Week ending: Saturday 6th November 2004

Dead Black Watch soldiers named
The three Black Watch soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack in central Iraq have been named. Sgt Stuart Grey, 31, Pte Paul Lowe, 19, and Pte Scott McArdle, 22, died while manning a vehicle checkpoint, east of the River Euphrates, near Falluja. Commander of the regiment Lt Col James Cowan said the deaths of the men, all from Fife, were a painful blow. But he said the Black Watch would not be deterred from carrying out their fight against terrorists. The men died after a suicide bomber drove his vehicle at the soldiers, detonating a device, before the troops came under 'sustained mortar fire'.

Suicide bomber kills Black Watch soldiers
Three soldiers from the Black Watch were killed by a suicide bomber yesterday in the first fatal attack on British troops since their fiercely debated deployment, at America's request, to a new base south of Baghdad. A civilian Iraqi interpreter employed by the regiment also died in the bombing at a vehicle checkpoint. It was the first suicide attack against British troops since last year's invasion but one senior defence source warned last night that it could be 'the first of many'. Last night one of the dead was reportedly named as Paul Lowe, 19, from Kelty, Fife. He had emailed his family earlier in the week speaking of his anxiety over the move north.

Update: Bin Laden tape said to be on ice
At least one ‘new’ Bin Laden video, said to be in the possession of the Arabic televsion network Al-Jazeera, is nearing the end of an embargo allegedly enacted at the pressure of U.S. authorities, though the tape may still be withheld. The site reporting on the video, TrackingTerrorism.com, said that they are respecting the embargo. They have been tracking unconfirmed reports for more than two days.
The tape is said to be currently leaked online on a few remote and clandestine Al-Qaeda websites. Militants are already praising its release, making comments such as, “soon the American People will see the edited version,” the site reports.

Police raids on weapons websites
A large quantity of guns have been seized in a crackdown on illegal weapons bought over the internet. More than 100 weapons were found and 37 people arrested as police raided 47 homes across London over four days. Some 86 handguns, 10 rifles, seven shotguns, 13 stun guns, laser sights and components for more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition were also seized. The operation - codenamed Bembridge - targeted internet sites and officers also posed as potential online buyers.

Arafat alive but gravely ill
A gravely ill Yasir Arafat is clinging to life, French doctors say, refuting reports that the Palestinian leader had died. Palestinian officials denied Arafat had died, saying he was in a coma after being rushed to the intensive care unit of the military hospital outside Paris where he is being treated, following overnight deterioration. 'I am standing next to the president's bed - he is in a grave condition,' Arafat's chief of staff Ramzi Khoury said. At a news conference a hospital spokesman said he was alive.

North-east voters reject regional assembly
The deputy prime minister, John Prescott experienced the bitter taste of defeat after the north-east overwhelmingly rejected his dream of an elected regional assembly on his doorstep. Over three-quarters of voters showed themselves unwilling to test out devolution, voting against the proposal by a majority of 499,209 on a turnout of 47.8% of the region's 1.9m electorate. 696,519 (77.93%) voted against devolution, with only 197,310 (22.07%) voting in favour of an elected regional assembly to give the region a stronger voice. Clearly anticipating defeat, Mr Prescott stayed away from the referendum count at Sunderland's Crowtree Leisure Centre and hid away at a university library in readiness for a press conference to be held at 2am.

Nepalese hostage in Iraq 'freed'
The authorities in Nepal say that a Nepalese man kidnapped in Iraq on Monday has been released. A Saudi Arabian company which hired Inus Kabadi to work in Iraq has confirmed his release, a Nepalese government spokesman said. Mr Kabadi was one of eight people kidnapped in the capital, Baghdad. The kidnapping came two months after the murder of 12 Nepalese men in Iraq, an event which shocked the nation. It is not yet clear who abducted Mr Kabadi and when he was released.

57 Arrested in San Francisco Protest
Police arrested 57 people as nearly 2,000 protesters decried the re-election of George W. Bush and the continuing war in Iraq. San Francisco police said the large demonstration that started around 5 p.m. was peaceful, but a smaller group of about 150 later splintered and marched through Civic Center and the Tenderloin. Fifty six were cited and released and one protester was arrested for assaulting an officer. Officer Maria Oropeza said the protester was seen throwing a glass bottle at officers. Shards of glass from the shattered bottle flew at officers but did not cause any injuries, she said.

Global monitors find faults
The global implications of the U.S. election are undeniable, but international monitors at a polling station in southern Florida said that voting procedures being used in the extremely close contest fell short in many ways of the best global practices. The observers said they had less access to polls than in Kazakhstan, that the electronic voting had fewer fail-safes than in Venezuela, that the ballots were not so simple as in the Republic of Georgia and that no other country had such a complex national election system.

Children killed in Gaza explosion
Two Palestinian children have been killed in an explosion in south Gaza. Hospital sources said seven-year-old Ahmed al-Smari and his eight-year-old cousin, Mohammed, died when a tank shell hit their home in Khan Younis. An Israeli army spokesman has categorically denied that the Israeli forces were operating in the area at the time of the explosion. The Israeli spokesman speculated that the explosion was caused by a roadside device intended for Israeli forces.

