RIA Novosti
Microgen proposes four vaccine prototypes for bird flu
MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Acknowledged Russian leader on the immunobiological drug market Microgen has created four vaccine prototypes against avian flu, the company's director said Wednesday.
"Microgen worked out and proposed for clinical testing four different vaccine prototypes, with two prototypes based on the H5N1 strain of the [bird flu] virus and the other two on the H5N2 strain," Anton Katlinsky said.
He said the company was currently conducting pre-clinical research work on the vaccines and those that proved to be safe for animals would be submitted for clinical testing in March.
"We expect to receive the results from clinical trials by summer this year," Katlinsky said.
Russia registered its first bird flu cases in Siberian fowl last summer and saw the virus spread west of the Urals into its European territory in October. However, no cases of human infection have been reported.
Katlinsky said that if the trials proved positive, Microgen would be ready to produce the necessary number of vaccines for the strain selected by the World Health Organization.
NPO Microgen was founded in 2003, after a merger of 14 leading state enterprises, which were producing traditional and innovational healthcare products.
http://en.rian.ru/science/20060208/43424649.html
First posthumously conceived child born in Russia - NTV
MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's first posthumously conceived child has been born in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, television station NTV reported Friday.
The baby boy was conceived using the frozen sperm of a man who had died nine years earlier, the station reported.
The man's semen, frozen and stored at a Tel Aviv hospital where he had been treated for cancer, was brought to Yekaterinburg by his mother.
Local reproductive specialists fertilized donor eggs with the sperm using in-vitro techniques and then implanted the embryo into a surrogate mother's womb for gestation.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060120/43105644.html
Israel highlights Hamas links with Chechen terrorism
TEL-AVIV, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - An Israeli non-governmental organization involved with information on terrorism has published a report on the links between Hamas and Chechen terrorist organizations following the Russian president's decision to offer an invitation to the radical Islamic group.
A link to the document, which claims the group that won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January, identifies ideologically with Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev, has been published on the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Web site alongside a report on Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's response to Vladimir Putin's invitation.
The report by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies was published Friday, the day after Putin's invitation, and shows on its front page a poster distributed by Hamas, with pictures of five Chechen terrorist leaders, along with Osama bin Laden.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060213/43510435.html
Hamas could visit Russia by end of February - envoy
MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti)-A delegation from Hamas, the radical Islamic organization that won the Palestinian elections in January, could visit Russia by the end of the month, a senior diplomat said Saturday.
Alexander Kalugin, Russia's special envoy to the Middle East peace process, said: "Such a probability exists, [and] we are working in that direction."
But Kalugin said that no exact date had yet been set. "Concrete dates have not yet been fixed," he said. "Neither has information about who will lead the delegation."
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060211/43487826.html
Russia's contacts with Hamas will benefit global community - MP
MOSCOW, February 10 (RIA Novosti) - A senior member of Russia's lower house of parliament said Friday that the country's efforts to maintain diplomacy with the radical Palestinian group Hamas were in the best interests of the global community.
Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the State Duma's international affairs committee, said that unlike in other Western countries, Russia's laws did not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, thus providing the Mideast Quartet (Russia, the UN, the EU, and the U.S.) with a unique opportunity to maintain diplomatic contacts with this increasingly influential force following its victory in the Palestinian National Authority's January 25 election.
Kosachev's remarks came a day after President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation for Hamas officials to visit Moscow for talks.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060210/43471397.html
Mideast road map must be supported - Russian diplomat
MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Israel and Palestine Thursday to continue to work on the road map peace plan to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
"Although the road map is a long way from being implemented, it would be counter-productive to abandon it," Ambassador-at-Large Alexander Kalugin told a news conference in Moscow.
The diplomat said Russia's position was to avoid taking any rash steps, to follow events and to prevent any negative developments of the situation.
He said it was necessary to wait until a new government had been formed in Palestine following the election triumph of Hamas, which is widely seen as an extremist organization in the West, and elections had been held in Israel before making any new moves.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060209/43444457.html
Iran, Russia to discuss uranium enrichment February 14 - official
TEHRAN, February 12 (RIA Novosti) - Iran and Russia will discuss Russia's proposal to enrich uranium on its soil on February 14 at the level of deputy heads of the national Security Councils, an official spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Sunday. Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran still did not view Russia's proposal negatively and would discuss it comprehensively.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier said that Russia's proposal to Iran to enrich uranium on Russian soil remained on the negotiating table.
At the same time, Ivanov said Russia spoke firmly for the strict observance of all the norms of international law on nuclear non-proliferation.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060212/43494816.html
Iran-Russia 16 February talks postponed indefinitely - Iranian official
TEHRAN, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - A senior Iranian official said Monday that talks with Russia on the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear programs had been postponed indefinitely in a blow to an offer that had been seen as a compromise to end the crisis around the issue.
"Talks between Russia and Iran have not been completed," Gholam Hossein Elham said.
"However, the next round of talks scheduled for February 16 has been postponed indefinitely until an agreement is reached."
The Moscow talks had been expected to focus on a Russian initiative to set up a joint venture on its territory to enrich uranium for nuclear power plants in Iran, in a bid to alleviate Western concerns that the Islamic Republic might be pursing a secret nuclear weapons program. Tehran has consistently rejected that allegation.
Elham said Russia should amend its proposal to heed Iran's determination to enrich uranium on its soil.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060213/43507354.html
Part of G8 aid to poor countries should be given to CIS - Putin
MOSCOW, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin said Monday that part of the Group of Eight industrialized nations' assistance to the poorest countries should be given to members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
"We should from the start agree with our partners that a significant part of these resources should be given to our neighbors in the former Soviet Union," Putin told a Cabinet meeting.
