Canada: New political powers to quarantine, invoke other measures, may be tested in flu outbreak --The top health official can now quarantine the ill, interview anyone who has been in contact with a sick person and do anything else that could help prevent the spread of a virus. 02 Aug 2009 A resurgence of swine flu anticipated this fall could test new provincial powers that include being able to place sick people under quarantine in their homes and shut down schools. If Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical health officer, believes people's health is at risk, she has the power to "investigate the situation and take such action as he or she considers appropriate to prevent, eliminate or decrease the risk." That could include closing schools, isolating the ill and forcing others to undergo medical exams. British Columbia brought in a new public health act last year which was described as giving health officials "stronger powers to protect the public against communicable diseases such as pandemic influenza." Under the new act, the province can order vaccinations or examinations and quarantine people. Health officials can also enforce the act using peace officers, warrants and even court orders. [See: Refuse and Resist Mandatory Flu Vaccines (Petition about to hit 2,000 signatures - please add yours!).]
10 recruits in fever ward: Seven Swine Flu Cases Confirmed at Coast Guard Training Center --An isolation ward was set up in a barracks to house any recruits with flu-like symptoms. 03 Aug 2009 Coast Guard Training Center Cape May has seven confirmed cases of Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus), up from two cases one week ago. As of Monday, a total of 36 Coast Guard members were tested for Swine Flu with 23 test results received confirming seven members with the H1N1 Virus. Currently, 10 recruits are residing in the medical ward or fever ward, said Chief Warrant Officer Veronica Bandrowsky.
Entire S. Korean military to be vaccinated against new flu: official 03 Aug 2009 South Korea plans to start vaccinating its entire 655,000-strong military against type-A influenza at the end of November, a defense official said Monday. The 9.2-billion-won (US$7.5 million) project comes after 81 South Korean soldiers have contracted the virus.
Fort Worth firm testing swine flu vaccine on volunteers 02 Aug 2009 Thousands of people [are insanely] rolling up their sleeves for science as drug companies, doctors and government officials work to get a safe and effective swine flu vaccine on the market by October. In Fort Worth, Benchmark Research is conducting clinical trials for several drug companies, testing to see patients' reactions to the experimental vaccine and whether it produces an immune response to the H1N1 virus. Benchmark will begin administering injections next week.
H1N1 vaccine makers granted immunity and other flu news By Kathlyn Stone 22 Jul 2009 Just as millions of Americans are being told they should get the new H1N1 or "swine flu" vaccine when it becomes available this fall, the Department of Health and Human Services has granted vaccine makers and federal officials immunity from lawsuits that result from any new H1N1 vaccine... There’s a lot of discussion on whether the H1N1 vaccine will be voluntary or mandatory. Just in case it’s the latter, Citizens for Legitimate Government has launched a petition urging people to pledge to resist a mandatory flu vaccine.
Drug resistant swine flu found 04 Aug 2009 A strain of swine flu that is resistant to treatment with the drug Tamiflu has been discovered near the US-Mexican border, the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) said. "We have found resistance to Tamiflu on the border. We have observed some cases, few to be sure, in El Paso and close to McAllen, Texas," said Maria Teresa Cerqueira, head of the local PAHO office.
Entire town in quarantine after two die from the plague in China 03 Aug 2009 An outbreak of pneumonic plague has killed two people in China and forced authorities to seal off a remote town of 10,000 to halt any further spread of one of the world’s deadliest diseases... Investigating the disease that had infected so many people so quickly, medical authorities soon established that all had caught pneumonic plague. Those infected were undergoing treatment in isolation in a local Tibetan hospital while all 10,000 residents of Ziketan were placed in quarantine to try to halt the spread of one of the deadliest and infectious diseases in history.
MPs and peers call for inquiry into torture 04 Aug 2009 Democratic accountability of the security and intelligence agencies is "woefully deficient" and an independent inquiry must be set up to investigate numerous and detailed allegations of their complicity in torture, a cross-party group of senior MPs and peers will say today. In a stinging report, prompted in large part by disclosures in the Guardian, they say that in view of the detailed allegations, ministers can no longer get away with repeating standard denials. The MPs say the government must immediately publish instructions given to MI5 and MI6 officers on the detention and interrogation of suspects abroad.
MI5 men could face 'torture' perjury charge over Guantanamo prisoner 01 Aug 2009 Two MI5 agents may be charged with lying to the High Court over British complicity in the torture of a former Guantanamo prisoner. In an unprecedented move, the court has issued a 'revised judgment' a year after its original ruling, contradicting the testimony of the agents, who are already the subject of a criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
Fort Leavenworth is considered for a courtroom within a prison for terror detainees 03 Aug 2009 Fort Leavenworth (KS) is one of two sites under consideration for a courtroom within a prison that would hold 229 suspected foreign fighters now at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. officials say. The facility would operate as a hybrid prison system jointly operated by the Justice Department, the military and the Department of Homeland Security.
