The Boston Globe
Endangered condors soar over Grand Canyon
By Michelle Roberts, Associated Press Writer June 13, 2005
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. --The South Rim of the Grand Canyon has long been a favorite of human visitors gawking at the stunning views and taking advantage of the manmade services. As it turns out, the South Rim also is a favorite of endangered California condors -- for many of the same reasons. The large birds often gather to watch people, socialize with one another and drink from a leaky water pipe.
On some days, as many as 25 to 30 condors soar over the canyon area -- more birds than were in existence a generation ago when officials decided to capture and breed them.
The birds, which have dull orange featherless heads with a stubby beak and dark body feathers, were reintroduced in the wild in Arizona starting in 1996. What began with the release of six birds 50 miles north of here has led to a flock of 53, including some of the first wild-born condors since the early 1980s.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/06/13/endangered_condors_soar_over_grand_canyon/
High court backs workers in pay dispute
By Gina Holland, Associated Press Writer November 8, 2005
WASHINGTON --The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that companies must pay plant workers for the time it takes to change into protective clothing and safety gear and walk to their work stations.
The issue was one of two that justices settled in a pair of unanimous decisions, the first rulings under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts in the new fall term. Roberts did not write either one.
In a defeat for business, the court said that employers must pay wages for the donning of "integral" gear and the time it takes workers to then walk to the production area.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/08/high_court_backs_workers_in_pay_dispute/
Northwest seeks temporary pay cuts for some
November 8, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS --Northwest Airlines Corp. is asking a judge to temporarily authorize 19 percent pay cuts for its customer service agents and other ground workers.
The cuts would save the Eagan-based carrier about $114 million a year, but company officials said they would only be in effect for a few months until management and the ground workers union negotiate a long-term concessionary agreement, the Star Tribune reported Tuesday. Northwest sought bankruptcy protection in September.
Leaders of the pilots and flight attendants union already agreed to deep interim pay cuts that would reduce Northwest's costs by $332 million a year.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/11/08/northwest_seeks_temporary_pay_cuts_for_some/
Jury acquits union leaders on mob charges
November 8, 2005
NEW YORK --Two executives of the International Longshoremen's Association and a reputed mobster who went missing mid-trial were acquitted Tuesday of charges that they helped the Mafia keep its grip on the New York waterfront.
Supporters gasped and burst into tears as a federal jury in Brooklyn found union officials Harold Daggett and Arthur Coffey not guilty of extortion and fraud charges.
The jury also acquitted Lawrence Ricci, an alleged Genovese crime family associate who had been accused of wire and mail fraud.
But the victory may turn out to be empty for Ricci, who vanished in the middle of the trial and is suspected to have been slain by the mob.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/11/08/jury_acquits_union_leaders_on_mob_charges/
Union wants base pay of $40,000; Vt. short of that
November 8, 2005
BURLINGTON, Vt. --Vermont has a long way to go if it wants to meet the new goal of the National Education Association: annual base pay for starting teachers of $40,000 nationwide.
The teachers' union argues that improving base pay is the key to attracting top college graduates into the classroom, and that base pay as low as $28,000 in some Vermont schools has hampered recruitment.
"I think the data is there that indicates that persistently low teacher pay continues to be a factor in the challenge of recruiting and retaining the kinds of teachers people say they want and we know we need in public school classrooms," said Angelo Dorta, president of the Vermont-NEA, the state chapter of the National Education Association.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/11/08/union_wants_base_pay_of_40000_vt_short_of_that/
UVM faculty, administration far apart in contract talks
November 8, 2005
BURLINGTON, Vt. --Fourteen hours of negotiations and mediation produced no resolution Monday as University of Vermont faculty and administrators negotiated over a new contract.
The marathon session ended at 11 p.m. with the two sides still differing over salaries, health insurance coverage and retirement issues.
Contract talks started in January but were halted when both sides declared an impasse Aug. 25. A mediator was called in, and Monday was expected to be the last mediation session. But another session was set for Dec. 6.
Tom Gustafson, UVM's vice president for student and campus life, said negotiators had "made quite a bit of progress, but there are issues that still need quite a bit more work and analysis."
