|
Older News Archivescom0116
NEWS SATURDAY,
JULY 31, 2010 NEWS
Obama
Sells Auto Bailout As Good News In Michigan
President Obama said Friday that the recent turnaround for U.S. automakers
vindicated his unpopular decision to bailout the industry. With Americans
facing a still-limping economy and potentially pivotal congressional elections
in three months, Obama is seizing on the positive new trends in the auto
industry as evidence of broader economic good news. He launched an intensive
campaign to highlight the story as a concrete area of improvement with
direct ties to his administration's actions. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Obama is a snake oil salesmen.
Rep.
Maxine Waters To Face Ethics Charges
A House investigative panel has decided to charge Democratic Rep. Maxine
Waters of California with ethics violations, raising the possibility of
a second high-profile trial with political implications for Democrats this
fall. People familiar with the investigation, who were not authorized to
be quoted about unannounced charges, say the allegations could be announced
next week. The House ethics committee declined Friday to make any public
statement on the matter. Waters has been under investigation for a possible
conflict of interest involving a bank that was seeking federal aid. Her
husband owned stock in the bank. USA
Today
Rangel
Says Colleagues Who Similarly Sought Donations Were Not Punished
Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) has chosen a less-than-collegial defense
to charges that he violated House ethics rules when he asked corporate
donors with legislative interests to give to an academic center bearing
his name. He was not the only lawmaker to solicit donations in this manner,
his lawyers argue, saying that peers who did the same thing were not punished.
With a trial of Rangel by the House ethics committee possible by mid-September,
his legal team reached across the Capitol to point a finger at Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who helped raise money for a center named
for him at the University of Louisville. Rangel's team cited similarities
with the recently deceased Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) and with former
Republican senators Trent Lott (Miss.) and Jesse Helms (N.C.). Washington
Post
VOA VIEW: Next, the race card.
Wyly
Brothers Built An Empire Side-By-Side
Born during the Depression in a northeast Louisiana plantation town
of 3,000, Charles Wyly and his younger brother Sam have been inseparable
since childhood: numbers 3 and 13 on the state-championship high school
football team, business partners who turned ideas into billion-dollar companies,
philanthropic champions and benefactors of politicians, including the Bush
political dynasty. Now the brothers are co-defendants in a far-reaching
securities fraud suit. The reclusive pair, who both settled in Dallas,
amassed extraordinary wealth after starting a software company during the
computer industry's infancy and investing their earnings in other technology
firms, restaurant chains, clothing stores and energy companies. Washington
Post
White
Officers Favored, Navy Data Say
The Navy is more likely to promote white enlisted officers than those
who are black or Hispanic, according to an independent academic study based
on data provided by the military branch. Researchers found that the Navy
advanced 3 percent of all sailors to middle officer ranks, referred to
as E-4, E-5, and E-6. From 1997 to 2008, the promotion rate was 34 percent
for whites and 29 percent for other racial and ethnic groups. “The results
are pretty strong, but we don’t use the word ‘discrimination,’ because
we don’t think it is deliberate,’’ said Amos Golan, an economics professor
at American University and coauthor of the study, which was first reported
by the Navy Times. Boston
Globe
VOA VIEWS: Promotions should not
maintain a racial balance.
Air
Tanker Drops Fire Retardant, Slows LA Wildfire
Water-dropping aircraft slowed the progress of a wildfire that was
bearing down on hundreds of homes in the high desert north of Los Angeles.
The blaze had consumed 20 square miles of brush, jumped an aqueduct and
menaced power lines that deliver electricity to Southern California. Winds
apparently carried embers across the wide concrete channel, with flames
rapidly spreading to backyard fences at the edge of Palmdale. Plumes of
smoke streamed across the city of 139,000 as winds picked up Friday evening.
Detroit
News
Obama Administration
Giving Millions To States To Build Their New Health Insurance Exchanges
The Health and Human Services Department on Thursday moved ahead with
its plans to establish “the health insurance marketplace of the future.”
It announced “two key steps” in its effort to “partner with states” in
setting up the new health insurance exchanges. Step one makes a total of
$51 million in grants available for the states to set up “new, competitive,
consumer-centered health insurance marketplaces.” States may apply for
up to $1 million apiece by Sept. 1. econdly, HHS is calling for public
input on how the health exchanges will be structured and run when they
begin operating in 2014. CNS
News
VOA VIEW: Government waste.
