Iraq is a genocidal war. It has already removed the religious practices of some of the most coveted Islamic land on Earth.

Iraqis stand near the wreckage of a damaged car, after a car bomb exploded in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007. The bomb went off next to a police patrol, injuring four policemen, police said. (AP Photo)


Chart available with links - click here

It is predicted by the year 2008, the number of Iraqi deaths will have reached over 1,300,000. According to this exponential growth in Iraqi death rate, by the year 2012 there will be nearly 4 million Iraqis dead.


Currently as we near the year 2008 there are nearly 4000 USA soldiers dead.


American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan (click here)
October 4, 2007
The Pentagon has released the names of US service members killed recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to an AP count, at least 3,809 members of the US military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003. At least 28,009 have been wounded, the military says. In Afghanistan, at least 438 US personnel have died and 1,607 have been wounded since the war began in October 2001....



There is nothing but corruption in Iraq. Why would any military mission be successful when it was begun under the ridicule of the world, objection by the UN Security Council and found to be corrupt by the men whom began the occupation?


In Iraq today, the people with the biggest guns, the most volitile explosives and most men in their militias rule 'the street.' There is no right, there is no wrong, there is simply surviving the day and whomever does is unpredictable. The corruption started by Bush and Cheney has propagated an internal struggle in Iraq that leads directly to justified insurgency and rebellion.


Now, today, in the fifth year of occupation, the Iraqi civilians there live and die by the sword. There is no government in Iraq. Iraq has no sovereignty. The sooner the country is divided into defendable provinces the sooner the daily mass killings will stop. It will be up to the provincial governments to bring about 'goverance' if that is possible, with the help of their Holy Men. There are no Iraq contracts to honor, to maitain their is proves a reason to war without end.


Iraq: Shiite Militia Leader Caught (click here)
By KIM CURTIS – 4 hours ago
BAGHDAD (AP) — A Shiite militia leader accused of forcibly removing Sunnis from their homes north of Baghdad was captured in a raid, while another operation in the same area left 25 people dead, the U.S. military said Saturday.
The commander was detained Friday after U.S. forces raided Khalis, a Shiite enclave of 150,000 people in the volatile Diyala province some 50 miles north of Baghdad. The man led a group of 20 insurgents that was allegedly responsible for a July attack in which Sunnis were forcibly removed and their homes and farms were destroyed, the military said, adding no one was killed or wounded.
The commander, who was not identified, also was suspected of ambushing a Sunni van driver, shooting him and throwing his body in the Tigris River, the military said.
Another pre-dawn raid Friday in the same town killed at least 25 people after troops met a fierce barrage while hunting suspected arms smuggling links between Iran and Shiite militiamen. The military described those killed in airstrikes as fighters, but village leaders said the victims included children and men protecting their homes....



Iraq

Iraqi judge tells US of unchecked corruption
3:08PM Friday October 05, 2007
By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON - Widespread corruption in Iraq stretches into the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, an Iraqi investigating judge told US lawmakers, and an American official said US efforts to combat the problem are inadequate.
Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, who was named by the United States in 2004 to head the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity, said his agency estimated corruption had cost the Iraqi government up to US$18 billion ($24.21 billion).
Maliki has shielded relatives from investigation and allowed government ministers to protect implicated employees, said the judge, who left Iraq in August after threats against him. He told a Capitol Hill hearing that 31 employees of his agency had been killed.
Radhi said he did not have evidence against Maliki personally, but the prime minister had "protected some of his relatives that were involved in corruption."
One of these was a former minister of transportation, Radhi told the House of Representatives' Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The US official who testified, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, said he also saw a "rising tide of corruption in Iraq." He said US efforts to combat it were "disappointing," lacking funding and focus.
Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who chairs the panel, questioned whether the Maliki government was "too corrupt to succeed" and charged that US efforts to address the problem were in "complete disarray."
He criticised what he said was State Department resistance to the panel's investigation, saying the US government apparently was afraid the corruption revelations "might embarrass or hurt our relations with the Maliki government."
Larry Butler, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, declined to publicly answer questions about whether Maliki had obstructed corruption investigations, saying he could only respond in a closed session.
Waxman called the request "absurd," but the State Department defended Butler's position. Spokesman Sean McCormack said in corruption investigations it was best to handle matters privately at first to protect the rights of those under suspicion.
Radhi said he did not return to Iraq because of threats to his security, but he also suggested Maliki was behind efforts to prosecute him if he went back.
In his statement, he said 31 of his co-workers and 12 of their relatives had been killed because of their work.
"This includes my staff member Mohammed Abd Salif who was gunned down with his seven-month pregnant wife," he said. The body of the father of another worker was found on a meat hook, he said.
Radhi also said it had been impossible for the commission to adequately investigate oil corruption because Sunni and Shi'ite militias had control of the distribution of Iraqi oil.
- REUTERS

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468141



3 U.S. troops killed in Iraq bombings
BAGHDAD -- Roadside bombs killed three American soldiers Friday, and U.S. and Iraqi forces differed in their accounts of an overnight raid on a suspected hide-out for Shiite Muslim militiamen.
The U.S. military said American forces backed by attack aircraft killed 25 militiamen in the assault on the village of Jizan Imam, about 40 miles northwest of Baghdad. Some Iraqi officials, though, said most of the dead were civilians mistaken for hostile forces.
The U.S. troop deaths brought to at least 3,813 the number of American forces killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003, according to icasualties.org.
Two of the soldiers died when a bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, and the third was killed in a bombing in Salahuddin province, north of the capital.
Both attacks involved the lethal armor-piercing explosives that U.S. military officials say are often smuggled in from Iran, which they accuse of supplying, training and providing intelligence to Shiite militias. The Iranian government denies the allegations and rejects claims that members of its Quds Force, a secretive military unit, are operating in Iraq.
The U.S. military said the Friday raid was aimed at a militia commander they alleged had ties to Quds Force agents. A military statement said "an estimated 25 criminals" were killed in a fierce firefight that broke out when U.S. forces raided Jizan Imam.
According to the military account, men armed with assault rifles and grenade launchers opened fire on the U.S. troops. The Americans called in airstrikes and two buildings were destroyed, they said.
However, some Iraqi security forces in the area said the shooting erupted because of confusion over the arrival of the American forces at 1:30 a.m. They said some residents assumed that the troops were attackers and opened fire, sparking the gun battle.
An Iraqi army colonel said four houses were destroyed and that the dead were civilians. He said it was the fourth time the village had been hit by airstrikes.
It is common for U.S. and Iraqi officials to have conflicting accounts of military raids. U.S. military officials say they fire only on known or suspected threats, but Iraqis say the Americans often strafe buildings occupied by civilians, causing casualties.
In southern Iraq, an associate of Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr was fatally shot in what appeared to be the latest assassination stemming from a bloody rivalry between Shiite militias. The cleric, Sheik Yaser Yasri, was killed Thursday night, said officials in Basra, where Sadr's Mahdi Army is vying for power with the Badr Organization, a militia affiliated with the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.
Several clerics on each side have been killed, and there are concerns that as British forces reduce their presence in Basra, the bloodshed will increase.
tina.susman@latimes.com
Special correspondents in Baqubah and Basra contributed to this report.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-iraq6oct06,1,5787050.story?coll=la-news-a_section



Investigators: $18B lost over last 3 years to Iraqi government corruption
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, October 5, 2007
WASHINGTON — Rampant corruption in the Iraqi government is funding attacks against coalition forces and stalling reconstruction efforts across the country, U.S. and Iraqi investigators told Congress on Thursday.
The researchers estimate nearly $18 billion has been lost over the last three years through stolen funds, phony reconstruction projects and other illegal activities.
Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, the former head of Iraq’s Commission on Public Integrity, told members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that government money has been funneled to sectarian militias and family of lawmakers while vital projects go unfunded.
“When you go to the field or you go to the ground, you don’t see signs of reconstruction,” he said. “You don’t find electricity, you don’t find water, you don’t find fuel.”
Radhi said in several instances he was blocked from prosecuting family and key political allies of top government officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49274



Maliki denounces Iraq's top anti-corruption judge
The prime minister responds after the official testifies in the U.S. Congress that Baghdad interfered in his attempts to investigate wrongdoing.
By Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
9:20 AM PDT, October 6, 2007
BAGHDAD -- The prime minister's office today denounced testimony given in Washington by Iraq's top anti-corruption judge, who told U.S. lawmakers that the Iraqi government blocked his efforts to pursue corrupt officials.
In a statement, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki called Radhi Hamza Radhi's claims "false statements" aimed at tainting Maliki's reputation. The statement accused Radhi of a professional and ethical breach, saying he abandoned his job and left the country without Maliki's approval.
Maliki said Radhi had left Iraq after coming under suspicion for corrupt activities himself.
The statement was sparked by testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in Washington. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat, has accused Bush administration officials of covering up corruption and wrongdoing in Iraq, both by the Iraqi government and by State Department contractors such as Blackwater USA.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq7oct07,0,3870397.story?coll=la-home-center



