The Scotman
And the winners are ... the tactical voters
FRASER NELSON
NOW that the election has been called, a simple pleasure awaits millions of Britons - the chance to vote out your smug, idle local MP. Why spend time worrying who to vote for, if you already know who to vote against?
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=361692005
Mankind will beat cancer by 2015, says WHO scientist
IAN JOHNSTON
SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT
Key points
• Scientists say we are 10 years away from drugs preventing cancer fatalities
• New treatments likely to be very expensive, perhaps as much as £100,000
Key quote
"At the moment, most people will die from it once the disease spreads. That will stop in about 2015. [Cancers] will become controllable illnesses - you will still have cancer, but you’ll live with it for a long time, rather like diabetes." - PROF KAROL SIKORA, WHO
Story in full A GOLDEN age of cancer treatment which should finally overcome the killer disease is just a decade away, according to leading experts in the field.
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=361942005&20050406102212
Wark's final snub to Fraser Inquiry as tapes put in vault
HAMISH MACDONELL
SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR
Key points
• IWC have formally refused to hand over 400 hours of documentary footage
• Lord Fraser "astonished" by "deeply unsatisfactory" move
• Programme funded by almost £1 million of public money
Key quote
"If the material that is held by IWC is of use to the Fraser Inquiry, then they have a responsibility and a duty to hand it over, but if there is nothing in it, then why are they being so precious about it?" - MARGO MACDONALD
Story in full KIRSTY Wark’s production company has snubbed the official inquiry into the Holyrood fiasco by refusing to hand over any untransmitted material it recorded for The Gathering Place, the documentary series on the ill-fated building project.
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=360732005
Monaco's Prince Rainier dies
PRINCE Rainier of Monaco, Europe's longest-reigning monarch, died this morning at age 81 after a lengthy illness. His royal palace announced the death nearly a month after he was first admitted to hospital with a lung infection.
Prince Albert, his son and heir, was at his side. Rainier's doctors called Prince Albert, his son and heir, at around 5am BST to tell him that the end was near, the palace said. The monarch died about 35 minutes later.
A palace statement said Rainier died "as a result of the broncho-pulmonary, heart and kidney conditions that caused his hospitalisation."
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=362972005
Playboy Prince Rainier is dead
By Robert Mendick, Evening Standard
6 April 2005
Monaco's Prince Rainier died today with his son at his bedside.
Look here too
• Rainier fairytale blighted by curse of the Grimaldis
Rainier, 81, will be succeeded by Albert, 47, the only son from his marriage to Grace Kelly who died in a car crash in 1982.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/17732568?source=Evening%20Standard
Rainier fairytale blighted by curse of the Grimaldis
By Valentine Low, Evening Standard
6 April 2005
Prince Rainier of Monaco, who has died aged 81, was the once handsome prince whose life should have been the stuff of dreams. He ruled over a tiny principality in the south of France that had become a byword for wealth and glamour, and married one of the most beautiful women in the world, the American actress Grace Kelly.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/17732716
The Washington Post
A 3rd DeLay Trip Under Scrutiny
1997 Russia Visit Reportedly Backed by Business Interests
By R. Jeffrey Smith and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A01
A six-day trip to Moscow in 1997 by then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was underwritten by business interests lobbying in support of the Russian government, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the trip arrangements.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28319-2005Apr5.html
American Pope Highly Unlikely Given Views of Church Leaders
By Alan Cooperman and Daniel Williams
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A11
VATICAN CITY, April 5 -- American cardinals come to Rome representing an enthusiastic home church, one widely admired for its spirit and for its generosity in giving to Catholic causes.
But even before the 11 voting U.S. cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to take part in electing a new pope, they know he will not be an American.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28307-2005Apr5.html
Planning to the Last Detail: Here's How
By January W. Payne
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 5, 2005; Page HE01
Nancy Crawford already has a living will, which describes the type of medical care she would want if she were too ill to speak for herself. But the intense news coverage about Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman who died last week amid controversy about her wishes for medical treatment, have made Crawford and many others rethink what their written medical instructions should include.