Pacific
Military Drills Coming To A Close
International military exercises in the Pacific Ocean are concluding
after more than a month of training, tactical coordination and communication
between the United States and its allies. The Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC,
manuevers took place in waters surrounding the Hawaiian islands, bringing
together naval forces of 14 nations and 20,000 personnel. Vice Adm. Richard
W. Hunt said Friday the exercises built relationships and improved interoperability
between the armed forces of the various nations. As a result, he says Pacific
nations will be better able to combat terrorism, piracy and violent extremism.
These military exercises, which are held every other year, brought together
32 ships, five submarines and more than 170 aircraft. San
Diego Union
Court's
Ruling On Iran Resistance Group Cheered
Iranians and Iranian-Americans crowded into the room to hear congressmen
and lawyers congratulate them on an Iranian resistance group’s recent victory
in a U.S. appellate court, which ruled last week that the State Department
needed to reconsider its status as a terrorist group. The celebration,
dubbed "A Victory for Justice," provided Iranian food and desserts while
nine prominent leaders described the struggle to reach this point and their
hopes for the future of the People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, the
primary resistance movement. Washington
Times
VOA VIEW: Mad!
Rig
Workers Get Whistleblower Protections In House Measure After BP Spill
The House passed legislation that would protect oil-rig workers who
report health or safety concerns from retaliation by their employers. The
measure, a response to BP Plc’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, passed 315-93.
The House today is debating a second bill that would rewrite deep-water
drilling rules and tighten safety and environmental standards. The Gulf
spill began April 20 when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which BP
leased from Transocean Ltd., exploded and caught fire, killing 11 workers
and causing it to sink. The well gushed from 35,000 barrels to 60,000 barrels
of oil a day before the leak was stopped on July 15. Bloomberg
PLEASE DO BUSINESS WITH THOSE WHO DO BUSINESS
WITH US -- OUR ADVERTISERS.
Blagojevich
Trial: Judge Declines Mistrial
A federal judge in Chicago Friday refused to declare a mistrial in
the corruption case against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The jury
in the case began deliberations Wednesday. The request for a mistrial was
made before jury deliberations began but U.S. District Judge James Zagel
waited until Friday to turn down the motion. The judge also denied a jury
request for witness transcripts, saying he would reconsider requests for
transcripts of specific testimony, WBBM-AM, Chicago, reported. The jury
Thursday sought a transcript of the prosecution's closing arguments, but
the judge also denied that request, saying arguments are not evidence.
UPI
NY Congressman
Calls For Probe Of Funding For Mosque Near Ground Zero And Its Promoter
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said a mosque should not be built near Ground
Zero in Manhattan and that there should be an investigation into the funding
for the proposed Islamic community center, as well as the imam who is promoting
the initiative. "I don’t believe that there should be a mosque in the vicinity
of Ground Zero,” King said on Wednesday. “This is such a sensitive issue,
and it is offensive to so many people that I don’t think there should be
a mosque there.” King, ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security
Committee, made his remarks at the conservative Heritage Foundation at
an event entitled, "Keeping America Free, Safe and Prosperous: Counterterrorism
in the Obama Administration." CNS
News
VOA VIEW: King is right and most Americans
agree.
Oil
Threat Recedes For East Coast
South Florida, the Florida Keys and the East Coast will likely be spared
from any contamination from the ruptured BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico,
U.S. government scientists said on Friday. Scientists had issued dire warnings
that the oil from the BP spill would float into the loop current in the
Gulf of Mexico and then ride the powerful Gulf Stream current around the
fragile islands at the southern tip of Florida and up the Atlantic Coast
as far as North Carolina. But the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration said on Friday that was now unlikely. No new oil has leaked
from the well in 15 days and the oil that remains in the Gulf is hundreds
of miles (km) from the loop current. Reuters
A
Struggle To Fix New Law
Tucked into the new health care law is a requirement that could become
a paperwork nightmare for nearly 40 million businesses. They must file
tax forms for every vendor that sells them more than $600 in goods. The
goal is to prevent vendors from underreporting their income to the Internal
Revenue Service. The government must think vendors are omitting a lot because
the filing requirement is estimated to bring in $19 billion over the next
decade. Business groups say it will swamp their members in paperwork, and
Congress is listening. Democrats and Republicans want to repeal it, but
getting them to work together on the issue is proving difficult in an election
year. The House rejected a bill Friday that would have repealed the provision.
The two parties disagreed on how to make up the lost revenue. SF
Gate
VOA VIEW: Major waste and costs for all.
FAA
To Downgrade Mexico’s Air Safety Rating
U.S. aviation officials are downgrading Mexico's aviation safety rating,
a move that could have economic consequences for some airlines. The action
would not stop flights between the two countries, but it would prevent
Mexican airlines from expanding service to the United States. An aviation
official, who asked not to be named because the decision has not yet been
announced, said the Federal Aviation Administration plans to announce the
decision Friday. Las
Vegas Sun
THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR WEB PORTAL. PLEASE
TELL A FRIEND.
White
House Urges Halt To Spilling Of War Secrets
The White House on Friday implored the website WikiLeaks to stop posting
secret Afghanistan war documents and the Pentagon pressed its investigation
of the leaks, bringing a soldier charged with handing over classified video
back to the U.S. for trial. Obama administration officials said the investigation
into the release of the documents -- 76,911 so far -- could extend beyond
members of the military. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said posting
the war logs on the Web jeopardized national security and put the lives
of Afghan informants and U.S. military personnel at risk. Fox
News
Northwest
To Pay $38 Million Cargo Price-Fixing Fine
Northwest Airlines will plead guilty and pay a $38 million fine for
conspiring to fix cargo rates, the Justice Department announced Friday.
In a felony charge filed Friday, the Justice Department said Northwest
Airlines Cargo earned more than $80 million from air cargo services between
the United States and Japan after the company conspired to fix those rates
in violation of federal antitrust laws. The alleged price-fixing occurred
between July 2004 and February 2006, prior to Northwest's merger with Delta
Air Lines (DAL, Fortune 500). CNN
OK To
Look To Foreign Law For Ideas
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says judges can look to foreign
law for good ideas without diminishing their ability to apply U.S. law
faithfully. Ginsburg told a meeting of international lawyers Friday that
American judges can learn from their foreign counterparts when seeking
solutions to "trying questions." Ginsburg said high court nominee Elena
Kagan got it right when she told senators at her confirmation hearing that
she was in favor of good ideas "wherever you can get them."
Ginsburg acknowledged that other justices, including conservative Antonin
Scalia, are sharp critics of the use of foreign law in Supreme Court decisions.
Still, she predicted the high court will continue to look to courts in
other democracies for occasional help. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Law should come from the U.S.
Constitution.
Ethics
Panel Recommends Reprimand For Charles Rangel
Texas Democratic Rep. Gene Green, the chair of the subcommittee investigating
ethics charges against New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel, told CBS
News Capitol Hill Producer Jill Jackson and other reporters Friday that
the subcommittee is recommending that Rangel be reprimanded by the full
House. An angry Rangel, walking to his office, said Green's claim is categorically
untrue. "You know, it's so difficult when people have bad information for
me to correct it," Rangel said, prompting a reporter to point out that
the reprimand recommendation claim had come from the subcommittee chair.
CBS
YOU can speak
out and be heard by having your own "Column"
- Visit the "Public Opinion"Section
above
Ariz.
Governor Considers Changing Immigration Law
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is asking legislators to consider whether they
should change the state's immigration law in the wake of a judge's ruling
blocking enforcement of parts of it. Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman confirmed
Friday that the governor called top legislative leaders to broach the possibility
of changing provisions of the law on Thursday, a day after U.S. District
Judge Susan Bolton issued a preliminary injunction putting on hold parts
of the new law that would have required officers to dig deeper into the
fight against illegal immigration. MSNBC
GM
Hikes Production Capacity For Volt By 50%
General Motors said Friday that it is boosting production capacity
for its new Chevrolet Volt due to strong public interest in the electric
car that goes on sale this year. GM will now have a production capacity
of 45,000 vehicles in 2012, up from previous plans for 30,000 vehicles.