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/11/08/uvm_faculty_administration_far_apart_in_contract_talks/
Senators say Alito respects Roe decision
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, right, speaks with Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., left, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005 in Brownback's Capitol Hill office in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
By Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press Writer November 8, 2005
WASHINGTON --Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said the court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision deserves "great respect" but did not commit to upholding it in the future, senators said Tuesday.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said Alito told him the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing abortion rights "was precedent on which people, a lot of people, relied, and had been precedent now for decades and therefore deserved great respect."
Lieberman called that "encouraging," but also said the federal judge had not assured him that he would not overturn Roe.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/08/senators_say_alito_respects_roe_decision/
Soccer star, Ivy Leaguer run in Liberia
Soccer star and presidential candidate George Weah from the Congress for Democratic Change 'CDC' party votes on the outskirts of the city of Monrovia, Liberia on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005. Weah vying to become Liberia's first postwar president vowed to work for peace as he voted Tuesday in a presidential runoff that many hope will herald a new era after a quarter century of coups and conflict. (AP Photo)
By Todd Pitman, Associated Press Writer November 8, 2005
MONROVIA, Liberia --A soccer star vying to become Liberia's first postwar president vowed to work for peace as he voted Tuesday in a runoff election that many hope will herald a new era after a quarter century of coups and conflict. His Ivy League-educated opponent expressed confidence she would win.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/11/08/soccer_star_ivy_leaguer_run_in_liberia/
Defense lawyer in Saddam trial killed
An Iraqi man looks at the burnt shell of a police car which was attacked near the town of Daquq, 25 miles south of Kirkuk, November 8, 2005. (A REUTERS/Slahaldeen Rasheed)
By Lutfi Abu Oun and Waleed Ibrahim November 8, 2005
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a second defense lawyer acting in Saddam Hussein's trial on Tuesday, renewing questions over whether the former president can get a fair trial amid Iraq's daily violence.
Another defense lawyer was slightly wounded in the attack on their car in Baghdad, police and defense team sources said.
The shooting followed the murder of another defense lawyer who was shot the day after the televised start of proceedings on October 19.
It stoked controversy about whether the high-profile trial for crimes against humanity should be delayed or moved abroad.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/11/08/saddam_trial_defense_lawyer_killed/
US used white phosphorus on Iraqi civilians-report
By Phil Stewart November 8, 2005
ROME (Reuters) - U.S. forces in Iraq have used incendiary white phosphorus against civilians and a firebomb similar to napalm against military targets, Italian state-run broadcaster RAI reported on Tuesday.
A RAI documentary showed images of bodies recovered after a November 2004 offensive by U.S. troops on the town of Falluja, which it said proved the use of white phosphorus against men, women and children who were burned to the bone.
"I do know that white phosphorus was used," said Jeff Englehart in the RAI documentary, which identified him as a former soldier in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division in Iraq.
The U.S. military says white phosphorus is a conventional weapon and says it does not use any chemical arms.
"Burned bodies. Burned children and burned women," said Englehart, who RAI said had taken part in the Falluja offensive. "White phosphorus kills indiscriminately."
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/11/08/us_used_white_phosphorus_on_iraqi_civilians_report/
This was precious. It's okay for Bush to continue to kill in Iraq. Force does not have to mean killing. Force can mean sanctions against the Sunnis to stop their opposition to the federal government. Iraq is regional anyway. They would have to stop travel between Sunni areas and the rest of Iraq shutting down access to trade and supplies. They haven't tried everything. All this administration knows is guns, munitions and the NRA.
This article doesn't speak to the fact the USA has the option of leaving as well.
U.N. extends mandate for force in Iraq
November 8, 2005
UNITED NATIONS --The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the mandate of the nearly 180,000-strong multinational force in Iraq for a year, a move the United States called a significant signal of international commitment to Iraq's political transition.
The resolution, which was co-sponsored by the United States, Britain, Denmark, Japan and Romania, was adopted in response to a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari for the U.S.-led force to remain in the country.
