The Jordan Times
7 Iraqi Sunni groups offer truce
Nationwide violence kills 35
An Iraqi father on Monday fans over the face of his sick daughter as his wife prepares medicine inside their ‘house’ located in an abandoned government building of the regime of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. During the past two months, more than 85,000 Iraqis had been displaced because of violence, according to a UN report (AFP photo by Sabah Arar)
BAGHDAD (AP) — Seven Sunni Arab rebel groups — said to be motivated in part by fear of undue Iranian influence in the country — offered the government a conditional truce Monday, two top lawmakers, Kurd and a Shiite, told the Associated Press. At least 35 people were killed in violence nationwide.
Despite the fresh opening from the militant organisations — which do not include Al Qaeda in Iraq or other groups — a key Iraqi commander said Baghdad's forces would not be ready to keep the peace in Anbar province — the insurgent heartland — for at least a year.
Brig Gen. Jaleel Khalf's said his one-year estimate was what he termed “optimistic under the best of circumstances.” And it closely aligns with recent forecasts from the US military.
“I don't think by this winter we'll be quite ready to turn over completely” to Iraqi forces, Army Col. Sean MacFarland said recently. He commands the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armoured Division that oversees Ramadi, the capital of Anbar and the lynchpin of the insurgency.
http://www.jordantimes.com/tue/news/news2.htm
Iran says will not benefit from talks with US
TEHRAN (Reuters) — Iran's supreme leader said on Tuesday the country would not benefit from talks with the United States, playing down the significance of a prominent element in proposals to defuse a nuclear standoff.
Washington, which broke ties with Tehran in 1980, said it would join the European Union's direct talks with Iran if Tehran first agreed to suspend uranium enrichment. The offer came in a package of incentives backed by six world powers.
The White House said it did not view supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comment as Iran's final word on its offer, viewed as a major policy shift in Washington and by some analysts, particularly in the West, as a possible deal clincher
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/news/news3.htm
US gives sober assessment of Iraqi security crackdown
Saddam to go on trial in August for Kurdish alleged genocide
A woman on Tuesday embraces her son, who was released from the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad (Reuters photo by Namir Noor-Eldeen)
BAGHDAD (AP) — The US military issued a sober assessment Tuesday of the Baghdad security crackdown, saying violence had decreased slightly but not to “the degree we would like to see” in the two weeks since 75,000 American-backed Iraqi soldiers flooded the capital.
An influential Sunni Arab cleric endorsed the Shiite Prime Minister Nuri Maliki's reconciliation plan, saying he saw a “glimmer of hope” and calling on the government to implement it quickly.
The US military announced the deaths of a Marine and three soldiers, and police reported 18 more Iraqis fell victim to sectarian and insurgent violence, including five people whose bodies were found dumped in the capital.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/news/news2.htm
6 killed in attack on Somali warlords’ posts
MOGADISHU (AP) — Days after cleric took charge of Somalia's Islamic fighters, a clan leader said the fighters broke a ceasefire to seize a clan-held checkpoint outside the capital in an hourlong battle Tuesday that killed six people.
It was the first military movement since the fighters signed an agreement last week to stop all military action and recognise the country's powerless, UN-backed interim government. The fighters control Mogadishu and most of the rest of southern Somalia, while the interim government holds only the southern town of Baidoa, 250 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu.
The checkpoint connecting the capital, Mogadishu, to the Lower Shabelle region was manned by members of the Habar Gidir clan, who charged motorists a fee to pass. Three of the victims were civilians and the others were clan members, said clan leader Abdi Kaibdid.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/news/news5.htm
THE ANNOUNCED TROOP REDUCTIONS IS A FALSEHOOD. 'LOOKING FOR' A DRAWDOWN IS NOT THE SAME AS REDEPLOYING TROOPS HOME ! It provides no reason for the Iraqis to take over the security of their nation. It only prolongs it. Bush refuses to 'take responsibility' for making the tough decisions. He leaves all the tough decisions to General Casey whom knows once the troops start to deploy it has to be reasonably fast to insure all their safety out of a Civil War Zone. The chances of redeployment out of Iraq are slim to none when 'the safety' of the troops are considered. General Casey simply needs the 'go ahead' to bring out troops home while telling Baghdad they have to improve their security forces on their own. General Casey is 'assigned' the 'task' of assessing the Iraqi forces 'based on' the standards he measures has security and not that of Iraq's real time status. The Iraqi 'forces' do not have to meet USA standards. It's not that kind of thing. They should be measured according to other allies in the region and the needs of an unoccupied Arab nation. There are currently 75,000 Iraqi force. There are 130,000 USA military. Does Iraq need all those personnel? No. A good amount of the USA military's efforts is to protect it's own well being in Iraq. Bush needs to give the order to redeploy out. Other Republican presidents have done it, namely Gerald Ford, in recent history.