The automaker made the announcement as President Barack Obama toured the
Volt production facility in Detroit. The federal government sank $50 billion
into GM as part of the broader rescue of the auto industry, giving taxpayers
a majority stake in the nation's largest auto company. CBS
VOA VIEW: A reprimand is not strong enough.
Obama
'Scheming' On Immigrant Amnesty? Memo Draws Republican Fire
Critics of President Obama's immigration policy have pounced on an
internal government memo they say shows the administration is trying to
circumvent Congress on immigration reform and avoid deporting some illegal
immigrants. Deported immigrants weigh the risk of one day returning to
Arizona. An undated, internal draft memo by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services leaked Thursday outlines "administrative relief options to… reduce
the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States
without authorization." "In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform,"
it reads, "USCIS can extend benefits and/or protections to many individuals
and groups by issuing new guidance and regulations." ABC
VOA VIEW: Obama is trying to sink the
nation.
Wildfire
Explodes In Rural Hills Near Los Angeles
Firefighters planned an aggressive air attack at first light Friday
against a fast-moving wildfire that exploded in northern Los Angeles County,
chewing through more than 7 square miles of dry brush, forcing thousands
of evacuations and burning at least three structures. There is zero containment,
authorities said. Three water-dropping helicopters and hundreds of firefighters
worked through the night to get ahead of the blaze that broke out around
3 p.m. Thursday southwest of Palmdale. By early evening the winds picked
up and pushed the flames north and east toward the suburbs of Los Angeles
County's inland desert, authorities said. Washington
Times
WE ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK ALL OUR SOURCES
FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS IN MAKING US AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE NEWS & INFORMATION
PORTAL.
Gulf
Coast States Push For Offshore Oil Revenues
BP massive oil spill has given Gulf Coast lawmakers leverage to push
for a larger share of the billions of dollars in royalties that oil companies
pay to drill in U.S. waters. As a part of 2006 energy legislation, lawmakers
like Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu secured a deal to direct a 37.5 percent
share of U.S. offshore royalties to coastal states starting in 2017. The
provision would net $650 million a year to Louisiana alone, with smaller
amounts flowing to Alabama and Mississippi.
In spill-related legislation being debated by Congress, lawmakers are
pushing to accelerate the timetable to allow the royalties to begin flowing
to Gulf Coast states' coffers immediately. Reuters
Obama
Decries GOP Over Small Business Lending Bill
President Barack Obama said Saturday that the GOP stance on a small
business lending bill is proof the country "can't afford the do-nothing
policies and partisan maneuvering that will only take us backward." Obama's
election-year desire for additional jobs measures suffered a new setback
earlier this week when Senate Republicans blocked a proposal to create
a $30 billion government fund to help open up lending for credit-starved
small businesses. Obama accused the GOP of "holding America's small businesses
hostage to politics," saying the bill has the support of business groups
and contains "provision after provision" favored by both parties. Charlottte
Observer
VOA VIEW: Obama is no friend of business,
small or large.
Calcium
Supplements May Carry Heart Attack Risk
Calcium supplementation -- without giving vitamin D at the same time
-- appears to increase the risk of myocardial infarction, a new review
of past research has shown. VCU Medical Center's Dr. Domenic Sica shares
his thoughts on the study.Among studies of patients with or at risk of
osteoporosis, those who received calcium supplements were about 30 percent
more likely to have a heart attack than those who did not, Dr. Ian Reid,
MD of the University of Auckland in New Zealand and colleagues reported
online in BMJ. ABC
ATTENTION TALK SHOW HOSTS:We
are honored that many radio talk show hosts use our Web Portal for their
"show prep." We would appreciate your occasional mention of our site
to your audience. Thanks!
