The Rooster
Monday, June 27, 2005
You know there is something wrong with this picture. It isn't that he is no in a Humvee as Michael Moore pointed out, which is valid, but the posture the fact that he requires such high level of safety to tour Iraq. How can Secretary of Defense not feel as though this situation is benevolent when he doesn't have complete control of his battlefield. The munitions alone left unguarded that is now in the hands of rebels, insurgents and probably at distant destinations al Qaeda. Where does Rumsfeld believe the resistance get it's finances? The Iraqi government controls the economic development, reconstruction, border security for beginners, yet somehow the lack of ability of these people are okay. The lack of control of the battlefield is enough to pull the troops out and empower the militias to take care of their own.
Morning Papers - It's Origins
Rooster "Crowing"
"Okeydoke"
Morning Papers
1846, Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish nationalist
1880, Helen Keller, author and lecturer
1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet
1930, Ross Perot, businessman and politician
1787, In Lausanne, Switzerland, Edward Gibbon completes the sixth and final volume of his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the great works of history in the English language.
1857, The Scientific American warns that whale oil, used for lighting, may soon run out due to overhunting.
1900, a commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against yellow fever.
1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France during World War I.
1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.
1950, after the UN Security Council votes to repel the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, President Harry Truman orders U.S. forces into battle for South Korea.
1957, Smoking 'causes lung cancer'
The link between smoking and lung cancer is one of 'direct cause and effect', a special report by the Medical Research Council has found.
The report, published today, studied the dramatic increase in deaths from lung cancer over the past 25 years and concluded the main cause was smoking.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_2956000/2956618.stm
1959, President Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.
1963: Warm welcome for JFK in Ireland
The US President John F Kennedy has received a rapturous welcome on an emotional visit to his ancestral homeland in County Wexford, Ireland.
On the second day of his four-day trip to Ireland, the president travelled by helicopter this morning to County Wexford.
Hundreds of wellwishers cheered and waved flags on his arrival at Wexford town and a choir of 300 boys greeted him singing "The Boys of Wexford", a ballad about an insurrection in 1798.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_4461000/4461115.stm
1968, Chief U.S. Justice Earl Warren announced his intention to resign.
1977, 42 people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tenn.
1986, US guilty of backing Contras
The United States has been found guilty of violating international law by supporting armed Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
The International Court of Justice ruled that the US should compensate the country, although it has not yet fixed an amount.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_2520000/2520169.stm
1991, Yugoslav troops invade Slovenia
Yugoslav tanks, troops and aircraft have swept into the small republic of Slovenia, 48 hours after it declared independence.
Federal forces moved to seize control of border crossing points with Italy, Austria and Hungary and launched an assault on the airport near the province's capital, Ljubijana.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_2520000/2520273.stm
2003, Strom Thurmond, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, died in Edgefield, S.C., at age 100.
Missing in Action
1965 JACKSON CARL E. NATCHITOCHES LA EXPLODE MID AIR NE SAIGON
1965 ROTH BILLIE L. LACON IL EXPLODE MID AIR NE SIAGON
1966 SMITH GENE A. SALT LAKE CITY UT REMAINS RETURNED 03/23/89
1968 GIAMMERINO VINCENT F. NEW YORK NY
1969 JABLONSKI MICHAEL J. CHICAGO IL DROWNED IN RIVER
1972 BAKER DAVID E. HUNTINGTON NY 02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG ALIVE IN 98
1972 CERAK JOHN P. CLAYTON NJ 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1972 DINGEE DAVID B. OLD GREENWICH CT 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98
1972 FRANCIS RICHARD L. BARTLESVILLE OK 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE 98
1972 HANTON THOMAS J. SANTA MONICA CA 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1972 MC DOW RICHARD H. COLUMBIANA AL 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1972 SULLIVAN FARRELL J. CADDO MILLS TX "POSS DEAD, HANOI PRESS REMAINS RETURNED 06/03/83"
The Chicago Tribune
Court Splits on Ten Commandments Displays
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer
Published June 27, 2005, 11:21 AM CDT
WASHINGTON -- A sharply divided Supreme Court on Monday upheld the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on government land, but drew the line on displays inside courthouses, saying they violated the doctrine of separation of church and state.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-scotus-ten-commandments,1,5947100.story?coll=chi-news-hed
I AM VERY HAPPY, Chief Justice Rehnquist feels well enough to continue his place on the Judiciary. I was very concerned if he resigned it would indicate he had failing health. I am happy for him. The cancer he had was very nasty but he beat it, I know he did. Good for him. Thank you, Justice Rehnquist. For those who find 'gaming' around The Chief Justice's resignation I find it completely offensive. TRY THIS ONE ON: Let's assume it would be in Justice Rehnquist's best personal interest to resign (which I doubt, as he lives and breaths this country's Constitution) he probably has a great deal of reservation over Bush's ability to find a good replacement and so therefore, he just won't. That observation was Justice Steven years ago. God bless them all. They sincerely love us. For everyone who finds 'gaming' around the Chief Justice battle with cancer appropriate. YOU ALL OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED. Walk a mile as a man with a potentially fatal disease. KARL ROVE IS TOXIC TO the morals of this country's dignity
No Retirement Announcements at High Court
By Associated Press
Published June 27, 2005, 10:04 AM CDT
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ended its term Monday with no retirement announcements from any justices. A retirement could come later, however, in a letter to the president or press release.
In court, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist struggled to talk and thanked court employees for their work over the past year before he adjourned the term.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-scotus-rehnquist,1,1812616.story?coll=chi-news-hed
The Jakarta Post
Mubarak hails efforts to improve ties between Egypt and Indonesia
CAIRO (Antara): Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak welcomes diplomatic efforts aimed at improving relations between Indonesia and Egypt, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Monday.
"President Mubarak warmly welcomes our visit and he hails efforts to improve ties between the two countries," he told a media conference in Cairo after a 30-minute meeting with Mubarak.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050627190650&irec=0
Indonesia to intensify avian flu fight: Minister
JAKARTA (Dow Jones): Indonesia will tighten measures to control the spread of H5N1 avian influenza by widening the slaughter of poultry in outbreak zones, Minister for Agriculture Anton Apriyanto told Dow Jones Newswires.
The plan marks a departure from Indonesia's controversial strategy for tackling outbreaks of H5N1 which involved killing only visibly ill birds and vaccinating the remainder.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050627163111&irec=1
Haze from Indonesian fires spreads to Malaysian mainland
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A thick haze shrouding Malaysia's tourist island of Penang and caused by fires in neighboring Indonesia has spread to the mainland, meteorological officials said on Monday.
Air quality levels in several towns on mainland Malaysia, across from Penang and extending into northern Perak state, were officially unhealthy, a meteorological official in the Kuala Lumpur bureau told AFP.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050627114421&irec=6
One policy on Papua needed
Neles Tebay, Urbaniana, Rome
Last week, Vice President Jusuf Kalla visited West Irian Jaya. where he acknowledged the province continues to lack a strong legal base. During the visit, the vice president, who is also the head of the Golkar party, was accompanied by Golkar's candidate for the governor of the province.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20050627.E02&irec=1
Chicago Sun Times
The weather in Chicago is (Crystal Wilting Chime) is:
91º
“WILTING”
Court cracks down on file sharing
June 27, 2005
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON-- Internet file-sharing services will be held responsible if they intend for their customers to use software primarily to swap songs and movies illegally, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday, rejecting warnings that the lawsuits will stunt growth of cool tech gadgets such as the next iPod.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/court27.html
Some inmates get out of jail free
June 27, 2005
BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter
In early March, Joshua J. Robinson walked out of Cook County Jail with an electronic monitoring bracelet attached to his ankle and orders to stay at home.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-release27.html
More tests mean more swim bans
June 27, 2005
BY LORI RACKL Health Reporter
The number of swim bans in Illinois has shot up dramatically in the last decade, and so have doubts about the way decisions are made to keep people from taking a dip in the water. "We really don't know what kind of water people are swimming in. We only know what kind of water they were swimming in yesterday," said Richard Whitman, whose main area of research is beach closures for the U.S. Geological Survey. "And by the time we know, it's a little late to tell them."
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-swim27.html
Property ruling casts chill over underdogs' security
June 27, 2005
Advertisement
It's possible the decision isn't as bad as it seems. It's possible the property seizures the U.S. Supreme Court empowered local municipalities to make in the name of public use, even when they benefit private developers, will be limited by the strictest definitions of that principle. It's possible state laws restricting the application of eminent domain will protect home and business owners from the long arm of economic development in "distressed" areas.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/commentary/cst-edt-edits27.html
Boston Globe
Cops can't be sued for restraining orders
By Gina Holland, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON --The Supreme Court ruled Monday that police cannot be sued for how they enforce restraining orders, ending a lawsuit by a Colorado woman who claimed police did not do enough to prevent her estranged husband from killing her three young daughters.
Jessica Gonzales did not have a constitutional right to police enforcement of the court order against her husband, the court said in a 7-2 opinion.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/27/cops_cant_be_sued_for_restraining_orders/
U.S. high court in recess, no retirement announced
June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chief Justice William Rehnquist announced from the bench Monday that the Supreme Court would be in recess until Oct. 3, and he made no mention of any possible retirement.
There has been intense speculation that Rehnquist, 80, who has thyroid cancer, might announce his departure from the bench on the last day of the term, which ended Monday.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/27/us_high_court_in_recess_no_retirement_announced/
Supreme Court won't hear CIA leak case
In this artist's rendering, Matthew Staver, President and General Counsel of the Liberty Legal Counsel, presents an oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington in the Kentucky Ten Commandments case, known as McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, IN this March 2, 2005 file photo. The Court is expected to rule Monday, June 27, 2005, on the constitutionality of the display of the Ten Commandments on government property. (AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren, File)
By Gina Holland, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON --The Supreme Court rejected appeals Monday from two journalists who have refused to testify before a grand jury about the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/27/supreme_court_wont_hear_cia_leak_case/
Ex-Klansman's request for new trial denied
By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
PHILADELPHIA, Miss. --A judge on Monday denied a new trial for one time Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen, convicted last week of manslaughter for the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers.
James McIntyre, one of Killen's attorneys, told Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon that the defense had not expected prosecutors to ask that jurors in the murder trial be given the option of a manslaughter conviction.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/06/27/ex_klansmans_request_for_new_trial_denied/
Blair admits G8 climate deal 'very difficult'
By Mike Peacock June 27, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tony Blair vowed on Monday to press for agreement among world powers to tackle the causes of climate change but admitted he was a long way from achieving it.
