RIA Novosti
Russia, with huge oil and gas reserves, enjoys stability - Putin
MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia's constant economic growth created an atmosphere of stability in the country which had enough oil and gas reserves for many generations to come.
Putin, speaking live on TV and radio said economic growth this year would hit 5.9% and that real per capita income was likely to come in at between 8.5%-10%. Last year's growth rate was 7.1%.
"During the past several years, Russia's economy has been growing at about 7% year on year. This is much higher than what we are seeing in a large number of developed countries, as well as in economies in transition," Putin said.
Putin said the Central Bank's gold and currency reserves had grown from $12 billion in 2000 to $155 billion in 2005 and that Russia was regularly making payments on its foreign debt.
http://en.rian.ru/business/20050927/41522269.html
URGENT: Russia not set to change oil export duty - Putin
MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti)-Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia had no immediate plans to change the export duty on oil.
"The export duty is directly linked to world prices for oil derivatives," Putin said. "And there are no plans yet to touch it."
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20050927/41522882.html
URGENT: Putin warns against excessive government spending
Moscow, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that using the Stabilization Fund for extra social spending would spark inflation and harm the economy.
Speaking on live television and radio, Putin said: "We could spend these funds today, but nobody would feel it. There is not so much money as it seems, and inflation would eat it up in no time. It would be a senseless act of political populism, which would harm the economy and, consequently, every Russian family."
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20050927/41522844.html
IRAN IS COUNTING TOO MUCH ON RUSSIAN CLOUT TO GET ALL OF WHAT IT WANTS. AND IT WANTS ISRAEL GONE ! It would be foolish to believe anything else. I don't even see Tehran extending aid to the Palestinians for reconstruction. Why? Because it has plans to destroy the area instead of make peace with it? The Arab nations are impatient for more disengagement but Israel is correct, the PA can't handle what it currently has. Iran is not loyal to any ally. Russia should understand that 'Cold War' double standard better than any other country.
Iran stakes its all?
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov.) In its relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Big Three (United Kingdom, Germany, France), with who it is negotiating the fate of its nuclear dossier, Iran is clearly staking everything.
There is no way else to interpret the words of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani that, in case the Big Three goes on pressing for full rejection of the nuclear fuel cycle program, Iran may withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and deny IAEA inspectors access to Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tehran does understand that for Europe its withdrawal from the treaty will be a clear signal that a nuclear program is ready for military application. What kind of answer does Tehran expect from the European Union and the United States?
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20050923/41487703.html
Conditions for Ukraine's WTO membership unfavorable -- minister
WASHINGTON, September 26 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Berezin) - Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said at a Washington news conference that the conditions set for Ukraine to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) were "very unfavorable."
The minister, who was in the U.S. capital Sunday to attend a session of the International Monetary and Financial Committee at an annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund boards of governors, said: "We will not join the WTO on such conditions."
He said that Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref would discuss the issue during his own visit to Washington, which would start on Monday.
Kudrin said Russia was concluding bilateral discussions on WTO issues with several countries. The minister said that even if agreement on Russia's membership in the organization were reached by the end of 2005, technical procedures would take between six months and a year to complete.
http://en.rian.ru/business/20050926/41506130.html
THIS IS FALSE SECURITY WITH AFGHANISTAN. CALLING IN NOTES IS MORE LIKELY TO DESTABILZE THE GOVERNMENT AND NOT OPPRESS THE REBELS AND WARLORDS. IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO LEAN ON KARZI TO PRESSURE POLITICAL SHIFT IN THIS MANNER. AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE POPPY CULTURE IS A FAR BETTER IDEA AS THAT IS WHERE AL QAEDA, THE TALIBAN AND THE WARLORDS OBTAIN THEIR WEALTH. NOT ONLY AN ALTERNATIVE BUT A DESTRUCTION TO THE POPPY CULTURE SIMULTANIOUSLY. Answers to the problems of the Afghan people will shift an alliance in a meaningful way. I don't believe Putin wants Osama bin Laden as president of Afghanistan again just to embarrass Bush.