Consumers
Not Spending Like Drunken Sailors
The economy is heading nowhere fast. That's the bad news. But the good
news is that it still seems like consumers may have actually learned a
lesson or two about reckless fiscal behavior. Yes, the latest figures from
the government prove what most people with a pulse already knew. The economy
is slowing down. That may lead to more worries about a so-called double-dip
recession. But that might be too gloomy of an outlook. When you look deeper
into the numbers, it doesn't seem that the economy is suddenly running
out of gas and on the verge of collapse. CNN
Democrats
Take Lobbyist Cash As Obama Knocks Special Interests
As President Barack Obama thrashes Republicans for allowing “special
interest takeovers of our elections,” his Democratic Party is benefiting
from millions of campaign dollars brought in by lobbyists. Lobbyists raised
at least $1.5 million in the first six months of the year to help elect
Democrats to the House, according to a report from the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee. That was the most of any congressional fundraising
committee and almost three times as much as House Republicans. As much
as Obama rails against the influence held by lobbyists in Washington, candidates
rely on them to help fund increasingly expensive campaigns. Reports released
today show lobbyists also personally contributed to Democrats including
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Bloomberg
VOA VIEW: Hypocrites.
Kan.
Senate Race Turns Nasty As GOP Seeks Fighter
The big issue in Kansas' U.S. Senate race is which of two veteran Republican
congressmen will fight hardest _ and loudest _ against President Barack
Obama's agenda. The fiery contest is unusual in a state where politicians
are better known for being polite. It also underscores Republicans' national
strategy in 2010 _ find candidates who'll give Obama and his fellow Democrats
no quarter whatsoever. Few races offer a more blunt example of the blueprint
than Tuesday's primary fight between U.S. Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt.
Neither has the burden of courting moderates, and because Democrats aren't
likely to mount a serious challenge, the Republican nominee is all but
certain to win in the general election in this GOP-leaning state. Las
Vegas Sun
U.S.
Closes Consulate In Mexico
The United States closed its consulate in Ciudad Juarez, allegedly
the city in Mexico most affected by violent drug-war gangs, authorities
said. A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said it had received
a "credible threat" and it would stay shut pending a security review, the
BBC reported Friday. A statement on the consular Web site advised government
employees from U.S. consulates in Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo
Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros to depart those cities. "Resort areas and
tourist destinations in Mexico do not see the levels of drug-related violence
and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major drug trafficking
routes. Nevertheless, crime and violence are serious problems. UPI
ADVERTISEMENT:If
you want to advertise your business or web site on this Web Site, send
us an email by clicking on to "Contact" above. It could be the best
business decision you make.
China
Opposes EU's Iran Sanctions
China opposes the sanctions the European Union is imposing on Iran
over its disputed nuclear program, saying it supports Iran's renewed efforts
to hold talks on a possible swap of nuclear fuel, a spokeswoman for Beijing
said Friday. China often says dialogue and diplomatic means are the best
way to resolve the Iran nuclear issue, and a spokeswoman for China's Foreign
Ministry, Jiang Yu, repeated that position in comments posted on the ministry's
website. The European Union and Canada adopted new sanctions Monday against
Iran that target its foreign trade, banking and energy sectors. Jerusalem
Post
274
People Injured In Iran Earthquake
An earthquake in northeastern Iran injured 274 people on Friday, the
semi-official ILNA news agency reported, and a slightly stronger tremor
struck central Iran on Saturday. The first quake with a magnitude of 5.7
hit the city of Torbat-e Heydariyeh, about 700 km (435 miles) east of Tehran,
at 6:20 p.m. (1350 GMT) on Friday, and had its epicentre around 7 km from
the city. Many people spent the night outdoors in the city’s parks fearing
aftershocks. No deaths were reported. NY
Post
IAF
Strikes Gaza Strip; Response To Ashkelon Missile Attack
The Air Force hit several targets in Gaza overnight on Friday, Army
Radio reported. One of the targets hit was believed to be in the Tel al-Hawa
neighborhood. This followed Friday morning's Grad missile attack in Ashkelon,
for which the Aza Din al-Kassem Gazan terror group claimed responsibility
on Friday. Locals witnesses said they that they heard several explosions,
and that people had been injured, though the number of injured and the
severity of wounds sustained were unknown. Jerusalem
Post
Syrian
And Saudi Leaders Call For Calm On Beirut Visit
The Syrian and Saudi leaders have called on Lebanon's rival factions
to avoid turning to violence amid mounting political tensions in the country.
The call came after unprecedented talks in Beirut between Saudi King Abdullah,
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.
