This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
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Sunday, March 16, 2008
Line of anti-war marchers along Washington Blvd on February 8, 2003.
Photo by Scott Hess.
Iraq, March 16, 2003
President Bush: Monday "Moment of Truth" for World on Iraq Press Availability with President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, President Aznar, and Prime Minister Barroso - the Azores, Portugal 5:30 P.M. (Local) PRIME MINISTER BARROSO: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am very pleased to welcome here in the Azores the leaders of three friends and allied countries, the United States, Spain and United Kingdom. President Bush, Prime Minister Aznar, and Prime Minister Tony Blair. This meeting in the Azores also shows the importance of transatlantic relations, and also shows the solidarity among our countries. Actually, these agreements have approved two statements, one statement on transatlantic relations, and a declarative statement on Iraq.
MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: the president leaves this morning for a final summit meeting on Iraq. What does he hope to achieve? How close are we to war? We know things are very serious when we hear from this man. In a rare Sunday morning interview—with us for the full hour, the vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney. Mr. Vice President, welcome to MEET THE PRESS. VICE PRES. DICK CHENEY: Good morning, Tim. MR. RUSSERT: How close are we to war?
THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE BIOTERROR THREAT; Health Data Monitored for Bioterror Warning By WILLIAM J. BROAD AND JUDITH MILLER Published: January 27, 2003 ...Experts say the prospect of war with Iraq, and the chance that Baghdad might retaliate with germ weapons, are accelerating the effort to expand and integrate scores of rudimentary disease surveillance systems being developed by cities, states and the federal government. But public health experts argue that even if the United States never suffers another bioterror attack like the anthrax strikes of late 2001, the emerging network can still help doctors better track, treat and prevent natural disease outbreaks….
THREATS AND RESPONSES: DISSENT; Tens of Thousands March Against Iraq War By ERIC LICHTBLAU Published: March 16, 2003 In what many saw as a last chance to head off military action, tens of thousands of antiwar protesters marched in several demonstrations around the country today in opposition to the Bush administration's policy on Iraq. In Washington, just hours after President Bush said in his weekly radio address that he saw little chance that Iraq would disarm without the use of force, throngs of protesters armed with banners and bullhorns implored Mr. Bush to abandon a possible war. ''The people can stop the war," Congressman John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, told thousands of cheering supporters near the Washington Monument on a mild, sunny but breezy afternoon. He urged people to continue to protest ''until this madness is ended.'' Marching on streets that pass within a block or two of the White House, which they were not allowed to approach more closely, the protesters flooded nearly a dozen blocks of city streets in a sea of colorful and often angry antiwar banners and chanted slogans. Although police gave no official crowd count, a park police supervisor working the scene estimated that the protesters totaled 50,000 people. It was hard to be sure if there were that many, as some came and went, while others milled around in clusters on side streets. Protesters gathered to listen to speeches, then marched around the White House.
THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE ARMED FORCES; U.S. Plan Sees G.I.'s Invading As More Arrive By MICHAEL R. GORDON WITH ERIC SCHMITT Published: March 16, 2003 The American-led coalition that is preparing to topple Saddam Hussein's government is planning for a complex invasion of Iraq to begin even as allied troops are still arriving in the region, senior commanders say. With three dozen ships carrying heavy tanks and equipment for the Army's Fourth Infantry Division waiting off the coast of Turkey because of a political standoff, the military is scrambling to put together a backup plan for the northern front of a war with Iraq. In Kuwait, only a portion of the 101st Airborne Division's forces -- equipped with Apache gunships and Black Hawk troop carriers -- is ready to be sent into combat. If the invasion begins next week, the 101st would take part, but the division's major combat punch would come soon after.
CITY IS PLANNING EXPANDED SECURITY IN EVENT OF WAR By JAMES BARRON AND WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM Published: March 16, 2003 To protect New York City if and when an American-led attack on Iraq begins, police officials have prepared a sweeping security plan that calls for expanding the patrols on the streets and asking the Defense Department to fly combat aircraft overhead, a senior police official said yesterday. The patrols on the streets -- at government buildings, hotels and houses of worship as well as at newly strengthened checkpoints at bridges and tunnels -- would address a concern of police officials, that attackers acting alone present a greater risk than a larger, carefully orchestrated assault on the city.
THREATS AND RESPONSES: TERROR NETWORK; Anger on Iraq Seen as New Qaeda Recruiting Tool By DON VAN NATTA JR. AND DESMOND BUTLER Published: March 16, 2003 On three continents, Al Qaeda and other terror organizations have intensified their efforts to recruit young Muslim men, tapping into rising anger about the American campaign for war in Iraq, according to intelligence and law enforcement officials. In recent weeks, officials in the United States, Europe and Africa say they had seen evidence that militants within Muslim communities are seeking to identify and groom a new generation of terrorist operatives. An invasion of Iraq, the officials worry, is almost certain to produce a groundswell of recruitment for groups committed to attacks in the United States, Europe and Israel.
Arafat May Soon Approve a Premier, Meeting U.S. Demand By JAMES BENNET Published: March 16, 2003 Palestinian officials said today that Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, might formally appoint a new prime minister as soon as Monday, in their view complying with President Bush's condition for moving ahead with a ''road map'' to peace and a Palestinian state. Mr. Bush said on Friday that he would present the plan, which was drafted in December, as soon as the Palestinians confirmed a prime minister with ''real authority.'' Israeli officials cautioned that it might take some time to determine how much authority the new prime minister would have.
THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE EXILES; A Figure From Iraq's Past Steps Out to Mold Its Future By JANE PERLEZ Published: March 16, 2003 A former Iraqi foreign minister, Adnan Pachachi, who quit when Saddam Hussein came to power and who has been in talks with Washington, said in an interview here today that he was willing to take a leadership role in post-invasion Iraq. Mr. Pachachi presents himself as a patrician figure of independent and secular views that transcend the ethnic and religious factions that many fear could tear Iraq apart in the aftermath of war. His father and father-in-law were prime ministers under the monarchy after Iraq's independence from Britain. Mr. Pachachi, who was educated at a private academy in Alexandria, Egypt, and whose three daughters attended an exclusive Manhattan girls school, proudly talks of being born to ''power and privilege.''
DataBank; What a Difference a One-Day Rally Makes By JEFF SOMMER Published: March 16, 2003 After two weeks of declines, all three major stock market gauges rose last week, largely on the strength of a sharp rally on Thursday. The market fell on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But on Thursday, stocks rose to their sharpest one-day gains since October after President Bush said he was ''willing to go the extra mile for diplomacy'' and delay a United Nations vote on a resolution to disarm Iraq. On Friday, most stocks, on average, held on to their gains, though the Nasdaq composite index, which had climbed 5 percent on Thursday, dropped slightly, less than 0.1 percent, for the day.
...16. There are new factors to consider in the post-2003 Iraq, which are related to the small quantities issue. The first factor relates to the probable increase in the number and scope of legitimate research and development activities involving small quantities of dual-use chemicals, including their procurement from abroad. In the past, Iraq was largely isolated from the international scientific community and therefore the number and scope of such activities remained restricted. An additional factor relates to the change of ownership of industry in Iraq. All institutions, including joint ventures and private companies in Iraq previously declared by Iraq as engaged in activities with dual-use chemicals or equipment on any scale had been either State-controlled or closely supervised by the State authorities and monitored by United Nations inspectors. This included the food, petrochemical, fertilizer, pesticide and explosives industries. Governmental control over non-State-owned establishments similar to that under the previous regime may no longer be in place. Therefore, it may be difficult for Iraq’s authorities to collect a complete set of data on activities in the chemical area in the country without appropriate national regulations and/or requirements on its facilities and other entities. Additional sources of information regarding export/import activities on, for example, equipment and material as well as other information would be needed by the national authorities....