US confirms looking at Iraq troop drawdown
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States confirmed Monday that it was considering a plan to sharply reduce US forces in Iraq by the end of 2007, but said it was just one option among many and was not "engraved in stone." The White House confirmed that US General George Casey, commander of US forces in Iraq, had drawn up a drawdown plan but stressed that implementation would depend on whether Iraq's fledgling security forces can take up any slack.
US President George W. Bush, who met with the general on Friday, said that "one of the things that General Casey assured me of that whatever recommendation he makes, it'll be aimed towards achieving victory." "In terms of our troop presence there, that decision will be made by General Casey, as well as the sovereign government of Iraq, based upon conditions on the ground," the president told reporters.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/news/news6.htm
Egyptian women flock to hear female preachers
By Yara Bayoumy
Reuters
CAIRO — Women of all ages pour into a fluorescent-lit mosque hall hours before Sherine Gouda Al Sahhar is due to deliver her weekly sermon, seeking a seat near the front so they can catch a glimpse of the preacher.
The 200 women can barely squeeze into the hall, so Sahhar's helpers remove the screens separating the men's hall from the women's to accommodate the gathering.
As she starts, a hush falls over the crowd. Sahhar begins preaching about the need to perform good deeds to please God, not to boast to colleagues, friends or family.
She is one of a growing number of Muslim women preachers in the Egyptian capital who deliver regular sermons in mosque halls, preaching about Islam, interpreting Koranic verses and advising people how to live as virtuous Muslims.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/news/news7.htm
Jordanian youth join int’l interfaith conference
By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN — Emphasising the role of the youth in promoting interfaith dialogue and tolerance, religious leaders at a recent conference in Beirut said young people are key players in the global fight against terrorism.
The remarks were made during an event focused on the role of inter-religious dialogue in combating violence and advancing shared security, which brought together religious leaders, representatives from youth-concerned institutions and young people from the Ecumenical Studies Centre from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Egypt and Japan earlier this month.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/homenews/homenews10.htm
The end of democratisation — time to reconsider
Hasan Abu Nimah
Talk about reforming and democratising the Greater Middle East seems to be fading without any trace of accomplishment.
The United States believed at some point in its “war on terror” that terror is linked with dictatorships and therefore democracy should be part of the cure. While justifying the need for democratisation, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice once said that the United States had ended up serving neither democratisation nor security when, for 60 years, Washington ignored the former in favour of the latter. It was time, she said that democratisation should be placed at the top of the priority list.
Regardless of the fact that democracy cannot stop terrorism, as this issue was well argued in a study published in Foreign Affairs (September/October 2005) by Gregory Cause, reactions to the call for democratisation and reform in the targeted region varied widely. Reform should not be imposed from outside, said some. That logic failed to address a basic question: Why delay reform until confronted by outside pressure? Others said no reform should precede the resolution of the chronic political problems in our region, beginning with the Arab-Israeli conflict. That logic also failed to recognise that stagnant politics contributes to perpetuating conflicts and instability.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/opinion/opinion2.htm
Michael Moore Today
Former Admin. Official Needs Only Three Words To Explain Manipulation of Intel: ‘The Vice President’
The Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing this afternoon to examine the manipulation of pre-war Iraq intelligence. Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), who previously disavowed his vote for the war, attended the hearing and asked the panelists why a small number of individuals in the administration “had more influence…than the professionals.” Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, said he only needed three words. Watch it.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/26/wilkerson-vp/
Cheney's visit brings out protesters
By Robert Pore / Grand Island Independent
GRAND ISLAND, NE -- About two dozen people protested Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to Grand Island today.
