Week Ending: Saturday 11th September 2004

Mental-health screening of children
The pharmaceutical industry has convinced President Bush to support mandatory mental-health screening for every child in America, including preschool children, and the industry is now working to convince Congress as well. But mandatory screening alone is not what the pharmaceutical industry wants.  The real payoff for the drug companies is the forced drugging of children that will result - as we learned tragically with Ritalin - even when parents refuse.

Is there a Yale presidential conspiracy?
Conspiracy theorists have noted that for the last 15 years every occupant of the White House has held a degree from Yale University. Indeed, there has been a Yalie on the ticket in every presidential race for the last 32 years, running either for president or vice president.

Zimbabwe 'prevents' homeless help
A US lobby group has accused Zimbabwe of preventing aid agencies from helping tens of thousands left homeless by its land redistribution programme. Refugees International says former commercial farm workers had, in effect, been abandoned, with some facing attacks by government supporters.

Study: Bush Judges Most Conservative on Rights
A study of thousands of federal court cases has found that judges appointed by President Bush (news - web sites) are the most conservative on record in the areas of civil rights and civil liberties. The study's authors say the re-election of Bush would give U.S. courts a strong rightward tilt that could last for years.

Hurricane Ivan slams into Jamaica
One of the most powerful hurricanes in Jamaica's history is pounding the island with heavy rains and high winds. Waves around two-storeys high were reported on its eastern shores as Hurricane Ivan ripped up trees and roofs and left two people dead.

9/11: Confronting the evidence
Half of New Yorkers believe that some U.S. leaders had foreknowledge of the September 11 attacks and "consciously failed to act" to stop them. On September 11, 2004 we invite you to come and see why. A prominent panel of researchers, writers and government employees will explain the physical evidence and disprove the official story.

Greece air crash kills top cleric
A senior leader of the Greek Orthodox Church has been killed along with 16 other people in a helicopter crash off the coast of northern Greece. Patriarch Petros VII of Alexandria, the spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in Africa, was heading north from Athens when contact was lost.

The Dishonesty Thing
It's the dishonesty, stupid. The real issue in the National Guard story isn't what George W. Bush did three decades ago. It's the recent pattern of lies: his assertions that he fulfilled his obligations when he obviously didn't, the White House's repeated claims that it had released all of the relevant documents when it hadn't.

Pro-hunt group invited in for chat with PM
Rather than brave the wrath of jeering pro-hunt protesters outside his County Durham constituency home, Tony Blair invited their leaders inside for a chat yesterday - and blamed backbench pressure for the forthcoming ban on hunting with dogs.

Rebels Begin to Control More Areas in Iraq
Armed groups and foreign terrorists have established new camps in central Iraq as government forces attack rebels in the north and south, officials say. The reports follow an admission by U.S. central command chief Gen. John Abizaid that there are more areas in Iraq under rebel control today than there were last year.

Italians want apology for British wartime disaster
It is one of the Second World War's forgotten disasters, a disgraceful episode that is almost completely unknown. When Mussolini took Italy into war on the German side, Italians living in Britain were rounded up and dispatched to internment camps overseas.

Authenticity of Bush Guard memos questioned
Questions are being raised about the authenticity of newly unearthed memos which asserted that George W. Bush ignored an order from a superior officer in the Texas Air National Guard and lost his status as a pilot because he failed to meet military performance standards and undergo a required physical exam.

The Israel military jeep after crushing to death the 15-year-old boy
A 15-year-old Palestinian has been fatally rolled over by an Israeli army jeep , September 9, during a brief incursion into a refugee camp near Ramallah, as Israeli troops killed five others in a Fresh Gaza Strip offensive. The boy, named as Mohammad Abu Nasra, was run over twice by one of the vehicles.

Muslim held in terror raid 'suffered 50 injuries'
A British Muslim man arrested during a terrorism raid suffered 50 separate injuries after being repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped upon, according to a medical report. The Crown Prosecution Service yesterday announced that no officer would be charged for allegedly assaulting Babar Ahmad, who was arrested in December 2003 at his south London home.

Second journalist 'drugged' by Russians
A Georgian journalist detained by Russian authorities after reporting on the Beslan school massacre was drugged, according to medical experts, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in Russia. Nana Lezhava of the independent Georgian broadcaster Rustavi-2 said she had slept for 24 hours while in the custody of the Russian authorities after being given coffee in her cell, and felt ill when she woke up.

'Wonga list' reveals alleged backers of coup
The British mercenary Simon Mann, who faces up to 10 years in jail today for trying to buy arms to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea, paid $500,000 towards the plot, according to a list of alleged financiers believed to be in the hands of the South African police. Ely Calil, the London-based Lebanese oil millionaire who is being sued in London by the Equatorial Guinea regime, is alleged to have raised another $750,000.

