December 2, 2006
Waterloo, Illinois

Photographer states :: The trees took a beating. No electric for 3 days.

No this is NOT New Orleans. This is a the rarest of occurrences in London.

A damaged house in Chamberlayne Road, north-west London, after a small tornado ripped through the suburb of Kensal Rise. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

Six hurt as tornado strikes in London
Matt Weaver and agencies
Thursday December 7, 2006

A number of houses were so badly damaged by the tornado that struck north-west London this morning they may have to be demolished, it has emerged.

At least six people were injured and hundreds left homeless when the tornado swept through Kensal Rise at around 11am, tearing the roofs and walls off houses.

Eyewitnesses said it lasted for up to 40 seconds; one man said he heard a sound "like standing behind a jetliner".

One Fijian family make their feelings known by hanging banners outside their houses. Photo / Greg Bowker

Morning Papers - continued ...

RIA Novosti

Reports of Litvinenko contact's critical condition false - lawyer
MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - The lawyer of a witness in the case of Russian security service defector Alexander Litvinenko's murder said Thursday reports claiming Litvinenko's contact Dmitry Kovtun is in a critical condition are false.
Russian media reported earlier Thursday that Kovtun, a business partner of witness Andrei Lugovoi, had fallen into a coma after being questioned by Russian and British investigators probing Litvinenko's death.
Andrei Romashov, a lawyer for Lugovoi, a businessman and former Federal Protection Service officer, said: "I have just clarified the facts. This can only be called a provocation. Kovtun's condition is satisfactory."
The lawyer said he had spoken to representatives of Kovtun, also a witness in the Litvinenko murder case.
"I called them, and they said Kovtun feels normal," he said.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061207/56614365.html


Radiation traces found in British Embassy in Moscow
MOSCOW, December 6 (RIA Novosti) - British experts investigating Russian security service defector Alexander Litvinenko's death in London found insignificant traces of radiation in the U.K.'s Moscow Embassy, a diplomatic spokesman said Wednesday.
The spokesman told RIA Novosti that there is no threat to public health and the Embassy is working normally.
Litvinenko, 43, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin's administration and a close associate of exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky, died in a London hospital November 23. His body was found to contain a lethal dose of polonium-210, a radioactive isotope.
Traces of polonium-210 were also found in a dozen sites in London and on British Airways aircraft flying the London-Moscow route.
British police told TV channel Sky News Wednesday that they will investigate Litvinenko's case as a murder, given preliminary results of the forensic examination.


KGB defector refutes Litvinenko contact Scaramella's allegations
ROME, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - A KGB defector refuted Thursday allegations relating to the Italian prime minister made by Mario Scaramella, an Italian security consultant and contact of late former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica Wednesday published a wiretapped conversation between Scaramella and an American acquaintance, in which Scaramella, citing Oleg Gordievsky, a UK resident who defected from the KGB in 1985, as saying Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi had been linked to the KGB.
Gordievsky denied ever having said Prodi was a KGB agent or that he had been of interest to the Soviet secret services, and said such claims had come from Litvinenko.
He said he met Scaramella on the request of the Mitrokhin Commission, a parliamentary body set up by former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi to investigate the activity of Soviet and post-Soviet spies in Italy, and that Scaramella, who advises the body, had done his best to obtain compromising information on Prodi.
Scaramella was admitted to hospital in late November after proving positive in tests for radioactive isotope polonium-210, which killed Alexander Litvinenko an outspoken critic of the Kremlin, who Scaramella had met around the time of the latter's poisoning. But doctors said Scaramella's dose was not dangerous, and discharged him.
Gordievsky said Litvinenko had merely said what Scaramella wanted to hear, because he was in desperate financial straits and hoped to benefit from such cooperation.
He added that Litvinenko had also discredited Prodi among some European MPs, who he said had asked him to confirm Litvinenko's allegations.


Ukraine's president in breach of Constitution - Justice Ministry
KIEV, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's president exceeded his constitutional powers when he signed a decree ordering his appointee, the foreign minister, to remain in office despite being sacked by parliament, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.
Parliament voted last Friday to fire Borys Tarasyuk, a key supporter of President Viktor Yushchenko, in a move that further widened a rift between Western-leaning pro-presidential forces and the pro-Russian governing coalition, which have unsuccessfully sought to forge a national unity government.
Yushchenko's December 5 decree "was issued by the president in breach of powers assigned to him by Ukraine's Constitution, and violates the Constitution," the ministry said in an official document calling on the head of state to withdraw the decree.
Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych said Wednesday that lawmakers' dismissal of the foreign minister was constitutional, and in line with parliamentary powers.
Speaking at a news conference, Lavrynovych said: "Tarasyuk was dismissed in full compliance with constitutional norms and the Rada's regulations."

http://en.rian.ru/world/20061207/56611213.html


Six Russian facilities hold licenses to work with polonium-210
MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - Five Russian companies and the chemistry faculty of Moscow State University hold licenses to deal with substances containing polonium-210, the national nuclear watchdog said Thursday.
After a lethal dose of the radioactive isotope was found in the body of Russian security service defector Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London two weeks ago, extensive investigations have been under way to detect the origin of the toxic substance; Moscow has flatly denied that the Po-210 used to kill Litvinenko could have come from Russia.
Enterprises at the Federal Nuclear Center in the Volga city of Samara hold three licenses to handle Po-210, a uranium by-product, and two others are owned by Techsnabexport, the state-controlled uranium supplier and provider of uranium enrichment services, as well as one private company, Nuklon.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061207/56606353.html


Russian intelligence says not involved in ex-spy poisoning in UK
MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign intelligence service denied Monday any involvement in the alleged poisoning of a former agent in London.Alexander Litvinenko, 44, a former officer of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and allegedly a close associate of Russia's fugitive oligarch Boris Berezovsky, is now in a London hospital with symptoms of severe poisoning."Russia's foreign intelligence service has nothing to do with Alexander Litvinenko's condition," the chief spokesman for the service, Sergei Ivanov, said, adding that media reports had all been false and unsubstantiated.Litvinenko left Russia with his wife and son in 2000. Two years later, a Russian court convicted him in absentia for abuse of office. British authorities granted him political asylum and issued a British passport.Litvinenko told The Sunday Times newspaper that he had met with an Italian acquaintance, Mario Scaramella, who gave him a letter concerning an investigation into the recent high-profile killing of a Kremlin critic, journalist Anna Politkovskaya, in Moscow.Shortly afterwards, in early November, Litvinenko became sick and had all the symptoms of poisoning. Within a week, his condition deteriorated and he lost nearly all his hair.Doctors said Litvinenko could not eat for 18 days. His bone marrow was badly damaged, depriving his body of white blood cells.Tests showed that the concentration of dangerous thallium metal in the ex-spy's body was three times above the norm.

Litvinenko affair

http://en.rian.ru/trend/litvinenko/


Russia to sell arms worth $6 bln in 2006 - Putin
MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia may receive some $6 billion on sales of weapons and military hardware in 2006, the president said Thursday.
Russia's military hardware "enjoys high demand in the world. This year we will reach a level of $6 billion," Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the commission for military and technical cooperation.
Russia's state arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport, the country's sole state intermediary in the sphere of military hardware exports and imports, said earlier one of its priorities was to expand the geography, range and volume of Russian armament and equipment supplies to regional markets.
The company is completing talks on the sale to China of about 50 Su-33 Naval Flanker ship-borne fighters, worth $2.5 billion.
If successful, this will be Russia's second most expensive arms sale contract after a $3 billion agreement for the assembly of 140 Su-30MKI fighters in India by 2014 under a Russian license.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061207/56604693.html


Gates appointment won't affect Russia-U.S. military ties - Ivanov
KIEV, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister said Thursday he is confident that the appointment of a new United States defense secretary will not affect relations between the two countries' defense agencies.
The U.S. Senate confirmed former CIA chief Robert Gates Wednesday to replace Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary. Rumsfeld resigned after the Democrats took control of both Congress and the Senate at mid-term elections.
"Concerning the appointment of Robert Gates as the new head of the Pentagon, I hope the course that has been followed for the past six years under Defense Secretary Rumsfeld will be continued," Sergei Ivanov, currently in Kiev for a Russia-Ukraine security meeting, told a news conference.
He said defense relations with the U.S. "will be built on a realistic, pragmatic basis," especially on issues of global stability and nuclear nonproliferation.
"Russia is ready for constructive cooperation," he added.

