The News Crawler

The News Crawler
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Last Update: Thursday, July 16, 2009

Headlines	Click here for Yesterdays Edition
World Headlines
Click here Updates from Iran as of July 14 Click here Updates from Honduras as of July 14 After brutal police rule, Afghans see Taliban as 'liberators' Pentagon 'terrorist suspect' talking to Karzai Haji Sahib Rohullah Wakil spends his days going from one high-level official meeting to another with the swagger of a tribal elder, advocating for the needs of Kunar province, his home region. Senior Iranian cleric calls for revision of election laws Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani tells worshipers that spelling out rules regarding campaigns and debates could remove tensions. An Iranian American academic is detained again. Kurds Defy Baghdad, Laying Claim to Land and Oil With little notice, Kurdistan is moving forward on a new constitution, alarming some Iraqis and Americans. Iran's invisible Nicaragua embassy For months, the reports percolated in Washington and other capitals. Iran was constructing a major beachhead in Nicaragua as part of a diplomatic push into Latin America, featuring huge investment deals, new embassies and even TV programming from the Islamic republic. Mexican gangs gun down police in eight cities Coordinated attacks in at least eight Mexican cities killed three federal police officers and two soldiers Saturday in what officials called an unprecedented onslaught by drug gangs. The attacks were in retribution for the capture early Saturday of Arnoldo Rueda Medina, a high-ranking member of the Michoacan Family drug gang, the state-run Notimex news agency reported, citing federal police Colombian paramilitaries admits to killing 21,000 Blast in Pakistan Kills Seven Children Studying Koran	Crooked Afghan police challenge Marines Afghan villagers had complained to the U.S. Marines for days: The police are the problem, not the Taliban. They steal from villagers and beat them. Days later, the Marines learned firsthand what the villagers meant. Netanyahu turns to Nazi language \| Peter Beaumont It is not the word "Judenfrei" – equally offensive – that Netanyahu used but its even stronger and more despicable companion. A word, under the Nazi race laws, that meant all trace of Jewish ancestry had been removed. The justification for its employment has been somewhat historically self-serving, arguing two things.First, it contends that because Jewish communities historically lived on the West Bank and in Jerusalem before 1967 (over 3,000 years except for 19 years of Jordanian occupation between 1948 and 1967, according to this argument) any insistence on the removal of the settlements would amount to a de facto ethnic cleansing. South Park censored for making fun of Vladimir Putin A Russian TV channel cut a segment of the cartoon South Park that appeared to mock Vladimir Putin. The channel 2X2 cut material that portrayed the prime minister as greedy and desperate, a network spokesman admitted. China arrests 'concern' Australia Trade minister presses for information on mining giant employees detained for "spying". 'Hundreds dying' in Sri Lanka camp UK newspaper report tells of dire conditions in camp for Tamil civilians displaced by war. Tajik ex-minister dies in ambush A former Tajik government minister who allegedly joined a drug-trafficking gang has been shot dead by the group. Chinese police kill two Uighurs Explosion Kills 17 in Eastern Pakistan
US Headlines
Goldman Sachs Likely To Post Huge Profits, Analysts Say Goldman's Resurgent, But Will Taxpayers Get Their Money Back Goldman Sachs To Pay Record Bonuses Goldman, Banks Cheer Escape From TARP Restrictions Goldman Execs Sold $700M Of Stock, Most Of It During Bailout The Great American Bubble Machine The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it's everywhere. The world's most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money. Geithner urges derivatives curbs US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wants to see tighter control over the trading of complex financial derivatives. New Documents: Bush Authorized Surveillance Programs Beyond Wiretaps President George W. Bush authorized other secret intelligence activities _ which have yet to become public _ even as he was launching the massive warrentless wiretapping program, the summary said. It describes the entire program as the "President's Surveillance Program." Cops Break Man's Neck Trying To Stop Him From Swallowing Drugs Herb Kohl's Message to Telecoms: Break it Up Kohl sent a letter to the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission asking them to investigate whether big wireless companies are engaged in anti-competitive practices. Unlike many other lawmakers, however, Kohl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee, does not rely on telecoms to fill his campaign coffers. A Call to Jihad From Somalia, Answered in America The F.B.I. is looking into a group of Somali-Americans who are the focus of what may be the most significant domestic terrorism investigation since Sept. 11. 