New ammunition for Kerry
Just as John Kerry's prospects for victory appear to be dimming, along comes an issue that could catapult him back into this race, if only he would seize on it. The assault weapons ban - the landmark bill signed into law by Bill Clinton that took dangerous automatic weapons off US streets - is set to sunset next week. The Republican-led Congress is going to let it lapse and President Bush - who said he was in favour of the ban in 2000 - has kept silent, in deference to the National Rifle Association, whose endorsement he wants.

Book Unflattering to Bush Draws His Campaign's Fire
Anticipating a barrage of unflattering accusations and innuendo about President Bush's personal life in a soon-to-be-published book by the celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley, the Bush campaign has opened a wave of advance counterstrikes intended to undermine her credibility. A representative of the White House recently called Neal Shapiro, president of NBC News, to discourage that network from broadcasting interviews with Ms. Kelley about the book on its "Today'' program and on its MSNBC cable program "Hardball With Chris Matthews''.

Zimbabwe jails 'coup plotters'
The leader of a group of 67 alleged mercenaries accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea has been sentenced to seven years in jail. Former British SAS officer Simon Mann has been convicted by a Zimbabwe court of illegally trying to buy weapons. The other alleged mercenaries and the plane's pilots were sentenced to either 12 or 16 months in prison.

Gun firms pay out over US snipers
Victims of the sniper shootings in Washington DC and their families have settled a lawsuit they brought against a gun company and a gun dealer. They had sued the two companies for negligent distribution of weapons. Lawyers representing the victims' families described the settlement as historic. They believe it could change practices across the firearms industry.

New blow to Blair over Iraq
Tony Blair will be confronted with a fresh challenge over Iraq when the long-awaited final report of the Iraq Survey Group concludes there were no weapons of mass destruction in the country at the time of the US-UK invasion. The team of weapons inspectors sent in by Washington and London at the end of the war to comb Iraq will find that though the threat of Saddam Hussein was real, there were no stockpiles.

Losses soar at Japanese megabank
UFJ, the Japanese bank in the midst of a takeover battle, is to get a $6.4bn injection of cash from its suitor to help it cope with massive bad loans. UFJ is the smallest of four megabanks, and the only one showing a loss - now expected to be 780bn yen ($7.1bn; £4bn) for the six months to September.

Anti-Moore movies to be screened
Two films attacking Fahrenheit 9/11 director Michael Moore are set to debut at a US film festival embracing "traditional American values". Michael Moore Hates America and Michael and Me will be shown at the first American Film Renaissance Festival in Dallas, Texas

CIA accused over 'ghost detainees'
Senior US army generals say the United States may have secretly held dozens of detainees in Iraq. They also accuse the CIA of not providing information on the subject.The generals, who were testifying before a Senate committee, oversaw a key report into abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. An author of another report told another Congressional committee that the Bush administration bore some responsibility for the scandal.

Sound Cannon in Place in NY Pointed at Protesters
Photos from NY of the sound weapon in place and pointed at protesters. One time, the sound weapons was turned on to a low hum. So the weapons they are using on Iraqis are going to be used on American citizens. This is the nature of the Police State we're living in.

US bombing kills more Falluja civilians
US air strikes have killed at least 12 Iraqi civilians in the town of Falluja in a third successive night of bombing. Speaking from the town's main hospital on Thursday, Dr Mushtaq Talib said three women and five children were killed and another 15 were injured. The victims, from just three families, were taking shelter in a couple of houses that were completely destroyed during the third successive night of air strikes, locals said.

Al-Qaeda deputy says US lying low
Osama Bin Laden's deputy has said Islamic fighters are in control of much of Afghanistan, in a new video aired on the Arabic TV station, al-Jazeera.
Wearing a white turban and with a machine gun at his side, Ayman al-Zawahri said US forces were lying low and not confronting the "mujahideen" and said Americans were hiding "in their trenches"

Six UK soldiers die in Czech helicopter crash
A British military helicopter today crashed in the Czech Republic, killing all six soldiers aboard, the Czech defence ministry has said. The Lynx helicopter crashed at 1pm local time (1200BST) near Namest nad Oslavou, 180km (112 miles) south-east of the Czech capital, Prague, defence ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek confirmed.

Multistate anti-terrorism project regroups after early missteps
The Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange system uses Extensible Markup Language protocols to transfer data produced by the Factual Analysis Criminal Threat Solution, a Web-based search engine developed by Seisint Corp.

Australia firm after Jakarta bomb
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said his country will not be intimidated by terrorism, after a bomb at the Australian embassy in Indonesia. At least nine people were killed and 180 hurt by the blast, believed to be a car bomb. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called the bomb a direct attack on his country, although those killed were all thought to be Indonesian.

Russian police find explosives in cinema
Explosives, detonators, and a rifle have been found hidden in a cinema in Russia's second city of St Petersburg, the country's interior ministry said today. The cinema had been closed for renovation when the explosives were found by police.