The protesters were gathered across the street from the Midtown Holiday Inn on South Locust Street. Cheney was attending a fundraiser for state Sen. Adrian Smith, who is the Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional District.
Cheney's entourage was ushered into the Holiday Inn, away from the view of the protesters. For Margaret Williams of Grand Island, however, it was important that she be there to voice her opposition to the policies of the Bush/Cheney administration.
Williams, who was by herself, carried a sign that read, "For the people, by the people. Not for the wealthy, by the wealthy."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7359
Protestors get their messages known
http://www.michaelmoore.com/_media/impeach_cheney_62606.mov
Join the June 27th National Day of Action to Stand Up with Lt. Ehren Watada TODAY!
“I refuse to be silent any longer. I refuse to be party to an illegal and immoral war against people who did nothing to deserve our aggression. My oath of office is to protect and defend America’s laws and its people. By refusing unlawful orders for an illegal war, I fulfill that oath today.”
- U.S. Army First Lt. Ehren Watada
http://thankyoult.live.radicaldesigns.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=1
Bush ignores laws he inks, vexing Congress
By Lauria Kellman / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain thought he had a deal when President Bush, faced with a veto-proof margin in Congress, agreed to sign a bill banning the torture of detainees. Not quite. While Bush signed the new law, he also quietly approved another document: a signing statement reserving his right to ignore the law. McCain was furious, and so were other lawmakers.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is opening hearings this week into what has become the White House's favorite tool for overriding Congress in the name of wartime national security.
"It's a challenge to the plain language of the Constitution," the committee's chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm interested to hear from the administration just what research they've done to lead them to the conclusion that they can cherry-pick."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7361
Karl Rove speaks at Mike Whalen fundraiser in Waterloo
By Jeff Wilford and RC Balaban / WCF Courier
WATERLOO, IA -- While Karl Rove was enroute to talk at a campaign fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Mike Whalen at the members-only Sunnyside Country Club Monday, roughly three dozen protesters stood along Ansborough Avenue with signs showing what they thought of President Bush's deputy chief of staff.
"Rove fiddles while working families burn."
"Health care is a right, not a privilege."
"Karl Rove, congratulations on not getting indicted!" Signed, "Concerned Iowans."
Rove's response: "What protesters?"
"He said you've never seen protesters until you've seen the ones that were outside my house," said Hugh Field, a Waterloo lawyer who attended the invitation-only fundraiser. "So he wasn't very impressed."
Whalen said between 70 and 75 people attended the $250-a-plate luncheon. The event was closed to the public and the press.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=117
Wars force Army equipment costs to triple
By Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The annual cost of replacing, repairing and upgrading Army equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan is expected to more than triple next year to more than $17 billion, according to Army documents obtained by the Associated Press.
From 2002 to 2006, the Army spent an average of $4 billion a year in annual equipment costs. But as the war takes a harder toll on the military, that number is projected to balloon to more than $12 billion for the federal budget year that starts next Oct. 1, the documents show.
The $17 billion also includes an additional $5 billion in equipment expenses that the Army requested in previous years but has not yet been provided.
The latest costs include the transfer of more than 1,200 2 1/2-ton trucks, nearly 1,100 Humvees and $8.8 million in other equipment from the U.S. Army to the Iraqi security forces.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7362
GM to shed quarter of workforce this year
By Bernard Simon in Toronto / Financial Times
General Motors will on Monday disclose details of one of most dramatic corporate downsizings in US history, exceeding a key target of its turnround plan and accelerating the demise of the privileged American car worker.
Rick Wagoner, chief executive, is expected to announce that about 30,000 workers – more than a quarter of GM's blue-collar US workforce – have taken up its offer of early retirement and severance packages.
Almost all will leave by the end of the year, achieving in a few months what the company had set out to accomplish over more than two years.
A total of 50,000 workers or more is set to leave the industry over the next few months.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7357
Iraq conflict leaves at least 130,000 displaced
By Hiba Moussa and Michael Georgy / Reuters
BAGHDAD - Iraq's sectarian violence of the past four months has pushed the number of displaced people to above 130,000, parliament heard on Monday as members urged ministers to give more aid and security to contain the crisis.
"There should be more field visits to understand their plight," Sunni Arab parliamentarian Dhafir al-Ani told the assembly. "The government should take direct steps and provide security for displaced families, including at their camps."
