Afghan poll media blackout urged 18 Aug 2009 Afghanistan has called on domestic and foreign media not to cover any violence on the day of the presidential election in case such reports scare away voters. The government urged a media blackout on any attacks from 0600 to 2000 during polling on Thursday and asked reporters to avoid the scene of such incidents. Human-rights activists and journalists condemned the move.
Suicide car bomb strikes Kabul in pre-vote violence 18 Aug 2009 A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least eight people in a wave of violence two days before an 'election' the Taliban has vowed to disrupt. Rockets also hit Kabul, several rural polling stations were attacked, a provincial council candidate was gunned down and three election workers were killed by a bomb in violence ahead of Thursday's vote.
2 U.S. soldiers killed in E Afghanistan 18 Aug 2009 Two American soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed and three others were injured by roadside bombing in eastern Afghanistan Tuesday, according to a statement issued by ISAF. "Two ISAF service members were killed and three others were injured after their convoy struck an improvised explosive device in eastern Afghanistan today," said the statement.
Obama tells veterans Afghanistan is a 'war of necessity' 18 Aug 2009 Speaking to more than 5,500 veterans, President Obama on Monday renewed his commitment to dismantling 'Al Qaeda' in Afghanistan -- a struggle he said was "fundamental to the defense of our people" -- and offered assurances that his healthcare overhaul would not touch veterans' medical benefits. "This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity," Bush Obama told the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars conference -- cautioning that the insurgency would not be defeated overnight. "Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans."
Pakistan needs "months" for Waziristan push: general 18 Aug 2009 Pakistan will need months to prepare for a ground offensive against the Taliban in their South Waziristan stronghold on the Afghan border, a senior army commander said on Tuesday, citing equipment shortages. U.S. President Barack Obama's visiting special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said Washington was trying to expedite delivery of the equipment requested by the Pakistani army, including helicopters and parts.
BP, Iraq officials meet over Rumaila oil deal 17 Aug 2009 A technical team from oil major BP has met Iraqi oil engineers as part of preparations to sign a deal to develop Iraq's giant Rumaila field, senior Iraqi oil officials said on Monday. In July, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said his company expected to finalise the deal by the end of the year.
Doctor kidnapped, two killed in northern Iraq 18 Aug 2009 A Christian doctor was kidnapped and two people were killed in attacks by armed gunmen [Xe?] in the restive northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, police said. The doctor, a paediatrician, was abducted from his car by unidentified gunmen as he drove home in the oil-rich city, a local police official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Homosexuals lined up and killed in Iraq 17 Aug 2009 Human Rights Watch has reported that Iraqi homosexuals are being rounded up and killed by local militia. The systematic campaign has spread from Baghdad to many other cities, where the bodies of gay men have been found, dumped in garbage or hung as warnings on the street.
Raytheon eyes new anti-missile system for Israel 18 Aug 2009 Raytheon Co, the world's biggest missile maker, said it was developing a new system that, if deployed, could boost Israel's defenses against Iran as soon as 2013 and beef up anti-missile bulwarks worldwide. The plan is to create a land-based version of Raytheon's existing Standard Missile-3, a mainstay of U.S. missile defense from the sea.
Israeli troops 'kidnap' Palestinians for organs 18 Aug 2009 A leading Swedish newspaper claims Israeli soldiers kidnap Palestinians to steal their organs and sell them in the black market. In an article titled They plunder the organs of our sons, the daily Aftonbladet said Israeli soldiers abduct young Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip and return their bodies to their families after removing their organs.
Protesters want UC Berkeley law professor fired 17 Aug 2009 Anti-war activists protested Monday at the University of California, Berkeley to call for the firing of a law professor who co-wrote legal memos that critics say were used to justify the torture of suspected terrorists. Campus police arrested at least four people who refused to leave the university's law school building. The demonstrators said John Yoo should be dismissed, disbarred and prosecuted for war crimes for his work as a Bush administration attorney from 2001 to 2003, when he helped craft legal theories for waterboarding and other harsh interrogation torture techniques.
Attorney: FBI trained NJ blogger to incite others 18 Aug 2009 A New Jersey blogger facing charges in two states for allegedly making threats against lawmakers and judges was trained by the FBI on how to be deliberately provocative, his attorney said Tuesday. Hal Turner worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an "agent provocateur" and was taught by the agency "what he could say that wouldn't be crossing the line," defense attorney Michael Orozco said.
Ky. Office of Homeland Security Will Feature 'Eyes & Ears' At State Fair 18 Aug 2009 Eyes & Ears on Kentucky, an anonymous telephone tip line for reporting suspicious activity, will be featured by the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville on Aug. 20-30. Eyes & Ears enables anyone to report suspicious activity that might logically pose a threat to individuals, community or the commonwealth of Kentucky. Dialing the tip line: (866) 393-6659, connects callers with the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center. Information is then forwarded to the appropriate law-enforcement agency, other appropriate first responders, or because of details provided, to an intelligence specialist for quick analysis.
Man Tasered in stop by state cops dies 18 Aug 2009 A Philadelphia man who was Tasered by a police officer during a traffic stop Friday after he and his female companion allegedly assaulted state troopers, died from unknown causes Sunday morning at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. The circumstances of Hakim Jackson's death are being investigated by the state police.