Activists film 'shocking' cruelty at circuses
A group campaigning for a ban on animals being used in circuses claims it has uncovered evidence of 'shocking' cruelty in how performing animals are treated. Members of the National Anti-Vivisection Society, operating under cover, say they have footage of animals being mistreated in foreign circuses during a tour of Britain. The campaign group was behind secret filming which led to Mary Chipperfield, 61, a member of the well-known circus family, being successfully prosecuted in 1999 for causing unnecessary suffering to an 18-month-old chimp.

Bush led U.S. into quagmire, Bin Laden says
Terrorist leader Osama bin Laden claimed in new video footage broadcast Wednesday that President Bush ignored warnings against invading Iraq because he was dazzled by the country's 'black gold' and ended up leading the United States into a quagmire. The full video was posted on a Web site used by Islamic groups Wednesday. The tape shows the author of the September 11 attacks accusing Bush of acting out of what he calls 'private' interests - an allusion to his oil business past.

Bin Laden Terrorist Video Email is Really a Virus, Warns Sophos
Experts at Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses and spam, have warned users to beware of emails claiming to contain videos of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden as they really contain a malicious computer worm. The W32/Famus-F worm has been discovered in the wake of George W. Bush's re-election as President of the United States of America and less than a week after an Arabic television station broadcast the first new videoed speech by Osama Bin Laden since the US-led war in Afghanistan.

National Guard shifts strategy to attract recruits
The Army National Guard, which has fallen short of recruiting goals during the prolonged fighting in Iraq, is trying new marketing beyond the traditional enticement of college tuition aid. Free hunting and fishing licenses. More chances to get signing bonuses. Pink T-shirts for women. The Army National Guard, which has fallen short of recruiting goals during the prolonged fighting in Iraq, is trying new marketing beyond the traditional enticement of college tuition aid. “There are fewer people who are voluntarily expressing an interest - calling or returning postcards,” said Lt. Col. Dan Kenkel, spokesman for the Guard in Nebraska. Nationally, the Army Guard reached 88 percent of its goal of 56,000 recruits by the end of September, signing up 49,210.

Greg Palast: Kerry Won. Here are the Facts.
Bush won Ohio by 136,483 votes. Typically in the United States, about 3 percent of votes cast are voided - known as “spoilage” in election jargon - because the ballots cast are inconclusive. Drawing on what happened in Florida and studies of elections past, Palast argues that if Ohio’s discarded ballots were counted, Kerry would have won the state. Today, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports there are a total of 247,672 votes not counted in Ohio, if you add the 92,672 discarded votes plus the 155,000 provisional ballots. So far there's no indication that Palast's hypothesis will be tested because only the provisional ballots are being counted.

E-mail spammers face nine years in jail
A brother and sister who collected $24m (£13m) of credit card orders after sending junk e-mail to millions of Americans face nine years in jail in the first successful criminal prosecution of internet 'spammers' in the US. Jeremy Jaynes, 30, and Jessica DeGroot, 28, were recommended for nine-year sentences and fines of $7,500 (£4,000) by jurors who heard the case in Virginia. The pair were convicted on three counts of sending e-mails with fraudulent and untraceable details about the sender - a common ploy of spammers but one which became an offence in the state just over a year ago. They targeted customers of America Online (AOL), which is based in Virginia.

Norway shuts down anti-Bush site
Norwegian police have shut down a satirical web site that called for the assassination of U.S. President George Bush. The U.S. embassy in Oslo filed charges against Norwegian rap trio Gatas Parlament because a website they ran urged people to finance the assassination of the president. The group has said the content was meant as satire. 'I think it is fairly obvious to everyone not working at the American embassy or in the police that this was not about killing anyone. The web site is a political campaign,' said Aslak Borgersrud, of Gatas Parlament.

Man Dies After Police Use Stun Gun on Him
A man suspected of trying to illegally hook up electrical service died after police shocked him with a stun gun when he was found hiding at an apartment complex, authorities said. Robert Guerrero, 21, was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital where he was taken after officers subdued him with a Taser stun gun and he stopped breathing, police said. Officers were called to the complex where residents said someone was illegally hooking up electrical service at a unit, police Lt. Abdul Pridgen said.

Cazenove joins forces with JP Morgan
Cazenove, the Queen's broker, today effectively called time on 181 years of independence when it announced a joint venture with the US banking giant JP Morgan. The new venture - to be called JPMorgan Cazenove - will combine the British firm's investment banking business with JP Morgan's UK investment banking division in a jointly owned company. It is expected to lead to a full takeover of Cazenove by JP Morgan in five years, when the US bank has an option to buy the remainder of the partnership and Cazenove has the right to sell.

Draft agency requests record matching with Department of Education
The Selective Service filed a notice in the federal register three days before the election to check the computer records of the Department of Education for compliance with a law that requires all students receiving federal financial aid to register for the draft. The notice, filed Oct. 28, was published today in the Federal Register. Former Reagan Assistant Defense Secretary Lawrence Korb, who now works at a progressive thinktank, downplayed the significance of the notice. He said that the law mandating financial aid students to register was put in place by a Democratic congress in the early 1980s, after many failed to register.