..."Four years, optimistically," before the Pentagon can begin a significant troop withdrawal from Iraq, predicted Eric Rosenbach, executive director of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School, "and more like seven or eight years" until Iraqi forces can handle the bulk of their own security....
Iraq, March 16, 2008 US Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,988 By The Associated Press – 14 hours ago As of Saturday, March 15, 2008, at least 3,988 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,241 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The AP count is 10 more than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT. The British military has reported 175 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.
Campaigners mark 5 years of war in Iraq By Staff Reporter 15.MAR.08 Campaigners in London and Glasgow are holding protests today to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war. Worldwide protests are also taking place today. Earlier this week, a ceremony in the US remembered the dead servicemen and women with a minute's silence. Military intelligence sergeant and member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War association, Selena Coppa, explained why she believes the war is unlawful: "I would stand up again and again to defend my country whenever and wherever and however it was required. The occupation in Iraq is not defending my country, it is not supporting the oath that I swore," she said. The Scottish demonstration will hear calls for troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well being in opposition to possible action against Iran.
Iraq: McCain visits Baghdad as Iraq commemorates Kurdish massacre anniversary The Associated Press Published: March 16, 2008 BAGHDAD: Sen. John McCain arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for an unexpected visit with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic and military officials, a U.S. government official said. The visit by one of the foremost supporters of the 2003 invasion and soon-to-be Republican presidential nominee came as Kurds in northern Iraq commemorated the 20th anniversary on Sunday of a horrific chemical weapons attack that killed an estimated 5,600 people. Saddam Hussein ordered the attack in Halabja as part of a scorched-earth campaign to crush a Kurdish rebellion in the north, which was seen as aiding Iran in the final months of its war with Iraq. The U.S. military said that the Iraqi government has not yet asked them to turn over for execution the man most deeply associated with that crime — Hussein's henchman and cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali." His hanging is expected within the month.
Anti-war Protests Held in Los Angeles, Other US Cities By Mike O'Sullivan Los Angeles 16 March 2008 Protesters in several US cities held anti-war rallies Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, March 20th. More rallies are planned in coming days in other U.S. cities. Mike O'Sullivan reports, several thousand joined an anti-war protest in Los Angeles. Anti-war protesters in Los Angeles, 14 Mar 2008 Marchers chanted and some carried flag-draped coffins as speakers demanded that U.S. troops come home. Sharaf Mowjood of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says the continued presence of American troops is worsening conditions in Iraq, and diverting attention from domestic U.S. problems, including rebuilding New Orleans. The city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-16-voa3.cfm US Vice President Cheney Heads to Middle East By VOA News 16 March 2008 U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is heading Sunday to the Middle East for visits to Oman, Saudia Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Turkey. U.S officials say Mr. Cheney's talks will cover Iraq, the situations in Lebanon and Syria, Iran's rising influnce in the region, violence in Gaza, and soaring gasoline prices in the United States. He is expected to encourage Saudi Arabia to step up diplomatic ties with Iraq. Cheney also is expected to encourage Israel and the Palestinians to move forward with a peace deal. In Turkey, the U.S. vice president is expected to discuss Turkey's recent incursion against Iraq-based rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-16-voa1.cfm Hundreds rally for Iraq troop withdrawal March 17, 2008 ABOUT 200 people rallied in central Sydney yesterday calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq. Speakers at the rally in Belmore Park, to mark the coming fifth anniversary of the invasion, said the pledge by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to withdraw 500 combat troops from Iraq did not go far enough. A spokesman for the Stop the War Coalition, Alex Bainbridge, said 1 million people had been killed since the war began, and all troops needed to be withdrawn. "This war is a crime, and we need to end it," he told the rally. Mr Rudd also needed to end his support for the war in Afghanistan. A peace campaigner, Donna Mulhearn, who travelled to Iraq to be a human shield before the war started, said Australia needed to apologise to the Iraqi people. She also questioned whether Australian athletes should compete at the Beijing Olympics after China's crackdown in Tibet. The Greens senator Kerry Nettle said the Iraq war had a human and financial cost estimated by one US economist at $3 trillion. Another peace rally was held in Parramatta. AAP
U.N. envoy urges Iraq to seize moment The drop in violence in the last year is an opportunity for reconciliation, he says as the U.N. releases a human rights report. By Ned Parker, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 16, 2008 BAGHDAD -- The U.N. envoy to Iraq urged the Iraqi government Saturday to seize upon the drop in violence in the country over the last year to move forward on reconciliation and improving public services because its window of opportunity won't last forever. "In spite of the spike of horrific spectacular acts, there is still a lot of improvement compared to the past, which should be interpreted by all of us and by the Iraqi political leaders as an opportunity," Staffan de Mistura told reporters. "The opportunity doesn't last long."
U.N. fears violence will rise as U.S. troops leave REPORT SAYS IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL IF 'SURGE' EFFECT WAS SUSTAINABLE By Ryan Lenz Associated Press Article Launched: 03/16/2008 01:43:26 AM PDT BAGHDAD - The influx of thousands of U.S. forces has driven down insurgent attacks in Baghdad, but violence elsewhere in Iraq raises questions about whether killings will continue to drop as American forces begin to leave, the United Nations said Saturday. As security improved in Baghdad, violent attacks spread last year to other parts of the country, including Diyala province and Mosul, Al-Qaida's last urban stronghold, according to the report from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. The report examined the last six months of 2007. "This is a window of opportunity for Iraq," Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. chief in Iraq, said at a news conference in Baghdad. The U.S. military has said a 60 percent reduction in attacks followed the influx of more than 20,000 additional troops, known as the surge. The military did not respond to requests for comment.
Protesters rally across Canada to speak out against wars in Afghanistan, Iraq 20 hours ago TORONTO — Thousands of protesters filled streets across the country on Saturday to speak out against Canada's military mission in Afghanistan and to mark the upcoming five-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. Rallies were organized in 20 communities nationwide in a joint call for the federal government to recall its troops from Afghanistan and instead adopt a peacekeeping role, which protesters said is Canada's true calling. "The majority of Canadians want the troops to come home now - shame on Parliament," said Diane Alexopoulos at a rally on the front lawn of the Ontario legislature in Toronto. More than 1,000 demonstrators then marched a couple kilometres through busy stretches of the city, bewildering motorists, locals and tourists along the way. Within the diverse crowd of different ethnicities and ages was father and son Kevin Barrett and six-year-old Caleb, who had to be convinced that nothing was wrong, even though a phalanx of police officers stood by ominously looking like they were ready to pounce. "He was afraid they were going to shoot him," said Barrett, who stood on the sidelines for the march but was part of the protest.
Iraq war off most Americans' radar, those who served say In San Diego: Hundreds march to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. B3 By Steve Liewer UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 16, 2008 Twenty minutes into the invasion of Iraq, Marine Sgt. Nathaniel Donnelly huddled with his men in the windowless rear of an armored vehicle as it rumbled across the Iraq-Kuwait border. The roar of artillery pounded in their ears. Anxious officers chattered over the radio. “We could hear everything, but we couldn't see anything. We had no control,” Donnelly said of the events of March 20, 2003. “It's probably the scariest moment of my life.” Baghdad fell to U.S. forces after about six weeks of fighting. A few months later, Donnelly returned with his unit to Camp Pendleton and left the Marine Corps, thinking the war was won. But the conflict is far from over. As the Iraq war nears its fifth anniversary, nearly as many military boots are on the ground in Iraq – 158,000 U.S. troops – as were there during the invasion.
