Free Internet Press Newsletter - Friday April 20 2007 - (813)

Friday April 20 2007 edition
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Senators Of Both Parties Chastise Gonzales At Hearing 2007-04-20 02:37:36 U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales came under withering attack from members of his own party Thursday over the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys, facing the first resignation demand from a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and doubts from others about his candor and his ability to lead the Justice Department. Gonzales appeared frustrated, weary and at times combative during a five-hour Senate panel hearing that was widely considered crucial to his bid to hold on to his job. He sought to present a careful defense of the firings, apologizing for the way they were handled but defending them as the "right decision." "While the process that led to the resignations was flawed, I firmly believe that nothing improper occurred," Gonzales said. "It would be improper to remove a U.S. attorney to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain. I did not do that. I would never do that." Yet the attorney general, who spent the past three weeks preparing for his testimony, struggled to recall key details of his involvement in the firings, including a pivotal conversation with President Bush. Read The Full Story Growing Numbers Of Americans See Global Warming As Leading Threat 2007-04-20 02:37:03 A third of Americans say global warming ranks as the world's single largest environmental problem, double the number who gave it top ranking last year, a nationwide poll shows. In the new poll, conducted jointly by the Washington Post, ABC News and Stanford University, most of those surveyed said that climate change is real and that they want the federal government to do more about it. But the survey also shows there is little public agreement about the policies the United States should adopt to address it. The findings come weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the right to regulate carbon dioxide, the largest contributor to human-caused warming. Congress is pressing to enact limits on all greenhouse-gas emissions linked to climate change, but it remains unclear how soon the House or the Senate could pass such legislation. According to the poll, seven in 10 Americans want more federal action on global warming, and about half of those surveyed think the government should do "much more" than it is doing now. Read The Full Story Wolfowitz Backed Companion For Iraq Contract In 2003 2007-04-20 02:36:25 Paul D. Wolfowitz, while serving as deputy secretary of defense, personally recommended that his companion, Shaha Ali Riza, be awarded a contract for travel to Iraq  in 2003 to advise on setting up a new government, says a previously undisclosed inquiry by the Pentagon’s inspector general. The inquiry, as described by a senior Pentagon official, concluded that there was no wrongdoing in Wolfowitz’s role in the hiring of Ms. Riza by the Science Applications International Corporation, a Pentagon contractor, because Ms. Riza had the expertise required to advise on the role of women in Islamic countries. The investigators also found that Wolfowitz, now president of the World Bank, had not exerted improper influence in Ms. Riza’s hiring. Earlier this week, Science Applications International said an unnamed Defense Department official had directed that she be hired. She had been a World Bank employee for five years at the time. Read The Full Story Al-Qaeda In Iraq Chief Appointed 'Minister Of War' 2007-04-20 02:35:01 A Sunni insurgent coalition posted Web videos on Thursday naming the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq as ''minister of war'' and showing the execution of 20 men it said were members of the Iraqi military and security forces. The announcement unveiling an ''Islamic Cabinet'' for Iraq appeared to have multiple aims. One was to present the Islamic State of Iraq coalition as a ''legitimate'' alternative to the U.S.-backed, Shiite-led administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - and to demonstrate that it was growing in power despite the U.S. military push against insurgents. It also likely sought to establish the coalition's dominance among insurgents after an embarrassing public dispute with other Iraqi Sunni militants. Read The Full Story Senate Judiciary Committee Skeptical Of Gonzales' Explanation For Firing U.S. Attorneys 2007-04-19 12:29:53 Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales told a Senate panel Thursday that the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys was "flawed," but he continued to insist that there was "nothing improper" about the removals. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the nation's chief law enforcement officer faced tough, skeptical questioning from both Democratic and Republican senators, arguing that he had "limited involvement" in the process that led to the firings but defending them nonetheless. Under questioning, Gonzales said that before the dismissals, he discussed issues related to the performance of U.S. attorneys with President Bush and his top political adviser, Karl Rove. He said the conversations were about pursuing election fraud in three jurisdictions, one of which - New Mexico - was the territory of the U.S. attorney whose firing has been among the most controversial. Senators made it clear they believe Gonzales's job is on the line. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania), the top Republican on the committee, called Thursday's session a "reconfirmation hearing." Read The Full Story China's Econcomy Grows 11 Percent In 1st Quarter 2007-04-19 12:28:31 China's sizzling economy surged 11.1 percent in the first quarter, causing the country's Cabinet to declare Thursday it will take steps to keep the economy from overheating. The pledge by the State Council came after the government announced that inflation rose to its highest level in more than two years. "If this type of fast growth continues, there is the possibility of shifting from fast growth to overheating. There is that risk," Li Xiaochao, spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics, told a news conference. Worries that Chinese authorities would raise interest rates to curb growth in Asia's second-biggest economy prompted regional stock markets to drop sharply. European markets also opened lower. Read The Full Story European Union Nations Agree On New Racism Rules 2007-04-19 12:27:55 European Union nations agreed Thursday on new rules to combat racism and hate crimes across the 27-nation bloc, including setting jail sentences against those who deny or trivialize the Holocaust. A compromise deal on the rules was reached by E.U. justice and interior ministers after nearly six years of negotiations, said officials. The proposed rules, which still have to be vetted by national parliaments, calls for up to three-year prison sentences for those convicted of denying massacres defined as genocide by the International Criminal Court, including the Holocaust and the mass killings in Rwanda in the 1990s. Read The Full Story Hormone Replacement Therapy Link To 1,000 Women's Deaths From Cancer 2007-04-19 01:46:00 Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have caused the deaths of more than 1,000 women in the U.K. from ovarian cancer since 1991, scientists revealed Thursday. HRT has been used by millions of women to alleviate the symptoms of menopause or - in some cases - because they hope it will help them remain youthful and active for longer. But Thursday's authoritative study by Professor Valerie Beral and colleagues from Oxford University reveals that those who take HRT for five years or more are risking death from a particularly lethal form of cancer. The research, published online by the Lancet medical journal Thursday, will not be the last straw for HRT, but it may well reduce the numbers willing to take the risk of hormone treatment. It is the first firm calculation of deaths related to HRT, but Prof. Beral and her colleagues have already shown that women who take the therapy are at increased risk of breast cancer and womb cancer. The risks of breast cancer are the highest, accounting for a probable 20,000 cases over a decade. Read The Full Story World Reaction To Virginia Tech Killings Mixes Condolences With Criticism Of Policies 2007-04-19 01:45:17 Officials, newspaper columnists and citizens around the world Tuesday described the Virginia Tech massacre as the tragic reflection of an America that fosters violence at home and abroad, even as it attempts to dictate behavior to the rest of the world. From European countries with strict gun-control laws to war-ravaged Iraq, where dozens of people are killed in shootings and bombings each day, foreigners and their news media used the university attack to condemn what they depicted as U.S. policies to arm friends, attack enemies and rely on violence rather than dialogue to settle disputes. "I'm not saying that it could only happen in the U.S.A.; no one could prevent someone from shooting people in the Sorbonne," said Pierre Chiquet, a 77-year-old retired aerospace engineer, referring to a Paris university. "But violence is more imbued in American society than in ours. The most dramatic aspect is that they even transport their violence to the rest of the world." Read The Full Story	Home Sellers Owe More Than They Get 2007-04-20 02:37:22 Jeffrey Taylor and his wife bought their dream home in Purcellville for $538,000 last August. Now they have to sell it because they are getting divorced and neither one can afford the mortgage alone. The most they could get for it was $430,000. After paying all the real estate commissions and taxes, they will still owe the bank $118,000. "Five months later, I lose $100,000," said Taylor, a high school teacher. "I don't think I can take $100,000 into the stock market and lose it faster." Such a scenario, known as a short sale, was unthinkable during the real estate boom of recent years. In the course of five months, a person could buy and sell a property and walk away with tens of thousands of dollars. Now, instead of receiving large checks at the settlement table, many sellers are writing them. "It was unheard of three years ago," said Kevin Connelly, a mortgage banker for Pinnacle Financial in Vienna, Virginia. "Everyone was doubling their money, and suddenly the tide has turned." Read The Full Story Congressman Quits Appropriations Committee After FBI Raid 2007-04-20 02:36:39 Less than a week after the FBI raided the Northern Virginia home of his wife, Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-California) gave up his coveted seat on the House Appropriations Committee Thursdayamid concerns that he had used that post to advance the interests of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and other allies. "I understand how the most recent circumstances may lead some to question my tenure on the Appropriations Committee," the conservative nine-term congressman wrote in a letter to House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). "Therefore, I feel it may be in the best interest of the House that I take a temporary leave with seniority from this Committee until this matter can be resolved." Boehner accepted the decision, saying in a statement that it "is in the best interest of the House and the American people." Read The Full Story Army General Says Baghdad Security Has Lost Traction 2007-04-20 02:36:01 A day after a wave of car bombings killed more than 150 civilians and injured almost 200 others in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates asserted Thursday that the U.S. commitment to the Iraq war is not open-ended. Gates, at a news conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, before he made a surprise visit to Baghdad, said the debate in Congress over war funding underscores the need for Iraqi lawmakers to pass legislation that addresses political reconciliation and sharing of oil revenues. "Frankly, I would like to see faster progress," said Gates. " ... The president has said that our patience is not unlimited. I don't think we've been very subtle in communicating these messages to the Iraqis." A few hours after Gates arrived in Baghdad, a top Pentagon official said it's still too early to tell whether the nine-week-old American troop surge in the Iraqi capital is working. Read The Full Story May The Force Field ... Er ... 