Healers licensed in South Africa
A bill to regulate South Africa's 200,000 traditional healers has been adopted by parliament. Healers will have to be licensed before being allowed to work and they will also be barred from treating fatal diseases, like cancer and Aids. Breaking these rules will be punished by a fine or a prison sentence of up to 12 months.

Kerry goes on the offensive over Bush's 'catastrophic rush to war'
John Kerry delivered a blistering attack on George Bush over Iraq yesterday, saying the President had followed a "catastrophic" course with his handling of the 2003 invasion and its aftermath, squandering hundreds of billions of dollars which could far better have been spent at home.

WWII Nazi murder suspect on trial
A former Nazi commander accused of ordering mass killings in occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II has gone on trial in Munich. Ladislav Niznansky, 86, is charged with the murder of civilians in the final months of World War II. He was a member of a Nazi unit that hunted down Slovak resistance fighters and Jews.

Permission for GM maize threatens contamination, warn campaigners
Seventeen varieties of genetically modified maize are to be made available for planting throughout the EU after a decision that environmental campaigners warned could lead to contamination of conventional crops. The move, the first of its kind by the European Commission, came as the authorities also opened the way to licence the import and processing of a GM oilseed rape produced by the biotech company Monsanto.

Minister sorry for 'fools' jibe
Nigerian minister Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has apologised to the senate five times for calling them "fools". Appearing before the senators and a full public gallery, the minister for Abuja begged their forgiveness. Last week the senate went on a two-day strike, demanding President Olusegun Obasanjo sack the outspoken minister for his remarks.

Edwards Calls Cheney Remark 'Un-American'
Sen. John Edwards accused Vice President Dick Cheney of "un-American" campaign rhetoric on Wednesday, answering the Republican's day-old charge that a vote for the Democratic ticket this fall could open the United States to another terrorist attack.

Controversy Over Opus Dei
Tammy DiNicola, as a college student, says she was told she would go to hell if she left Opus Dei. The two women, now in their 30s, are among an undercurrent of critics of what they say are aggressive recruiting practices toward young people and a culture of control at Opus Dei, a small but  growing conservative organization within the Roman Catholic Church.

EU irked by Turkish adultery law
Turkey's plans to make adultery a crime could affect its chances of joining the European Union, EU enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen says. The bill, to be presented to parliament next week, may be seen as Islamic law entering Turkish law, he warned. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a devout Muslim, says the bill will help protect women from deception.

Saddam's generals working as US military consultants
Dozens of Saddam Hussein's former generals and colonels are being paid hundreds of dollars a month by the Pentagon to advise US and Iraqi officials on how to contain the insurgency in northern Iraq. First installed in Baquba by Colonel Dana Pittard three months ago, Saddam's generals are working as US consultants in a bid to ease violence in the provinces of Salahuddin, Tamim, Sulaimaniya and Diyala, the US military said.

Seven dead in Israeli incursions
At least seven Palestinians have been killed and 25 others injured as Israeli forces pushed into the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza and two West Bank areas. Scores of militants clashed with a column of tanks and armoured vehicles entering Jabaliya camp, after troops had surrounded it before dawn. Five people were killed in the northern Gaza camp, including a 10-year-old boy.

Makeup and marketing - welcome to the world of 10-year-old girls
The plastic bag that wraps around Bliss, a magazine for teenage girls says it all. "FREE INSIDE! makeup palette," it screams. Across the bottom of the bag it teases with a "Lush mascara offer" "Gorgeous lip gloss offer", as well as a £5 voucher for "spray tan". On the Bliss website a pop-up advert appears from Ralph Lauren asking readers: "How old are you?" If you answer 10-15, it goes on to ask "What was the last fragrance you purchased?" followed by "Which shop do you buy fragrances from?"

Massive blast at Jakarta embassy
At least nine people have been killed and as many as 160 injured in a massive blast outside the Australian embassy in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. Jakarta's police chief said a suicide car bomb may have caused the blast, and linked it to bomb expert Azahari Husin. Da'i Bachtiar said it was similar to those used on the city's Marriott Hotel last year and Bali nightclubs in 2002.

US military death toll in Iraq hits 1,000
The number of US military personnel killed in Iraq reached 1,000 yesterday, with no sign of an end to the insurgency amid the news that gunmen abducted two Italian aid workers and two Iraqis in Baghdad in a brazen attack that will alarm foreigners already on edge. The White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the latest Pentagon figures showed that 997 American troops and three civilian employees of the defence department had been killed in Iraq.

Russia targets top Chechen rebels
Russia has offered 300m roubles ($10m) for information leading to the arrest of Chechen rebel leaders Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov. Security services want any information that could help to "neutralise" the two following the Beslan school siege. In a separate development, the government in North Ossetia, where the siege happened, is to resign. The republic's president, Alexander Dzasokhov, told protesters that ministers would quit within two days.