Modernization of Russia's missile forces

http://en.rian.ru/trend/missile/


From Pearl Harbor to World Trade Center
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev) - On December 8, it will be 65 years since Japan attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. On September 11, it was five years since the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York. These dates will go down in history in parallel. There are many reasons for this apart from numerical similarity.
For all its tragic consequences, Pearl Harbor symbolized what the United States regarded as the beginning of the "American century" until recently. Before December 1941, America was an isolationist state which had barely recovered after the Great Depression. However, it emerged from WWII as the world's strongest power, and retaliated against the Japanese aggressors with the first nuclear strikes in the history of mankind.
To the contrary, September 11 signals the beginning of the end of the incomplete "American century". It seemed that subsequent events would show to the world that nobody could play jokes with America. What they in fact demonstrated was something different - that it is possible to spend on defense more than the European Union, Russia, and China put together, and still fail to win a war against a much weaker country.
Until the war in Iraq, the U.S. was referred to as the only superpower, but after Iraq this expression gradually disappeared.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20061207/56615157.html


USSR's demise made Russia truly independent
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kolesnikov) - The text of the agreement singed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus 15 years ago, on December 8, 1991, by the leaders of three Slavic republics of the Soviet Union - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine - was written by Yegor Gaidar, whose alleged poisoning in Dublin made international news this week.
The legal aspects of the agreement were coordinated by Sergei Shakhrai, who later co-authored Russia's 1993 Constitution. He argued that Russia, Belarus and Ukraine (disregarding the Transcaucasian Federation) set up the Soviet Union in 1922, and therefore they had the legal right to dissolve it.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the first and last president of the USSR, has denounced the agreement as a betrayal and violation of the law and the so-called Novo-Ogaryovo process, which had started months before to reform the Soviet Union into a looser and more flexible structure.
He is both right and wrong.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20061207/56610750.html


Russians develop unique self-propelled gun
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Viktor Litovkin) - Do you know what the word "Msta" means? If not, you can surf the Internet, and you will find that the Msta is a 445-km river flowing through the Tver and Novgorod Regions in western Russia. This river flows into Lake Ilmen and links it with Lake Mstino.
The Msta River basin, with an area of 23,200 square kilometers, is part of the Vyshny Volochok water system. Moreover, the river itself is navigable 134 kilometers from its mouth.
However, the word "Msta" takes on an entirely different meaning if you ask a Russian artillery officer about it. He will tell you that the 152-mm Msta-S (index 2S19) is a self-propelled howitzer, and the Msta-B (index 2A65) is a towed artillery system.
Both guns are intended to destroy tactical nuclear artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, as well as military personnel, air-defense weapons, anti-ballistic missiles and command centers. They can also destroy field fortifications and hinder the movement of enemy reserves miles behind the frontline.
These artillery pieces can hit visible targets point blank and from indirect firing positions; invisible targets are also easily destroyed.
Msta howitzers and artillery systems are among the Russian Army's best weapons.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20061207/56607837.html


Russia to set up development bank
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Anatoly Gorev) - This week, the Russian government may consider a bill drafted by the Economic Development Ministry on setting up a development bank.
If it is endorsed by the cabinet and then approved by parliament, a new government financial organization may appear in Russia early next year with an authorized capital of $2.5 billion. It will be created by the merger of Vnesheconombank (VEB), the Russian Bank of Development, and Roseximbank. VEB will play the key role in the merged entity.
The idea of setting up a development bank that will later be tasked with management of the investment fund is nothing new. It was first voiced more than a year ago by the Economic Development Ministry. At that time, however, the proposal to set up a super-organization on the basis of VEB was rejected by Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. Officially, his ministry did not agree that the development bank's functions would not include those of a debt agency. The true reason, however, was the long rivalry between VEB and Vneshtorgbank (VTB), which is believed to be patronized by Kudrin.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20061207/56609206.html


No conflict between Georgia, Russia - Putin interview
MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - There is no conflict between Russia and Georgia, but the South Caucasus country's leadership is damaging bilateral relations, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday in an interview with a Mexican media mogul.
"There is no conflict between Russia and Georgia. For reasons unclear to us, the Georgian leadership is doing everything to worsen the two countries' relations," Putin told Mario Vazquez Rana.
The Russian leader said Georgia was conducting an anti-Russian policy, and that Georgia's militarization threatens stability and security in the Caucasus.
Relations between Georgia and Russia have been strained ever since the Western-leaning government of President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in 2003. In March of this year, Russia banned Georgian wines and mineral water, dealing a heavy blow the ex-Soviet republic's fragile economy.
The current standoff in relations between the ex-Soviet neighbors was triggered in late September by Georgia's brief detention of four Russian officers on espionage charges, and was later exacerbated by Tblisi's subsequent threat to withdraw its support for Russia's WTO bid.


The Chicago Tribune

Heavy snow in NW Indiana
Video: Commuters brave bitter cold
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 7, 2006, 6:36 AM CST
Many Northwest Indiana motorists are having a slow morning commute.The National Weather Service says significant lake effect snow is falling today in northern Indiana. Forecasters predict 6 to 10 inches of snow in the area by this evening, with some spots getting a foot of snow. Blustery winds could blow the snow, reducing visibility.
Some northern Indiana schools are delaying the start of classes today.State Police report a few slide-offs on the Indiana Toll Road.Ice and snow are also causing problems on central Indiana roads. Police report numerous slide-offs and several jackknifed semis.
Gusts and frigid air threaten -6 to -16 chills; lake snow/travel woes east
Published December 7, 2006
It's the last but in many ways most potent cold surge of a chilly cycle which began in the closing hours of November eight days ago. Temperatures late Wednesday had plunged more than 40 (degrees) in just 24 hours across the Dakotas and hovered near or just below 0 (degrees). The southbound cold surge is to plunge all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, instigating waves of heavy, wind-driven snow sure to snarl travel in sections of the Indiana/Michigan snowbelt from Porter County east Thursday into Thursday night. Accumulations there may top 6-10". The fluffy character of lake-effect snowflakes mean the day's powerful 30+ mph wind gusts will send the snow airborne there. Powerful south winds up the continent's west coast Wednesday produced 40s in southern Alaska--even a 50 (degrees) high at Annette-readings warmer than Chicago's 36 (degrees). A stormier pattern lies ahead with some rain due later Sunday and a storm threatening rain or wet snow Tuesday night and/or Wednesday.Sources: NOAA-NCEP, NWS --ChicagoWGN-TV/Thomas Valle, Nicole Zuck, William Oswald


Small town bands together
Neighbors look out for each other after ice storm knocks out powerBy Josh NoelTribune staff reporterPublished December 7, 2006
NIANTIC, Ill. -- In this no-stoplight town framed by snow-covered farms, the fire station has become the main chow hall. Two men and a generator keep the water and sewers running. And city vehicles prowl the streets 24 hours a day to ensure the remaining 618 townspeople are getting by after almost a week without electricity.Since a devastating ice storm struck Nov. 30, the number of blacked-out Illinois residents has been slashed to about 55,000 from a high of about 235,000. But among those still in the dark Wednesday were residents of Niantic, where the high school's athletics teams go by the unfortunately apt nickname of The Storm. In true small-town fashion, longtime friends and neighbors have bonded ever closer as they cooked, cleared brush and looked after each other.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0612070106dec07,1,6054307.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Too much anti-icing chemical causes slippery crashes
Associated PressPublished December 7, 2006, 5:51 AM CST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Officials blame a malfunctioning Indiana Department of Transportation vehicle for spraying too much anti-icing chemical on several Interstate 69 exit ramps, with the slippery goo causing cars and trucks to slide and crash. Fort Wayne police responded to at least 10 crashes on the ramps Wednesday, all of which were believed to be caused by the chemical on the road, Fort Wayne police spokesman Scott Tegtmeyer said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-in-slipperyramps,1,5170836.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Do `falling ice' signs do any good?
Published December 6, 2006
Q: The "Caution: Falling Ice" signs are out again. But what are we supposed to do with that I:nformation, walk closer to the buildings or farther away -- or down the middle of the street? And are the signs really effective?A: As an annual public service, Tempo revisits this seasonal question.
First, experts agree that the chances of being struck by a chunk of ice are remote. But it does happen: 12 years ago a Milwaukee man was killed by a massive ice chunk that dropped from the roof of Neiman Marcus on North Michigan Avenue. There have also been several instances of pedestrians getting injured by falling ice.So how should you protect yourself? The consensus is that people should heed signage and walk as far away from the buildings as possible. "It [ice] tends to fall straight down," one building manager told us. "Unless it breaks against the sides of the building," and creates a spray of ice."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-061206fallingice-story,1,3669132.story?coll=chi-news-hed