2 in Minnesota indicted in Somali recruiting	Naomi Wolf: 'Obama can lock any US citizen up without trial' Obama Admin. Supports End to Antibiotic Use to Spur Animal Growth The Obama administration announced Monday that it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals in hopes of reducing the spread of dangerous bacteria Obama threatens to veto law curbing White House secrecy Official: CIA hit squads’ goal was to put 'bullets in heads'; GOP senator wants program resurrected Secret CIA Program Targeted Senior Al Qaeda Leadership Don't Shoot -- The CIA's kill teams were modeled on Israel's hit squads A ferocious dispute between the CIA and congressional Democrats centers on an ultrasecret effort launched by agency officials after 9/11 to draw up plans to hunt down and kill terrorists using commando teams similar to those deployed by Israel after the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, according to a former senior U.S. official. Feinstein: CIA concealment may have broken the law Th e CIA's Bad Flashback THE CONSPIRACY: Between 1950 and 1975, the government conducted a series of risky top-secret experiments on American soldiers. The CIA and the military are thought to have tested as many as 400 chemical and biological substances including VX nerve agent, mustard gas, sarin, cyanide, LSD, and PCP on human guinea pigs—with frightening results. Gay Men Kicked Out Of Restaurant For Kissing... Cop Who Shows Up Tells Them Kissing Is Illegal White supremacist leader says half of his group has served in the military The leader of the white supremacist National Socialist Movement estimated Friday that half of his group's membership has at one time served in the military. Texas spends $2 million on border Webcams, only arrests 11
Connecticut
New law makes mortgage meltdown help mandatory Troubled Connecticut homeowners would be required to seek mediation services to keep their homes out of foreclosure under legislation signed into law this week by Republican Gov Conn. gov. seeks funds for Conn.-Mass. trains Connecticut is going after federal stimulus money to help fund rail service between New Haven and Springfield, Mass. Rell Signs 3 Bills To Help Homeowners With Mortgage Payments	Conn. cops investigate possible cockfighting Blumenthal blasts JRC for executive bonus plan -- A federal bankruptcy court decision to allow the Journal Register Co. to award some $1.3 million in bonuses to its top executives has Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal crying foul.JRC, the parent company of Housatonic Publications in New Milford, filed for Chapter 11 protection in February. No Place to Hide for Sex Offenders Gov. Rell signed a bill Monday that requires school superintendents to be informed when a sex offender moves into town.
United States
Security Issues US military: Gays not welcome; white supremacists okay? A Call to Jihad From Somalia, Answered in America The F.B.I. is looking into a group of Somali-Americans who are the focus of what may be the most significant domestic terrorism investigation since Sept. 11. 2 in Minnesota indicted in Somali recruiting Texas spends $2 million on border Webcams, only arrests 11 White supremacist leader says half of his group has served in the military The leader of the white supremacist National Socialist Movement estimated Friday that half of his group's membership has at one time served in the military. Army suicides set record-breaking pace 'Dangerous' inmates tunnel out of prison Indiana authorities were searching Monday for two murderers and a rapist who apparently tunneled out of a maximum security prison in Michigan City. A Tech Fix For Illegal Government Snooping? Courts The CIA's Bad Flashback THE CONSPIRACY: Between 1950 and 1975, the government conducted a series of risky top-secret experiments on American soldiers. The CIA and the military are thought to have tested as many as 400 chemical and biological substances including VX nerve agent, mustard gas, sarin, cyanide, LSD, and PCP on human guinea pigs—with frightening results. Drug War Censorship in California: Marijuana Ad Campaign Rejected by TV Stations Cops Break Man's Neck Trying To Stop Him From Swallowing Drugs Environment 27 Arrested For Erecting Anti-Logging Blockade in Oregon The blockade in the Elliott State Forest began on Monday and continued until yesterday when the last of the protesters were arrested. The activists were blocking access to a timber sale on 79 acres of forest land. They say logging practices in the Elliot are damaging old-growth forests and endangering spotted owls.