The prime minister will host a summit of leaders from the Group of Eight nations in Gleneagles, Scotland, next week. African poverty and global warming top his agenda.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/06/27/blair_admits_g8_climate_deal_very_difficult_1119886442/
Blair wants UN Security Council to debate Zimbabwe
By Mike Peacock June 27, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain called on Monday for the United Nations Security Council to debate a housing crackdown in Zimbabwe and what it says are wider human rights abuses, after a visiting senior U.N. official reports back.
Zimbabwe vowed on Monday to step up a new housing program after a clampdown on shanty towns that has left an estimated 300,000 people homeless, prompting an assessment visit by Anna Tibaijuka, a special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/06/27/blair_wants_un_security_council_to_debate_zimbabwe/
THIS SHOULD TELL everyone something. Like the fact these behaviors are not profoundly seen as criminal in the Muslim countries while they are seen as very illegal in Christian nations. Are you paying attention? These SEVENTEEN men are innocent by Pakistani law.
Pakistan frees 17 Guantanamo detainees
By Asif Shahzad, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
LAHORE, Pakistan --A group of 17 men who were arrested upon their return home to Pakistan after being released from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were freed Monday after nine months in detention here, an official said.
"These are people who have been declared innocent by America. Our (intelligence) agencies have thoroughly interrogated them," said Tahir Ashrafi, a religious affairs adviser for the government in eastern Punjab province.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2005/06/27/pakistan_frees_17_guantanamo_detainees/
Michael Moore Today
Newsview: Bush Losing Support for Iraq War
Associated Press
President Bush is casting about for ways to turn the tide of public opinion on Iraq. He is running into a growing level of skepticism, new strains in Republican unity and more frequent comparisons to the Vietnam conflict of almost four decades ago.
A new stepped-up public relations effort has yet to show results. The next event is a prime-time speech on Tuesday at Fort Bragg, N.C., with U.S. troops as his backdrop.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3127
US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo and Iraq, Afghanistan: UN source
GENEVA (AFP) - Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said.
The acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture, said a member of the ten-person panel, speaking on on condition of anonymity.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3125
Safer Vehicles for Soldiers: A Tale of Delays and Glitches
By Michael Moss / New York Times
When Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited Iraq last year to tour the Abu Ghraib prison camp, military officials did not rely on a government-issued Humvee to transport him safely on the ground. Instead, they turned to Halliburton, the oil services contractor, which lent the Pentagon a rolling fortress of steel called the Rhino Runner.
State Department officials traveling in Iraq use armored vehicles that are built with V-shaped hulls to better deflect bullets and bombs. Members of Congress favor another model, called the M1117, which can endure 12-pound explosives and .50-caliber armor-piercing rounds.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3126
After combat, sailor redraws battle lines
By Kate Wiltrout / Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH — Against the marbled greens of Charlie Anderson’s camouflage shirt rest a handful of brightly colored ribbons .
They represent nine years as a Navy hospital corpsman: individual commendation, good conduct, combat action, service in national defense, the war on terror, deployment at sea. Another set of colorful rectangles – bumper stickers – plastered to the gate of Anderson’s pickup exhibit a far different sentiment.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3135
Republicans Voice Their Doubts
GOP senators tell Rumsfeld they fear the public is turning against the war in Iraq. 'People are beginning to question,' one says.
By Maura Reynolds / Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — One senator described the public's perception of the war in Iraq as "more and more like Vietnam." A second worried that "our very presence there inspires more insurgents." A third said the strain on the armed forces "is getting worse, not better."
Military brass had heard such comments before when they trooped up Capitol Hill to answer questions from Congress. But this time there was a difference: The comments were coming from Republicans.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3114
The Mail and Guardian
'We're retrenched every day by the capitalists'
Johannesburg
27 June 2005 06:23
Thousands of workers protested against unemployment and poverty around South Africa on Monday in a nationwide strike that business says was poorly attended and unnecessary.
From Cape Town to Johannesburg to Ulundi, workers marched against retrenchments and the strong rand, which has been cutting the exporter earnings and causing job losses.
"We strike because we are tired. We are retrenched every day by the capitalists. They put profits before us," Congress of SA Trade Unions president Willie Madisha said to loud applause at a march in Johannesburg.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243914&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/
Kofi Annan's envoy jets into Zim
Harare
27 June 2005 08:37
An envoy for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to Zimbabwe on Sunday to investigate a so-called urban renewal campaign that has destroyed the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans.
Hours before the arrival of Anna Tibaijuka, head of UN Habitat, a state-run newspaper reported that the government was winding up the campaign dubbed Operation Murambatsvina, or Drive Out Trash.
The Sunday Mail report was dismissed by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Party spokesperson Paul Themba Nyathi said the destruction of shanty towns continued unabated over the weekend in the southern border town of Beitbridge.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243875&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
'Human rights crisis' in Zimbabwe
Stuart Graham Johannesburg, South Africa
27 June 2005 12:36
No-one can afford to be indifferent to the human rights crisis taking place in Zimbabwe, Britain's High Commissioner to South Africa said on Monday.
"This is a human rights crisis and it has to be a matter of concern to us all. We are working alongside our partners on the continent for a resolution to this tragic situation," Paul Boateng said in Johannesburg.
"No one can afford to be indifferent to the human rights crisis taking place in Zimbabwe."
Zimbabwean police have been carrying out a government endorsed demolition campaign dubbed "Operation Restore Order" and "Operation Murambatsvina", meaning "drive out the rubbish".
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243899&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
Mugabe fears 'spies' from UK
27 June 2005 07:17
Robert Mugabe's government suspects that asylum seekers being sent back by Britain are spies, Zimbabwe's main opposition claimed on Sunday.
The claim came as the row over the UK government's policy of returning many refugees continued, with immigration detainees saying that they fear death or torture if deported.
Under pressure the home secretary, Charles Clarke, is staging a review of the policy this week, but has refused to end the deportations.
The government's claim that no one returned to Zimbabwe had been harmed was dismissed by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. An MDC spokesman, Paul Themba Nyathi, said: "This is a paranoid state that views those deported from London as spies trained by the Blair government to carry out espionage.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243870&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
Mugabe's friends fail Zimbabwe
26 June 2005 10:21
Guardian editorial: Zimbabwe's brutal clearances of thousands of slum dwellers from the country's capital, Harare, might not top the league of human-rights abuses in Africa (as defendants of Robert Mugabe's corrupt regime are quick to point out). But the almost casual cruelty of the 'Drive Out the Rubbish' campaign, whose victims now include two children crushed to death by bulldozers, marks an alarming increase in that nonchalant violence we associate with tyrants.
And they add, too, to a growing list of abuses that include one of the highest torture rates in the world, deliberate killings, physical assaults and torture of political opponents which together put in serious question Zimbabwe's claim to be a democracy.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243854&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
The National Post
Same-sex bill on way to adoption
Despite Tory rear-guard action
Jim Brown
Canadian Press
Monday, June 27, 2005
Conservative house leader Jay Hill. (CP Photo/Jonathan Hayward)
OTTAWA -- One way or another, it appears that same-sex marriage will soon be the law of the land - the whole land, with no exceptions. The only question, as federal politicians head into an unusual summer sitting of the House of Commons, is whether it will take a couple of days or a couple of weeks to pass the legislation sponsored by the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=121dd64c-f914-4933-a2e1-3ca00282c5c4
Wild Desert loves the heat
'Showed his stuff': Catches Gold Strike down the stretch at Queen's Plate
Joe O'Connor
National Post
Monday, June 27, 2005
CREDIT: Brent Foster, National Post
Riding Wild Desert Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, far right, passed Gold Strike, left, on the stretch and held off a surging King of Jazz to win the 146th running of the Queen's Plate yesterday at Woodbine.
TORONTO - Imagine Hell.
Now imagine Hell on a hot day, with a swirling breeze.
It was that sort of heat which was beating down on Woodbine Racetrack late yesterday afternoon, as the starting gate snapped open for the 146th running of the Queen's Plate.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/sports/story.html?id=d7815048-3ad3-452b-9bcc-a2000cb9da85
U.S. military helicopter crashes north of Baghdad, killing two pilots
Bushra Juhi
Canadian Press
Monday, June 27, 2005
Iraqi police and civilians look over the damage to a small restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq after a mortar struck injuring seven people Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
BAGHDAD (AP) - A U.S. Apache attack helicopter crashed Monday north of Baghdad killing both pilots, a day after a series of suicide attacks left nearly three dozen people dead in northern Iraq. The AH-64 crashed in Mishahda, about 30 kilometres north of the capital. In Baghdad, two people were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol at Antar Square in the northern Azamiyah neighbourhood, police 1st Lt. Mohammed al-Hayali said.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=85166f10-0abf-43ed-99cc-cced8496221d
Paul Martin's 5% solution
Peter Singer
National Post
June 27, 2005
As the July 6 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, approaches, Prime Minister Paul Martin is under increasing pressure to adopt the widely embraced target of devoting 0.7% of GDP to foreign aid. Last week, Live 8 concert promoter Bob Geldof told Martin not to bother coming to Gleneagles if he didn't adopt the 0.7% target. So far, Martin has played defence, arguing that it would not be fiscally responsible for Canada, the only G8 country with a surplus, to commit the incremental $42-billion needed over 10 years. However, the Prime Minister should switch to offence, encouraging the other G8 leaders to adopt his own target of devoting 5% of research and development spending to technologies for the developing world.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=e9cfbd4e-1d6e-40bb-a4e1-ab9c882dffb7
The Vietnam News
PM’s first US visit deemed successful
(27-06-2005)
BOSTON — Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s historic visit to the US is a success, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan told a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent, at the end of the US visit on Saturday.
Khoan said that the PM’s visit was historic because it was the first made by a Vietnamese government leader 30 years after the end of the American war and it coincides with 10 years of normalisation of Viet Nam-US relations, and five years since the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01POL270605
PM Khai touches down in Ottawa to begin Canada visit
(27-06-2005)
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai is welcomed at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa on Saturday, beginning his official visit to Canada.
HA NOI — Prime Minister Phan Van Khai arrived in Ottawa on Saturday, beginning his week-long official visit to Canada at the invitation of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02POL270605
Dealers to become targets in drug fight
(27-06-2005)
Students from Ha Noi Industry College participate in a rally to highlight the dangers of drugs in the capital yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong
HA NOI — Local authorities and agencies must intensify the battle against drug-related crime and track down dealers of ecstasy and amphetamines, said Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Ha Noi yesterday.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=04SOC270605
Authors, publisher sign new copyright contracts
(27-06-2005)
Kim Dong Publishing House, a publisher of children’s books, has recently signed non-monopoly copyright contracts with six Vietnamese writers and poets.