3 die in Milwaukee plant blast
Propane gas explosion felt miles away; 46 hurt
By Dave Wischnowsky and Tim Jones, Tribune staff reporters. Dave Wischnowsky reported from Milwaukee, Tim Jones from Chicago
Published December 7, 2006
MILWAUKEE -- A propane gas leak led to a huge explosion Wednesday in a west side Milwaukee industrial area, killing three people at a transmission parts plant and injuring 46 others. But as investigators pieced through the smoldering rubble, they could not discover what triggered the deadly blast.The morning rush hour explosion at Falk Corp., near Miller Park and the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, leveled two factory buildings, knocked workers off their feet, broke windows in area houses and businesses, and sent burning debris over several blocks. Concussions from the blast rippled miles away.
"I could feel the air pressure change and atomized glass going by me," said Mark Luzinski of Milwaukee, a welder at a nearby building on the 61-acre complex. "I saw the wall buckled in and all the doors--40-foot doors--blown off their hinges."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0612070043dec07,1,6185379.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Autopsy Expected on Body of Missing Dad
By JEFF BARNARDAssociated Press WriterPublished December 7, 2006, 5:45 AM CST
MERLIN, Ore. -- A San Francisco man who struck out alone to find help for his family after their car got stuck on a snowy, remote road was found dead Wednesday, bringing an end to what authorities called an extraordinary effort to stay alive. Authorities planned to announce the results of an autopsy on Thursday.
Searchers had been following James Kim's footprints in the snow and searching by helicopter since his wife and two young daughters were rescued Monday. They also found pieces of his clothing, which they believed he left and arranged to give searchers clues to his whereabouts in Oregon's Coast Range.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-missing-family,1,5873453.story?coll=chi-news-hed


12 Million Suburbanites Live in Poverty
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press Writer
Published December 6, 2006, 11:37 PM CST
WASHINGTON -- As Americans flee the cities for the suburbs, many are failing to leave poverty behind. The suburban poor outnumbered their inner-city counterparts for the first time last year, with more than 12 million suburban residents living in poverty, according to a study of the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas released Thursday.
"Economies are regional now," said Alan Berube, who co-wrote the report for the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "Where you see increases in city poverty, in almost every metropolitan area, you also see increases in suburban poverty."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-suburban-poverty,1,7912056.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Pearl Harbor survivors gather for `final reunion'
By Kirsten ScharnbergTribune national correspondentPublished December 7, 2006
HONOLULU -- Donald Robinett came directly to the sign-in area for Pearl Harbor survivors when he arrived here this week."I am trying to find my shipmates," the 89-year-old veteran announced excitedly. "I want to see which ones are here."
A volunteer at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, one of the groups organizing a massive reunion to mark the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on U.S. forces here, began flipping through a log book until she came to Robinett's ship, the USS Tracy, a small mine-laying vessel that had been in port that infamous day. "Sir," she said sadly, patting the old sailor on his shoulder, "you're the only one here."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0612070105dec07,1,5661090.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Citing report, Democrats vow era of more intense war scrutiny
By Jill ZuckmanWashington BureauPublished December 7, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Congressional Democrats didn't say "I told you so" Wednesday, but the Iraq Study Group's report represented an important sense of vindication for a group of lawmakers who spent much of the last year denouncing President Bush's "stay the course" policy.Democrats say they now plan to spend much of the next year holding Bush accountable, forcing him to follow the report's recommendations for withdrawing most American combat troops from Iraq by the first quarter of 2008.
Democrats in the House and the Senate noted the similarities in the report's conclusions, their criticisms and voters' sentiment about the war in Iraq. They promised to remind Bush that he is responsible for the deteriorating situation.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0612070133dec07,1,6316677.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Gates Confirmed As Secretary of Defense
By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY
Associated Press Writer
Published December 7, 2006, 5:42 AM CST
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to confirm Robert Gates as defense secretary, with Democrats and Republicans portraying him as the man who will help overhaul President Bush's Iraq policies. The 95-2 vote was a victory of sorts for Bush, who named Gates to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon on Nov. 8, a day after voters gave Democrats control of Congress for next year.
Even so, much of Gates' support stemmed from his pledges to consider new options in Iraq. Overshadowing the vote was the release of an independent study lambasting Bush's approach to the war, increasing pressure on the White House to change course.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-gates-pentagon,1,4375315.story?coll=chi-news-hed


11 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq
By KIM GAMEL
Associated Press Writer
Published December 7, 2006, 6:38 AM CST
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The toll in one of the U.S. military's deadliest days in Iraq rose to 11 when the military said Thursday that another soldier had died in fighting west of Baghdad. At least seven Iraqis -- six policemen and a 7-year-old girl -- were killed in a series of bombings and shootings.
The U.S. soldier was shot Wednesday while manning a machine gun nest on the roof of an outpost in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, the capital of the volatile Anbar province, according to an Associated Press reporter on the scene. The death came on the same day that 10 other U.S. troops were killed in four separate incidents in Iraq, and a blue-ribbon panel in Washington recommended gradually shifting U.S. forces from a combat to a training role.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-iraq,1,7982944.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Squeezing Iraq
Published December 7, 2006
The long-awaited Iraq Study Group report landed with a thud on President Bush's doorstep Wednesday morning. It's grim reading. "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved."What follows are 79 specific recommendations and lots of gloomy prose. Bush need not adopt every one of them, but he does need to accept that this is a broad and important strategy to rescue the struggling U.S. mission in Iraq.
The panel's major points:- Squeeze Iraq: The U.S. should set benchmarks for the Iraqis--and threaten to withdraw military, political or economic aid if those benchmarks aren't reached. The biggest chip: pulling combat troops if the government fails to end its internal bickering and build a military strong enough to protect it. This carries a risk--that an American ultimatum would weaken Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0612070012dec07,1,5316253.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Financial disaster looms for Illinois, report warns
By Barbara Rose
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 7, 2006
Illinois' growing shortfall in pension and health-care funding is pushing the state toward financial disaster, a report released Wednesday concludes.The report by an elite group of chief executives from large Chicago-area companies lays out in unusually strong language the hard choices Illinois faces. It calls for significant cost cuts and warns that tax increases, including a hike in the corporate tax rate, may also be required."Illinois is headed toward financial implosion," states the study by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, an invitation-only group of about 80 chief executives.Many of the report's proposals are politically sensitive, such as doing away with defined benefit pensions for state employees--long a valued perquisite of public sector jobs--and replacing them with defined contribution plans. Defined benefit pensions guarantee a level of payments for life while the latter guarantee a set level of contribution.Pension benefits can't be reduced for current employees or retirees, but new hires could be offered less generous deals.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0612070162dec07,0,3867471.story?coll=chi-business-hed


Top aides urged not to forget the boss
By Todd Lighty and Laurie CohenTribune staff reportersPublished December 7, 2006
At many companies, it's a Christmas tradition for the boss to give gifts to the workers.At Chicago's City Hall, the boss--Mayor Richard Daley--also gets a gift.
A memorandum sent out last month on city stationery asks department heads and senior staffers to give a "$35 voluntary donation (no checks please)" toward a gift for the mayor and his wife, Maggie.The offering will be presented at the Daleys' annual holiday party for staffers to be held Friday at Kendall College.In past years, employees have given the Daleys gifts such as a saltwater aquarium and a piece of artwork from China. This year's gift will be different.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0612070129dec07,1,151471.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Elves know toy fun, not Daley's toy fund
Published December 7, 2006
Ro Annis has heard all the stupid elf jokes.He's a toy designer at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, and about 70 percent of all the children in the U.S. have played with a toy, a game or a doll dreamed up there. Naturally, he's up on the elf thing.Visiting reporters can't help but make elf references. Wouldn't you, if you were on a guided tour of the magical BMT studios, where adults design toys for kids?"OK, John, we're the elves," Annis said, in the middle of the toy shop, a bemused look on his face. "We can wear the green hats and the curly toed shoes, but only if we wish to wear them. We really don't have to wear them."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0612070037dec07,1,199851.column?coll=chi-news-hed


Sorry, boss, but....
No gift from me again this year. Or, as far as I know, from the staff.
Nothing personal. In nearly 27 years at the Tribune I've never even thought of giving any of my supervisors gifts for the holidays or their birthdays, much less been asked to contribute to a gift fund. The idea is creepy and fraught, completely inappropriate and unprofessional. A tradition of gifting the boss is, further, inherently coercive.
If I ever become a supervisor -- ha! -- I would not simply discourage the practice, I would forbid it in the strongest terms; I would declare it compromising, conflicting and unethical -- even when the "gift" gets funneled to charity, as Mayor Daley's holiday cash gift from his staff is being funneled this year. (See today's front-page story: City Hall aides hit up for Daley gifts)
While I was at it, I would prevent all routine office-based solicitations -- for birthday gifts, walk-athons, Scout drives and so forth. Workplace collections for wedding, retirement, graduation and baby gifts seem OK to me, but only when those being solicited are of equal or greater rank than the person who will get the one-time gift.