Judge Radhi Testifies on Iraqi Corruption; GOPers Attack
David Corn Fri Oct 5, 12:15 AM ET
The Nation -- On Thursday, former Judge Radhi al-Radhi, Iraq's top anticorruption official until he was recently forced out by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, appeared before the House government oversight committee and described what had become of people who had worked for him at the Commission on Public Integrity as they investigated crime and fraud within the Iraqi government:
Thirty-one employees have been killed as well as at least twelve family members. In a number of cases, my staff and their relatives have been kidnapped or detained and tortured prior to being killed. Many of these people were gunned down at close range. This includes my staff member Mohammed Abd Salif, who was gunned down with his seven-month pregnant wife. In one case of targeted death and torture, the security chief on my staff was threatened with death many times. His father was recently kidnapped and killed because of his son's work at CPI. His body hung on a meat hook. One of my staff members who performed clerical duties was protected by my security staff, but his 80-year-old father was kidnapped because his son worked at CPI. When his dead body was found, a power drill had been used to drill his body with holes. Waleed Kashmoula was the head of CPI's Mosul branch. In March 2005, a suicide bomber met with Waleed in his office...and then set off his vest [bomb], killing Waleed....My family's home has been attacked by rockets. I have had a sniper bullet striking near me as I was outside my office. We have learned the hard way that the corrupt will stop at nothing.
Minutes later, Republicans members of the committee were suggesting there was nothing unusual or shocking about corruption in Iraq. "Corruption is not a new phenomenon," remarked Representative Tom Davis, the senior GOPer on the panel. Another committee Republican, Representative Darrell Issa, huffed, "We're not surprised a country that was run by a corrupt dictator...would have a pattern of corruption." And Republican Representative John Mica noted that corruption plagues many democratic countries, including the United States. Mica cited Watergate and the prosecution of Reagan administration officials, and he claimed that the Clinton administration had "the most number of witnesses to die suddenly."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20071005/cm_thenation/3240234



Panel told State Department lacks plan to fight Iraq corruption
By Dan Friedman CongressDaily October 4, 2007
The State Department lacks a functional plan to fight corruption in Iraq, despite increasing crime in the government that harms U.S. reconstruction efforts, according to a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee memorandum released Thursday.
Current and former State Department officials told the committee that many embassy officials are not "serious about going forward on" anti-corruption efforts, the memo says. State employees report that "almost no one shows up" at meetings of the U.S. Embassy's anti-corruption working group.
Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the department's attempts to stem corruption "are dysfunctional, underfunded and a low priority."
Government Accountability Office Comptroller General David Walker and Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen offered similar assessments, calling lack of coordination the key problem. Walker said U.S. efforts to build up the Iraqi government's capacity are characterized by "multiple U.S. agencies leading individual efforts without an overarching direction from a lead entity or a strategic approach."
"Congress, we believe, should consider conditioning future appropriations on the existence of such a strategy," Walker said, in a statement highlighted by Waxman.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1007/100407cdpm2.htm



Waxman: State Dept. Muzzling Evidence Of Iraqi Corruption To Avoid ‘Embarrassing’ Maliki
Last month, House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In the letter, Waxman objected to the State Department’s “instruction to its officials that they cannot communicate with the Committee about corruption in the Maliki government.” unless the Committee treat that information as classified and “withhold it from the public.”
In a hearing before the Committee on corruption within the Iraqi government, Government Accountability Office Comptroller David Walker criticized this lack of transparency, saying he knew of multiple “highly questionable” instances of “retroactive” classification:
Quite frankly, I’ve seen at least two circumstances within the last two months, where both the State Department, this being one, and the Defense Department attempted to retroactively classify something that had been made available publicly and in some cases, were on the World Wide Web, which is obviously, I think, highly questionable.
Waxman added that the State Department has prevented its employees from even mentioning corruption in the Iraqi government:

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/04/waxman-corruption-hearing/



Displacing Iraqis in significant numbers from their homeland is considered a form of genocide. The war needs to end. The American war in Iraq is genocidal and this is more proof of it.

October 6, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
Save the Gnostics
By NATHANIEL DEUTSCH
THE United States didn’t set out to eradicate the Mandeans, one of the oldest, smallest and least understood of the many minorities in Iraq. This extinction in the making has simply been another unfortunate and entirely unintended consequence of our invasion of Iraq — though that will be of little comfort to the Mandeans, whose 2,000-year-old culture is in grave danger of disappearing from the face of the earth.
The Mandeans are the only surviving Gnostics from antiquity, cousins of the people who produced the Nag Hammadi writings like the Gospel of Thomas, a work that sheds invaluable light on the many ways in which Jesus was perceived in the early Christian period. The Mandeans have their own language (Mandaic, a form of Aramaic close to the dialect of the Babylonian Talmud), an impressive body of literature, and a treasury of cultural and religious traditions amassed over two millennia of living in the southern marshes of present-day Iraq and Iran.
Practitioners of a religion at least as old as Christianity, the Mandeans have witnessed the rise of Islam; the Mongol invasion; the arrival of Europeans, who mistakenly identified them as “Christians of St. John,” because of their veneration of John the Baptist; and, most recently, the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein, who drained the marshes after the first gulf war, an ecological catastrophe equivalent to destroying the Everglades. They have withstood everything — until now.
Like their ancestors, contemporary Mandeans were able to survive as a community because of the delicate balance achieved among Iraq’s many peoples over centuries of cohabitation. But our reckless prosecution of the war destroyed this balance, and the Mandeans, whose pacifist religion prohibits them from carrying weapons even for self-defense, found themselves victims of kidnappings, extortion, rapes, beatings, murders and forced conversions carried out by radical Islamic groups and common criminals.
When American forces invaded in 2003, there were probably 60,000 Mandeans in Iraq; today, fewer than 5,000 remain. Like millions of other Iraqis, those who managed to escape have become refugees, primarily in Syria and Jordan, with smaller numbers in Australia, Indonesia, Sweden and Yemen.
Unlike Christian and Muslim refugees, the Mandeans do not belong to a larger religious community that can provide them with protection and aid. Fundamentally alone in the world, the Mandeans are even more vulnerable and fewer than the Yazidis, another Iraqi minority that has suffered tremendously, since the latter have their own villages in the generally safer north, while the Mandeans are scattered in pockets around the south. They are the only minority group in Iraq without a safe enclave.
When Mandeans do seek refuge in the Kurdish-dominated north, they report that they are typically viewed as southern, Arabic-speaking interlopers, or, if their Mandean identity is discovered, persecuted as religious infidels. In Syria and Jordan, Mandeans feel unable to practice their religion openly and, after years of severe deprivation, some have begun to convert simply in order to receive aid from Muslim and Christian relief agencies.
Mandean activists have told me that the best hope for their ancient culture to survive is if a critical mass of Mandeans is allowed to settle in the United States, where they could rebuild their community and practice their traditions without fear of persecution. If this does not happen, individual Mandeans may survive for another generation, isolated in countries around the world, but the community and its culture may disappear forever.
Of the mere 500 Iraqi refugees who were allowed into the United States from April 2003 to April 2007, only a few were Mandeans. And despite the Bush administration’s commitment to let in 7,000 refugees in the fiscal year that ended last month, fewer than 2,000, including just three Iraqi Mandean families, entered the country.
In September, the Senate took a step in the right direction when it unanimously passed an amendment to a defense bill that grants privileged refugee status to members of a religious or minority community who are identified by the State Department as a persecuted group and have close relatives in the United States. But because so few Mandeans live here, this will do little for those seeking asylum. The legislation, however, also authorizes the State and Homeland Security Departments to grant privileged status to “other persecuted groups,” as they see fit.
If all Iraqi Mandeans are granted privileged status and allowed to enter the United States in significant numbers, it may just be enough to save them and their ancient culture from destruction. If not, after 2,000 years of history, of persecution and tenacious survival, the last Gnostics will finally disappear, victims of an extinction inadvertently set into motion by our nation’s negligence in Iraq.
Nathaniel Deutsch is a professor of religion at Swarthmore College.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/opinion/06deutsch.html?ref=opinion

continued...

Suing God. Will it work? Perhaps Dobson and Conservative Talk Radio has that answer as well ?

In case you haven't heard, State Senator Ernie Chambers is suing God. Finally someone has decided to hold God accountable in the one patriotic, blue-blooded American way by filing legal action. The Senator is trying to file an injunction that, according to the KETV.com and the Associated Press, would order "God to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats" It seems in America it takes a lawsuit for anyone to notice you, and now God is even is being punished for his lack of attention. I guess just one too many prayers went unanswered. I love the smell of justice in the morning.

You may ask what 'The Accused' is charged with. Well it appears our Plaintiff has a laundry list of charges including, "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornados, pestilential plagues, ferocious famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects and the like." Added to the litany of charges also includes, "calamitous catastrophes resulting in wide-spread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earths' inhabitants including innocent babes, infants, children, the aged and infirm without mercy of distinction." It's a fairly damming list charges.

Senator Ernie Chambers claims that it not a ploy to try and bring God down a notch or two, but to make a point about frivolous lawsuits. Chambers claims that he objects to the door of the courthouses being open to all, making even God a possible target of the American judiciary system. While lawyers are expected to act in 'good faith' while in the process of deciding whether or not to file a lawsuit, I believe the majority of Goucher students wouldn't equate the words 'lawyer' and 'good faith' as two words that can belong truthfully in the same sentence.

Frivolous lawsuits are dangerous in my mind though. They clog up the court system faster than a cheeseburger in Dick Cheney's heart ...