Putin also said negative events in Africa influenced many countries, including Russia.
"But we agreed that we have very urgent problems of a similar nature, connected with the fight against infectious diseases, and poverty both in our country and the closest neighboring states. These are CIS states," the Russian leader said. "Even in objective terms, some of these countries can be ranked among the world's poorest."
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060213/43510454.html
I already know the first reaction if outrage over government involvement in private business. Really? At least this open and above board to know where things stand. Can the USA and the Bush White House say the same thing?
Russia's government nominates candidates for company boards
MOSCOW, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government has nominated candidates to sit on the boards of directors (supervisory councils) and auditing commissions of joint stock companies as state representatives, the government's press office said Monday.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov signed the relevant resolution on nominating state representatives for 44 joint stock companies, the press office said.
In accordance with the document, the government nominated candidates to the boards of diamond producer Alrosa, the Ilyushin Finance aircraft leasing company, truck maker Kamaz, Rosneftegaz (a subsidiary of state-run oil company Rosneft), the Ilyushin Aircraft Making Company, the Moscow-based Moskvich auto maker and others.
http://en.rian.ru/business/20060213/43508782.html
Putin: Russia ready to repay $11.9 bln to Paris Club early
(adds details in paragraphs 6-8)
MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Russia was ready to repay $11.9 billion to the Paris Club ahead of schedule.
He said this would "contribute to the poorest countries' development."
"It is well known that some creditor countries experience a lack of free financial resources, and they will be able to use funds received from Russia to honor their commitments to the International Development Association on compensating poorest countries' debt write-offs," Putin said.
"In turn, Russia is ready to additionally pay the association up to $587 million to cover the deficit remaining on its balance - the so-called structural gap," the Russian leader said.
Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Monday that Russia was ready to clear the debts of the world's 16 poorest nations, worth around $688 million.
"The implementation of a set of our proposals will secure the financial stability of the International Development Association for at least for five-ten years, depending on the selected scenario," Putin said.
The Russian leader said the initiative would supplement the debt write-off commitments assumed by the G8 members last year and did not run counter to the donor countries' financial and political interests.
"I believe that support for Russia's proposal from our partners will become real proof of the G8's willingness to fulfill its commitments to write off debts and assist the world's poorest countries," Putin said.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060211/43486320.html
Do we need the truth about Hariri's death?
BEIRUT. (RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya.) - February 14 will mark one year since the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister and businessman, an event which shocked the country and the entire Middle East. Regional analysts were unanimous describing it as "a political earthquake." Hariri's death changed the balance of forces in the region, but the result of these changes was unexpected.
A year has passed, but the questions - who profited from the assassination of the former and, most probably, future prime minister, and who was behind it - remain unanswered. Each new day brings less hope that the answers will be found. There are also doubts as to whether we need the truth. After all, over the past year Hariri has turned into a myth and his death has become a bargaining chip for different political forces; not all of them want the perpetrators to be found.
Hariri's death upset the already fragile political balance in Lebanon and put Syria in the fire line, as Hariri's allies accused it of organizing the assassination. The international investigative commission has been working for over six months, but has still not found direct and incontestable evidence of Damascus' involvement, although it has been focusing on the Syrian trace, overlooking all other possible versions. Considering Hariri's extraordinary personality and the complicated situation in Lebanon and the entire regions, such versions could be many, both political and economic.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060213/43511266.html
GLONASS to have 18 satellites in orbit in 2008 - official
MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti) - The global navigation satellite system GLONASS will operate 18 satellites in orbit in 2008, enough to define a precise location anywhere in the world, the commander of the Russian Space Forces said Wednesday.
"Today the Russian space system [of satellites] corresponds with the state level and was brought to the minimum level necessary for the defense of the country," Colonel General Vladimir Popovkin said.
Popovkin said 17 satellites currently operate in orbit, but that the exploitation terms of some of them may expire soon.
He said six more satellites would be launched as backups to the main satellites.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060118/43065024.html
Russian rocket to orbit Arab satellite February 28
MOSCOW, February 6 (RIA Novosti) - The launch of the Proton-M Russian carrier rocket with
the Arab communications satellite ArabSat 4A has been scheduled for February 28 at 8:10 p.m. GMT at the Baikonur Space Center, the Russian Federal Space Agency said Monday.
A Briz-M booster was delivered to Baikonur, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan, Monday, the agency said in a press release.
"Work to prepare the booster starts February 7," the agency said.
Foreign experts are expected to finish the preparation of the Arabsat 4A this week.
The Arab Satellite Communications Organization was established in 1976 by member-states of the Arab League to serve the telecommunication, information, culture and education sectors.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060206/43376747.html
Russia set to launch communications satellite
MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - A rocket carrying two satellites will be launched from the northern Plesetsk space center Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for the Russian Federal Space Agency said Monday.
"The carrier rocket will orbit the Gonets-1M communications satellite to provide services for security agencies and another satellite ordered by the Defense Ministry whose functions were not specified," the source said.
Gonets-1M will ensure the rapid transmission of brief messages, e-mail and other kinds of communications. The satellite's service life is slated for seven years and its orbit can be corrected if necessary.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20051219/42557489.html
Russia to sign agreement with NASA on ISS development in 2006
MOSCOW, December 27 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Space Agency's main goal in 2006 is to sign an agreement with NASA on the development of the International Space Station (ISS) until 2011, the agency's head said Tuesday.
"The goal for 2006 is to reach a comprehensive agreement with the United States in the first half of the year on the ISS until 2011," Anatoly Perminov said.
