Iraq

Progress reported on French hostages; three Turks killed

A Paris newspaper editor said there had been positive movement in the effort to free two captive French journalists Thursday, while a separate militant group in Iraq said it had killed three Turkish captives.

The kidnappers in Iraq have handed over the pair to an Iraqi Sunni Muslim opposition group, Jean de Belot, managing editor of Le Figaro newspaper, said on France-Info radio.

But he stressed that their status wasn’t completely clear. “We must be prudent in this kind of mixed-up situation because we know well that until the good news arrives, we can’t let ourselves be absolutely reassured.” He added the opposition favored the release of the hostages.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Pentagon mulling shift away from traditional war strategy

Top Pentagon officials are considering a new, long-term strategy that shifts spending and resources away from large-scale warfare to build more agile, specialized forces for fighting guerrilla wars, confronting terrorism and handling less conventional threats, officials said Thursday.

The proposal, presented two weeks ago to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others, could carry major implications for defense spending, eventually moving some funds away from ships, tanks and planes and toward troops, elite Special Operations forces and intelligence gathering. The shift has been building for some time, but the plan circulating at the Pentagon would accelerate the changes, analysts said.

PARIS

Ban on Islamic head scarves in schools passes first test

It was easier for 16-year-old Nadia Arabi to remove her Islamic head scarf Thursday than to defy a new law banning religious signs in the classroom.

Nadia was not alone as public schools opened the fall term. Despite divisive debate over the law, compliance was widespread, Education Minister Francois Fillon said.

Fillon said only 240 schoolgirls in all of France showed up in head scarves Thursday, compared to 1,200 counted last year. Only 70 refused to remove their scarves, he said.

Those who defied the new measure, which was adopted to reinforce France’s secularist traditions, are in discussions with school officials, Fillon said. The law calls for a period of dialogue, guaranteeing offenders cannot be expelled immediately.

California

Chevron played key role in Schwarzenegger plan

Lobbyists from oil giant ChevronTexaco played a key role shaping parts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ambitious plan to reorganize California’s massive bureaucracy — including recommendations that would ease restrictions on oil refineries.

State records and interviews with the participants show Chevron influenced areas of the report important to the company through its array of lobbyists, attorneys and trade organizations.

Chevron is a major contributor to the governor’s campaigns, having donated more than $200,000 to his committees and $500,000 to the California Republican Party.

DETROIT

Judge dismisses terror charges against pair

Acting at the request of prosecutors, a federal judge on Thursday threw out the terrorism charges against two men convicted last year in a case once hailed by the Bush administration as a major victory in the war on terror.

But U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said the two, as well as a third man, must stand trial again on charges of document fraud.

The judge’s decision came after the Justice Department admitted widespread prosecutorial misconduct in the case and asked the judge to dismiss the terrorism charges against two men accused of being part of a Detroit terror cell.

Washington

Jury convicts soldier of trying to aid al-Qaida

A National Guardsman accused of trying to give al-Qaida information about U.S. troops, including methods for killing soldiers, was found guilty Thursday on all five counts of trying to help the terrorist network.

The verdict in Spc. Ryan G. Anderson’s court-martial, which began Monday, was announced late Thursday afternoon.

Anderson, a tank crewman whose 81st Armor Brigade unit is now in Iraq, was accused of trying to give terrorists information about U.S. troops’ strength and tactics.

LOS ANGELES

Report: Jackson paid $2 million to accuser

Michael Jackson allegedly paid $2 million to the son of an employee at his Neverland Ranch in 1990 to stave off an accusation of child molestation, according to a report by “Dateline NBC.”

The television news magazine did not disclose its source for information about the reported payment, which was the subject of a segment to be broadcast tonight.

In that segment, retired Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Thomas, now an NBC news analyst, said the accusation came to his office’s attention in 1993 as it investigated another boy’s claim. That boy reportedly was paid $15 million to $20 million by Jackson to avoid charges he thought would damage his career.