By the way, I thought the 'conversion' of the USA to a Christian War Nation was supposed to change the fate of the world in God's eyes. Wait. That was Noah.

...there is going to come a point in time, when her children will want to know their mother...

No secret now to the tragic life Britney has been leading in the last year or so. She obviously never expected to lose each and every battle of her life. It is correct for Kevin to seek the best circumstances for the children, but, it is also the 'best' idea for a society to provide incentives to alienated/addicted parents to recover and redress the Family Courts for their rights as a parent.

I continue to hope Britney will find a way to recovery, return to her perfomances in a way that shows balance and dignity and a lifestyle that includes the ability to express abiding love for her children. I'd like to think everyone is pulling for her. She can do this if she surrounds herself with people that care and have already recovered from their social problems.

Morning Papers - continued...

Ria Novosti

Tajikistan to hold rotating presidency in Eurasec in 2008
DUSHANBE, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - Tajikistan will hold a rotating chair in the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasec) in 2008 and its leader will supervise the work of the organization, the Russian president said Saturday.
"At the meeting of heads of state in a narrow framework we decided to choose Tajikistan and President Emomali Rakhmon to chair Eurasec," President Putin said at the session of the Intergovernmental Council of the Eurasec in Tajikistan.
Earlier the leaders of the regional organization selected Tair Mansurov, a governor of North Kazakhstan Region and a former Kazakh ambassador to Russia, as a new secretary general of Eurasec. He will replace Grigory Rapota, from Belarus, who headed the organization since October 2001.
A document on the budget policy, signed Saturday by the leaders of the organization's member states, said that in 2008 Eurasec is set to focus on the formation of a Customs Union and a single economic and transport space as well as of a common energy market.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20071006/82750326.html


Russian silkworms spin first 'space silk' in history
MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - Silkworms on board the recent Russian Foton-M bio-satellite flight span the first space silk in history, a Moscow school teacher revealed Tuesday.
As part of the satellite's scientific program, Moscow school students, led by biology teacher Alexander Koloskov, carried out an experiment to study how weightlessness influences the life cycle of silkworms.
Experiments on board the satellite also revealed that worms are able to produce silk in microgravity conditions, but can not pupate, as they pass silk threads around the sticks they are sitting on rather than around their bodies. Disorientation was given as one possible reason for this.
Koloskov said that during the next stage of the research the students will send butterflies into space to study how insects adopt to microgravity.

http://en.rian.ru/science/20071002/82006905.html


Russia to carry out up to 20 space projects by 2015
MOSCOW, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - Under the Federal space program for 2006-2015 Russia plans to conduct over 20 scientific projects, Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) head Anatoly Perminov told Thursday
"In particular, we have plans to build special-purpose spacecraft fitted with scientific equipment. The research will focus on fields like astrophysics, and planetary science," he said.
He said that planned flights included to Phobos, the Mars satellite, and to the Moon.
The Roskosmos head also said that the Russian biological satellite Foton-M, which landed on September 27, 2007, conducted over 70 experiments while in space.
"Space and science are mutually dependent and virtually inseparable today," he said.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071004/82436462.html


"Dad of all Bombs" - Russia's new super-weapon. INFOgraphics
Russia tests the world's most powerful vacuum bomb, whose effect is comparable to a nuclear charge. It is more powerful than the U.S. Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), colloquially known as the Mother of All Bombs, a large-yield satellite-guided, air delivered bomb described as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in history.

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20070928/81566213.html


Asteroid could hit Earth in 2029 - Russian astronomer
MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - An asteroid, discovered in 2004, could pose a threat to Earth in 2029, the director of the Institute of Astronomy said Monday.
Boris Shustov said at an international space forum in Moscow that the Apophis asteroid, which is due to cross earth's orbit in 2029 at a height of 27,000 km (17,000 miles), could under certain conditions hit Earth in 2029.
The explosion could surpass the famous Tunguska explosion of June 30, 1908, which affected a 2,150 square kilometer (830 sq miles) area of Russia felling over 80 million trees in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in Siberia.
The meteoroid's air blast was estimated to be between 10 and 20 megatons in TNT equivalent or 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The explosion caused a shockwave around 5.0 on the Richter scale.
However, the asteroid is not likely to repeat the plot of Hollywood blockbusters, as modern technology would allow the asteroid's orbit to be corrected using small satellites, Shustov said.

http://en.rian.ru/science/20071001/81860323.html



Look at falling stars!
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Tatyana Sinitsyna) - The Earth will cross the Draconid meteor shower within a few days.
The encounter repeats every year in October's first ten days, with intensity varying on a 7-year cycle, which is now at its peak.
Our planet will enter the meteor swarm on October 8, to stay for the next two days among cosmic dust and tiny pebbles. In fact, a majority of meteors are not vagabond giants spelling apocalyptic disasters-each weighs from a tenth to a thousandth fraction of a gram.
Be that as it may, a sight of breathtaking beauty awaits us. Every night in good weather, we people of northern latitudes shall see a slow, reddish star shower near Draco, or the Dragon-a constellation shining above the North Pole.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071005/82637401.html


Iran welcomes foreign investment in nuclear sector
TEHRAN, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - Iran would welcome foreign investment in its nuclear industry, but will not abandon its uranium enrichment program, the Islamic Republic's president said Friday.
"We are ready for cooperation and joint investment [in the nuclear sphere], but that has nothing to do with Iran's nuclear fuel cycle," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.
He said Iran's right to pursue nuclear energy programs is non-negotiable.
"We do not intend to discuss our rights in the nuclear energy sphere," he said.
The president said world powers have deliberately politicized Iran's nuclear problem in order to impede its scientific and technological advance.
Ahmadinejad said Thursday no force in the world can halt Iran's nuclear progress.
"Our enemies are in no position to harm the cause of the [Islamic] revolution," he said, adding that "some enemies" are trying to weaken the country's economy with trade and economic sanctions.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20071005/82651532.html


From the New York Times

Questions About the India Deal, Finally
Published: October 6, 2007
The Bush administration and the American business community have been hoping for a swift, rubber-stamp approval of their ill-conceived nuclear trade deal with India. Luckily, some members of Congress, and some American allies, are finally asking questions.
Congress was far too uncritical when it gave preliminary approval to the agreement in December. As a next step, Washington must get a change in rules from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the main providers of so-called civilian nuclear technology around the world. All nuclear trade with India has been banned since it refused to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and tested nuclear weapons.
Now some members of Congress are beginning to raise doubts about the deal. The proposal introduced in the House this week by Howard Berman, a California Democrat, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, would be a sense of the House resolution. But by highlighting bipartisan concerns, it should bolster skeptics in the suppliers’ group who rightfully fear that the agreement could benefit New Delhi’s weapons program as much as its pursuit of nuclear power, while making it even harder to rein in the ambitions of nuclear wannabes, including Iran.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/opinion/06sat2.html?ref=opinion


Pro-West blocs gain advantage in Ukraine elections
(Recasts headline, lead, para 2; adds details, background in paras 4-9)
KIEV, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - The final votes in Ukraine's parliamentary elections were counted on Friday, with pro-West blocs gathering enough votes to form a coalition government.
Following elections on September 30, five blocs made it into the Supreme Rada, with the pro-Russian Party of Regions headed by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych leading with 34.32%.
Its arch-rival, the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc, gained 30.71%, followed by the other Western-leaning bloc, the pro-presidential Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense bloc, with 14.15%.
Voter turnout was 62.38%.
Since none of the parties can claim a majority 226 seats in the new 450-member parliament, consultations are currently underway to form a coalition.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20071005/82686149.html



Opinion & analysis
Is Ukraine more of a democracy than Russia?
MOSCOW. (Yevgeny Kozhokin for RIA Novosti) - Contrary to expectations, the political landscape of post-election Ukraine is not likely to be any smoother.
As soon as the votes are counted, Ukraine will have a hard time forming a government. The ruling coalition will not take shape quickly despite the Orange majority's efforts to unite and put a good face on things.
Given the state of personal relations between Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko, and her excessive demands, any alliance they manage to form is bound to be fragile and short-lived and, most probably, will not make Ukraine any more tranquil.
At the same time, there is a good chance that the Orange leaders will fail to strike a deal and that a future government will represent the same powerful economic and political forces as the former coalition did before the Rada's dissolution. Apart from the Party of Regions, the future coalition could include the Communists and the Socialists if they manage to overcome the 3% threshold.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071003/82143222.html


Rescuers find another body in Mi-2 crash in Russia's Far East
KHABAROVSK, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - Rescuers in the Russian Far East found Saturday a body of a fourth passenger from a utility helicopter that crashed two days ago into the sea near the western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia's Far East.
"The body was discovered on Saturday on the sea shore two kilometers from a village Ustyevoye," local emergencies department said.
The Mi-2 circled the village of Ustyevoye on Thursday and suddenly crashed into the sea about 100 meters (330 feet) off the coast.
The body of the pilot, Yury Khudrivy, was discovered at the scene by two towboats. Three hours later rescuers found the bodies of two passengers who had been washed ashore. The search for others who could have been on board the helicopter is continuing.
Earlier reports said the emergencies service had been alerted by villagers, who heard a rattle as the helicopter fell into the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Mi-2, an 8-passenger helicopter with a flight range