He said the agency already has defined its objectives in its partnership with NASA in 2006.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20051227/42732705.html
Clipper spacecraft constructor to be announced in February 2006
MOSCOW, January 17 (RIA Novosti) - The winner of a tender to build a new-generation spacecraft will be announced on February 18, the Russian Space Agency said Tuesday.
Three Russian companies - the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, the Khrunichev Space Center and the Molniya Research and Production Association - have submitted bids to build the Clipper re-usable space craft.
Agency spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko said: "The results of a closed tender will be announced in the first half of February."
Agency head Anatoly Perminov had said earlier that Russia was also hoping to attract other countries to the Clipper construction project, and the European Space Agency (ESA) expressed interest in the six-man craft, which should eventually designed to replace the workhorse of the Russian space program, the Soyuz carrier rocket.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060117/43045501.html
Los Angles Times
Report: U.S. Is Abusing Captive
A U.N. inquiry says the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay at times amounts to torture and violates international law.
By Maggie Farley, Times Staff Writer
NEW YORK — A draft United Nations report on the detainees at Guantanamo Bay concludes that the U.S. treatment of them violates their rights to physical and mental health and, in some cases, constitutes torture.
It also urges the United States to close the military prison in Cuba and bring the captives to trial on U.S. territory, charging that Washington's justification for the continued detention is a distortion of international law.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gitmo13feb13,0,3215042.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Just as you suspected: Sommeliers have a stash
These off-list bottles are too good for just anyone. Who gets to play? The knowledgeable and the nice.
By Corie Brown, Times Staff Writer
WHEN interior decorator Steve Ross arrived at Grace on a busy Saturday night, he pressed sommelier Eduardo Porto Carreiro with his usual question: Anything available that isn't on the restaurant's wine list?
Porto Carreiro, knowing Ross to be a Napa Valley Cabernet fan, smiled and whispered that he had six bottles of Bob Foley's 2002 Switchback Ridge Cab, a new wine from the acclaimed winemaker for Pride Mountain Vineyard. The sommelier had kept the unexpected allocation of Foley's wine off the list, stashing the bottles for his favorite regular customers.
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-wine8feb08,1,2015563.story?coll=la-headlines-food
Ex-FEMA Head Says White House Knew About Levees
By Edwin Chen, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina came under fresh scrutiny today amid revelations during a Senate hearing that senior White House officials had learned of the disastrous flooding in New Orleans a day earlier than they had previously indicated.
The testimony of Michael D. Brown, the ousted director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, raised questions about whether top White House aides had kept President Bush fully abreast of the fast-breaking catastrophe after a levee breached on Aug. 29, allowing the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to cover huge portions of New Orleans.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-021006katrina_lat,0,785658.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Scathing Katrina Report
Homeland Security's botched management of the emergency is singled out in House findings.
By Johanna Neuman, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — A House select committee examining the federal response to Hurricane Katrina is preparing to issue a report Wednesday that blames the federal government for "an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare" — but the legislators who participated in the study are divided about how to address the lapse.
Assailing Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff as being detached from events — when New Orleans residents were clinging to rooftops, he traveled to Atlanta for a conference on bird flu — a draft of the report says he switched on federal response systems "late, ineffectively or not at all."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-katrina13feb13,0,1503010.story?coll=la-home-nation
Libby Says 'Superiors' Authorized Leaks
Cheney's former aide told a jury that classified information he gave to journalists was OKd.
By Richard B. Schmitt, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has told a federal grand jury that his "superiors" authorized him to leak highly sensitive intelligence to journalists, including a New York Times reporter he allegedly tipped off to the name of an undercover CIA operative.
The revelation is contained in a Jan. 23 letter from Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald to lawyers for Libby, who was indicted in late October in connection with the leak of the operative's name. In the letter, Fitzgerald recounts testimony in which Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff admitted circulating portions of the National Intelligence Estimate to reporters in June and July 2003.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-libby10feb10,0,729255.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Olympics Open With 'Rhythm, Passion and Speed'
From Associated Press
TURIN, Italy -- A dazzled, cheering audience danced on their chairs in the winter cold today night and the opening ceremony of the Winter Games became one giant house party.
Passion was the show's theme and passion was what poured from the audience, right up to the arrival of the Olympic torch, carried by skiing hero Alberto "La Bomba" Tomba, who ran up the stage steps and handed it off to a succession of Italian medal winners.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-021006olyopen_wr,0,6070908.story?coll=la-home-headlines
A $1-Billion Public Land Sale Proposed
By Janet Wilson, Times Staff Writer
The Bush administration today called for selling off more than $1 billion in public lands over the next decade, beginning with the sale this year of $800 million worth of national forestland.
The 300,000 acres of forestland proposed for the auction block includes 85,000 acres in California, scattered across most of the state's 18 national forests, including the Angeles, San Bernardino, Los Padres and Sierra National forests.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-021006forest_lat,0,1030546.story?coll=la-home-headlines&track=morenews
8 Killed in Sunni Mosque Bombing in Baghdad
By Richard Boudreaux, Times Staff Writer
BAGHDAD -- A bomb exploded in a car parked 10 yards from a Sunni Muslim mosque today, killing eight worshippers in Iraq's deadliest attack in a week otherwise marked by conciliatory words among leaders of feuding religious sects.
The midday blast hit worshippers leaving the Iskan Shaabi mosque after the main weekly prayer service in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood. Witnesses said bodies flew through the air and nearby cars went up in flames, sending smoke through the mosque's shattered windows. At least 22 people were wounded.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-021006iraq_lat,0,7663384.story?coll=la-home-headlines&track=morenews
What would Muhammad do?
History suggests the prophet was more pragmatic than followers rioting in his name.
By Jamil Momand, JAMIL MOMAND is a professor of biochemistry at Cal State Los Angeles.
