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NEWS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER
3 2010 NEWS
'Hamas'
Mosque Funder
An Egyptian-born businessman who lives on Long Island — and who once
gave thousands of dollars to a Hamas front group — is a major investor
in the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, it was reported last night, in
the first disclosure of the money behind the controversial project. Hisham
Elzanaty was a “significant investor” in developer Sharif el-Gamal’s $4.8
million purchase of the former Burlington Coat Factory building, where
the mosque and Islamic cultural center will be built, the donor’s lawyer,
Wolodymyr Starosolsky, told Fox 5 News. El-Gamal himself has refused to
disclose where he got the money to buy the building in July 2009. Elzanaty
owns a $2million home in Roslyn Heights, and operates medical companies
out of a building in The Bronx. He also owns the New York Neuro and Rehab
Center in Morningside Heights. State records show he was ordered to repay
$331,000 after an audit revealed Medicaid had overpaid him in 2004-2005.
NY
Post
VOA VIEW: el-Gamal
should be arrested for supporting a known terrorist group.
4
Miami Airport Concourses Evacuated
A bomb squad investigated a report of a suspicious package after police
evacuated four of six concourses at Miami International Airport for several
hours on the eve of the Labor Day travel period, an airport spokesman said
Friday. Police bomb squad authorities went about 9:30 p.m. Thursday to
a Customs area of Concourse E near an international arrivals area when
the initial report came in, airport spokesman Greg Chin told The Associated
Press. He said between 100 to 200 passengers were evacuated while police
investigated and that flights overnight were allowed to use parts of two
concourses still open. Philadelphia
Inquirer
Oil
Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast
A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an offshore petroleum platform
burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP's massive
spill. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100
feet wide, was spotted near the platform owned by Houston-based Mariner
Energy Inc. He said Mariner had deployed three firefighting vessels to
the site and one already was in place fighting the blaze. The Coast Guard
says no one was killed in the explosion and fire, which was reported by
a commercial helicopter flying over the site around 9 a.m. CDT. All 13
people aboard the rig were rescued as they floated in the nearby water
in survival outfits called gumby suits. Fox
News
Departing White
House Economic Adviser Urges More Spending
Christina Romer, the departing chair of the White House Council of
Economic Advisors, said the “only surefire ways” to boost the economy are
for the "government to spend more and tax less.” She also said that concern
about the federal deficit cannot be an "excuse for leaving unemployed Americans
to suffer.” “While we would all love to find the inexpensive magic
bullet to our economic troubles, the truth is, it almost surely doesn’t
exist. The only surefire ways for policymakers to substantially increase
aggregate demand in the short run are for the government to spend more
and tax less. CNS News
VOA VIEW: Deficit spending should not
be in any economic recovery equation.
U.S.
Delays Web Traffic Rules By Seeking More Comment
U.S. communications regulators on Wednesday put off a controversial
decision on Internet traffic rules, giving industry and consumer groups
a chance to forge a compromise while avoiding a politically sensitive issue
ahead of the November elections. The Federal Communications Commission
has been prodding phone, cable and Internet companies for months to find
consensus on the thorny issue of net neutrality -- a debate over whether
high-speed Internet providers should be allowed to give preferential treatment
to content providers who pay for faster transmission. Broadband and Internet
companies have held a series of face-to-face and phone meetings this summer
to craft a framework on how to treat the Internet data flowing through
both home connections and wireless devices. Reuters
Earl
Weakening As It Approaches East Coast
Even as Hurricane Earl weakened Thursday afternoon, East Coast residents
scrambled to ready themselves ahead of its arrival. Earl is now barely
a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of 115 mph, the National Hurricane
Center said in its 5 p.m. ET advisory. Hurricane warnings and watches stretched
from North Carolina to Delaware and into Massachusetts, where a hurricane
warning was issued for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the surrounding
area. A hurricane watch was also issued for the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
CNN
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Some
Flooding On NC Outer Banks As Earl Passes
Hurricane Earl roared past the North Carolina Outer Banks early Friday,
flooding some parts of the narrow vacation islands and knocking out electricity
before driving north at the start of at least 24 hours of stormy, windy
weather along the East Coast. At first light, one to two feet of water
covered roadways in the community of Buxton on Cape Hatteras, pushing loose
debris around that included plywood, boards, a gas station ice cooler and
a trash bin. A Jeep driving down the road had water up to the headlights.