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071006/82755486.html


Pervez Musharraf leads Pakistani presidential election-1
(Adds details, background in paras 3-10)
ISLAMABAD, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - Pakistan's current President General Pervez Musharraf leads in the country's presidential election, a spokesman for the Information Ministry said Saturday.
According to unofficial results, Musharraf gained 252 votes of the Senate and National Assembly deputies out of overall 442, the spokesman said.
Musharraf's presidential term ends on November 15. His nomination was filed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
On Tuesday Musharraf nominated Lieutenant General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani the new Army commander, as the current president had pledged earlier to give up his military title if he was reelected.
The opposition parties earlier vowed to boycott the election and promised to resign from parliament and assemblies of all four provinces if Musharraf is reelected.
General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999. After the 2002 parliamentary election, Musharraf retained his presidential and military titles, as well as the right to dissolve parliament and dismiss the government.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20071006/82757178.html


At least 23 dead in Congo crash. Video
At least 23 people are dead after a cargo plane crashed in a busy neighbourhood of Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo.

http://en.rian.ru/video/20071005/82573153.html


Council of Europe displeased with Russia again
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Yelena Shesternina) - Russia was criticized again at the Strasbourg session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) this week. Addressing the session, Patriarch Alexy II improved the situation somewhat but could not save the Russian delegation from the attacks of European MPs.
Tensions started building up even before the session opened. PACE refused to discuss the U.S. plans to deploy missile-defense elements on Polish and Czech territory on the grounds that missile defense had nothing to do with human rights and democracy which are the main directions of its activities.
It was clear before the session that the Mikhail Margelov-led Russian delegation would have to explain why Moscow was blocking the reform of the European Court of Human Rights. Russia was the only member of the Council of Europe, which failed to ratify Protocol 14 to the Human Rights Convention.
This protocol determines the gist of the reform. It has changed the procedure of controlling compliance with the convention; it has extended the powers of judges from six to nine years. In addition, it has introduced an additional criterion, which allows the European Court to reject a complaint based on the damage sustained by the applicant. The protocol has also upgraded the procedure for filtering patently unacceptable complaints.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071005/82651141.html


VTB eager to take over Russian Standard
MOSCOW. (Financial analyst Anatoly Gorev for RIA Novosti) - VTB, Russia's second-largest state controlled banking group, is doing its best to buy Russian Standard, a leader of retail banking in Russia.
If Andrei Kostin's bank gets its way, VTB will rocket ahead in retail lending and score a major image-making victory over foreign financial giants.
France's BNP Paribas tried to buy Russian Standard, and in the past few weeks the market was abuzz with rumors that Germany's number one lending institution, Deutsche Bank, is also eyeing it.
So far, the transaction has not progressed past the negotiating stage. The Russian media cite investment bankers as saying, on condition of anonymity, that VTB has already made an offer for a 10% stake in Russian Standard. The bank's owner, Rustam Tariko, has allegedly rejected the offer despite a very good price.
VTB's management has apparently shrugged off Tariko's refusal as an intermediary result. Experts say that the state-controlled bank will not abandon its plan to take over part or all of Russian Standard.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071004/82460614.html


From the Moscow News

Russia Unveils New Superjet Plane
KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR (AFP, MN) - Russia on Wednesday rolled out a new regional passenger jet that it hopes will revive the country's civil aviation industry and rival similar models from Brazil and Canada.
The Superjet 100 is being developed by state-run jetmaker Sukhoi with Western partners at a factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's Far East, some 8,000 kilometers east of Moscow.
"The first plane of the new Russia is of great importance, a priority project, because the domestic market is not enough for a world economy," First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said at the unveiling ceremony.
With the Superjet 100, Sukhoi hopes to succeed where Soviet-era jetmakers Ilyushin and Tupolev failed: in taking a large share of the world's booming passenger jet market.
The plane, which can fit up to 110 passengers, is due to undergo test flights later this year, and developers hope to be producing up to six planes a month for world markets by 2010.

http://mnweekly.ru/business/20070927/55279272.html


Brides’ Parade in Moscow

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20071003/82140687_8.html


The Anti-Elite
By appointing new leaders from outside the current group of political elites, Vladimir Putin may be laying the ground for future conflicts.
These appointments are anti-elite per se; they reflect, above all, Putin's deep disappointment in the country's current political elite in general and in its ruling clique in particular. They also reflect his utmost unwillingness not only to consult with this elite on the matter of staff appointments, for example, but even to reckon with it and to display any signs of attention and respect for it.
Appointing these men, and Zubkov in particular, reveals that there is one thing of utmost importance to Putin - that they not be involved in any of the present elite groups. The fact that Zubkov is not known to be part of any presently active cliques or deals is crucial because deep down, Putin really doesn't trust anyone who is part of the competition for contracts and projects. He wants to trust people like Zubkov who seems to be, if not absolutely from outside the system, then at least from the system's periphery.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071004/82344776.html


Afghanistan - between war and truce?
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - Afghanistan may go from a state of war to a process of national reconciliation.
If it does, this will be a dramatic shift - all President Hamid Karzai's previous attempts to talk to the Taliban were immediately cut short by both domestic opposition and the U.S.-led international sponsors of Afghanistan's recovery.
But sentiments seem to have changed. Both the informal international meeting on Afghanistan and the United Nations General Assembly have backed Kabul's plans to negotiate with the Taliban. The United Nations urged President Karzai and other Afghan leaders to promote political dialogue at home with a view to national reconciliation.
Nothing has changed in Afghanistan. But national reconciliation is becoming increasingly attractive. It is abundantly clear that Afghanistan's problems cannot be resolved by force. The Afghans have known this since the Soviet military occupation in the 1980s. They have learnt to resist force with guerilla warfare, whether as Mujahidin or Taliban.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071002/81984034.html


Unmanned aerial vehicles increase in numbers
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - On October 11, the Russian government will consider a state defense order for the next three years.
The program covering the period until 2015 is expected to replace 45% of the military inventory in the army and navy. In addition to re-equipping tank, motorized rifle and air landing units, it also plans to build up strategic weapons. The troops will take delivery of over 50 mobile Topol-M missile systems, while the fleet of strategic aviation will grow to 50 Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95 MS Bear missile carrier aircraft.
But, as military experts note, there is one key area in the development and production of modern weapons that is not funded enough despite vast sums - something like 5 trillion rubles - allocated to be spent on armaments before the middle of the next decade. The reference is to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are today regarded as an essential element of an air force in many leading countries.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071005/82619436.html


SI

Swarm of insects disrupt late innings
Posted: Friday October 5, 2007 8:18PM; Updated: Friday October 5, 2007 11:30PM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- This will forever be known as the Bug Game.
A swarm of insects descended on Jacobs Field in the eighth inning of the Cleveland Indians' 2-1 playoff victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night, leading to a bizarre scene featuring players waving their arms and gloves in an attempt to keep the pesky bugs away.
The teams kept playing into extra innings as millions of bugs nagged players on the field and in the dugouts.
"Every time you tried to focus on something, they're flying in your nose and your hair and your face," said Yankees first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who was batting in the top of the eighth when the swarm invaded.
Ron Harrison, an entomologist who works for Orkin Inc., an Atlanta-based pest control company, said the annoying bugs were a type of midge, an insect related to mosquitoes. While some speculated they were Canadian Soldiers, they were much smaller than that type.
During warm fall weather, midges often breed on the outskirts of lakes.
"My feeling is that there has been some breeding around Lake Erie, and air currents are pushing them onto land in mass numbers," Harrison said.
The insects don't have piercing, sucking mouth parts, he said.
"They aren't really biters -- more of a nuisance," Harrison said.
Just ask the Yankees.
They were on the verge of tying the series when the insects arrived in a scenario only Alfred Hitchcock could imagine.
Asked to play amateur entomologist after the game, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not an expert on what kind of bugs they are. They were small," he said.
The bugs subsided somewhat after the game went into extra innings. Travis Hafner ended it with an RBI single in the 11th inning, leading to a wild celebration by the Indians in the infield.
With the Yankees ahead 1-0, the bugs clearly affected reliever Joba Chamberlain and helped the Indians tie it. Bug spray did little good -- Chamberlain's neck, face and hat were covered with the tiny bugs, and he tried to spit them out of his mouth.
Chamberlain and the rest of the Yankees refused to use the bugs as an excuse.
"There's not much you can do about it," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He was having trouble seeing out there. I'll tell you one thing about the kid he never lost his composure. Unfortunately it was at a bad time."
Almost everyone was affected by the cloud, with players and the umpires trying in vain to brush them away.
"They're flying around in your face it's going to mess with your vision a little bit," Jeter said. "But it was like that for both teams."
Chamberlain was sprayed with insect repellant when he took the mound in the eighth and fans booed as a member of the Yankees staff sprayed him down again in between batters.
"Bugs are bugs," Chamberlain said. "It's something you've got to deal with."
Chamberlain, who was in command when he took over in the seventh, lost control. He walked two, hit a batter and threw a pair of wild pitches -- he had only one wild pitch during the season.
Chamberlain's second wild pitch let Grady Sizemore score the tying run from the third base.
Jeter and second baseman Robinson Cano swatted away the bugs with their hats between pitches. Alex Rodriguez used his glove and hat.
The bugs have plagued Jacobs Field in the past. During one memorable September 2004 game, play was stopped several times to allow players, who complained of swallowing the bugs while running the bases, were sprayed with repellant. The Indians lost to the Angels 6-1.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/specials/playoffs/2007/10/05/yankees.indians.bugs.ap/