Crawford plans to replace her living will with a more comprehensive document called "Five Wishes," which is distributed by the nonprofit Aging With Dignity. Her employer, Elkton, Md.-based Chesapeake Publishing Corp., has ordered copies of the document for all 500 of its employees.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26157-2005Apr4.html
Gonzales Proposes Patriot Act Renewal
By Mark Sherman
The Associated Press
Tuesday, April 5, 2005; 10:57 AM
The Bush administration's two top law enforcement officials on Tuesday urged Congress to renew every provision of the anti-terror Patriot Act. FBI Director Robert Mueller also asked lawmakers to expand the bureau's ability to obtain records without first asking a judge.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27535-2005Apr5.html
A Virginia Vintner's Full Court Press
The Case of Juanita Swedenburg Could Change the Nation's Wine Trade
By Walter Nicholls
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page F01
Even on a wet weekday afternoon in late March, a few people pull up to the door of the family-owned Swedenburg Estate Vineyard, one mile east of Middleburg in Loudoun County. What looks like a small, wheat-colored bungalow turns out to be the winery. That's where visitors meet owner Juanita Swedenburg -- a Virginia vintner for two decades and an unlikely free trade activist with a pivotal case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27398-2005Apr5.html
'Hotel Rwanda': Casting Light on Dark Times
By Jen Chaney
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 5, 2005;
"Hotel Rwanda" (PG-13; List price: $26.98
Release Date: April 12
When 800,000 Rwandans were killed in a 1993 civil war that can only be described as genocide, America and the rest of the Western world virtually ignored the crisis. The film "Hotel Rwanda" -- available on DVD next week -- stands as a sobering, cinematic reminder of what a heartless decision that was. Fortunately the Academy Award-nominated movie is about more than political finger-wagging; it also tells the dramatic, all-the-more-compelling-because-it's-true story of Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle), a hotelier who risked his own life to harbor refugees from the bands of murderous Hutu Rwandans intent upon eliminating the Tutsis and their sympathizers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25047-2005Apr4.html
Unhealthy Ethics
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A18
WE DON'T NORMALLY find ourselves in the position of arguing that ethics rules are too restrictive. Then again, we don't normally encounter ethics rules as overbroad, intrusive and unnecessarily punitive as those recently put in place by the National Institutes of Health. The NIH ethics rules needed to be tightened, especially in light of reports involving possible conflicts of interest by government researchers who also engaged in lucrative outside consulting work. But the new rules represent an ultimately self-defeating overreaction.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28425-2005Apr5.html
Peace in the Pipeline?
By David Ignatius
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A19
When a new Iraqi government finally takes office, it will have in its "in-box" an economic proposal that touches on some of the country's most sensitive questions: How to reduce violence in the Sunni Triangle, how to manage the country's increasingly tense relationship with neighboring Jordan, and how to expand its oil production and exports.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28416-2005Apr5.html
Of interest...
Confessions of an Identity Thief: Jim Stickley Robs Banks for a Living
Monday April 4, 10:00 am ET
BATON ROUGE, La., April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not every day that a bank robber volunteers to share the secrets to his craft, but Jim Stickley is no ordinary bank robber. With over 100 successful heists to his credit, he's arguably one of the most successful bank robbers of all time. But unlike traditional bank robbers, he's not after the cash in the till. He's after something more valuable -- identity. He steals personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and passwords. Most bank robbers only get away with a few thousand dollars. Stickley gets away with information worth millions of dollars.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050404/sfm041.html?.v=4
Michael Moore Today
3rd DeLay Trip Under Scrutiny;
1997 Russia Visit Reportedly Backed by Business Interests
DeLay's Unusually Generous Political Groups Paid His Wife and Daughter Over $500,000
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
WELL, Golly, Molly, That's the way they do things Michael. It's called a 'kick back' and in return DeLay votes a certain way on issues that are important to his crony. It's like when Representative Bush #41 knew Bush #43 was getting an appointment to The National Guard. He was most surprised at the appointment and wrote a letter of thanks and encouragement that Georgie Junior would live up to all expectations. Well, that was a 'cover letter' so no one could say 'Daddy pulled strings' for little Georgie. And of course we know how much of an ingrate Bush #43 was as he went AWOL, never finished his service or showed up for a medical exam.
Political Groups Paid Two Relatives of House Leader
By Philip Shenon / New York Times
WASHINGTON, April 5 - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state, Texas.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2109
UK Panel: U.S. Troops Too Heavy-Handed
By Ed Johnson / Associated Press
LONDON - U.S. troops in Iraq are provoking civilians and hampering rebuilding with an excessive use of force, British lawmakers said in a report Tuesday.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2113
New Nuclear Warhead Proposed to Congress; Funds Sought for Feasibility Study
By Walter Pincus / Washington Post
The head of the nation's nuclear weapons programs proposed yesterday that Congress approve funds to study the feasibility of building a new, more reliable nuclear warhead that could be deployed without nuclear testing in less than 10 years.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2098
Poll: Most in U.S. Oppose Nuclear Weapons
By Will Lester / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Most Americans surveyed in a poll say they do not think any country, including the United States, should have nuclear weapons. That sentiment is at odds with current efforts by some nations that are trying to develop the weapons and by terrorists seeking to add them to their arsenal.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2033
Gallup: Bush Approval Rating Lowest Ever for 2nd-Term Prez at this Point
By E&P Staff / Editor and Publisher
NEW YORK It's not uncommon to hear or read pundits referring to President George W. Bush as a "popular" leader or even a "very popular" one. Even some of his critics in the press refer to him this way. Perhaps they need to check the latest polls.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2103
The Arab News
Most Wanted Terrorists Killed
Khaled Al-Awadh, Arab News
An injured security man being taken to hospital. Another picture on Page 5. (AN photos by Khaled Al-Awadh)
AL-RASS, 6 April 2005 — As many as 14 suspected terrorists, including most wanted Al-Qaeda leaders, have been killed and five others have been wounded in three days of fierce clashes, which ended here yesterday, the Interior Ministry said.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=61662&d=6&m=4&y=2005
Cartoon
http://www.arabnews.com/cartoon/
Talabani to Be New Iraqi President
Naseer Al-Nahr, Arab News
BAGHDAD, 6 April 2005 — Iraqi political groups reached agreement yesterday on the country’s next president and vice presidents in a step seen as overcoming a political impasse and forming a new government.
