Week Ending: Saturday 4th September 2004

Agony as school death toll rises
Relatives of victims of the school hostage siege in southern Russia are enduring an agonising wait for news as the death toll continues to rise. More than 320 bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the school so far, officials say, but many of the victims have still to be identified. Local people scoured hospital wards and searched for bodies at the town morgue.

Judge fines city of New York and orders release of jailed protesters
A state supreme court judge has fined the city of New York for contempt after ordering the release of more than 550 protesters who he said had been detained illegally for up to two and a half days. Many of those held in what protesters have branded "Guantánamo by the Hudson", said they were not involved in anti-Bush demonstrations but had been swept up by overzealous police.

Veterans of Iraq war join forces to protest US invasion
The massive protest in Manhattan marked one of the first public appearances of a new group called Iraq Veterans Against the War. Though it is still small, numbering about 40, its members are taking tips from more established veterans groups, and because of their war experience, they seem likely to take a prominent role in debate about the Iraq war.

Violence flares in northern Iraq
A suicide car bomb attack in northern Iraq has left at least 17 people dead and more than 20 wounded, police say. The car exploded near a police training academy in the city of Kirkuk, as recruits were leaving for the day. Earlier, US-led forces launched an operation against insurgents near another northern city, Mosul.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Convention Speeches
Half-truths and embellishments are one thing; they're common at political conventions, vital flourishes for a theatrical air. Lies are another thing, and last night's Republican convention was soaked in them.

Alert shuts Los Angeles airport
Part of Los Angeles international airport has been shut over a possible security breach, authorities say. An airport spokesman said there were two separate incidents. Unconfirmed reports say a torch exploded. Officials did not comment on reports of injuries. There were no details on the second incident.

An African Foul-Up, With an Intriguing Cast of Britons
South African prosecutors tied the patrician son of Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, to an improbable, botched coup in Equatorial Guinea, a minuscule, humid, African dictatorship. Now others in England's political and boarding-school elite are being dragged, over furious denials, into what is becoming a black eye for the British, whose colonialist image in Africa has been waning.

Tragedy throws spotlight on Kremlin
Muscovites have reacted with both horror and resignation to the school siege. Less than a week ago, a suicide bomber killed 11 people at a metro station here, and the Moscow papers are filled with the most graphic and powerful photographs of the tragedy in Beslan. The political response, however, has been muted in line with the increasingly autocratic style of President Putin's government.

Militia Leaders Charging Betrayal by Iraqi Premier
Leaders of the insurgent Mahdi Army declared that they had been betrayed by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who has been trying to lure away the militia's supporters with millions of dollars in aid. Yusef al-Nasiri, a senior leader of the group, said efforts to renew peace negotiations failed again. Mr. Nasiri accused Dr. Allawi of deliberately stalling, as he tries to isolate the Mahdi Army and block its efforts to disarm and enter democratic politics.

US sailors charged over Iraq abuse
Four members of one of the US Navy's elite units have been charged with abusing prisoners in Iraq, one of whom later died in Abu Ghraib prison. The four men, who are members of a Sea-Air-Land unit, known as Navy Seals, have not been identified. Naval official Commander Jeffrey Bender said more sailors might be also charged after an investigation into the death of another Iraqi detainee.

Wal-Mart upsets cosmic balance of ruins
Protesters decry building of store near mysterious Mexican city of Teotihuacan as attack on heritage which could spoil rural valley. From the top of the Pyramid of the Sun in the ancient ruined city of Teotihuacan, Emma Ortega blows a haunting ode on her conch shell and points out a half-built Wal-Mart supermarket in the valley below.

Israeli missiles 'hit Gaza camp'
Israeli helicopters have fired at least two missiles into a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians say. Security sources are reported as saying the missiles hit a warehouse in the Mughazi refugee camp in central Gaza. The strikes come a day after an Israeli incursion into the central Gazan town of Deir al-Balah, which left four Palestinians dead.

Arnie's history is scorned in Austria
Austrian historians are ridiculing Arnold Schwarzenegger for telling the Republican convention in New York that he saw Soviet tanks in his homeland as a child and left a "socialist" country when he moved away in 1968.

Two inmates found dead at prison
Two inmates have been found hanged at Manchester Prison, police have said.
Both men were discovered at the jail - formerly known as Strangeways - at 0700 BST and detectives are treating the deaths as suspicious. The men were identified by the prison service as Shaun James Hazelhurst and Patrick Kevin Kilty, aged 26 and 32.