Film taken by militants shows hostages' desperate plight
Dramatic images of life inside the gym during the hostage-taking at middle school 1 in Beslan were shown last night by the Russian television station NTV for the first time. The images show a room packed with about 1,000 hostages, including men, women and children. Barely a square metre of the gym appears to be empty and the hostages are seen fanning themselves in the heat.

Italy unites behind Iraq hostages
Italian opposition leaders have said they will work with the government to try to secure the release of two women aid workers kidnapped in Iraq. But after talks with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi they stressed they remained opposed to the war in Iraq. The women were seized when gunmen stormed their office in Baghdad. A group calling itself Ansar al-Zawahri has claimed responsibility for the capture of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, seized with two Iraqis.

Palestinian fury at bloody Israeli strike on Gaza camp
Thousands of Palestinians marched in angry protest yesterday to the funerals of 14 Hamas militants killed overnight on Monday when Israeli helicopters rocketed a training field in Shadaiyeh, one of the most crowded and impoverished districts of Gaza City. It was the bloodiest carnage in Gaza since May, when 31 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers died in a week of heavy fighting

In a secret Paris cavern, the real underground cinema
Police in Paris have discovered a fully equipped cinema-cum-restaurant in a large and previously uncharted cavern underneath the capital's chic 16th arrondissement. "There were two swastikas painted on the ceiling, but also celtic crosses and several stars of David, so we don't think it's extremists. Some sect or secret society, maybe. There are any number of possibilities."

Guantanamo prisoner to be freed
A tribunal set up by the Pentagon to review the status of detainees at Guantanamo Bay has ruled for the first time that a prisoner should be freed. The tribunals were set up after the US Supreme Court said prisoners could challenge their detention in court. No details about the prisoner have been released, not even his nationality.

Bush faces pressure over drugs and draft
After weeks in which John Kerry's military record has been picked to pieces, President George Bush now faces a double blast of scrutiny over his own past, raising new questions over his avoidance of the Vietnam draft and his alleged use of drugs. The publication of The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, by the controversial muckraking biographer Kitty Kelley alleges he used cocaine at Camp David.

More killed by suicide than war
Nearly a million people take their own lives every year, more than those murdered or killed in war. World Health Organisation figures show a suicide takes place somewhere in the world every 40 seconds. The numbers are highest in Europe's Baltic states, where around 40 people per 100,000 commit suicide each year. With World Suicide Prevention Day the WHO says the toll could be reduced with greater public awareness and political will.

Micronuclear devices used in OKC bombing placed by FBI, ATF
Whilst working at Penrose St. Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs, as an Occupational Physician for CCOM, Dr. Bill Deagle they had many of the most classified contracts in the Colorado Springs area, including Falcon Air Force Base program employees, NORAD employees and classified ATMEL and Symbios Logic, etc. EMP proof and Supercomputer chip classified manufacturers.

SA drops WMD violations charges
All charges against a South African businessman accused of trafficking nuclear material have been dropped, officials in the country have said. Johan Meyer, 53, was arrested last week near Johannesburg for violating laws against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Prosecutors have refused to give further details about the decision.

Wargames Were Cover For the Operational Execution of 9/11
For almost three years since 9/11 independent researchers have stockpiled individual smoking guns which prove that the official version of events was not only a lie but operationally impossible. However, until now no single smoking gun has yet been forwarded to explain why air defenses categorically reversed Standard Operating Procedure and failed to respond to hijacked jetliners.

Leading Russian journalist 'poisoned'
Alarm bells are ringing in Russian media circles after the alleged poisoning of Anna Politkovskaya, one of the most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin's policy on Chechnya, and the apparent sacking of the editor of Izvestia today.

US soldier killed Iraqi 'in pity'
A US army captain charged with the murder of an Iraqi militant said the man was killed out of mercy, a US military hearing has been told. A colleague told the hearing in Germany that Capt Rogelio Maynulet, 29, shot the man in the head as "there was nothing more that could be done". Capt Maynulet faces life in prison if guilty of murdering Karim Hassan, 36.

Mysterious Republican Money
Since serving his tax-evasion sentence in the early 1980s South Korean theocrat Reverend Sun Myung Moon appears to have bought himself protection by spreading hundreds of millions of dollars around conservative causes and through generous speaking fee payments to Republican leaders, including former President George H.W. Bush.

American farmers find mutilated cows on pastures
Raymond Callahan, a rancher from Oregon, found a dead calf in his cattle-pen early in the morning on March 26, 1996. It was a newborn, one-month-old calf. The appearance of the corpse seemed rather extraordinary, and the rancher decided to consult a vet. Scientists have not found an explanation to the mysterious phenomenon yet.

Government plans four-fold rise in visa costs
The Home Office proposed today to make legal immigrants in the UK pay up to four times more for vital travel documents and visas to offset the cost of dealing with illegal immigrants. The immigration minister, Des Browne, outlined plans to raise £100m by hiking fees for work permit holders, foreign students and spouses, and travel documents for those without a passport from their own country.