ON FRIDAY, I sat on the carpet listening to the sermon at an L.A. mosque. The topic was expected and familiar: a denunciation of the publication of the offensive cartoons that have had the Muslim world up in arms. I directed my eyes to the carpet so no one could see the disgusted look on my face. "Not again," I thought. "Don't we Muslims ever get tired of complaining?"
The khateeb (the person delivering the sermon) stated that it was not right that Islam was the target of abuse. He said some will go out of their way to disrespect Islam. He said the Muslim community demands an apology, and (thankfully) he called on Muslims to be peaceful and forgiving.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-momand9feb09,0,352166.story?track=hpmostemailedlink
http://www.hallobay.com/
The Sky Is Falling in Alaska
When a volcano starts spewing ash, tsunami fears sweep over the town of Homer. But for locals, repeated warnings grow old.
By Tomas Alex Tizon, Times Staff Writer
HOMER, Alaska — It is, in the world of volcanoes, one of the little guys — a bump on the sea, a molehill among mountains. Some days, Mt. Augustine barely peeks above the mist that settles across Cook Inlet in south central Alaska.
Residents of this fishing town 70 miles to the east have been keeping an eye on the volcano, which woke up Jan. 11 and dusted the inlet with ash. The mountain has been erupting intermittently ever since. It is the focus of attention for the region and the talk of the town for Homer, the nearest community of any size.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-augustine10feb10,0,5685871.story?coll=la-home-nation
Consensus Grows for Curbs on Surveillance
A Senate panel goes behind closed doors to hear more about Bush's program of warrantless eavesdropping. Call for changes is bipartisan.
By Maura Reynolds, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for stricter regulation of President Bush's secret spying program grew Thursday, as senators briefed by administration officials about the surveillance termed the information inadequate, and called for more investigation of the eavesdropping.
The 16-member Senate Intelligence Committee met behind closed doors for three hours to hear details on the program, conducted by the National Security Agency. Bush has said the agency intercepted communications between terrorist operatives operating outside U.S. borders and people inside the country.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spy10feb10,1,4634964.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Bush Gives New Details About Old Report of L.A. Terror Plot
By Peter Wallsten and Josh Meyer, Times Staff Writers
WASHINGTON — With pressure mounting on the White House to more fully explain its anti-terrorism strategy, President Bush offered new details Thursday of a reported plot against downtown Los Angeles as evidence of success in foiling attacks.
Federal officials had revealed two years ago that they believed Al Qaeda operatives, in a West Coast follow-up to the Sept. 11 attacks, had planned to hijack an airliner and crash it into what was then called the Library Tower.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bush10feb10,1,1895106.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Peter Benchley, 65; 'Jaws' Author Became Shark Conservationist
By Valerie J. Nelson, Times Staff Writer
Peter Benchley, whose first novel, "Jaws," sold 20 million copies and helped invent the Hollywood summer blockbuster film when Steven Spielberg made the tale of a bloodthirsty shark into a 1975 movie, has died. He was 65.
Benchley, who became a conservationist and expressed regret over portraying sharks as killing machines, died Saturday of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and fatal scarring of the lungs, at his home in Princeton, N.J., his wife, Wendy, said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-benchley13feb13,0,652115.story?coll=la-home-headlines&track=morenews
Lawmaker Presses Case for Zinfandel
A state senator makes the heady proposal that the fruity varietal be named California's official wine. Some toast the idea; others find it unpalatable.
By Martha Groves, Times Staff Writer
It's not enough for California to have a state bird (valley quail), tree (redwood), flower (golden poppy), reptile (desert tortoise) and even dance (West Coast swing). What the Golden State really needs is an official wine, says state Sen. Carole Migden, and the only wine that fills the bill is zinfandel.
"Zinfandel is the quintessential California wine," the San Francisco Democrat said last week when she introduced legislation that would bestow that status on the wine zippily known as "zin." Zinfandels "go with just about any food" and thus are suited to represent a state with such a rich diversity of cuisines and cultures, she added.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wine13feb13,0,679428.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Photograph Shows Lobbyist at Bush Meeting With Legislators
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 — After weeks in which the White House has declined to release pictures of President Bush with Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist, the first photograph to be published of the two men shows a small, partly obscured image of Mr. Abramoff looking on from the background as Mr. Bush greets a Texas Indian chief in May 2001.
By itself, the picture hardly seems worthy of the White House's efforts to keep it out of the public eye. Mr. Abramoff, a leading Republican fund-raiser who pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to corrupt public officials, is little more than a blurry, bearded figure in the background at a gathering of about two dozen people.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5822
State AG questions undercover investigation of peace group
FRESNO – (Associated Press) The Fresno County Sheriff's decision to send an undercover deputy to the meetings of a peace organization raised “serious concerns” with the state attorney general, a spokesman said Friday.
The detective began attending Peace Fresno meetings in 2003. The attorney general's office began investigating the decision in April 2004, when Peace Fresno discovered the his identity and complained to the American Civil Liberties Union.
“We are in active discussions with the sheriff's department about resolving our concerns,” said the attorney general's spokesman Nathan Barankin. He explained that there were particular concerns about the “policies that led to the decision to investigate Peace Fresno in an undercover capacity, and the tension between what they did and the privacy rights guaranteed to Californians.”
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5821
Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter
By Nedra Pickler / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.
Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was "alert and doing fine" in a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday after he was shot by Cheney on a ranch in south Texas, said Katharine Armstrong, the property's owner.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5826
Senators: Cheney Should Be Probed in Leak
Associated Press
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald should investigate Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the CIA leak probe if they authorized an aide to give secret information to reporters, Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the leak of intelligence information "inappropriate" if it is true that unnamed "superiors" instructed Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to divulge the material on Iraq.