[includes rush transcript] Feds ban krill fishing to save it for the whales No one fishes for krill off the West Coast, and federal fisheries managers want to keep it that way so the tiny shrimp-like creatures remain as plentiful as possible as food for whales, salmon, and seabirds.	Corporate Greed U.S., UBS Negotiating Settlement of Tax Case on 52,000 (Swiss) Accounts Lawyer Gets 20 Years in $400 Million Fraud Marc S. Dreier, a prominent New York lawyer, was sentenced on Monday in an elaborate scheme in which investors lost more than $400 million. Media Lawyer says victims of phone hacking could sue The publisher of a British tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch denied on Friday a report that it had accessed the voice mail of celebrities and politicians and tried to suppress evidence of the hacking UK phone hacking scandal: The News of the World didn't go far enough Herb Kohl's Message to Telecoms: Break it Up Kohl sent a letter to the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission asking them to investigate whether big wireless companies are engaged in anti-competitive practices. Unlike many other lawmakers, however, Kohl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee, does not rely on telecoms to fill his campaign coffers. Olbermann Awards "World's Worst Person" To Pastor Who Admits Praying For Obama's Death Civil Rights Police find icon's casket, more empty plots at historic cemetery {Emmett Till} Gay Men Kicked Out Of Restaurant For Kissing... Cop Who Shows Up Tells Them Kissing Is Illegal Civil Rights Group Divided Over Gay Marriage The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization, is seeking to remove the president of its Los Angeles chapter in response to his support of same-sex marriage. Swim club invites back minority day-care kids A suburban Philadelphia swim club has invited children from a largely minority day-care center to come back after a June reversal that fueled allegations of racism against the club, a spokeswoman said Sunday. U.S. Allies Embrace Gay Military Personnel Barnes and Noble anti-union administration manuals, 2004-2006 Police New Evidence Surfaces in Post-Katrina Crimes Television news reports are casting new light on the violence that flourished in New Orleans in the anarchic days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005

Science
Vast majority of scientists say Bush Administration suppressed research; Just 6% now identify as GOP Dozens Of Huge Squid Wash Up On San Diego Beach After Earthquake New flu "unstoppable", WHO says, calls for vaccine Saying the new H1N1 virus is "unstoppable", the World Health Organization gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain on Monday and said healthcare workers should be the first to get one.	How food industry spurs overeating Overeating doesn't only affect people who are overweight. Former FDA chief Dr. David Kessler reveals how the food industry and its scientists really operate Stub your toe? Say ‘Sh#!’ You’ll feel better Shouting swear words can have a powerful pain-killing effect, especially among women, according to a new study published in NeuroReport. Why America is flunking science Online magazine says poor education not lone problem; blames politics, pop culture
Politics
Senate David Brooks: GOP Senator 'Had His Hand On My Inner Thigh' For 'Whole' Dinner Party (VIDEO) Roland Burris To Give Up Senate Seat Karl Rove Finally Goes Under Oath US senate grills judicial nominee Sotomayor calls abortion rights 'settled law' Four Protesters Arrested During Sotomayor Hearing Senate confirms Obama's pick to lead 2010 census House House Overwhelmingly Rejects Obama Signing Statement GOP joins murky math on stimulus jobs House Republicans on Friday declared the nation's economic stimulus efforts a "dismal failure." But the convoluted math they used to disparage the recovery is as murky and meaningless as the White House formula championing the stimulus GOPer: 'If you want to act like niggers...' Newly-elected Gloucester County GOP Chairman Bill Fey and Assembly Majority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) have called on Lucas to drop out of the race amidst other allegations of racially insensitive remarks. Don't expect Lucas to leave the race anytime soon. Defense Report: Pentagon 'Savings' Plan Will Cost Millions Defense Dept plan to save over $1Bil held back by costs, delayed deadlines. CIA