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No plans to close Gitmo prison, Cheney says
By wire services
Published June 13, 2005
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney, reacting to a growing chorus of calls to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terrorism suspects are held, says there are no present plans to do so.
"The important thing here to understand is that the people that are at Guantanamo are bad people," he said.
"I mean, these are terrorists for the most part. These are people that were captured in the battlefield of Afghanistan or rounded up as part of the al-Qaida network," he said in an interview to be aired today on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes .
Human rights activists and some lawmakers - mostly Democrats - are pressing for the prison's closure because of allegations of torture and abuse of detainees.
President Bush has said his administration is "exploring all alternatives" for detaining prisoners.
The prison holds about 540 detainees. Some have been there more than three years without being charged with any crime.
Most were captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and were sent to Guantanamo Bay in hope of extracting useful intelligence about the al-Qaida terrorist network.
No reports of injuries in California earthquake
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - A moderate earthquake shook most of Southern California early Sunday. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage, authorities said.
The magnitude 5.6 quake struck about 8:40 a.m. and was centered 20 miles south of Palm Springs, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Dozens of smaller temblors were registered within minutes of the quake, authorities said.
The quake was felt as far west as Los Angeles and as far south as San Diego, 75 miles southwest of Palm Springs.
It also was reported to be felt as far east as Arizona, according to messages sent to the Web site of seismologists at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Security bars hampered rescue in fire fatal to five
PHILADELPHIA - Five young children were killed in a fast-moving fire that swept through a row house Sunday morning, and fire officials said security bars in the home's windows slowed the attempted rescue.
Two adults escaped but were seriously injured in the blaze. The man and woman jumped from a second-floor window, officials said.
Officials would not release the names or ages of the victims, but neighbors said the boy and four girls ranged in age from 6 months to 6 years old.
[Last modified June 13, 2005, 01:43:11]
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