Washington, D.C.: Senate mulls stronger rules to protect sacred Indian sites

Federal agencies don’t do enough to protect sacred sites, American Indian leaders testified Tuesday, citing burial grounds washed away when the Army Corps of Engineers adjusted the flow of the Missouri River.

Indian leaders from the Great Plains, where the Missouri River was dammed by the corps nearly 50 years ago, told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that federal agencies have a long history of disregarding sacred Indian sites.

They urged Congress to adopt stringent regulations for how the federal government manages Indian holy places located on public lands.

Indian tribes have been lobbying Congress for legislation to sharpen legal protection of such places as medicine wheels, healing springs, and winter lodges, some of which were left behind in the 1800s when tribes were forced off their lands.

Denver: Twin hijacking exercise tests response to terrorism

Two jets packed with people took off Tuesday from airports in the West in a twin hijacking drill designed to improve coordination among American and Canadian agencies.

About a dozen fighter jets from the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled to respond to the simulated hijackings, and ran through several scenarios.

The drill was planned before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The exercise involved more than 1,500 personnel from the United States and Canada.

Afghanistan: Rockets miss coalition target

Four rockets were fired Tuesday at a military base used by U.S.-led coalition forces, but all failed to hit the airfield, officials said.

A Canadian military spokesman said only two of the rockets, launched at dawn with a time-delay mechanism, managed to get within 1 1/2 miles of Kandahar air base and its runway, the apparent target.

“A rocket attack was launched in direction of the Kandahar airfield and missed its target,” said Canadian Navy Lt. Luc Charron.

Charron said six rockets had been aimed at the base, but two misfired and two fell just 300 yards from the launch site three miles away and did not detonate. They were found by a Canadian patrol.

Washington: More extensive identification of foreign visitors sought

The Bush administration is proposing to photograph, fingerprint and get detailed information from thousands more foreign visitors to the United States, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Under the plan, the Justice Department would expand the reach of an already existing law to keep better track of tourists, business travelers, students and temporary workers considered possible security threats.

Justice Department officials declined to comment on the plan, details of which are expected to be announced this week.

Foreigners seeking to live in the United States are photographed, fingerprinted and must provide detailed background information to the government. But the same is not required of the most visitors.