The current mandate authorizing the presence of the force expires on Dec. 31, about two weeks after parliamentary elections in Iraq -- the end point of the political process as defined by the Security Council.
The resolution extends the force's mandate until Dec. 31, 2006, with a review after eight months. Under its terms, the council will "terminate this mandate earlier if requested by the government of Iraq."
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/11/08/un_extends_mandate_for_force_in_iraq/
Pentagon issues new rules on detainees
By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer November 8, 2005
WASHINGTON --Thrown on the defensive by prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon has issued a broad new directive mandating that detainees be treated humanely and has banned the use of dogs to intimidate or harass suspects.
The directive, provided by the Defense Department, pulls together for the first time all of its existing policies and memos covering the interrogation of detainees taken in the war against terrorism. It comes as Congress is considering a ban on the inhumane treatment of U.S. prisoners and Democrats have launched a long-shot effort to create a commission to investigate abuse.
While the policy maps out broad requirements for humane treatment and for reporting any violations, it is just the first step in the development of a new Army manual that would more precisely detail which interrogation techniques are acceptable and which are not.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/08/pentagon_detainees_must_be_treated_well/
Top Rwanda genocide suspect surrenders to tribunal
November 8, 2005
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - A suspected leader of Rwanda's 1994 genocide surrendered on Tuesday to the international court trying the architects of the slaughter, the tribunal said.
Callixte Kalimanzira, 52, faces three charges including genocide. He is accused of inciting fellow ethnic Hutus to kill ethnic Tutsis, including women, children and the elderly.
"The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) took custody of Kalimanzira who surrendered to Tanzanian authorities today in Arusha," a statement by the Tanzanian-based court said.
Kalimanzira, a former assistant minister in the central African nation's government, is also charged with handing out weapons and personally overseeing the murder of Tutsis.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/11/08/top_rwanda_genocide_suspect_surrenders_to_tribunal/
To banish anxiety, Greenwich resident cleans highway onramps
By Michael Dinan, Greenwich Time November 8, 2005
GREENWICH, Conn. --The sun was setting on an Interstate 95 onramp in central Greenwich.
Elayne Kantor surveyed the scene, scoffed, hoisted a plastic garbage bag -- already half-full -- and marched right past the sign warning that pedestrian traffic is prohibited. She reached down with a surgical glove-covered hand and grabbed a clump of damp candy wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic coffee cup lids and plastic foam sandwich boxes.
"I drive past here every day on my way to work and it was just getting disgusting," Kantor said as accelerating truck and passenger-car drivers stared at her -- a 59-year-old woman in nice shoes rummaging through roadside muck and brush. "I've been thinking about it for a while and then I just said, 'I have to do this.' "
http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2005/11/08/to_banish_anxiety_greenwich_resident_cleans_highway_onramps/
High school student club promotes nutrition
By Christiana Sciaudone, The Advocate Of Stamford November 8, 2005
STAMFORD, Conn. --Obesity in America is a result of misconception.
So says Benj Ferri, founder of the Go Healthy Early Club at Westhill High School. Ferri said there is a "cultural, conceptual dichotomy" between "what's good for you and what tastes good."
People have preconceived ideas of what tastes good, and don't give healthy foods a chance, Ferri said.
"This country has a really big problem," he said.
Last year, he and fellow seniors Mike Alcan and J.R. Reyes took action. They got help from Jean McCormick, a nurse practitioner at the School-Based Health Center at Westhill, which is part of the nonprofit HealthCare Connection.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2005/11/08/high_school_student_club_promotes_nutrition/
Turnout steady in off-year-election
By Glenn Adams, Associated Press Writer November 8, 2005
AUGUSTA, Maine --Turnout was steady at polls across Maine on Tuesday as voters decided whether to repeal or keep on the books the state's law to bar discrimination against gays. Supporters as well as opponents of the gay rights law said a heavy turnout would benefit them.
Turnout for off-year balloting was steady in communities such as Portland, Augusta and Lisbon. State election officials predicted a strong turnout for a year in which no major statewide offices were being filled.