American kidnapped and three headless bodies found in Iraq
Gunmen kidnapped a second American contractor within 48 hours from his home in Baghdad yesterday, and three headless corpses were found along an approach route to the Green Zone, the heart of US power in Iraq. As beheadings, abductions and bombings continued unabated, insurgents also released a video of an Iraqi army officer being decapitated. Neither Iraqi nor American officials could confirm the identities of the three dead men found under a heavily guarded suspension bridge leading towards the Green Zone.

Patriot Act Concentration Camps Planned to Detain Americans
Guantanamo style Patriot Act concentration camps are being secretly organized by the Department of Homeland Defense. Now that Bush dynasty has illicitly secured its second term in the eyes of the American people plans are fully underway for John Ashcroft's 'Patriot Act Concentration Camps' to jail and disappear US Citizens. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft's announced to Bush administration aids yesterday his desire for camps for U.S. citizens he deems to be 'enemy combatants' such as anarchists, anti-war protesters, americans of arab descent, communists and homosexuals.

Parents Want Answers After Fighter Jet Strafes School
Parents whose children attend a New Jersey intermediate school want answers after a National Guard jet fighter shot up the school during a practice run. 'Thank God, no children were in the school,' says Roy Williams, one concerned parent interviewed by NBC 10's Aditi Roy. Several custodians were in the school during the late-night incident and weren't hurt. The Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School was closed Friday, according to its Web site, and still surrounded with crime-scene tape. The National Guard F-16 fighter jet on a nighttime training mission fired 25 rounds of ammunition that tore through the school's roof. No one was injured.

Blunkett changes law to evict Commons anti-war protester
Britain's most persistent anti-war protester yesterday shouted defiance through his megaphone at the Commons after MPs were told a new Act of Parliament will be used to outlaw his one-man demonstration. The Leader of the House, Peter Hain, said that the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, would introduce a clause in the Organised Crime Bill designed to evict Brian Haw, 55, from the spot he has occupied for three years, outside the main gates of the Houses of Parliament. The Bill will ban permanent daytime demonstrations and megaphones in Parliament Square. It will be a criminal offence to defy the law.

Freemasonry: Child ID kits aid police
The procedures were part of a Dedham program to create identification kits to help police in the event a child is missing. On Oct. 22, Avery Elementary School students and some of their siblings filled the school's gym to have their kits prepared. The group's child ID program, or CHIP, began eight years ago in New York as a fingerprinting and videotaping project. Massachusetts adopted it the next year, expanding it to include a dental impression. More recently, the DNA sample was added. The comprehensive approach is now used by Freemasons in other states, according to James W. Spurrell, codirector of the Massachusetts program.

Russian Commando Says Officials Concealing Truth Behind Beslan
While the authorities claim a school in the North Ossetian town of Beslan was seized by a group of 32 rebels, the survivors of the hostage drama and other witnesses insist that in actual fact the number of hostage-takers was higher. As many as 49 rebels, not 32, were killed during the storming, 3 were taken alive and arrested and at least 13 fled, a man who introduced himself as Vassily K. told the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily. Vassily described himself as a serviceman from a special purpose commando unit in the Southern Federal District who took part in the operation to free the hostages.

Discovery of 10,000 dead fish baffles environment inspectors
An urgent investigation has been launched by the Environment Agency after 10,000 fish died in an urban lake. A hotline number has been opened by the agency, which said it was baffled by the deaths but was looking at the possibility of a mystery pollutant getting into the water. Fisheries officers were called to Killingworth Lake, on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne, on Monday when an angler reported dead fish in the lake. As many as 6,000 roach and up to 1,500 perch, bream and carp have been collected from the lake and the agency expects another 2,500 fish to be recovered.

Indymedia server grab - Home Office knew, but isn't telling
The Home Office has been subjected to a steady drizzle of questions on the subject of Indymedia, but these have generally been answered with a denial of any involvement on the part of the agency the question refers to, followed by Caroline Flint's catchphrase: 'In the circumstances I do not therefore believe that it is necessary for me to make a statement.' However John McDonnell MP scored a hit of sorts by bowling a question in fairly broad terms: 'To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what (a) grounds and (b) legal authority the web servers of the news agency Indymedia were seized on 7 October.' Flint's response this time was: 'I can only confirm that no UK law enforcement agencies were involved in the matter. I am not at liberty to discuss the specific case in more detail.'

Halliburton Surges After Bush Re-Election
Shares in problem-plagued Halliburton Co. rose to their highest level in more than three years on Wednesday, carried by a rally in oil-related stocks after President Bush's re-election. Halliburton, whose KBR engineering and construction unit is the largest private contractor in Iraq, responsible for everything from preparing meals for U.S. troops to repairing Iraq's oil infrastructure, saw its shares jump more than seven percent to their highest mark since June 2001. The company, headed by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995 to 2000, had drawn criticism from Senator John Kerry and other Democrats during the election campaign because of the no-bid contracts it received for much of the Iraqi work, especially after military auditors found evidence of possible overcharging for some work.

U.S. troops watched weapons-site looting
Explosives were looted from the Al-Qaqaa ammunitions site in Iraq while outnumbered U.S. soldiers assigned to guard the materials watched helplessly, soldiers told the Los Angeles Times. About a dozen U.S. troops were guarding the sprawling facility in the weeks after the April 2003 fall of Baghdad when Iraqi looters raided the site, the newspaper quoted a group of unidentified soldiers as saying. U.S. Army reservists and National Guardsmen witnessed the looting and some soldiers sent messages to commanders in Baghdad requesting help, but received no reply, they said.

