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FDA rules anthrax vaccine effective

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that the anthrax vaccine protects against the inhaled form of the deadly bacteria, aiding government efforts to restart the Pentagon's mandatory inoculation program, which was stalled by a federal injunction.

The Justice Department swiftly capitalized on the new FDA determination on the anthrax vaccine, filing an emergency motion late Tuesday asking a federal judge to vacate the injunction.

In a statement, the FDA described its "conclusion that the licensed anthrax vaccine, Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed, is safe and effective for the prevention of anthrax disease regardless of the route of exposure."

Its languages was clearly directed at Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the District of Columbia U.S. District Court, who last week issued a preliminary injunction to halt the Pentagon's use of what he described as "an investigational drug."

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush announced agreements with another four countries to exempt Americans from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, which it staunchly opposes.

The 1998 Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court has been ratified by 90 countries, but the court faces opposition from the United States. Bush administration officials fear that Americans, particularly soldiers abroad, could fall victim to politically motivated prosecutions.

The Bush administration has signed bilateral treaties with more than three dozen countries that have agreed not to hand over American citizens to the court.

The latest are Belize, Macedonia, Panama and Fiji.

Nongovernmental organizations have complained that the United States has pushed countries into signing the deals by saying it otherwise will withhold humanitarian aid or military support or even by blocking NATO membership.

RECOVERING POWELL RETURNS TO WORK: Secretary of State Colin Powell returned to work at the State Department Tuesday, 15 days after surgery for prostate cancer. Powell presided at a senior staff meeting and made telephone calls to Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and to the president and vice president of Sudan.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Powell did not plan a full day at the office Tuesday. He will to resume his normal schedule next week, Ereli said.

PUERTO RICO GETS NEW CHIEF JUSTICE: Miriam Naveira was sworn in Tuesday as the new chief justice of Puerto Rico's Supreme Court, making her the first woman to hold the post.