Cleveland Plain Dealer

Indians in the Playoffs
Pluto: Scribbles in my playoff notebook
Posted by Terry Pluto October 06, 2007 00:30AM
Categories: Indians in the Playoffs
He had a triple, a single, a couple of walks and a diving catch. He was so hard to keep off bases, they couldn't even retire him on a strikeout. The nation is getting to see the Grady Sizemore that Tribe fans have loved since he came to Cleveland to stay in 2005. In the two divisional playoff games, the Tribe's leadoff man has been on base seven times! He is 3-for-8 with two walks, has been hit by a pitch and made it to first on a passed ball when he struck out. But Sizemore is so much more than numbers. His diving, belly-flop catch of a line drive off the bat of Jorge Posada saved at least a double. Then there was Sizemore roaring to home plate to score on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, sliding under a tag applied by Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain. Or Sizemore striking out on a high fastball in the 10th, but sprinting to first base as the ball bounced off the glove of Posada. Or Sizemore slashing a hard grounder down the first-base line that should have been a double, but with legs pumping, dirt flying off his spikes -- he legged it into a triple. This was the Grady Sizemore who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated earlier this season, the Sizemore who hustles on every play because he knows that's how the game is meant to be played. He's the Sizemore who turned 25 in August and who is under contract by the Tribe through 2012. Once again, the Indians won the battle of the bullpens. Raffy Perez threw two more scoreless innings. That gives him four in the playoffs. Even more impressive, it's 12-up, 12-down for the 25-year-old lefty who has been immune to pressure since coming to the Tribe from Class AAA Buffalo on May 29.

http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/indians/


The Tenth Man: A fan blog by Chris Jung
Just Say No To Gnatgate
Posted by Chris Jung October 06, 2007 00:29AM
Categories: The Tenth Man: A fan blog by Chris Jung
It figures that on a night when the Indians finally collect that signature win, the sweet victory that seemingly pushes them one step closer to solidifying themselves as one of baseball's best teams, that mother nature would interject and give people the chance to say, "well, Chamberlain just couldn't see very well."

http://blog.cleveland.com/tribetracker/tenthman/


Cleveland, OH weather
82ºF
28ºC
Right Now
M/CLOUDY
Humidity: 57%
Wind: WSW, 6 mph
Barometer: 30.18 inches
Visibility: 10 miles


Cleveland leaders slow to embrace Apple center
Education center would train city students in digital media, but cost is a concern for officials
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Shaheen Samavati
Plain Dealer Reporter
Apple Inc. -- one of the hottest technology companies in the world -- wants to bring a flashy, high-tech education center to downtown Cleveland.
Sound too good to be true?
Some civic leaders think so. While it would offer about 100 Cleveland public high school students a media-rich education, it would cost millions. And Apple wouldn't contribute any cash or equipment, only professional services.

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business-3/1191660231271830.xml&coll=2


ArcelorMittal burns up State Patrol's contraband guns, drugs
ArcelorMittal burns patrol's contraband
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Mark Puente
Plain Dealer Reporter A heavily armed team of state troopers brought a $6 million package from Columbus to Cleveland early Thursday. Then, they incinerated it in a 3,500-degree furnace.
Troopers escorted 4,000 pounds of marijuana, cocaine and heroin and 59 guns to the ArcelorMittal steel plant along the Cuyahoga River.
The State Highway Patrol burns drugs and guns four times a year at different mills across Ohio. It keeps the contraband in a room in Columbus until criminal cases are resolved and the evidence is no longer needed.
The 40-foot-long room was filled with steel racks containing pallets of drugs seized on the interstates before the last burn. About 40 file cabinets lined the walls, stuffed with evidence from smaller seizures.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1191659722271830.xml&coll=2


Detectives who fatally shot teen can sue State Sen. Shirley Smith for critical letter
Lawmaker faulted killing of teen
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Reginald Fields
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus- Two Cleveland police detectives who fatally shot a 15-year-old boy can pursue their lawsuit against a state lawmaker who they say unfairly ridiculed them in a letter calling the officers "hit men."
State Sen. Shirley Smith, who at the time of the shooting on Sept. 1, 2005, was a member of the Ohio House, was not acting in her official capacity and therefore is not entitled to immunity, the Ohio Court of Claims ruled this week.
That means Detectives Philip Habeeb and John Kraynik can seek civil damages from Smith for the scathing letter she delivered to city leaders just days after Brandon McCloud was killed in his bedroom as the officers executed a search warrant.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1191660420271830.xml&coll=2


Grass-roots coalition seeks equal medical coverage for everyone in Ohio
Grass-roots effort pursues plan through petition drive
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Sarah Jane Tribble
Plain Dealer Reporter
When Joeletta Akemon sifts through her family's medical bills, a tone of hopelessness enters her voice.
Her husband pays about $550 a month for family health insurance through work, but each doctor visit and prescription also has out-of-pocket costs, and the family is falling behind. Bill collectors have begun calling.
"The middle class like me and my husband, we're just struggling," Akemon said. "We still can't go to the doctor when we really need to."

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1191659805271830.xml&coll=2


Portage judge John Plough won't release public record
Saturday, October 06, 2007
James Ewinger
Plain Dealer Reporter
A Portage County Municipal judge already under state scrutiny for his courtroom conduct is now refusing to surrender a public record.
The Plain Dealer repeatedly requested the record of John Plough's sentencing of a woman who pleaded guilty to assault and disorderly conduct in late July.
Plough placed Angela Porter on probation then and hired her a month later. She now works as his assignment commissioner and deputy bailiff for $12.75 an hour.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/portage/1191659842271830.xml&coll=2


Find your bag on the carousel?
Airlines' problems with luggage getting worse
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Jonathan Mummolo and Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post
After the crammed parking lot, the amusement park-length check-in lines, security procedures that require all but a striptease, flights that are jampacked, if they're not delayed or canceled -- after all that comes baggage claim, where the maddening odyssey of modern air travel is supposed to end but often just gets worse.
More than 1 million pieces of luggage were lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered by U.S. airlines from May to July, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. June and July ranked among the 20 worst months for mishandled baggage in 20 years.
The shoddy service is the crest of five years of steady deterioration in the ability of major airlines to deliver a checked bag. In 2002, some 3.84 reports of mishandled bags were filed per 1,000 passengers. In July, the figure was 7.93.

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/other/119131448328890.xml&coll=2


Amber Hill arraignment
Bond is set at $2 million for Amber Hill on charges accusing her of drowning her two young daughters in a bathtub.
David I. Andersen / The Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdvideo/flash/index.ssf?100307_amberhill_video


This is a tragic event, but, is law enforcement getting carried away in a political posturing to defeat abortion rights? Unless there is 'Depression Screening' for pregnant women there is no way to prevent death of a fetus when the mother dies of her own demise. There just isn't. If women are screened for depression while pregnant, then do they have the right to refuse medication and if they do will they be imprisoned to prevent their deaths and therefore the death of an infant?


Depression does not always equate to death. Only when under a doctor's care and noted to be harmful to self or others will any court 'commit' a woman for treatment in a facility. At what point does treatment for depression (when one can get it) become a prison sentence until the fetal rights of the unborn are satisfied? No one should be allowed to hurt themselves or maim themselves, but, in a country where mental health is placed on the back burner along with good quality health insurance what then becomes the issue in regard to the unborn? Does the unborn have more rights than the mother?


This type of Pro-Life charge is highly questionable in it's rational. If a pregnant woman is murdered while pregnant, it is understandable the DEATH OF THE WOMAN when it comes to sentencing the murderer has to be weighted considering the infant died as well. HOWEVER, the fetus/infant is not an independant life and does not carry it's own rights in regard to court proceedings. This 'charge' against the woman that caused the death of the fetus is absurd and it needs to be resinded. This is a venue of 'Fetus Rights' not recognized under law and is very poor police work. It leads to oppression of women.


Death of fetus whose mother shot herself is ruled a homicide
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Elyria -- Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller ruled the death of Samantha Stoner, a 22-week-old fetus, a homicide on Friday.
"The baby died because it was extremely premature," Miller said.
Samantha had to be delivered by Caesarian section several days after her mother, Deborah Stoner, 36, shot herself Sept. 1 in the abdomen with .380-caliber handgun.
"I have ruled it a homicide because homicide to us means the actions of another person caused the death," Miller said.
Stoner, of Elyria, decided to shoot herself in the abdomen after a fight with her boyfriend, John George, Miller said, citing Elyria police reports.
Stoner was taken to EMH Regional Medical Center and later flown to MetroHealth Medical Center, where the fetus was delivered.
Police do not know what Stoner's intention was by shooting herself, Lt. Andy Eichenlaub said.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1191660205271830.xml&coll=2

continued...

50th anniversary of the Earth's first artificial satellite launch. Video. Part I

The Earth's first artificial satellite overcame terrestrial gravity and made it into space 50 years ago, on October 4, 1957

Morning Papers - continued...