eyes Wall Street workers The worst economic recession in generations has come as a boon for the CIA, which is targeting Wall Street workers to boost its pool of financially literate spies. Economics has been a top priority for the Central Intelligence Agency, which has been updating President Barack Obama through a daily economic intelligence briefing since February. GITMO/Abu Ghraib/Bahgram Attorney General May Open Interrogation Inquiry The attorney general is considering assigning a prosecutor to investigate whether government personnel tortured terrorism suspects after 9/11, an official said. UK police investigating Gitmo detainee's claims Police said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation to determine if British intelligence officers were aware of the treatment of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who claims he was tortured while being detained in Guantanamo, Pakistan and Morocco. US 'waterboarding' row rekindled (Bush gave written approval before memos issued)	Illegal Bush Activities New Documents: Bush Authorized Surveillance Programs Beyond Wiretaps President George W. Bush authorized other secret intelligence activities _ which have yet to become public _ even as he was launching the massive warrentless wiretapping program, the summary said. It describes the entire program as the "President's Surveillance Program." NYT: Cheney linked to hiding of CIA project Panetta terminated secret program Panetta orders internal CIA probe Ex-CIA boss: Congress knew of surveillance Secret CIA Program Targeted Senior Al Qaeda Leadership Feinstein: CIA concealment may have broken the law Most PSP Leads Were Determined Not to Have Any Connection to Terrorism’ The Bush administration called its warrantless surveillance efforts “very, very important to protect the national security of this country,” in the words of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2005. Today’s inspectors general report on the President’s Surveillance Program doesn’t really substantiate that assessment. “[M]ost PSP leads were determined not to have any connection to terrorism,” according to the Justice Department’s inspector general CIA chief nixed plan to kill Al-Qaeda targets: report A secret Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives, according to former intelligence officials familiar with the matter. Official: CIA hit squads’ goal was to put 'bullets in heads'; GOP senator wants program resurrected Don't Shoot -- The CIA's kill teams were modeled on Israel's hit squads A ferocious dispute between the CIA and congressional Democrats centers on an ultrasecret effort launched by agency officials after 9/11 to draw up plans to hunt down and kill terrorists using commando teams similar to those deployed by Israel after the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, according to a former senior U.S. official. Federal Reserve/Bailouts Goldman Execs Sold $700M Of Stock, Most Of It During Bailout
Obama
Obama threatens to veto law curbing White House secrecy Does a Senior Obama Official Have Unseemly Ties to Notorious Human Rights Abuser Chevron? The story of this slick oil company's romance with the government has recently taken a crude twist. Obama Admin. Supports End to Antibiotic Use to Spur Animal Growth The Obama administration announced Monday that it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals in hopes of reducing the spread of dangerous bacteria AIG discussing remaining 2008 bonus payouts with Obama's compensation czar Obama picks Alabama doctor as surgeon general President Barack Obama turned to the Deep South for the next surgeon general, a rural Alabama family physician who made headlines with fierce determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina Naomi Wolf: 'Obama can lock any US citizen up without trial'	Obama considers bailout for small business The Obama administration is considering using money from the $700 billion financial bailout fund to provide further assistance to the nation's struggling small businesses. Clinton Chafes At White House Vetting Process: "Nightmare" Obama's Car Czar Steps Down Obama Orders Review of 2001 Afghanistan Massacre Obama has said that the incident, where hundreds of Taliban prisoners were killed and buried in a mass grave, may not have been properly investigated. Why'd Obama fire investigator probing Sacramento mayor? Why Gerald Walpin was fired by President Barack Obama as inspector general investigating the Sacramento mayor for misuse of federal grant funds is still unclear. Walpin believes he was fired for doing his job. His detractors say he was booted for a series of clashes with officials at the company that oversees Americorps.