The writers include To Hoai, Tran Dang Khoa, and Ha An, the authors of children’s favourites De Men Phieu Luu Ky (Cricket’s Diary), Goc San Va Khoang Troi (Courtyard Corner and Little Sky), and Trang Nuoc Chuong Duong (Chuong Duong’s Moon and Water), respectively. They have also signed contracts with popular writers Pham Ho, Vo Quang and late Nguyen Huy Tuong’s son.
According to the publishing house’s director, Pham Quang Vinh: "Many generations of Vietnamese children have been fascinated by these writers’ books. Their works have been republished many times, proving they are among the favourites of children."
Under the terms of the five-year non-monopoly contracts, the writers will be able to publish their works with other publishing houses, as long as they gain approval from the Kim Dong Publishing House first.
The publisher also plans to sign contracts with well-known children’s author Nguyen Nhat Anh and late Doan Gioi’s son in the near future. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01BOO270605
Arab News
‘Iran in No Need of US Ties’
Ahmadinejad spells out his policies at the Tehran news conference. (Reuters)
TEHRAN, 27 June 2005 — President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Iran would press ahead with its nuclear program and that the country had no real need for ties with archfoe, the United States.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=65979&d=27&m=6&y=2005
Musharraf Keeping Kashmir Issue at Forefront: Shujaat
Abdul Maqsood Mirza, Arab News
JEDDAH, 27 June 2005 — Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has succeeded in keeping the contentious Kashmir issue in focus and is confident of resolving it “as soon as possible,” according to Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and Muslim League Chairman Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
“We’re of the view that Kashmiris should be made a party to the dispute between Pakistan and India, and should be allowed to exercise the right of self-determination. The Indian government has also adopted a positive attitude toward finding a final settlement of the Kashmir problem,” Shujaat Hussain said here yesterday.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=66006&d=27&m=6&y=2005
Manipulating Language in the War Against Palestinians
Preston Taran, Arab News
Words are definitely more powerful than the sword in many situations. All that needs to be mentioned is “terrorist” or “terrorism,” and the programmed response will come — if the groundwork for brainwashing and indoctrinating public opinion has been well prepared; the opposition is now on the offensive with the audience’s ears closed to any appeal to reason.
A perfect example of this is the careful preparations the Israelis have made long before Sept. 11 of chanting “terrorist,” referring to any and all that are not with them. Similar to President Bush’s “with us or against us” mantra.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=65972&d=27&m=6&y=2005
continued . . .
"Okeydoke"
Morning Papers
1846, Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish nationalist
1880, Helen Keller, author and lecturer
1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet
1930, Ross Perot, businessman and politician
1787, In Lausanne, Switzerland, Edward Gibbon completes the sixth and final volume of his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the great works of history in the English language.
1857, The Scientific American warns that whale oil, used for lighting, may soon run out due to overhunting.
1900, a commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against yellow fever.
1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France during World War I.
1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.
1950, after the UN Security Council votes to repel the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, President Harry Truman orders U.S. forces into battle for South Korea.
1957, Smoking 'causes lung cancer'
The link between smoking and lung cancer is one of 'direct cause and effect', a special report by the Medical Research Council has found.
The report, published today, studied the dramatic increase in deaths from lung cancer over the past 25 years and concluded the main cause was smoking.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_2956000/2956618.stm
1959, President Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.
1963: Warm welcome for JFK in Ireland
The US President John F Kennedy has received a rapturous welcome on an emotional visit to his ancestral homeland in County Wexford, Ireland.
On the second day of his four-day trip to Ireland, the president travelled by helicopter this morning to County Wexford.
Hundreds of wellwishers cheered and waved flags on his arrival at Wexford town and a choir of 300 boys greeted him singing "The Boys of Wexford", a ballad about an insurrection in 1798.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_4461000/4461115.stm
1968, Chief U.S. Justice Earl Warren announced his intention to resign.
1977, 42 people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tenn.
1986, US guilty of backing Contras
The United States has been found guilty of violating international law by supporting armed Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
The International Court of Justice ruled that the US should compensate the country, although it has not yet fixed an amount.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_2520000/2520169.stm
1991, Yugoslav troops invade Slovenia
Yugoslav tanks, troops and aircraft have swept into the small republic of Slovenia, 48 hours after it declared independence.
Federal forces moved to seize control of border crossing points with Italy, Austria and Hungary and launched an assault on the airport near the province's capital, Ljubijana.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27/newsid_2520000/2520273.stm
2003, Strom Thurmond, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, died in Edgefield, S.C., at age 100.
Missing in Action
1965 JACKSON CARL E. NATCHITOCHES LA EXPLODE MID AIR NE SAIGON
1965 ROTH BILLIE L. LACON IL EXPLODE MID AIR NE SIAGON
1966 SMITH GENE A. SALT LAKE CITY UT REMAINS RETURNED 03/23/89
1968 GIAMMERINO VINCENT F. NEW YORK NY
1969 JABLONSKI MICHAEL J. CHICAGO IL DROWNED IN RIVER
1972 BAKER DAVID E. HUNTINGTON NY 02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG ALIVE IN 98
1972 CERAK JOHN P. CLAYTON NJ 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1972 DINGEE DAVID B. OLD GREENWICH CT 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98
1972 FRANCIS RICHARD L. BARTLESVILLE OK 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE 98
1972 HANTON THOMAS J. SANTA MONICA CA 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1972 MC DOW RICHARD H. COLUMBIANA AL 03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1972 SULLIVAN FARRELL J. CADDO MILLS TX "POSS DEAD, HANOI PRESS REMAINS RETURNED 06/03/83"
The Chicago Tribune
Court Splits on Ten Commandments Displays
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer
Published June 27, 2005, 11:21 AM CDT
WASHINGTON -- A sharply divided Supreme Court on Monday upheld the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on government land, but drew the line on displays inside courthouses, saying they violated the doctrine of separation of church and state.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-scotus-ten-commandments,1,5947100.story?coll=chi-news-hed
I AM VERY HAPPY, Chief Justice Rehnquist feels well enough to continue his place on the Judiciary. I was very concerned if he resigned it would indicate he had failing health. I am happy for him. The cancer he had was very nasty but he beat it, I know he did. Good for him. Thank you, Justice Rehnquist. For those who find 'gaming' around The Chief Justice's resignation I find it completely offensive. TRY THIS ONE ON: Let's assume it would be in Justice Rehnquist's best personal interest to resign (which I doubt, as he lives and breaths this country's Constitution) he probably has a great deal of reservation over Bush's ability to find a good replacement and so therefore, he just won't. That observation was Justice Steven years ago. God bless them all. They sincerely love us. For everyone who finds 'gaming' around the Chief Justice battle with cancer appropriate. YOU ALL OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED. Walk a mile as a man with a potentially fatal disease. KARL ROVE IS TOXIC TO the morals of this country's dignity
No Retirement Announcements at High Court
By Associated Press
Published June 27, 2005, 10:04 AM CDT
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ended its term Monday with no retirement announcements from any justices. A retirement could come later, however, in a letter to the president or press release.
In court, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist struggled to talk and thanked court employees for their work over the past year before he adjourned the term.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-scotus-rehnquist,1,1812616.story?coll=chi-news-hed
The Jakarta Post
Mubarak hails efforts to improve ties between Egypt and Indonesia
CAIRO (Antara): Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak welcomes diplomatic efforts aimed at improving relations between Indonesia and Egypt, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Monday.
"President Mubarak warmly welcomes our visit and he hails efforts to improve ties between the two countries," he told a media conference in Cairo after a 30-minute meeting with Mubarak.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050627190650&irec=0
Indonesia to intensify avian flu fight: Minister
JAKARTA (Dow Jones): Indonesia will tighten measures to control the spread of H5N1 avian influenza by widening the slaughter of poultry in outbreak zones, Minister for Agriculture Anton Apriyanto told Dow Jones Newswires.
The plan marks a departure from Indonesia's controversial strategy for tackling outbreaks of H5N1 which involved killing only visibly ill birds and vaccinating the remainder.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050627163111&irec=1
Haze from Indonesian fires spreads to Malaysian mainland
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A thick haze shrouding Malaysia's tourist island of Penang and caused by fires in neighboring Indonesia has spread to the mainland, meteorological officials said on Monday.
Air quality levels in several towns on mainland Malaysia, across from Penang and extending into northern Perak state, were officially unhealthy, a meteorological official in the Kuala Lumpur bureau told AFP.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050627114421&irec=6
One policy on Papua needed
Neles Tebay, Urbaniana, Rome
Last week, Vice President Jusuf Kalla visited West Irian Jaya. where he acknowledged the province continues to lack a strong legal base. During the visit, the vice president, who is also the head of the Golkar party, was accompanied by Golkar's candidate for the governor of the province.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20050627.E02&irec=1
Chicago Sun Times
The weather in Chicago is (Crystal Wilting Chime) is:
91º
“WILTING”
Court cracks down on file sharing
June 27, 2005
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON-- Internet file-sharing services will be held responsible if they intend for their customers to use software primarily to swap songs and movies illegally, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday, rejecting warnings that the lawsuits will stunt growth of cool tech gadgets such as the next iPod.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/court27.html
Some inmates get out of jail free
June 27, 2005
BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter
In early March, Joshua J. Robinson walked out of Cook County Jail with an electronic monitoring bracelet attached to his ankle and orders to stay at home.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-release27.html
More tests mean more swim bans
June 27, 2005
BY LORI RACKL Health Reporter
The number of swim bans in Illinois has shot up dramatically in the last decade, and so have doubts about the way decisions are made to keep people from taking a dip in the water. "We really don't know what kind of water people are swimming in. We only know what kind of water they were swimming in yesterday," said Richard Whitman, whose main area of research is beach closures for the U.S. Geological Survey. "And by the time we know, it's a little late to tell them."
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-swim27.html
Property ruling casts chill over underdogs' security
June 27, 2005
Advertisement
It's possible the decision isn't as bad as it seems. It's possible the property seizures the U.S. Supreme Court empowered local municipalities to make in the name of public use, even when they benefit private developers, will be limited by the strictest definitions of that principle. It's possible state laws restricting the application of eminent domain will protect home and business owners from the long arm of economic development in "distressed" areas.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/commentary/cst-edt-edits27.html
Boston Globe
Cops can't be sued for restraining orders
By Gina Holland, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON --The Supreme Court ruled Monday that police cannot be sued for how they enforce restraining orders, ending a lawsuit by a Colorado woman who claimed police did not do enough to prevent her estranged husband from killing her three young daughters.
