` Ben 's more afraid of failing the drug test than he is of Carl Lewis . ' He was bragging . '' Huey said she is tired of hearing Francis , who has been in Toronto testifying at a Canadian inquiry into drug use in sport , say that Johnson was clean at the Olympics . Francis testified that Johnson was not taking the steroid , stanozolol , before the Games and that a mysterious person might have slipped something into Johnson 's beverage in the drug-testing area before the sprinter gave his urine specimen . Clean or not , Huey said , `` Francis must have had some reason to think Ben may not pass the test . '' JULIE CART

B I I I O O O O B I I O B I O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

sprinter ben johnson
canadian coach charlie francis
urine sample
seoul olympics
banned steroid
drug use
lynda huey
canadian inquiry


The official opening of the Channel Tunnel later this year promises to help revitalise the north-west regions of Belgium , even though the country 's biggest ports will suffer a loss of traffic . The chambers of commerce in Veurne and Courtrai , along with the West Flanders Regional Development Authority in Bruges , are gearing up to become part of what they refer to as the ` new European Metropolitan Area . ' This takes in the Nord-Pas de Calais in France , Western Flanders and Hainaut in Belgium , and Kent in the UK . The potential for this region is enormous . According to Mr Anthony Vande Candelare , an urban planner who made a study of the influence of the Channel Tunnel on the west of Belgium and the North of France : ` Overnight , the Belgian coast and the North of France will become the centre of Europe . ' Mr Jo Libeer , managing director of the Courtrai chamber of commerce , is equally optimistic about the likely impact on the area of the tunnel . ` With the TGV and the chunnel this region , which was sort of in the corner of Europe , will now be in the middle of a new developing area , ' he says . This is no bad thing for Belgium . In its last economic survey of the country , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said the Belgian economy had deteriorated ` progressively ' since the 1980s . ` And over the last 10 to 12 months it has taken a distinct turn for the worse . ' Furthermore , Flanders , the area most likely to benefit from the arrival of the tunnel , has recently suffered more rapid increases in unemployment than in Wallonia and the Brussels region . The unemployment rate , which in 1990 was 9.5 per cent in Flanders has risen to 13 per cent . The Belgian chambers in the regions most directly affected believe there are two main areas for development : firstly , increasing traffic through western Flanders as holidaymakers and freight carriers head towards the tunnel-opening in Calais ; and secondly tourism . To benefit fully , however , a crucial 7km stretch of the E40 European motorway between Veurne and the French border has yet to be completed . Once this is done it will be possible to drive from Russia to England without leaving a motorway , says Mr Philippe Claerhout , chairman of the Veurne chamber of commerce and industry . Fortunately , plans to complete the stretch have been agreed and it should be open some time next year . On the downside , the Westhoek region is badly placed to benefit from rail transport . ` Even after the doubling of the tracks and electrification of the railway line between Ghent and De Panne , we will still be a remote corner , ' says Mr Claerhout . Furthermore , Belgium 's biggest ports are expecting traffic loads to fall , as freight and passengers are directed towards Calais . Worst affected will be Ostend and Zeebrugge , two ports hoping to hold their own by concentrating on links with ports in the north of England . Nonetheless , the improved , if imperfect , transport communications of the West Flanders region are apparently paying off . Mr Geert Sanders , who works for the Regional Development Authority of West Flanders , says there is already evidence that the region 's enhanced communications are attracting new businesses . For example , Baronie , a Dutch chocolate company , is opening a new base in the southern part of West Flanders . There is , however , a danger that Belgium will not make the most of the commercial opportunities - ` we will try to attract new industry , but our region is very small and our industrial zones are full , ' says Mr Ludo Verstraete , of the Veurne chamber of commerce . The Belgian authorities have dragged their feet over decisions to dedicate new areas , he says . The other main focus for development is tourism . As Mr Claerhout says : ` We need to convince people from other countries that it is worth their while to stop in Westhoek at the time of their journey through the North of Europe to England . ' The potential is there . West Flanders is home to some of the best-known World War One battlefields , and promoters of the region insist that its large , open green spaces will , when properly developed , attract foreign visitors . But once again , there is a danger that Belgium will miss out . It has been slower to develop the tourist potential of the Channel Tunnel than France . Around Calais , a commercial and leisure centre , hotels and activity parks , known as ` La Cite de L'Europe ' , are springing up while Lille is home to Euralille , a similar development . As Mr Verstraete of the Veurne chamber of commerce says : ` Tourism is very important ... we really have to develop our hotels and tourist infrastructure . ' But the biggest advantages for Belgium will come from close co-operation between the national and federal authorities and their French and UK counterparts . In a Europe without frontiers , this will be the most effective way of benefiting from the the Channel Tunnel .