Sergeant jailed for hiding behind Bamboo Curtain
The long, strange journey of Charles Robert Jenkins reached a tearful climax yesterday with a 30-day sentence in a military prison and a dishonourable discharge from the US Army he deserted for North Korea almost 40 years ago. His voice cracking with emotion, a frail and ailing Jenkins pleaded guilty to leaving his post in South Korea in 1965 as a 24-year-old sergeant, saying he had wanted 'to be discharged to my civilian life,' and avoid 'hazardous' duty in Korea and in the worsening conflict in Vietnam.

'We've won' says Bush camp
George Bush has won the state of Ohio and with it re-election as President of the United States, his chief of staff Andrew Card said. But Mr Bush decided not to make a victory speech because his Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry is refusing to concede defeat. The battle has come down to whether Mr Bush or Senator Kerry wins in Ohio. Mr Bush has won the nationwide popular vote 51% to 48% and is about 140,000 votes ahead in the crucial state. But Senator Kerry has refused to concede, saying a quarter of a million ballots there have still not been counted.

Divide and rule ... for now
Bush may have steamrollered his way back into the White House, but his re-election will further galvanise the resurgence of progressive opposition, writes US blogger Markos Moulitsas. George Bush has dismayed half the US public and, I'm sure, much of the world by apparently winning the election. The race is not technically over. Ohio is not only desperately close, with hundreds of thousands of uncounted ballots technically still able to swing the election back to Kerry, but the number of voting irregularities in the state are guaranteed to make it a centre of litigation.

Buddhist chief beheaded in revenge for Muslim deaths
A Buddhist village chief was beheaded in Thailand's Narathiwat province in an apparent revenge killing, a week after 78 Muslim protesters were crushed to death en route to a military detention centre. The chief's death was the second beheading in a year of sectarian violence in three predominantly Muslim provinces bordering Malaysia. Almost 450 people have died in sporadic attacks, most of them policemen or civil servants.

New attack on Black Watch troops
British Black Watch troops have come under fresh attack at their base south of Baghdad. One mortar exploded at the Camp Dogwood complex early on Tuesday evening. Five other 'impacts' which did not explode were also reported.No one was injured and there was no damage to the base, the Ministry of Defence said. The attack was the fourth at Camp Dogwood since the 850-strong battle group arrived. An MoD spokeswoman said it was not clear whether the unexploded devices were shells, mortars or rockets..

Why Blair secretly favoured win for Kerry
Tony Blair has been telling friends and Downing Street staff in confidence over the last few months that he would prefer John Kerry in the White House. Mr Blair's public position has been one of scrupulous even-handedness, offering no suggestion of support for either Mr Kerry or George Bush. Newspapers have offered conflicting accounts of his preferred candidacy. Mr Blair was planning to make a statement on the presidency early today or, at the very latest, at noon, at prime minister's question time.

Probe clears the way for Karzai victory
Hamid Karzai has been confirmed as victor of Afghanistan's landmark presidential election after investigators concluded that fraud and technical errors were too minor to overturn his triumph. A formal announcement declaring him the winner of a five-year term as the country's first directly elected leader is expected. But his closest challenger, Yunus Qanooni, has refused to concede defeat. Afghanistan's UN-sponsored electoral board approved the report by a three-strong panel called in to investigate allegations of cheating, board spokesman Sultan Baheen said.

Kidnappers threaten to hand aid worker over to Zarqawi
A new film of the kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan shows her kidnappers threatening to turn her over to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group within 48 hours if British troops do not leave Iraq. The tape was delivered to the Arab television station al-Jazeera, but it decided not to broadcast it on humanitarian grounds. The Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, said 'a number of very dangerous and very serious timescales' were stated in the video, which reportedly shows her pleading for her life directly to camera before suddenly fainting.

Nine killed as bomb explodes on airport bus
A bomb exploded on a bus carrying airport employees in Baghdad, reportedly killing nine people. Dr Ayad Ali of Yarmouk Hospital said the explosion occurred on the main highway leading from the capital to the international airport. The stretch of road is considered one of the most dangerous highways in Iraq, with militants frequently targeting US and Iraqi military convoys. A senior Oil Ministry official was killed by gunmen on his way to work, the ministry's spokesman said.

Town cancels comic's show over BNP joke
Burnley council has cancelled a performance by the comedian Jeremy Hardy after he said members and supporters of the BNP should be shot in the head. The authority, which has six BNP councillors, said Hardy's comments on the Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation programme on Radio 4 earlier this year went too far. Hardy made jokes about BNP supporters, saying they should be shot in the back of the head. Hardy was due at the town's Mechanics Theatre on November 30. But the council claimed the show could be disruptive. 'I wouldn't say he was banned - more cancelled,' a council spokesman said.