Jessica Gonzales did not have a constitutional right to police enforcement of the court order against her husband, the court said in a 7-2 opinion.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/27/cops_cant_be_sued_for_restraining_orders/
U.S. high court in recess, no retirement announced
June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chief Justice William Rehnquist announced from the bench Monday that the Supreme Court would be in recess until Oct. 3, and he made no mention of any possible retirement.
There has been intense speculation that Rehnquist, 80, who has thyroid cancer, might announce his departure from the bench on the last day of the term, which ended Monday.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/27/us_high_court_in_recess_no_retirement_announced/
Supreme Court won't hear CIA leak case
In this artist's rendering, Matthew Staver, President and General Counsel of the Liberty Legal Counsel, presents an oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington in the Kentucky Ten Commandments case, known as McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, IN this March 2, 2005 file photo. The Court is expected to rule Monday, June 27, 2005, on the constitutionality of the display of the Ten Commandments on government property. (AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren, File)
By Gina Holland, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON --The Supreme Court rejected appeals Monday from two journalists who have refused to testify before a grand jury about the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/27/supreme_court_wont_hear_cia_leak_case/
Ex-Klansman's request for new trial denied
By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
PHILADELPHIA, Miss. --A judge on Monday denied a new trial for one time Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen, convicted last week of manslaughter for the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers.
James McIntyre, one of Killen's attorneys, told Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon that the defense had not expected prosecutors to ask that jurors in the murder trial be given the option of a manslaughter conviction.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/06/27/ex_klansmans_request_for_new_trial_denied/
Blair admits G8 climate deal 'very difficult'
By Mike Peacock June 27, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tony Blair vowed on Monday to press for agreement among world powers to tackle the causes of climate change but admitted he was a long way from achieving it.
The prime minister will host a summit of leaders from the Group of Eight nations in Gleneagles, Scotland, next week. African poverty and global warming top his agenda.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/06/27/blair_admits_g8_climate_deal_very_difficult_1119886442/
Blair wants UN Security Council to debate Zimbabwe
By Mike Peacock June 27, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain called on Monday for the United Nations Security Council to debate a housing crackdown in Zimbabwe and what it says are wider human rights abuses, after a visiting senior U.N. official reports back.
Zimbabwe vowed on Monday to step up a new housing program after a clampdown on shanty towns that has left an estimated 300,000 people homeless, prompting an assessment visit by Anna Tibaijuka, a special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/06/27/blair_wants_un_security_council_to_debate_zimbabwe/
THIS SHOULD TELL everyone something. Like the fact these behaviors are not profoundly seen as criminal in the Muslim countries while they are seen as very illegal in Christian nations. Are you paying attention? These SEVENTEEN men are innocent by Pakistani law.
Pakistan frees 17 Guantanamo detainees
By Asif Shahzad, Associated Press Writer June 27, 2005
LAHORE, Pakistan --A group of 17 men who were arrested upon their return home to Pakistan after being released from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were freed Monday after nine months in detention here, an official said.
"These are people who have been declared innocent by America. Our (intelligence) agencies have thoroughly interrogated them," said Tahir Ashrafi, a religious affairs adviser for the government in eastern Punjab province.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2005/06/27/pakistan_frees_17_guantanamo_detainees/
Michael Moore Today
Newsview: Bush Losing Support for Iraq War
Associated Press
President Bush is casting about for ways to turn the tide of public opinion on Iraq. He is running into a growing level of skepticism, new strains in Republican unity and more frequent comparisons to the Vietnam conflict of almost four decades ago.
A new stepped-up public relations effort has yet to show results. The next event is a prime-time speech on Tuesday at Fort Bragg, N.C., with U.S. troops as his backdrop.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3127
US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo and Iraq, Afghanistan: UN source
GENEVA (AFP) - Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said.
The acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture, said a member of the ten-person panel, speaking on on condition of anonymity.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3125
Safer Vehicles for Soldiers: A Tale of Delays and Glitches
By Michael Moss / New York Times
When Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited Iraq last year to tour the Abu Ghraib prison camp, military officials did not rely on a government-issued Humvee to transport him safely on the ground. Instead, they turned to Halliburton, the oil services contractor, which lent the Pentagon a rolling fortress of steel called the Rhino Runner.
State Department officials traveling in Iraq use armored vehicles that are built with V-shaped hulls to better deflect bullets and bombs. Members of Congress favor another model, called the M1117, which can endure 12-pound explosives and .50-caliber armor-piercing rounds.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3126
After combat, sailor redraws battle lines
By Kate Wiltrout / Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH — Against the marbled greens of Charlie Anderson’s camouflage shirt rest a handful of brightly colored ribbons .
They represent nine years as a Navy hospital corpsman: individual commendation, good conduct, combat action, service in national defense, the war on terror, deployment at sea. Another set of colorful rectangles – bumper stickers – plastered to the gate of Anderson’s pickup exhibit a far different sentiment.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3135
Republicans Voice Their Doubts
GOP senators tell Rumsfeld they fear the public is turning against the war in Iraq. 'People are beginning to question,' one says.
By Maura Reynolds / Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — One senator described the public's perception of the war in Iraq as "more and more like Vietnam." A second worried that "our very presence there inspires more insurgents." A third said the strain on the armed forces "is getting worse, not better."
Military brass had heard such comments before when they trooped up Capitol Hill to answer questions from Congress. But this time there was a difference: The comments were coming from Republicans.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3114
The Mail and Guardian
'We're retrenched every day by the capitalists'
Johannesburg
27 June 2005 06:23
Thousands of workers protested against unemployment and poverty around South Africa on Monday in a nationwide strike that business says was poorly attended and unnecessary.
From Cape Town to Johannesburg to Ulundi, workers marched against retrenchments and the strong rand, which has been cutting the exporter earnings and causing job losses.
"We strike because we are tired. We are retrenched every day by the capitalists. They put profits before us," Congress of SA Trade Unions president Willie Madisha said to loud applause at a march in Johannesburg.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243914&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/
Kofi Annan's envoy jets into Zim
Harare
27 June 2005 08:37
An envoy for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to Zimbabwe on Sunday to investigate a so-called urban renewal campaign that has destroyed the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans.
Hours before the arrival of Anna Tibaijuka, head of UN Habitat, a state-run newspaper reported that the government was winding up the campaign dubbed Operation Murambatsvina, or Drive Out Trash.
The Sunday Mail report was dismissed by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Party spokesperson Paul Themba Nyathi said the destruction of shanty towns continued unabated over the weekend in the southern border town of Beitbridge.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243875&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
'Human rights crisis' in Zimbabwe
Stuart Graham Johannesburg, South Africa
27 June 2005 12:36
No-one can afford to be indifferent to the human rights crisis taking place in Zimbabwe, Britain's High Commissioner to South Africa said on Monday.
"This is a human rights crisis and it has to be a matter of concern to us all. We are working alongside our partners on the continent for a resolution to this tragic situation," Paul Boateng said in Johannesburg.
"No one can afford to be indifferent to the human rights crisis taking place in Zimbabwe."
Zimbabwean police have been carrying out a government endorsed demolition campaign dubbed "Operation Restore Order" and "Operation Murambatsvina", meaning "drive out the rubbish".
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243899&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
Mugabe fears 'spies' from UK
27 June 2005 07:17
Robert Mugabe's government suspects that asylum seekers being sent back by Britain are spies, Zimbabwe's main opposition claimed on Sunday.
The claim came as the row over the UK government's policy of returning many refugees continued, with immigration detainees saying that they fear death or torture if deported.
Under pressure the home secretary, Charles Clarke, is staging a review of the policy this week, but has refused to end the deportations.
The government's claim that no one returned to Zimbabwe had been harmed was dismissed by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. An MDC spokesman, Paul Themba Nyathi, said: "This is a paranoid state that views those deported from London as spies trained by the Blair government to carry out espionage.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243870&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
Mugabe's friends fail Zimbabwe
26 June 2005 10:21
Guardian editorial: Zimbabwe's brutal clearances of thousands of slum dwellers from the country's capital, Harare, might not top the league of human-rights abuses in Africa (as defendants of Robert Mugabe's corrupt regime are quick to point out). But the almost casual cruelty of the 'Drive Out the Rubbish' campaign, whose victims now include two children crushed to death by bulldozers, marks an alarming increase in that nonchalant violence we associate with tyrants.
And they add, too, to a growing list of abuses that include one of the highest torture rates in the world, deliberate killings, physical assaults and torture of political opponents which together put in serious question Zimbabwe's claim to be a democracy.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243854&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/
The National Post
Same-sex bill on way to adoption
Despite Tory rear-guard action
Jim Brown
Canadian Press
Monday, June 27, 2005
Conservative house leader Jay Hill. (CP Photo/Jonathan Hayward)
OTTAWA -- One way or another, it appears that same-sex marriage will soon be the law of the land - the whole land, with no exceptions. The only question, as federal politicians head into an unusual summer sitting of the House of Commons, is whether it will take a couple of days or a couple of weeks to pass the legislation sponsored by the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=121dd64c-f914-4933-a2e1-3ca00282c5c4
Wild Desert loves the heat
'Showed his stuff': Catches Gold Strike down the stretch at Queen's Plate
Joe O'Connor
National Post
Monday, June 27, 2005
CREDIT: Brent Foster, National Post
Riding Wild Desert Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, far right, passed Gold Strike, left, on the stretch and held off a surging King of Jazz to win the 146th running of the Queen's Plate yesterday at Woodbine.
TORONTO - Imagine Hell.
Now imagine Hell on a hot day, with a swirling breeze.
It was that sort of heat which was beating down on Woodbine Racetrack late yesterday afternoon, as the starting gate snapped open for the 146th running of the Queen's Plate.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/sports/story.html?id=d7815048-3ad3-452b-9bcc-a2000cb9da85
U.S. military helicopter crashes north of Baghdad, killing two pilots
Bushra Juhi
Canadian Press
Monday, June 27, 2005
Iraqi police and civilians look over the damage to a small restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq after a mortar struck injuring seven people Monday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
BAGHDAD (AP) - A U.S. Apache attack helicopter crashed Monday north of Baghdad killing both pilots, a day after a series of suicide attacks left nearly three dozen people dead in northern Iraq. The AH-64 crashed in Mishahda, about 30 kilometres north of the capital. In Baghdad, two people were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol at Antar Square in the northern Azamiyah neighbourhood, police 1st Lt. Mohammed al-Hayali said.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=85166f10-0abf-43ed-99cc-cced8496221d
Paul Martin's 5% solution
Peter Singer
National Post
June 27, 2005
As the July 6 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, approaches, Prime Minister Paul Martin is under increasing pressure to adopt the widely embraced target of devoting 0.7% of GDP to foreign aid. Last week, Live 8 concert promoter Bob Geldof told Martin not to bother coming to Gleneagles if he didn't adopt the 0.7% target. So far, Martin has played defence, arguing that it would not be fiscally responsible for Canada, the only G8 country with a surplus, to commit the incremental $42-billion needed over 10 years. However, the Prime Minister should switch to offence, encouraging the other G8 leaders to adopt his own target of devoting 5% of research and development spending to technologies for the developing world.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=e9cfbd4e-1d6e-40bb-a4e1-ab9c882dffb7
The Vietnam News
PM’s first US visit deemed successful
(27-06-2005)
BOSTON — Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s historic visit to the US is a success, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan told a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent, at the end of the US visit on Saturday.