Bush sets out re-election vision
US President George W Bush has given one of the biggest speeches of his re-election campaign, at the end of the Republican Party convention. He defended his record, notably the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and set out his vision for the next four years. Mr Bush vowed to stay "on the offensive" against terrorists worldwide, and build a safer America. The president also launched a forthright attack on his Democratic opponent, John Kerry.

French journalists 'not with captors'
Two French journalists taken hostage in Iraq are no longer in the hands of their abductors, the French culture and communications minister says. "We know that they are alive and no longer in the hands of the abductors who had held them," Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres told journalists in Perpignan, southern France.

Russia siege goes into third day
Russian negotiators have renewed talks with the armed group holding hundreds of hostages in a North Ossetian school, as the siege enters its third day. Sporadic explosions and gunfire continue to be heard near the school in the town of Beslan.
26 women and young children were released, but the hostage takers still refused to allow food, water and medicine into the building. One of the freed women said there were more than 1,000 hostages in the school.

UN backs Lebanon sovereignty call
The UN Security Council has narrowly adopted a resolution demanding that foreign troops leave Lebanon and that Lebanese sovereignty be respected. The resolution is aimed at Syria, which has troops in the country and strongly backs Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, a close ally of Damascus. The Beirut parliament votes on Friday on a plan to change the constitution and allow Mr Lahoud a second term.

Anti-vivisection training camp arouses animal passions in Kent village
At first light two mobile phones will be activated, their numbers having been advertised on the internet for some time. They will be staffed by volunteers who will give out location details and advice to 300 animal rights activists from all over the world who are due to attend a training camp in direct action techniques for anti-vivisectionists and hunt saboteurs.

Florida braced for new hurricane
Residents of the US state of Florida are again preparing themselves for the onslaught of a massive hurricane - the second in less than a month. More than half a million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Hurricane Frances has already battered the Turks and Caicos Islands and is now approaching the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau.

Seen and heard: oddities from in and around the Republican Convention
'It's not Club Med ... but we even serve soy sandwiches for vegetarians here,' Michael Bloomberg, New York mayor, responding to claims of poor conditions for protesters in police cells

French hostages 'handed to group'
Kidnappers in Iraq have handed two French journalists to another group said to be prepared to free them. The second group, said to be from the Iraqi opposition, is 'in favour of releasing them', Charles Lambroschini, Le Figaro deputy editor said. France's foreign minister said earlier that both men were alive and well. The kidnappers had linked the men's fate to France's move to ban Islamic headscarves from schools.

Self-inflicted jail deaths rise
There were more self-inflicted deaths in English prisons in August than any other month since records began. Figures show that 14 male inmates took their own lives in August, which so far brings this year's total to 70. They include 14-year-old Adam Rickwood, who died in a secure training centre in County Durham - the youngest ever person to die in custody in the UK.

Bush by numbers: Four years of double standards
Number of Bush administration public statements on National security issued between 20 January 2001 and 10 September 2001 that mentioned al-Qa'ida - 1.
Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned Iraq or Saddam Hussein - 104.

Sudan talks stalled over security
Rebel groups from the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur say peace negotiations with the government are deadlocked over disarmament and other security issues.
The talks, brokered by the African Union, are being held in Nigeria. The two sides on Wednesday reached a deal on humanitarian access. But rebels later set a number of conditions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Blunder at the Republican Convention:
At the Republican Convention, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he became a Republican after listening to a televised debate between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in 1968. In his address, he described arriving in the United States from Austria and hearing Richard Nixon challenge Hubert Humphrey in a televised presidential debate. The Nixon-Humphrey Presidential Debate Never Took Place

Extra troops for Nigeria oil town
Security is being beefed up in Nigeria's oil capital, Port Harcourt, after renewed violence left seven dead. The army is now patrolling 24 hours a day to prevent further clashes, which have intensified after two months. Following claims that the gangs behind the violence were related to local politicians, the state governor sacked his cabinet.

U.S. press puts Iraq dead on back pages
U.S. newspapers are moving stories of American troops dying in Iraq to the back pages, the Washington Monthly has reported. The magazine noted in its September issue that on July 9, the Los Angeles Times put the story of five soldiers being killed on page 7 and the New York Times put it on page 8.