500 protest Iraq war in Hollywood: police 03-15-2008, 22h27 LOS ANGELES (AFP) More than 500 protestors marched against the Iraq war in Los Angeles Saturday, holding up coffins draped with the US flag and led by veterans from various conflicts. Police said at least 500 people, most of them young, marched down Hollywood Boulevard in the tourist district of the US city, carrying banners denouncing President George W. Bush and calling for an end to the conflict.
Suicide bomber hits Kurdish party office in N Iraq, 11 wounded www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-16 21:02:31 MOSUL, Iraq, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people were wounded in a suicide bomb attack and a following roadside bomb explosion outside the office of a Kurdish party in the city of Mosul on Sunday, a provincial police source said. "A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up at about 10:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) in front of the office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the al-Nabi Younis neighborhood in northeastern Mosul," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The attack resulted in the wounding of nine people, including one of the office guards, the source said. Afterwards, a roadside bomber went off near a police patrol while heading to the site of the first bombing, destroying a police vehicle and wounding two policemen aboard, the source added. The KDP is headed by Massoud Barzani, president of Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq. Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, there have been some demands from Kurdish parties that Nineveh province, including its capital Mosul, should be included in the Kurdish regional government. Since then, Kurdish fighters have been moving into the city causing some tensions with majority Sunni Arab population.
Iraq's Baiji refinery hit by power outage Sunday March 16 2008 BAIJI, Iraq, March 16 (Reuters) - A power cut shut down operations at Iraq's largest oil refinery on Sunday, officials at the plant said, adding it was unclear when work would resume. The plant in Baiji, 180 km (112 miles) north of Baghdad, refines around 275,000 barrels of crude oil per day into gasoline, diesel and other products for the domestic market. Officials said exports were not affected by the incident. "This morning at 8:15 work at the refinery was stopped completely because of the shutdown of electricity," said a senior official at the refinery. An engineer at the plant said it was unclear when operations would resume. A power cut halted production at the Baiji refinery in January, closing it for two days. (Reporting by Sabah al-Dazi and Ahmed Rasheed, writing by Randy Fabi, editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Iraqi feel-good stories prove elusive By Garrett Therolf, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 16, 2008 BAGHDAD -- Afew days after arriving in Iraq early this year, I followed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on a walk through a marketplace on the capital's east side. The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq didn't wear a helmet, and he gently scolded his security detail for encircling him. "I want to get close to people. They need to feel comfortable coming up to me," he told them.
Second production unit opens in Iraq's Najaf refinery The Associated Press Published: March 15, 2008 BAGHDAD: Iraq's oil minister opened an expansion to a refinery in Najaf on Saturday that increases capacity by roughly 10,000 barrels of oil per day. The refinery, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, was constructed in October 2006 to help meet increasing needs in central Iraq for petroleum products, including kerosene. It currently produced about 20,000 barrels per day. Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraq's oil minister, also pledged further expansions across the country, including new refineries in Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Baghdad, and Karbala, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad. Iraq has the world's third-largest known crude oil reserves, with an estimated 115 billion barrels. Together the new refineries will be able to refine more than 450,000 barrels daily. The inauguration comes as Iraq's government works to shore up lagging production caused by infrastructure that has been damaged or destroyed since the war began in 2003.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/15/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Oil-Refinery.php Iraq refugee crisis 'deepening,' US experts say 4 days ago WASHINGTON (AFP) — Squalid and dangerous conditions, lack of shelter and scarcity of food are threatening to worsen the living situation for those displaced by the war in Iraq, refugee experts said Tuesday. Five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, experts told a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing that serious problems persist for the 2.5 million people displaced inside Iraq and the two million who have fled to neighboring countries, according to UN figures. Even though the number of new refugees has leveled off since the early years of the conflict, Ambassador Lawrence Foley said a prime concern is worsening poverty among those who sought shelter inside Iraq as well as in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey. "The most critical problem is increasing impoverishment," said Foley, senior coordinator for Iraqi refugee issues at the State Department. Iraqis who live in foreign countries but do not possess residency permits are often forbidden to work, and so the longer they stay, the more likely they are to spend and deplete any remaining family resources, he said.
Fleeing doctors threaten Iraq's health 'I came to the most comfortable, helpful, nicest people on this Earth. Oh my God, my patients, the nurses, the people . . . amazing' DR. MOHAMMAD BARBOUTI about his welcome in Grand Bank, Nfld. Like South Africa in the '70s, the best, and most needed, keep departing Mar 16, 2008 04:30 AM Andrew Chung Staff Reporter It was a cool spring day in Baghdad. Dr. Rafid al-Nassar and his wife, Dr. Rasha al-Manahi, were venturing out of their house to buy groceries, when gunmen in dark balaclavas drove up in a jet-black Daewoo. In an instant, they had him on his knees and tied his hands; then they were dragging al-Manahi to the car. Both doctors were screaming, knowing she was about to be kidnapped. Luckily he'd been able to put down their 1 1/2-year-old son in the melee. As they were pushing her into the car, a neighbour
Red Crescent warns of a new wave of Iraqi refugees By Salem Areef Azzaman, March 15, 2008 The Iraqi Red Crescent Society is warning of a massive exodus if U.S. and Iraqi troops go ahead with plans to attack Mosul, the country’s second largest city with nearly 3.8 million people.
The northern city which is the capital of the Province of Nineveh has turned into a major stronghold for forces resisting U.S. occupation and elements of the al-Qadeda organization.
Tensions are high and violence has gripped the city in the past few months with at least one hundred houses destroyed and hundreds of people killed or injured.
Certain quarters are so violent that neither U.S. troops nor Iraqi forces are capable of entering.
But the society said it feared a joint attack in which units of Kurdish militias are to take part will lead to one of the largest waves of internally displace people the country has seen since the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Hard pressed ethnic and religious minorities in the city have been leaving either to the Kurdish north or neighboring Syria.
Mosul is a predominantly Sunni Arab city and residents are apparently unhappy with the role U.S. occupation troops have given to Kurdish militia fighters.
The Arabs see Kurdish involvement in areas which have traditionally not been part of Iraqi Kurdistan with suspicious eyes.
Kurdish militias are now present in most villages and towns which are administratively part of Mosul as the center of Nineveh Province.
Some of these areas hold huge oil reserves like Ain Zala.
There are already about three million Iraqi refugees in neighboring states and more than two million others are displaced as a result of ongoing U.S. military operations and sectarian strife.
A look at presidential candidates' views on Iraq war as fifth anniversary nears The nature of the war in Iraq past the fifth anniversary will vary greatly whether a Democrat or Republican wins the presidency. Arizona Sen. John McCain has called for more American forces in Iraq, while Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama plan to start withdrawing troops soon after entering office.
The costs of the Iraq war: A fall in U.S. power, prestige and influence By Warren P. Strobel
McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — It was a decision that only President Bush had the power to make: About 9 a.m. on March 19, 2003, in the Situation Room in the basement of the West Wing of the White House, he gave the “execute order” to begin Operation Iraqi Freedom, the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Now, five years later, the consequences of that act will soon be beyond Bush’s grasp. In 10 months, they’ll land on the desk of his successor. Thanks in part to the Iraq war, the next U.S. president — Republican or Democrat, black or white, man or woman — will take office with America’s power, prestige and popularity in decline, according to bipartisan reports, polls and foreign observers. “The winner of the 2008 elections will command U.S. forces still at war in Iraq, Afghanistan and against elusive terrorists with a deadly reach. The U.S. economy will remain burdened. ... America’s moral leadership and decision-making competence will continue to be questioned,” begins a study of foreign-policy choices for the next president, which a Georgetown University task force released last month. “Restored respect will come only with fresh demonstrations of competence,” the study said.