Iraq's Ministry of Displaced and Migration now puts the number of internal refugees at 130,386, or 21,731 families, its spokesman Sattar Nowruz said.
The number of registered displaced has climbed by as much as 30,000 in the last month, according to ministry statistics.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7358
Documentary slams GM for ending electric car production
By Justin Hyde / Detroit Free Press
Just as General Motors Corp. has begun to talk about turning a corner after months of bad news from losses and job cuts, a documentary rolling out this week accuses GM of putting its EV1 electric vehicle in an early grave.
"Who Killed the Electric Car?" examines California's fling with mandating electric cars in the 1990s and its decision to drop the mandate in the face of strenuous opposition from the auto industry. "Who Killed the Electric Car?" contends carmakers, government officials and others worked together to keep a viable alternative to gas-powered vehicles off the road.
Like "Roger and Me," which illustrates the negative impact of GM's decision to downsize in Flint, Mich., "Who Killed the Electric Car?" could create a public relations headache for GM. Many automakers have long dismissed electric vehicles as a dead end, but the documentary could resonate with moviegoers, who now spend $3 for every gallon of gasoline they use to drive to the theater.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7365
Get the Facts !
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/electric.html
Watch the Trailer !
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/
Find a Theater !
http://movies.aol.com/movie/who-killed-the-electric-car/24980/main
Apple - Trailers - Who Killed The Electric Car? - Trailer
Who Killed The Electric Car? It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. ... Official Movie site · QuickTime 7 Required ...
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/whokilledtheelectriccar/trailer/
Apple - Trailers - Who Killed The Electric Car?
Who Killed The Electric Car? Who Killed The Electric Car? Copyright © 2006 Sony Pictures Classics ... Official Movie site · QuickTime 7 Required ...
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/whokilledtheelectriccar/
YouTube - Who Killed the Electric Car trailer
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, ... "The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat, & Beers" Movie Trailer ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSBykAngDpY
The New Zealand Herald
Fresh violence in East Timor as rivals square off =
3.45pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
By David Fox
DILI - Fears of renewed violence in East Timor rose today after several houses and small shops in the capital were torched by protesters allied to or against ousted Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.
Alkatiri quit on Monday following weeks of public protest and while President Xanana Gusmao mulls the ruling Fretilin party's suggestions for a replacement, thousands of party supporters gathered outside the capital, preparing to march on Dili.
Hopes for an end to more than two months of violence fizzled out as news of the gathering by Fretilin party supporters spread. They were expected in the capital today.
But hundreds of anti-Alkatiri protesters were still camped outside the main government building and scores scattered in groups in parks and open areas around the sleepy seaside capital.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10388789
East Timor president to announce interim government
Wednesday June 28, 2006
East Timor's president Xanana Gusmao is expected to announce a transitional government to replace the administration of Mari Alkatiri, who resigned as prime minister earlier this week.
The president began meeting with his advisory Council of State yesterday, trying to balance the rights of the ruling Fretilin Party, which was elected with an overwhelming majority, against his belief that the current Fretilin leadership is illegitimate.
The last leadership ballot was illegal because it was not a secret ballot.
Nevertheless his close supporter, former foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta, says a compromise can be found.
"The president is trying to navigate through this political complexity and find consensus to form a government in the next few days," he said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10388780
Flooding cripples US capital, closes attractions
7.20am Wednesday June 28, 2006
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON - Torrential rain soaked the US capital, toppled a century-old elm tree at the White House, closed the home of the Declaration of Independence and kept tax collectors from work on Monday.
With as much as 18cm of rain falling since Sunday in an East Coast deluge, flooded basements or power outages forced the Internal Revenue Service, Commerce Department, Justice Department and the National Archives to close.
"The nation's attic" - the Smithsonian Institution - was also hit. Two Smithsonian-run museums and the National Zoo were closed.
The federal government told its 280,000 area workers they could take leave if they were unable to get to work. The Justice Department's main building, where hoses pumped out a flooded basement, would stay closed all week, authorities said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10388676
Australian stocks: All eyes on US rates
Wednesday June 28, 2006
The Australian share market fell 1 per cent on Wednesday, as top stocks followed Wall Street down on investor wariness over how high the US Federal Reserve might raise interest rates to tame inflation.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO shed 52.4 points to hit 4,946.8 at the close. Top miner BHP Billiton Ltd./plc was the biggest drag on the index, falling 2.7 per cent, after copper prices slumped 4 per cent.