Museveni wins referendum appeal
Uganda's Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling, which had cast doubt on the entire political system. The government had appealed against the decision which nullified a 2000 referendum, in which a return to multiparty politics was rejected. President Yoweri Museveni made an angry television broadcast criticising the judges and his supporters protested in the capital, Kampala.

Judge Orders New York to Immediately Release Hundreds of Protesters
A Manhattan judge ordered the immediate release of nearly 500 anti-GOP protesters, including some who had spent almost three days in jail after their arrests at demonstrations against President Bush. "These people have already been the victims of a process," state Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo said. "I can no longer accept your statement that you are trying to comply". Cataldo then ordered the release of 470 detainees who had been in custody for anywhere from 36 to 66 hours.

Argentina bomb suspects acquitted
A court in Argentina has cleared five men accused of involvement in the bombing of a Jewish centre in 1994. They had denied charges that they supplied a van used in the attacks. The reasons for their acquittal will not be made public until next month.
The masterminds behind the blast, which killed 85 people and injured more than 200, have never been identified.

George W. Bush's missing year
Before there was Karl Rove, Lee Atwater or even James Baker, the Bush family's political guru was a gregarious newspaper owner and campaign consultant from Midland, Texas, named Jimmy Allison. In the spring of 1972, George H.W. Bush phoned his friend and asked a favor: Could Allison find a place on the Senate campaign he was managing in Alabama for his troublesome eldest son, the 25-year-old George W. Bush?

Malaysia's Anwar free to travel
Malaysian former deputy leader Anwar Ibrahim has spent his first day out of jail obtaining a new passport to allow him to travel abroad for medical help. Mr Anwar wants to undergo treatment at a Munich spinal clinic for a back injury he says was caused by a police beating he received when arrested. The former minister has spent nearly six years in jail on charges of sodomy which he always argued were politically motivated.

Protesters' arresting tales
Many were protesters, others were in the wrong place at the wrong time. More than 1,500 have been arrested during demonstrations against the Republican National Convention. Read some of their stories.

Seoul allies calm on nuclear shock
South Korea's key allies have played down a shock admission that its scientists carried out a secret experiment to enrich uranium in 2000. The US State Department said the experiment should not have occurred, but praised Seoul for owning up to it. Japan said the incident was regrettable but that it did not believe South Korea planned to build a bomb.

Court appoints Milosevic lawyers
Two British lawyers, Steven Kay and Gillian Higgins, have been appointed to defend former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic at The Hague's UN tribunal.
They are "friends of the court", named at the start of the case to ensure Mr Milosevic would get a fair trial. The tribunal had said it would impose a lawyer after tests showed Mr Milosevic was not fit to represent himself.

Halliburton Says Officials Spoke of Nigeria Bribes
Halliburton Co., once run by Vice President Dick Cheney, said an internal probe found information suggesting that members of a consortium it helps lead considered bribing Nigerian officials to win business. The world's No. 2 oilfield services company, which is also fighting accusations it overcharged on contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the probe concerns the multibillion dollar TSKJ Bonny Island liquefied natural gas plant project.

Israel raid demolishes Gaza homes
Israeli forces have demolished two apartment blocks in a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza and have killed three men in a separate raid. The army said the buildings in Khan Younis camp were used by Palestinian militants to launch attacks against Israeli soldiers and nearby settlers. Israel's government meanwhile says it will attack Syria if necessary. This follows the suicide bombings in Beersheba which killed 16 people and injured 80.

Pope Discusses Sex Abuse Scandal with U.S. Bishops
Pope John Paul urged American bishops Thursday to provide more guidance to priests in the United States to prevent a repeat of the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church there. The Pope also called on U.S. bishops to work for greater inter-religious dialogue and avoid misunderstandings among faiths after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

At least 17 die in Falluja raid
At least 17 Iraqis have died in a US air strike on the city of Falluja, hospital officials have said. Reports say the dead included three children and a woman.
US officials say the strike was a deliberate, "precision" attack aimed at followers of the wanted militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Mr Zarqawi has been accused of leading the violent Sunni Muslim resistance to the US-led coalition in Iraq and the interim Iraqi government.

Tactics by Police Mute the Protesters, and Their Messages
As the Republican National Convention approached its final evening tonight, nearly 1,800 protesters had been arrested on the streets, two-thirds of them on Tuesday night alone. But for all the anger of the demonstrations, they have barely interrupted the convention narrative, and have drawn relatively little national news coverage.