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2006/12/sorry_boss_but.html


Mom-to-be who bilked adoption agencies sentenced
By Mary Ann FergusTribune staff reporterPublished December 7, 2006, 12:49 PM CST
A Chicago woman was sentenced to 2 years in prison today after she admitted bilking adoption agencies out of thousands of dollars by falsely agreeing to let them place the baby she was carrying.Debra Klima, 24, pleaded guilty to theft by deception during a hearing before Cook County Judge Thomas R. Sumner, who then sentenced her.
Klima will begin serving her sentence immediately. Her husband, Bill Klima, previously was found guilty of theft charges stemming from the scheme and was sentenced last week to 3 years in prison.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-061207adoption-fraud,1,739614.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Major redesign is latest twist in plan for spire
By Blair KaminTribune architecture critic
Published December 7, 2006
The proposed "drill bit" skyscraper has lost its point but gained some heft.The developer of the twisting spire, which would be the nation's tallest building, has overseen a top-to-bottom redesign that seeks to make the much-ballyhooed project financially feasible, and he will submit his revised plans to the city Friday, people close to the project told the Tribune.
Designed by renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava for Dublin-based developer Garrett Kelleher, the tower no longer has a 400-foot broadcast antenna at its top or a hotel at its base. It is now all condominiums, 1,300 of them. The portion that modern-day cliff dwellers would live in has grown taller and wider, doubling the amount of sellable space to about 1.8 million square feet, said people associated with the project.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0612070161dec07,1,6840740.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Sox deny Garland trade report
By Mark GonzalesTribune staff reporter
Published December 7, 2006, 11:26 AM CST
ORLANDO -- White Sox officials strongly knocked down a report Thursday morning that they were close to trading 18-game winner Jon Garland to Houston for pitcher Taylor Buchholz and speedy center fielder Willy Taveras.The Houston Chronicle reported on its web site that the trade was close to completion, but Sox general manager Kenny Williams said he had no trade to announce before leaving the winter meetings.
"We have nothing going on," Williams said.Williams admitted the Sox were "close to about four or five things, but they didn't materialize for us for various reasons."Garland, 27, has won 36 games over the past two years. He would follow Freddy Garcia, who was dealt to Philadelphia on Wednesday, as ex-Sox. Garland is scheduled to earn $10 million in 2007 and $12 million in 2008. He is 82-68 in his career.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/cs-061207soxgarland,1,2730994.story?coll=chi-sportstop-hed


Cubs general manager undergoes angioplasty
By Dave van Dyck
Tribune staff reporter
ORLANDO -- Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was already working the phones Thursday morning after undergoing an angioplasty to open an artery to his heart.He is expected to remain in an Orlando hospital for two more days before being released, but Hendry was taking calls early Thursday as baseball's winter meetings concluded with the Rule V draft of minor league players.
"I literally talked to him [on the phone] six times during the Rule V draft," assistant Gary Hughes said.Hendry had complained of chest pains for a day before he was driven to the hospital Wednesday afternoon by new manager Lou Piniella.Said Hughes, "The reason it took a while to get him to the hospital was because he thought it was more important [to work]. His priorities were skewed."Was he shook up [at the procedure]? No. Should he have been? Yes."He'll learn a lesson, hopefully. But he's doing great."


2 Officers Accused of Cheating PS3 Line
By Associated Press
Published December 7, 2006, 9:38 AM CST
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Two police officers are under investigation for allegedly using their influence to skip a long line of shoppers waiting to buy the PlayStation 3 video game system the day it went on sale, authorities said. On Nov. 17, witnesses said, a line of customers had formed outside the Sony store at the Providence Place Mall when two security guards allowed seven people to skip ahead of everyone else, WJAR-TV reported.
One of the seven people was a Providence police officer who later admitted skipping the line to his superiors, Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman said. The officer claimed he did not do anything wrong. "I just beg to differ. We think he did something very wrong," Esserman said. "He's been identified and he's going to be disciplined."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/sns-ap-police-playstation,1,5183586.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Why not go to the videotape?
Published December 7, 2006
One afternoon in November, Houston Texans lineman Fred Weary was pulled over by Houston police for a traffic violation. The cops say he was belligerent and uncooperative. Weary's lawyer says he did as he was told. What no one disputes is that the story had an unhappy ending. The officer shot him with a Taser before handcuffing and arresting him.At times like this, wouldn't it be nice to know exactly what happened? Of course it would. It would also be easy--had the incident been captured by a video camera. But it wasn't, because the police car involved didn't have one. Video recording is one of the most extraordinary law enforcement tools ever invented, but despite years of availability, it is still grossly underused.In the end, a judge dismissed the charges of resisting arrest. You could take that as proof that Weary was an innocent man who was unjustly mistreated--or you could take it as a symptom of how hard it is to prosecute a well-represented public figure based on nothing but a cop's testimony.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0612070050dec07,1,6364831.column?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed


She's listening
By Emily NunnTribune staff reporter
Published December 7, 2006
JESSE SEAY IS ONE OF THE MOST FANTASTIC LISTENERS YOU'LL EVER MEET.But you might not notice it because she has a tendency to wear headphones when you're talking to her, and sometimes, as you're blabbing away, she might close her eyes, as if she has gone to sleep.
Still, her attentions are acute. Seay is the woman behind Your Favorite Chicago Sounds (favoritechicagosounds.com ), an online public archive that aims to reflect the aural beauty (and the bedlam) of our city.Thanks to her, in the year 2525, if man is still alive, we'll still be able to hear the unintentionally wry and poignant "L" announcement, "This is Grand."Not to mention the eerie sound of the wolves at Lincoln Park Zoo howling at ambulances at night, the roar of Wrigley Field on game day, the clamor of Union Station, chunks of ice rubbing together on the lake in winter and those crazy parakeets squawking away in the trees in Hyde Park.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/living/chi-0612060355dec07,1,696740.story?coll=chi-entertainmentfront-hed


Manhattan for $250?
A good bed is hard to find in the city that never sleeps cheapBy Shawna Van NessTribune NewspapersPublished December 3, 2006
NEW YORK CITY -- Booking a hotel room here is a lot like browsing the menu of a fancy restaurant: The selections are overwhelming, exotic--and often way beyond your budget.Consider this: The 2006 average price of a standard room in Manhattan with its own bathroom is $247.80 plus taxes (13.375 percent state/city, plus $3.50 "occupancy" tax), according to the most recent figures released by PKF Consulting, a national hospitality research company. And when it comes to accommodations here, you'll certainly get only what you pay for--sometimes less.Yet there are some hidden treasures in the smorgasbord of Manhattan hotels. Places that offer unexpected extras, excellent service and loads of character at average or below-average rates.I stayed anonymously at four such hotels during the month of October, and visited eight others that regularly offer clean and charming accommodations at $250 or less a night plus tax. I avoided national chains (most in Manhattan have nothing particularly special to offer--but see list inside) and veered away from places that advertise bargain-priced rooms, but actually have few of them available.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0612020116dec03,0,3824821.story?coll=chi-homepagetravel-hed