Sen. George Allen, R-Va., said a full investigation is necessary.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5827
Barbara Bush's Tea Party. An invitation to the nation !
http://www.michaelmoore.com/_images/splash/presdayflyer.jpg
http://www.michaelmoore.com/_images/splash/presdayflyer.pdf
For the Love of God, Can't you Make him Stop?!
...a message from Cindy Sheehan
Former President George Bush took a shot at protestor Cindy Sheehan on Friday while speaking to students at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Bush told the audience if she shows up to their church as expected she'll have to deal with his wife Barbara.
--KVET News, Central Texas:
On President's Day (Feb 20th), Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace, and Code Pink are sponsoring an action in Houston, Tx. near the elder Bush's estate called, "For the Love of God. Can't you make him stop?"
We will be demonstrating in front of George Sr. and Bar's church, St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston from 4pm to 7pm on President's Day on Monday, February 20th. And we have something to say to the Bush family (who apparently send their women to fight their battles): "Bring Her On."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=600
Hundreds march on Statehouse for peace
By David Gram / Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. --A crowd that peaked at about 300 braved temperatures in the teens Saturday to march on the Statehouse and call on state officials to demand an end to the war in Iraq.
"Our Legislature in Vermont seems to think they can't question foreign policy," said Nancy Brown of Rochester, whose son Ryan served 11 months in Iraq with the Vermont National Guard.
Brown, a member of the group Military Families Speak Out, added, "This isn't foreign policy. This is about our families. This is my son."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5824
Ex-C.I.A. Official Says Iraq Data Was Distorted
By Scott Shane / The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 — A C.I.A. veteran who oversaw intelligence assessments about the Middle East from 2000 to 2005 on Friday accused the Bush administration of ignoring or distorting the prewar evidence on a broad range of issues related to Iraq in its effort to justify the American invasion of 2003.
The views of Paul R. Pillar, who retired in October as national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia, echoed previous criticism from Democrats and from some administration officials, including Richard A. Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism adviser, and Paul H. O'Neill, the former treasury secretary.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5823
White House knew New Orleans levee broke night before George's honky-tonk photo-op
White House Knew of Levee's Failure on Night of Storm
By Eric Lipton / New York Times
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 — In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bush administration officials said they had been caught by surprise when they were told on Tuesday, Aug. 30, that a levee had broken, allowing floodwaters to engulf New Orleans.
But Congressional investigators have now learned that an eyewitness account of the flooding from a federal emergency official reached the Homeland Security Department's headquarters starting at 9:27 p.m. the day before, and the White House itself at midnight.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency official, Marty Bahamonde, first heard of a major levee breach Monday morning. By late Monday afternoon, Mr. Bahamonde had hitched a ride on a Coast Guard helicopter over the breach at the 17th Street Canal to confirm the extensive flooding. He then telephoned his report to FEMA headquarters in Washington, which notified the Homeland Security Department.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5811
Thursday, February 9, 2006
"This Chamber Reeks of Blood"
Cindy Sheehan announces decision not to run for congress
First of all, I would like to thank everyone for coming today, and send out to my daughter, Carly, a big happy birthday. She is 25 today. She is now older than Casey was when he was killed in Iraq on April 04, 2004.
I would also like to thank everyone from all over the world that has sent me emails of support and encouragement to consider a challenge to Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat. I literally got hundreds of emails. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love.
During the Vietnam War, Senator George McGovern stated the following on the Senate floor in September of 1970:
"Every senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This chamber reeks of blood...It does not take any courage at all for a congressman, or a senator, or a president to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Vietnam, because it is not our blood that is being shed. But we are responsible for those young men and their lives and their hopes."
The lack of courage of America's present Senate is partially responsible for my son's death and the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people. Dianne Feinstein is one of the Senators who expediently gave her Constitutional obligation to George Bush to invade an innocent country. Dianne Feinstein continues to vote to give George Bush more money to fund what she calls a "mistake." George Bush has been proven to be irresponsible with our young people's lives and with our tax dollars, but the Senator keeps giving him more money and more power to prolong the murder and mayhem in Iraq.
I am standing here today to say "enough." It is not enough to "criticize" the President's policies while you are handing him more money to fund his policies. It is like giving an addict more money to purchase drugs when you would like for him/her to quit.
It is not enough to criticize the President's policies when more and more flag draped coffins are coming home each day and more families are being devastated by these policies while other people are putting food on their tables and becoming fabulously wealthy off of Casey's flesh and blood and the sorrow of scores of others.
I am here today to call on, not only Senator Feinstein, but our other Senator, Senator Boxer, who heroically did not abrogate her responsibility to declare war to the President, to quit "figuring" out ways to bring our troops home and start sponsoring legislation. The last Senate vote for increased funding for the killing was 99-0. How about cutting off the President's means for killing? It is not that difficult. There is not one piece of legislation in the Senate currently in opposition to Iraq.
It is not "enough" to say that one is critical of the war in Iraq. I, and the Nation Magazine, have called on every Democrat of good conscience in America to oppose "pro-war" Democrats in the upcoming elections. If an elected official voted for the war, votes for the funding of the war, and doesn't call for an immediate withdrawal of the troops, then that official is "pro-war" no matter what he or she says. We in America are fed up with rhetoric, and if the actions don't match the rhetoric, then we are not buying what they are selling anymore.
I have been weighing my decision to run for Senate here in California carefully, even before Camp Casey. My entire being since Casey was killed has been immersed in trying to end the occupation of Iraq before any other mothers have to fall on the floor screaming for their child who should not have been in harm's way in the first place. In making my decision whether to run or not, I had to decide which course of action would bring the troops home sooner. Is my being on the outside, putting pressure on the inside more effective, or would a Senate campaign help bring our kids home sooner? If I thought that running for Senate would bring our young people home more quickly, I would do it in a minute, but I am not convinced that that would be so.
