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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PartyTime who wrote (12608)	2/25/2003 4:09:13 AM
From: ForYourEyesOnly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Saddam challenges Bush to televised debate Saddam Hussein has challenged George Bush to an internationally televised debate via satellite linkup. The Iraqi leader said he envisioned a live debate with Bush along the lines of those in a US presidential campaign. He has also indicated that he does not intend to follow UN orders to destroy his Al-Samoud 2 missiles. "I am ready to conduct a direct dialogue -a debate- with your president. I will say what I want and he will say what he wants." Regarding chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix's order that Iraq destroy its Al-Samoud 2 missiles, CBS quoted Saddam as saying: "Iraq is allowed to prepare proper missiles and we are committed to that." Asked whether the Al-Samoud 2 missiles are "proper," Saddam was quoted as replying: "We do not have missiles that go beyond the proscribed range. The order was issued after international experts determined the missile flew farther than the 93-mile limit set down by the UN in 1991. Iraq maintains some of the missiles overshot the limit because they were tested without warheads and guidance systems. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Saddam's comments about the Al Samouds represented "open defiance" of the UN. "He refuses even to acknowledge that the weapons are prohibited," Fleischer said. ananova.com

To: PartyTime who wrote (12608)	2/25/2003 9:16:47 AM
From: James Calladine	Respond to of 25898

Natural gas prices rise 40% Heating oil costs also soar, up 50% from year ago By Barbara Hagenbaugh USA TODAY WASHINGTON -- Natural gas prices jumped nearly 40% and heating oil costs hit their highest level on record Monday, developments that point to increases in already bloated home-heating bills. Residential heating oil prices are up 50% from a year ago, when the average winter heating oil bill was $642, the Energy Department says. Bills might approach $1,000 this winter. While natural gas prices are not as easy to track, consumers were reporting similar jumps before Monday's rise. The average household heating bill for natural gas users was $596 last winter. ''Higher natural gas and heating oil prices will cut more into consumer budgets,'' says Jim Williams of WTRG Economics, an energy consultant. ''If you are old enough to remember, it is time to bring out that sweater that President Carter used to wear while encouraging us to turn our thermostats down.'' In futures trading in New York, natural gas prices rose from $6.61 per million BTU to $9.14, the highest in more than two years. Heating oil hit $1.15 a gallon, surpassing the previous record high set in December 1979, before ending the day slightly lower. Futures prices usually have an impact on retail prices later, and not necessarily by the same magnitude, but point to the direction of prices. More than half of U.S. homes are heated with natural gas, while 8% are warmed with heating oil. Prices for electricity, which heats 30% of U.S. homes, also might rise, because natural gas and oil are among fuels used to produce it. The increased heating costs, which in part reflect higher demand during an especially cold winter in many parts of the USA, act as a drag on the economy. ''We're in a weak recovery as it is, and this is just one more headwind in an economy that is facing many headwinds,'' says Stephen Brown, director of energy economics at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Forecasts for another mass of cold air to sweep through parts of the East Coast and the Midwest later this week led traders Monday to bid up prices. Energy prices were already on the rise because of a strike in Venezuela that has drained oil off the international market and concerns that a war with Iraq would choke off oil supplies. In other news: * Crude oil prices rose to $36.48 a barrel Monday, up 90 cents from Friday's close. * After rising for 10 weeks, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the USA last week was flat at $1.66, the highest price since June 2001. Some congressmen are calling for government investigations into possible gasoline price gouging, which station owners deny. usatoday.com