Several miles away, Nancy Scarborough of Hatteras also said she had about
a foot of water underneath her stilted home. Wind continued to howl and
water appeared to be surging onto land from Pamlico Sound, between the
island chain and the mainland. Scarborough hoped it wouldn't be long before
the storm recedes. Tampa
Tribune
Paper
Savings Bonds Being Phased Out For Electronic Ones
Starting Sept. 30, federal employees who invest in Savings Bonds through
payroll deductions will be required to buy them from TreasuryDirect.gov,
where they'll be stored electronically. The requirement will extend to
private-sector employees on Jan. 1, 2011. In fiscal 2009, Treasury sold
12 million Savings Bonds through payroll deductions. About 38% of those
bonds were purchased by federal employees, says Joyce Harris, a spokeswoman
for the Bureau of Public Debt. The elimination of paper bonds will be limited
to investors who buy them through payroll deduction. Individuals will still
be able to purchase paper Savings Bonds for themselves or to give as gifts
at banks and credit unions, Harris says. USA
Today
RGA
Drops $2 Million On Ads In Florida
The Republican Governors Association will transfer $2 million to the
Florida Republican party, cash that will immediately be used to fund an
ad attacking Democratic nominee Alex Sink, according to a source briefed
on the plan. The RGA's latest expenditure in the Sunshine State comes just
weeks after the organization spent $2 million on television ads hitting
Sink, the state's chief financial officer, even as its own candidates --
former health care CEO Rick Scott and state Attorney General Bill McCollum
-- were bashing one another in the runup to the Aug. 24 primary. The RGA's
doubling down -- literally -- on its investment in Florida is designed
to send a message that the party will spend what it takes to win the state
despite the fact that Scott, who dropped $50 million of his own money on
the primary, has considerable personal wealth. Washington
Post
Stocks
Close Higher After Jobs, Housing Reports
Stocks rose Thursday, extending their gains from the day before, after
reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs all indicated that the economy
continues to grow. The Dow Jones industrial average extended its string
of gains for a third session, rising 50 points after a jump of 254 on Wednesday.
The much-watched index of 30 industrials has risen 310 points, or 3.1 percent,
over the last three days. The latest trading session was muted ahead
of the government's closely watched monthly report on employment due out
Friday. "We're treading water," said Dan Genter, CEO of RNC Genter Capital.
Traders are waiting to see if the August jobs report "provides more of
a rescue or a shark attack." MSNBC
VOA VIEW: The economy is not growing.
Mike
Castle Goes Negative Against Tea Party-Backed Christine O'Donnell In Delaware
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski suffered a stunning defeat in the Republican
primary last week after she refused to go negative against her Tea Party-backed
opponent Joe Miller. Republican Rep. Mike Castle, running for the open
Senate seat in Delaware, doesn't plan on following Murkowski's lead. Castle's
campaign is planning to air negative ads against his primary opponent Christine
O'Donnell, National Journal's Hotline reports. Castle, who has represented
Delaware's only congressional district for 18 years, has for months been
the presumptive Republican nominee for Joe Biden's old Senate seat. Meanwhile,
O'Donnell is a perennial candidate in the state. CBS
Low
Interest Rates Squeezing Pension Funds
Thanks to stock market gyrations and the lowest interest rates in 60
years, millions of Americans are struggling to keep their retirement savings
intact and secure their future. And it's not any easier for managers of
their pension funds. Both groups share a mounting problem. The plunge in
interest rates engineered to save the U.S. economy and banking system has
left them with a giant money hole to fill. Much like a retiree trying to
live off the income from Treasury bonds, when interest rates fall, you
need a lot more bonds to generate the same level of income. The same principle
has left the nation’s public and private pension funds badly underfunded.
MSNBC
Victims
Not Told Of Some Inmate Furloughs
Federal prisons are failing to notify crime victims and witnesses when
inmates are allowed to travel by themselves for medical treatment, the
Justice Department inspector general said Thursday. The federal Bureau
of Prisons expects it will take until 2017 to require the notifications
because it will take that long to negotiate the matter with the union that
represents federal corrections officers, Inspector General Glenn Fine said
in a report. The timeframe is "excessive and unacceptable," Fine said.
The Bureau of Prisons proposed a revised furlough policy in 2003, but it
has yet to be negotiated with the American Federation of Government Employees
(AFGE) National Council of Prison Locals, Fine's report said. The agreement
between the union and the agency specifies how policy proposals are negotiated,
including that they generally are handled in the order received, the report
said. It noted that 50 policies are awaiting negotiation. Las
Vegas Sun
U.S.