Freed trio get warm Delhi welcome
Three Indian truck drivers held hostage in Iraq for 42 days have arrived in Delhi to a huge welcome. Antaryami, Sukhdev Singh and Tilak Raj were among seven foreign drivers freed by Islamic militants after their employer paid a ransom. Large crowds were waiting at Delhi airport, including the men's relatives who travelled to the capital from northern Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

At Least 900 Arrested in City as Protesters Clash With Police
A series of demonstrations rippled across Manhattan last night when protesters tried to converge on the Republican National Convention, as a day of planned civil disobedience erupted into clashes with police officers and led to the arrest of more than 900 people.

Nepal tense over hostage deaths
A curfew is continuing in the Nepalese capital for the third straight day following riots over the killing of 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq. The situation in Kathmandu is said to be uneasy but calm. The curfew was lifted for three hours to allow people to shop for essential supplies.

Republican anti-gay speaker compares gays to Hitler
If their line-up of speakers is any indication, there will be no compassion for Gay and Lesbian Americans at this year’s Republican National Convention, says the Democratic National Committee. Sheri Drew, who offered this morning’s invocation from the Convention Podium, has said those who support gay and lesbian families are no different from those who supported Adolph Hitler in the years preceding World War II.

EC court challenge to Sellafield
The European Commission is expected to launch formal legal proceedings against the UK over nuclear safety at Sellafield plant. The European Court of Justice will hear claims on Friday that Britain has not been allowing the EC proper access.
EU inspectors are required to check on material being stored in nuclear plants, to ensure it is not being diverted from peaceful purposes. Inspectors have complained since their first UK visit in 1986 of poor access.

U.S. Seeks to Throw Out Terror Convictions
The Justice Department asked a judge Tuesday to throw out the convictions of a suspected terror cell in Detroit because of prosecutorial misconduct, reversing course in a case the Bush administration once hailed as a major victory in the war on terrorism.

Protest plan for Venice festival
Anti-globalisation protestors have vowed to continue attempts to disrupt the Venice Film Festival. They are demonstrating against US movie blockbusters and the amount of money flying around Hollywood. Dozens of protestors lined the red carpet for the premiere of Tom Hanks' movie The Terminal. The anti-capitalists parked a car decked out like a pirate ship outside the cinema where The Terminal was receiving its star-studded gala opening.

What's Happening in NYC, as I write this...(it's not good)...
300-500 people are taunting delegates from the sidewalk at 33rd and Broadway. There are about 200 cops. Delegates are coming out of their hotels, walking down 34th st. to go to the Garden. Reports of mass arrests one block away at 34th and Broadway.

Attackers storm Russian school
Fifteen children have reportedly been released by an armed gang who seized a school in southern Russia, leaving at least two people dead. Up to 150 pupils, parents and teachers are still being held at the secondary school in Beslan, North Ossetia. At least 17 masked men and women, some wearing explosive belts, stormed the school as more than 200 pupils gathered for the first day of the new term.

Foreign truckers released in Iraq
Militants in Iraq have freed seven foreign lorry drivers held hostage for more than a month, their employer says. The Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company said the men were on their way to Kuwait. "We are very happy - we had promised the families of those abducted that we will do our best to get them back".

Milosevic says Serbs not guilty
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has told his trial in The Hague that Serbs are not guilty of crimes he is accused of orchestrating. Concluding his opening defence statement on Wednesday morning, Mr Milosevic denied that Serb nationalists had planned to create a greater Serbia. Mr Milosevic faces charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Balkans in the 1990s.

Curfew imposed after Nepal riots
An indefinite curfew has been imposed in the Nepalese capital following violent protests against the killing of 12 Nepali hostages in Iraq. Angry mobs in Kathmandu attacked a mosque, government buildings and the offices of two Middle East airlines. Many in Nepal are blaming the government for not doing enough to secure the release of the hostages.

Half of New Yorkers Believe US Leaders Had Foreknowledge of 9-11
On the eve of a Republican National Convention invoking 9/11 symbols, sound bytes and imagery, half (49.3%) of New York City residents and 41% of New York citizens overall say that some of our leaders "knew in advance that attacks were planned on or around September 11, 2001, and that they consciously failed to act," according to the poll conducted by Zogby International. Overall results have a margin of sampling error of +/-3.5.