Afghanistan's $10 billion debt yet to be settled -- Russian minister
WASHINGTON, September 26 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Berezin) - Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has said that a decision will still have to be made on restructuring and partially writing off Afghanistan's $10 billion debt to Russia.
The minister, who was in the U.S. capital Sunday to attend a session of the International Monetary and Financial Committee at an annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund boards of governors, said: "We have been holding difficult discussions on a partial debt write-off. A solution has not yet been found."
Kudrin said after a meeting with his Afghan counterpart that Afghanistan's Soviet-era debt to Russia was non-performing. When asked whether Afghanistan was able to pay debt, he said: "This possibility is being discussed."
Kudrin also met with finance ministers from Angola, India, Moldova, and Britain during the session.
http://en.rian.ru/business/20050926/41506589.html
The Guardian
Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina
by Mark Townsend Houston
Sunday September 25, 2005
The Observer
It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.
Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War. The US Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have apparently been taught to shoot terrorists attacking military vessels. Their coastal compound was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea. But those who have studied the controversial use of dolphins in the US defence programme claim it is vital they are caught quickly.
Leo Sheridan, 72, a respected accident investigator who has worked for government and industry, said he had received intelligence from sources close to the US government's marine fisheries service confirming dolphins had escaped.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1577753,00.html
600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island
Jonathan Franklin in Santiago
Monday September 26, 2005
The Guardian
The archipelago is named after Robinson Crusoe, but perhaps it should have been called Treasure Island.
A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island.
"The biggest treasure in history has been located," said Fernando Uribe-Etxeverria, a lawyer for Wagner, the Chilean company leading the search. Mr Uribe-Etxeverria estimated the value of the buried treasure at US$10bn (£5.6bn).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1578135,00.html
Bush plea for cash to rebuild Iraq raises $600
Mark Townsend in Houston
Sunday September 25, 2005
The Observer
An extraordinary appeal to Americans from the Bush administration for money to help pay for the reconstruction of Iraq has raised only $600 (£337), The Observer has learnt. Yet since the appeal was launched earlier this month, donations to rebuild New Orleans have attracted hundreds of millions of dollars.
The public's reluctance to contribute much more than the cost of two iPods to the administration's attempt to offer citizens 'a further stake in building a free and prosperous Iraq' has been seized on by critics as evidence of growing ambivalence over that country.
This coincides with concern over the increasing cost of the war. More than $30 billion has been appropriated for the reconstruction. Initially, America's overseas aid agency, USaid, expected it to cost taxpayers no more than $1.7bn, but it is now asking the public if they want to contribute even more.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1577750,00.html
Entire arsenal was destroyed, monitors say
· Blair hails momentous day in the peace process
· Church witnesses 'utterly certain' arms are unusable
Angelique Chrisafis, Ireland correspondent
Tuesday September 27, 2005
The IRA's entire arsenal of weapons has been destroyed, the head of the international decommissioning body said yesterday. The retired Canadian general John de Chastelain said that he had examined "large quantities of arms" which he was satisfied made up the "totality of the IRA's arsenal". This included "a full range of ammunition, rifles, machine guns, mortars, missiles, handguns, explosives, explosive substances and other arms".
This is the first time in their 200-year history that Irish republicans have agreed to give up their weapons.
Tony Blair hailed it as a momentous day in the Northern Ireland peace process, in the wake of the IRA's announcement in July that its armed struggle was over.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1579158,00.html
The Boston Globe
Polling places to usher in a new era
City offering more translation services
By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff September 27, 2005
Boston election officials will post signs in seven languages and staff each of the city's polling places with translators as observers from five separate groups, including the US Department of Justice and the secretary of state's office, monitor today's preliminary City Council election.