Paid Bush supporters cause uproar
State Democrats reacted quickly when the Republican Party, trying to garner last-minute support with New Hampshire's swing voters, began paying part-time workers $75 this weekend to devote a day to the Bush campaign - especially in liberal areas like Hanover. Democratic field organizers in the area alerted supporters and volunteers Friday about students from nearby colleges who had been paid to hold Bush-Cheney signs and wear campaign stickers on the Green. The program, meant to boost volunteer numbers in key swing states, is offered nationally, with students from less contentious states like Vermont being bussed into swing states to campaign for President Bush.

Censored by the US, the Iranian judge who won Nobel Peace Prize
The Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, honoured for her work on democracy and human rights, is suing the United States government for blocking the publication of her memoirs. In papers filed at a US court, Ms Ebadi argued that American Treasury regulations restricting the publication of works by authors in countries subject to US trade sanctions is unconstitutional. Ms Ebadi and The Strothman Agency, a literary agent, filed the suit in New York last week.

Journalist Arrested After Photographing Voting Lines
A freelance journalist taking pictures of voters waiting outside the Palm Beach County elections headquarters was arrested after ignoring a deputy's orders to stop, sheriff's officials said. James S. Henry, of Sag Harbor, N.Y. was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence. Sheriff's Deputy Al Cinque tried to stop Henry as he shot pictures of about 600 people standing in line to vote Sunday afternoon. Henry began running away, but Cinque tackled him, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Plots, paranoia and politics at 'New Statesman'
Cristina Odone, the departing deputy editor of the New Statesman , has accused 'neo-left' plotters of subjecting her to a campaign of 'very personal vitriol' during her time at the weekly political magazine. Ms Odone, who announced yesterday that she was leaving the magazine in December after six and a half years to work on a television series and spend more time with her baby daughter, said she had endured a 'very, very tough ride'. She blamed Blairite factions from outside the New Statesman for making her life at the magazine difficult, saying that they felt threatened by the traditional socialist ideals espoused by Peter Wilby, the editor.

Trade Towers Rescue Hero Files 9-11 RICO Suit
Another lawsuit has been filed against top officials in the Bush administration, accusing them of complicity in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. William Rodriguez, a former maintenance worker at the World Trade Center, has filed suit in a Philadelphia federal court naming George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and others as being complicit in the 9-11 attacks. Rodriguez claims that top officials either planned the attacks or had foreknowledge of the attacks and permitted them to succeed for the purpose of exploiting a “New Pearl Harbor” in order to launch wars against Afghanistan and Iraq.

Gunman kills Dutch film director
Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who made a controversial film about Islamic culture, has been stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam, Dutch police say. Police arrested a man in a nearby park after an exchange of gunfire. Van Gogh, 47, had received death threats after his film Submission, on violence against women in Islamic societies, was shown on Dutch TV. The film was made with liberal Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali refugee who fled an arranged marriage. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been under police protection since the film was aired. She has also received death threats and has renounced the Islamic faith.

Gunmen seize US and Arab hostages
Iraqi insurgents kidnapped an American and up to five others in an audacious attack on a house in western Baghdad. An interior ministry source told the Guardian the militants approached the villa in the Mansour district in three cars, and that the hostages were taken after a 20-minute gunbattle. 'They were heavily armed. There was a fierce firefight during which one guard was killed and one of the hostage takers was killed,' said the source. Three of the hostages were Arabs, while a fourth was from Asia. Mansour is the area from which the Briton Ken Bigley was seized.

Met in crisis as protesting officers lay down arms
Scotland Yard was facing a security crisis today as more than a quarter of its firearms officers indicated they are prepared to down their weapons and effectively go on strike. Around 120 armed officers in London have signed a motion saying they are willing to temporarily lay down arms in protest at the suspension of two colleagues who were involved in a fatal shooting. Inspector Neil Sharman and Pc Kevin Fagan could face criminal charges after a second inquest into the death of Harry Stanley, 46, last week returned a verdict of unlawful killing five years after his death.

Why Bush will restart the draft if re-elected
A major terrorist attack could easily serve as the pretext for setting the draft in motion. President George W. Bush may or may not have a secret plan to reinstate the draft. But this is besides the point. The deteriorating facts on the ground in Iraq, plus the Bush doctrine of acting pre-emptively and unilaterally against hostile regimes, will soon leave him no choice. If Bush is re-elected, he will have to restart the draft.

Israel razes teen bomber's home
Amer's mother said he was too young to be asked to attack Israel
Israeli troops have destroyed the homes of a teenage Palestinian suicide bomber and his alleged handlers near Nablus. Security has been stepped up in Tel Aviv where bomber Amer al-Fahr, 16, struck killing three Israelis. Overnight, 48 Palestinians and five Israeli employers were questioned in the Tel Aviv area, police said. But there have been no major military strikes after Israel pledged restraint towards Palestinians during their leader Yasser Arafat's serious illness.

Labour MPs vent their anger at gambling reforms
Tony Blair's plans to introduce Las-Vegas-style casinos in Britain were dealt a serious blow after 29 Labour MPs rebelled against the Bill and more than halved the Government's majority. Attempts by Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, to defuse a Labour revolt with last-minute concessions proved insufficient yesterday to convince angry backbenchers to support plans to allow super-casinos to be built in towns throughout Britain, The Government's majority was slashed to 74 votes, as a raft of Labour MPs voted with the Tories and Liberal Democrats against the proposals in the gambling Bill which received a hostile reception at its second reading in the Commons.

