Washington, D.C.: Army secretary resigns

Army Secretary Thomas White, who has been at odds with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld about means of modernizing the Army, resigned Friday.

A brief Pentagon statement announcing the resignation gave no reason for White’s decision. In the statement, Rumsfeld thanked White for his “long and able service to the country.”

His departure portends a major shake-up in Army leadership. The top uniformed Army officer, Gen. Eric Shinseki, is due to finish his term as Army chief of staff in June.

White, 59, became engaged in a public dispute with Rumsfeld last year about the defense secretary’s proposal to cancel the Crusader artillery project, which White said was vital to the Army’s future. Rumsfeld decided it was not suited for wars of the future and eventually canceled the program.

Atlanta: Legislature OKs new flag

The Georgia Legislature voted Friday to change the state flag to a version that echoes the Confederate battle emblem, but without the familiar Dixie cross that had led black lawmakers to promise an economic boycott.

Lawmakers agreed to quash any possibility of a referendum on reviving the Confederate battle emblem, which black lawmakers called a symbol of oppression and which had been a part of the bill.

If the measure is approved by Gov. Sonny Perdue, Georgia voters next March will choose between the temporary flag and the current Georgia flag.

Havana: Castro blames conspiracy for dissident crackdown

President Fidel Castro on Friday claimed that a conspiracy between the U.S. government and Cuban exiles in Miami was to blame for his dissident crackdown and the executions of three hijackers.

In a nationally televised address that lasted more than three hours, the communist leader also accused America’s top diplomat in Cuba, James Cason, of fomenting unrest among opponents of his government.

Cuba has come under heavy world criticism in recent weeks for holding rapid tribunals and giving the dissidents sentences ranging from six to 28 years on charges of collaborating with American diplomats to subvert the socialist system — charges that the opponents and U.S. officials deny.

Afghanistan: U.S. soldier killed in battle with Taliban fighters

American troops clashed with suspected Taliban gunmen Friday near the Pakistan border, leaving one U.S. soldier dead and several wounded, the military said.

An Afghan soldier accompanying the patrol of about 35 U.S. special forces in Paktika province also was hurt, Col. Roger King said.

The gunbattle at Shkin involved at least 20 enemy fighters, King said at Bagram, the U.S. military headquarters north of the capital, Kabul.