I have decided not to run but I am calling on all Californians and Americans to support all anti-war candidates to promote a paradigm of peace in the world and I will be supporting and working for dozens of anti-war candidates all over the country. Our emphasis will be holding all of the pro-war candidates accountable for their tragic mistakes and voting in representatives who will hold George Bush and his administration accountable for all of their mistakes in Iraq and here in America.
We Americans are looking for ways to become involved in our political process. We are tired of being complacent and we are so tired of business as usual.
Gold Star Families for Peace and Code Pink are sponsoring an International Women's Day for Peace on March 8th. We are holding rallies and events all over the world that day. Specifically, we are trying to bring two Iraqi mothers, whose children have been killed over from Iraq, to speak at our event in Washington, DC and they are being denied visas from the State Department. My freedom of speech and my civil rights were violated last week for wearing a t-shirt, now these Iraqi women who have paid the ultimate price for our leaders' stupidity and greed are being denied the right to come to America and tell their stories. We are urging America to call the State Department and demand that these two women be given visas.
We are also encouraging grass roots Americans to demand that the Senate start doing something to end the travesty in Iraq. We believe that it will be the women who lead our nation to peace and we are especially calling on America to put pressure on Hillary Clinton, Dianne Feinstein, and Barbara Boxer to be the leaders that our nation so desperately needs. It is time.
It is too late for me. My life and the lives of nearly 2,300 American families have been tragically altered by the ennui of the Senate and the callousness and incompetence of this administration. I will never get to see my son or hear his voice again. His future was robbed needlessly from him. The complicity of the Senate has guaranteed that my future is one of pain and longing for my son's presence. It is not too late for the millions of people still in harm's way.
I, as an American, and as the mother of a hero, pledge to do what I can as a citizen to end the occupation of Iraq. I am not running against Feinstein, but I will continue to be a thorn in the side of the Senator and anyone who is not stridently working for peace. That is my promise.
To get info to pressure the State Department and our Senators and for info on the International Women's Day for Peace go to: WomenSayNoToWar.org.
Thank you and God Bless America….Please!!!
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=599
Sign-up below to join us in Washington D.C. on March 8! We will be in touch with you during the coming weeks to organize your participation.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/codepink/signUp.jsp?key=924&t=WSNTW.dwt
Stopping this particular war in Iraq will be an important moment in creating an international peace movement led by women, that will be able to sustain the struggle for nonviolence for generations to come. The larger picture in organizing for March 8 is to create a connected, sustained way for women to stand against war everywhere. If we can halt the largest military empire in human history, we will know we can stop wars in many places.
http://www.womensaynotowar.org/article.php?id=693
http://www.womensaynotowar.org/article.php?list=type&type=100
An Urgent Appeal: Please Release Our Friends in Iraq
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/freethecpt
Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information
By Murray Waas / National Journal
Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records.
Libby specifically claimed that in one instance he had been authorized to divulge portions of a then-still highly classified National Intelligence Estimate regarding Saddam Hussein's purported efforts to develop nuclear weapons, according to correspondence recently filed in federal court by special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5805
Libby: White House 'Superiors' OK'd Leaks
By Toni Locy / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney told a federal grand jury that his superiors authorized him to give secret information to reporters as part of the Bush administration's defense of intelligence used to justify invading Iraq, according to court papers.
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in documents filed last month that he plans to introduce evidence that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, disclosed to reporters the contents of a classified National Intelligence Estimate in the summer of 2003.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5812
Cindy Sheehan Will Not Run for Senate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2006
Sheehan Will Focus on Pushing the Senate for Legislation to Bring the Troops Home and Bringing Iraqi Women Who Lost Loves Ones in the War to the US to Tell Their Stories
San Francisco, CA – Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan announced today that she will not challenge California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat this November. Sheehan had been considering running against Feinstein because of Feinstein’s lack of leadership in opposing Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court nomination as well as Feinstein’s failure to take action to bring the US troops home from Iraq now. Despite receiving hundreds of calls and emails from Californians and others encouraging her to run, Sheehan has decided that her time would be better spent pushing the Senate for legislation to bring the troops home.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5807
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L.A. Mayor Blindsided by Bush Announcement
By Michael R. Blood / Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he was blindsided by President Bush's announcement of new details on a purported 2002 hijacking plot aimed at a downtown skyscraper, and described communication with the White House as "nonexistent."
"I'm amazed that the president would make this (announcement) on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels," the mayor said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't expect a call from the president — but somebody."
The mayor also suggested that some funding from the Iraq war could be redirected to homeland security, including the protection of high-risk targets in Los Angeles. He did not advocate an immediate withdrawal of troops.
"I go to work every day knowing that we are a target," the mayor said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5809
Demonstrators Protest President's Priorities
WMUR
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- While President George W. Bush spoke to a crowd of business and political leaders inside the Radisson Hotel on Wednesday, more than two dozen protestors gathered outside.
The protesters expressed their opinions on the president's budget plan and environmental proposals. They said they knew that their small protest might not change anything, but they still felt compelled to let their signs send a message.
"I'm basically sick of having to yell at the TV and radio every day," protester Brian Nolen said. "All I listen to is a pack of lies, so I figured I'd come out here and express my opinions."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5803
The Land of 10,770 Empty FEMA Trailers
Far from the victims of Katrina for whom they are meant, the furnished shelters crowd an airport, benefiting only the town of Hope, Ark.
