News briefs

Haiti’s president resigns as rebels surround
capital PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti “”mdash; President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned and flew into exile Sunday,
pressured by a bloody rebellion and the United States. Gunfire
crackled as the capital fell into chaos, and U.S. Marines arrived
in the country. The contingent totaled fewer than 100 Marines and
more were to arrive Monday. They were the vanguard of a
multinational force that the U.N. Security Council approved late
Sunday night, and France said it would send troops on Monday.
“˜”˜The government believes it is essential that Haiti
have a hopeful future. This is the beginning of a new
chapter,” President Bush said at the White House.
“˜”˜I would urge the people of Haiti to reject violence,
to give this break from the past a chance to work. And the United
States is prepared to help.” Aristide’s
whereabouts were uncertain late Sunday, with officials saying his
jet refueled in the Caribbean nation of Antigua. A senior Caribbean
Community official said Aristide told him during the refueling stop
he was bound for South Africa. After word spread of the
president’s departure, angry Aristide supporters roamed the
streets armed with old rifles, pistols, machetes and sticks. Some
fired wildly into crowds on the Champs de Mars, the main square in
front of the National Palace. The head of Haiti’s supreme
court, Boniface Alexandre, said he was taking charge of the
government, and a key rebel leader said he welcomed the arrival of
foreign troops. The crisis has been brewing since Aristide’s
party swept flawed legislative elections in 2000, prompting
international donors to freeze millions of dollars in aid. It was
unclear where Aristide would go. U.S. National Security Adviser
Condoleezza Rice said he was going to a
“˜”˜third” country, meaning he would not
take refuge in the United States as he did the last time he was
ousted, in 1991. Aristide’s jet refueled on the island of
Antigua and was en route to South Africa, government and airport
officials in that Caribbean country said. But officials in
Johannesburg said there had been no recent contact with Aristide
nor an offer of asylum. Guy Philippe, the rebel leader, told The
Associated Press his forces would head for the capital but would
not engage in any further fighting. “˜”˜The time is not
for fighting anymore,” Philippe said.

Grocery workers approve contract with strong
vote LOS ANGELES “”mdash; Southern California grocery
workers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract agreement
with supermarket operators, ending a strike and lockout that
inconvenienced millions of customers and cost three major grocery
chains hundreds of millions of dollars. After a two-day vote, 86
percent of grocery workers who cast ballots approved the contract
negotiated by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, the
union said Sunday in a statement. Workers were expected to be back
on the job within days. The contract covers 70,000 workers,
employed by Albertsons Inc., Kroger Co., which operates Ralphs
stores, and Safeway Inc., which operates Vons and Pavilions. It
requires employees to pay for health benefits for the first time
and includes two one-time bonuses for hours already worked but no
raise. Union leaders said they wanted to protect affordable health
care, pensions and job security. “˜”˜These three goals
were accomplished in the new agreement, indicating the
workers’ struggle and sacrifice were
worthwhile,” the statement read. Many employees who
said they voted to ratify the contract said they were eager to
return to their jobs. Some said the offer was not much different
from one they received in October ““ one rejected by the
union. Sunny Kim, 32, a service manager at Ralphs, said she was
disappointed with the results, though she hadn’t seen the
contract. “˜”˜Why did we go on strike? I lost a lot of
money for nothing. I think the guys were misled,” Kim
said. Still, she said she felt
“˜”˜wonderful” about the opportunity to go
back to work.

Reports from Bruin wire services.