It is the city's first election since settling a federal lawsuit earlier this month that alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act, and city officials said they are scrambling to comply with its requirements.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/09/27/polling_places_to_usher_in_a_new_era/
Newton parishioners hold vigil to protest pastor's resignation
By Mark Pratt, Associated Press Writer September 27, 2005
BOSTON --Parishioners in Newton held an overnight prayer vigil to protest the ouster of an outspoken Catholic priest and accused the archdiocese of trying to weed out dissenting voices in a "witch hunt."
The Rev. Walter Cuenin was asked to step down as pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton for financial improprieties that violated archdiocesan rules and Canon law, the archdiocese said in a release Monday.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/27/newton_parishioners_hold_vigil_to_protest_pastors_resignation/
New Jersey sues three oil companies
By Angela Delli Santi, Associated Press Writer September 27, 2005
TRENTON, N.J. --New Jersey has sued three oil companies and several gas stations for allegedly gouging drivers during Hurricane Katrina.
The lawsuits accuse Hess, Motiva Shell and Sunoco with artificially inflating gas prices and for increasing prices more than the once-a-day legal limit. Independent gas station operators selling Hess, Shell, Sunoco and Citgo brands were also sued.
"The goal here is to protect consumers' hard-earned money from artificial inflation and economic exploitation," Attorney General Peter C. Harvey said Monday. "Some of these dealers were using Katrina to artificially inflate the price, because there were sufficient supplies that this kind of pricing did not have to occur."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/09/27/new_jersey_sues_three_oil_companies/
OF COURSE EXXON DIDN'T THINK THE VALDES WAS SERIOUS EITHER.
Exxon: Rita damage doesn't look serious
September 27, 2005
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp. <XOM.N> said on Tuesday it appeared its facilities in the U.S. Gulf were not badly damaged by the passing of Hurricane Rita.
Exxon President Rex Tillerson said it would take some days to make a full assessment but told journalists at the sidelines of the World Petroleum Congress in Johannesburg that "the early indications are (that the damage is) not very serious."
Tillerson added that hurricane damage could affect the U.S. gas market this winter.
"There's no question that things could get tight this winter because of the interruptions we've had in the Gulf of Mexico," he said.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/09/27/exxon_rita_damage_doesnt_look_serious/
Kerry fears Katrina-like lack of preparation for global competition
By Glen Johnson, AP Political Writer September 26, 2005
BOSTON --Hurricane Katrina exposed the nation's lack of preparation for a natural disaster, Sen. John Kerry said Monday, and the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee is worried the United States is similarly unprepared for global competition with the likes of India or China.
Kerry told a Boston Chamber of Commerce luncheon the country needs to invest more in so-called building blocks such as education while eliminating roadblocks such as soaring health care costs.
"Why are we doing things that don't make sense?" the Massachusetts senator asked. "Politics? Ideology? Favoritism? Special interests?"
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/09/26/kerry_fears_katrina_like_lack_of_preparation_for_global_competition/
VA drug program said cheaper than Medicare
By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Writer September 27, 2005
WASHINGTON --People who get their drug benefits through the Veterans Affairs Department paid about $220 less for a yearlong prescription than those who used the government's Medicare drug card, said a study released Tuesday.
Families USA, an advocacy group, said older people using the discount cards paid more than they would have paid through the VA for 49 of the 50 most frequently used drugs for senior citizens.
The discount cards have been in effect for less than 18 months. They will be replaced Jan. 1 by a comprehensive benefit that beneficiaries can obtain by enrolling with a private plan.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/aging/articles/2005/09/27/va_drug_program_said_cheaper_than_medicare/
The Miami Herald
U.S. to apologize for WWII seizures
(image placeholder)
A federal judge approved a $25.5 million settlement that also calls for the U.S. government to apologize to Hungarian Holocaust survivors whose possessions were sold or seized by American troops after World War II.