Besides the gay rights question, voters were deciding on five state borrowing questions totaling $83 million, and a constitutional amendment on whether to allow special tax treatment of waterfront land to help preserve Maine's fishing industry.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/11/08/turnout_steady_in_off_year_election/
High school evacuated after mercury spill
November 8, 2005
SPARKS, Nev. --Students spilled mercury in a classroom laboratory Monday, forcing the evacuation of 2,400 high schoolers, officials said.
A hazardous material crew decontaminated nine students who may have been exposed to the toxic substance at Reed High School.
The school will remain closed at least until Wednesday while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cleans up the site.
"We are going to investigate to find out how widespread it is, see how many kids might be affected," EPA spokeswoman Lisa Fasano said from regional headquarters in San Francisco.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/11/08/high_school_evacuated_after_mercury_spill/
Japan to cull 170,000 more chickens
November 8, 2005
TOKYO --Japan will cull 170,000 more chickens after a bird flu virus from the H5 family was detected at farm north of Tokyo, a news report said Tuesday.
The Agricultural Ministry said Monday that chickens at the farm tested positive for antibodies for the virus, though no viruses had been found. But local authorities corrected that announcement Tuesday, saying the virus had been detected in two chicken pens at the farm in Ibaraki prefecture (state), about 64 miles north of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Officials said the chickens probably had the H5N2 strain of the virus, which is less virulent than the H5N1 strain that has ravaged Southeast Asia since 2003 and killed at least 63 people there.
The 170,000 chickens in the two pens will be culled nevertheless, NHK said.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2005/11/08/japan_to_cull_170000_more_chickens/
SARS was much worse than this. Sympathy to the families effected by these losses.
Human deaths from bird flu, by country
By The Associated Press November 7, 2005
A look a human deaths from bird flu, by country, according to the World Health Organization: There have been 63 deaths worldwide since late 2003, the U.N. agency says.
--Vietnam: 41 deaths
--Thailand: 13 deaths
--Indonesia: 5 deaths
--Cambodia: 4 deaths
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/other/articles/2005/11/07/human_deaths_from_bird_flu_by_country/
Winking at genocide
November 8, 2005
A RECENT letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed by 109 members of Congress from both parties castigated the Bush administration for ''engaging in a policy of appeasement" toward the government of Sudan, which both Congress and former secretary of state Colin Powell have denounced as a perpetrator of genocide in the nation's Darfur region. The policy being carried out by Rice and her deputies may be more accurately described as indulgence of the Khartoum regime rather than appeasement, but, whatever the label, the failure to stop the suffering in Darfur is indefensible.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/11/08/winking_at_genocide/
Early warning on AIDS
November 8, 2005
EACH YEAR, 40,000 Americans become infected with the virus that causes AIDS, joining the more than 1 million Americans who are HIV-positive. About 25 percent of all the infected do not know they are carrying the disease, which means they get no treatment and may well transmit it to their sex partners. Young gay males who have become infected are especially unlikely to be aware they are. The best hope of reducing the frequency of new infections depends on getting more HIV-positive people to know their status and to change their sexual behavior.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/11/08/early_warning_on_aids/
Archaeologists unveil ancient church site
This picture taken on Oct. 31, 2005 and released by the Israeli Antiquities Authority shows a mosaic with writing in ancient Greek with references to Christ, on the floor of what is believed to be the oldest church in Israel that was recently discovered in the grounds inside the Megiddo prison, near the biblical site of Armageddon, in central Israel and reported by Israel's Channel 2 TV Saturday Nov. 5, 2005. The ruins are believed to date back 1,700 years, and include references to Jesus and images of fish, the report said. Archaeological experts quoted in the story said it was the largest church ever discovered in the holy land, and could perhaps turn out to be the oldest church in the world. (AP Photo/Israel Antiquities Authority)
By Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press Writer November 7, 2005
MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel --Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land's oldest church.
The discovery of the church in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, was hailed by experts as an important discovery that could reveal details about the development of the early church in the region. Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century, decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/11/07/archaeologists_unveil_ancient_church_site/
Boston's Jewish Renaissance
Fifteen years after a study on the rise of interfaith marriages had Jewish leaders bemoaning their religion's slow death, Judaism is thriving in Boston. What's more surprising is who's leading the revival.