Khoan said that the PM’s visit was historic because it was the first made by a Vietnamese government leader 30 years after the end of the American war and it coincides with 10 years of normalisation of Viet Nam-US relations, and five years since the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01POL270605
PM Khai touches down in Ottawa to begin Canada visit
(27-06-2005)
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai is welcomed at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa on Saturday, beginning his official visit to Canada.
HA NOI — Prime Minister Phan Van Khai arrived in Ottawa on Saturday, beginning his week-long official visit to Canada at the invitation of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02POL270605
Dealers to become targets in drug fight
(27-06-2005)
Students from Ha Noi Industry College participate in a rally to highlight the dangers of drugs in the capital yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong
HA NOI — Local authorities and agencies must intensify the battle against drug-related crime and track down dealers of ecstasy and amphetamines, said Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Ha Noi yesterday.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=04SOC270605
Authors, publisher sign new copyright contracts
(27-06-2005)
Kim Dong Publishing House, a publisher of children’s books, has recently signed non-monopoly copyright contracts with six Vietnamese writers and poets.
The writers include To Hoai, Tran Dang Khoa, and Ha An, the authors of children’s favourites De Men Phieu Luu Ky (Cricket’s Diary), Goc San Va Khoang Troi (Courtyard Corner and Little Sky), and Trang Nuoc Chuong Duong (Chuong Duong’s Moon and Water), respectively. They have also signed contracts with popular writers Pham Ho, Vo Quang and late Nguyen Huy Tuong’s son.
According to the publishing house’s director, Pham Quang Vinh: "Many generations of Vietnamese children have been fascinated by these writers’ books. Their works have been republished many times, proving they are among the favourites of children."
Under the terms of the five-year non-monopoly contracts, the writers will be able to publish their works with other publishing houses, as long as they gain approval from the Kim Dong Publishing House first.
The publisher also plans to sign contracts with well-known children’s author Nguyen Nhat Anh and late Doan Gioi’s son in the near future. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01BOO270605
Arab News
‘Iran in No Need of US Ties’
Ahmadinejad spells out his policies at the Tehran news conference. (Reuters)
TEHRAN, 27 June 2005 — President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Iran would press ahead with its nuclear program and that the country had no real need for ties with archfoe, the United States.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=65979&d=27&m=6&y=2005
Musharraf Keeping Kashmir Issue at Forefront: Shujaat
Abdul Maqsood Mirza, Arab News
JEDDAH, 27 June 2005 — Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has succeeded in keeping the contentious Kashmir issue in focus and is confident of resolving it “as soon as possible,” according to Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and Muslim League Chairman Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
“We’re of the view that Kashmiris should be made a party to the dispute between Pakistan and India, and should be allowed to exercise the right of self-determination. The Indian government has also adopted a positive attitude toward finding a final settlement of the Kashmir problem,” Shujaat Hussain said here yesterday.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=66006&d=27&m=6&y=2005
Manipulating Language in the War Against Palestinians
Preston Taran, Arab News
Words are definitely more powerful than the sword in many situations. All that needs to be mentioned is “terrorist” or “terrorism,” and the programmed response will come — if the groundwork for brainwashing and indoctrinating public opinion has been well prepared; the opposition is now on the offensive with the audience’s ears closed to any appeal to reason.
A perfect example of this is the careful preparations the Israelis have made long before Sept. 11 of chanting “terrorist,” referring to any and all that are not with them. Similar to President Bush’s “with us or against us” mantra.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=65972&d=27&m=6&y=2005
continued . . .
Morning Papers - continued
The New York Times
Published: June 27, 2005
MOSUL, Iraq, June 26 - Four suicide bomb attacks struck Iraqi police and an Iraqi Army base in a 16-hour wave of insurgent violence in the northern city of Mosul on Saturday and Sunday, killing 38 people and wounding scores more. One American commander said the violence continued a trend in the past few weeks of insurgent attacks intensely focused on Iraqi security forces.
… But the attacks over the weekend - on a traffic checkpoint, a police headquarters, a hospital security gate and the principal Iraqi Army base in the north, Al Kasik - demonstrated how susceptible the Iraqi forces remain to suicide strikes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/international/middleeast/27iraq.html?hp&ex=1119931200&en=88663ec18e294771&ei=5094&partner=homepage
This is still another hideous situation as Bush completely disregards the safety of the public to pursue Ideologue views of the world. Where do these idiots stop there unreasonable demands of this country. I tell you what why don't we just move the entire population of the USA 100 miles in from the oceans as Bush has no regard for Global Warming and then clear out the West of any life so this administration has a playground to practice and fail at their nuclear aspirations and congregate everyone in cities where they belong so that when MDS finally works we can actually protect a larger number of Americans than if they are strewn all over the country.
U.S. Has Plans to Again Make Own Plutonium
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: June 27, 2005
The Bush administration is planning the government's first production of plutonium 238 since the cold war, stirring debate over the risks and benefits of the deadly material. The substance, valued as a power source, is so radioactive that a speck can cause cancer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27nuke.html?hp&ex=1119931200&en=c7773ecb46469c9c&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Heat and Wind Fan Wildfires Across Utah
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 27, 2005
Filed at 12:59 a.m. ET
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Firefighters battled in hot, dry and windy weather Sunday to contain wildfires that have prompted evacuations, closed a major highway and covered much of southwest Utah with a dark, smoky haze.
Officials said the blaze about 20 miles north of St. George grew from 2,000 acres to 8,000 acres in less than 12 hours, and by late Sunday was within five miles of New Harmony.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Western-Wildfires.html?
Well, here is a novel idea. George Walker Bush living on 'jazz' and governing on a 'whim.'
Some in G.O.P. Call on Bush to Focus on Governing
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
Published: June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 26 - President Bush and his hard-charging political team, which seemed to make all the right moves in winning re-election last year, have stumbled when it comes to governing in a second term, many Republicans say, leaving the White House scrambling to get back on track.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27bush.html
This administration chronically breaks the law and the Congress chronically looks the other way as they are as corrupt as the administration itself. It's tough to stay clean in a cesspool.
Two Groups Charge Abuse of Witness Law
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 26 - Two leading civil rights groups charge in a new study that the Bush administration has twisted the American system of due process "beyond recognition" in jailing at least 70 terror suspects as "material witnesses" since the Sept. 11 attacks, and the groups are calling on Congress to impose tougher safeguards.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27witness.html
Endangered Species Act Faces Broad New Challenges
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: June 26, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 22 - More than three decades after the Endangered Species Act gave the federal government tools and a mandate to protect animals, insects and plants threatened with extinction, the landmark law is facing the most intense efforts ever by the White House, Congress, landowners and industry to limit its reach.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/politics/26species.html
The Guardian
We won't give up nuclear effort, says Iranian leader
Surprise poll winner confounds west
Robert Tait in Tehran, Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Iran's new hardline president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, yesterday threw down a challenge to western leaders by vowing to resist international pressure to abandon the country's nuclear programme and branding Israel the source of instability in the Middle East.
The remarks, made at his first press conference since a landslide victory, will underline concerns in America, Israel, Britain and other European countries, where wrongfooted diplomats have been scrambling to come to terms with the consequences of his win.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1515458,00.html
Overweight who diet risk dying earlier, says study
Ian Sample, science correspondent
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Overweight people who diet to reach a healthier weight are more likely to die young than those who remain fat, according to a study.
The finding needs to be backed up by further research before sweeping changes are made to public health strategies, the authors warn, but it highlights how poorly the long-term health effects of dieting are understood.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1515455,00.html
Iraq insurgency could last a decade, admits Rumsfeld
Julian Borger in Washington
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, yesterday warned that the insurgency in Iraq could go on for at least a decade and confirmed that the army had been in contact with some of its leaders in an attempt to quell the violence.
He spoke after insurgents launched coordinated suicide bomb attacks which killed at least 33 people and wounded dozens more in the northern city of Mosul.
Mr Rumsfeld said that Iraqis, not US troops, would eventually bring an end to attacks that have killed thousands of civilians and 1,730 American soldiers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1515527,00.html
The tipping point
US public opinion on the Iraq war dips with every dead soldier, and plummets at the first sniff of defeat
… For the White House Iraq has become the latest faith-based initiative.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 56% said the war "wasn't worth it". Meanwhile, for the first time, a majority say they would be "upset" if Bush sent more troops, and a new low of 36% say troop levels should be maintained or increased. An earlier Washington Post poll showed that two-thirds of the public believe the US military is bogged down in Iraq while almost three- quarters think the level of casualties is unacceptable. The figures match or exceed the previous high-water mark of public disenchantment. More than half believe the war has not made them safer and 40% believe it has striking similarities to the experience in Vietnam.
Anti-war sentiment had always been part of mainstream national conversation here. But with the Democratic party and its presidential candidate having supported the war, such views remained marginal in the body politic.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1515377,00.html
Divorce mediation scheme flops
Only 23 couples take part in pilot plan to help separated parents resolve child contact disputes
Clare Dyer, legal editor
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Plans to introduce a child-friendly way of dealing with battles between separated parents have been derailed after a pilot procedure was completed by just 23 couples in nine months.
The figure is far below the 1,000 that ministers expected would use the system, which is set to be expanded in legislation before parliament. Three family courts in London, Brighton and Sunderland were chosen to try out a one-year project due to end in September, which could have become the norm in England and Wales for resolving child contact disputes after parents split up.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1515464,00.html
The Jerusalem Post
Radical Palestinian groups plan to move offices to Gaza
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
RAMALLAH
Leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian radical groups in Lebanon and Syria are planning to move to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuates the area, Palestinian sources confirmed on Sunday.
The sources said Palestinian Authority officials have been urging Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who spends most of his time in Damascus, to consider moving his office to the Gaza Strip after the completion of the Israeli withdrawal.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752425131
US helicopter crashes north of Baghdad
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MISHADA, Iraq
A US helicopter crashed in a field north of Baghdad on Monday morning, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119838846385&p=1078397702269
Haifa Court sentences 'stairwell rapist' to 30 yrs
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The Haifa District Court sentenced Igor Antipaka, the alleged "stairwell rapist," to thirty years in prison on three counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault and indecent acts.