Bush is selling his version of '1984'
Will the US election duly mark the efficacy of the Big Lie? Has George Orwell missed his dooms-date for reality by these past 20 years? The voters will get the last word. If George W. Bush is indeed elected for real this time around, it would signal the triumph of White House falsehoods continuously told. The prime lie, for those who yet believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, took a country to war under false pretenses that Saddam Hussein posed a nuclear threat to the continental U.S. A corollary, that 41 percent still believe, held that the Iraqi dictator supported the al-Qaida consortium that brought down the World Trade Center towers.

Sudan army surrounds Darfur camps
The Sudanese army and police have surrounded refugee camps near Nyala in Darfur denying humanitarian agencies access, the United Nations says. 'They were surrounded by army and police. We fear the people could be forcibly relocated,' World Food Programme's Simon Pleuss said. The move comes as fighting is reported 20km north of Nyala. More than 1.5 million people have fled their homes in Darfur and some 70,000 have been killed in the conflict. 'Agencies have been denied access to these camps since this morning,' the WFP's Christiane Berthiaume told AP news agency.

Ten Questions for bin Laden
So, bin Laden supposedly admits to 9/11: People are starting to ask too many questions about the events of that day - what better way to throw folks off the scent than a 'confession from the accused'. Okay, here are a few questions I'd like 'criminal mastermind' bin Laden to answer. Answers on a postcard please.

Three killed by Palestinian teenager in suicide-bomb attack at Tel Aviv market
A teenage suicide bomber killed three people and wounded more than 30 others when he blew himself up yesterday in a crowded open-air market in Tel Aviv. The small Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack outside a cheese and spice shop. It happened at 11.15am when shoppers were thronging through the popular Carmel Market where stall-holders said Arabs as well as Jews were among the workers.

US prepares to activate missile defence system
The Pentagon is set to declare operational soon a multi-billion dollar system intended to defend America from attack by ballistic missiles, but which critics say will not work. 'We say to those tyrants who believe they can blackmail America and the free world - you fire, we're going to shoot it down,' President George W Bush said in August. The Pentagon said the system would be deemed operational by year's end. However, critics have strong doubts about the project, a descendant of the 'Star Wars' shield idea envisioned by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s that even the Pentagon admits will have only rudimentary capabilities initially.

Uganda: 'A litany of horrors'
The civil war in northern Uganda has been described as the world's biggest neglected humanitarian emergency. Jeevan Vasagar looks at the roots of the conflict. It starts after sunset. The columns of children walk for hours along dusty country roads lined with tall grass and banana shrubs. First a trickle, and then a flood of tiny figures trudge with knapsacks on their shoulders to the nearest towns, and the hope of safety from a nightmare enemy. The danger comes from another group of children, armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, who come out after dark to murder and kidnap.

Parents of D.C. Students Without Shots Sent to Court
District parents and guardians who failed to prove that their children had been properly immunized this school year got more than a summons to the principal's office: They were ordered to appear in court. D.C. public school officials referred the names of all parents who they alleged had failed to obtain or document the required shots by Oct. 15 to the District's Office of the Attorney General. Prosecutors filed criminal charges against 41 parents and guardians, leading to hearings yesterday in D.C. Superior Court.

Sergeant is first British woman to die in Iraq
A Military Police sergeant from Liverpool has become Britain's first female soldier to die in Iraq, the Army said. An investigation has been launched after Staff Sergeant Denise Rose, 34, was found dead from a gunshot wound at a military base in the southern city of Basra. Sgt Rose, who worked for the Special Investigations Branch (SIB) of the Royal Military Police, is the first female member of the military to die in the country since the campaign to remove Saddam Hussein began last year. Her death was not believed to have been the result of hostile action, the Ministry of Defence said.

Was Bush Wired? Sure Looks Like It.
A NASA photo expert's analysis makes it clear: Bush is lying - he wore some kind of device in each of the three debates. So why won't the media go near this story? A leading NASA scientist who normally spends his days analyzing and enhancing photo images sent across the depths of space by the Cassini and other space probes has turned his expertise to images of the president in his three debates. His conclusion: 'George Bush is obviously wearing something - probably a receiver of some kind - under his jacket for each debate.'

Surge in British asbestos claims will cost billions
A surge in asbestos-related claims over the coming decades could land British insurers and employers with a bill of up to £20bn, according to research by actuaries published yesterday. The study nails the myth that asbestos is 'yesterday's problem' with its prediction that as many as 200,000 new insurance claims from British workers who were exposed to the deadly mineral are expected over the next 30 years or so. It claims there is a risk of Britain mirroring the US, which has in recent years seen an explosion in claims from people who are not sick but are worried they could become ill - bankrupting several large American firms in the process.

Protesters demand new inquiry into Mexican murders
Protestors from the United States and Canada have arrived in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, demanding action in an alleged flawed investigation into the murders of hundreds of women. Prosecutors say more than 340 women have been stabbed, strangled and bludgeoned to death in the city since 1993, but just two convictions have resulted from a criticised police investigation. Five convoys of cars visited more than 50 US cities in a two-week trek to Ciudad Juarez. They were greeted by a 1,000-strong crowd chanting 'no more deaths' and 'justice now'.