Kidnapped archbishop found dead in Iraq (click here) 3/14/2008 11:54:00 AM. Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop in Iraq who was kidnapped last month, has been found dead. "Archbishop Rahho is dead. We found his lifeless body near Mosul. The kidnappers had buried him," Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad was quoted as telling SIR, the news agency of the Italian Bishops Conference.Rahho was seized on March 29 after gunmen attacked his car in eastern Mosul, 390 kilometres north of Baghdad, killing his driver and two guards.The news of Rahho's death will shock and sadden Australia's Catholic clergy, World Youth Day media spokesman Jim Hanna told AAP.Earlier, before Rahho's death was reported, Australian Cardinal George Pell expressed the solidarity of Australian Catholics with the church in Iraq.The Catholic Bishops of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory had released a statement deploring Rahho's abduction and calling for his immediate release.Speaking on behalf of the bishops, Cardinal Pell said the abduction of anyone was a horrible crime, but the kidnapping of a respected and significant community leader such as Rahho was particularly deplorable.The Bishops had called for prayers for Rahho."The Catholic Bishops of NSW and ACT ask Catholic parishes throughout Australia to pray for the release of Archbishop Rahho, especially during Holy Week, which commences this Sunday," Cardinal Pell said in the bishop's statement."We also ask christians everywhere to pray for the Iraqi christian community in Australia at this time, and to continue to pray for peace in Iraq."
Letters seek remorse for war, urge pope to confront Bush (click here) Catholic activists ask pope to tell Bush to end Iraq War while in U.S. By PATRICIA ZAPOR Catholic News Service Washington More than 3,000 people, many involved in the Catholic Worker Movement and peace activism, have signed a letter to Pope Benedict asking him to call for an immediate end to the Iraq War during his U.S. visit in April. Another statement circulating among faith leaders marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq March 19 with a call to repentance for "the sin of this war." The letter to the pope asks him to reconsider his plans and refuse to meet with President George W. Bush until the Iraq War, which the pope has opposed, is ended....
Rats in ranks of rare species Lisa Carty, State Political Reporter March 16, 2008 AERIAL rat-poison bombing of Lord Howe Island could endanger humans and kill a rare woodhen, the NSW Opposition says. The poison will be dropped by helicopter to kill the rodents in preparation for the release of a stick insect once thought to be extinct - the Lord Howe Island phasmid, or land lobster. Three of the 15-centimetre bugs were found on the tourist island's highest point in 2001 and have been bred in captivity on the mainland. The Lord Howe Island Board and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have started briefing residents on the aerial baiting proposal.
Five killed, 200 injured in munitions An Albanian army ammunition has blown up in a series of massive explosions causing hundreds of casualties. Advertisement Albanian officials say at least five people have been killed and 200 injured in a series of blasts at an Albanian army munitions depot outside Tirana. Government spokeswoman Juela Mecani says 110 people were at the depot at the time of the first explosion. She says witnesses have reported a 10-minute break between the first and second blasts. A US company contracted by NATO is helping Albanian troops dispose of surplus or obsolete munitions at the depot. Defence Minister Fatmire Mediu says about 100-thousand tonnes of antiquated munitions from the communist era remain in the country. Their destruction is one of the conditions Albania has to fulfil to gain membership to NATO. AAP
Blair urges leadership by top polluters on binding cuts March 16, 2008 Tony Blair has urged the world's heaviest polluters including the United States and China to agree to binding emissions cuts, saying failure to act on global warming would be "unforgivably irresponsible." The former British prime minister is heading a new team of experts tasked with bridging the gaps in slow-moving negotiations to draft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by the end of next year. "We have reached the critical moment for the decision on climate change," Blair today told a meeting of senior officials from the world's top 20 greenhouse gas emitters in suburban Tokyo. "Even on the mildest application of the precautionary principles, failure to act on climate change now would be deeply and unforgivably irresponsible," he said.
Soldiers gather for 40th My Lai anniversary March 16, 2008 To the villagers who survived the My Lai massacre and many of the Americans who fought in the Vietnam War, all the anniversaries of the atrocity are important. But commemorations tomorrow, 40 years after the event, seem especially urgent to many of the Americans who have travelled to Vietnam to attend. Some see parallels between what happened here on March 16, 1968, and events in Iraq, the site of another controversial war that has drawn US troops to a faraway corner of the globe. "We're supposed to learn from the mistakes of history, but we keep making the same mistakes," said Lawrence Colburn, whose helicopter landed in My Lai in the midst of the massacre. "That's what makes My Lai more important today than ever before."
Miner Key March 16, 2008 Pit closures and factory losses threaten the future of the brass bands in northern England, but young musicians are pitching in to keep the tradition alive, writes Martin Wainwright. Advertisement They look as cool as any streetwise teenager with their low-slung jeans and wary expressions. The only clue to their intentions is in those slender, gleaming tubes of brass. Fears that brass bands are fast becoming the stuff of nostalgia - brave but doomed mining communities, memorably brought to the screen in Brassed Off - have been checked in Hebden Bridge, in Yorkshire in the north of England. Walking, or to be more accurate, climbing, the steep terraces of the old Yorkshire centre of fustian weaving, the gentle cadence of a tuba or the piping of a cornet is the only giveaway. In houses with Victorian biblical names but 21st-century Ikea furniture, players practise their scales. They and their friends in the Hebden Bridge junior band evoke the spirit of Mark Herman's nostalgic film, in which the Yorkshire mining town of Grimley is threatened with being shut down and the only hope for the town's men is to enter their colliery brass band into a national competition.
Couples hit by gold spike Caroline Marcus March 16, 2008 SOPHIE and Craig D'Hyon spent the equivalent of a house deposit on their dream wedding yesterday: they wanted everything to be perfect, including the bling. But the couple were shocked to discover they would have to fork out an extra 20per cent for Mr D'Hyon's ring because of soaring gold prices. They were quoted $1800 for the simple white-gold wedding band, from their jeweller, Cerrone, when they first looked at it in November. When they returned to the store last month, they were told the ring would cost $2200 - because of the gold price rise. For the first time, gold traded above $US1000 an ounce on Thursday, up 15per cent since the beginning of the year and more than 50per cent since the end of 2006. Mrs D'Hyon, a 27-year-old human resources adviser, said she thought the $400 price increase was "enormous".