The $250 bed check in Manhattan
Between the sheets at 4 budget hotelsBy Shawna Van NessTribune Newspapers: NewsdayPublished December 3, 2006
I stayed at these four hotels, but also (see accompanying story) visited a sampling of boutique hotels in various Manhattan neighborhoods.Our budgetary rule for both was this: Rooms had to be readily available for $250 or less a night before taxes.That's a nice, round number, but be aware that state and local taxes will add another 13.375 percent to your bill, plus there are other "occupancy" taxes that add another $3.50 a night.Though all figures below are the pre-tax rate, in the end you'll pay $286.94 for a $250 room. . . like our first one.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0612020115dec03,0,3431604.story?coll=chi-homepagetravel-hed


Chicago gets good grades from gay, lesbian visitors
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 6, 2006
Chicago may not be up there with San Francisco or Key West as a prime destination for gay and lesbian travelers, but it more than holds its own nationally, outshining the rest of the Midwest and many other major cities, according to a survey to be unveiled Wednesday morning.The Windy City trailed traditionally gay-friendly vacation spots on both coasts in terms of perceived goodwill toward gays and lesbians, tying for the No. 11 spot with three other cities. Still, 29 percent cited Chicago as welcoming, and among gay men the number spiked to 42 percent."We think that's huge; we're surprised at that," said Laura Mandala, an executive with the Travel Industry Association, which conducted the survey with Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications Inc., which specializes in the gay and lesbian consumer market.After San Francisco and Key West, the top destinations were New York City; Fire Island, N.Y.; and Provincetown, Mass. Chicago found itself on par with San Diego, Boston and Ft. Lauderdale and way ahead of Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Nashville and Detroit.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0612060111dec06,0,4676791.story?coll=chi-homepagetravel-hed


Baby born on flight to O'Hare
By Dan P. BlakeTribune staff reporterPublished December 7, 2006, 10:24 AM CST
A 42-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl on a plane en route to O'Hare International Airport from Mexico Wednesday night, officials said today.The woman was flying on Mexicana Airlines Flight 182 from Guadalajara, Mexico, with her husband and two of their children when she went into labor, Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said.
"There was a doctor who happened to be flying who also happened to be an obstetrician-gynecologist," Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado said. "So she couldn't have been in better hands."Abrams said the baby was delivered about an hour before the flight landed, and the airline crew called paramedics when the plane touched down.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-061207airplane-birth,0,1250099.story



New Zealand Herald

Fijian PM dodges military roadblock as Army seize weapons

UPDATED 6.55pm Monday December 4, 2006
The Fijian Prime Minister was evacuated by helicopter after the military set up a roadblock near where he was speaking in a regional town.
Fijilive.com reported that PM Laisenia Qarase left after the roadblock was set up at the Sawani Police Post on the road between Suva and the province of Naitasiri.
He is insisting that he remains in command of the country despite moves by the military to seize guns from police posts around Suva.
Fijian troops entered key police installations around the capital and removed weapons on Monday amid fears of an immiment coup.
Truckloads of heavily armed troops arrived at the Suva headquarters of the police tactical response unit -- the only armed police group -- and shortly after began removing weapons from the armoury. Across town, soldiers entered another police armoury.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10413718


Army seizes power in Fiji: 'We have taken over'

UPDATED 10.35pm Tuesday December 5, 2006
By Phil Taylor and agencies
SUVA - The military has finally seized control in Fiji in the fourth coup in 20 years after days of shadow boxing.
At a press conference at 7pm, Commodore Frank Bainimarama said he had established military law in Fiji and installed himself as President.
"As of six o'clock this evening, the military has taken over the government, has executive authority and the running of this country," Bainimarama told reporters.
He added: "We urge all citizens to stay calm."
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark immediately branded the Commodore as "deluded" and said his actions were a "display of military arrogance".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10413866


Fiji's fate in hands of its people, Clark says

8.45am Wednesday December 6, 2006
Fiji's fate is in the hands of its people speaking out against the actions of military commander Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.
After striving for weeks to prevent a military coup in Fiji, Helen Clark was yesterday left with no option but to impose sanctions and denounce Commodore Bainimarama.
Within minutes of Commodore Bainimarama's announcement last night that he had taken over the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, Helen Clark said the commander had ripped up his country's constitution and set out to destroy the law.
The coup was "simply an extraordinary display of military arrogance", she said, and she could only conclude that Commodore Bainimarama was "severely deluded".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414051


Russian priest and his three children burnt alive

2.20pm Tuesday December 5, 2006
MOSCOW - A Russian Orthodox priest and his three children were burnt alive in their home in what could be a case of arson, media reports said today.
Police have opened an investigation into the death of Andrei Nikolayev and his children at his home on Saturday in a village outside Moscow.
"At the time of the fire, presumably, Andrei Nikolayev himself, his wife Oksana and three young children were in the house," the prosecutors were quoted as saying.
Police have found the remains of the priest and his children but the fate of his wife remains unknown.
Village residents and church representatives were quoted as saying Nikolayev may have been killed for trying to stop alcohol abuse in the village.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10413869


Two workers freed from stranded Australian submarine

6.30pm Tuesday December 5, 2006
Two men are safe and unhurt after their submarine rescue craft became stranded on the ocean floor off the West Australian coast.
The Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle (ASRV) was carrying out certification training 40km north of Rottnest Island when one of the two cables in its winching system failed overnight.
The craft was lowered 130 metres to the sea floor as a safety measure while a rescue plan was worked out.
Commander of the Submarine Force Elements Group, Commodore Richard Shalders, told reporters today the men were rescued at 12.50pm local time, after the pod was lifted to 15 metres below the surface.
"The two divers were brought out of the pod, assisted by some divers from the surface, at about 15 metres below the surface," he said.
"They were given assistance with scuba tanks from below the water."
The men were uninjured but receiving medical attention on HMAS ANZAC, he said.


French indulge in malaise à trois

Friday December 8, 2006By John Lichfield
PARIS - France's "national psychiatrist" has issued an alarming report on the democratic and social health of the nation as it prepares to select a new President next year.
Gerard Mermet, a sociologist who publishes a respected bulletin on the country's state of mind every two years, suggests that France now suffers from a collective form of three mental illnesses: Paranoia, schizophrenia and hypochondria.
In Francoscopie 2007, Mermet says that France is "schizophrenic", because it finds it difficult to "recognise the realities" of the "great changes" happening in the world around it.
France is "paranoid" because it constantly believes itself to be the victim of a "global plot" and to have been betrayed by its own "elites".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10414391


Scientists plan new tactic to combat flu

Friday December 8, 2006By Patricia Reaney
Scientists say they have identified a weakness in a protein in influenza viruses which could be targeted by new drugs to halt the spread of infection.
The protein's long tail appears to be its weak point. The tail loop is almost identical in different strains of influenza A - the most common form of the virus. New drugs that target it could be effective against multiple strains including the feared H5N1 bird flu.
"We have determined the atomic structure of the nucleoprotein from influenza A virus and found it contains a flexible tail loop," said Dr Yizhi Jane Tao, head of the research team from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
"This protein is important for virus replication. The tail structure gives us some hints about how to design antiviral drugs by using this protein as a target."
The scientists are now collaborating with other researchers to screen possible drug compounds that could inhibit virus replication.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414310


UN finally appoints representative to East Timor

4.20pm Thursday December 7, 2006
By Karen Michelmore
JAKARTA - The United Nations mission in East Timor finally has a new boss, ending months of speculation.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan today appointed veteran Indian diplomat Atul Khare to the post of special representative to the tiny nation.
The new mission has been without a head since the end of September after 62-year-old former president of Africa's Cape Verde Antonio Macarenhas Monteiro was briefly appointed to the job, only to apparently change his mind.
Khare, who has served as director of the Nehru Centre and minister (culture) of the Indian High Commission in London since last year, faces a daunting task to help East Timor recover from months of violence.
East Timor's capital continues to be rocked by sporadic violence, as next year's national elections draw closer.
Dr Khare has previous experience in East Timor, serving in the former UNMISET mission from June 2002 until May 2005, first as chief of staff and later the deputy special representative of the mission. The UN shepherded East Timor to independence in 2002 after it citizens overwhelmingly voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999.
However, fresh violence erupted in April after a third of the armed forces was sacked, killing dozens of people and driving more than 150,000 from their homes.
Dr Khare, whose appointment was flagged by Kofi Annan last month, replaces Japan's Sukehiro Hasegawa who led the former UN mission from 2004. His posting ended at the end of September.
Dr Khare became a member of the Indian foreign service in 1984, and served in Mauritius, New York, Thailand, Senegal and France.
He also holds degrees in medicine and surgery, with masters from the University of Southern Queensland in both business administration and leadership.


Russia to airlift bomb-grade uranium from Germany

11.20am Thursday December 7, 2006
BERLIN - Russian experts will airlift 300kg of enriched uranium, much of it weapons-grade, from a Soviet-era nuclear research reactor in eastern Germany back to Russia, officials said today.
"We cannot release the precise date due to security reasons," said a nuclear official in Germany acquainted with plans to remove 200kg of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) and 100kg of low-enriched uranium from the research reactor in Rossendorf, outside Dresden.
The 200kg of HEU could theoretically fuel around 10 nuclear weapons if the material is pure enough, he said.
The transport will be done by airplane and will take place before the end of the year, he added on condition of anonymity.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414246


Australia gives green light for therapeutic cloning

9.20am Thursday December 7, 2006
CANBERRA - Thousands of Australians living with debilitating diseases have been given new hope of a cure, with federal parliament overturning the ban on therapeutic cloning.
Liberal senator Kay Patterson's private member's bill will allow researchers to clone embryos using donor eggs and cells without sperm, and extract their stem cells for medical research.
Prime Minister John Howard and new Labor leader Kevin Rudd both spoke against the bill before it passed the House of Representatives last night.
Mr Howard said he struggled with his decision, but ultimately could not support the bill to overturn the legislation passed in 2002 banning therapeutic cloning.
"I don't think the science has shifted enough to warrant the parliament changing its view," he said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414240


Arabs doubt Bush will overhaul Mideast policy

10.25am Thursday December 7, 2006By Jonathan Wright
CAIRO - US President George W. Bush will ignore unwelcome recommendations on Middle East policy from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, especially on making contact with Syria and Iran, Arab commentators today.
The group, led by former US Secretary of State James Baker, proposed Washington abandon Bush's policy of shunning the two Middle East countries and resume attempts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which Bush has given low priority.
But Arab commentators said changing course on these policies at this stage in his presidency was more than they expected from a president who has shown little flexibility.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414257


Complacency undermines efforts against bird flu

12.30pm Thursday December 7, 2006
By Alistair Thomson
BAMAKO - Experts fighting bird flu around the world met today to replenish their war chest and plot the next stage of their campaign to control the disease and avert a devastating human flu pandemic.
The three-day meeting in Mali, the fourth global bird flu summit since late last year, includes a donor conference on Saturday seeking an extra US$1.2 billion ($1.74 billion) to US$1.5 billion ($2,18 billion) over 2-3 years to add to US$1.9 billion ($2,76 billion) pledged in Beijing last January.
But the meeting began with a warning that complacency threatened to undermine international efforts against bird flu.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414255


Helicopter pilots attempt pole-to-pole journey

4.20pm Wednesday December 6, 2006
FORT WORTH - Two British-based pilots set off into a blue Texas sky today on their second attempt to fly around the world via the North and South poles in a helicopter.
The expedition will take over five months, covering around 36,000 nautical miles and making 126 fuel stops in over 30 countries, before coming back to Fort Worth in Texas next May.
"Why do you climb a mountain? It's all about the challenge," Jennifer Murray, 66, one of the pair, told Reuters when asked why she had undertaken such an expedition.
Murray, US born but based in Britain, is joined by British helicopter pilot Colin Bodill, who is 55.
During their first attempt in 2003, the pair had a harrowing experience when they crashed in Antarctica 58 days into their journey. Both sustained serious injuries.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/location/story.cfm?l_id=2&ObjectID=10414114


Massive ice shelf 'may collapse without warning'

1.00pm Wednesday November 29, 2006

The Ross Ice Shelf, a massive piece of ice the size of France, could break off without warning causing a dramatic rise in sea levels, warn New Zealand scientists working in Antarctica.

A New Zealand-led ice drilling team has recovered three million years of climate history from samples which gives clues as to what may happen in the future.

Initial analysis of sea-floor cores near Scott Base suggest the Ross Ice Shelf had collapsed in the past and had probably done so suddenly.

The team's co-chief scientist, Tim Naish, told The Press newspaper the sediment record was important because it provided crucial evidence about how the Ross Ice Shelf would react to climate change, with potential to dramatically increase sea levels.

"If the past is any indication of the future, then the ice shelf will collapse," he said.

"If the ice shelf goes, then what about the West Antarctic Ice Sheet? What we've learnt from the Antarctic Peninsula is when once buttressing ice sheets go, the glaciers feeding them move faster and that's the thing that isn't so cheery."

Antarctica stores 70 per cent of the world's fresh water, with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet holding an estimated 30 million cubic kilometres.

In January, British Antarctic Survey researchers predicted that its collapse would make sea levels rise by at least 5m, with other estimates predicting a rise of up to 17m.

Dr Naish, a sedimentologist with the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, said one day the drilling team retrieved a core of 83m, far greater than expected, which contained climate records spanning about 500,000 years.

"We're really getting everything we've dreamed of. What we're getting is a pretty detailed history of the ice shelf," he said.

"You go from full glacial conditions to open ocean conditions very abruptly. It doesn't surprise us that much that the transition was dramatic."

Scientists knew from the collapse of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002 that expanses of ice could collapse "extremely quickly".

Once dating of the sample was completed, researchers would be able to look at what the ice shelf was doing during periods when scientists knew from other evidence that it was 2degC to 4degC warmer than today, Dr Naish said.

- NZPA

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/location/story.cfm?l_id=2&objectid=10412954



Green MPs promise to pay carbon debt

Friday December 8, 2006
The Green Party marked its seventh birthday in Parliament yesterday by announcing its MPs would personally pay to reforest land to offset the carbon from their air travel.
Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said the party had investigated various off-setting options and selected the Landcare CarboNZero programme.
The initiative supported landowners to regenerate land, initially to native trees and shrubs like kanuka and manuka and eventually forests.
Trees were grown on marginal land retired from agriculture and were not harvested, she said.
All land in the scheme met Kyoto Protocol definitions and participants paid $20 to offset a tonne of CO2.
"Carbon dioxide emissions from air travel are responsible for 3.4 per cent of New Zealand's emissions and are growing. Roughly speaking, a kilometre of domestic travel releases 180g of CO2, so a return trip from Invercargill to Auckland emits half a tonne of CO2."
A party spokeswoman said it was estimated to cost MPs a total of about $2000 a year, or an average of $330 for each MP.
The move was "just a small first step towards addressing climate change" and was one everyone could make, Ms Fitzsimons said.
Carbon offsets were not a long-term solution by themselves, but were a start until a more permanent and effective solution could be found.
The MPs were already trying to reduce their air travel by using communications technology such as telephone and video conferencing, and scheduling multiple events on a trip.
The party's staff were also working to "reduce the office's carbon footprint", which included recycling and composting office waste.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414390


Soldiers sent to battle Australian bushfires

Friday December 8, 2006
Australia's military yesterday rushed to help battle bushfires that threatened to merge into a giant fire-front ahead of what officials said could be one of the most dangerous weekends for blazes in the country's south.
Army bulldozers and fuel tankers were sent to Victoria in the country's southeast, where 1800 firefighters were struggling to contain 50 blazes burning in the rugged, inaccessible mountains of the Victorian Alps.
An urgent call for help was also sent to New Zealand and Victorian Premier Steve Bracks said he hoped about 40 remote-area specialist firefighters would arrive ahead of four days in which temperatures were tipped to soar to 40C.
"It is a critical time now, but it is more critical as we approach this weekend," he said. "It's going to be one of our most difficult fire weekends in the history of this state."
The blazes, across 150km from the central King Valley to the southern coast, could destroy more than 600,000ha in coming days as fires merge in the face of strong winds.
A 25km-wide smoke plume covered the east coast as at least seven towns were under threat.