By Johanna Neuman / Los Angeles Times
At Uncle Henry's Smokehouse Bar B Que in Hope, Ark., the lunchtime crowd filled every table Thursday — all 10 of them. At City Hall, the phones were ringing off the hook. And out at the airport, a private pilot who just turned 45 said she didn't expect to live long enough to see things get back to normal.
All because of the latest example of how federal, state and local officials have responded to Hurricane Katrina. Time was, Hope was known primarily as the childhood home of President Clinton. Now it's Trailer Town, USA.
After the Aug. 29 storm left thousands homeless on the Gulf Coast, officials in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama began calling for trailers to provide temporary shelter. More than 100,000 were requested, and somebody decided to create holding areas for the trailers outside the hurricane zone.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5817
Lobbyist Told Reporter of Nearly a Dozen Contacts With Bush
By Jim VandeHei / Washington Post
President Bush met lobbyist Jack Abramoff almost a dozen times over the past five years and invited him to Crawford, Tex., in the summer of 2003, according to an e-mail Abramoff wrote to a reporter last month.
Bush "has one of the best memories of any politicians I have ever met," Abramoff wrote to Kim Eisler of Washingtonian magazine. "The guys saw me in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids."
In an interview last night, Eisler confirmed the contents of the e-mail and said he recently provided portions of it to the liberal Web log ThinkProgress because he thought he was dealing with a fellow reporter. The blog posted the contents of the Abramoff-Eisler communication.
In the e-mail, Abramoff scoffs at Bush's public statements that he does not recall ever meeting the disgraced lobbyist and former top Bush fundraiser. "Of course he can't recall that he has a great memory!" Abramoff wrote. Eisler, an editor for Washingtonian, said in the interview that the lobbyist was the source of his exclusive report last month that at least five photographs of Bush with Abramoff exist. Abramoff showed him the pictures, Eisler said. Abramoff has told others he will not release them publicly.
Bush has said he does not recall ever meeting Abramoff or posing for pictures with the Republican lobbyist at official events or parties. The White House has refused to release the pictures or detail Abramoff's contacts with top White House officials over the past five years.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday that "what the president said still stands."
"Mr. Abramoff is someone who was involved in wrongdoing," McClellan said. "He acknowledged that himself. He is being brought to account." Abramoff would not comment last night.
Abramoff pleaded guilty last month in a bribery and corruption scandal that has rocked the Republican Party and threatened the political and professional careers of several lawmakers and aides. No evidence has emerged that Bush or his top White House aides did anything improper to aid Abramoff or his clients, according to people familiar with the investigation. Several lower-level administration officials, however, have been caught up in the scandal, including the top procurement official. The federal probe is expected to zero in on Abramoff's dealing with the Interior Department as it unfolds in the coming months.
In mentioning the invitation to Texas in 2003, Abramoff was apparently referring to a private barbecue Bush hosted for his biggest fundraisers at the Broken Spoke Ranch, down the road from the president's rustic compound near Crawford, on Aug. 9 of that year. About 350 Republicans who had raised at least $50,000 each for Bush were invited.
Abramoff was member of the exclusive group of top Bush fundraisers known as Pioneers, each of whom raised $100,000 or more for Bush. So it would not have been unusual for him to be invited to the barbecue. McClellan said that the photographs are no different from thousands Bush takes each year with visitors, supporters and even reporters and that it would not be unusual for the president to not recall meeting Abramoff.
"Perhaps he has forgotten everything," Abramoff wrote in the e-mail. "Who knows?" Eisler said Abramoff did not grant him permission to release the contents of their e-mail and Abramoff is upset that Eisler did. Eisler, who described himself as sympathetic to Abramoff's situation, was trying to show the ThinkProgress reporter that Abramoff was not exaggerating his relationship with Bush.
Eisler said he has known Abramoff for years and considers the level of vilification "out of proportion."
Eisler's wife, Judy Sarasohn, covers lobbying issues for The Washington Post.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5816
Video Shows Youth's Beating at Boot Camp In Fla. Before He Died
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Feb. 9 -- A videotape shows guards brutally beating a teenager at a military-style boot camp for juvenile delinquents not long before he died, two lawmakers said Thursday.
Florida officials will not release the tape to the public.
Martin Lee Anderson, 14, of Panama City, Fla., died Jan. 6 after he complained of breathing problems and collapsed while doing exercises that were part of intake procedures at the camp in the Florida Panhandle's Bay County.
Sheriff's investigators said officers restrained the youth after he became uncooperative.
State Rep. Gustavo A. Barreiro (R) called the videotape "horrific," saying he had "never seen any kid being brutalized . . . the way I saw this young man being brutalized."
Barreiro added: "Even towards the end of the videotape, where you could just see there was pretty much nothing left of Martin, they came out with a couple cups of water and splashed him in the face. When you see stuff like that, you want to go through the TV and say, 'Enough is enough. Please stop hitting this kid.'"
Martin's relatives say they plan to sue Bay County and the state Department of Juvenile Justice, which oversees boot-camp programs.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5815
New Zealand Herald
Wikipedia - separating fact from fiction
13.02.06 1.00pm
By Martin Hickman and Genevieve Roberts
If your encyclopaedia told you David Beckham was an 18th Century Chinese goalkeeper, that the Duchess of Cornwall carries the title Her Royal Un-Lowness or that Robbie Williams earns his living by eating pet hamsters in pubs "in and around Stoke", you might consider seeking a second opinion.
Despite its breakneck journey toward global internet phenomenon, such questions of accuracy have dogged the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia (see link below) since its launch five years ago.