Jodie Foster stalker arrested after bomb threats March 12, 2008 - 1:57PM A man who sent Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster threatening letters for several years was arrested on Tuesday on charges of mailing a bomb threat to a Los Angeles airport. Michael Smegal, 42, of Holliston, Massachusetts, was charged in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts with mailing a threatening letter to Van Nuys Airport in early December. The letter was one of more than 100 nearly identical letters with references to Foster mailed to celebrities, business executives, airports and other locations around Los Angeles from September 2007 to January 2008, an affidavit said. Foster, a two-time Oscar winner who won her first Academy Award playing a rape victim in 1988's The Accused, received anonymous letters from Massachusetts beginning in 2004. In 2005, Smegal admitted to police he had sent the letters and promised to stop, the affidavit said. If convicted, Smegal faces up to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Hitler's big plans for Berlin 2008-03-16 11:05:23 Adolf Hitler's meglomaniac plans to pack Berlin with giant buildings has been revealed in a new exhibition.(01:38)
Massive blast caught on camera 2008-03-16 11:03:01 An Albanian army ammunition has blown up in a series of massive explosions causing hundreds of casualties.(01:28)
Bear Stearns bailout hits Wall St. March 15, 2008 US stocks plunged for the third day this week after Bear Stearns Cos. required a bailout from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to avoid collapse. Bear Stearns, the second-largest underwriter of US mortgage bonds, tumbled the most ever after the brokerage said it ran short of cash. The announcement overshadowed economic reports showing inflation remained stable while consumer confidence beat forecasts. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. also led declines as all 10 industry groups in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell. The S&P 500 retreated 27.34, or 2.1%, to 1,288.14 and slid 0.4% in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 194.65, or 1.6%, to 11,951.09. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 51.12, or 2.3%, to 2,212.49. Nine stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.
Lehman next to be squeezed? March 15, 2008 Wall Street is all about trust, and Lehman Brothers appears to still have it -- for now, anyway. Fear that the company could suffer the same fate as Bear Stearns Cos hit its stock hard on Friday. But a half-dozen hedge funds that Reuters spoke to were not unwinding their trades with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, and said they had no trouble trading with it. Two dealers said they were conducting business as usual with Lehman. Bear, heavily exposed to the faltering US mortgage market, burned through cash and lost access to funding this week as clients pulled out assets and unwound trades. Lehman, the fourth-largest US investment bank, is more diversified than Bear, the fifth-largest. It has more than $US195 billion ($208 billion) of assets at its ready disposal and says it can fund its operations for 12 months without outside financing.
Qantas tips $1bn rise in fuel costs Mathew Murphy March 15, 2008 QANTAS chief executive Geoff Dixon has warned staff that the airline's fuel bill could skyrocket by more than $1 billion a year. In a private email to senior management, obtained by BusinessDay, Mr Dixon also issued a hiring freeze across the Qantas group, unless authorised by himself or chief financial officer Peter Gregg. While Qantas' fuel costs are fully hedged for this financial year, the airline has only 25% hedged from July, at $US83 a barrel ($A88). "Consequently, our operating costs will increase significantly," Mr Dixon said in the email. "At current market prices, our fuel bill for next financial year will be more than $1 billion higher than for this current year." Oil's climb shows no sign of easing, the spot price yesterday finishing at $US110.33 a barrel in New York. It puts Qantas at a competitive disadvantage with rival Virgin Blue, which has 70% of its fuel bill hedged for next financial year at $US76 a barrel.
Oil hovers near record $111 March 15, 2008 Oil prices held near all-time highs today, capping a tumultuous week of surging prices attributed to a sliding dollar and choppy world stock markets. New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, shed 12 cents to close at $US110.21 ($117) per barrel a day after hitting a fresh intraday record of $US111. In London, Brent North Sea crude for April held unchanged at its record close of $US107.54, slipping off record highs earlier in the day of $US108.02. ''The dollar sentiment remains negative,'' said Sucden analyst Andrey Kryuchenkov. ''Dollar-denominated commodities are still well-supported by the weaker greenback, making them relatively cheaper for foreign investors.'' Alaron Trading analyst Phil Flynn highlighted the impact of the credit crisis.
Be seated: turbulence ahead March 15, 2008 Budget airlines cost us more than we bargain for, writes Clive Dorman. Flying has never been cheaper, but that is coming at a cost. The arrival of Tiger Airways in Australia has accelerated the commodification of every part of the air travel experience, with a range of unexpected new charges. This has attracted the scrutiny of governments, with Victoria launching an inquiry into the practices of the low-cost airline industry, following passenger strandings by both Jetstar and Tiger. Consumer Affairs Victoria says complaints against low-cost carriers now "significantly" outnumber those against full-service airlines such as Qantas, even though low-cost carriers carry only about half Australia's air travellers. Following the launch of Tiger Airways last year, the number of complaints to the tribunal against low-cost carriers jumped from nine in December to 23 last month in Victoria - nearly one a day.
Ex-terrorist base to become honeymoon hotspot? March 14, 2008 - 10:22AM Once a lovers' getaway, Habaniya Tourist Village in western Iraq became a refugee camp during some of the fiercest fighting since the fall of Baghdad. Now Amr al-Dulaimi hopes to turn it into a romantic haven again. Dulaimi runs the crumbling tourist resort, formerly a favourite wedding and honeymoon destination for Iraqis. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, it found itself next to an al Qaeda stronghold and centre of a bloody Sunni insurgency. But as security slowly improves in Anbar, potential investors plan to visit Habaniya this month to decide whether the village almost every Iraqi remembers as a place of love, romance and fun family days out, can be resurrected. "It was beautiful. My wife and I would walk by the lake. I'm so sad about what it's become," said mechanic Alaa Naji, who got married in the village in 1999.
Shaking the tree: flora and fauna v humans Miranda Devine March 16, 2008 ONE balmy Sunday evening last month, when the Queen Victoria and QE2 cruise ships came to Sydney Harbour, Neutral Bay mother Phionna Tomaszewski gathered with friends in a park at Cremorne Point to watch. Her six-year-old daughter was climbing trees and swinging off branches with other children when an "irate, elderly woman" berated her for "damaging" a coral tree and threatened to call council rangers. Tomaszewski found her daughter "bawling her eyes out ... My daughter (all 20-odd kilograms of her) ... was reduced to tears by a stranger when all she was doing was playing in a tree" she wrote in a letter last week to The Mosman Daily, where a lively feud has continued ever since. But in another letter to the paper, Margaret Watson, a friend of the elderly woman, defended her interference by saying the children had been "swinging on the branches, breaking one off ... After another branch broke, my friend approached and requested that they cease".
Rio pushes Malaysian smelter as Coega stalls Jamie Freed and Jake Saulwick March 15, 2008 RIO TINTO has advanced its plans to build a $US2 billion ($2.2 billion) aluminium smelter in Malaysia, and a power crisis in South Africa is likely to delay its $US2.7 billion Coega project. The Malaysian smelter, which could produce 550,000tonnes of aluminium a year starting at the end of 2010, will be fuelled by the Bakun hydroelectric dam being built in Sarawak province in Borneo. Rio this week took analysts to its smelters in Quebec's Saguenay region, focusing in part on the great advantage of having a clean energy source for power-intensive aluminium operations as policy-makers start to place a price on emissions. The Malaysian project, owned by Rio before its $US38.1 billion takeover of Canada's Alcan last year, yesterday received a manufacturing licence from the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority. Rio last month signed a heads of agreement with Sarawak Energy Berhad to start negotiations on the power supply for the smelter, which eventually may be expanded to 1.5 million tonnes of production a year.
http://business.smh.com.au/rio-pushes-malaysian-smelter-as-coega-stalls/20080314-1ziy.html Staff fired for peek at Britney's records March 16, 2008 A medical centre in the US will fire some employees and discipline others for snooping at the confidential medical records of Britney Spears, who was hospitalised in its psychiatric ward, a hospital official told The Associated Press. Jeri Simpson, a director of human resources at UCLA Medical Center hospital, who was involved in the investigations of the confidentiality breach, confirmed the action but could not say how many employees were affected. The hospital did not say when the snooping took place or which of Spears records were looked at. The Los Angeles Times reported on its website today that the breaches stemmed from incidents before Spears' most recent hospitalisation, but did not elaborate.