Sydney Morning Herald

Nobel Peace Prize to Gore may be in the wind
FORMER US vice-president Al Gore is a frontrunner for the Nobel Peace Prize, to be announced in Norway on Friday.
Key Nobel watcher Stein Toennesson, director of the International Peace Research Institute, predicts the climate change campaigner will win the coveted prize.
This year, with world attention fixed on global warming, Mr Toennesson said giving a joint prize to Mr Gore and Canadian Inuit environmental activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier might be an appealing choice for the prize committee.
"It would have to do with climate change and it would be a prize that included both a man and a woman," he said.
Another possibility would be to give the prize to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, he said.
Others mentioned include Finnish peace mediator Martti Ahtisaari, and activists Lida Yusupova from Russia and Rebiya Kadeer from China.
The peace award is announced in Oslo. The other prizes - medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics - are announced in Stockholm.
AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/nobel-peace-prize-to-gore-may-be-in-the-wind/2007/10/06/1191091420242.html



Now the flu is about to hit the Diva and her little boy
MIGHTY mare Makybe Diva and her seven-week-old foal are expected to contract equine influenza by the end of the week.
Coolmore Stud general manager Michael Kirwan said the epidemic struck the Hunter Valley property last week.
He said the triple Melbourne Cup winner and her foal - a bay colt by Galileo valued at more than $3million - were not infected by the flu, but "it won't be long before they get it".
The Sun-Herald can also reveal that the Diva is thought to be pregnant again, having been covered by Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.
"[The flu] infects the whole property. It doesn't play favourites," Mr Kirwan said.
"The law of averages says that some foals will die. As it stands, the death of one foal is nothing. We have a good team of vets on the property and they'll be monitoring sick horses closely."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/flu-about-to-hit-diva/2007/10/06/1191091420125.html


Human error behind contamination
Human error is behind the latest outbreak of equine influenza at Sydney's Rosehill racecourse, federal Agricultural Minister Peter McGauran says.
Mr McGauran today confirmed a biosecurity breach at Rosehill was to blame for the highly contagious virus spreading to one stable at the training centre.
"The tragedy for Randwick, Warwick Farm and Rosehill training centres is that it's been introduced by a human being who has breached biosecurity,'' Mr McGauran said.
He said the latest horse flu outbreak at Rosehill was a serious setback for racing in Sydney, but he remained positive Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival would go ahead.
Mr McGauran said the virus was contained within one stable and there was hope it would not spread.
"The early signs are that the vaccinations which were given to horses seven days ago might be providing some degree of immunity,'' he said. "But you don't get full immunity until three weeks after the first inoculation.''
If the vaccinations already administered to horses a week ago at Rosehill take full effect racing could resume later this month or early next month, Mr McGauran said.
"Influenza has crippled the livelihoods of an entire industry in NSW and Queensland, and not just racing but also harness and breeding. It's doing untold damage.
"It's going to get worse before it gets better within the zones already affected.
"This is the biggest battle the racing industry in Australia has ever faced.
"It has cost the jobs of hundreds of people in NSW and Queensland and devastated the incomes of thousands more,'' Mr McGauran said.
The government has ordered another 100,000 vaccinations. A shipment of 130,000 arrived yesterday from the French manufacturer and is being distributed throughout NSW, QLD and Victoria.
The government would consider ordering more vaccines, Mr McGauran said..
AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/human-error-behind-contamination/2007/10/06/1191091402712.html


Rogue doctor warning
AN unregistered doctor specialising in cosmetic surgery has been practising in four Sydney clinics.
The NSW Medical Board has urged hospitals, surgeries and clinics to check the credentials of their staff after The Sun-Herald discovered Swapan Chowdhury performed illegal surgery and consulted with hundreds of women - despite being unregistered for four months.
Last week, he was heavily booked at surgeries in Bankstown, Parramatta, Caringbah and Penrith.
And before his deregistration in June, he was the subject of disciplinary action after "complaints and information" were received by the board.
In 2005, the board's performance review panel identified numerous issues relating to Dr Chowdhury's work, which were "below the standard reasonably expected of a practitioner of equivalent level of training or experience". He was ordered not to consult or undertake work in a solo practice.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rogue-doctor-warning/2007/10/06/1191091420536.html



Bridge to toughen up against terrorists
AN $85 million upgrade of the Sydney Harbour Bridge will make it more able to resist a terrorist attack, the NSW Government says.
The work, to start on October 15, will strengthen the bridge to ensure its longevity.
Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal said the bridge was in excellent working condition after 75 years and the upgrade was designed to ensure it lasted hundreds more.
The hangers that support the deck of the bridge will be strengthened and two steel gantries will be built under the bridge to provide a safer work environment for maintenance crews.
Mr Roozendaal said the bridge had no structural problems. "We'll be using 21st-century engineering techniques to ensure the longevity of the icon for generations to come," he said.
"While the improvement work will be permanent, it has also been designed to ensure there are no significant changes to the visual identity of the bridge.
"These works, which have been designed to ensure the structural longevity of the bridge, will also take into account counter-terrorism measures.
"This is a fact we now have to deal with when it comes to major pieces of infrastructure."
Mr Roozendaal said a platform to be built on the bridge to allow construction workers access to the spans would be painted bridge grey to make it less obvious.
"The RTA expects disruptions to motorists and commuters to be minimal, with any lane closures to take place outside peak periods to minimise delays."
Source: The Sun-Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/harbour-bridge-to-toughen-up/2007/10/06/1191091420666.html


RSL chief calls for test on souvenirs
VETERANS groups yesterday urged the Federal Government to investigate whether bones of soldiers killed in Papua New Guinea during World War II were being dug up and sold by villagers.
Returned Services League chief, Major-General Bill Crews, said DNA tests should be conducted on the bones to determine if they were Australian or Japanese remains.
"If it can be established they are human remains, the high commission in Port Moresby should investigate if they are Australian, Japanese or even PNG remains," General Crews said.
"DNA testing can establish these things very quickly. We would be horrified if it turns out they are Australian remains being offered as souvenirs.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rsl-chief-calls-for-test-on-souvenirs/2007/10/06/1191091421020.html


Sex victims saved from court torment
BARRISTERS will be refused permission to cross-examine children and sexual assault victims under an Australian-first law to be brought in by the NSW Government.
Changes to the Evidence Act will mean the most vulnerable crime victims and witnesses will be able to give their evidence uninterrupted, in story form.
The changes come after Attorney-General John Hatzistergos last month urged the NSW Bar Association to ban the asking of embarrassing, harassing or intimidating questions, even if their clients tell them to.
Premier Morris Iemma said he was determined to protect children and victims of sexual assault from harassment and predatory cross-examination in court.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sex-victims-saved-from-court-torment/2007/10/06/1191091420533.html


Depression screening for pregnant women
ALL pregnant women would be screened for postnatal depression before and after giving birth under a federal Labor government.
Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd yesterday made the $85 million commitment to combat the illness, which affects almost one in five new mothers, as he stepped up pressure on the Prime Minister, who again refused to speculate on an election date.
In another effort to impress swinging voters, Labor would deliver generous tax credits for low- to middle-income families to encourage more people into the workforce.
Labor sources said Mr Rudd had approved the tax credits plan, which will be the centrepiece of Labor's pre-election tax policy.
Campaigning in his seat of Bennelong on the day a Sydney Morning Herald/Nielsen poll predicted he and nine of his ministers would lose their seats, John Howard said the election would be held "some time between now and early December".
He brushed off suggestions the Government should be embarrassed after Ben Quin, the Liberal candidate for the Tasmanian seat of Lyons, quit in disgust over the Government's decision to approve the $1.7 billion Gunns pulp mill.
He refused to rule out welcoming Mr Quin back to the party should he win the seat as an independent. "Let's see the outcome," Mr Howard said.
As part of the Opposition's National Postnatal Depression Plan women would be screened once during pregnancy. There would be a follow-up interview when the baby was immunised at about two months.
Mr Rudd said women identified as being at risk would be referred to existing services, including Medicare-funded treatment by psychologists, and counselling.
He said health professionals including midwives, child and maternal health nurses and GPs would receive extra training on how to identify postnatal depression.
"Too many women who experience antenatal and postnatal depression are not identified and so do not receive adequate support, placing them at risk of more serious problems, some requiring hospitalisation," Mr Rudd said.
He said there was strong evidence in favour of routine psycho-social screening in mainstream peri-natal care as an effective means of identifying potential problems early.
"Early identification means that better care and support can be provided for mothers and their families."
Mr Rudd said if he won the election his government would contribute $55 million over five years and seek $30 million from the State and Territory governments to help fund the plan. At least $20 million would be injected directly to the Access to Allied Psychological Services program, which allows GPs to refer patients to psychological services for free, or at minimal cost.
Australian General Practice Network chairman Tony Hobbs welcomed the announcement, saying the funding would allow GPs to fill the gaps in mental health services at a local level.
Dr Hobbs said one in 10 visits to local doctors related to mental health.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/depression-screening-for-pregnant-women/2007/10/06/1191091419962.html


Wills and Kate get the Di and Dodi treatment
LONDON: The images are eerily similar but taken 10 years apart - Princess Diana and her son, Prince William, photographed in the rear of a car fleeing a media pack.
In the same week that the last known photograph of his mother was made public at an inquest into her death, the Prince and his girlfriend Kate Middleton have been snapped trying to escape paparazzi.
The Prince's spokesman said it was "incomprehensible" the couple should be pursued in such a way as a London court examines Princess Diana's death in a high-speed crash.
Prince William complained yesterday that paparazzi on motorbikes and in cars chased him and his girlfriend as they left a favourite nightclub, Boujis, at 2am on Friday, London time.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/wills-and-kate-get-di-treatment/2007/10/06/1191091420236.html


English send Wallabies home
Rupert Guinness in Marseilles October 7, 2007
Australia 10 England 12
FOUR years ago it was one drop goal which broke Australian hearts and last night England golden boy Jonny Wilkinson booted four penalty goals to send the Wallabies packing from the World Cup.
While Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri, who broke his try-scoring drought in the first half, registered the only five-pointer of the first quarter-final, the defending champions punished Australia for an error-riddled game.
And the truth is, England deserved the win and ticket to next week's semi-final in Paris.
Before a near-capacity 59,102 crowd at Stade Velodrome, the Wallabies walked off after half-time 10-6 up.