O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O

official opening
channel tunnel
belgium
western flanders
chunnel
rapid increases
holidaymakers
freight carriers
traffic loads
european metropolitan area
development


If Mr Ernesto Zedillo , Mexico 's next president , had any doubts about the difficulties of reforming Mexico 's governing party and the country 's corrupt judicial and legal system , the assassination last week of Mr Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu , the party 's number two official , will probably have removed them . Mr Ruiz Massieu 's killing was allegedly ordered by Mr Manuel Munoz Rocha , a federal deputy of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary party -LRB- PRI -RRB- , and Mr Abraham Rubio Canales , a former tourism developer with strong links to the Gulf drug cartel in the state of Tamaulipas . The two allegedly hired the gunman , and other accomplices , according to testimony from one man who has confessed to his role in the killing . This alleged alliance between a hardliner in the governing party and a man with links to a drug gang has underlined concerns that efforts by Mr Zedillo to reform his party and the country 's criminal justice system will be met with fierce and violent resistance from those who stand to lose from these changes . According to testimony from the alleged accomplices to the assassination , the conspirators drew up a list of reform-minded politicians with plans to kill all of them . Since Mr Ruiz Massieu 's assassination , there has been renewed speculation that political reactionaries and drug traffickers may have had a hand in the killing six months ago of Mr Luis Donaldo Colosio , the ruling party 's reform-minded presidential candidate , even though no evidence has emerged to indicate this is the case . Mr Carlos Fuentes , the novelist , asked yesterday in a newspaper article entitled ` Who is next ? ' whether Mexico , like Colombia , was facing a period of sustained political violence orchestrated by drug barons . Other columnists have insinuated that more groups than currently revealed might be involved in Mr Ruiz Massieu 's murder . Mr Munoz Rocha has promised to hand himself in if his safety is guaranteed , according to a statement by Mexico 's Congress . Two newspapers reported yesterday that Mr Munoz Rocha has admitted to a role in the crime but put the responsibility on Mr Rubio Canales , who reportedly blames Mr Ruiz Massieu for his conviction for fraud in 1992 , and the prison sentence he is currently serving . Mr Munoz Rocha said he participated in the assassination ` because I was angry that I had not been supported in my political aspirations ' . The ruling party has denied that the crime reflects an internal battle between ideological factions in the PRI . Mr Ignacio Pichardo , the president of the party , declared on Monday that Mr Munoz Rocha ` never had intellectual interests , never raised issues of political theory , and was never associated with making ideological pronouncements . ' Mr Pichardo insisted that the reform of the PRI would go ahead . As if to underline this pledge , Ms Maria de los Angeles Moreno , the head of the PRI group in the Chamber of Deputies and a reformist , was appointed to replace Mr Ruiz Massieu as the party 's secretary-general . Government officials have suggested the Gulf drug cartel may have deliberately involved Mr Munoz Rocha in the assassination to maximise the political impact of the crime . The motives of drug traffickers are uncertain . One view is they believed the assassination would weaken Mr Ruiz Massieu 's brother , Mario , who is the deputy attorney general in charge of drug enforcement . If this was the motivation , the plan may have backfired . Mr Ruiz Massieu has taken charge of the investigation into his brother 's death , and search for drug cartel members appears to have intensified . Another view is the cartel was seeking revenge . Mr Mario Ruiz Massieu recently had arrested Raul Valladares , top lieutenant in the Gulf Cartel and son-in-law of Mr Rubio Canales , the man in the Acapulco jail accused of jointly plotting the assassination .

O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O

assassination
jose francisco ruiz massieu
gulf drug cartel
alleged alliance
mexico
criminal justice system
violent resistance