MP: Government must take clear stance on Tibet (+photos) 12:23PM Sunday March 16, 2008 New Zealand cannot sign a free trade agreement with China while it continues to suppress Tibetan people, the Green Party said today. Ten civilians are reported dead, although the Tibetan government-in-exile puts the figure at more than 100, following violent clashes between Chinese authorities and Tibetan independence protesters. Tensions between the two have been escalating all week since the 49th anniversary of a failed upraising against China's rule. Green MP Keith Locke says it's important the Prime Minister speaks up now, as the situation continues to deteriorate. Mr Locke says the country must take a clear stance against oppression before signing a free trade agreement with China next month.
Fiordland rocked by 4.3 earthquake 7:38AM Sunday March 16, 2008 Are you - and the authorities - prepared for a disaster? Parts of Fiordland were shaken by an earthquake early this morning, GNS Science reported today. The quake, which struck just after 5am, was centred 40km west of Milford Sound at a depth of 5km and registered 4.3 on the Richter scale. - NZPA
Eleven year-old evades kidnap outside pet shop 11:47AM Sunday March 16, 2008 Havelock North police are appealing for witnesses to an attempted kidnapping outside a pet shop. A man described as dark-skinned and of medium build, allegedly grabbed an 11-year-old boy yesterday afternoon and tried dragging him into his car. He had been parked near the shop in a tan-coloured Ford vehicle. The man was last seen wearing a pink t-shirt with the words 'Porn Star' written in black. - NEWSTALK ZB
Houndman wasn't stupid, says alleged victim 5:00AM Sunday March 16, 2008 By Carolyne Meng-Yee Online, he seemed the perfect gentleman. At their first meeting, over a cheap Chinese meal, the man who called himself Houndman "seemed really nice". "He was quite quiet, polite," the woman allegedly raped by Gregory Burnside, aka Houndman, told the Herald on Sunday this week. "He wasn't stupid. He could hold a good conversation ... not so much romantic, but friendly." On Monday, the man who seemed the perfect online catch appeared in Huntly District Court charged with the rape of two women he had met through the web. Burnside entered no plea, later telling the Herald on Sunday: "I never raped them."
Deerstalkers call for hunter to be charged 10:51AM Sunday March 16, 2008 By Alice Hudson and Anna Rushworth Police could lay charges over hunting death. Photo / One News The Deerstalkers's Association says the hunter who shot and killed 18-year-old Napier man Aaron Colin Timms should face a manslaughter charge. Taupo Deerstalkers Association's Dave Comber last night told the Herald on Sunday there was almost never any excuse for mistaking someone for a deer. "Aside from someone draping a deer skin around them, or displaying antlers and looking like a deer, there is very, very seldom, any mitigating factors, particularly when it's from within the same hunting party," Comberlast said. The teenager died instantly from a single gunshot to the chest after the man - believed to be in his 50s - mistook him for a deer. The man, his 24-year-old son and the victim were on a hunting trip in the Tarawera region, northwest of Napier, when the tragedy happened around 7am.
Crane falls on New York building, at least two dead (+ photos) 10:17AM Sunday March 16, 2008 NEW YORK - A construction crane fell on a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring several others, the New York City Fire Department said. The giant crane reportedly separated from the side of a skyscraper under construction and smashed into a block of residential buildings. A Reuters photographer on the scene said the crane had completely crushed a building of several stories and cars on the street were also under rubble. The crane also damaged some neighbouring buildings. A Fire Department spokesman said two people were confirmed dead and a third was in critical condition in hospital. Others were injured and the rescue operation was ongoing.
From corner shop princess to billionaire wife 5:00AM Sunday March 16, 2008 By Jared Savage Her parents owned a corner dairy - now Claire Kelly is living the lifestyle of the rich and famous as the wife of a royal billionaire. Nearly a decade ago, the Taranaki woman, now in her mid-30s, packed her bags for the bright lights of Paris and later married playboy Prince Jefri Bolkiah, a Brunei royal with a penchant for fast cars and flash houses. The former model became his fifth wife - the 53-year-old has two others and has been divorced twice - and is happily married with two young children, living in a London mansion "the size of Eden Park". But despite once being one of the wealthiest men in the world, Prince Jefri has told the Wall Street Journal he fears becoming homeless and forced into bankruptcy.
Sex hormone relieves schizophrenia - study 4:20PM Sunday March 16, 2008 SYDNEY - Hormone patches used to help older women through menopause can also radically improve the most debilitating symptoms of schizophrenia, a trial on Australian women has found. A study to be presented at a major international women's mental health conference tomorrow in Melbourne has shown for the first time that the female sex hormone, oestrogen, dramatically reduces hallucinations, delusions and thought disorder in women with the severe mental illness. "This is revolutionary because it shows without a doubt that it really works to help these women," said study leader Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, director of the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre in Melbourne. "It's the strongest sign yet that we have a new mode of treatment for schizophrenia using reproductive hormones." Oestrogen, a potent neurosteroid, is a key component in hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a controversial treatment found to relieve the hot flushes and mood swings suffered in menopause.
WELL, THIS IS A SWITCH. BUSH ACTUALLY FINDS CRITICISM OF 'CROOKED ELECTIONS' IN HIS FAVOR !!! THAT'S LIKE THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK, ISN'T IT?
US says Iran election results 'cooked' 4:25PM Saturday March 15, 2008 WASHINGTON - The United States, at loggerheads with Tehran over its nuclear programme, cast strong doubt on the fairness of Iran's parliamentary elections on Friday and said any outcome of the poll would be "cooked." "In essence the results are cooked. They are cooked in the sense that the Iranian people were not able to vote for a full range of people," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of the poll. Iranians voted on Friday in an election likely to keep parliament in the control of conservatives after unelected state bodies barred many reformist foes of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from the race. "They are given the choice of choosing between one supporter of the regime or another supporter of the regime," McCormack told reporters. "They were not given the opportunity ... to vote for somebody who might have had different ideas." Ahmadinejad has shrugged off criticism about the election. After the polls closed, McCormack released a statement saying Iran had "once again failed to meet international standards on the conduct of democratic elections."
German police shoot US soldier dead 11:29AM Saturday March 15, 2008 BERLIN - A US soldier stationed in southern Germany was shot dead by police after threatening an ex-girlfriend and then going on the run armed with an assault rifle, authorities said on Friday. The 30-year old, who was serving in the 2nd, "Dagger", brigade of the US 1st Infantry Division, broke into the woman's house late on Thursday, threatened her and tied her up, police in the Bavarian region of Unterfranken said. She was able to free herself and alerted the police, who began a search using a commando unit and a helicopter equipped with thermal imaging equipment. Officers found the soldier several hundred metres from the woman's house and tried to arrest him but he threatened them with the semi-automatic rifle and was shot, police said. He died in hospital early on Friday, according to a statement from the "Dagger" Brigade Chain of Command.
Tibet burns as independence protesters shot dead (+ photos) 12:23PM Saturday March 15, 2008 BEIJING - Independence protesters burned shops and cars in the Tibetan capital Lhasa on Friday and Chinese police were reported to have shot dead at least two people, in the fiercest unrest in the region for two decades. China accused supporters of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of "masterminding" the uprising, which shatters its carefully-cultivated image of national prosperity and harmony in the buildup to the Beijing Olympic Games. The Dalai Lama appealed to China to stop using force and begin dialogue with Tibetans. Similar protests in the past have been crushed by security forces with gunfire and mass arrests.