"Interest rates remain the main preoccupation," said John Sevior, head of Australian equities for Perpetual Investments.
The Fed is widely expected to lift its key funds rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent on Thursday, but investors are keen to know whether it is likely to raise rates further, fearing that an aggressive tack will curb economic growth.
An overnight fall in gold prices hammered gold miners, with Lihir Gold down 4.6 per cent and Newcrest Mining down 2.2 per cent.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10388828
Currency: Trade deficit knocks dollar down
6.00pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
Another ugly and worse-than-expected monthly trade deficit sent the New Zealand dollar spinning lower on all fronts today.
Instead of the expected $23 million surplus forecast by economists for May, a record deficit for that month at $104 million was posted. This was despite exports being at a record.
The kiwi dropped to US60.08 from its US60.60c opening, which was similar to yesterday's close.
There was similar damage against other currencies with the euro falling to a four-year low of 0.4780 from 0.4815 yesterday. Against the aussie, the kiwi fell to A82.04c and against sterling it dropped to a three-year low of 0.3295 from 0.3328.
The trade-weighted index was also at a three-year low of 60.87 compared to 61.43 yesterday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10388799
Trade deficit hits all-time high
1.00pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
New Zealand's trade deficit for May was an all-time high for the month at $104 million, even as exports hit the highest figure for any month, data published today by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) showed.
Imports and exports both showed large increases in May, up 24.3 per cent and 24 per cent respectively, compared to May 2005.
Imports were valued at $3.75 billion, with most of the $735 million increase on May 2005 coming from petroleum, diesel and crude and aircraft, SNZ said.
Aircraft were also a large contributor to exports which reached an all-time monthly high of $3.65b.
The figures, which took the annual trade deficit for the year to May to $6.91b, were well outside the expectations of many economists.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10388761
Forecaster cuts Australia barley crop on dry weather
3.40pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
SYDNEY - Private group Australian Crop Forecasters said it has reduced its forecast for barley production for this season by 18 per cent to 8.2 million tonnes due to dry weather.
Rainfall had been generally disappointing despite good falls in June in some areas, it said.
This compares with a recent forecast by the government's Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics for a barley crop of 8.485 million tonnes, compared with 9.869 million tonnes in 2005/06.
Australian Crop Forecasters said pre-season rainfall from January to March had been fairly high, but national rainfall in May was well below the long-term average, leaving most of the cropping belt dry.
Dry weather had stressed crops in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, the group said.
"Due to extremely low sub-soil moisture, New South Wales needs constant rainfall to prevent the crops from drying out," it said.
South Australia was the only area likely to produce an average barley crop, but it also urgently needed rain, it said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10388787
Trampers rescued after losing path in snow
1.00pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
Three trampers had to be airlifted from the Tararua Ranges after waist-deep snow concealed their path.
Senior sergeant Murray Johnston, of Masterton, said the Lower Hutt trampers - two men and a woman, all aged 18 - were making their way from Cattle Ridge Hutt to Cow Creek Hutt.
Mr Johnston said they lost touch with the track, which was buried under a metre of snow on the second day of a three-day tramp.
"Basically it's not only a marginally maintained track, but was also under a metre of snow. They made it halfway through to Cow Creek, got off the track and couldn't get back on it," he said.
At 4.20pm on Monday they phoned one of the tramper's mothers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10388768
Israeli tanks roll into southern Gaza
UPDATED 12.00pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA - Israeli forces pushed into the Gaza Strip today after threatening a major offensive to try to bring home a soldier captured by Palestinian militants, the army said.
Tanks and armoured vehicles entered the territory near the southern town of Rafah less than a year after Israel pulled thousands of soldiers and settlers from the territory following 38 years of occupation.
An army spokeswoman confirmed the troops had moved into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Meanwhile, aircraft struck at three bridges on key roads in what the army said was an attempt to stop militants moving the captive. A helicopter strike on a power plant plunged much of Gaza into darkness.