The trial's three judges, headed by Haifa District Court President Micha Lindenstrauss, wrote in the verdict that they had no compassion for the accused - a violent man "who let himself be ruled by his basest impulses," Army Radio quoted.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119838846284&p=1078397702269
US forces hold exercises with Algeria
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALGIERS, Algeria
US naval forces opened two days of maritime exercises with Algeria on Sunday that were aimed at improving cooperation at sea in the fight against terrorism.
US vessels based in the United States and Morocco were among those taking part in the exercises, codenamed "Barbary Thunder," according to a statement made by the US Embassy in Algiers.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752424579&p=1078397702269
US troops take control of Taliban stronghold
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
KHAKERAN VALLEY, Afghanistan
Skimming low over the desert in helicopters with guns at the ready, American troops advanced into the Khakeran Valley in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, three months after Taliban rebels attacked police and forced them to flee.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752423250&p=1078397702269
Iran president-elect vows to pursue nuke program
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Iran's President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Sunday to pursue a peaceful nuclear program and said Iran doesn't need America to make progress.
"Iran's peaceful technology is the outcome of the scientific achievements of Iran's youth. We need the peaceful nuclear technology for energy, medical and agricultural purposes and our scientific progress. We will continue this," the ultraconservative Ahmadinejad told a press conference two days after being elected president.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752422793&p=1078397702269
Haaretz
Court orders J'lem municipality to drop ban on gay pride parade
By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent
The Jerusalem District Court ordered the Jerusalem municipality on Sunday to drop its ban on the fourth annual gay pride parade in the city, accepting a petition by Open House, Jerusalem's gay and lesbian community center.
Judge Moussia Arad, who is vice president of the court for administrative affairs, also ordered the municipality and Mayor Uri Lupolianski to pay court costs of NIS 30,000 each.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592439.html
A blossoming achievement
By Zafrir Rinat
After several weeks of tense anticipation, the staff of the Hebrew University Botanical Gardens on the Mt. Scopus campus celebrated an impressive achievement, which is likely to help preserve a rare natural wonder. In the Mediterranean section of the gardens, the wandering bellflower (campanula peregrina, in Hebrew pa'amonit hadura) has flowered for the first time. The plant is in danger of extinction, and is found in only one place in Israel: Nahal Kziv in the Upper Galilee.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592459.html
The USA is in dire straights when it is using these issues as leverage to KEEP UP with China. It tells me more about the military technology of the USA than it tells me anything about China. China could be bluffing as to it's prowess and it has Russia as an ally. But, this move by the USA tells me plenty about Bush's ability to lead into tomorrow. Iraq has destroyed the forward impulsion of the USA in it's ability to surpass other countries in national defense. It's a darn shame. Every dime goes to Iraq for control and all Rumsfeld can do is think nukes. The USA is on a slippery slope of self destruction and this is proof.
The China syndrome
By Haaretz Editorial
Ever since the middle of the past decade, China, as a power, has become the biggest threat to America's universal supremacy. The wooing of the days of Nixon and Kissinger, and Mao and Chou, in the face of the common enemy, the Soviets, has faded, and turned into tense competition. Contributions to the election campaign of former president Bill Clinton drew an all-out attack by the Republicans on the Democrats. American defense and space corporations were sanctioned for the sale of banned equipment and know-how to the Chinese. Beijing's openly declared intentions - to prevent Taiwanese independence and extend its circle of influence some 1,000 kilometers beyond the borders of China - worried the Bush administration, whose first crisis, prior to September 11, 2001, involved a collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. spy plane.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592485.html
But what does Israel get out of it? Stab in the back politics with the Palestinians? I think Israel is better off with China as an ally.
Israel, U.S. draft agreement for openness, equality in arms deals
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
The agreement regulating the reporting of weapons sales that Israel will have to sign with the United States will be worded in an equable manner, sources familiar with the draft have reported.
The memorandum, which is to put an end an export crisis with the U.S., will state that the U.S. and Israel are "strategic partners" and that each country will be considerate of the other's concerns about military technology being transferred to other countries. The countries "arousing concern" will be specified separately.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592507.html
Longings for Arafat
By Danny Rubinstein
When looking today at what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the following question could come to mind: Should we begin longing for Yasser Arafat? The number of terror attacks has indeed dropped since his death, but the Israeli defense establishment is taking the credit for this, and not giving any to the Palestinians. Israeli intelligence has improved, they've built fences and walls, and thousands have been arrested. Nevertheless, recent weeks have seen an increase in attacks, despite the good intentions of the new chairman, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). On this backdrop there are many Israelis who would say: What do we care about good intentions? Abu Mazen wants to eradicate terror - but can't. Whereas Arafat could have, but didn't want to. The outcome with both is the same: There's terror. So what difference does it make?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592483.html
Israel
Israel's Labor Party postpones primaries
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 26 (UPI) -- Israel's Labor Party has postponed its elections without setting a new date following signs that its voters' list has been inflated.
Census takers apparently registered people without obtaining their permission. Some people reportedly belonged to another party, and names of sick and dead people also appeared.
Party Secretary General Eitan Cabel's suggested at Labor's convention Sunday that primary elections for the party's leadership be postponed indefinitely. Delegates approved the proposal by a majority of 60 percent against 40.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050626-16441900-bc-israel-labor.xml
ISRAEL GAY MARCH GETS GO AHEAD
27.6.2005. 10:27:02
A court in Jerusalem has given the go ahead for the city’s annual Gay Pride march to take place this week.
The court ruled that the municipal council "did not have the right to discriminate against a section of the population because of sexual orientation."
The court also ordered the municipality to pay legal costs of more than $7,800.
Israeli Interior Minister, Ofir Pines, had ordered the municipal council to allow the fourth Gay Pride march to take place in Jerusalem on Thursday.
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=114485®ion=6
Israel scraps arms deal with China
Conal Urquhart in Tel Aviv
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Israel has cancelled a major arms deal with China after US allegations that it misled Washington on the export of shared technology, it was reported yesterday.
The US imposed a series of tough trade sanctions on Israel in protest at its deal to upgrade Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.
American defence officials said Israel had claimed it was maintaining the drones when in fact it was upgrading them using technology the US did not want to fall into Chinese hands.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1515478,00.html
BBC
Pakistan hears rape case appeal
Police take Mukhtar Mai (r) to Islamabad
Pakistan's Supreme Court has begun hearing appeals in a notorious gang rape case that has been the centre of worldwide attention.
A village council in Punjab allegedly ordered the rape of Mukhtar Mai in 2002 because her younger brother was seen with a woman from another tribe.
The case became mired in controversy after a lower court in March overturned the convictions of five men.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4624799.stm
Israel to rule on Hurndall death
By James Reynolds
BBC News, Jerusalem
Tom Hurndall died nine months after falling into a coma
An Israeli military court is due to give its verdict in the case of a soldier accused of the manslaughter of a British student.
Tom Hurndall, 22, was shot while he was working as a photographer and activist in the Gaza Strip in April, 2003.
Mr Hurndall, from north London, was shot in the Palestinian town of Rafah.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4625355.stm
Nationwide strike in South Africa
Unions have called strikes over privatisation in recent years
Many South Africans appear to be staying away from work in a nationwide strike over unemployment, but the overall response appears patchy.
Transport operators say the number of commuters is down by almost half with traffic lighter than usual.
Most mineworkers at AngloGold Ashanti, have stayed away from work. However, another mining group, Goldfield, said most of its employees were working.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4625135.stm
concluding . . .
It isn't right Iraqi citizens are sustaining the worst of the conflict in Iraq. They are defenseless. It's wrong. They are dying at least ten times faster than USA troops and our troops are dying at 3 per day. We need to leave Iraq.
That said:
I listened to a talk by Joe Biden yesterday. He has clear understandings as to how counter measures to the insurgency could be placed but the longer I listened to his very truthful observations it became very clear the 'insurgency,' if you will, has stubbornly taken over Iraq after a short window of opportunity following the initial invasion. The 'Green Zone' is protected by redundant cement barriers and travel in and out of the Green Zone is by helicopters traveling at 150 miles per hour and cars that speed along the streets at no less than 40 mph. It was completely clear 'visiting' Iraq by USA Legislators to come to understand the efforts there, is nothing less than an act of bravery and no one can say Joe Biden has not been completely dedicated to his purpose on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I also found a deep appreciation to the USA military that cares for these statesmen/women as they travel to evaluate a situation the military lives with daily.
Senator Biden outlined four steps of improvement in the way the efforts in Iraq can be and should be implemented but the only one that made sense to me was the third option which was to arm the Kurds and Shi'ites to maintain their stronghold in Iraq. He stated although there is movement to include the Sunnis in the political process the majority of Sunnis are still oppositional to the current government. He also stated major political 'timelines' in Iraq have been met, but, certainly the 'conditions' including a 40% unemployment rate of the people of that country have fallen far short of most goals. The average Iraqi receives about 8 hours of electricity in a country with searing heat of 120 degrees F for the third summer of occupation. There is, besides the unemployment, massive problems with sewage and unhealthy standards of living.
Senator Biden flew over some areas of Iraq which brings a sense of improvement in places but although he maintains an optimistic view he stated Iraq required USA troops for at least another year.
I believe Senator Biden is no different than any other legislator, including Iraqi legislators, in that Iraq is currently the best game in town and the place where any foreign influence of jihadists can best be confronted. That is a judgement about a well organized 'insurgency' that is more a rebellion and while Senator Biden may have a better plan to change the way things are done to 'speed' processes with the Iraqi people to quell the resistance to their new government, the 'inviting' nature of fighting USA troops only compounds the problem for the Iraqis and having our troops there is a bittersweet reality that needs to come to an end.
It is the Iraqi people that are most suffering and it is they that should receive the greatest support in the way they need it which is not going to be accomplished by the control of the USA in doling out funds and munitions to protect themselves and improve their situation. The monies the people of this country have gone dearly in debt for has not been used for improvements for Iraqis but 40% has currently been used up in defense measures. That is 40% those people will never see in the way of assistance to improving their society and the percentage is only destined to grow from here.
It is wrong to watch the number of dead citizens of that country grow without arming them to protect themselves. I don't know why the only means of protection to the average citizens, namely their militias, have not been brought on board as allies while arming them to protect their cities and citizens long before now. The militias are more than willing to conduct themselves as a protection to their ethnicities and have already demonstrated their skills. With little emphasis on training, these militias could be a foreboding force in defense of neighborhoods and cities. The danger to USA forces in doing so would be a stronger resistance to USA inspection of homes and hamlet. But the purpose of the militias would then preclude the presence of USA forces and as long as the militias are able to care for the lives of their citizens what necessity would there be for inspecting with cooperation of understanding to prevent human rights violations. The human rights issues have not manifested in Kurdish and Shi'ite communities up to now realizing standards for women are different from the West. But, in examining past exposes' as seen in journals such as National Geographic there is an acceptable standard of living that will improve when monies are used for improvements of living standards rather than security.