Supreme Court to rule on right to carry guns 5:00AM Saturday March 15, 2008 By James Vicini For the first time in 70 years, the US Supreme Court will take on the question of whether individual Americans have the right to keep and bear arms or whether it's a collective right for service in a state militia. That question is at the heart of a long, impassioned debate about how much power the Government has to keep people from owning guns and it could soon be decided by the US Supreme Court in a case about one of the nation's strictest gun control laws. Set for arguments next Tuesday and with a decision expected by late June, the nation's highest court could resolve once and for all the much-disputed meaning of the Second Amendment of the US constitution.
Death Star coming to Earth as apartment block in Dubai 5:00AM Saturday March 15, 2008 The 44-storey sphere building is proposed for a planned 'global city' on an artificial island off Dubai. It looks like something from a galaxy far, far away. But it could become a reality right here on Earth. Renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, of the Office of Metropolitan Architecture, has drawn up plans for a 44-storey sphere-shaped building as part of a "global city" on an artificial island off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The unusual building will be the centrepiece of the city, which will be home to 1.5 million people and has been described by the New York Times as a "sprawling metropolis of repetitive buildings centred on an airport and inhabited by a tribe of global nomads with few local loyalties". While Koolhaas says the building will be a self-contained urban neighbourhood, others, including Guardian art and architecture blogger Sean Dodson, think it looks like something "from George Lucas's drawing board" - the Death Star from Star Wars.
Australia zoo defends its koala rescue policy 4:22PM Friday March 14, 2008 BRISBANE - The Irwin family's Australia Zoo has defended its record of releasing rescued koalas in the wake of claims it broke environmental laws. The zoo's Australian Wildlife Hospital is required to release treated and recuperated koalas within 5km of where they were found. News Limited today quoted a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as saying the hospital had failed to do so on at least eight occasions last year. The spokesman said EPA officials had met the hospital to discuss the matter and was "monitoring compliance". The EPA was being sought for further comment. But Australian Wildlife Hospital director of veterinary services Jon Hanger said while the hospital did its best to release koalas into their natural habitats, increasing infrastructure and housing developments meant this was not always possible.
Dinosaur for sale in Paris (+video) 3:58PM Friday March 14, 2008 A 65 million-year-old dinosaur goes on sale in Paris next month. A team of palaeontologists took eight hours to reconstruct the four-legged, three horned dinosaur whose bones had to be shipped in giant separate boxes. The three-horned triceratops dates back to the end of the Cretaceous period between 67 million and 65 million years. This skeleton was discovered in North Dakota in 2004. It weighs almost 2 tons. And it doesn't come cheap - at 500,000 euros this skeleton should be one expensive conversation piece.
Iceland likely to start whaling again 1:11PM Friday March 14, 2008 Your Views Is there a case for 'scientific' whaling? STOCKHOLM - Iceland is likely to start whaling again this summer in a move certain to draw the ire of conservationists, the BBC said on its website yesterday. Iceland ended its ban on commercial whaling in 2006, but in August last year its fisheries ministry said it would not issue new quotas until market demand increased and an export agreement with Japan - where whale meat is popular - was in place. The BBC said that a government official had confirmed that quotas would probably be issued again soon with whaling starting in May. "We are not expecting any big quotas, but we are likely to see in the relatively near future some quotas for minke whales," it quoted Stefan Asmundsson, a senior official in Iceland's fisheries ministry, as saying. "The most important factor is to ensure the quotas are within sustainable limits." Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, the head of Iceland's minke whaling association said he hoped for a quota for 100 of the whales, which grow up to 9m and weigh around 10 tonnes. In 2006, Iceland said it would allow up to 30 minke whales and 9 fin whales to be hunted, ending a ban in place since 1986.
2012 London Olympics to revamp Eastern suburbs 3:14PM Friday March 14, 2008 By Martyn Herman LONDON - Commuters travelling into London from the eastern suburbs are treated daily to the sight of construction vehicles, yellow lights blinking in the winter gloom, snaking across huge mounds of earth. At first glance it appears a bleak, unpromising landscape, but in four years' time this previously neglected part of the English capital will become the centre of the sporting world. While the focus now is thousands of kilometres away in Beijing, where preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games are entering the home straight, London's organisers (LOCOG) are setting a steady pace and preparing to lengthen their stride. A small delegation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) visited LOCOG headquarters last week.
EU to set the pace in fighting climate change 3:03PM Friday March 14, 2008 By Ingrid Melander and Darren Ennis BRUSSELS - EU leaders agreed on a timetable for action yesterday to tackle climate change that they hope will enable them to set the pace in global talks next year, but some voiced unease about the methods. The European Union sees itself as a world leader in the fight against global warming after EU countries agreed last year to cut emissions by 2020 and increase the share of wind, solar, hydro and wave power in electricity output by the same date. After chairing the first day of a two-day summit, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa told a news conference all 27 leaders agreed to adopt a liberalisation of the European energy market in June and a package of measures to fight global warming and promote green energy in December. "We must reach agreement in the first months of 2009 at the latest," said Jansa.
One might think at first glance this was a scene from Baghdad, but, alas it's the handy work of the USA company assisting Albania in destroying a munitions stockpile. Amazing the lack of expertise involved in such follies. Did anyone connected with the company LOCK UP the munitions depot or perhaps they just said, "Yeah, go ahead, you can try it on your own !"
An injured man is helped out of a car as he arrives at a military hospital in Tirana
'Considerable' number killed, 200 hurt in Albanian munitions blast (click here) 19 hours ago TIRANA (AFP) — A series of powerful blasts rocked an army depot housing communist-era munitions near the Albanian capital Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring 200, with many more feared dead, officials said. "The toll could increase and we are in the process of verifying the lists of people who worked in the depot this morning," Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha told reporters late on Saturday. Earlier he said the number of dead was "considerable." A rescue mission, initially planned to continue overnight, "will resume in the morning (Sunday) because explosions are still going on and it is impossible to keep searching during the night," the prime minister said. Approximately 121 people were present at the depot at the time of the explosion, Berisha said, adding that many of them could have found refuge between two first blasts. Rescuers at the site, about 12 kilometres (eight miles) north of Tirana, recovered five bodies, Berisha's spokeswoman Juela Mecani said earlier. "Three people were identified: a 40-year old woman Rajmonda Tudi and two men -- Mehmet Hoxha, 59, and Edvin Pollozi, 19," Berisha said. The first explosion occurred around noon (1100 GMT), touching off more explosions throughout the day. Military experts were disposing of shells at the time of the first blast, assisted by employees of a US company contracted by NATO to help the Albanian army get rid of surplus munitions dating from the communist era. But "there was no foreign citizen working this morning" at the depot, Berisha told reporters. Destroying the old munitions is one of the conditions Albania must fulfill to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Special army units with armoured vehicles had been deployed to help rescuers working there....
February 15, 2008 White Paper: Putting the Impact of Cluster Munitions In Context with the Effects of All Explosive Remnants of War The United States shares the humanitarian concerns expressed by many other countries with regard to the use of cluster munitions. In order to find an internationally-accepted way of effectively addressing the humanitarian aspects associated with cluster munitions, all relevant facts should be considered. Unfortunately, much of what is said for public consumption by certain advocacy groups and some foreign governments on this issue is not accurate. Therefore, as part of the United States’ overall policy of contributing to meaningful progress on concerns related to cluster munitions, including its strong support for the negotiation of a new Protocol to address the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), this White Paper is being released in order to ensure that all parties interested in this issue have available the most accurate information possible....