Won't Turn Back On Afghanistan
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the United States
is committed to a long-term partnership with Afghanistan. "We learned our
lesson in turning our back on Afghanistan in 1989 and we have no intention
of doing so again," Gates said Thursday during a news conference with Afghan
President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. He said the United States has tripled
the number of U.S. civilians in the country and that he was pleased to
see that "the size and capabilities of the Afghan security forces continue
to grow in number and in quality."
UPI
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Israel,
Palestinians Agree To Second Round Of Talks On Framework Of Peace Deal
Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Thursday to produce a framework
for a permanent peace deal and to hold a second round of direct talks this
month, a modest achievement reached amid deep skepticism about success
at their first such session in two years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will meet again
on Sept. 14 and 15 in the Middle East, likely at the Egyptian Red Sea resort
of Sharm el Sheik, with an eye toward forging the outline of a pact that
could lead to a final agreement in a year's time. Washington
Times
Study
Finds 1 In 7 Would Fail Kitchen Inspection
Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection? New research
suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind
of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants. The small study
from California’s Los Angeles County found that only 61 percent of home
kitchens would get an A or B if put through the rigors of a restaurant
inspection. At least 14 percent would fail. “I would say if they got below
a C, I’m not sure I would like them to invite me to dinner,’’ said Dr.
Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public
Health. In comparison, nearly all Los Angeles County restaurants — 98 percent
— get A or B scores. Boston
Globe
Iran's
Ahmadinejad Calls On Palestinians To Fight On
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Palestinians to keep up
their armed struggle against Israel a day after Israeli and Palestinian
leaders agreed to continue talks on a U.S.-backed peace deal. U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton, who hosted in Washington the first session of
talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, voiced confidence that this latest attempt to
bring peace to the region could succeed where so many others have failed.
Ahmadinejad said that the talks, seeking to end a conflict that has boiled
for six decades, would once again fail. He criticised some Muslim leaders
for not providing all-out support to the Palestinians in their revolt against
Israel. "The Palestine's issue cannot be resolved through talks with the
enemies of the Palestinian nation. NY
Times
VOA VIEW: Real peace is far from a reality.
Wachovia,
Bank Of America Add Fees That 'Certainly Won't Be Popular'
No more waived fees for using another bank's ATM. Higher monthly account
charges. Fees for paper statements with images of canceled checks. These
are some of the changes coming to customers of Bank of America and Wachovia.
Bank of America will start telling customers next week that it's adjusting
fees as part of an effort to standardize its practices nationwide. Wachovia
has been making its own changes, the latest wrinkle from the Wells Fargo
merger. The new pricing comes as banks nationwide are revamping their accounts
and fee lineups as they adjust to new regulations and look to recoup lost
revenue. But Greg McBride, senior financial analyst with Bankrate.com,
said the latest changes are the kinds of things banks do every year. Charlotte
Observer
Eyes
On Hillary Clinton As She Leads Mideast Peace Talks
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today stepped into the international
spotlight, assuming the day-to-day responsibility of trying to broker a
Mideast peace that has eluded her predecessors for decades. Seated between
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas at the State Department, Clinton heralded the first direct negotiations
between the parties in nearly two years. Whether both sides can overcome
a history of failed negotiations and dashed hopes will depend in large
part on the individual leaders making difficult concessions, Clinton said.
ABC
U.S.