The longer we are in Iraq the greater the temptation to escalate our presence there which will only exacerbate the situation with the citizens of that country as well. The 'insurgency' will increase and while the 'strategy' for a counter insurgency is to 'seal' the borders of Iraq that requires the cooperation of neighboring countries including loyalists like Jordan and that to date has been impossible. In realizing the USA has porous borders one can only realize the impossible nature of closing the borders of Iraq. While the current administration has 'high ideals' for Iraq the practical application to that country is not realistic.
To keep a realistic view of Iraq through these days of political propaganda as handed out by Cheney minimally, one has to keep intact a mental image of Iraq in the color of 'red zone' while the ONLY 'green zone' is in Baghdad maintained minimally by redundant cement barriers. We need to leave Iraq and we need to do that soon to avoid further escalation of the insurgency that very successfully kills the citizens of Iraq. The three functional battalions of Iraqi miiltary need to be deployed to Green Zone priorities. The Bush Administration has failed miserably by the very fact 40% of rebuilding funds have been used for security and cannot be trusted to oversee any more civil funding. The monies scheduled to become improvments in Iraq are going to Bush crony military contractors rather than the improvements to the well being of the people of Iraq. The entire emphasis of this administration is completely fool-hearty and the people of Iraq are dropping like flies because of it. Their militias need to be armed to protect them. This is far to hideous already. Is there anyone with realistic estimates of the civilian dead?
Iraq will never be the happy little country Americans are hoping for unless the entire Middle East has achieved that goal. We are at least a decade in the offing to any of that. The invasion into Iraq was completely foolish and what was more foolish was the open season on munitions in the largest munitions dump in the Middle East. What was Rumsfeld ever thinking and consenting to other than the complete stupidity on the part of Bush and Blair. Both are ambitious and blind fools with 'intelligence' that served 'the plan' rather than 'the truth.' They have completely placed the world at risk.
Bombing Attacks on Iraqi Forces Kill 38 in North
By
Published: June 27, 2005
MOSUL, Iraq, June 26 - Four suicide bomb attacks struck Iraqi police and an Iraqi Army base in a 16-hour wave of insurgent violence in the northern city of Mosul on Saturday and Sunday, killing 38 people and wounding scores more. One American commander said the violence continued a trend in the past few weeks of insurgent attacks intensely focused on Iraqi security forces.
… But the attacks over the weekend - on a traffic checkpoint, a police headquarters, a hospital security gate and the principal Iraqi Army base in the north, Al Kasik - demonstrated how susceptible the Iraqi forces remain to suicide strikes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/international/middleeast/27iraq.html?hp&ex=1119931200&en=88663ec18e294771&ei=5094&partner=homepage
This is still another hideous situation as Bush completely disregards the safety of the public to pursue Ideologue views of the world. Where do these idiots stop there unreasonable demands of this country. I tell you what why don't we just move the entire population of the USA 100 miles in from the oceans as Bush has no regard for Global Warming and then clear out the West of any life so this administration has a playground to practice and fail at their nuclear aspirations and congregate everyone in cities where they belong so that when MDS finally works we can actually protect a larger number of Americans than if they are strewn all over the country.
U.S. Has Plans to Again Make Own Plutonium
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: June 27, 2005
The Bush administration is planning the government's first production of plutonium 238 since the cold war, stirring debate over the risks and benefits of the deadly material. The substance, valued as a power source, is so radioactive that a speck can cause cancer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27nuke.html?hp&ex=1119931200&en=c7773ecb46469c9c&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Heat and Wind Fan Wildfires Across Utah
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 27, 2005
Filed at 12:59 a.m. ET
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Firefighters battled in hot, dry and windy weather Sunday to contain wildfires that have prompted evacuations, closed a major highway and covered much of southwest Utah with a dark, smoky haze.
Officials said the blaze about 20 miles north of St. George grew from 2,000 acres to 8,000 acres in less than 12 hours, and by late Sunday was within five miles of New Harmony.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Western-Wildfires.html?
Well, here is a novel idea. George Walker Bush living on 'jazz' and governing on a 'whim.'
Some in G.O.P. Call on Bush to Focus on Governing
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
Published: June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 26 - President Bush and his hard-charging political team, which seemed to make all the right moves in winning re-election last year, have stumbled when it comes to governing in a second term, many Republicans say, leaving the White House scrambling to get back on track.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27bush.html
This administration chronically breaks the law and the Congress chronically looks the other way as they are as corrupt as the administration itself. It's tough to stay clean in a cesspool.
Two Groups Charge Abuse of Witness Law
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: June 27, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 26 - Two leading civil rights groups charge in a new study that the Bush administration has twisted the American system of due process "beyond recognition" in jailing at least 70 terror suspects as "material witnesses" since the Sept. 11 attacks, and the groups are calling on Congress to impose tougher safeguards.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27witness.html
Endangered Species Act Faces Broad New Challenges
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: June 26, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 22 - More than three decades after the Endangered Species Act gave the federal government tools and a mandate to protect animals, insects and plants threatened with extinction, the landmark law is facing the most intense efforts ever by the White House, Congress, landowners and industry to limit its reach.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/politics/26species.html
The Guardian
We won't give up nuclear effort, says Iranian leader
Surprise poll winner confounds west
Robert Tait in Tehran, Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Iran's new hardline president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, yesterday threw down a challenge to western leaders by vowing to resist international pressure to abandon the country's nuclear programme and branding Israel the source of instability in the Middle East.
The remarks, made at his first press conference since a landslide victory, will underline concerns in America, Israel, Britain and other European countries, where wrongfooted diplomats have been scrambling to come to terms with the consequences of his win.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1515458,00.html
Overweight who diet risk dying earlier, says study
Ian Sample, science correspondent
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Overweight people who diet to reach a healthier weight are more likely to die young than those who remain fat, according to a study.
The finding needs to be backed up by further research before sweeping changes are made to public health strategies, the authors warn, but it highlights how poorly the long-term health effects of dieting are understood.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1515455,00.html
Iraq insurgency could last a decade, admits Rumsfeld
Julian Borger in Washington
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, yesterday warned that the insurgency in Iraq could go on for at least a decade and confirmed that the army had been in contact with some of its leaders in an attempt to quell the violence.
He spoke after insurgents launched coordinated suicide bomb attacks which killed at least 33 people and wounded dozens more in the northern city of Mosul.
Mr Rumsfeld said that Iraqis, not US troops, would eventually bring an end to attacks that have killed thousands of civilians and 1,730 American soldiers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1515527,00.html
The tipping point
US public opinion on the Iraq war dips with every dead soldier, and plummets at the first sniff of defeat
… For the White House Iraq has become the latest faith-based initiative.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 56% said the war "wasn't worth it". Meanwhile, for the first time, a majority say they would be "upset" if Bush sent more troops, and a new low of 36% say troop levels should be maintained or increased. An earlier Washington Post poll showed that two-thirds of the public believe the US military is bogged down in Iraq while almost three- quarters think the level of casualties is unacceptable. The figures match or exceed the previous high-water mark of public disenchantment. More than half believe the war has not made them safer and 40% believe it has striking similarities to the experience in Vietnam.
Anti-war sentiment had always been part of mainstream national conversation here. But with the Democratic party and its presidential candidate having supported the war, such views remained marginal in the body politic.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1515377,00.html
Divorce mediation scheme flops
Only 23 couples take part in pilot plan to help separated parents resolve child contact disputes
Clare Dyer, legal editor
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Plans to introduce a child-friendly way of dealing with battles between separated parents have been derailed after a pilot procedure was completed by just 23 couples in nine months.
The figure is far below the 1,000 that ministers expected would use the system, which is set to be expanded in legislation before parliament. Three family courts in London, Brighton and Sunderland were chosen to try out a one-year project due to end in September, which could have become the norm in England and Wales for resolving child contact disputes after parents split up.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1515464,00.html
The Jerusalem Post
Radical Palestinian groups plan to move offices to Gaza
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
RAMALLAH
Leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian radical groups in Lebanon and Syria are planning to move to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuates the area, Palestinian sources confirmed on Sunday.
The sources said Palestinian Authority officials have been urging Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who spends most of his time in Damascus, to consider moving his office to the Gaza Strip after the completion of the Israeli withdrawal.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752425131
US helicopter crashes north of Baghdad
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MISHADA, Iraq
A US helicopter crashed in a field north of Baghdad on Monday morning, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119838846385&p=1078397702269
Haifa Court sentences 'stairwell rapist' to 30 yrs
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The Haifa District Court sentenced Igor Antipaka, the alleged "stairwell rapist," to thirty years in prison on three counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault and indecent acts.
The trial's three judges, headed by Haifa District Court President Micha Lindenstrauss, wrote in the verdict that they had no compassion for the accused - a violent man "who let himself be ruled by his basest impulses," Army Radio quoted.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119838846284&p=1078397702269
US forces hold exercises with Algeria
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALGIERS, Algeria
US naval forces opened two days of maritime exercises with Algeria on Sunday that were aimed at improving cooperation at sea in the fight against terrorism.
US vessels based in the United States and Morocco were among those taking part in the exercises, codenamed "Barbary Thunder," according to a statement made by the US Embassy in Algiers.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752424579&p=1078397702269
US troops take control of Taliban stronghold
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
KHAKERAN VALLEY, Afghanistan
Skimming low over the desert in helicopters with guns at the ready, American troops advanced into the Khakeran Valley in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, three months after Taliban rebels attacked police and forced them to flee.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752423250&p=1078397702269
Iran president-elect vows to pursue nuke program
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Iran's President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Sunday to pursue a peaceful nuclear program and said Iran doesn't need America to make progress.
"Iran's peaceful technology is the outcome of the scientific achievements of Iran's youth. We need the peaceful nuclear technology for energy, medical and agricultural purposes and our scientific progress. We will continue this," the ultraconservative Ahmadinejad told a press conference two days after being elected president.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119752422793&p=1078397702269
Haaretz
Court orders J'lem municipality to drop ban on gay pride parade
By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent
The Jerusalem District Court ordered the Jerusalem municipality on Sunday to drop its ban on the fourth annual gay pride parade in the city, accepting a petition by Open House, Jerusalem's gay and lesbian community center.