Key flirts with Maori Party over seabed

Friday December 8, 2006By Ruth Berry
National is giving serious consideration to supporting the Maori Party's bill to repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act.
Leader John Key discussed the bill over dinner with the Maori Party co-leaders this week during what he said was a "very cordial meeting".
"Clearly they would like the National Party to support the bill. We have made it clear our caucus hasn't had an opportunity to discuss that yet and it will be put on the agenda in the relatively near future."
The controversial law abolished Maori rights to lay claims to the foreshore and seabed in exchange for limited rights to negotiate compensation with the Government.
National voted against the act and sources have said it is more likely than not that the party will support the Maori Party's proposal, although there are mixed views within the caucus.
The issue has several sticking points between the two parties, which National would try to settle with the Maori Party.
Alternatively, it could support the bill to select committee stage but spell out the aspects of the bill it would not support beyond that.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10414403


Rickety boatshed sells for $1.1m

Friday December 8, 2006
LONDON - An unprepossessing boatshed with corrugated iron roof, rickety doors - and a long-term tenant - sold for £402,000 ($1,152,644) at auction yesterday.
The 25m x 5m shed in the yachting resort of Salcombe, in Devon, was sold for almost double the guide price of £250,000, reflecting rising property prices in coastal areas.
But although the boatshed was described as "almost unique" by the auctioneer, Bob Petit, with boats having direct access to Shadycombe Creek through double timber doors, it does have a notable drawback. A Salcombe resident, whose family have used the shed to build, maintain and store boats for the past 50 years, has a long-term rental agreement on the property.
But that did not put off seven bidders, who frantically raised the price. A Devonshire yachtsman with interests in the resort outbid his rivals.
Petit said it was the most expensive boatshed he had ever sold. "There are only two or three boatsheds in Salcombe. And they come up once in a blue moon."
Over the past three years, more than half of British coastal towns have seen a 50 per cent rise in average property prices.


Call for body armour after screwdriver stabbing

Friday December 8, 2006By James Ihaka and Errol Kiong
A man stabbed two police officers as he fled from a smash that followed a car chase in Auckland last evening.
One young officer was airlifted to hospital after he was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver.
His colleague suffered a leg injury as he tried to catch the fleeing suspect.
Neither was seriously injured, although medical experts said the officer with the chest injury was lucky to have escaped being critically hurt.
NZ First law and order spokesman Ron Mark said the incident highlighted the need for police to be equipped with stab-resistant body armour. Although frontline officers in Auckland had expected to get it at the end of this year, it had taken too long for something to happen.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414404


Ports of Auckland loses ownership of Tank Farm site

Friday December 8, 2006By Bernard Orsman
The public desire for greater access to the Auckland waterfront got a boost yesterday with the news that the Auckland Regional Council is setting up a special company to manage the Tank Farm development on the western harbourside.
But while ARC chairman Mike Lee talked up the company as a step forward to achieving a world-class waterfront, he talked down the prospect of opening up Queens Wharf in the near future.
During last month's debate on a waterfront stadium, Aucklanders overwhelmingly agreed the waterfront needed to be opened up and integrated with the city.
To speed up and simplify the Tank Farm redevelopment, the ARC agreed in principle to set up a company, Wynyard Management, to manage the day-to-day operations and removed Ports of Auckland from the equation.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414401


Wine chiefs knew of disparity months ago

Friday December 8, 2006By Patrick Gower
Leaders of the New Zealand wine industry knew two months ago that Wither Hills winemaker Brent Marris had entered a different wine for competition to the one sold in shops.
But they did not check what he had entered in their own prestigious awards until this week.
The furore around the Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2006 continued yesterday, as Wither Hills returned its medals and Mr Marris resigned as chief judge of the industry's own Air New Zealand awards.
A Weekend Herald inquiry revealed the wine lost a five-star rating from Cuisine magazine after scientific testing showed the sample entered in its annual competition was different to that bought at a supermarket. It also established that wine from the same batch BR315 was sent to the New Zealand Wine Show, the Liquorland Top 100 and the Air New Zealand awards.
The wine was subsequently stripped of the gold from the New Zealand Wine Show.
Mr Marris will now return the Liquorland gold and a silver won at the Air New Zealand awards.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414402


Agent Orange campaigners angry as many miss out

Friday December 8, 2006By Martin Johnston
Some of the soldiers who felt the mist of Agent Orange on their backs or drank it in their water during the Vietnam War are disappointed by the compensation package.
They say it is unnecessarily restrictive, barring from compensation conditions which are covered for US veterans.
Ray Beatson, a veteran who has helped the campaign for compensation, said yesterday that many would be upset when they read details of the package and realised they were not covered.
Conditions such as heart and circulatory diseases ought to have been included, he said.
The package limits ex-gratia payments to veterans of up to $40,000 to four kinds of cancer and a skin condition, chloracne. Payments of up to $30,000 to veterans' children are limited to two types of cancer, spina bifida, cleft lip and cleft palate.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414373


Primary schools seek global learning

Friday December 8, 2006By Claire Trevett
Several primary schools are joining secondary schools in signing up for international programmes to run alongside the national curriculum.
Ten primary schools are seeking approval to run the International Baccalaureate primary years programme, in addition to Kristin School, currently the only one to have it established at primary level.
They include a number of state schools, such as Glendowie and Waiheke.
Waiheke principal Maggie Twaddle said it was not a vote against the national curriculum, but the philosophies of the Baccalaureate were further ahead.
"We are embracing the national curriculum, but this is an add-on. The New Zealand curriculum is heading in the direction of where this programme is already. This is just a bit ahead of it."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414354


Leaky homes law change keeps time limit but fast-tracks claims

Friday December 8, 2006By Anne Gibson
A law change overhauling the Government's response to the leaky homes crisis retains a 10-year limit which victims asked Parliament to abolish.
They wanted homes up to 15 years old to be covered.
The problem is expected to cost $5 billion to $10 billion to fix.
Parliament's social services select committee, headed by Georgina Beyer, has reported back on the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Amendment Bill, which aims to speed up handling of claims.
The rejection disappointed John Gray, of the Leaky Homes Action Group, which represents many of the victims.
"We're upset because they have denied our call for an increase time limit to 15 years," he said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414370


Safe and stable Samoa luring tourists

Friday December 8, 2006By Angela Gregory
Samoa is promoting itself as a safe and stable tourist destination in the wake of the Fiji coup and recent Tongan riot.
The Samoan Tourism Authority has put out a release to travel agents and the public saying it is "proud" to remind everyone of its socio-political stability.
"Samoa is unaffected by the unfortunate unrest in some other South Pacific countries, and visitors to Samoa can be assured of theirsafety and comfort," the releasereads.
Sala Pio, the authority's marketing manager, told the Herald it was necessary to remind tourists that Samoa was a safe destination compared with some of the other countries in the region.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414381


Green MP pushes for Tongan torture investigation

Friday December 8, 2006By Mike Houlahan
New Zealand should press the Tongan Government to investigate claims that prisoners arrested during the November riots were abused and tortured, Green MP Keith Locke says.
Tonga's National Centre for Women and Children has issued a report which alleges widespread maltreatment of prisoners after unrest in the capital, Nuku'alofa.
The centre, which is partly funded by NZAID and combats domestic violence, said its report exposed systematic torture and abuse by Tongan Defence Service personnel and police.
The Tongan Government has said it condemns torture and abuse of prisoners and will look at the report's claims.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414369


Greater use of cocaine and P in villages worry for Cook Islands

Friday December 8, 2006By Angela Gregory
Cook Islands police have noticed an increase in the use of drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine in the villages, says a report by former New Zealand police commissioner Rob Robinson.
Mr Robinson has prepared the report into the police force, which has shown problems with leadership, financial management and a lack of public confidence.
But in preparing the report for the Cook Islands Government, he also found the use of hard drugs in the villages had risen and said police were worried that schoolchildren were increasingly using cannabis.
Mr Robinson has made 42 recommendations, including the reinstatement of "vaka constables", who had previously worked in villages as the "eyes, ears and voice of police".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414340


Bainimarama critics speaking out

Friday December 8, 2006By Phil Taylor
SUVA - The sacking by Fiji's military commander of those who speak out against his coup attempt appeared to be backfiring yesterday as he faced a rising tide of opposition.
Churches joined the condemnation, describing the actions of Commodore Frank Bainimarama as "purely the manifestation of darkness and evil".
Commodore Bainimarama has proclaimed himself President and appointed a military doctor prime minister.
He has used soldiers to remove the elected Government from their offices, the Senate from Parliament and replaced civil service heads who have denounced his actions.
Civil Service chief executives rallied behind Fiji's Public Service Commission chairman, Stuart Huggett, after armed soldiers tried to arrest him yesterday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10414385