Israel threatened to launch an offensive into Gaza following the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid on Monday by three Palestinian factions, including the armed wing of the governing Hamas Islamist group.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=601&objectid=10388762
Hamas reaches deal with Abbas, but keeps hard line
9.30am Wednesday June 28, 2006
GAZA - Hamas reached a political agreement with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today under the pressure of an international embargo to push it to recognise Israel and soften its line.
But the governing Islamist group -- whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state -- rejected any suggestion that the deal could imply it now accepts Israel's existence.
The European Union, main donor to the Palestinians, praised the agreement as a good first step while Washington said it wanted to see more details. Both emphasised Hamas still had to make clear it recognised Israel and also renounced violence.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10388743
Space shuttle crew arrives in Florida for launch
5.20pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - The seven astronauts scheduled to fly aboard the space shuttle Discovery arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning to prepare for Saturday's planned liftoff.
The flight, which is bound for the International Space Station, will be the shuttle's second since the Columbia accident killed seven astronauts more than three years ago. The launch is scheduled for 3.49 pm EDT (7.49am Sunday NZT).
"It's really great to finally be here in Florida for the launch," said Discovery's flight engineer Lisa Nowak, one of three rookie astronauts on the crew, which flew to Florida from Houston.
About the only hurdle in the way of launch could be the weather. Central Florida has been socked by seasonal rain and thunderstorms for the past several days.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10388788
Scandal-plagued Taiwan president survives vote
Wednesday June 28, 2006
TAIPEI - Scandal-plagued Taiwan President Chen Shui Bian survived a parliamentary vote aimed at unseating him yesterday as thousands of supporters and critics protested outside.
As expected the main Opposition Nationalist Party and the splinter People First Party lacked the necessary two-thirds majority to authorise a referendum on whether to kick Chen out of office.
A total of 119 deputies voted to refer Chen's fate to the electorate, while 14 cast null ballots, meaning that the motion fell short of the 148 votes needed to pass, parliamentary speaker Wang Jin Pyng said.
Barbed-wire barricades were set up outside Parliament before the vote, but no clashes were reported between thousands of Chen supporters and Opposition protesters. Up to 5000 policemen were mobilised to maintain order.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10388640
Tamil Tiger apology for Gandhi assassination
11.20am Wednesday June 28, 2006
By Justin Huggler
In an unexpected move, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels today apologised for the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991.
It was the first time the Tigers have directly admitted responsibility for the death of Gandhi, who was killed by a suicide bomber.
"I would say it is a great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy for which we deeply regret," the Tigers' chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, said in an interview with India's NDTV.
"We call upon the government of India and people of India to be magnanimous to put the past behind." The apology comes at a time when Sri Lanka is on the brink of a return to civil war between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10388749
Two British marines killed in Afghanistan
10.20am Wednesday June 28, 2006
By Kim Sengupta and Tom Coghlan
KABUL - Two British special forces personnel have been killed after an attack on a night-time patrol in southern Afghanistan.
The deaths came after a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the patrol in the Sangin Valley part of Helmand province. The killings were the first to claim the lives of Special Forces personnel since 2003, when Corporal Ian Plank died in Iraq.
They occurred in one of the most violent areas of Afghanistan, where Western forces are engaged in a vicious war of attrition with a resurgent Taleban.
The deaths came during a sustained and intense firefight in which British troops had to call up artillery, Apache helicopter gunships and Harrier warplanes in support.
The lethal attack took place just 24 hours after the Defence Secretary had said the use of the vehicles in combat zones will be reviewed after repeated claims that they did not provide enough protection.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10388747
Guantanamo inmates hid pills, nooses
1.20pm Wednesday June 28, 2006
By Jane Sutton
GUANTANAMO BAY - Guantanamo detainees were found with pills stuffed into the waistbands of their pants and in one case, inside a prosthetic leg, weeks before three prisoners hanged themselves, a doctor at the camp hospital said today.
Guards found nooses in other prisoners' cells after the three deaths, said Rear Admiral Harry Harris, who oversees the detention operation. He said the stashed pills and nooses indicated other prisoners planned to take part in co-ordinated suicides, something some have acknowledged.
"They continue to look for ways to make their point or fight their fight," Harris said.
US military officials have implemented new measures aimed at preventing suicides since the prisoners killed themselves, an event that intensified pressure on Washington to close the controversial prison at a remote US naval base in Cuba.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10388774
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