'Bounty hunter' produces new tape
Senior Afghan officials met three Americans facing kidnapping and torture charges in Kabul, according to a video released by US defence lawyers. The tape shows the men apparently being greeted on their arrival in the country by several officials, including the Kabul police chief. Former US soldier Jonathan Idema says his mission was approved by the Pentagon, a charge it denies. Mr Idema and his co-accused have called on the US ambassador to intervene.

Russian nationalists do not believe Putin's propaganda
A website of the Slavic Union says, 'The storm did take place, and it was planned; it is evident to anybody whose brains have not yet turned sour under the influence of the well-known substance or under the slow speeches of mister president. And this is actually what the authorities are saying indirectly too'.

MPs to vote on hunting ban
MPs are to be given a free vote on a bill to ban hunting of foxes with hounds and hare-coursing, the rural affairs minister, Alun Michael, announced. Mr Michael said a date for the Commons debate would be announced tomorrow by the leader of the house, Peter Hain. It is widely expected to take place with a vote the same day.

Confiscation of Registered Guns Begins in Illinois
The Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police have teamed up to make good on Mayor Daley's pledge that, if it were up to him, nobody would have a gun. Daley and his elite "CAGE" unit are apparently taking advantage of gun privacy loopholes to pinpoint certain individuals for inclusion in the confiscation program.

Mobo drops 'homophobic' artists
Reggae stars Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel have had their Music of Black Origin nominations withdrawn in a row about homophobic lyrics. Mobo organisers had demanded the pair apologise for anti-gay lyrics in some of their early songs after complaints from gay rights campaigners. The singers' representatives said they had "moved on" but no written apology had been received by the judging panel.

White House Blocked Probe of Sept. 11 - Saudi Link
The White House blocked a congressional investigation into alleged links between the Saudi government and two September 11, 2001, hijackers, a top US senator wrote in a book. Florida Senator Bob Graham, the Democrat who co-chaired Congress's probe into the September 11 attacks, wrote that Saudi government agents were part of a support network in the United States for two hijackers who took part in the devastating strikes, the Miami Herald reported Sunday.

Mass rallies for Beslan victims
Tens of thousands of people have rallied against terrorism in Moscow, as the nation mourns victims of the school siege in southern Russia. Muscovites brandished banners, religious insignia and Russian flags in a massive show of unity. But correspondents say there is also rising anger over the Russian authorities' handling of the siege, which killed at least 335 people. In Beslan DNA-tests are planned on bodies that remain unidentified.

Angry Putin rejects public Beslan inquiry
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, last night refused to order a public inquiry into how the Beslan school was captured by gunmen and then ended with such a high death toll, and said that people who call for talks with Chechen leaders have no conscience. "Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? Why don't you do that?" he said with searing sarcasm.

Dozens killed in Baghdad fighting
Fighting between US forces and Shia insurgents across Baghdad's Sadr City suburb has left at least 34 dead. Clashes in the last 24 hours also injured at least 170 Iraqis, health officials said. One US soldier is among the dead and several were wounded. Another US soldier was killed by small arms fire in another part of Baghdad, the US army said. Also in Baghdad, the city's governor narrowly escaped assassination in an attack on his convoy.

RFID tags: The people say no
When it comes to radio frequency identification tags for humans, the people have spoken. They hate it. A recent report on companies with technologies that involve implanting RFID chips under people's skin or inside a bracelet found the issue has united people with fairly strong religious beliefs and libertarian privacy advocates.

Deepcut instructor admits sex attacks
A former training instructor at the controversial Deepcut army barracks today pleaded guilty to five sex attacks on young male soldiers. Leslie Skinner, 46, of Marton, Lincolnshire, changed his plea ahead of a trial at Kingston crown court and pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault relating to four male soldiers between 1992 and 1997. Judge Charles Tilling ordered a further four counts of indecent assault and one count of rape on a male to lie on file.

Hurricane Ivan threatens Trinidad
The latest hurricane to threaten the Caribbean has shifted course and is veering towards Trinidad and Tobago, says the US National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Ivan's winds have reached 115 mph (185km/h) and it has been upgraded to category three. A hurricane warning is in force on both islands. Schools have been closed and residents are urged to remain indoors.

Moore stakes all on big Oscar prize
Michael Moore will not submit Fahrenheit 9/11 for consideration in the best documentary category at this year's Academy Awards - but he will try for best picture. Moore and his producing partner, Harvey Weinstein, believe the documentary will stand a better chance if they focus solely on the top Oscar.

Hamas swears Gaza strike revenge
Palestinian militant group Hamas has sworn vengeance after 14 of its members were killed in an overnight strike by the Israeli air force on Gaza. Tens of thousands turned out for their funerals, as schools and shops stayed shut as a mark of respect. The bodies, draped in flags inscribed with Koranic verses, were carried through crowds of mourners. Israel has said its raid targeted Hamas fighters training to carry out attacks.