New fishing law to boost Government's win rate

Friday December 8, 2006By Paula Oliver
The Government wants to change fishing laws because it is losing too many legal challenges to its decisions.
Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said yesterday officials were drafting law changes to enable him to act more cautiously when he made decisions on issues such as quota amounts and allowable catch limits.
The present Fisheries Act was too ambiguous, and didn't allow a cautious approach to be taken, he said.
Mr Anderton said the Government was losing three out of every four challenges it received in this area.
Courts effectively demanded absolute scientific proof of what would happen if quota or catch limits weren't reduced, and that was difficult to give.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414392


Bombshell hits hardest at home in Iraq

Friday December 8, 2006By Rupert Cornwell, Andrew Buncombe and Robert Reid
WASHINGTON and BAGHDAD - Seen from the cratered, violence-drenched reality in Baghdad, the conclusions of the Iraq Study Group might appear as theoretical musings from a far-away land.
In the often unreal world of Washington politics, the bipartisan panel's report, delivered yesterday, is a metaphorical bombshell. It hugely intensifies the pressure on an already weakened George W. Bush to change course on the issue that will define his presidency - or leave him more isolated than ever.
Bush was today to discuss the report with close ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair, after it called into question the Administration's entire Middle East policy: not just its failure in Iraq, but its attitude to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, its approach to the Lebanon/Syria crisis, and its relations with Iran.
The report recommended that he seek the help of Iran and Syria, significantly bolster Iraqi forces and prepare to withdraw most US troops within 14 months.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10414398


Troops seized by Hizbollah guerrillas 'seriously wounded'

Friday December 8, 2006
GAZA - The two soldiers whose seizure by Hizbollah guerrillas triggered the 35-day Lebanon war were seriously wounded in the incident, the Israeli military confirmed for the first time yesterday.
The disclosure, after official censorship was lifted on the information, will fuel fears that Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser may have died from the wounds they sustained in the cross-border attack on July 12. Three other soldiers were killed.
Hizbollah has refused to give details about the fate of the two soldiers ahead of the prisoner release they are demanding. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, has said that he will not contemplate an exchange until he has a sign that they are alive. Hizbollah has refused to give information on the prisoners to the International Red Cross.
Hizbollah's reticence is in stark contrast to Hamas, whose Gaza militants were among those who seized the Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit. Hamas has repeatedly said that Shalit is alive and being treated well. Olmert has said he is ready to release prisoners in return for Shalit's release and Egyptian-brokered negotiations have been taking place.



US freezes funds to Hizbollah

Friday December 8, 2006
WASHINGTON - The United States froze the US assets of nine people and two businesses in the border area of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay who Washington said helped funnel millions of dollars to Hizbollah.
The US Government considers the Shiite Muslim militia a terrorist organisation.
The Treasury said the people and businesses raised and transferred cash for Hizbollah through the triple border area between the South American countries, which is home to a large Arab community.
An executive order froze their US assets and banned transactions with US citizens and banks.
"Millions of dollars have been raised and moved by this network," Treasury assistant secretary for terrorist financing Pat O'Brien said. "One of the key ways money has moved is through personal couriers."


Conservative Jews ok gay rabbis

11.15am Thursday December 7, 2006By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK - Leaders of the Conservative Jewish movement opened the door today to the ordination of gay rabbis and the recognition of gay marriage.
"We as a movement see the advocacy of pluralism and we know that people come to different conclusions," said Rabbi Kassel Abelson, speaking for the 25-member Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law and Standards which issued a series of advisory reports.
"These ... are accepted as guides so that the gays and lesbians can be welcomed into our congregation and communities and made to feel accepted," he added.
The statements issued by the committee are not binding on congregations or seminaries. One said openly gay people should be allowed as rabbis and that "committed gay relationships" can be recognised but not blessed. That statement also retained the prohibition in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) against male homosexual intercourse.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414261


Scientists plan new tactic to combat flu

Friday December 8, 2006
By Patricia Reaney
Scientists say they have identified a weakness in a protein in influenza viruses which could be targeted by new drugs to halt the spread of infection.
The protein's long tail appears to be its weak point. The tail loop is almost identical in different strains of influenza A - the most common form of the virus. New drugs that target it could be effective against multiple strains including the feared H5N1 bird flu.
"We have determined the atomic structure of the nucleoprotein from influenza A virus and found it contains a flexible tail loop," said Dr Yizhi Jane Tao, head of the research team from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
"This protein is important for virus replication. The tail structure gives us some hints about how to design antiviral drugs by using this protein as a target."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414310


Taco Bell pulls green onions after food scare

3.20pm Thursday December 7, 2006
CHICAGO - Fast food chain Taco Bell said today it has stopped serving green onions at its roughly 5,800 restaurants following a recent outbreak of the foodborne E. coli bacteria.
Taco Bell, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., said preliminary tests showed three samples of green onions were found to be "presumptive positive" for the E. coli 0157:H7 strain. Tests were not yet conclusive, the company said.
That strain of E. coli causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection and 60 deaths in the United States each year.
The tests were conducted by an independent laboratory hired by Taco Bell, the company said. State health officials are conducting their own testing.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414288


Only six fluent in Arabic at US Iraq embassy

2.20pm Thursday December 7, 2006
WASHINGTON - Among the 1000 people who work in the US Embassy in Iraq, only 33 are Arabic speakers and only six speak the language fluently, according to the Iraq Study Group report released today.
"All of our efforts in Iraq, military and civilian, are handicapped by Americans' lack of knowledge of language and cultural understanding," the bipartisan panel said in its report. "In a conflict that demands effective and efficient communication with Iraqis, we are often at a disadvantage."
The report, written by five Republicans and five Democrats, recommended the US government give "the highest possible priority to professional language proficiency and cultural training" for officials headed to Iraq.


Chavez says 'no' to US rapprochement

3.00pm Thursday December 7, 2006By Saul Hudson
CARACAS - Within hours of President Hugo Chavez's re-election on Monday, Washington made overtures to open dialogue with Venezuela - Chavez's answer was "No".
Asked if he would take up the US offer of engagement, the leftist leader, who because of Venezuela's oil wealth controls 12 per cent of US oil imports, recounted his first dealings with Washington to explain his answer.
Chavez said the top US diplomat for Latin America, Peter Romero, visited him after he was first elected in 1998 and shared a Venezuelan dish wrapped in banana-tree leaves.
Shortly after those pleasantries, the American telephoned and asked Chavez if he was set to make a trip to US antagonist Cuba.
"I hung up on him," Chavez said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414290


Ten US troops killed in Iraq today

10.20am Thursday December 7, 2006
BAGHDAD - Ten American soldiers were killed in four incidents in Iraq today, a US military spokesman said.
"We can confirm 10 US soldiers have died in four separate events," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver said, adding some of the victims had been killed by roadside bombs and others in combat.
Under pressure to end an unpopular war that has killed more than 2,900 Americans and thousands of Iraqis, President Bush said he would take the report from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group "very seriously".
October was the deadliest month for US troops this year, when 106 service members died in Iraq. American defence officials then said the high toll was due to increased violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as well as efforts by insurgents to affect the US congressional elections.
Casualties declined to 70 in November.


Canada looks set to keep gay marriage law

12.20pm Thursday December 7, 2006By Randall Palmer
OTTAWA - Parliament prepared today to revisit last year's decision to make gay marriage legal in Canada, but with much less fanfare and with virtual certainty that the new definition of marriage will be maintained.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives, most of whom oppose same-sex marriage, have only a minority of seats in the House of Commons and were getting little support from members of other parties on the issue.
Harper's team itself seemed to be going through the motions, arguing less about why gay marriage should be rescinded and more about his promise to let Parliament have a second look.
"We made a promise to bring the issue forward and we are keeping the promise," spokeswoman Carolyn Stewart-Olsen said shortly before the start of debate on Wednesday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414252


Australia gives green light for therapeutic cloning

9.20am Thursday December 7, 2006
CANBERRA - Thousands of Australians living with debilitating diseases have been given new hope of a cure, with federal parliament overturning the ban on therapeutic cloning.
Liberal senator Kay Patterson's private member's bill will allow researchers to clone embryos using donor eggs and cells without sperm, and extract their stem cells for medical research.
Prime Minister John Howard and new Labor leader Kevin Rudd both spoke against the bill before it passed the House of Representatives last night.
Mr Howard said he struggled with his decision, but ultimately could not support the bill to overturn the legislation passed in 2002 banning therapeutic cloning.
"I don't think the science has shifted enough to warrant the parliament changing its view," he said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10414240

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