Judge Moussia Arad, who is vice president of the court for administrative affairs, also ordered the municipality and Mayor Uri Lupolianski to pay court costs of NIS 30,000 each.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592439.html
A blossoming achievement
By Zafrir Rinat
After several weeks of tense anticipation, the staff of the Hebrew University Botanical Gardens on the Mt. Scopus campus celebrated an impressive achievement, which is likely to help preserve a rare natural wonder. In the Mediterranean section of the gardens, the wandering bellflower (campanula peregrina, in Hebrew pa'amonit hadura) has flowered for the first time. The plant is in danger of extinction, and is found in only one place in Israel: Nahal Kziv in the Upper Galilee.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592459.html
The USA is in dire straights when it is using these issues as leverage to KEEP UP with China. It tells me more about the military technology of the USA than it tells me anything about China. China could be bluffing as to it's prowess and it has Russia as an ally. But, this move by the USA tells me plenty about Bush's ability to lead into tomorrow. Iraq has destroyed the forward impulsion of the USA in it's ability to surpass other countries in national defense. It's a darn shame. Every dime goes to Iraq for control and all Rumsfeld can do is think nukes. The USA is on a slippery slope of self destruction and this is proof.
The China syndrome
By Haaretz Editorial
Ever since the middle of the past decade, China, as a power, has become the biggest threat to America's universal supremacy. The wooing of the days of Nixon and Kissinger, and Mao and Chou, in the face of the common enemy, the Soviets, has faded, and turned into tense competition. Contributions to the election campaign of former president Bill Clinton drew an all-out attack by the Republicans on the Democrats. American defense and space corporations were sanctioned for the sale of banned equipment and know-how to the Chinese. Beijing's openly declared intentions - to prevent Taiwanese independence and extend its circle of influence some 1,000 kilometers beyond the borders of China - worried the Bush administration, whose first crisis, prior to September 11, 2001, involved a collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. spy plane.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592485.html
But what does Israel get out of it? Stab in the back politics with the Palestinians? I think Israel is better off with China as an ally.
Israel, U.S. draft agreement for openness, equality in arms deals
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
The agreement regulating the reporting of weapons sales that Israel will have to sign with the United States will be worded in an equable manner, sources familiar with the draft have reported.
The memorandum, which is to put an end an export crisis with the U.S., will state that the U.S. and Israel are "strategic partners" and that each country will be considerate of the other's concerns about military technology being transferred to other countries. The countries "arousing concern" will be specified separately.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592507.html
Longings for Arafat
By Danny Rubinstein
When looking today at what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the following question could come to mind: Should we begin longing for Yasser Arafat? The number of terror attacks has indeed dropped since his death, but the Israeli defense establishment is taking the credit for this, and not giving any to the Palestinians. Israeli intelligence has improved, they've built fences and walls, and thousands have been arrested. Nevertheless, recent weeks have seen an increase in attacks, despite the good intentions of the new chairman, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). On this backdrop there are many Israelis who would say: What do we care about good intentions? Abu Mazen wants to eradicate terror - but can't. Whereas Arafat could have, but didn't want to. The outcome with both is the same: There's terror. So what difference does it make?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/592483.html
Israel
Israel's Labor Party postpones primaries
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 26 (UPI) -- Israel's Labor Party has postponed its elections without setting a new date following signs that its voters' list has been inflated.
Census takers apparently registered people without obtaining their permission. Some people reportedly belonged to another party, and names of sick and dead people also appeared.
Party Secretary General Eitan Cabel's suggested at Labor's convention Sunday that primary elections for the party's leadership be postponed indefinitely. Delegates approved the proposal by a majority of 60 percent against 40.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050626-16441900-bc-israel-labor.xml
ISRAEL GAY MARCH GETS GO AHEAD
27.6.2005. 10:27:02
A court in Jerusalem has given the go ahead for the city’s annual Gay Pride march to take place this week.
The court ruled that the municipal council "did not have the right to discriminate against a section of the population because of sexual orientation."
The court also ordered the municipality to pay legal costs of more than $7,800.
Israeli Interior Minister, Ofir Pines, had ordered the municipal council to allow the fourth Gay Pride march to take place in Jerusalem on Thursday.
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=114485®ion=6
Israel scraps arms deal with China
Conal Urquhart in Tel Aviv
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Israel has cancelled a major arms deal with China after US allegations that it misled Washington on the export of shared technology, it was reported yesterday.
The US imposed a series of tough trade sanctions on Israel in protest at its deal to upgrade Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.
American defence officials said Israel had claimed it was maintaining the drones when in fact it was upgrading them using technology the US did not want to fall into Chinese hands.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1515478,00.html
BBC
Pakistan hears rape case appeal
Police take Mukhtar Mai (r) to Islamabad
Pakistan's Supreme Court has begun hearing appeals in a notorious gang rape case that has been the centre of worldwide attention.
A village council in Punjab allegedly ordered the rape of Mukhtar Mai in 2002 because her younger brother was seen with a woman from another tribe.
The case became mired in controversy after a lower court in March overturned the convictions of five men.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4624799.stm
Israel to rule on Hurndall death
By James Reynolds
BBC News, Jerusalem
Tom Hurndall died nine months after falling into a coma
An Israeli military court is due to give its verdict in the case of a soldier accused of the manslaughter of a British student.
Tom Hurndall, 22, was shot while he was working as a photographer and activist in the Gaza Strip in April, 2003.
Mr Hurndall, from north London, was shot in the Palestinian town of Rafah.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4625355.stm
Nationwide strike in South Africa
Unions have called strikes over privatisation in recent years
Many South Africans appear to be staying away from work in a nationwide strike over unemployment, but the overall response appears patchy.
Transport operators say the number of commuters is down by almost half with traffic lighter than usual.
Most mineworkers at AngloGold Ashanti, have stayed away from work. However, another mining group, Goldfield, said most of its employees were working.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4625135.stm
Oil is on it's way to $100.00.
Oil prices surge to record level
Consumers still fill up despite a 60% oil price jump in the past year
Oil prices have continued to climb on Monday, surging to a record on concerns that demand will outstrip supply.
US sweet light crude was trading 67 cents higher at $60.51, after earlier hitting $60.64. Brent, the other main contract rose 71 cents to $59.07.
Analysts said that prices are likely to sit close to the $60 mark for some time as demand shows little sign of abating.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4625383.stm
US envoy to discuss Nepal crisis
By Sushil Sharma
BBC News, Kathmandu
The king assumed direct control in February
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Donald Camp, is in Nepal on a two-day visit to discuss the political crisis in the country.
He is due to meet senior officials of the royalist government and top opposition leaders.
Mr Camp is the second senior US official to visit Nepal in less than two months.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4625401.stm
Thousands stranded in flood alert
Thousands of people have been left stranded after the level of the Sutlej river rose in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
Officials say the waters of the river, which originates in the Himalayas, have started receding but a flood warning remains in place.
Nine bridges have been washed away and damage to property is estimated at more than one billion rupees ($23m).
In 2000 floods on the Sutlej killed about 150 people in the state.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4625657.stm
The New Zealand Herald
Silent deaths in rural Zimbabwe
A Zimbabwe child climbs in the rubble of what used to be the family home in Nguboyenja surburb of Bulawayo. Picture / Reuters
27.06.05 4.00pm
By Daniel Howden
MATABELELAND - As a United Nations envoy begins a tour of Zimbabwe today, The Independent has revealed a deadly nexus of Aids, starvation and depopulation of the cities that is sending tens of thousands to a silent death in rural areas.
One month into President Robert Mugabe's brutal campaign of demolition and displacement, which has cost at least 400,000 people their homes and livelihoods, the scale of the humanitarian disaster is emerging.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10332943
Tsunami report gives details of Aceh devastation
An Indian boy, who survived last year's tsunami, looks out to the sea from atop a wooden catamaran in the southern Indian town of Cuddalore. Picture / Reuters
27.06.05 1.00pm
By Kathy Marks
BANDA ACEH - The tsunami that raged across the Indian Ocean six months ago levelled populated areas totalling more than 200 square miles in Indonesia, the country worst affected, according to a just released official report.
The report, compiled by agencies including the International Organisation of Migration, contains the first detailed assessment of the impact on Aceh province.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10332921
Fear still rules in tsunami zone
27.06.05
By Simon Collins
Six months after the Boxing Day tsunami, thousands of people on islands off the coast of Sumatra refuse to return to their homes because of fears of another disaster.
New Zealand aid worker Simon Williamson said from the Sumatran city of Padang that tremors were still being felt regularly and experts predicted another big earthquake and possible tsunami.
"The islanders are living up on the hills in tents, so we have a displaced and nervous population," he said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10332787
Greg Ansley: Relief workers in the firing line
27.06.05
Some hostage stories have happy endings. This month 32-year-old Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni was released by kidnappers in Afghanistan 24 days after she was snatched by four gunmen in Kabul.
In Australia last week, 63-year-old engineer Douglas Wood, who was working on reconstruction contracts in Iraq, flew into Melbourne to be reunited with his family after six harrowing weeks as a hostage in Baghdad.
But life is becoming increasingly dangerous for the doctors, nurses, engineers and others who work to bring hope and relief to the millions suffering from war and disaster.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10332801
West braced for harder stance from Iran
Iran's President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Picture / Reuters
27.06.05
TEHRAN - President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election victory completes a conservative grip on Iran's main levers of power that will likely lead to greater tension with the West and a more isolationist economic policy.
But a tougher Iranian stance on its controversial nuclear programme and other issues will emerge only slowly through Iran's system of clerical rule that gives supreme leader Ali Ayatollah Khamenei the final say in state affairs, analysts say.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10332834
Lawyer quits after Corby spat
27.06.05
SYDNEY - Schapelle Corby's former Australian lawyer has accused her family of profiteering from her drug smuggling conviction.
Gold Coast-based lawyer Robin Tampoe quit Corby's camp on Saturday after falling out with her mother Rosleigh Rose.
He told the Nine Network that Rose had accused him of trying to profit by gaining a profile out of her daughter's case.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10332828
concluding . . .
Morning Papers - concluded
The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
Scott Base
Cloudy
-25.0°
Updated Monday 27 Jun 8:59PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
52 °F / 11 °C
Clear
Humidity:
76%
Dew Point:
45 °F / 7 °C
Wind:
Calm
Pressure:
29.92 in / 1013 hPa
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds (AGL):
Clear -
end
Scott Base
Cloudy
-25.0°
Updated Monday 27 Jun 8:59PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
52 °F / 11 °C
Clear
Humidity:
76%
Dew Point:
45 °F / 7 °C
Wind:
Calm
Pressure:
29.92 in / 1013 hPa
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds (AGL):
Clear -
end
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