Hostage-taker says notorious warlord ordered attack on school
One of the captured militants has testified on television that orders to attack the school came from the separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov and the warlord Shamil Basayev. Testimony from the man, who has not been identified, was broadcast on the government's Rossiya television channel. He said: "We were gathered in the forest, by a man nicknamed Polkovnik [the Colonel], and they said: we must take over a school in Beslan.

Italian women kidnapped in Iraq
Two Italian women working for a humanitarian group in Iraq have been kidnapped in Baghdad. Witnesses said armed men stormed the offices of A Bridge for Baghdad, abducting Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both 29, and two Iraqis. More than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003.

Davis backs out of supporting book condemned as 'Islamophobic rant'
David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, was forced into an embarrassing climbdown in disowning a book by the immigration whistleblower Steve Moxon. Labour called Mr Davis "unfit to be Home Secretary" after his 11th-hour decision to pull out of a long-planned appearance at the launch of Mr Moxon's book, which has been condemned as an "Islamphobic rant".

Vatican cardinal says terrorism is 'new world war'
A leading Vatican cardinal says terrorism is a new world war and fighting it may involve the loss of some civil liberties. "Every state has to put in place the best possible policing method and this, naturally, might affect some personal freedoms. States have to carry out a defensive policy," he said.

Tribe challenges American origins
Some of the earliest settlers of America may have come from Australia, southern Asia, and the Pacific, new research suggests. Traditional theories have held that the first Americans originated from northern Asia. Dr Silvia Gonzalez conducted a study of ancient bones found in Mexico and found that they have very different characteristics to Native Americans.

'Political arrests' in Iraq condemned By Ahmed Janabi
The Arab National Forum has condemned the Iraqi interim government's practice of arresting Iraqi politicians, handing them over to US forces and detaining people without charge. The Forum issued a statement received by Aljazeera.net in which it condemned the arrest of notable Iraqi politician Abd Al-Jabbar al-Kubaisi.

Polls: Young fear return of draft
Reinstating the military draft - an idea scorned by President Bush and his rival, Sen. John Kerry, and with little support in Congress - is emerging as an issue in the fall election campaign, mainly because lots of young people think conscription is in their future. Their fears are tied to the war in Iraq, constant reports that the military is so overstretched that personnel are being kept on active duty past scheduled discharge dates and fear that the United States could end up at war in more Islamic countries.

Israel releases 150 Palestinians
Israel has begun releasing about 150 Palestinian prisoners to relieve overcrowding, military sources say. The release, the largest since January, comes a week after inmates called off a hunger strike launched to protest at conditions in Israel's detention camps. Dozens of prisoners are reported to be sleeping in the open in some camps, which could pose serious problems when winter begins to set in.

Bush 'took cocaine at Camp David'
George W Bush snorted cocaine at Camp David, a new book claims. His wife Laura also allegedly tried cannabis in her youth. Author Kitty Kelley says in her biography The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, that the US President first used coke at university in the mid-1960s. She quotes his former sister-in-law Sharon Bush who claims: "Bush did coke at Camp David when his father was President, and not just once either."

Blair to reshuffle 'by weekend'
Tony Blair has said there will be a Cabinet reshuffle by the end of the week - but not on Tuesday as some in Westminster have been speculating. Speculation about the long planned re-jig of the Cabinet has grown after Work and Pensions Secretary Andrew Smith's surprise resignation. Reports suggest ex-minister Alan Milburn could be poised to return.

US marines killed in Iraq ambush
Seven US marines and three Iraqi soldiers have been killed by a car bomb on the outskirts of Falluja in Iraq, the US military says. The ambush on the military convoy is thought to be the single deadliest strike on US forces in recent months. Falluja, 65km (40 miles) west of Baghdad, has witnessed some of the strongest resistance to US-led forces.

Fight Over Gulf War Film Escalates
A clash between David O. Russell and Warner Bros. over the DVD re-release of his Gulf War film "Three Kings" intensified Thursday as studio executives informed the filmmaker the video could not be released before the November election. The news came days after the movie studio's decision to drop his 35-minute antiwar documentary, "Soldiers Pay," as a DVD bonus feature because of its political content.

Pentagon official hints of pre-emptive war on new targets
A leading Pentagon official has hinted that the doctrine of pre-emptive war could soon apply to potential new targets, a media report said. During a private conference call with Capitol Hill aides from both parties on August 19, Senior Pentagon policy official William Luti said there are at least five or six foreign countries with traits that "no responsible leader can allow".

1,100 US troops injured in Iraq in August
About 1,100 U.S. soldiers and Marines were wounded in Iraq during August, by far the highest combat injury toll for any month since the war began and an indication of the intensity of battles flaring in urban areas. U.S. medical commanders say the sharp rise in battlefield injuries reflects more than three weeks of fighting by two Army and one Marine battalion in the southern city of Najaf.