As they scanned the flow of passengers at Los Angeles International Airport , police detective Clayton Searle and his fellow narcotics officer searched for the likely companion of the suspected drug courier who stood handcuffed nearby . When Searle noticed a short , muscular black man walk toward them and then turn abruptly toward a bank of telephones , the plainclothes Los Angeles police detective moved in quickly to question him . Within minutes , however , their words had turned into violence , and the two men toppled to the terminal floor where Searle handcuffed his suspect and pulled him to his feet . Placing his hand across the man 's mouth , the officer then marched him away before a gathering crowd of gaping passersby . Only later did Searle and his partner from the Drug Enforcement Administration realize that the suspected drug courier they had arrested on that March day in 1988 was Joe Morgan , the former Cincinnati Reds second baseman who was inducted Monday into Major League baseball 's Hall of Fame . The 46-year-old Morgan , who is now an Oakland businessman and baseball broadcaster , is suing Searle and the city of Los Angeles in federal court , claiming that he was unfairly targeted because he is black and fit a certain `` profile '' that narcotics officers think a drug courier should look like . `` There 's no doubt in our mind that the only reason they stopped Joe Morgan was because he is black and he was the first black who happened to come by , '' said William Barnes , one of the attorneys representing the former ballplayer . The Morgan case also reflects a growing criticism of police use of the drug courier profile to stem the flow of drugs through airports . `` It 's purely based on race or dress , not on whether you are involved in any drug activity , '' said Gary Trichter , a Houston defense lawyer and former police officer who specializes in such cases . First developed in the 1970s , the drug courier profile was based on patterns of behavior believed to be used by those who use commercial airline flights to transport narcotics . Such suspicious behavior include erratic movements , paying for tickets with cash , using an alias , boarding a long flight without luggage and staying briefly in distant cities known to be sources of narcotics . Last year , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government agents may stop and question airline passengers who look and act like drug couriers . But the court said brief detentions must be based on a person 's behavior , not just on race or appearance . `` Profiles are important and we use them , but exactly how we use them or what the profile is I can not tell you , '' said Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. William Booth . `` It is certainly not something based on any prejudice or racism . It 's based on trying to protect the public . '' He said that last year , 254 narcotics arrests were made at Los Angeles International Airport . Through Aug. . 3 of this year , there have been 121 such arrests . Frank Schults , chief of public affairs for the DEA in Washington , denied that his agency uses drug courier profiles . `` We have any number of investigative techniques and ways to identify people involved in moving drugs , but a profile is not one of them , '' he said . Neither Booth nor Schults would comment on the Morgan lawsuit , which is scheduled to go to trial for a second time next month in Los Angeles . Morgan is seeking unspecified damages , claiming that his civil rights were violated . Last April , a six-person federal jury rejected Morgan 's case . But two months later , U.S. District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer set aside the verdict after ruling that she had failed to instruct jurors that Morgan had been illegally detained by police . `` There is n't any possible other conclusion but that the stop was illegal , '' the judge concluded . Both Searle , a 20-year Police Department veteran , and William Woessner , a DEA agent who was subsequently dropped from the lawsuit , have denied that they did anything wrong . `` I wish that this had n't happened , '' Searle said . `` I wish -LRB- Morgan -RRB- luck now that I know who he is . I just hope I never see him again . '' Morgan could not be reached for comment . But in court documents , he said that on March 15 , 1988 , he was waiting at Los Angeles International Airport for a connecting flight to Tucson to attend a golf tournament and was innocently making a phone call when Searle suddenly grabbed his shoulder and spun him around . Asked to identify himself , Morgan said he told the officer that his wallet was in an attache case about 40 feet away but that Searle refused to let him retrieve it . When a bystander -- who would later testify for Morgan -- recognized the former player and tried to intervene , both men claimed that Searle warned the man to stay away . Minutes later , Morgan said , Searle grabbed him by the neck and they fell to the floor . Morgan said the officer then put a knee in his back , wrenched his arms behind him and handcuffed him . He was taken to a small children 's nursery in the terminal and interrogated , but within minutes the officers had confirmed his identity , Morgan said . Searle then offered to free him if he would forget the matter , according to Morgan 's lawsuit . Instead , Morgan filed his complaint , in part , to discourage similar incidents from occurring , his attorneys said . `` This happened to Joe Morgan , but it really is applicable to any black person who uses Los Angeles airport , '' said Oakland attorney Edwin Wilson Jr. , who also is black . `` If it was n't Joe , this could have happened to me or my father or to any other black person . '' Searle , 42 , denied the allegations but told The Times he could not discuss specifics of the case . `` All I can say is that the guy is a great baseball player and appears to be a good announcer , '' Searle said . `` I wish it did n't happen . He just sort of went out of control . '' Assistant City Atty. Honey A. Lewis , who represents the officer and the Police Department , said Searle had acted properly and was merely asking Morgan to identify himself when Morgan suddenly became belligerent , spewing profanities and slapping the officer . `` My argument is that Mr. Morgan overreacted , '' Lewis said . `` If he had cooperated , none of this would have happened . I think he had a bruised ego , and he was offended because the officer had n't recognized him . '' According to Searle 's sworn court deposition , the incident began after he and Woessner , working together as members of an airport anti-drug task force , had arrested a passenger as a suspected drug courier . They said he was using an alias . Although the officers found no drugs in his possession , Searle said they discovered that the passenger was holding a second plane ticket , and they began looking for his companion . Since the passenger was black and indicated that his companion `` looked like me , '' the officer began looking for a black man who was nervous-looking or having `` other characteristics of a narcotics courier . '' When they spotted Morgan , Searle said , he tried to speak to him but Morgan started screaming profanities and `` making animal noises '' and hit him in the chest with a wild swing . In his suit , Morgan denies that and contends that he suffered `` acute physical and emotional distress and embarrassment '' after the incident and expressed concern about damage to his reputation . RELATED STORY : C14

O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

clayton searle
joe morgan
public affairs
racism
police officer
drugs
los angeles