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/world-cup/wilkinson-boots-wallabies-out-of-world-cup/2007/10/07/1191091437842.html


We have no plans to attack Iran: Bush
PRESIDENT George Bush has denied on Arab television that the United States is gearing up to attack Iran.
In an hour-long interview with Al Arabiya, he said he remained committed to working diplomatically to resolve the stand-off with Tehran over its nuclear program. He reiterated his pledge to negotiate with Iran once it gave up its nuclear program.
"I have said that if they suspend their nuclear program, we will be at the table," Mr Bush said in a transcript of the interview released by the White House. "But they have so far refused to do that."
Mr Bush brushed off as "gossip" reports in the Arab press that he had issued orders to senior US military officials to prepare for a major, precise strike on Iran at the end of January or February.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/we-have-no-plans-to-attack-iran-bush/2007/10/06/1191091420245.html


Alcoa tries to shed some weight to attract suitors
ALCOA has stepped up plans to sell some of its less profitable downstream divisions - a move that could make it more attractive to potential suitors or help fund a bid for Melbourne's Alumina.
The US aluminium maker said yesterday it would record $US845 million ($949 million) in after-tax restructuring and impairment charges when it releases its third-quarter earnings next week. Some of the charges are associated with the planned sale of its packaging business.
In April - a month before making an unsuccessful $US27 billion bid for Canadian rival Alcan - Alcoa appointed investment bankers to help it sell the packaging business. Alcoa said yesterday it had received "strong indications" from strategic buyers and the transaction could be completed in late 2007 or early 2008. It is also close to finalising the sale of its automotive castings business.
Alcoa last month banked $US2 billion from selling its 7 per cent stake in the Chinese aluminium company Chalco. Analysts have estimated Alcoa could receive around $US2 billion for its packaging unit.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/alcoa-tries-to-shed-some-weight-to-attract-suitors/2007/10/05/1191091362607.html


Cool one million for lucky Hideaway guest
Fiji's resorts like to believe their guests feel like a million dollars after a holiday in the sun-soaked tropical islands.
But next year one lucky tourist will not only feel it, he or she will pocket a cool million bucks in a lucky draw, according to the promoter, Australian-owned Hideaway Resort on the Coral Coast of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu.
There's no entry fee between now and March 31, 2008, everyone staying four nights at Hideaway will receive one entry ticket, with each additional consecutive night earning a 10-ticket bonus with more handed out for every $F50 (about $A36) spent in the resort's restaurant, bar and shop.
Resort manager Adam Wade said a second, similar $A1 million promotion was being organised for travel agents and wholesalers who send tourists to the 400-bed beach resort, about halfway between Nadi International Airport and Suva, the Fiji capital.
About 40 per cent of Hideaway's visitors are from Australia.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/resort-to-give-away-1-million/2007/10/05/1191091334179.html


Tourism wagon hitches to the stars of a romantic epic
Julian Lee Marketing Reporter
October 5, 2007
TOURISM chiefs are banking on the epic romance Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, to deliver a tourism bonanza not seen since the Crocodile Dundee franchise cast the country as the land of the larrikin.
The country's peak tourism body, Tourism Australia, is in talks with the director, Baz Luhrmann, about creating a large-scale marketing campaign centred on the film with the stars playing a role in pushing Australia as a tourist destination that can offer more than the major sites.
Set in the years leading up to World War II the film portrays the affair between an English aristocrat and a cattle drover, played by Kidman and Jackman respectively, and takes in a sweep of Western Australia and Queensland, parts of which are bracing themselves for a flood visitors on the film's release next year.
The Herald understands the marketing could play on the film's romance to position Australia as a destination for lovers. And, rather than replace the So Where the Bloody Hell Are You? campaign, there are plans to incorporate the controversial line into the Australia-themed campaign.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/hopes-kidman-epic-will-have-icrocodile-dundeei-effect/2007/10/04/1191091276223.html


Vision Ltd: Turnbull yes to mess for 50 years
Here are some things you should know about what the Howard Government's Malcolm Turnbull has just done. It is all there, on Turnbull's website. You just have to look. The first thing to understand is that Turnbull has done Gunns Ltd a hugely good turn.
Gunns is the company that dominates Tasmania's forestry industry. Tasmania is the only Australian state that still clear-fells its native forests, turns its eucalypts into chips and incinerates the rest. Two days ago Turnbull, as John Howard's political surrogate, signed a piece of paper. It was headed:
Commonwealth of Australia.Decision to Approve the Taking of an Action.
It reads: "Pursuant to section 133 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, I, Malcolm Bligh Turnbull, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, approve the taking of the following action:
"to construct and operate a bleached Kraft pulp mill at Bell Bay, Tasmania, and associated infrastructure (EPBC 2007/3385).

http://www.smh.com.au/news/alan-ramsey/vision-ltd-turnbull-yes-to-mess-for-50-years/2007/10/05/1191091360751.html


Bells and whistles can make your home loan expensive
Home loan borrowers are increasingly playing it safe as questions remain over future interest rates. As expected, the Reserve Bank kept rates on hold this month but, with the economy strong and inflation again rearing its ugly head, more economists are factoring in another rate rise - maybe as early as November. This is despite continuing uncertainty in global credit markets and the fact some lenders have increased home loan rates on top of the official rate rise because of the increased cost of wholesale funds.
Figures from the broker Mortgage Choice show 26 per cent of home loans approved in August were fixed-rate products, up from 23 per cent in July. While that is still below the 30 per cent average over the past 12 months, the broker says there is clear evidence more borrowers are hedging their bets either by fixing in anticipation of further interest rate rises or having a bet each way by splitting their loan between fixed and variable rates.
At about 8 per cent, three-year fixed rates are below the banks' average standard variable rate of 8.3 per cent. Of course, hardly anyone is paying the standard variable rate, as most borrowers are able to negotiate discounts, bringing the actual interest rate paid closer to 7.7 per cent. But for borrowers prepared to shop around, it's possible to lock into a fixed rate at about the same cost as you'd pay on a variable rate loan or, in some cases, even a bit less.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/bells-and-whistles-can-make-your-home-loan-expensive/2007/10/05/1191091362655.html


New Zealand Herald

Flooding, landslides kill 18 in Vietnam (+photos)
9:45AM Saturday October 06, 2007
NGHIA QUANG COMMUNE, Vietnam - Rising floodwater and landslides triggered by a typhoon have killed 18 people and left 23 missing in northern and central Vietnam, where the lives of thousands are at risk, officials said on Friday.
Flooding after typhoon Lekima hit on Wednesday night has killed four people and swept away 16 others in the central province of Nghe An, state-run Voice of Vietnam radio cited provincial and military reports as saying.
"Waters are extremely high and strong now," senior Nghe An People's Committee official Nguyen Van Hanh said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468290


Farmers' fires threaten Amazon
5:00AM Saturday October 06, 2007
Vast areas of Brazil, Paraguay and much of Bolivia are choking under thick layers of smoke as fires rage out of control in the Amazon rainforest, forcing the cancellation of flights.
Satellite images yesterday showed huge clouds of smoke and much of the Amazon basin burning as fires, originally set by ranchers to clear land, have entered into the forest itself.
From Santa Cruz in the east of Bolivia, where flights have been grounded, to the Brazilian frontier city of Porto Velho, where the river Madeira has been made unnavigable, burning smoke has blocked out the sun and local communities have begun to complain of respiratory disorders.
Roberto Smeraldi, head of Friends of the Earth Brazil, said the situation was out of control. "We have a strong concentration of fires, corresponding to more than 10,000 points of fire across a large area of about two million sq km in the southern Brazilian Amazon and Bolivia."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468211


Homeowners face new pain as mortgage interest rates rise
5:00AM Sunday October 07, 2007
By Chris Daniels
Mortgage interest rates offered by some banks will increase this week, as the banking sector raises the white flag in the spring mortgage war before it's even started. The increasing cost of wholesale money and the slowing property market are being blamed.
The ANZ and National Bank, which are jointly owned, are hiking their home-loan interest rates tomorrow.
The banks' three-year, fixed-term rates will rise from 8.75 to 8.95 per cent. For a five-year term, the rates increase from 8.6 to 8.75 per cent, but their four-year rate has fallen from 9 to 8.95 per cent.
Kiwibank, which fired the first shot in the seasonal mortgage skirmish by undercutting the other banks with an 8.6 per cent, three-year fixed rate, looks increasingly likely to hike that rate again - possibly this week.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10468367