Russia Admits It Lied On Crisis
Public Was Misled On Scale of Siege. The Russian government admitted Sunday that it lied to its people about the scale of the hostage crisis that ended with more than 300 children, parents and teachers dead in southern Russia, making an extraordinary admission through state television after days of intense criticism from citizens.

Editor fired over siege coverage
The editor of the Russian newspaper Izvestia has been fired over its coverage of the Beslan hostage tragedy, according to local reports. Raf Shakirov left today amid claims that the privately owned paper's coverage of the tragedy had infuriated the Kremlin. Izvestia was one of the first Russian media outlets to criticise the government's handling of the school siege and controversially devoted its entire front page on Saturday to a single image of a man holding a wounded child.

E Guinea allowed to quiz Thatcher
Sir Mark Thatcher is to be interviewed about his alleged role in a coup plot by Equatorial Guinea authorities. He was arrested earlier this month by South African police for breaching South African laws and was released after posting bail. The South African Justice Minister, Brigitte Mabandla, agreed to a request from Equatorial Guinea.

Russian television shows detained hostage-taker
Russian television showed footage on Sunday of an unshaven and heavily guarded man, described by a top prosecutor as a member of a Chechen rebel group which held more than 1,000 people hostage in a school last week. At least 338 children and adults were killed during the 53-hour hostage crisis in the southern town of Beslan and the bloody shootout between the rebels and Russian troops.

Iran's promise: '80 seconds of hell'
On Saturday, June 26 two security guards at the Iranian U.N. Mission were expelled from the United States, and allowed to sneak back to Tehran. The State Department says that they were "engaged in activities inconsistent with their duties". The pair had been observed by the FBI for months moving around Manhattan videotaping landmark buildings and other infrastructure.

France sounds note of caution over hostages
The French government said today it remained hopeful about the fate of two journalists held hostage in Iraq after foreign minister Michel Barnier returned empty-handed from his trip to the Middle East in a diplomatic bid to secure their release. Culture and communications minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said he still "wanted to believe" the release of Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot would come "as soon as possible".

Prisoner is not Saddam's deputy say Iraqi officials
Medical tests have shown that a man being held in Iraqi custody is not former president Saddam Hussein's deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim said today. " The required tests to identify him showed he is not Izzat al-Douri," Kadhim said the man being held is related to al-Douri.

Brazil uncovers corrupt officials
Federal prosecutors in Brazil say they have identified 137 politicians and more than 400 government officials involved in a corruption scandal. Prosecutors believe between $30bn and $60bn was illegally sent abroad between 1996 and 1999 - equivalent to up to a quarter of Brazil's national debt. Most of the money is believed to be from corruption and drug smuggling. It is potentially the largest corruption scandal to hit Brazil in more than a decade.

Labour aims at Lib Dems as Hain reveals strategy switch
Labour is to turn its fire on the Liberal Democrats amid fears that a post-Iraq backlash could allow the Tories to win the next general election if Labour supporters back Charles Kennedy's party. The change of strategy was revealed by Peter Hain, the Leader of the Commons, who warned yesterday that Michael Howard could become Prime Minister "through the back door" if the Liberal Democrats took votes from Labour in Labour-Tory marginal seats.

Turk freed by kidnappers in Iraq
Kidnappers in Iraq have released a Turkish driver, a day after his employers said they were pulling out of the country to secure his freedom. The group holding Midhat Civi had threatened to behead him unless his firm and others from Turkey stopped "co-operating" with US troops in Iraq. It was not immediately clear where Mr Civi was being kept after his release.

Hostage town buries its children
The people of Beslan in Russia have begun to bury their children and relatives, some of the hundreds massacred in a school siege. To the sound of women wailing, and even as more graves were being dug in surrounding plots, small coffins were lowered into the ground. Nearly 370 people died in the bloodbath that ended the siege, after pro-Chechen gunmen took over the school. The agony continues for some parents, still uncertain if their children died.

Chechen Separatists Say “Third Force” Behind Terrorist Attacks
Akhmed Zakayev, a special envoy to Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has said that “a third force that brought Russian President Vladimir Putin to power” is behind all the terrorist attacks committed in Russia over the past two weeks. Zakayev said that “Chechen resistance forces led by Ichkeria President Aslan Maskhadov have nothing to do with the hostage crisis in North Ossetia”. He called the events a sad fact and condemned actions against Russian children and civilians.

Fighting rages in northern Iraq
US troops fought rebels in northern Iraq for a second day on Sunday, while Iraqi forces said they had captured 500 suspected militants further south. An unconfirmed report said two Iraqis were killed during the fighting in the northern city of Talafar, following at least 11 deaths there on Saturday. In Latifiya, 12 Iraqi police were said to have died in an operation to root out those blamed for taking hostages.