Scary how fear is being used to keep us in line
Since September 11, many on the left have accused the Bush administration of manipulating the fear of terrorism for political gain. Democrats denounce Karl Rove for drawing from a slush fund of popular anxiety to bankroll the president's re-election. Liberals decry the USA Patriot Act, arguing that Attorney General John Ashcroft has exploited widespread feelings of vulnerability to reverse decades of progress in the realm of civil liberties. Progressives generally agree the White House has tried to turn national security into a mute button, muffling criticism with charges of insufficient patriotism and warnings about demoralizing the troops.

Hawking to lead anti-war protest on election day
Stephen Hawking, Britain's most eminent scientist, has become the latest prominent opponent of the Iraq war by agreeing to take the lead role in a ceremonial protest to coincide with the United States presidential election. Peace protesters will gather in Trafalgar Square where they will read out the names of 5,000 Iraqi men, women and children known to have died in the conflict. The full death toll was put last week as high as 100,000. Playwrights Harold Pinter and David Hare, actress Juliet Stevenson, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and relatives of British soldiers killed in action in Iraq have all agreed to take part.

Four dead in Tel Aviv blast
A Palestinian with five kilos of explosives strapped to his body blew himself up in a crowded outdoor market in Tel Aviv today, killing three Israelis and wounding 32 in the first such attack since Yasser Arafat left the region for medical treatment last week.The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a radical PLO faction, claimed responsibility in a phone call to the Associated Press news agency. It identified the assailant as Eli Amer Alfar, 18, from the Askar refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Leftist wins historic Uruguayan presidential election
Tens of thousands celebrated in the streets after socialist Tabare Vazquez declared victory in Uruguay's presidential election, an historic first for the left in the South American country. Vazquez greeted weeping, cheering followers after exit polls showed his coalition, which includes former guerrilla fighters, with more than 50 percent of votes cast. 'Celebrate Uruguayans, celebrate, for the victory is ours, thanks, many thanks,' Vazquez told crowds gathered along Montevideo's main avenue waving red, white and blue flags - the coalition colors.

Car Bomb Kills 7 at Al Arabiya TV in Baghdad
A car bomb at the office of Al Arabiya television in Baghdad killed seven Iraqis in the biggest attack yet on media in the country. Another 19 people were wounded by what Iraq's Interior Ministry said was a booby-trapped car parked outside the Dubai-based network's bureau in the Mansour district that is home to embassies, foreign firms and Iraqi politicians. The attack underscored the dangers the media faces in Iraq - the world's most dangerous country for journalists.

Blair 'did not grasp risk to troops'
Tony Blair sent British troops to Iraq's 'triangle of death' without fully understanding the risks, senior Black Watch officers declared. US Marines leaving the area south of Baghdad have suffered nearly 200 casualties and nine deaths since July, military sources revealed. A Black Watch officer said in an email home: 'We expect every lunatic terrorist from miles around to descend on us like bees to honey. 'I hope the Government knows what it has got itself into. I am not sure it fully understands the risks.'

Kerry's Contra-Cocaine Chapter
In December 1985, when Associated Press ran a groundbreaking story about Nicaraguan Contra rebels smuggling cocaine into the United States, one U.S. senator put his political career on the line to follow up on our disturbing findings. His name was John Kerry. Yet, over the past year, even as Kerry's heroism as a young Navy officer in Vietnam has become a point of controversy, this act of political courage by a freshman senator has gone virtually unmentioned, even though - or perhaps because - it marked Kerry's first challenge to the Bush family.

The Proof Bush wants a draft
Many people have been wondering if President Bush has secret plans to reinstate the draft. This website will provide absolute proof that Bush is making plans to reinstate the draft by the middle of 2005. In the last few months Bush has launched a recruiting drive for people to work on the draft boards around the country, the DefendAmerica government site posted an advert looking for volunteers, but when someone brought this to the attention of the press it was promptly removed, fueling rumours about the possibility of a draft.

In Iraq, U.S. Officials Cite Obstacles to Victory
Senior American military commanders and civilian officials in Iraq are speaking more candidly about the hurdles that could jeopardize their plans to defeat an adaptive and tenacious insurgency and hold elections in January. Outwardly, they give an upbeat assessment that the counterinsurgency is winnable. But in interviews with 15 of the top American generals, admirals and embassy officials conducted in Iraq in late October, many described risks that could worsen the security situation and derail the political process that they are counting on to help quell the insurgency.

American attack on Fallujah looms as 63 are killed in Iraq weekend
A final assault on the rebel city of Fallujah appeared imminent yesterday after Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim Prime Minister, said chances of a peaceful solution had virtually ended and warned of civilian casualties. 'Our patience is running thin,' Mr Allawi said. If no deal was reached, he added: 'I have no choice but to secure a military solution. I do so with a heavy heart, for even with the most careful plan there will be some loss of innocent lives. But I owe it to the people of Iraq to defend them from the violence and the terrorists and the insurgents.'