Swine flu closes Ky. school for a week 18 Aug 2009 A central Kentucky public school has been closed for the week after students and teachers became ill and an eastern Kentucky school is shut down because of swine flu. In Boyle County, Junction City Elementary School is closed until next week. School officials said dozens of students and several teachers were absent on Monday -- most of them with flu-like symptoms.
A third of nurses will refuse to have the swine flu jab 18 Aug 2009 Up to a third of nurses will say no to the swine flu jab because of concerns over its safety, a poll has found. NHS workers are first in line for the vaccine, but a survey of 1,500 nurses found many will reject it. The poll, by Nursing Times magazine, will raise questions over the Government's planned mass vaccination programme.
Tamiflu puts 600,000 at greater risk of a stroke 19 Aug 2009 GPs have been put on alert over fears that Tamiflu can put some people at greater risk of suffering a stroke. A Government watchdog is concerned that the anti-swine flu drug can interact with the blood-thinning medication warfarin, which is taken by more than 600,000 people in the UK. The combination can dangerously thin the blood, putting patients at risk of uncontrolled bleeding which can lead to a stroke.
Congress Discovers Another Forged Advocacy Letter 18 Aug 2009 A Congressional committee's inquiry has turned up a 13th forged letter criticizing a climate-change bill, this time in the name of a Charlottesville senior center, and sent to a lawmaker by a Washington lobbying firm. The letter to U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) was released Tuesday by the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. The founder of the lobbying firm that sent the letter, Bonner and Associates, said the missive was discovered Monday during a internal review by his company's law firm, Akin Gump, launched in response to the House committee's investigation.
White House: Obama still backs public health plan 18 Aug 2009 President Barack Obama isn't backing off on support for a public health-insurance plan, his spokesman said Tuesday, after his health and human services secretary said over the weekend that the public option wasn't "the essential element" of health-care reform. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama is open to ideas if others have them but that Obama prefers the public plan.
Liberal Democrats fight U.S. healthcare shift 17 Aug 2009 Liberal Democrats warned President Barack Obama on Monday that a retreat on support for a government-run health insurance plan could endanger passage of major healthcare reform in Congress this year. The head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus [Raul Grijalva, D-AZ], which represents more than 80 members of the House of Representatives and two senators, said a majority of the group would oppose any bill that did not include a government-run insurance plan.
Conservative commentator Robert Novak dies aged 78 18 Aug 2009 Robert Novak, a conservative political columnist known as the "Prince of Darkness" and who unleashed a political firestorm by publishing the name of an undercover CIA operative, died on Tuesday. He was 78. Novak's most famous column, in July 2003, named as a CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose husband Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, had publicly criticized the Iraq war.
Cold summer weather means healthier polar bears 18 Aug 2009 A colder summer has been good for Hudson Bay polar bears. Experts say the sea ice has lasted longer than it has in years, giving the bears more time to hunt and feed. Andrew Derocher of the University of Alberta says it's good news in an area where the polar bear population has declined by 25 per cent. He says even a few extra weeks on the ice can make a huge difference to the survival of the bears. But experts say this doesn't mean polar bears are no longer under threat from climate change.
Hurricane Bill Strengthens to Category 3 Storm 18 Aug 2009 Hurricane Bill strengthened to a Category 3 storm Tuesday evening, making it the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season. The National Hurricane Center said people in the Leeward Islands should monitor Bill's progress.
Previous lead stories: Armed men at Obama speech: Man carrying assault rifle attends Obama protest 17 Aug 2009 About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with an AR-15 assault rifle, milled among protesters outside an event where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday in Phoenix. It's the latest incident of gun-rights advocates visibly displaying firearms near the president. Phoenix police say the people with guns, including a man carrying the assault rifle, didn't need permits. [See: Guns OK Outside Obama Town Hall; Kerry Pins Brought Arrest At Bush Rally By Lori Price 12 Aug 2009.]
Legal battle over British detainees --They have never been charged with an offence. 18 Aug 2009 A human rights organisation has announced the start of legal action against the Government over questions of alleged rendition to Afghanistan. Reprieve will demand the Ministry of Defence gives answers about the treatment of two men arrested by the British in Iraq in 2004 who have since been held at the US detention facility at Bagram air force base in Afghanistan. They have never been charged with an offence, and the periodic review of their status by the US military has been characterised by a US federal judge as falling "well short of what the Supreme Court found inadequate at Guantanamo". Clive Stafford Smith, director of Reprieve, said: "These two men have been held in appalling conditions for five years, and the Government chose to do nothing."
Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal --U.S. has quietly lobbied against plebiscite 18 Aug 2009 U.S. troops could be forced by Iraqi voters to withdraw a year ahead of schedule under a referendum the Iraqi government backed Monday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's move appeared to disregard the wishes of the U.S. government, which has quietly lobbied against the plebiscite. American officials fear it could lead to the annulment of an agreement allowing U.S. troops to stay until the end of 2011, and instead force them out by the start of that year. The Maliki government's announcement came on the day that the top U.S. general in Iraq proposed a plan to deploy troops to disputed areas in the restive north, a clear indication that the military 'sees a continuing need' for U.S. forces even if Iraqis no longer want them here.