Protesters Allege 9/11 Terror Attacks Were Government Conspiracy
On the final day of the Republican National Convention, protesters gathered where the World Trade Center once stood to allege a massive government conspiracy and cover-up regarding the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. The protest, which was part of the official "counter convention calendar" of events, alleged that the U.S. government needed an excuse to seize power in America, and it either allowed the terror attacks to happen or was actively involved in them.

One by One, Iraqi Cities Become No-Go Zones
At a recent meeting with a group of tribal sheiks, an American general spoke with evident frustration about the latest Iraqi city to fall into the hands of insurgents. 'Not one dime of American taxpayers' money will come into your city until you help us drive out the terrorists," Maj. Gen. John R. S. Batiste said in his base in Tikrit, tapping the table to make sure he was understood.

Hurricane tears through Florida
Local residents have been warned to remain in shelters as a slightly weakened Hurricane Frances continues to batter Florida's east coast. The hurricane brought a night of powerful winds and torrential rain to the "Sunshine State", with low-lying areas at risk of flooding. Buildings have been damaged, trees uprooted and up to two million homes are without power. Many of the area's 2.5 million people are thought to have fled to safety.

Animal rights extremists plan 10 attacks a day
Animal rights activists have vowed to launch at least 10 'terror attacks' a night across Britain. As hundreds of extremists from across the world gathered at a training camp in Kent today to learn direct-action tactics, the ultra-hardline wing of the movement warned the UK to brace itself for a sharp escalation in violent activity.

Mid-East press appalled by siege
Editorial writers throughout the Middle East have reacted with revulsion at the loss of life in the Russian town of Beslan, accusing the attackers of tarnishing and distorting the image of Islam. One Saudi paper suggests that the perpetrators might have won over converts to their cause had they attacked a military target, rather than a school full of children.

1100 US soldiers injured in August
About 1100 US soldiers were wounded in Iraq in August, by far the highest combat injury toll for any month since the war began and an indication of the intensity of battles flaring in urban areas. US medical commanders say the rise in injuries reflects more than three weeks of fighting in the southern city of Najaf. At the same time, units frequently faced combat in a sprawling Shiite Muslim slum in Baghdad and in the Sunni cities of Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra, all of which remain under the control of insurgents two months after the transfer of political authority.

'Policemen killed' in Saudi chase
Three Saudi security personnel have been killed while chasing suspected militants, state television says. Seven suspects were detained during the operation in the northern city of Buraida, the reports said. "A patrol car caught fire after it was hit by a bullet while chasing a suspect's car", a security source told the AFP news agency. It is the latest clash between Saudi security forces and militants blamed for attacks and kidnappings.

Clubs employ medics to fight new drug craze
A new drug craze sweeping Britain's nightclubs is proving so dangerous that paramedics are being hired to staff recovery rooms at major venues. The drug - known as GBL - is being blamed for an increase in the numbers of clubbers collapsing into a comatose state on the dance floor. The drug, more commonly used as a cleaning fluid or industrial solvent to produce plastics and pesticides, is currently legal despite calls to ban it.

US recovery 'not helping workers'
Many working families still feel no benefit from the US economic recovery, the Economic Policy Institute says. While business is improving, average wages have fallen, job satisfaction has declined and the rich-poor gap widened, says a report by the US think tank. And in terms of recouping jobs since the start of the recession, the US is in a worse position "than any business cycle since the 1930s", it added.

Aides urge Blair to admit Iraq mistakes
Tony Blair is coming under growing pressure from some of his closest aides to apologise for mistakes made during the Iraq conflict and its aftermath. While the Prime Minister has so far resisted the calls, aides in his inner circle believe a speech clarifying his view on weapons of mass destruction and an admission that the aftermath of the war has not gone entirely as planned would help win back public trust and heal a fractured Labour Party.

Israelis begin barrier in south
Israel has started work on the southern section of the West Bank barrier. Bulldozers carried out preparatory clearing work on Sunday around the village of Beit Awwa near Hebron. The activity comes just five days after suicide bombings in the southern city of Beersheva, but officials say it had been planned long before the attacks. Work is more advanced on the northern part of the barrier, parts of which the International Court of Justice found to be illegal in a July ruling.

U.S. helicopter shot down in north Iraq 
Iraqi gunmen shot at a U.S. military helicopter in northern Iraq Saturday forcing it to make an emergency landing in which two of the crew were injured. Security sources said the helicopter was hit during fighting between gunmen and U.S. forces in Tal Afer, 40 miles (70 kilometers) west of the northern city of Mosul.

Iraq extends ban on al-Jazeera TV
Iraq's interim government has indefinitely extended a month-long ban on Arabic TV news channel al-Jazeera. It says there has been no response to fears that broadcasts incite violence. A statement issued by the office of the interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, also accused al-Jazeera of continuing to operate from Iraq despite the ban. The government has complained that Arabic satellite channels encourage kidnappings by showing pictures of hostages threatened with execution.