Yachting: Drugs-tested sailor home
5:00AM Sunday October 07, 2007
Simon Daubney quit the Alinghi team after positive drugs tests. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Alinghi sailor Simon Daubney has arrived home with his wife and children after quitting the Swiss America's Cup-winning team following positive drugs tests.
Daubney, aged 48, and his Scottish wife and children flew into Auckland this week and were yesterday in the throes of moving into a palatial $2.4 million Milford home, on Auckland's North Shore.
The sailor-under-a-cloud is the first contestant in America's Cup history to fail a doping test and is awaiting decisions from the Swiss national sailing body and the International Sailing Federation, due in four to eight weeks, on whether he will be banned from the sport he has devoted his life to.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10468368


New lake under surveillance as waterflow increases
1:38PM Saturday October 06, 2007
Related nzherald links:
Engineers and geologists are inspecting the newly-formed lake in Mt Aspiring National Park, as water continues to lap over the dam caused by a landslip.
Department of Conservation spokesman John Gordon says since water started over-spilling last night, the flow of water has been steadily increasing.
There is concern millions of cubic metres of water will crash down the valley if the dam bursts however Mr Gordon says the dam is not yet showing any sign of instability.
"The concern all the time has been that there's a tremendous weight of water behind the dam and of course, it's not a man made one, it's a natural phenomenon from a landslip, so we can't really ever have any guarantees about it."
DOC is warning telling people to keep well out of the Young Valley in case there's a sudden flood-wave.
- NEWSTALK ZB

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10468295


Girls put their lives on line
5:00AM Sunday October 07, 2007
By Alice Hudson
This is one of many images being placed by Kiwi girls aged 13-15 on to www.teenspot.com.
New Zealand girls as young as 13 are offering scantily-clad photos of themselves online and teenagers are posting contact details on personal pages - all of which are available to gangs, paedophiles and others with sinister motives.
Detective Constable Aaron Kennaway, of Nelson police's child abuse unit, told the Herald on Sunday it had got to the point where almost every case he dealt with involving a young person had "some sort of link to Bebo [or sites like it]". Sex, drugs and bullying were recurrent themes.
One young female Auckland police officer, who had a Bebo profile that did not state her occupation, was invited via the site's messaging system to meet unknown persons at addresses she knew to be gang 'pads'.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10468350


Kerre Woodham: Out-of-control teenagers need reining in now
5:00AM Sunday October 07, 2007
By Kerre Woodham
I don't know whether it's because I'm getting older, or whether it's because I've been doing talkback for 10 years, or whether society really is going to hell in a handcart - as so many of my callers have been trying to tell me - but I'm morphing into a redneck.
It's been a bad week. First, it was the shooting of the Christchurch man. When people tried to tell me it was a tragedy, I replied that child leukaemia was a tragedy. A man who makes wrong choices and dies in a street is sad but preventable. That prompted a few accusations of hardness and lack of empathy.
Then Francis phoned me to say that his 17 years of violent offending was the fault of the system because they (whoever they might be) hadn't tried hard enough to find the right medication for him and so he kept assaulting people. For 17 years.
I suggested, forcefully, that he had a certain amount of free will and perhaps if he'd devoted the same amount of initiative and energy into healing himself as he did into bopping people, he might not have spent so much time in prison.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10468340


Your island in the sun - for $40m
5:00AM Sunday October 07, 2007
By Ann Newbery
John Ramsey bought Pakatoa for $4.25 million in 1994 and lived there with his family when it was still a functioning hotel.
A private island may be the ultimate rich man's status symbol but it seems that $40 million-plus Pakatoa - just half an hour from downtown Auckland - may be a little too rich for Kiwi blood.
Despite commanding stunning water views and having its own jetty, airstrip and golf course, the 24ha ex-resort island in the Hauraki Gulf has languished on the market for two years, and been listed on and off before that in the late 90s.
But its longtime owner, meat industry magnate John Ramsey, seems to be in no hurry to get it off his hands - even putting the price up by a couple of million dollars just months ago.
Ramsey bought the island in 1994 after the government stopped its sale to German conman Ralf Simon.
Real estate agent Sherryn El-Bakery, of Bayleys Waiheke, who has been marketing Pakatoa for the past two years, describes the property as "the jewel in the crown of the Hauraki Gulf".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10468332


Ousted spook to finger MI6 for Diana's death
5:00AM Saturday October 06, 2007
By Stuart Dye
Richard Tomlinson says the way the Princess and her boyfriend died closely resembles a British secret service plan to eliminate Slobodan Milosevic. Photo / Yanse Martin
A New Zealander's evidence could form a crucial piece of the puzzle as the world waits to hear the true story behind the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Richard Tomlinson, a renegade British secret service spy who was born in Ngaruawahia, is due to give evidence to the Royal Courts of Justice in London during the inquests into the 1997 deaths of the Princess and Dodi Al Fayed.
Lord Justice Scott Baker, who is heading the inquests, has listed 20 key issues that he will focus on.
And one of those is whether Mr Tomlinson's evidence throws any light on the collision.
Mr Tomlinson, a highly controversial figure who worked for MI6 and was later sacked by the organisation, claims the Princess' death was curiously similar to a fate planned by MI6 for Serbian leader President Slobodan Milosevic in the early 1990s.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468265


Blackwater bill passes in US
7:15AM Saturday October 06, 2007
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would make private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to prosecution by US courts.
The legislation, passed yesterday, was the first major response by Congress to a deadly shooting in Baghdad that involved Blackwater USA security guards.
Democrats called the 389-30 vote an indictment of the incident, which left at least 13 Iraqis dead. Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to follow suit with similar legislation and send a bill to President George W. Bush.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468206


Japan's lunar probe successful
5:15AM Saturday October 06, 2007
Japan's lunar probe has successfully reached an orbit around the moon in a first for the Asian country, space agency officials said on Friday.
The 32 billion yen ($363.35 million) Selenological and Engineering Explorer - or SELENE - is the largest lunar mission since the US Apollo programme, outpacing the former Soviet Union's Luna program and Nasa's Clementine and Lunar Prospector projects.
The mission, launched last month, involves placing the main satellite in orbit at an altitude of about 100 kilometres and deploying two smaller satellites in polar orbits, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468204


Scientists develop plastic as strong as steel
4:15AM Saturday October 06, 2007
Scientists have developed a transparent new plastic as strong as steel and as thin as a sheet of paper, according to a study published in Science magazine.
Made out of clay and a non-toxic glue similar to that used in school classrooms, the composite plastic is biodegradable and requires very little energy to produce, lead researcher Nicholas Kotov said.
"It's as green as you can imagine," he said, adding that the material is also quite cheap to produce. The plastic could be used to reduce the energy required to separate gasses in chemical factories, improve microtechnology and even one day produce lighter, stronger armour.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468203


China says Myanmar junta crackdown an 'internal affair'
11:49AM Friday October 05, 2007
By Evelyn Leopold
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari will deliver his report on Myanmar's pro-democracy crackdown, which China views as an 'internal affair'. Photo / Reuters
UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council has decided to hear a UN envoy's report on Myanmar at a public meeting but China said it was opposed to any "international imposed solution," saying the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners was an internal affair.
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after a four-day visit to Myanmar in which he secured the junta's agreement to meet pro-democracy figure Aung San Suu Kyi, although military leader Than Shwe set conditions for the talks to go ahead.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468109


Opposition says Burma junta talks offer unreal
6:15PM Friday October 05, 2007
By Aung Hla Tun
Aung San Suu Kyi with UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari. Photo / Reuters
YANGON - Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party dismissed a Myanmar junta offer of talks as unreal on Friday, while China said the ruthless suppression of pro-democracy protests did not require international action.
Senior General Than Shwe, who outraged the world by sending in soldiers to crush peaceful monk-led demonstrations, was asking Suu Kyi to abandon the campaign for democracy which has kept her in detention for 12 of the last 18 years, a spokesman said.
"They are asking her to confess to offences that she has not committed," said Nyan Win, spokesman for the Nobel peace laureate's National League for Democracy (NLD), whose landslide election victory in 1990 was ignored by the generals.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468185


Paul Thomas: Bleeding hearts impotent against army boots
5:00AM Saturday October 06, 2007
By Paul Thomas
Nothing galvanises world opinion like a martyred Buddhist monk.
Make that Western world opinion. The rest of the world doesn't seem to share our soft spot for Buddhism, perhaps because they take their own religions too seriously to be in the market for exotic or boutique alternatives. For liberal-minded agnostics, however, Buddhism is often the mumbo-jumbo of choice, the religion you have when you don't have religion.
With the Church of Rome still adopting the ostrich position on sexual issues and Anglicanism obsessing over gay bishops - a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted if there ever was one - and all those crazed American born-agains giving Christianity a bad name, it's not surprising that questing souls should look to Buddha for spiritual sustenance. While the enlightened view is that only simpletons or inbred, gun-toting bigots could take the Bible literally, it's apparently perfectly intellectually respectable to believe that you're going to be reincarnated as a mongoose.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468197


Funeral directors accused of selling body parts
8:34AM Friday October 05, 2007
An American grand jury yesterday heard how three funeral directors sold body parts to a New York businessman.
The court heard that 244 bodies were sold for around $US1000 each.
The businessmen allegedly on-sold the body parts, which were sometimes diseased.
- NZ HERALD STAFF

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10468029

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