BY SCOTT HIAASEN
shiaasen@herald.com
Hungarian Holocaust survivors whose possessions were plundered by the Nazis and later seized by American soldiers will finally get what has eluded them for 60 years: an apology from the U.S. government.
The apology is part of a $25.5 million settlement approved Monday between the government and Hungarian Jews who lost art, jewels and other items when the 40-car German ''Gold Train'' was seized in Austria in 1945 at the end of World War II.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12752994.htm
An imperfect immigration policy
OUR OPINION: ENSURE THAT NO CUBAN IS RETURNED TO FACE PERSECUTION
Last week's cat-and-mouse chase by U.S. authorities of 10 Cuban men desperate to reach U.S. soil shows how flawed the U.S. ''wet-foot/dry-foot'' policy is. The policy creates a strong incentive for Cubans to cross the dangerous Florida Straits but has few protections that ensure they will not face persecution or torture if they are returned to the island.
Ultimately, the policy worsens the plight of Cubans desperate enough to leave Cuba to escape Fidel Castro's tyranny. For it is the lack of hope and opportunity in Cuba that drives thousands of Cubans to take to the seas in rickety boats or cast their lots with dubious smugglers.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12749924.htm
Campaign targets deadly-force law
OUR OPINION: SHOOT-FIRST LAW IS DANGEROUS AND UNNECESSARY
Florida's new shoot-first law was a bad idea from the start -- and state lawmakers should revoke the law at their first opportunity. So don't blame the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for warning visitors to stay calm if they become involved in a public confrontation after the law takes effect on Saturday.
The gun-control group is launching a low-budget campaign to advise visitors that Florida residents now can use deadly force in public places if they believe they are threatened. ''Please be careful,'' the group's fliers and signs say. Peter Hamm, communications director for the Brady group, says the goal isn't to discourage visitors to Florida but to prevent violence. ''We don't want anything bad to happen,'' he said. The law extends the ''Castle Doctrine,'' which says people can use deadly force if they feel threatened by an intruder in their home, to in a public place where they have a lawful right to be.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12749922.htm
BBC News
Ice explorer readies for launch
By Helen Briggs
BBC News science reporter, Plesetsk
Cryosat has the task of filling in the data gaps
Europe's Cryosat spacecraft is about to launch on a three-year mission to study the Earth's ice caps.
The satellite's main objective is to test and quantify the prediction that global warming is causing ice to thin at the poles.
Scientists hope the data will give a clearer picture of the impact of rising temperatures on ice and, ultimately, global sea levels.
Climate models suggest that as the Earth gets warmer, the planet's ice cover will shrink.
But while there are already some signs this is under way, scientists want conclusive evidence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4282420.stm
UK 'needs yearly climate updates'
By Richard Black
Environment Correspondent, BBC News website
An annual report is a good way of focussing attention on the problem
Mark Lazarowicz MP
Draft legislation just published in the UK would require the prime minister to make annual reports to Parliament on measures to curb climate change.
It would also establish national targets for small-scale renewable energy projects.
Britain's greenhouse gas emissions have risen for the last two years.
The private member's bill, which has cross-party support, is being introduced by Labour's Mark Lazarowicz, and will be debated in November.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4284502.stm
Microgrids as peer-to-peer energy
Alternative energy technologies are falling in price
Small networks of power generators in "microgrids" could transform the electricity network in the way that the net changed distributed communication.
That is one of the conclusions of a Southampton University project scoping out the feasibility of microgrids for power generation and distribution.
Microgrids are small community networks that supply electricity and heat.
They could make substantial savings, and emissions cuts with no major changes to lifestyles, researchers say.
Electricity suppliers are aiming to meet the UK government's Renewables Obligation, requiring them to generate 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2015.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4245584.stm
Turn your home into a mini power station
As autumn sends a chill down the spine, heating one's house doesn't have to hurt the environment. Technological advances have given us a range of innovations for turning the humble home into a mini-power station.
This summer millions of people were made to think hard about something they had always taken for granted - electricity.
The massive power cuts in Italy, Canada and the US, coupled with notable outages in London and the West Midlands, wrought chaos and confusion.
Some experts say more are to come, as utilities companies try to square pressure on overheads with increased consumer demand.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3208216.stm
Blair promising to step up reform
Mr Blair will not announce a date for his retirement
Tony Blair will tell the Labour Party it must continue to modernise Britain as he seeks to show he has not run out of steam as prime minister.
He will outline to the party's conference in Brighton a host of reform plans for the public services.
The solution to challenges facing the UK is "not less New Labour but more New Labour", Mr Blair will say.
He speaks after Gordon Brown delivered a speech seen as confirming his status as leader-in-waiting.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4284710.stm
Weapons witnesses 'IRA-nominated'
Ian Paisley said his party now wanted to meet the government
The DUP was "shocked" by what it learned in a meeting with the chief of the decommissioning body, party leader Ian Paisley has said.
He said the two church witnesses to disarmament were "IRA nominated" and the party now wants to meet them.
Catholic priest Father Alec Reid and ex-Methodist president Rev Harold Good were not appointed by the government or IICD, said Mr Paisley.
The party said the list of IRA weapons had been "revised and tampered with".
"These are the things that put a very big question over what has taken place," said Mr Paisley.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4286266.stm
NI soldiers 'face combat stress'
Soldiers can suffer psychological trauma years after serving
Soldiers from Northern Ireland form the single biggest group showing the symptoms of combat stress.
The Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society, known as Combat Stress, is urging the government to do more to help soldiers and former soldiers cope.
The problem is not confined to young soldiers. One case involved an army veteran who is 100 years old.
The society's chief executive Toby Elliott, who is visiting Belfast, said 600 new cases came forward each year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4285696.stm
Zarqawi's number two 'shot dead'
There has been a recent spate of attacks on police recruits
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command in Iraq has been shot dead, reports say.
Iraqi and US officials said Abu Azzam, described as an aide to leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a joint operation on Sunday morning.
In a separate incident, at least 10 people died in an attack on police recruits north of Baghdad.
At least 26 people were injured in the suicide blast in Baquba - the third major attack on Iraqi police in the last three days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4285394.stm
Iraq charter 'will fuel strife'
The group says a last-minute deal could prevent further violence
Iraq's draft constitution has deepened the country's ethnic and sectarian rifts and is likely to fuel the insurgency, a new report says.
The text was not based on broad consent, and the country appears to be heading towards partition and civil war, the study says.
The report, by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, calls on the US address Sunni concerns.
Iraqis are due to vote in a referendum on the draft text on 15 October.
The constitution will pass unless voters in three of Iraq's 18 provinces muster a two-thirds majority against it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4283416.stm
S Africa hits back over Aids slur
Health Minister Tshabalala-Msimang (r) has been criticised by Aids activists
South Africa's health ministry has angrily denied accusations that it had "betrayed" the population by not doing enough to fight HIV/Aids.
It said the trade union leader who made the attacks was "irresponsible" and "needs to get his facts straight".
Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi had also accused President Thabo Mbeki of a "failure of leadership".
Six million of South Africa's 45m people are infected with HIV, according to the health department.
Strains have emerged in the alliance between Mr Mbeki's ANC and the unions, who demand more action on poverty.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4285542.stm
Senior Afghan minister 'to quit'
Mr Jalali is said to have been at odds with President Karzai
Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali has said he will resign.
Correspondents say Mr Jalali has been outspoken over the role of senior officials in the drugs trade.
He has also disagreed with President Karzai's choice of provincial officials. It is not yet known if Mr Karzai will accept the resignation.
Mr Jalali said he wanted time to pursue an academic career. A presidential spokesman said Mr Jalali was resigning for "personal reasons".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4285550.stm
The Belfast Telegraph
IRA lay down arms
Provos to confirm today all weapons destroyed and gun removed from Irish politics
Brian Dowling, Tom Brady and Dominic Cunningham
26 September 2005
The IRA will confirm today that the gun has finally been removed from Irish politics after nearly 40 years of violence.
Today's historic development will herald the end of the IRA and pave the way for new talks on restoring devolved government in the North.
The announcement from P. O'Neill, long-awaited and coming at the end of a bloody trail of death and destruction, will confirm that the paramilitary group has allowed its vast arsenal of weapons to be destroyed in the presence of independent witnesses.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=663090
IRA's dramatic move now puts it up to loyalists
Dominic Cunningham
26 September 2005
Part of the domino effect of the IRA's decision to dump arms could be a move by the North's various loyalist paramilitary groups to follow suit now.
It is known that the Ulster Volunteer Force has been monitoring IRA weapons moves carefully and with increased interest over the past few months.
There was growing speculation last week that the UVF - the oldest Protestant terror group in Northern Ireland - was involved in a major internal debate on how to react to confirmation that IRA guns were being finally silenced.
The loyalist paramilitaries have always maintained they existed only to meet the threat from armed republicans and that once that perceived danger to their communities had gone they too would stand down.
Despite the decision last week by Northern Secretary Mr Peter Hain to declare the UVF ceasefire to be over, the group's political spokesman Mr David Ervine - leader of the Progressive Unionists - said that he did not believe they posed a threat to the peace process.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=663095
'Unionists need to absorb IRA move'
Adams rejects secret deal claims
By Marie Foy
27 September 2005
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has insisted that there is no secret agenda behind IRA decommissioning.
Speaking after yesterday's historic announcement by the Independent International Commission for Decommissioning, Mr Adams said: "I understand that some unionists don't trust us, that they think this is some sort of secret deal".
"We need to politically listen to unionism at this time. I go forward very proud of my republicanism. We want a united Ireland.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=663136
Chicago Sun Times
A farewell to arms, but not to violence
September 27, 2005
BY JOHN O'SULLIVAN
With the news that the IRA has announced its positively final arms decommissioning, a stately political minuet will begin to revive a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive that includes Sinn Fein (the unarmed half of the Sinn Fein-IRA octopus).
According to the Whitehall leaks that always precede these declarations, Britain's Tony Blair and Ireland's Bertie Ahern hope that, making due allowance for the usual horse-trading, such an Executive can be up and running by the new year. Both governments will be employing formidable incentives and penalties to make it so. And the first incentive will be their stress on the ''historic'' and ''unprecedented'' nature of the IRA's gesture.
That is especially necessary because, as Sinn Fein's president (and sometime member of the IRA Army Council) Gerry Adams has publicly conceded, the last historic and unprecedented IRA announcement that its terrorist war was maybe over did not have the favorable public impact that it had counted upon.
http://www.suntimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi
Fawell: Ryan knew about fund-raising scheme
September 27, 2005
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter
The man who once worked closest with former Gov. George Ryan has dumped public corruption allegations right onto his old boss' lap, claiming Ryan, while in elected office, knew of a "master list" tracking political favors and of political fund-raising tickets being sold at state offices.
In a statement to the feds -- revealed in part through defense motions Monday -- former Ryan protege Scott Fawell said Ryan, as the Illinois secretary of state, knew prior administrations bought and sold political fund-raising tickets on state time but, "We took it to a higher level."
Fawell told prosecutors -- who accuse Ryan of steering state contracts to cronies and taking cash, gifts, vacations and other perks in return -- that Ryan knew about a master list that Fawell kept. The list included people and companies that had helped Ryan's election efforts, and it was used by Fawell to dole out contracts.
http://www.suntimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi
New Zealand Herald
Biggest typhoon in 30 years batters China island
26.09.05 3.50pm
Beijing, Sept 26 Reuters - A typhoon roared across China's southern Hainan on Monday, the strongest storm to hit the tropical resort island in more than 30 years, and forced more than 170,000 people to flee their homes.
Typhoon Damrey had caused "casualties", flattened houses and damaged crops on an island often referred to as China's Hawaii since it made landfall on Sunday, but the full extent of the destruction was unknown, a disaster relief official said.
"The primary threat now is strong winds, but judging from our experience in recent years, river floods are also possible if the heavy rains continue," he told Reuters by telephone.
He gave no details of the casualties and there was no immediate word of damage to hotels. But he said 170,000 people had been evacuated to safety.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10347362
Australian leaders meet for anti-terror laws
27.09.05 1.00pm
CANBERRA - Australian state and territory leaders look set to reach agreement with the federal government today over a raft of controversial anti-terror laws.
Despite general in-principle support for more severe measures to combat the terrorist threat in Australia, state governments have expressed concerns the tough new proposals as they stand contain no sunset clause.
The leaders will come together with the federal government at a Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) meeting in Canberra to discuss the plans.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10347504
Australian PM says terror laws don't target Muslims
26.09.05 1.00pm
CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister John Howard says new laws to be discussed at a national security summit will not target Muslims.
Mr Howard will seek the agreement of state and territory leaders in Canberra tomorrow on tough new anti-terror powers, including the detention of terrorist suspects for up to 14 days and a new crime of inciting violence against the community.
Hundreds of Muslims and civil libertarians gathered in Sydney yesterday to call for an end to the government's grab for greater anti-terrorism powers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10347331
New Zealanders caught up in hurricane jam
26.09.05 4.00pm
New Zealander Tim Duerr does not know what is left of his home in Port Arthur, Texas, nearly two days after it was battered by Hurricane Rita.
Like other Port Arthur residents Mr Duerr, from Wellington, was still barred today from returning to the Gulf Coast town near the Louisiana border which bore the brunt of the storm on Saturday (local time).
"They just won't let us in. If anyone tries to get there, the police will escort them out," he told NZPA from the hospital near Houston where he works as a respiratory therapist.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10347334
Fiji senator jailed for coup role
27.09.05 1.00pm
A Fiji government senator has been jailed for eight months for his role in the Pacific nation's 2000 coup.
The Lautoka High Court today gave prison terms to Apisai Tora, 71, and 12 indigenous Fijian villagers after convicting them of unlawful assembly last week, the news website Fijilive reported.
Tora and the villagers took over a military checkpoint in the final days of the two month crisis.
He told the court yesterday their action had been staged to help persuade Fiji's indigenous chiefs to appoint Ratu Josefa Iloilo president and not in support of coup frontman George Speight.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10347516
Second attempt to clone human fails
27.09.05 1.00pm
By Steve Connor
A maverick fertility doctor announced yesterday that he has for a second time failed in his attempts to implant a cloned human embryo into a woman's womb.
Panos Zavos travelled from his fertility clinic in Kentucky to an expensive London hotel to publicise his failure at producing the world's first cloned baby.
Professor Zavos claimed - without producing any evidence - that he had created four cloned IVF embryos, which he had then implanted into a 33-year-old woman living in the Middle East.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10347502
Michael Campbell shirt fetches $10,000 at auction
27.09.05 1.00pm
A shirt signed by Kiwi golfing pro and man of the moment Michael Campbell has gone under the hammer for $10,000 at a high-profile charity luncheon in Tauranga.
A glove signed by golfing legend Tiger Woods also sold for $10,500 at the luncheon which raised $104,000.
The framed glove, along with two golf balls, was one of 26 items auctioned at the 11th annual Tauranga CIB charity luncheon, which raised money for the Bay of Plenty Down Syndrome Association.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10347512
The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
Scott Base
Some cloud
-32.0°
Updated Tuesday 27 Sep 8:59PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
41 °F / 5 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
87%
Dew Point:
37 °F / 3 °C
Wind:
Calm
Pressure:
30.11 in / 1020 hPa
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Overcast 5000 ft / 1524 m
(Above Ground Level)
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