Pending Home Sales Rise In Sign Market Steadying
Pending sales of existing houses unexpectedly climbed in July from
a record low, indicating the real-estate market is steadying following
the end of a government tax credit. The index of purchase contracts rose
5.2 percent after a revised 2.8 percent drop the prior month, figures from
the National Association of Realtors showed today in Washington. Combined
with data showing claims for unemployment benefits dropped and orders to
factories increased, the reports allayed concern the economy was tipping
back into a recession. Bloomberg
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Democrats Pushing To Keep Tax Cuts
Congress seems increasingly reluctant to let taxes go up, even on wealthier
Americans. Worried about the fragile economy and their own upcoming elections,
a growing number of Democrats are joining the rock-solid Republican opposition
to President Barack Obama's plans to let some of the Bush administration's
tax cuts expire. Democratic leaders in Congress still back Obama, but the
willingness to raise taxes is waning among the rank and file as the stagnant
economy threatens the party's majority in the House and Senate. The most
sweeping tax cuts in a generation are due to expire in January, and that's
setting up a showdown when lawmakers return from their summer vacations
this month. By waiting to act on the tax cuts until just before congressional
elections in November, Democratic leaders have raised the stakes, politically
and for taxpayers. CBS
Bernanke:
Shut Down Banks If They Threaten System
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the
financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions
if they threaten to bring down the financial system. "If the crisis has
a single lesson, it is that the too-big-to-fail problem must be solved,"
Mr. Bernanke said Thursday while testifying before the Financial Crisis
Inquiry Commission. Mr. Bernanke also said it was impossible for the Fed
to rescue Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy in 2008 because the Wall Street
firm lacked sufficient collateral to secure a loan. Lehman's former chief
executive told the panel a day earlier that the firm could have been saved,
but regulators refused to provide help. Washington
Times
Bernanke
Says He Wasn't `Straightforward' On Lehman
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said he regretted not saying
in congressional testimony shortly after the failure of Lehman Brothers
Holdings Inc. in 2008 that the central bank had no authority to save the
firm. The testimony at the time “has supported this myth that we did have
a way of saving Lehman,” Bernanke said today in response to questions during
a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission hearing in Washington. “I regret
not being more straightforward there because clearly it has supported the
mistaken impression that in fact we could have done something.” Bernanke
made the remarks to explain the disparity between his September 2008 testimony
that the Fed and U.S. Treasury “declined to commit public funds to support
the institution” and later statements that the government had no option
to save Lehman because of inadequate collateral. The Fed decided at the
time against saying Lehman was unsalvageable because it may have risked
further panic in financial markets, Bernanke said today. Bloomberg
White
House Defends Obama’s ‘Mainstream’ Religion
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama is a
"committed, mainstream Christian" _ contrary to the claims of Fox News
Channel host Glenn Beck. Beck recently claimed that Obama practices a version
of Christianity that is not recognized by most people. Beck says this "liberation
theology" is all about "oppressors" and "victims." Gibbs was asked about
Beck's assertions Thursday at the White House press briefing. Gibbs says,
"I can only imagine where Mr. Beck conjured that from." Las
Vegas Sun
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PORTAL.
Former
Egg Farm Workers Say Complaints Ignored
U.S. Agriculture Department employees worked full-time at two Iowa
egg farms at the center of a salmonella outbreak and massive recall, but
two former workers said they ignored complaints about conditions at one
site. The USDA employees worked next to areas where roughly 7.7 million
caged hens laid eggs at the two operations, but agency spokesman Caleb
Weaver said their main duties are "grading" the eggs and they aren't primarily
responsible for looking for health problems. In response to the outbreak
that has led to a recall of about 550 million eggs, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration examined the Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms and
noted in a report this week that inspectors found rodents, wild birds,
seeping manure and maggots in the operations there. Detroit
News
Democrats
Spend Early To Knock Out GOP Challengers
Republican Jesse Kelly was still basking in the glow of his victory
in an Arizona congressional primary when the Democratic congresswoman he's
trying to unseat released a scathing TV ad branding him "a risk" who would
gamble away people's retirement savings. It took Rep. Gabrielle Giffords'
campaign just hours to start hitting Kelly on the airwaves for his stance
on Social Security. That's because Giffords, like dozens of other Democrats
around the country facing tough re-election bids in a political environment
that favors the GOP, was trying to score a knockout punch against her rival
before he had a chance to introduce himself to voters. It's a time-tested
tactic in political campaigns, particularly when an incumbent is facing
a lesser-known challenger, or when a seat is up for grabs after a lawmaker's
retirement or departure. And with Democrats at risk of losing their grip
on Congress in the November elections, going negative early and often is
regarded as a necessity. San
Diego Union
Broke
Youth Anti-Crime Groups Want Federal Cash
A $1.6 billion congressional bailout of sorts could help financially
flailing groups that fight to keep young people out of trouble, yet lawmakers
are reluctant to take up the expensive proposal amid a sour economy and
other, more pressing issues. The Youth Promise Act would dole out money
to organizations like Homeboy Industries, a gang rehabilitation center
founded in 2001 under the motto "Nothing stops a bullet like a job." The
group's founder Father Greg Boyle recently had to lay off more than 300
of his 427 workers, most of them former gang members, when expected revenues
plummeted. His organization isn't the only one suffering. The recession
has hit other nonprofits across the country hard and left some wondering
how they will survive. Kansas
City Star
AMA
Urges Treasury To Reject Proposed Tax Change For Trial Lawyers
As the Treasury Department considers a tax policy change that would
allow trial lawyers to deduct their litigation expenses in contingency-fee
cases, the American Medical Association and 90 medical organizations are
urging Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to drop the proposal like a
bad habit. "Changing the tax policy to allow trial attorneys to deduct
court costs and other expenses would cost taxpayers $1.5 billion and increase
the cost of health care in our nation," J. James Rohack, the immediate
past president of the group, said in a written statement. "This change
would encourage trial attorneys to file more lawsuits." Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Lawyers deduct most expenses
already.