Fresh concerns about the ease with which Wikipedia's entries can be manipulated have been raised after it was announced that US politicians had been altering their profiles to make them more flattering.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10368068
Northeast US hammered by record blizzard
13.02.06 4.00pm
By Jason Szep
BOSTON - The biggest snowstorm of the season belted north-eastern United States today, sinking New York City into its deepest snow on record, cutting power to thousands of homes, closing airports but bringing joy to ski resorts.
"Make no mistake about it, this is a very dangerous, big storm," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference.
At least 68.3 cm of snow fell in New York's Central Park, topping a powerful blizzard on December 26, 1947, that killed 77 people, according to the National Weather Service and city archives.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10368096
UN calls for $1b to end Congo's 'forgotten crisis'
13.02.06 1.00pm
By Simon Usborne
A United Nations donors' conference in Brussels today will call for international donors to provide $681million ($1 billion) for an "action plan" for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Th UN says the money is needed to end the "forgotten crisis" in the central African country before it holds elections.
The sum is three times the size of the UN appeal for the DRC in preceding years.
With 216,000 lives lost to conflict and poverty in the past six months, Hilary Benn, the International Development Secretary, said the money was crucial to alleviate hunger and disease, and for long-term development in the country where fighting continues in the north and east despite a peace deal.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10368070
The President who cried al Qaeda
13.02.06
By Andrew Gumbel
WASHINGTON - Once again, George W. Bush finds himself in deep political trouble. And, once again, he has chosen to invoke the spectre of a terrorist attack on US soil, only to draw immediate suspicion about his motives at the start of what promises to be a long, bruising mid-term election campaign.
The President's announcement last week that al Qaeda had considered attacking the tallest skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles more than three years ago generated some eye-catching headlines. It may even have helped him to build public support for a once-secret domestic counter-terrorist wire-tapping programme that critics in both parties have denounced as unconstitutional.
But there are also signs that the political strategy that worked so well in the 2002 mid-term elections, helped to sell the war in Iraq and got Bush re-elected in 2004 - that is, appealing to the country to stand by its President as he strives to protect them from outside attack - may be wearing thin.
No sooner had the President spoken than his announcement was greeted with consternation in Los Angeles.
LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he felt "blindsided" to learn from the TV instead of from the White House the details of the 2002 plan to attack the 73-storey Library Tower.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10367995
Five years on, Milosevic still in the dock
13.02.06 1.00pm
By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
BELGRADE - The trial of the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, the first sitting head of state to be indicted for war crimes, enters its fifth year this week amid expectations that a verdict will be pronounced by the end of the year.
Mr Milosevic, 64, faces 66 charges stemming from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
He is accused of genocide against Muslims in Bosnia, war crimes and grave breaches of international conventions in the military offensives that led his forces into Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.
More than 300 witnesses have taken the stand, including Western politicians and the leaders of the former Yugoslav states torn apart by the war.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10368067
Doctors want children up to 12 in booster seats
11.02.06
By Martin Johnston
Children up to 12 years old should be required to sit in booster seats while travelling in cars, say doctors at the Starship in Auckland.
A study by emergency and intensive care doctors at the Starship found that lap seatbelts can cause life-threatening injuries or permanent disabilities in children.
But the researchers noted that many of the patients would probably have suffered worse injuries if they had not used any seatbelt.
The researchers called for legislation:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10367816
Ol' blue fins
02.02.06 5.20am
Scientists have discovered that whales croon for love.
A team of researchers from the University of Queensland has found proof that male humpback whales spend many hours "singing" in a bid to woo potential partners.
Researchers have for three years tracked and recorded whales during the annual migration season off Peregian Beach, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, in September and October. They said the songs, which can last up to 23 hours, mainly involve chirps.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=1501010&ObjectID=10366416
US boycott costs French wine exporters $165m
13.02.06
Americans boycotting French wine in anger at that country's opposition to the Iraq war probably cut sales by US$112 million ($165 million), says a new study.
This hostility, typified by renaming french fries as "freedom fries" in the US House of Representatives cafeteria, caused a sharp drop in French wine sales in the six months after the invasion, said economists Larry Chavis and Phillip Leslie.
"We conservatively estimate that, at the peak of the boycott, the quantity of French wine sold would have been 26 per cent higher if there was no boycott," they wrote.
"Also, over the six-month period we estimate the boycott lasted for, sales would have been 13 per cent higher."
French wine imports to the United States over this period were worth US$695 million, so the revenue loss was about US$112 million, the two estimated.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10367968
Greece and Italy find killer bird flu in swans
12.02.06 8.30am
By Robin Pomeroy and Valentina Consiglio
ROME - Greece and Italy have said they have found swans with the H5N1 bird flu virus, the first known cases in the European Union of wild birds with the deadly strain of the disease.
As the slow creep of the virus around the globe continued, Romania said more infections were suspected in birds in the Danube delta and Bulgaria said the lethal strain had been confirmed among swans in wetlands close to the Romanian border. The region is a haven and transit point for migrating birds.
Nigeria started testing people who have fallen ill close to where the virus has been found among birds, in the first outbreak in Africa of a disease that has spread seemingly inexorably across the Eurasian landmass from China and Vietnam.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10367910
Haiti faces run-off in presidential election
12.02.06 2.00pm
By Rupert Cornwell
Haiti could be facing a tense run-off ballot, after the release of new figures suggesting that the frontrunner and a former president, Rene Preval, may have failed to secure the outright majority needed to win the presidency at last Tuesday's election.
With some 60 per cent of the votes counted yesterday, Mr Preval's share had shrunk to 50.26 per cent.
His closest challengers among the 33 candidates, another ex-president Leslie Manigat and Charles Baker, the candidate of Haiti's business class, had 11.4 and 8.3 per cent, respectively.
Earlier partial counts had shown Mr Preval cruising to victory with some 61 per cent of the vote.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10367932
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