Chalabi escapes assassination bid
Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi says he has escaped an assassination attempt which has left two of his bodyguards wounded. He was travelling from Najaf to Baghdad when the attack happened, he said. "A car started following us and opened fire on our convoy," former Pentagon favourite Mr Chalabi told reporters.

Prisoners face 'exploitative' work programmes
Inmates at an open prison are being exploited in the labour market and paid far below the minimum wage, the prisons watchdog said today. Anne Owers, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said offenders at North Sea Camp jail in Lincolnshire were being told to take on "inappropriate and unacceptable" work placements.
Some inmates were paid "substantially less" than the £4.50 an hour minimum wage, she added, with some receiving as little as £15 a day.

Blast victim sues German agency
A five-year-old victim of an al-Qaeda bomb attack is suing Europe's biggest travel agency, TUI, in Germany. The boy, only identified as Adrian E, was left disfigured by the suicide bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia two years ago that killed 22 people. His parents say TUI should have warned tourists of the dangers of terrorism on the Tunisian island of Djerba.

The corporate looter
Report reveals that Lord Black stole $400m of Hollinger's money. Lord Black of Crossharbour, the former chief executive of the publishing giant Hollinger International, and his associates ransacked more than $400m (£220m) from his former empire in an astonishing display of "corporate kleptocracy", according to a report published yesterday.

Protests at IMF Argentina talks
Protesters have clashed with police in Buenos Aires as Rodrigo Rato, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, talked with government leaders. Mr Rato was meeting Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, as well as Finance Minister Roberto Lavagna. Mr Rato urged Argentina to set aside more cash for debt payments.

Dogs of war? These men in shackles have been whipped into submission
Their wrists and feet shackled, the accused half-crawled, half-fell out of the high four-wheel-drives that had delivered them to a garish conference centre-turned courtroom in Equatorial Guinea's capital.

Passion sells 2.4m copies on DVD
Mel Gibson's Biblical movie The Passion of the Christ has sold 2.4 million copies in the US by midday on its first day of release on DVD. Starring Jim Caviezel, the film made $610m (£340m) at the global box office after its cinema release in February. Some Jewish groups claimed the film was anti-Semitic in blaming ancient Jewish people for killing Christ.

Ministers break promises over nuclear waste
Nuclear waste from overseas power stations has been sealed in concrete and buried in several miles of trenches in breach of official government policy. Ministers have repeatedly promised that nuclear waste from abroad will not be buried in British soil to make good a pledge that Britain will not become a nuclear waste dump for countries such as Japan, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. But it has now emerged that more than 10,000 cubic metres of foreign nuclear waste is buried at Drigg in Cumbria.

Israeli city rocked by bus blasts
At least 12 people have been killed in explosions on two buses in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, Israeli medical sources say. Dozens of people were injured in the blasts, which left both buses in flames on the street. Israeli police have blamed them on Palestinian suicide bombers.

France gets extra day to lift headscarf ban before executions
Iraqi militants who have kidnapped two French journalists last night gave Paris another 24 hours to rescind its ban on Muslim headscarves before they execute their captives. The extension to the deadline came as the reporters, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, called on the French President, Jacques Chirac, to give in to the demand, according to a video shown late last night on the Arabic al-Jazeera television station.

Milosevic launches trial defence
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has said accusations that he masterminded the 1990s wars in the Balkans were "unscrupulous lies". Mr Milosevic, who is representing himself, was making his opening defence statement at his trial in The Hague.

Convention jeers for a laughing Moore
Moore, who fiercely opposes president George Bush, laughed and waved from the upper levels of the hall as he incurred the wrath of delegates. As the crowd chanted in unison for "four more years" of Mr Bush, Moore tipped his hat, raised his fingers and replied "two more months".

France strives to free hostages
France is redoubling its diplomatic efforts to save two French journalists taken hostage in Iraq who have been pleading for their lives. The hostage-takers have extended a deadline until Tuesday evening for France to scrap a ban on Muslim headscarves in state schools. France has rejected the demand but has sent top officials to the Middle East to try to secure the men's release.

A No-Win Situation
Last month a Knight-Ridder report suggested that U.S. forces were effectively ceding many urban areas to insurgents. Last Sunday The Times confirmed that while the world's attention was focused on Najaf, western Iraq fell firmly under rebel control. Representatives of the U.S.-installed government have been intimidated, assassinated or executed.

Heavyweights back 'unflinching' Bush
Two of America's most respected politicians have backed President Bush's campaign for re-election. Senator John McCain and the former Mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, praised Mr Bush's leadership, at the Republican Party's New York convention. Senator McCain - a former rival to Mr Bush - said Mr Bush had "not flinched from the hard choices" facing America.

Election Overseers Want Big Win  By Kim Zetter
State and county election officials from around the country are praying that this year's presidential race ends with a wider margin of victory than it did four years ago when George W. Bush beat Al Gore in Florida by only 547 votes. A close victory this year would likely result in more charges of voter fraud and calls for recounts, two things that election officials don't relish.

Defiant Sharon sets out Gaza plan
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has presented a new timetable for his controversial plan to withdraw troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip. He plans to accelerate the evacuation of Gaza's 21 Jewish settlements. At a meeting with members of his ruling Likud party in parliament, he warned party rebels the plan "will be applied, and that's it".

Many March Against Bush's War, But Black People Stay Home
Their spirits were high, their numbers were strong and their color was white. If there was one thing that marked the thousands upon thousands of demonstrators in New York Sunday, in addition to their urgent need to rid the world of the Bush presidency, it was their whiteness. African Americans were no more numerous in the massive demonstration against George W. Bush than they are in support of him.

E Guinea coup plot trial halted
The trial of 19 men arrested in March on charges of attempting to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea has been suspended in the capital, Malabo. The judge is to allow more time for investigations after Mark Thatcher's recent arrest in South Africa allegedly for helping finance the coup plot. All but one of the men have denied involvement in the plot, and could face the death penalty if found guilty.

Justice Comes for the Archbishop
Nearly 25 years after Archbishop Óscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass in San Salvador, a chance for justice has finally appeared. A judge is expected to rule on Friday in a landmark lawsuit brought against a man accused of being an accomplice in the murder.

US planes 'bomb Afghan village'
US warplanes have bombed a remote village in eastern Afghanistan killing at least six people and wounding several others, local officials say. Police in Konar province say civilians and militants are among the dead. They say US warplanes destroyed eight houses in Weradesh village, following an attack on government positions.

Deadly typhoon races up Japan
Typhoon Chaba is heading north up Japan's archipelago after leaving at least seven people dead in the country's southern and western regions. It is heading north-east at about 65km/h and is expected to hit the northern island of Hokkaido later.

England 'stomped' on Iraq inmates
A woman soldier facing charges of abuse over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was seen stomping on prisoners' fingers and toes, a colleague has testified. Pte Lynndie England's face became notorious after she was pictured holding an Iraqi prisoner on a leash and pointing at inmates' genitals.

IMF director to visit Argentina
Rodrigo Rato, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, is due in Buenos Aires for talks on Argentina's financial situation. Mr Rato is expected to discuss Argentina's stop-start progress towards paying off its hefty debts.

Iran arrests dozens 'for spying'
Iran says it has arrested dozens of people for allegedly spying on the country's nuclear programme. Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi said some of those detained were suspected of passing nuclear secrets to what he termed Iran's enemies.

Doctors to face Shipman charges
Seven doctors face charges of serious professional misconduct over alleged failures that allowed Harold Shipman's murders to be undetected. The doctors, three of whom are still practising in Hyde, will appear before a General Medical Council (GMC) professional conduct hearing.

Hollinger executives 'took $400m'
Media group Hollinger International has said senior executives, including former chief Conrad Black, took $400m (£223m; 330m euro) of its money. Unveiling the findings of an internal investigation, Hollinger said the sum accounted for 92.5% of its adjusted net income between 1997 and 2003. Lord Black quit as Hollinger chief in November after shareholders protested he had received unauthorised payments.

Still Unreported: The Pay-off in Bush Air Guard Fix
In 1968, former Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas, fresh from voting to send other men’s sons to Vietnam, enlisted his own son in a very special affirmative action program, the ‘champagne’ unit of the Texas Air National Guard.  There, Top Gun fighter pilot George Dubya was assigned the dangerous job of protecting Houston from Vietcong air attack.

Toy In Candy Bag Appears To Depict 9/11 Attack
A bag of candy shocked a local grandmother and will most likely shock you. The toy inside looks like a plane flying right into the Twin Towers. Now, that toy is off some local store shelves because of our story.

Second Toy Found In Candy Appears To Depict Osama Bin Laden
In Miami, a wholesaler has announced that his company will recall 14,000 bags of candy. The bags contain a toy that looks like a plane flying into a building and, we found, a second toy that looks like Osama Bin Laden suspended between the two buildings.

Republicans gather to back Bush
The US Republican Party convention to nominate George W Bush for a second term has opened amid tight security. A massive operation has virtually sealed off the New York City venue and officers with dogs and bomb-detecting equipment closed nearby streets. The first session includes procedural matters but delegates will hear from New York's former mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and Senator John McCain.

CNN underreports New York protest size
The Aug. 30, 2004 CNN home page is trumpeting "Anti-Bush demo clogs N.Y." with a tight photo of about a dozen demonstrators: Tens of thousands of demonstrators carrying signs and chanting "No More Bush" marched past Madison Square Garden. March organizers said they estimated the crowd size at more than 400,000. Police did not give a crowd estimate. "Tens of thousands" is directly at odds with the front page Washington Post article: More than 200,000 demonstrators, according to a police estimate.

Huge protest against Bush on eve of party meeting
Hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for President George Bush to be removed descended on to the streets of Manhattan yesterday, on the eve of the Republican party convention. But as the demonstrators marched, Republican delegates arrived in town hoping to open a significant lead over the Democratic challenger, John Kerry, for the first time this year.

Government Attempts Subpoena For Indymedia Logs - ISP Refuses
The FBI and the US Secret Service is again engaging in a fishing expedition to route out dissenting viewpoints, harass people who are simply exercising their free speech rights, and intimidate others from exercising their right to protest in connection with the Republican National Convention

France firm over headscarf ban
France has said it will not drop a law banning Muslim headscarves in state schools, despite demands by militants holding two French journalists in Iraq. "The law will be applied," a government spokesman said. France's foreign minister appealed for the two men to be freed as he started urgent talks in the Middle East.

God is Not a Republican.
More than 40 Christian leaders and 40,000 faithful citizens signed a petition declaring that "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" and that the Religious Right does not speak for them. The petition refutes claims by Jerry Falwell that "Evangelical Christians need to get serious about re-electing President Bush" and by Pat Robertson that "George Bush is going to win in walk - the Lord's just blessing him."

Stevens: I don't want an American to run Met Police
Sir John Stevens, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has attacked the prospect of an American detective replacing him as the country's top policeman as an insult and outrage to his British colleagues. Sir John has also criticised the fascination with US-style policing and argued that politicians and the public ought to have more pride in what the police have achieved in the UK.

Newsday photographer arrested
Newsday photographer Moises Saman - who spent eight days in an Iraqi prison in 2003 - was arrested in Times Square while covering a protest related to the Republican convention. "I was photographing a guy getting arrested and somebody grabbed me from the back with a lot of force and made me fly backwards. I turned around and it was a police officer in a white shirt. He just said something like, 'You're arrested, ... I told you to move.' But he (had) never said anything to me.

Kabul tense after weekend bombing
Security has been tightened across the Afghan capital, Kabul, following Sunday's bomb explosion outside the offices of an American security firm. Nato-led peacekeepers say at least three Americans and three Afghans died in the blast, claimed by the Taleban. But there is confusion about the final casualty toll, with reports of several more dead including some Nepalis.

An attack on the U.S. economy
Wherever he is, Osama bin Laden will be beaming as he watches my beloved hometown, New York City, turned into an armed camp and a victim of municipal nervous breakdown. Sheik Osama has repeatedly warned America will never know peace until it withdraws from the Mideast and ceases supporting Israel. He ordered followers to attack the heart of America's power, its economy.

Downing Street remains silent after Dyke's 'bully' Blair BBC accusations
Downing Street and the BBC were yesterday trying to weather the storm as Greg Dyke, the corporation's former director general, unleashed a scathing attack on Tony Blair and the governors who forced him to quit in the wake of the Hutton report. Neither Number 10 nor the BBC would comment after Mr Dyke called for the resignation of the six governors still on the board who voted for him to stand down, and accused Mr Blair of attempting to "bully" the BBC into supporting the war.

'Miracle baby' charges in Kenya
Police in Kenya have charged five people with stealing babies, in a case centring on an alleged child-smuggling network between Kenya and Britain. More than 20 children - some only a few weeks old - have been taken into protective custody by the authorities. One of those charged is the wife of controversial UK-based evangelist, Gilbert Deya, who is denying involvement in child trafficking.