Back-To-School
Checklist: Whiter Teeth & Tattoos
Shopping for back-to-school "basics" used to mean T-shirts, jeans,
socks and some notebooks. This year, parents added a few other things with
one item that really stands out: tattoos. About 45% of parents polled say
that hair highlights, teeth whitening, even tattoos are among the items
they will buy their kids to go back to school, according to a new American
Express Spending & Saving Tracker survey. The survey tracks parents'
school-related spending intentions. Haircuts led the list of services that
mom and dad are treating junior to before the first day of school. But
they are also willing to indulge their kids with a few extras. According
to the report, 18% of parents intended to buy teeth whitening services.
And 9% of parents were willing to pay for tattoos for their kids.
CNN
DIA Report Had
Confirmed 18 Released Gitmo Detainees Returned To Terror
On Jan. 7, 2009, less than two weeks before Barack Obama was sworn
in as president, a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report indicated that
up until that date there had been 18 confirmed and 43 suspected cases of
detainees who had been released from the Guantanamo Bay prison and who
had returned to terrorism. The DIA released the report to CNSNews.com in
response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. An earlier DIA
report (dated July 10, 2006), also released to CNSNews.com, had specifically
predicted that some Guantanamo detainees from Afghanistan and Pakistan,
if released, would return to fight U.S. forces in that region. CNS
News
Workers
See Higher Health Costs, Less Care
Companies are cutting healthcare costs further amid a continuing sour
economy, scaling back benefits and shifting a greater share of the expense
to employees. The findings, published on Thursday, come as the congressional
campaign heats up over the nation's stagnant economic growth and whether
recently passed healthcare reforms should be repealed. Such steps may be
keeping the cost of insurance plans down "but it also means employer coverage
is less comprehensive," said Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser
Family Foundation, which conducts the annual survey. Reuters
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Mills:
Taliban Financially Squeezed
The Afghan insurgency is down to the "last card in the deck," the commander
of NATO's regional command southwest said Thursday. Increased security
and government initiatives to encourage farmers to turn away from poppy
crops are drying up the Taliban's cash flow, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen.
Richard P. Mills said Thursday from his headquarters in Afghanistan during
a video news conference in Washington. The disruption of the Taliban's
drug and money networks has left them with "less than one-half of what
they had last year in operating funds," Mills said. The Taliban's "last
card in the deck is not playing very well, which is simply murder and intimidation,"
Mills said. "It has not convinced the people. … They are looking at a better
way of life." UPI
News
Barak:
'Galant Document' Is A 'Warning Sign'
Defense minister expresses concern that generals "have an illegitimate
influence" on government decisions. Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed
his concern over the "Galant Document" incident at a meeting of the IDF
General Staff Forum on Thursday."I commend the police for its quick investigation
and conclusions. However, I am concerned about the attempt by officers
to stop and postpone the process of appointing the next chief of general
staff, and have an illegitimate influence on the outcome," Barak said,
at the gathering in honor of the Jewish New Year." The attempt almost succeeded.
