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Bush Wants Brain Chips For Citizens
The Bush administration tells us the main reason for warrantless wiretapping and searches is that they are necessary in order to keep us safe from the terrorist. They imply if we don't have anything to hide it should not matter if they conduct warrantless searches and that no mater what political party happens to be in power, now or in the future, that this newly granted authority will not be misused. This same line of thinking is parroted mainly by the conservative, bootlicking pundits, bloggers and by what has become known as the graduates of the Joseph Goebbels School of Broadcasting and Propaganda on talk radio.

Biofuels threaten water reserves, experts warn
A group of experts at the opening of the World Water Week conference in this capital warned that water reserves are seriously threatened by the massive production of ethanol and other biofuels for automobiles. The DPA news agency reported that researchers from the Stockholm International Water Institute presented their forecasts, which assert that biofuel production will cause current agricultural demand for water to double. Another problem with no solution in sight is the need for enormous swathes of land for planting the raw materials used to make biofuels.

Hollywood tears up script to make anti-war films while conflicts rage
For Americans sitting in cinemas watching the summer's fun movies, such as The Simpsons and Hairspray, the trailer for Lions for Lambs is jarring and unexpected. It opens with a moody shot of the Washington Memorial, and shifts to a series of quick-fire scenes about President George Bush's 'war on terror'. Lions for Lambs, scheduled for release in the US on November 9, is not a documentary nor an art house film nor even a Michael Moore-style piece of agitprop. It is mainstream Hollywood, starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, who also directed it. It is one of about a dozen Hollywood films due for release or being made that deal with America divided, the national debate over Iraq and Afghanistan, and other consequences of 9/11.

Wolfowitz 'tried to censor World Bank on climate change'
The Bush administration has consistently thwarted efforts by the World Bank to include global warming in its calculations when considering whether to approve major investments in industry and infrastructure, according to documents made public through a watchdog yesterday. On one occasion, the White House's pointman at the bank, the now disgraced Paul Wolfowitz, personally intervened to remove the words 'climate change' from the title of a bank progress report and ordered changes to the text of the report to shift the focus away from global warming. But the issue predates Mr Wolfowitz's appointment as president of the bank in June 2005.

Ahmadinejad dismisses two key ministers
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has sacked his oil and industry ministers in an apparent attempt to tighten his grip on power while deflecting blame for failed economic policies. In a major cabinet shake-up, Mr Ahmadinejad announced he had 'accepted the resignations' of Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh, and Alireza Tahmasbi respectively. But despite the diplomatic wording, there appeared little doubt that the two men had been forced out, to be replaced by interim caretakers until permanent successors are appointed.

Explosion derails Russian train
At least 60 people were reportedly injured last night after an explosion derailed several carriages of a passenger train that was travelling between Moscow and St Petersburg. Russian Railways said in a statement: 'As a result of an explosion ... several carriages from passenger train No 166 came off the rails.' The state-owned monopoly said no one was killed in the accident. The train was carrying 231 passengers and a crew of 20. Twenty of the injured were taken to hospital, including two people in critical condition, the company said. Trains between Moscow and St Petersburg, the country's major cities, will have to bypass the site of the accident, causing a six-hour delay for passengers.

Anti-terror powers used at climate camp
The police and Downing Street lined up with BAA today to warn climate change protesters not to disrupt Heathrow Airport - and that anti-terror powers will be used. The camp itself is still a modest affair - overshadowed so far by the row about the tactics on either side. Is a confrontation brewing? It's home for the next week for hundreds of climate change activists - who are being watched by hundreds of police. Heathrow's climate camp is designed to raise awareness of the environmental impact of aviation, and the airport's expansion plans.

Many dead in China bridge collapse
A bridge under construction over a river in central China has collapsed, killing at least 22 people and injuring 22 others, amid fears that thousands of bridges across the country could be unsafe. More than 40 people were rescued in Monday's rush-hour accident but dozens more are still missing, state media said.
The incident comes as state media reported that China would fix more than 6,000 damaged or dangerous bridges across the country. An editorial in the China Daily warned that thousands of bridges had been categorised as 'unsafe'.

Troops denied special Afghan medal
The Ministry of Defence was facing severe criticism last night for refusing to award a special honour to soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The loss of troops in Afghanistan is some of the heaviest British forces have experienced since the Second World War British troops serving in Helmand province are being denied a dedicated medal to recognise the intensity of the conflict, campaigners said. War veterans, MPs and families of those who have lost loved ones in the fighting - the heaviest British forces have experienced since the Second World War - have urged the MoD to make a special award for the thousands of soldiers and marines who have put their lives at risk on a daily basis fighting insurgents.

North Korea floods 'kill hundreds'
streets in the capital, PyongyangHundreds of people are dead or missing in North Korea following a week of torrential rains which have destroyed thousands of homes and damaged roads and railway tracks, state media says. At least 30,000 homes, more than 540 bridges and sections of railway were destroyed in the rain and floods, the Korean Central News Agency said on Tuesday. In a rare admission of suffering from the normally secretive country, it said heavy downpours since last week had caused 'huge human and material damage'.

Tainted China toy maker ends life
The head of a Chinese toy manufacturing company, who was at the centre of a worldwide recall of Mattel products, has committed suicide. A state-run newspaper said on Monday that Zhang Shuhong, who ran the Lee Der Industrial company, killed himself at a warehouse over the weekend. His death comes days after China announced that it had temporarily banned exports by the company, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. Lee Der made 967,000 toys that were recalled earlier this month by Mattel because they were made with paint found to have excessive amounts of lead.

Exodus of officers hits war on terror
The military's ability to fight global terrorism is being hampered by an exodus of officers from the Intelligence Corps, with 20 per cent departing in the past three years, defence sources have disclosed. British troops in Basra. The Army is suffering significant losses of soldiers who have been lured into lucrative security jobs - more than 100 officers being lured into highly paid private security jobs or becoming disillusioned at the way intelligence is handled. Senior officers are also deeply concerned that the fall in numbers has resulted in people being posted to jobs above their rank, for which they do not have the experience or training.

In Iraq, sex is traded for survival
When Rana Jalil, 38, lost her husband in an explosion in Baghdad last year, she could never have imagined becoming a prostitute in order to feed her children. A mother of four, Jalil sought out employment, but job opportunities for women had decreased since the US invasion. She begged shop owners, office workers and companies to hire her but was treated with what she calls chauvinistic discrimination. Within weeks of her husband's death, a doctor diagnosed her children with malnutrition. Fighting tears, she recalled the desperation which led her to the oldest profession.