Bush: 'War on terror cannot be won'
In a US TV interview, Bush, who has said he expects the war on terror to be a long, drawn-out battle, was asked: "Can we win it?" The president replied: "I don't think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that the - those who use terror as a tool are - less acceptable in parts of the world."

US youngster 'shoots father dead'
The 10-year-old son of a divorced American couple shot his father dead as he was being picked up from his mother's home in Texas, police say. Rick James Lohstroh, 41, died on his way to hospital after being shot several times as he sat in the driver's seat of his car outside the house. The boy reportedly fired from the back seat and then from outside the car, using his mother's gun.

More Than 100,000 Protest Bush in NYC
More than 100,000 demonstrators marched past a heavily fortified Republican convention hall on Sunday, chanting denunciations of the administration and the war in Iraq as delegates flocked to the city to nominate President Bush for four more years in the White House.

East Timor marks breakaway vote
East Timor is marking the fifth anniversary of its overwhelming vote for independence from Indonesia. The result of the referendum sparked violence by Indonesian troops and pro-Jakarta militias, in which up to 1,000 people were killed. President Xanana Gusmao marked the anniversary by asking his people for maturity in dealing with frustration over the slow pace of economic change.

In Prague, a tale of 2 Attas
Consider the odds: two men named Mohamed Atta, total strangers with nothing to connect them, both arriving in Prague just as one, the Sept. 11 hijacker, was beginning his fateful journey to the United States. According to documents in the files of the German federal police, the improbable scenario of "The Two Attas" is precisely what transpired in the spring of 2000, confusing investigators for months and laying the groundwork for a spurious claim that Atta later met with an Iraqi intelligence agent.

More German reform protests due
Germany is bracing itself for a further round of demonstrations in protest against proposed welfare spending cuts. About 100,000 people are expected to turn out on Monday for a protest march in the eastern city of Leipzig. The march is the latest in a series of rallies against Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's reform plans, which would cut benefits for the long-term jobless.

Cops yell cut! Actress busted at scene
Actress Rosario Dawson was arrested yesterday when filmmakers used the anti-Bush demonstration to inject a little too much realism into her upcoming flick. The New York-born actress was filming a scene for "This Revolution" at Eighth Ave. and 35th St., against the backdrop of the massive protest.

Ambassadors to fight yob culture
Experts are to be drafted in to local authorities to make them more yob-resistant, the BBC has learned. The so-called Asbo Ambassadors will urge councils and police forces to increase the number of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders imposed on hooligans. The hand-picked ambassadors will show authorities reluctant to impose the orders how the powers can be used.

Corporate media use scare-mongering tactics
There has been a series of scare-mongering articles in New York City and beyond - targeting mainly anarchists and other left-wing political organizers - in anticipation of the mobilization against the Republican National Convention. In the New York Daily News of August 26, the front page reads: “Police Intelligence Warning: Anarchy Inc.” The headline inside refers to “Anarchists hot for mayhem.”

Rebound in US consumer spending
US consumer spending rebounded in July, a sign the economy may be emerging from an early summer decline. Consumer spending rose 0.8% last month, boosted by car and retail sales. But incomes have risen at a more modest pace than expected, posting a 0.1% increase, the weakest advance since November 2002.

Pentagon Brass Suppresses Truth About Toxic Uranium Munitions
The use of weapons containing uranium violates existing laws and customs of war and “constitutes a war crime or crime against humanity,” according to a leading U.S. expert on humanitarian law. Karen Parker, a San Francisco-based expert in armed conflict law, told American Free Press that the use of radioactive uranium weapons violates the Hague and Geneva Conventions as well as the Conventional Weapons Convention of 1980.

Britons attack US cloning ban bid
Top British scientists are backing an international campaign to stop the United States obtaining a worldwide ban on all types of human cloning. The Royal Society is among 68 academies urging the UN to ban reproductive but not therapeutic use of the technology.

Acid oceans spell doom for coral
The increasing acidity of the world's oceans could banish all coral by 2065, a leading marine expert has warned. Professor Katherine Richardson said sea organisms that produced calcareous structures would struggle to function in the coming decades as pH levels fell

Video games find their political voice
The net has been an essential organising tool for political activists for some time. But video games with thought-provoking or political messages have emerged as a way of making those who play them a little more aware. Italy's commercial capital, Milan, is a city steeped in history and wealth. It seems an unlikely place for a revolution.