This was a move that fascinated the whole state for a few weeks, and damaged
the public's faith in the IDF," the defense minister added. Jerusalem
Post
PA:
Car Used In Kiryat Arba Attack Seized
A Palestinian Authority security source claimed on Thursday that the
PA security forces have seized the car that was used in the shooting attack
that killed four Israelis from Bet Hagai on Tuesday night. The source said
that the car was found in Hebron and that the PA security forces were now
investigating several suspects linked to the vehicle. The source would
neither confirm nor deny a report according to which the car had been handed
over to the IDF. The source also refused to comment on reports that the
PA security forces have managed to arrest two men suspected of involvement
in the terror attack. Jerusalem
Post
Russia Extends
Its Grain Export Ban
Russia will consider lifting its grain export ban only after the next
year's harvest has been reaped, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has
said. Mr Putin did not say when exactly the ban, originally introduced
from 15 August to 31 December, would be lifted. Global wheat prices have
risen by 1.4% on Thursday, after gaining more than 3% during the previous
session. Russia, one of the world's biggest producers of wheat, barley
and rye, was hit hard by a drought this summer. The heatwave destroyed
crops in many parts of the country, pushing food prices up. Mr Putin said
that the ban was extended to "provide stability and predictable conditions
for all market participants". BBC
Europe Agrees
New Agencies To Supervise Financial Firms
The European Union has reached agreement on reforms to financial supervision,
officials have said. EU states and the European Commission agreed to create
agencies that from next year are to oversee banks, insurers, and financial
markets. The deal must still be approved by European finance ministers
and the European Parliament. Europe's move follows the sweeping Wall Street
reforms that President Barack Obama signed into law in July. It is hoped
the agreements in Europe and the US will help stop a repeat of the financial
crisis in which loose supervision of companies was blamed for contributing
to problems. BBC
Crowds
Attack Home Of Iranian Apposition Leader
Pro-government militiamen attacked the home of an Iranian opposition
leader with homemade bombs and beat one of his bodyguards unconscious,
an opposition website reported, in an apparent attempt to keep him from
attending a key rally on Friday. Mahdi Karroubi's guards had to fire gunshots
in the air to clear crowds that broke down the door of his home on Thursday
night after days of gatherings outside, said the Sahamnews website, which
supports Iran's pro-reform movement. The report said the attackers were
members of the plainclothes Basij militia, which led the crackdown on protests
that swept the country in response to allegations of fraud in President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's June 2009 re-election. Karroubi was one of the pro-reform
candidates who ran against Ahmadinejad. Seattle
Times
Police
Say Attacks On Pakistani Minorities Kill 23
Suicide bombings targeting religious minorities killed at least 23
people in Pakistan on Friday, driving up the toll of sectarian assaults
in a country already battered by massive flooding. A blast killed at least
22 people in the southwestern city of Quetta at a Shiite procession calling
for solidarity with Palestinians, Police Chief Ghulam Shabir Sheikh said.
Police said dozens were wounded and some were in critical condition. Some
Shiite youths fired in the air after the blast, and Qazi Abdul Wahid, a
senior police official, said officers were trying to control the situation.
Shiite leader Allama Abbas Kumaili appealed to participants to remain peaceful.
Indy
Star
Blasts
Rip Through Possible Hezbollah Weapons Site
Explosions ripped through a building Friday in southern Lebanon that
might have been used to store weapons by the militant group Hezbollah,
security officials said. It was not clear whether there were any casualties
from the blasts, which set off a large fire, the officials said. Rescue
crews responded to the scene. The three-story building is in the Hezbollah-dominated
village of Shehabiyeh, part of a volatile border zone south of the Litani
River in which Hezbollah has been banned from having weapons under a U.N.
resolution that ended the 2006 war between the militant group and Israel.
The area is patrolled by U.N. troops and Lebanese soldiers and has been
largely peaceful since the war, but there have been a number of mysterious
explosions in the past year at buildings suspected of housing Hezbollah
arms caches.
SF
Gate
Fidel
Castro Dusts Off Military Uniform
Fidel Castro dusted off his military fatigues for the first time since
stepping down as president four years ago, a symbolic act in a Communist
country where little signals often carry enormous significance. The revolutionary
leader wore the cap and uniform — minus the star and laurels he held as
commander in chief — at a speech early Friday to students at the University
of Havana. The clothing was sure to revive speculation the 84-year-old
is seeking a larger role in Cuban politics after turning power over to
his younger brother Raul. Castro repeated his warning that the world stands
on the brink of a nuclear conflagration due to tension pitting the United
States and Israel against Iran. Castro has repeated the message since emerging
from seclusion in July. Houston
Chronicle
Indonesian
Volcano Spews New Burst Of Ash
An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for four centuries shot a new,
powerful burst of hot ash more than 10,000 feet (three kilometers) in the
air Friday, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety for the second
time this week. The force of the eruption — the strongest so far — could
be felt five miles (eight kilometers) away. "This was a big one," said
37-year-old Anto Sembiring, still shaken after abandoning his coffee shop
in the middle of the danger zone. "We all ran as fast as we could. ...