'Virtual Umbrella' Be With You 2007-04-19 13:07:09 British scientists are developing a force-field to protect astronauts and spacecraft from the hazards they may encounter on future missions to the moon, mars and beyond. Although the shield is unlikely to withstand a full-on assault from the Klingons, it is designed to act as a "virtual umbrella" to shelter astronauts and sensitive electronics from the violent blasts of radiation that erupt from the sun. Different versions of the shield are envisaged for spacecraft embarking on lengthy interplanetary journeys and for pioneering colonies of astronauts taking the first steps on the path to building an extraterrestrial outpost. High levels of radiation make space an extremely dangerous place to be. Energetic charged particles whipped up by exploding stars in distant galaxies are flung towards our solar system at close to the speed of light. These streams of particles are accompanied by erratic bursts of solar radiation unleashed by powerful shockwaves on the sun. When combined, they can tear through electronics and short-circuit computers. They can also pass through flesh and split DNA, causing mutations that steadily increase the risk of cancer. Read The Full Story Names Of Victims At Virginia Tech 2007-04-19 12:29:32 Intellpuke: Following is a list of the names of the victims of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. The list was compiled by the Associated Press. -- Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, sophomore from Saugus, Massachusetts. -- Christopher James Bishop, 35, according to Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany, where he helped run an exchange program. -- Brian Roy Bluhm, 25, civil engineering graduate student from Stephens City, Virginia. He had previously lived in Iowa, Detroit, Michigan, and Louisville, Kentucky. -- Ryan Christopher Clark, 22, of Martinez, Georgia, senior majoring in psychology. -- Austin Michelle Cloyd, sophomore international studies major and member of the honors program from Blacksburg, Virginia. Cloyd and her family previously lived in Champaign, Illinois. Read The Full Story Abbas Says BBC Journalist Still Alive 2007-04-19 12:28:15 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday his intelligence services have confirmed that a British journalist kidnapped in Gaza is alive and he knows which group is holding him. Alan Johnston, 44, a BBC correspondent, was abducted by gunmen on March 12 and has not been seen or heard from since then. "Yes, I believe he is still alive," Abbas told reporters in Stockholm, Sweden. "Our intelligence services have confirmed to me that he's alive." Read The Full Story 4 Blasts In Baghdad Kill At Least 183 2007-04-19 01:46:32 Suspected Sunni insurgents penetrated the Baghdad security net Wednesday, hitting Shiite targets with four bomb attacks that killed 183 people - the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop increase began nine weeks ago. The most devastating blast struck the Sadriyah market as workers were leaving for the day, charring a lineup of minibuses that came to pick them up. At least 127 people were killed and 148 wounded, including men who were rebuilding the market after a Feb. 3 bombing left 137 dead. Wednesday's car bombing appeared meticulously planned. It took place at a pedestrian entrance where tall concrete barriers had been erected after the earlier attack. It was the only way out of the compound, and the construction workers were widely known to leave at about 4 p.m. - the time of the bombing. Read The Full Story Commentary: Memo To Mendacity 2007-04-19 01:45:44 Intellpuke: In the following commentary, the Guardian's security affairs editor Richard Norton-Taylor writes that the evidence could not be clearer that British Prime Minister Tony Blair subverted the truth to take Britain to war in Iraq. Mr. Norton-Taylor's commentary follows: The full extent of Tony Blair's mendacity over the invasion of Iraq has been emphatically revealed in classified Downing Street documents leaked since the invasion. They make up a devastating indictment of the way we were led into an adventure with the U.S. whose bloody consequences show no sign of relenting. One of the crucial documents is known as the Downing Street Memo. It consists of the minutes of a meeting chaired by Blair on July 23, 2002, when ministers were being warned by their officials and the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, that an invasion to topple Saddam would be unlawful. The minutes reveal that Sir Richard Dearlove, then head of MI6, reporting on his talks in Washington, D.C., warned that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy". In a phrase with added resonance in the light of Wednesday's bloodshed in Baghdad, he said: "There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action." The minutes also reveal that Jack Straw, then foreign secretary, warned that the case for military action against Iraq was "thin". This document saw the light of day only because it was leaked. Lord Butler told the Guardian Wednesday that it was seen by his committee, set up to investigate the use and abuse of intelligence in the build-up to the invasion. He said his report did not refer to its explosive contents on the grounds that they related to U.S. use of intelligence, which was outside his terms of reference. The explanation exposes as a sham Blair's citing of Butler as a reason why there is no need for any further investigation into the war. Read The Full Story Pet Food Recall Expanded, Industrial Chemical Found In 2nd Ingredient 2007-04-19 01:44:44 An industrial chemical that led to the nationwide recall of more than 100 brands of cat and dog food has turned up in a second pet food ingredient imported from China. The discovery expands the monthlong cascade of recalls to include more brands and varieties of pet foods and treats tainted by the chemical. "This has exposed that the safety standards for pet foods are not in place in any significant way and the kind of drumbeat, day after day, of recalls has shaken consumers' confidence in the pet food industry's adherence to food safety standards," said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States. The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. Read The Full Story
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