Boston's oldest synagogue, the Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill, now serves as a cultural center and an informal place to experience Judaism. David Gerzof, 30, standing at the rear during a service, helps organize events at the shul. (Globe Staff Photo / Essdras M. Suarez)
By Doug Most November 6, 2005
There are ghosts in here. You can feel them in the peeling walls, the dirty floor tiles, the wooden pews, and the 100-year-old mahogany ark that holds the Torah scrolls. And if you close your eyes, you can see them. It's a Friday night in, say, 1925. Men walk to this synagogue dressed in gray suits, crisp white shirts, and neatly knotted ties. As they step through the arched front doors, they remove their handsome black fedoras to reveal their yarmulkes. In the Orthodox tradition, women enter separately through a side door. They are dressed plainly, in long skirts and prim blouses. Upstairs, where symbols of Judaism are painted on the walls of the sanctuary and a Star of David dangles from a chandelier, the men sit in the first set of pews while the women sit in their own section. "Shalom," says the rabbi from the elbow of the L-shaped room, and moonlight shines through the skylights as the service begins.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/11/06/bostons_jewish_renaissance/
Date palm grown from 2,000-year-old seed
By Steve Weizman, Associated Press Writer June 13, 2005
JERUSALEM --Israeli researchers have germinated a sapling date palm from seeds 2,000 years old, hoping its ancient DNA could reveal medicinal qualities to benefit future generations, one of the scientists leading the project said Sunday.
Sarah Sallon, of the Louis Borick Natural Medicine Research Center in Jerusalem, said she and her colleagues used seeds found in archaeological excavations at Masada, the desert mountain fortress where ancient Jewish rebels chose suicide over capture by Roman legions in A.D. 73. She said they were the oldest seeds ever brought back to life.
"A lotus seed was germinated (in China) after 1,200 years, but nothing has been germinated coming from this far back
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/06/13/date_palm_grown_from_2000_year_old_seed/
New Zealand Herald
Penguin evolution shaped by climate change
09.11.05
By Steve Connor
A colony of penguins that has bred at the same site in Antarctica for thousands of years has provided New Zealand scientists with a rare insight into how a change in the climate can speed up the course of evolution.
Researchers analysed ancient fragments of DNA from the remains of penguins that have been buried at the site for up to 6000 years and compared them to the DNA of living members of the same colony.
The comparison has offered a snapshot of small-scale evolutionary changes to the genetic sequence of the DNA that have occurred without any obvious changes to the appearance or behaviour of the birds.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354227
Australian terrorism fears intensify
09.11.05
By Greg Ansley
CANBERRA - The arrest of a radical Muslim cleric on terrorism charges yesterday and the planned deportation of another have heightened fears of deadly homegrown fundamentalist cells prepared to wage war on Australia.
Melbourne cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, also known as Abu Bakir, who has publicly supported Osama bin Laden, was yesterday accused of being the spiritual leader of an alleged terror group planning attacks on Sydney and Melbourne.
On Monday a court refused to quash a deportation order against Iranian-born Sheik Mansour Lehaei, identified by intelligence officials as a threat to national security.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354287
Bailey's clothes auctioned while she's on holiday
09.11.05
By Claire Trevett
As if things weren't bad enough for the jilted Mother of the Nation, she returned from holiday this week to find staff in the TVNZ building wearing her clothes.
While Judy Bailey was overseas on leave, it seems TVNZ held an in-house auction of the news presenter's wardrobe. But some of the garments were Bailey's own clothes - and definitely not for sale.
TVNZ spokeswoman Avon Adams said it was a mistake.
"What they tend to do is auction off the old clothes ... The tragedy is unfortunately Judy Bailey had some of her own personal garments in with the TVNZ wardrobe and they were inadvertently sold as well.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10354332
Gun scare at school
09.11.05 5.00am
The discovery of a pile of empty .22 calibre shell casings sparked an armed police callout to an Albany primary school yesterday.
Pupils told a Pinehurst School staff member they had seen a gun-toting person in camouflage but she dismissed the information until discovering the pile of used shells in the school grounds.
Armed police were dispatched and after an hour the mystery was solved.
A 12-year-old boy, who had collected the shells from a relative's farm, had decided to empty his pockets in the middle of the school while playing with his toy gun.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10354319
4-year-old dies in shoot out
09.11.05 5.20am
A 4-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet and three men were shot dead in a shoot-out between police and an armed gang in Papua New Guinea.
Police were called after up to 12 armed after police stormed the house of a building firm manager in the mountain town of Mt Hagen.
Police said three gang members died in the shootout, and a boy was hit in the head by a stray bullet in a neighbouring house.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354278
Tax cuts out of frame for 3 years
09.11.05
By Audrey Young
The Labour-led Government has ruled out "significant" tax cuts in the next three years in its blueprint issued at the state opening of Parliament yesterday.
The so-called speech from the throne by Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright - written by the Government - emphasised the aim to lift productivity by producing more per worker and reiterated the plan to review corporate taxation.
But it gave no hint that National's close shave with victory in the election on its campaign of substantial tax cuts had softened Labour's stance.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10354328
Wage inflation jump fuels rate-rise fears
09.11.05
By Brian Fallow
Wage rises accelerated in the September quarter, making another interest rate hike by the Reserve Bank a near certainty.
And the unions have vowed to continue their campaign for pay rises of 5 per cent or more.
The bank's preferred measure of underlying wage inflation, the private sector labour cost index, rose 0.8 per cent in the quarter, pushing the annual increase to 2.8 per cent from 2.5 per cent in June and March.
When the public sector was added, the overall quarterly increase was 1 per cent and the annual rise 3 per cent, Statistics New Zealand said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10354263
Canada sale keeps firm healthy
08.11.05
By Simon Hendery
Auckland medical software company Intrahealth Systems expects to reap more than C$10 million ($12 million) from a deal to provide advanced patient management technology to a large Canadian health authority.
Intrahealth says its contract with Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia - signed last week - is also an important foothold in its quest to win more lucrative North American business.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10354049
French youths riot again despite curfew threat
09.11.05
By Tom Heneghan
PARIS - Ignoring the government's threat of a curfew, youths rioted for a 12th successive night yesterday in France, torching more than 800 vehicles around the country and injuring four police, said the Interior Ministry
The nightly protests against racism and unemployment dropped markedly in the greater Paris region, where violence had escalated to the point of shooting at police, but continued unabated in other parts of France, a ministry statement showed.
The renewed violence followed a warning by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin that he would take a firm line against lawbreakers, including reinforcements for police and curfews not seen here since the Algerian war of 1954-1962.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354289
Stolen UK mobiles resold in 46 countries
09.11.05
By Jason Bennetto
Mobile phones stolen in Britain are being resold in more than 40 countries in a trade worth millions, a police investigation has discovered.
A study of more than 1000 mobiles stolen in Britain revealed they ended up in at least 46 different countries, including Iraq, Peru, Australia, Dubai, China and Jamaica.
Gangs use a network of second-hand shops and criminals to collect tens of thousands of mobiles stolen in street muggings and house break-ins, which are then taken abroad and sold.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354285
US charges five Guantanamo detainees
09.11.05
By Charles Aldinger
WASHINGTON - Five foreign terrorism suspects at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been charged with war crimes and will face military trials, bringing to nine the number charged at Guantanamo to date, the Pentagon announced on Monday.
Two of the five "enemy combatants" facing charges are from Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said. The other three are from Algeria, Ethiopia and Canada. Nearly 500 detainees are being held at the Navy prison in Cuba.
The charges were announced just hours after the Supreme Court said it would decide whether President George W. Bush has the power to create military tribunals to put Guantanamo prisoners on trial for war crimes, an important test of the administration's policy in the war on terrorism.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354290
Hamburgers cause asthma, NZ research says
08.11.05 1.00pm
By Kent Atkinson
Eating hamburgers more than once a week nearly doubles the risk of asthma attacks and wheezing in children, according to research carried out on 1300 New Zealand school pupils.
Other takeaway food and fizzy drinks also increase the chances of getting asthma, doctors found.
Youngsters who eat at least one hamburger a week are 75 per cent more likely to have asthma and almost 100 per cent more likely to suffer wheezing problems, according a study published yesterday in the international scientific journal Allergy.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10354170
UK heart charity tries to shock kids off junk food
07.11.05 3.20pm
LONDON - A British heart charity launched a poster campaign today to shock children away from eating cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and hot dogs.
The British Heart Foundation has hired billboards around Britain to show burger and hot dog buns filled with gristle, bones and connective tissue.
The gory images are obscured by a "censored" stamp, but can be peeled back to reveal the true ingredients on the charity's website.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10354007
Goat-milk babies experience same growth as cow-milk
08.11.05
Babies fed goat-milk formula have the same growth rate as babies fed cow-milk formula, a New Zealand study has revealed.
The study was carried out by Dr Cameron Grant, Associate Professor of Paediatrics at Auckland University, and paediatrician at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital.
"Our study shows that in healthy non-allergic children, goat-milk formula is a suitable alternative to cow-milk formula.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10354082
Health warning issued for Rotorua Lake
08.11.05 11.00am
Another health warning has been issued for a Rotorua lake and more are expected to follow.
Water testing at Gisborne Point and Hinehopu at the eastern end of Lake Rotoiti has revealed a significant bloom of blue-green algae or cyanobacteria.
Acting medical officer of health Dr Paul Martiquet said Environment Bay of Plenty's water sampling tests confirmed the blooms in those two areas.
"It's just a seasonal thing ... this is not uncommon for this time of year," Mr Martiquet said.
People are being asked not to use the lake for recreational purposes and to avoid skin contact with the water.
They have also been warned against drinking water from the lake.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10354155
Hasta la vista, Arnold Schwarzenegger
09.11.05
LOS ANGELES - It was only a year ago that Arnold Schwarzenegger, the big-screen action hero turned Governor of California, was the politician who could do no wrong.
...Schwarzenegger has turned against a number of interest groups - especially school parents - who brought him to power in the first place. Bipartisanship was shot after he dismissed Democrats as "girly men". The open expressions of anger began when he told underpaid, overworked nurses he wanted to "kick their butts".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354283
Iran accuses US of spy flights
09.11.05
NEW YORK - Iran has found the wreckage of two United States unmanned spy planes on its territory in recent months, Tehran said, accusing Washington of violating its sovereignty through illegal overflights.
Iran "strongly protests against such unlawful acts and emphasises the necessity to observe the principles of international law concerning the sanctity of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states," its Foreign Ministry said.
The Pentagon had no immediate comment to the protest, which came in letters to the US Government written months ago but made public at the United Nations only yesterday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354284
Bird flu kills Vietnamese man, tests show
08.11.05 3.20pm
HANOI - Test results showed bird flu killed a 35-year-old Vietnamese man, the first victim of a new outbreak of the virus in poultry in the Southeast Asian country, state media said.
"This is the first death since the start of this year's epidemic season," Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan was quoted as saying of the man who died late last month in Hanoi.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354203
Bird flu could cost global economy $800b
08.11.05 1.00pm
GENEVA - A flu pandemic lasting a year could cost the global economy up to US$800 billion (NZ$1177 billion), the World Bank said, as China asked for international help to double check whether bird flu had killed a 12-year-old girl.
The World Bank set out the possible financial cost at a three-day meeting in Geneva at which hundreds of experts are drawing up a strategy to prevent bird flu from developing into a pandemic in which millions could die.
"Normally it takes six months to design a programme of this kind. We have three days," the senior UN coordinator for avian and human influenza, David Nabarro, said at the talks, stressing the need to boost surveillance and reporting.
The H5N1 strain of avian influenza is known to have killed 63 people in four Asian countries and led to the culling of 150 million birds worldwide. It has recently spread to eastern Europe and is expected to move into the Middle East and Africa.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10354179
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