Everyone was panicking." The eruption of Mount Sinabung on Sunday and Monday
— which caught many scientists off guard — forced more than 30,000 people
living along its fertile slopes to evacuate to cramped emergency shelters
in nearby towns. Atlanta
Journal
Burger
King Sold For £2.6Bn
Burger King has been sold for the second time in its 55-year history.
Burger King has been sold to 3G Capital, a private equity firm backed by
three of Brazil's best-known businessmen, in a deal worth $4bn (£2.6bn).
The $24-a-share agreement is 46% more than Burger King shares closed at
on 31 August, the day before rumours of a deal surfaced and sent the shares
soaring by 15%. Guardian
Thousands
Left Penniless After Collapse Of Ponzi Scheme
Women sell produce at a market in Benin, where most people live on
$2 (£1.30) a day. More than a quarter of the population has been
directly affected by the Ponzi scam. The savings of more than 100,000 people
in Benin have been lost in a pyramid scheme, prompting calls for the President
of the tiny West African country to be impeached after he appeared to endorse
the investment scam. Thousands of families put money into Investment Consultancy
and Computering Services (ICC) as word spread of its ability to offer returns
of between 50 per and 200 per cent to investors while it used its apparently
bottomless funds to finance health clinics, feed orphans and make large
donations to Christian groups. Independent
Now
Meat Price Surge Raises Fear Of Food Inflation
Freakish weather conditions and soaring demand from China, Brazil and
other fast-emerging economies have pushed meat prices around the world
to a 20-year high. International food prices have risen to their highest
in two years, shooting up five per cent between July and August. Wheat
is up by more than 50 per cent since May. Meat prices are at their highest
since 1990 on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's index,
up 16 per cent on last year and almost a third higher than at the beginning
of last year. Lamb is at a 37-year high, beef is the most expensive in
two years and pork stands at record levels. Independent
Osteoporosis
Drug 'Doubles Cancer Risk'
A drug taken by more than a million people with osteoporosis could
double their risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus, according to
a study published today.
Those who have taken oral bisphosphonates for five years or more are
twice as likely to develop the cancer than those who have not, the analysis
of medical records found. Every year almost 8,000 people in Britain are
diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, or gullet cancer, and about 7,500
people die from it. Survival rates are low compared to other cancers, with
only three in 10 surviving more than a year after diagnosis. Among the
general population of people aged 60 to 79, the incidence of oesophageal
cancer is about one in 1,000. But researchers found that among those who
had taken oral bisphosphonates for five years or more the rate doubled
to two in 1,000. Telegraph
Iran
Casts A Giant Shadow Over The Washington Peace Talks
Israel will keep the chances of a deal alive, while the US tackles
the nuclear threat, says Stephen Pollard. There are any number of myths
surrounding the Middle East talks currently talking place in Washington.
But the issue overshadowing the entire process seems to have been missed
by most observers: Iran. The fact that proper talks have now begun is not
a triumph of hope over experience; it is far more prosaic than that. It
is the result of bargaining between the US, the Israelis and the Palestinian
Authority (PA). There has been an implicit deal. America will take care
of the Iranian nuclear threat, either through its own actions or by allowing
Israel to act, and in return the Israelis will do whatever they can to
keep the peace process on the road. Telegraph
World
Cannot Afford Worsening Disasters, Warns UN Climate Change Chief
The world cannot afford escalating disasters of the kind recently witnessed
in Pakistan and Russia, the top United Nations climate change official
said today, underscoring the need for governments to take swift action
to lead the world towards a low-carbon future. Flooding in Pakistan and
wildfires in Russia were “so dramatic” that many other major weather disasters
in other parts of the world “were relegated as secondary news,” Christina
Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), told reporters today in Geneva. UN
News
Afghanistan:
UN Moves Quickly To Immunize 1.5 Million Children From Polio
The United Nations is moving swiftly to vaccinate 1.5 million children
after a polio case was detected in an area of north-eastern Afghanistan
which had been free of the disease for more than a decade. The polio case
was identified in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province. It had been
assumed that the source of the virus was in neighbouring Tajikistan, which
is currently in the midst of a large outbreak, but now it appears that
it may have been the result of cross-border population movement from Pakistan.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
and the Ministry of Public Health have launched a rapid response plan to
prevent the spread of the disease. UN
News
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