Here again the system is very diffuse over a large area, but, extremely intense. It is my opinion the upper level disturbances are far higher in velocity, when reaching the ground translates into somewhat lower velocity but still very significant and dangerous.
March 14, 2008 7:31 PM EDT Enhanced Infrared Satellite
This is about 2 and a half hours before the turbulence 'trickled down' in the lower troposphere. It is a more diffuse system and not easily noted. In my opinion this is when an upper tropospheric tornado occurred, which resulted in high velocity and wide spread turbulence on the ground hours later.
Published on: 03/15/08 On Saturday morning, the dangerous weather returned while workers were still cleaning up. According to the National Weather Service, a tornado warning was issued until 7:30 a.m. for east central Dekalb County, southeastern Gwinnett County, northeastern Rockdale and northwestern Walton County.
winds of up to 60 mph. A severe thunderstorm watch will remain in effect until 8 a.m. for much of the central portion of the state., from the Alabama line to Athens. Officials pleaded with residents to stay out of downtown Atlanta, and put up blockades on many downtown and midtown streets to keep traffic out of areas where broken glass, downed traffic signals and debris made driving all but impossible. MARTA spokeswoman Joselyn Baker said that MARTA rail service resumed Saturday at 5 a.m., with only the King Memorial rail station closed due to storm damage. Buses would be used to bridge the gap between the Inman Park and Georgia State University stations, she said. More than 15,000 customers in the metro area were without power Saturday morning, Georgia Power spokeswoman Konswello Monroe said. She said extra crews were called in from surrounding counties to make repairs, but there was no estimated time of restoration for residents in the hardest hit areas of Cabbagetown and near the Dome.
It seems all too obvious that the Spitzer Resignation connected to his entrapment by a plan laid out specificially to remove him from the Governorship and tarnish an otherwise exemplary career as a strong and determined advocate for 'the little people' was engineered by men obsessed with the wealth that power brings.
In several articles listed on this blog it was evident that the FBI 'sting' operation wasn't a 'sting' at all so much as a dogged hunt for the one opportunity to remove the potential Eliot Spitzer had to bring 'honesty' back to government.
I am not going to discuss the actual indiscretions of Mr. Spitzer within his marriage as I have stated that is a concern that is not mine, but, his and his family.
I will however point to the ONE story NO MEDIA SERVICE has yet to address and that is the use by the Bush/Cheney White House to carry out poltical agendas with federal agents. No one has to admit the FBI was ONLY after Former Governor Spitzer, I believe that is already completely clear.
In the article that follows it was noted that as soon as the arrests of the people involved with the Empire Club was made and they were arraigned, the New York Times was already exploiting this otherwise innocuous story. The reason they were was because of the blind political ambitions of those 'loyal' to the Bush Glory Train, namely Micheal Powell.
A Curious Vice Case (click here) By MICHAEL POWELL and NICHOLAS CONFESSORE Published: March 13, 2008 The scandal unfolded in an innocuous fashion. The press release was e-mailed to reporters on Thursday morning, shortly after 11 o’clock: “Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Organizers and Managers of International Prostitution Ring.” At first glance, the case seemed routine, and the suspects elicited no gapes of surprise: A man and three women arrested on charges of running a pricey, on-line escort business, known as Emperor’s Club V.I.P. Marshals escorted the defendants into the courtroom, before Magistrate Michael H. Dolinger of the Federal District Court in Manhattan. Mark Brener, 62, accused of being the ringleader, looked to be dressed in the same black shirt he had been arrested in. Cecil Suwal, 23, was charged with being the operation’s day-to-day manager. Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, and Tanya Hollander, 36, were accused of being the service’s booking agents. Ms. Lewis and Ms. Hollander were released on bail; Mr. Brener and Ms. Suwal remain in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the federal jail in Lower Manhattan. No one had talked of the escort ring’s inner workings, and certainly no one mentioned the governor’s name. Just one fact piqued interest for some in the room: The lead prosecutor on the case was Boyd M. Johnson III, the chief of the public corruption unit of the Manhattan United States attorney’s office. Later that day, reporters at The New York Times learned of the unusual presence of three lawyers from the corruption unit, including the boss of that division and an F.B.I. agent from one of the bureau’s public corruption squads. The public corruption units often look at the conduct of elected officials....
For days afterward, Michael Powell exploited the political pressure the New York Times can bring to any subject:
A Fall From White Knight to Client 9 (click here) By MICHAEL POWELL and MIKE McINTIRE Published: March 11, 2008 He stands close to ruin’s precipice, this tireless crusader and once-charmed politician reduced to a notation on a federal affidavit: Client 9. The ascent and descent of Eliot Spitzer’s career have been dizzying. He was the brainy kid who graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School and became an avenging state attorney general, hunting down Wall Street malefactors with a moralistic fervor that sounded pitch-perfect. Everywhere he found “betrayals of the public trust” that were “shocking” and “criminal.”...
And while The Washington Post was stating Eliot Spitzer was being pursued by the FBI and was once before attempted to entrap without success the LYING that surrounds the media frenzy persisted because the Republicans are not interested in 'the truth;' they are interested in political exploitation of any 'spin' they can find.
The entire 'movement' surrounding the exploited nature of the circumstances the Former New York Governor would face, revolved around one suspicion. That suspicion was the fact a bank became alarmed about movement of money in accounts connected to Eliot Spitzer. To date there is speculation that is how he paid for his adventures outside his marriage, but, the fact the FBI has made false charges in AN ATTEMPT 'to fit the agenda' of the Republican Elite is simply outrageous and shows far more corruption at the FBI under the demands of a political Homeland Security Secretary than anywhere else in this episode of Republican intimidation of the electorate.
...The officials said federal authorities rarely prosecuted either offense, unless it was connected to a more serious illegal activity like human trafficking or drug smuggling. They also said investigators did not use some tools at their disposal. For example, while Mr. Spitzer’s encounter with the prostitute in Washington was carried out under heavy surveillance, there were no video or audio recording devices in the hotel room....
The FBI investigators literally went about 'making' the circumstances surrounding Mr. Spitzer carry more brevity than they actually do. They 'made' a case, rather than having a case expose itself as serious. Quite literally, the FBI, 'spun/evolved' the case against Eliot Spitzer without due cause EXCEPT it would 'fit the agenda' of the Republicans at the head of the Executive Branch.
If they will do this to a New York Governor, they'll do this to anyone.
THE MANN ACT OF 1910 (click here) is somewhat controversial in its content in that it can be used to enforce 'a particular' morality. Where it comes 'into service' to the people of the USA is when a Pimp or Traffiker literally transports individuals across state lines to make money from their sexual services. Mr. Eliot was not involved in traffiking or white slavery. He was involved in receiving services by a woman to his own pleasure outside the context of his relationship with his wife. There is a huge JUMP that occurred in the 'ideas' by the FBI that Mr. Spitzer would be guilty of any of the statutes of The Mann Act. The FBI literally took the content of 'The Rule of Law' discarded it and 'decided' in a corrupt culture to act against a New York Governor for the specific purpose of ruining his political career because of sexual antics outside his marriage. THAT, is a judgement of morality, NOT, of content important to the conduct of American Law or Justice.
The Republican administration, along with former members of that administration, laid out a plan to exploit 'barely prosecutable' crimes in order to exploit and spin the political potential of a demise of a Democratic Governor and casting even more shadows on the complete Democratic party. The FBI was exploited and so was 'the story' to create anxiety among the electorate for the upcoming 2008 Presidential Polling in November because Democrats are favored in light of the corruption that exists in the Republican Party and their willingness to wage war without end.