They urged Lebanese to resolve issues through "legal institutions". The
trip marks progress in relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria - two of
the region's most influential powers. Lebanon and Syria only exchanged
embassies for the first time last year, and entente between them is seen
as crucial to stability in Lebanon. BBC
Streets
Under Security Lockdown In Indian Kashmir
Violence continued to rage in Indian Kashmir on Saturday with one person
shot dead and three others wounded after police opened fire on protesters
who attacked their camp. An indefinite curfew was ordered a day after four
people were killed and another 80 wounded as government forces fired on
thousands of protesters across the troubled region. The recent tension
in the Himalayan region — divided between India and Pakistan and claimed
by both — is reminiscent of the late 1980s, when protests against New Delhi's
rule sparked an armed conflict. More than 68,000 people have been killed,
mostly civilians, in the conflict. Houston
Chronicle
July
Is Deadliest Month Of Afghanistan War For US
American forces have experienced their deadliest month in the nine-year-old
Afghan war, with 66 US service members killed in July. The death toll crept
up again on Friday as three more American soldiers died - two from a roadside
bomb - in the south of the country, Nato confirmed. The previous most deadly
month for the US was June this year, when 60 died. Meanwhile, hundreds
of UK and Afghan troops have launched a major offensive against the Taliban
in Helmand. BBC
BP's
Incoming Boss Says Clean-Up Operation May Be Scaled Down
As the visible oil in the Gulf of Mexico dwindles, the incoming boss
of BP has said it could be time to scale down the vast operation to clean
up the damage wreaked by the company's Deepwater Horizon spill. Bob Dudley,
who was named this week to replace BP's much maligned chief executive Tony
Hayward, announced that the company was appointing a former head of the
US federal emergency management agency, James Lee Witt, to help recover
from the disaster. BP intends to attempt a "static kill" to permanently
plug the well with cement on Tuesday. Guardian
Al
Gore Will Not Face Charges
Al Gore will not face criminal charges after police said a "lack of
credible evidence" means they will not pursue allegations of sex abuse
made against the former vice president by a Portland massage therapist.
In a story first reported by the National Enquirer, therapist Molly Hagerty
had claimed Gore had assaulted her in a hotel room in Portland, in 2006.
Portland detectives reopened an investigation last month and interviewed
the 2000 Democratic party presidential candidate. Guardian
Lib
Dems Fear Guilt By Association With Osborne
Liberal Democrat ministers have warned that the Conservatives will
inflict lasting political damage to Nick Clegg's party if voters think
the coalition Government is relishing the task of cutting public spending.
Although the Cabinet has agreed to try to blame the cuts on its inheritance
from Labour, senior Lib Dems are worried that some Tory politicians – including
George Osborne, the Chancellor – give the impression they are on a Thatcherite
mission to shrink the state. One Liberal Democrat minister warned yesterday:
“If we look as though we are enjoying it, we’re dead. We have to take people
with us.” Independent
Banks
Ignore Pleas And Cut Ooans To The Real Economy Again
Despite attempts by the Government and the Bank of England to encourage
the banks to lend to the "real economy", the supply of credit to businesses
is still shrinking, while the supply of mortgages is only crawling ahead.
The Bank of England data, released yesterday, showed that loans to non-financial
companies fell by £7.7bn in June, or about 6.4 per cent a year. Lending
to manufacturing decreased by £2.4bn. Although volatile, the figures
do not present an encouraging picture of a banking sector returning rapidly
to normal patterns of lending, and are the worst since the extraordinary
£14bn contraction witnessed last July. Independent
Use
Of Diabetes Drugs Rises 40 Per Cent In Five Years
Last year there were 35.5m prescriptions written for drugs to treat
diabetes, costing around £650m, official figures have shown. This
is a rise of more than 40 per cent since 2004/5. Experts said this is due
to both an increase in prevalence of diabetes as obesity – which is linked
to the type 2 form of the disease – continues to rise. The number of people
suffering from type 1 diabetes, which is not linked to weight or lifestyle,
is also increasing yearly. GPs have been given incentives to identify people
with diabetes and treat them, increasing the proportion of people with
the condition who have been diagnosed and are receiving treatment. Telegraph
Stem
Cells Used In Windpipe Transplant For Cancer Patients
Doctors have successfully transplanted windpipes into two cancer patients
in an innovative procedure that uses stem cells to allow a donated trachea
to regenerate tissue and create an organ biologically close to the original.
