Comments on Irish 'yes' to Lisbon Treaty

Reaction to Ireland's 'yes' vote to the Lisbon Treaty:

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Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU presidency:

"Today is a good day for Europe. It has been a long journey."

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Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt:

This is "an important victory for Ireland _ and for all of Europe!"

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Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, who directed the 'yes' campaign:

"I'm absolutely delighted for the country. It's good for Ireland, because I do passionately believe our future is in the European Union."

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European …

Moon Stamp Star of Auction

Ghostly figures plant an American flag on the Moon on a stampthat could bring more than $3,000 at an auction Memorial Day,following the COMPEX '95 show.

The stamp is a $2.40 priority mail Moon Landing stamp withoutthe black printing that gives detail and shadows to the space suitsand the moon's surface.

It's valued at $3,500 in the Postal Service Guide to U.S.Stamps, 1995 edition. The auctioneer, Richard E. Drews, of StampKing, 7139 W. Higgins, estimated that it will bring in $1,800 to$3,000.

His auction will be held May 29, after the three-day COMPEX'95 show, which is expected to attract more than 70 dealers.

COMPEX is being held at The …

Ceremony honors Jews killed by Polish neighbors

JEDWABNE, Poland (AP) — Poland's president made a repeated apology during ceremonies on Sunday marking 70 years since Polish villagers murdered hundreds of their Jewish neighbors in a World War II massacre that caused painful soul-searching in Poland when it was revealed in 2000.

An agonizing debate at the time forced Poles to modify their belief, shaped by decades of communist-era propaganda, that they were always heroic victims — never collaborators — in Nazi-era atrocities.

The date of the massacre in the village of Jedwabne, some 190 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Warsaw, has entered Poland's remembrance calendar and the state and church leaders have apologized. But …

NATO: Developments now favor alliance war effort.

NATO's chief says developments in Afghanistan are turning in favor of the alliance and that the handover of security responsibilities to local authorities could begin by year's end.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told alliance defense ministers Friday that the Afghan government and international authorities will agree on how to start handing over security, province by …

Michigan at a Glance

COACH: Lloyd Carr, second season. 1995 RECORD: 9-4, 5-3 in the Big Ten. LAST BOWL APPEARANCE: Lost to Texas A&M 22-20 in 1995 Alamo Bowl. STARTERS RETURNING: 14; offense 5, defense 9. PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Scott Dreisbach, LB Jarrett Irons, K RemyHamilton. NEWCOMERS TO WATCH: TB Chris Howard, TB Clarence Williams. GOOD NEWS IF: Scott Dreisbach continues promising start before hewas injured last season and new skill players step in well. BAD NEWS IF: Difficult early schedule takes its toll and defensedoesn't carry a big load. OUTLOOK: Michigan is a perennial Rose Bowl contender, and this yearis no different. The offense has some huge shoes to fill, especiallythe skill positions. …

STUDY: U.S. STRUCTURES WOULD COVER OHIO

If all the highways, streets, buildings, parking lots, and other solid structures in the 48 contiguous United States were pieced together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, they would almost cover the state of Ohio. That is the result of a study by Christopher Elvidge of NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, who along with colleagues from several universities and agencies produced the first national map and inventory of impervious surface areas (ISA) in the United States.

As calculated by the researchers, the total impervious surface area of the 48 states and the District of Columbia is approximately 43,480 mi^sup 2^ (the total area of Ohio is 44,994 mi^sup …

Somali pirates free Yemeni ship without ransom

A Somali minister in the semiautonomous northern region of Puntland says pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship and its eight crew members without receiving any ransom.

State minister Ali Abdi Aware says the pirates released the ship Tuesday night after an appeal by local clan elders and regional officials.

Aware said Wednesday that "no ransom was …