Leaders of the main political blocs said veteran Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani would be named president at a Parliament meeting today, more than nine weeks after millions of Iraqis braved insurgent bombs to vote.
Politicians said the two vice presidents will be Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite who was finance minister in the outgoing government, and Sunni tribal leader Ghazi Al-Yawar, the previous president. The alliance that won a slim majority in Parliament and the Kurdish coalition that came second in the polls have been arguing over the shape of the new government for weeks.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=61663&d=6&m=4&y=2005
I see. And of course everything observed as happening in Darfur is everyone's imagination.
Editorial: Darfur to ICC
6 April 2005
IT comes as no surprise that the Sudanese government together with a significant proportion of the population in the north deeply resent the intrusion of the United Nations into their affairs.
A week ago, the Security Council voted that suspects indicted for war crimes in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur province should appear before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Yesterday, the ICC was given a secret list of 51 suspects accused by a UN inquiry team of war crimes in the province. The list is believed to include a number of Sudanese government and army officials, as well as Janjaweed militia and rebel leaders.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=61689&d=6&m=4&y=2005
The New York Times
Iraqis in Accord on Top Positions, Ending Deadlock
BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6 - Iraq's major political parties agreed Tuesday evening to appoint a president and two vice presidents at a meeting of the national assembly today, breaking a two-month deadlock in negotiations to form a new government, senior Iraqi officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/international/middleeast/06cnd-iraq.html?hp&ex=1112846400&en=f282cf077a0b3f0c&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Prince Rainier of Monaco Dies at 81
MONACO (AP) -- Prince Rainier III, whose marriage to American film star Grace Kelly brought elegance and glamour to one of Europe's oldest dynasties, died Wednesday at the hospital treating him for heart, kidney and breathing problems. He was 81.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Obit-Rainier.html?hp
In Tsunami Area, Relief Is Very Slow in Coming
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, April 3 - Three months after a tsunami devastated this city, vast areas remain a flatland of rubble, mud and stagnant water where only palm trees and the stumps of broken buildings break the low horizon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/international/asia/06aceh.html?hp&ex=1112846400&en=bb2cb9ab66641923&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Sugar and Spice, and Biochemistry
Several big food and beverage companies are looking at a new ingredient in the battle for health-conscious consumers: a chemical that tricks the taste buds into sensing sugar or salt even when it is not there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/business/06senomyx.html
The Gulf News
Seven Saudi militants killed in fierce clashes
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
Riyadh: Saudi security forces killed seven gunmen in the northern town of Al Russ, where gunbattles raged for a second day with suspected militants, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=159391
Mideast must be free of WMD
By Mohammad Almezel, Bureau Chief
Manama: The Gulf Cooperation Council renewed its call for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, a top GCC official said.
"We look forward to a Middle East, including the Gulf region, that is free of such weapons," Abdul Rahman Al Attiya, secretary-general of the GCC, told Gulf News in an interview yesterday.
His statement refers to both Israel, which has a nuclear arsenal, as well as Iran, which the European Union is trying to convince to give up its controversial nuclear programme.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=159406
Big salary increase for federal employees
By Stanley Carvalho and C.L. Jose, Staff Reporters
Abu Dhabi: The salary increase for UAE nationals and expatriates announced by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday was unanimously welcomed by residents.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/NationNF.asp?ArticleID=159570
EU hails Gulf states' reform march
By Mohammad Almezel, Bureau Chief
Manama: The European Union yesterday welcomed the steps taken by countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council to introduce political reforms, and agreed with the Gulf states that these reforms should come from within without any outside pressure.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=159538
Qatar and Kuwait sign raft of agreements
By Barbara Bibbo', Correspondent
Doha: Qatar and Kuwait signed a series of agreements in education, science and media cooperation here on Monday, the Qatar News Agency reported.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=159542
continued...