Melbourne terror attack 'could have claimed many lives' 04 Aug 2009 Counter-Terrorism raids in Melbourne have "disrupted a terrorist attack that could have claimed many lives," the nation's most senior police officer said this morning. Four men - all Australian citizens - were arrested this morning as federal and state police, armed with search warrants, swooped on members of the suspected terror cell this morning in the second-largest counter-terrorism operation in the nation's history. About 400 police raided homes in the northern Melbourne suburbs of Glenroy, Meadow Heights, Roxburgh Park, Broadmeadows, Westmeadows, Preston and Epping. They also raided homes at Carlton in inner Melbourne and Colac in southwestern Victoria.
Australian Police Detain Men in Anti-Terrorism Raids 04 Aug 2009 Australian police arrested several people in the southeastern state of Victoria in raids against a Somali-linked group allegedly planning a terrorist attack. About 400 officers executed search warrants at about 4:30 a.m. today at homes in eight Melbourne suburbs and the town of Colac before “several people” were taken into custody to help with inquiries, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
French general takes over NATO command in Virginia --Appointment marks first time in NATO's 60-year history that a non-American officer has been appointed to fill the position 30 Jul 2009 In an unprecedented move, a French general will take over a key NATO command in Norfolk, Virginia, charged with transforming the Europe-centered Cold War alliance to tackle today's global challenges, NATO said Wednesday. Gen. Stephane Abrial of the French Air Force will take over from U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis as NATO's commander in charge of military modernization, the alliance said in a statement. The position has traditionally been held by a four-star U.S. general.
Al-Qaeda offers US conditional peace 04 Aug 2009 Al-Qaeda has offered the US President Barack Obama a truce in exchange for a complete withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan. Ayman al Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's [dead] number two, offered the conditional truce in a 90-minute video released on Monday. "If Obama wants to [reach] an understanding then he should respond to Sheikh Osama [bin Laden's] two offers," Zawahiri noted, referring to the militants' commander-in-chief's suggestions for a ceasefire. [See: Al-Qaeda No. 2 May be Injured, Possibly Re-killed--But Still Cranking Out Videotapes By Lori Price 08 Sep 2008.]
Bomb blast hits west Afghan city 03 Aug 2009 A bomb attack in the western Afghan city of Herat has killed at least 12 people and injured at least 20 more, police officials say. They said the attack had targeted a police convoy, killing and wounding both police and civilians. Police spokesman Raouf Ahmedi said the explosion on Monday was detonated by remote control, AP reported.
US to seek more British troops for Afghanistan --McChrystal review is expected to call for a doubling of the Afghan army from the current 150,000 troops to more than 300,000 02 Aug 2009 Britain will come under fresh pressure to send more troops to Afghanistan this month when General Stanley McChrystal, the Nato commander in the country, tells President Barack Obama that a further troop surge by the military alliance is necessary. The review was ordered by Obama and British officials have been closely involved. It comes as the foreign affairs select committee criticised almost every aspect of the conduct of the war, and doubted whether the Taliban represented a threat to Western security. A former Foreign Office minister, Kim Howells, meanwhile claimed there would not be public backing for a long war in Afghanistan.
Civilian death toll soaring in Afghanistan By James Cogan 03 Aug 2009 A report issued late last month by the Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) sheds light on the rising number of innocent Afghan men, women and children who are being killed in order for the US and its allies to consolidate their neo-colonial occupation of the country. ...[A]s the Obama administration has escalated the war and sent thousands of additional troops and aircraft to Afghanistan, the number of civilian deaths has soared by 24 percent.
KBR Q2 net tops view, to seek new Iraq contracts 30 Jul 2009 Engineering and construction company [terrorists] KBR Inc (KBR.N) reported a rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as revenue surged 17 percent on strength in its businesses serving the oil and gas industry. Shares of KBR gained 4.6 percent to $20.49, near its highest level in more than 10 months... Still, the company is optimistic about the amount of work that is yet to be awarded.
Seven killed, 40 injured in Iraq bomb blasts 03 Aug 2009 A string of bomb attacks in various parts of Iraq has killed at least seven people, including a policeman and two soldiers, while leaving more than 40 others injured. In Fallujah, an explosive-laden car rammed into a police checkpoint on Monday, killing two people including one policeman, police major Khalid Mohammed told AFP... In Mosul, separate roadside bombings on Monday killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded four others as they were on patrol in the west of the restive northern city, said a local policeman who declined to be identified.
US, Britain test new ways to track combat troops 01 Aug 2009 British military officials are testing new technologies that they say will make operations with the United States and other coalition partners more efficient and responsive to threats. More important, British officials say, they will be able to give a better accounting of troop locations on the battlefield, making for quicker action and avoiding friendly-fire incidents.
US asks Iran to help locate missing Americans 03 Aug 2009 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern over the case of the three missing Americans near the Iran border and called for their quick return. Three US nationals were reportedly arrested on Friday after crossing into Iran via Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. She added that Washington had asked the Swiss Ambassador who represents US interests in Iran to help determine the status of the three.
Leader endorses President Ahmadinejad 03 Aug 2009 Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has endorsed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his second term in office. Ahmadinejad was declared the victor of the June 12 election with almost two-thirds of the vote.
Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman Says Will Resign If Indicted 03 Aug 2009 Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he will resign should prosecutors indict him on corruption charges being recommended by police. Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beitenu party is the second-largest in the coalition government, denied the allegations of fraud, bribery, money laundering and obstruction of justice while speaking to members of his party in parliament.
Banks defend bonus culture as profits jump 03 Aug 2009 Barclays and HSBC made a passionate defence of the City's bonus culture amid a growing public backlash about the return to a big pay bonanza barely a year after the government bailed out the financial system. As criticism of bonuses crossed the traditional political divide, the banks compared their high-flyers to footballers and Hollywood stars to try to explain the need for the hundreds of thousands of pounds individuals are expected to receive this year.
Predatory capitalism we can believe in: Wall Street profits from trades with Fed 02 Aug 2009 Wall Street banks are reaping outsized profits by trading with the Federal Reserve, raising questions about whether the central bank is driving hard enough bargains in its dealings with private sector counterparties, officials and industry executives say. The Fed has emerged as one of Wall Street’s biggest customers during the financial crisis, buying massive amounts of securities to help stabilise the markets.
Senate Republicans aren't buying 'cash for clunkers' 03 Aug 2009 Republican opposition is stalling Senate efforts to keep the popular "cash for clunkers" program alive. The program, which gives consumers who trade in old gas-guzzlers for more fuel-efficient models as much as $4,500 each, is likely to end by the weekend unless the Senate approves additional funding.
Oops! Another 'family (puke) values' GOPer bites the dust: Tenn. senator has affair with intern, resigns 03 Aug 2009 The Tennessee state senator said he was opposed to sex outside marriage, but his private life told a different story: He was having an affair with his 22-year-old intern. When an extortion plot exposed married Republican Sen. Paul Stanley's illicit relationship, he said he would be "clearing up" misimpressions later. He's now clearing out his office, the latest [Republican] politician caught in a sex scandal, this one made worse by not coming clean.
Sarah Palin denies reports of divorce 02 Aug 2009 Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska [nutjob], has denied an anonymous blog report that she was about to divorce her husband Todd, catapulting the story into the mainstream media and invigorating her aggrieved conservative supporters. The initial denial was made by her spokesman via Facebook. "Yet again, some so-called journalists have decided to make up a story," Meg Stapleton wrote on John McCain's former vice-presidential running mate's Facebook page.
Half of all the fruit and veg you buy is contaminated 03 Aug 2009 Almost half of the fresh fruit and veg sold across the UK is contaminated with toxic pesticides, according to the latest scientific surveys for the government. Nearly every orange, 94% of pineapples and 90% of pears sampled were laced with traces of chemicals used to kill bugs. High proportions of apples, grapes and tomatoes were also tainted, as were parsnips, melons and cucumbers. Alarmingly, as much as a quarter of the food on sale in 2008 - the date of the latest figures - was found to contain multiple pesticides.
Previous lead stories: Gulags we can believe in: AP sources: Military-civilian terror prison eyed --The facility would operate as a hybrid prison system jointly operated by the Justice Department, the military and the Department of Homeland Security. 02 Aug 2009 The Obama administration is looking at creating a courtroom-within-a-prison complex in the U.S. to house suspected terrorists, combining military and civilian detention facilities at a single maximum-security prison. Several senior U.S. officials said the administration is eyeing a soon-to-be-shuttered state maximum security prison in Michigan and the 134-year-old military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., as possible locations for a heavily guarded site to hold the 229 prisoners now jailed at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. The administration's plan, according to three government officials, calls for: long-term holding cells for undetermined number of prisoners who will never face trial; building detention cells for prisoners ordered released by courts but still held behind bars.
'Others had unexplained gaps of up to three months in their CVs.' Did MI5 Recruit Al Qaeda Infiltrators? MI5 'mistakenly' recruited al Qaeda sympathisers who were trying to infiltrate the British secret service, it has been alleged. 01 Aug 2009 Conservative MP Patrick Mercer is demanding a probe into claims six Muslims were thrown out of MI5 because of concerns about their past. Two of the six allegedly attended al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan while the others had unexplained gaps of up to three months in their CVs. [!] Mr Mercer told the Daily Telegraph he was concerned that al Qaeda sympathisers who may have infiltrated the security services had not all been rooted out yet.
US Used Communications Companies In '03 Cyberwar Against Iraq 02 Aug 2009 Although a plan for a large-scale digital attack on Iraq’s financial system was not carried out, the American military and its partners in the intelligence agencies did receive approval to cripple Iraq’s military and government communications systems in the early hours of the war in 2003. Besides blowing up cellphone towers and communications grids, the offensive included electronic jamming and digital attacks against Iraq’s telephone networks. American officials also contacted international communications companies that provided satellite phone and cellphone coverage to Iraq to alert them to possible jamming and to ask their assistance in turning off certain channels. While the Bush regime seriously studied computer-network attacks, the Obama administration is the first to elevate cybersecurity -- both defending American computer networks and attacking those of adversaries -- to the level of a White House director, whose appointment is expected in coming weeks.