Politics, Any Way You Slice It
One of the more revealing anecdotes about modern political oratory comes from The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, neurologist Oliver Sachs' 1987 collection of tales from the frontlines of clinical psychology. Sachs recalls watching a speech by the late President Reagan with patients in an aphasia ward and being astonished when they roared with laughter. Why did they laugh at Reagan? Aphasiacs compensate for their inability to comprehend language by becoming highly attuned to subtleties of diction and manner - so much so, Sachs concluded, that 'one cannot lie to an aphasiac.' Though they could not understand the president's speech - because they could not understand it - they could read all 'the grimaces, the histrionisms, the false gestures and, above all, the false tones and cadences of the voice.' Their natural response to such grotesquerie was hilarity.

Michael Moore's video cameras poised to focus on dirty tricks
The filmmaker Michael Moore has announced a large-scale effort to combat dirty tricks during tomorrow's US election by stationing hundreds of people with video cameras outside polling stations. 'I'm putting those who intend to suppress the vote on notice: voter intimidation and suppression will not be tolerated,' Mr Moore said in a statement, wading into a controversy in which Democrats accuse Republicans of planning to reduce turnout, especially among ethnic minorities, by employing thousands of people to stop voters at the polls and challenge the validity of their registrations.

Thai death sentence for Briton
A Briton has been sentenced to death and another to 33 years in prison in Thailand over drugs charges. Anthony Flannaghan, 33, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was convicted of possession of drugs with intent to sell and given the death penalty. Stephen Wilcox, 39, of Blaby, Leicester, had his life term for possession reduced after a guilty plea. Flannaghan had denied the charges, involving heroin, ecstasy, and amphetamine, and is planning to appeal.

Cheney Calls Iraq, Afghan Wars Brilliant
Vice President Dick Cheney said Friday the invasion of Iraq will go down in history, along with the war in Afghanistan, for its 'brilliance'. The vice president's comment came as he portrayed the controversy over hundreds of tons of missing explosives in Iraq as a battle pitting Sen. John Kerry against U.S. troops, with Cheney siding with the military. At an airport rally at a hangar in Montoursville, Pa., Cheney said the U.S. invasions of 'Afghanistan and Iraq will be studied for years for their brilliance.'

9/11 conspirators met with Bush officials after the attack
Though well known as a terrorist since 1996, one month before 9/11 President George W. Bush thanked Sami Al-Arian's family for a book they sent him and expressed 'regret' about how their son was treated by the Secret Service. Bush Administration officials repeatedly met with terrorists linked to 9/11 such as Sami al-Arian and Abdurahman al-Amoudi even after the attack.

Deputy governor of Baghdad shot dead
The deputy governor of Baghdad was shot dead on his way to work today, in the latest attack by insurgents against the US-backed Iraqi regime. Hatim Kamil was killed when gunmen opened fire on his car in the southern Doura neighbourhood, an interior ministry spokesman said. Two of his bodyguards were wounded in the attack. In the town of Baquba, north-east of Baghdad, meanwhile, unknown gunmen killed retired republican guard lieutenant-colonel Athir al-Khazraji.

City readies 'election fallout' plan
As the race for the White House comes down to the wire, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks said he realizes the city may play center stage for the second consecutive presidential election. The only difference is, this time, the city will be ready. 'I am not nervous, but I want to be cautious and prepared in the event that this election is close and there are challenges,' he said. 'We were caught totally unprepared for that in 2000. Florida is a key battleground state, and the race for this state is going to be close. We may likely become the center of the universe again.'

John Pilger: Will There Be a War Against the World After November 2?
There is a surreal quality about visiting the United States in the last days of the presidential campaign. If George W Bush wins, according to a scientist I met, who escaped Nazi-dominated Europe, America will surrender many of its democratic trappings and succumb to its totalitarian impulses. If John Kerry wins, according to most Democrat voters, the only mandate he will have is that he is not Bush.

Whistleblower Says Halliburton Contract Abuse Blatant
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official on Friday called the government's grant of multi-billion dollar contracts to oil services giant Halliburton the worst case of contracting abuse she has ever seen. 'It was misconduct, and part of that misconduct was blatant,' said Bunny Greenhouse, in an interview on NBC's Nightly News program. Greenhouse has already demanded an investigation into the contracts that last year were granted to Halliburton, the energy services firm run by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000. According to her attorney, the FBI has since asked her for an interview on the matter.

Nine Marines Killed in Anbar
Nine Marines were killed yesterday and nine injured when their convoy was hit by a car bomber in the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Iraq since May. The attack occurred west of Baghdad in the province of Anbar, which includes the troubled towns of Fallujah and Ramadi, as forces prepared a major assault to take back the towns from rebels, officials said. Witnesses reported seeing three U.S. vehicles burning east of Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim town where up to 5,000 Iraqi and other guerrillas are holed up.

Bush takes a six-point lead after new bin Laden tape
President Bush has opened a six-point lead over John Kerry in the first opinion poll to include sampling taken after the new Osama bin Laden videotape was broadcast. The Newsweek poll published only three days before the presidential election, put Mr Bush on 50 per cent and Mr Kerry on 44 per cent. A similar poll conducted a week earlier gave the president 48 per cent to his Democratic challenger's 46 per cent.

Cronkite: Karl Rove probably set up bin Laden to this thing
hat we just heard. So now the question is basically right now, how will this affect the election? And I have a feeling that it could tilt the election a bit. In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign.