Pandemic 'contingency planning': Govt may invoke emergency clause to force BBC to air content --Such action would be "tantamount to a government takeover". 29 Jul 2009 The BBC could be asked to clear its schedules to make way for educational programmes if schools have to close due to swine flu, it has emerged. Ministers are understood to have had discussions with BBC officials as part of "contingency planning" for the pandemic. Discussions have centred around government moves to invoke a clause in the BBC's agreement which states that, in the case of an emergency, the government has the power to make the BBC broadcast another announcement or programme than that scheduled. However, the proposal has attracted strong criticism, with one BBC source saying such action would be "tantamount to a government takeover". The insider also claimed the clause did not give the government the right to direct programming.
Senate Pages May Have Contracted Swine Flu, Says Top Official --The H1N1 virus has arrived on Congress's doorstep. 28 Jul 2009 Five Senate pages appear to have contracted the dreaded flu virus, which has been linked to more than 300 deaths, and they have been quarantined from their peers and lawmakers, Sergeant at Arms Terrance W. Gainer announced Tuesday night in an internal memo to senators and staff. Gainer, who oversees the page program, said the teenagers "are exhibiting flu-like symptoms -- slightly elevated temperature, cough, and sore throats -- and the Office of Attending Physician believes that they most likely have influenza, quite possibly the H1N1 virus."
NHS cannot cope with swine flu epidemic, report warns 28 Jul 2009 The NHS may not be able to cope with a swine flu epidemic this winter as intensive care beds will be overwhelmed, a Lords report has warned. While preparations for a flu pandemic in Britain are more advanced than in most countries, there is more that could have been done, peers said in a report. The Government has failed to offer reassurance that NHS services can deal with an expected "second wave" of swine flu in the autumn, The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said.
UK Government to be Sued For Involvement in CIA Rendition Program --Former Gitmo Detainee Alleges Stopover on British Island Makes UK Complicit in Torture 28 Jul 2009 The British government is being sued for the first time over its complicity in the operation of the CIA rendition [kidnapping] program. A former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, now living back in Pakistan, claims the CIA plane that took him to be interrogated in Egypt stopped to refuel on the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, where the U.S. has an air base.
DemocRATs may drop public option from health bill 28 Jul 2009 The idea that any overhaul of the nation's health care system should include a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers is losing important political momentum. DemocRATic leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives wouldn't guarantee Tuesday that the "public option" would be in the final version of the legislation. Neither chamber's leaders would rule out backing alternative co-ops -- member-run health care consortiums comparable to credit unions -- instead, an alternative that's popular with moderates but not with liberals.
Request for more troops in Afghanistan likely, source says 28 Jul 2009 The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is expected to ask the Obama administration for additional troops and equipment, according to a senior U.S. military official familiar with Gen. Stanley McChrystal's thinking. The request will be for troops and equipment for conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as more assets to deal with roadside bombs and explosives, said the official, who declined to be identified because McChrystal's request has not been formally transmitted to the Pentagon.
Afghan insurgent tolls not needed - U.S. military 28 Jul 2009 The U.S. military in Afghanistan stopped releasing the number of 'insurgents' it kills some time ago because it is often inaccurate or incomplete and distracts from the purpose of the overall 'mission,' the military said on Tuesday. Foreign forces have shifted their focus in Afghanistan away from conventional warfare tactics to a counter-insurgency strategy since the arrival in June of General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the 101,000 U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. [Opium routes and gas pipelines established, what *is* the Afghan mission?]
Britain and US prepared to open talks with the Taliban 28 Jul 2009 A concerted effort to start unprecedented talks between Taliban and British and American envoys was outlined yesterday in a significant change in tactics designed to bring about a breakthrough in the attritional, eight-year conflict in Afghanistan. Senior ministers and commanders on the ground believe they have created the right conditions to open up a dialogue with "second-tier" local leaders now the Taliban have been forced back in a swath of Helmand province.
UK troops in Iraq moved to Kuwait --Iraq government has yet to extend their right to remain 28 Jul 2009 All remaining British troops in Iraq have been relocated to Kuwait because the Iraqi government has yet to extend their right to remain. A mandate allowing UK forces to stay in Iraq expires on 31 July and about 150 personnel have been moved out until an agreement is reached. The mandate has not yet passed its third reading in the Iraqi parliament.
Judge Says Army Must Answer For Denying Security Clearance to Whistleblower Bunny Greenhouse 28 Jul 2009 U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered yesterday that the Army Corps of Engineers must answer for its decision to withhold top-secret security clearance from whistleblower Bunnatine (Bunny) H. Greenhouse. Bunny Greenhouse was the Corps' top procurement executive when she objected to the terms and legality of a no-bid contract the Bush Administration was about to award to Halliburton subsidiary KBR a contract just before the Iraq War commenced, known as Restore Iraqi Oil ("RIO"). Greenhouse's concerns were ignored and the no-bid, cost plus contract, worth up to $7 Billion, was secretly awarded to KBR to run Iraqi oil fields after the invasion. When Greenhouse was scheduled to testify before a Congressional Committee during the Bush Administration, the Army Corps' then acting General Counsel personally advised Greenhouse it would not be in her best interest to do so and she was swiftly removed as the Army Corps' Procurement Executive when she ignored that warning.
Military Criticized in Report on Soldier Electrocuted in Iraq 28 Jul 2009 Military leaders and a major military contractor [KBR] failed to protect a Green Beret who was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq, the Defense Department’s inspector general has determined in findings released Monday. The death of the Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, in early 2008 set off an investigation that included a review of 17 other electrocution deaths in Iraq. The inspector general said in the findings that "multiple systems and organizations" failed and exposed Sergeant Maseth to "unacceptable risk."
Israeli leader calls Obama 'slave' 28 Jul 2009 Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of Israel's Shas Party, has called US President Barack Obama "a slave" who seeks to rule the world and control Tel Aviv's affairs. "American insidiousness tells us to build here and not to build there as though we were slaves working for them," he said. "We live in a time when slaves are governing us and are trying to control us." The racist remarks were made during Yosef's weekly sermon on Saturday during which he protested the Obama administration's policy to exert pressure on Tel Aviv over its settlement expansion.
Facebook removes Haniyeh fan site --'Friends' of Hamas prime minister enraged, Al-Hayat reports site is 'under pressure from Israel, US' 26 Jul 2009 The operators of the internet site Facebook have recently removed a webpage dedicated to fans of Hamas' prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, the London-based Al-Hayat reported Sunday. The webpage, called 'Commander Ismail Haniyeh', had attracted more than 10,000 Facebook users by the time it was removed from the internet.
Hamas PM Haniyeh vows to rebuild Islamic University 26 Jul 2009 De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh affirmed on Saturday that his government would deliver 1 million US dollars for reconstruction at the Islamic University. The university was extensively damaged during Israel's assault on Gaza last winter, and its grounds need major repairs, Haniyeh said during a speech to this year's graduating class in a ceremony on Saturday.
Venezuela cuts diplomatic ties with Colombia 28 Jul 2009 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez froze diplomatic ties with neighboring Colombia, citing verbal "aggressions" from that country, he said in a televised speech Tuesday. Chavez recalled Venezuela's ambassador to Colombia, as well as most of its staff.
Man threatens Obama, gets (likely) under 10 years in prison; Man threatens Bush - gets sentence upped to life! --Lori Price
Man convicted of threatening Obama --Agents found six firearms in Bagdasarian's home, including a 50 caliber rifle. 28 Jul 2009 A federal judge in San Diego convicted a California man today of two felony counts of threatening President Barack Obama during his campaign last year. Judge Marilyn Huff found Walter Bagdasarian guilty of two counts of threatening a major presidential candidate. Bagdasarian, of La Mesa, Calif., admitted posting messages on a Yahoo investment bulletin board in October 2008 that contained racial epithets and apparent threats to Obama. "He will have a 50 cal in the head soon," one message said. Another said, "Shoot the [racial epithet] Country [expletive] for another 4 years+." Bagdasarian is due to be sentenced in October. He could receive up to 10 years in prison, though a shorter sentence is likely in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines.
US man sentenced over Bush plot 27 Jul 2009 A US citizen has been sentenced to life in prison for being a part of an Al Qaeda plot to assassinate George W Bush. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was first tried in Virginia in 2005, when he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The current sentence is part of the appeals process which was brought by prosecutors who said the original sentence was too lenient, as it involved the then president [sic] of the United States.
F.B.I. Watched Terror Suspects for Three Years 29 Jul 2009 The F.B.I. watched [?!?] Daniel Patrick Boyd for three years as he stockpiled rifles and revolvers, trained accomplices including his two sons, and planned to commit terrorist attacks overseas, before agents arrested the group in coordinated raids on Monday afternoon, according to a federal indictment filed in the case. Mr. Boyd, his sons and four other men were charged with providing material support to terrorists and planning terror attacks. More than 100 law enforcement officials, including four S.W.A.T. teams and a hostage rescue team from Quantico, Va., stormed several homes in arresting the seven suspects on Monday afternoon, according to an F.B.I. spokeswoman, Amy Thoreson.
8th terror suspect wanted in North Carolina 28 Jul 2009 Federal investigators were searching Tuesday for an 8th alleged conspirator charged with plotting terrorism with seven other men arrested on Monday. Federal agents are searching for the unnamed man who is an American citizen and who they believe is in Pakistan.
7 arrested in North Carolina on terrorism charges 28 Jul 2009 Federal authorities in North Carolina on Monday arrested seven men who they said had trained with high-powered weapons as part of a terrorist conspiracy to wage an Islamic holy war overseas. The men sought to provide material support to terrorists and to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people overseas, according to a seven-count federal indictment. The indictment did not allege that the group was plotting attacks on U.S. soil. If convicted, the suspects, all but one of whom are U.S. citizens, could face life in prison.
NLE 09 Target Analysis -—CHI NYC HOU PDX DC By Captain Eric H. May, Dr. James Fetzer, Sgt. Maj. Merlin Neadow, and Patti Woodard 26 Jul 2009 National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09) will run from July 27 - July 31. It will be the largest terror drill yet conducted under the Obama administration. NLE 09 will place thousands of US and foreign troops across the nation, with a scripted mission to prevent a terror attack in the U.S. in the wake of a terrorist attack abroad. While the official version of events to come is innocuous, public affairs and public information officials with FEMA, Homeland Security and the military have refused to answer reporters' questions, or even to return calls.
Swine Flu Vaccine Testing In Oklahoma 28 Jul 2009 Clinical trials in Oklahoma City of a possible swine flu vaccine will begin with tests on children ages 3 through 8. IPS Research will begin enrolling about 200 children for the program starting August 17. The study will last 42 days and follow-up calls will continue after that. IPS Research medical director Dr. Louise Thurman says 12,000 children nationwide will be given the vaccine for the trial.
U.S. panel to set priorities for H1N1 flu vaccines 29 Jul 2009 Vaccine experts who advise the U.S. government are likely on Wednesday to put [guinea pigs] healthcare workers, pregnant women and patients with asthma and diabetes at the front of the line to get vaccinated against the new pandemic H1N1 influenza. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices may also at its meeting examine ways to manage a complicated U.S. flu season... "I think at the end of the day we'll have a firm idea who will be recommended to receive vaccine against novel H1N1," Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a telephone interview. ['Novel' aka lab-generated]
Swine flu could kill hundreds of thousands in U.S. if vaccine fails, CDC says 25 Jul 2009 Hundreds of thousands of Americans could die over the next two years if the vaccine and other control measures for the new H1N1 influenza are not effective, and, at the pandemic's peak, as much as 40% of the workforce could be affected, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is admittedly a worst-case scenario that the federal agency says it doesn't expect to occur. [No, it is the vaccine that is deadly. Refuse and Resist Mandatory Flu Vaccines (Petition) -- CLG Pandemic Action Alerts.]
Swine flu tests 'not practical' as 500 fall ill within a week 29 Jul 2009 More than 500 people were diagnosed with the H1N1 "swine flu" virus by Irish GPs last week, more than twice the number of cases to date confirmed by laboratory tests, the Department of Health has revealed. Some 226 cases of the virus have been confirmed by laboratory testing. However, this no longer reflected the number of people who had contracted swine flu, said Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the department. "The number of laboratory confirmed cases has ceased to be a meaningful measure of the burden of the infection in the population."
VT Shooting Victims' Families Want Investigation Reopened 28 Jul 2009 Relatives of Virginia Tech victims are asking the state to reopen its investigation of the 2007 mass shootings at the school. A group including parents of many of the 32 people killed by student gunman Seung-Hui Cho issued a statement Tuesday calling on Gov. Tim Kaine to reopen a state panel's review. The statement follows disclosure last week that the former director of the university's counseling center 'found' missing mental health records for Cho at his home. Cho committed suicide after killing students and faculty members in a dormitory and classroom building on April 16, 2007. [See: Virginia Tech Shooting 'Oddities'.]
Wronged Juveniles May Lose Right to Sue 28 Jul 2009 In a bizarre twist to a closely watched case that rocked the Pennsylvania legal system this year, thousands of youths who had to appear before a corrupt county judge are in danger of losing the ability to sue for damages and court fees. The potential loss stems from a decision by the State Supreme Court in May that it would help the youths move on with their lives by destroying all documents related to their convictions that it deemed faulty. But doing so would hamper the public’s ability to investigate the corruption of the judge, Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., and limit the youths’ ability to sue him.
Senate Panel Votes in Favor of Sotomayor --Supreme Court Nominee Approved in 13-6 Vote 28 Jul 2009 The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning endorsed Sonia Sotomayor to become an associate justice of the Supreme Court on a largely partisan vote that sends her historic nomination to the full Senate for a final decision on her confirmation. The 13 to 6 vote came nearly two weeks after the committee's members grilled Sotomayor for 2 ½ days, eliciting answers that betrayed little indication of how the nominee, an appellate judge for the past 11 years, would rule on the most significant issues that come before the nation's highest court.
Senators Propose an ID System to Block Naked Shorts 24 Jul 2009 Seven U.S. Senators this week announced their support for a method of protecting against 'naked' short selling that involves requiring the clear identification of shares to be borrowed in a trade. The five Democrats and two Republicans proposed a prohibition on prohibit short sales unless the executing broker first gets an identification number for the shares to be borrowed. This would block naked sales,which occur when an investor sells short a security without ever borrowing shares to cover the trade.
A $100 million bonus By Kim Peterson 27 Jul 2009 Citigroup is considering paying a $100 million bonus -- to one guy. This is the same Citigroup that received $45 billion in bailout money. The same Citigroup that will soon be 34% owned by the U.S. government. The same Citigroup that has lost 95% of its share value since 2007... And will the U.S. government allow it? That will depend largely on the opinion of Kenneth Feinberg, the new pay czar appointed to oversee compensation at the bailed-out banks.
Verizon to cut 8,000 employee and contractor jobs, won't be hiring much until recession ends 27 Jul 2009 Phone company Verizon says it will cut 8,000 jobs from among employees and contractors before the end of the year to keep costs in line as the recession saps demand from businesses for telecommunications services. Executives said the cuts will come from the wireline side of the business.
Democrats Say House May Miss Deadline on Health Care 28 Jul 2009 U.S. House DemocRATic leaders, struggling to reach an accord with party dissidents on health care, said they’re likely to miss President Barack Obama’s August deadline for legislation overhauling the medical system. "It doesn’t look like it to me," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel said in an interview. "I really hoped that we could have gotten a bill out of here by now," he said, adding that he has a "heavy political heart."
Whistleblower tells of America's hidden nightmare for its sick poor --When an insurance firm boss saw a field hospital for the poor in Virginia, he knew he had to speak out. By Paul Harris 26 Jul 2009 Wendell Potter can remember exactly when he took the first steps on his journey to becoming a whistleblower and turning against one of the most powerful industries in America. It was July 2007 and Potter, a senior executive at giant US healthcare firm Cigna, was visiting relatives in the poverty-ridden mountain districts of northeast Tennessee. He saw an advert in a local paper for a touring free medical clinic at a fairground just across the state border in Wise County, Virginia. Potter, who had worked at Cigna for 15 years, decided to check it out. What he saw appalled him. Hundreds of desperate people, most without any medical insurance, descended on the clinic from out of the hills... Potter took pictures of patients lying on trolleys on rain-soaked pavements.
MPs' expenses: new allowance defied official watchdog 28 Jul 2009 Sir Christopher Kelly MPs decided to press ahead with a controversial new allowance that lets them claim thousands of pounds without producing receipts in defiance of Sir Christopher Kelly, head of the official sleaze watchdog. Sir Christopher, who is investigating the discredited expenses system, told MPs they should supply invoices to back up every single claim before new parliamentary rules were introduced early this month. He is now expected to formally recommend that the allowance is scrapped in the autumn.
MPs ignore public anger and give themselves £9,000 expenses deal by stealth --MPs have ignored public anger over the expenses system by quietly introducing new rules which allow them to claim up to £9,125 a year without producing any receipts. 27 Jul 2009 The Daily Telegraph can disclose that MPs have devised a new scheme allowing them to claim a £25-a-night "subsistence" allowance when staying away from their designated main home. The controversial payments for MPs have been approved despite widespread outrage at unjustified expense claims following the disclosures made by this newspaper.
Who needs meat? Polar bears bite off more than they can chew to get to their frozen fruit and veg 26 Jul 2009 As a carnivorous animal, you wouldn't expect a polar bear to get excited over fruit and vegetables. They're usually more concerned with capturing seals than ensuring they receive their five-a-day. However these inhabitants of Tokyo's Ueno Zoo were determined to get to the fruit and vegetables on offer - even if they were enclosed in blocks of ice.
Previous lead stories: Government virus expert paid £116k by swine flu vaccine manufacturers 27 Jul 2009 A scientist who advises the Government on swine flu is a paid director of a drugs firm making hundreds of millions of pounds from the pandemic. Professor Sir Roy Anderson sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), a 20-strong task force drawing up the action plan for the virus. Yet he also holds a £116,000-a-year post on the board of GlaxoSmithKline, the company selling swine flu vaccines and anti-virals to the NHS. Sir Roy was appointed to Sage to 'provide cross-government scientific advice regarding the outbreak of swine flu'. He was one of the first UK experts to call the outbreak a pandemic... The West London-based drugs giant has had to defend itself from allegations of profiteering from swine flu after posting profits of £2.1billion in the last three months.
Iraq: $644 Million Stimulus Program Suspended, Money Siphoned to Insurgents 27 Jul 2009 The top U.S. aid agency has suspended a $644 million Iraq jobs program [!] after two outside reviews raised concerns about misspending, including an inspector general's audit that found evidence of phantom jobs and money siphoned to insurgents. The Community Stabilization Program, launched in 2006, was designed to tamp down the insurgency by paying Iraqis cash to do public works projects such as trash removal and ditch digging. International Relief and Development (IRD), a Virginia-based non-profit corporation, ran the program, one of many it manages for the U.S. government. More than 80% of IRD's $500 million annual budget comes from U.S. Agency for International Development, company tax filings show.