The 31-year-old Czech and 19-year-old British patients are in good condition
and have been released from the hospital in Florence, Italy just weeks
after the surgery. The British woman was speaking after only three or four
days, said Dr Walter Giovannini, the director of the AOU Careggi hospital
where the surgeries took place on July 3 and 13. Telegraph
Pakistan
Plane Crash Black Box' Found
Recovery workers on Saturday found the "black box" flight data recorder
from the wreckage of Pakistan's worst-ever plane crash, though its condition
was unclear, a government official said. The discovery could shed light
on why the Airblue flight crashed Wednesday into the hills overlooking
the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people onboard. The "black
box" was found following a difficult recovery effort hampered by rain,
mud and a lack of proper roads in the heavily forested Margalla Hills.
It has been handed to aviation officials, said Ramzan Sajid, a spokesman
for the Capital Development Authority, a government agency. Philadelphia
Inquirer
Pakistan
Spy Scraps UK Talks After PM's Comments
A diplomatic spat with implications for international counterterrorism
escalated Saturday after Pakistan's spy chief canceled a visit to London
following comments by the British leader suggesting Pakistan exports terrorism.
A senior Pakistani intelligence official confirmed that Lt. Gen. Ahmed
Shujaa Pasha had called off a trip planned for next week, when he had been
due to discuss security cooperation with British intelligence bosses. The
official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with his agency's policy.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who took office in May, outraged officials
in Islamabad when he said during a visit to India that Pakistan must not
be allowed to "promote the export of terror whether to India, whether to
Afghanistan or to anywhere else in the world." Seattle
Times
Israeli
Airstrike Kills Senior Hamas Rocket Maker
Israeli warplanes fired missiles, killing a senior commander of the
Hamas military wing and wounding 11 people in five targets hit across Gaza
overnight, the group and the military said Saturday. The Israeli military
said the strikes were in response to a powerful rocket fired from Gaza
that hit the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon on Friday, causing damage
but no injuries. Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas rulers said their slain
member was Issa Batran, 42, a commander of the groups' military wing in
central Gaza and a senior rocket maker. Tampa
Tribune
Australian
PM Vows To Fight After Poll Predicts Defeat
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is heading for a shock defeat
at elections on August 21, a new opinion poll showed Saturday, as government
infighting and damaging cabinet leaks threatened to derail her campaign.
But Gillard, who is still expected to win by most other opinion polls and
political experts, vowed to keep on battling to keep the top job. "Let's
be very clear about this, we're in a fight," she told reporters while campaigning
in Perth. "I am going to keep fighting every day of this election campaign."
NY
Times
UN
Hails Entry Into Force Of Global Pact Banning Cluster Munitions
United Nations officials have expressed their delight at Sunday’s entry
into force of the international convention banning the manufacture, use
and stockpiling of cluster munitions, calling it a “major advance for the
global disarmament and humanitarian agendas.” Billions of these weapons
– which are considered particularly dangerous, despite their lack of precision
– are believed to exist around the world and many have been used in recent
conflicts, killing or maiming countless civilians.
Thirty ratifications were needed to make the pact, which prohibits
explosive remnants of war known either as cluster munitions or unexploded
ordnance (UXO), a part of international law. UN
News
UN
Official Warns Terrorism And Organized Crime Increasingly Linked In Africa
Terrorism in Africa is increasingly linked to organized crime, and
the continent’s governments must take stronger steps to try to break those
connections, a senior United Nations official said as he called for countries
worldwide to broaden their anti-terrorist strategies beyond involving only
the military and law enforcement agencies. Jean-Paul Laborde, chairman
of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), said the
recent killing of a French aid worker in West Africa and the suicide bombings
in Kampala, Uganda, belied the traditional view that Africa was not a “hot
spot” for terrorism. UN
News
ABC Online Canada
National Post Daily
TelegraphThe Observer Wired
News Xinhua News
VOA VIEW -- Is
the opinion of Voice of America, Inc. The founding fathers of this
great nation gave us the First Amendment. You too can express your
opinion on this web site. Click on the blue "Public Opinion" button
at the top of this page for full details. The opinions expressed
are not necessarily the opinions of the ownership or advertisers of this
web site.
|