Economy	NEW Click for Economic Statistics
May Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Drops to $26B Trade deficit unexpectedly narrows to $26 billion in May, lowest level in more than 9 years Deficit Nation: Tops $1T for First Time Federal budget deficit tops $1 trillion for first time, could reach $2 trillion by fall Goldman Sachs Likely To Post Huge Profits, Analysts Say Goldman's Resurgent, But Will Taxpayers Get Their Money Back Goldman Sachs To Pay Record Bonuses Goldman, Banks Cheer Escape From TARP Restrictions The Great American Bubble Machine The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it's everywhere. The world's most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.	Geithner urges derivatives curbs US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wants to see tighter control over the trading of complex financial derivatives. Morgan Stanley unit agrees to pay $2.3 million to Fla. for gas-price gouging during hurricane Obama: Unemployment Likely To Keep Ticking Up Gas prices drop for the fourth straight week SEC to create group to check rating agencies The Securities and Exchange Commission has created a new group of examiners to oversee credit rating agencies, which came under sharp criticism for their role during the financial crisis Crude oil price falls below $60

Iraq	Map of Iraq
Friday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 5 Wounded Saturday: 18 Iraqis Killed, 82 Wounded Sunday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 36 Wounded; US Ambassador Unhurt In Blast Monday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 15 Wounded 36 Killed, 84 Wounded is Recent Talafar Blast Casualties Bombs Kill 12 in Mosul US to Resettle 1,350 Iraqi-Palestinian Refugees Bombs Kill 6 and Wound 67 in Iraqi Cities 7 US troops, linguist wounded in blast in Iraq 'Get up you ape' – video reveals abuse of Iraqi prisoners by British soldier Seized weapons report from Iraq, 14 Feb 2008 Iraq Wants Iran to Account for 35,000 Soldiers Reported Missing in 1st Gulf War	Mosul 2 Blasts Toll Reaches 45 Sadrist MP Demands al-Maliki Remove Concrete Blocks from Sadr City Kurds Defy Baghdad, Laying Claim to Land and Oil With little notice, Kurdistan is moving forward on a new constitution, alarming some Iraqis and Americans. US Iraq troops charged in filming women in shower US ambassador to Iraq unhurt by convoy bomb Sandstorms, drought hobble once-fertile Iraq Iraqi lawmaker blames Kurds for bomb attacks An Iraqi lawmaker on Sunday blamed Kurdish militias for a recent series of lethal attacks near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which have raised political tensions in the area. To Many Iraqis, U.S. Troops Have Not Faded Away Nearly two weeks after U.S. combat troops officially pulled out of Iraq's cities, the government in Baghdad says the arrangement is going smoothly. Many Iraqis, however, aren't so sure and are questioning why American soldiers are still on their streets.
Middle East
Israel/Palestine Israeli Military Fires Tear Gas On Unarmed Protesters Parliamentary parties call to delay demographic census in Kirkuk A number of parliamentary parties asked to delay a demographic census in Kirkuk in fear of demographic balance change against the favor of Turkmen, Arabs and minorities in the province. Kurdistan Alliance members called to prove such changes by evidence affirming that Shabak and Yazidis are Kurdish ... Al-Qaddoumi: 'Abbas Was Involved In Arafat Assassination PLO political bureau head Farouq Al-Qaddoumi stated that Palestinian Authority President chairman Mahmoud 'Abbas and senior Fatah official Muhammad Dahlan were involved in the assassination of Yasser Arafat. Lebanese Daily: Hizbullah Much Stronger Since August 2006 Yemen sentences six to death as al-Qaida members	Senior Ku Klux Klan member arrested in Tel Aviv apartment (FBI '100 Most Wanted' list) Militant convicted in US diplomat killing in Amman 1982 memo shows Israel learned little from first Lebanon War Sunday is the third anniversary of the start of the Second Lebanon War. When you go into a second war, it is tempting to believe that something has been learned from the first, and you try to avoid the same mistakes Netanyahu turns to Nazi language \| Peter Beaumont It is not the word "Judenfrei" – equally offensive – that Netanyahu used but its even stronger and more despicable companion. A word, under the Nazi race laws, that meant all trace of Jewish ancestry had been removed. The justification for its employment has been somewhat historically self-serving, arguing two things. First, it contends that because Jewish communities historically lived on the West Bank and in Jerusalem before 1967 (over 3,000 years except for 19 years of Jordanian occupation between 1948 and 1967, according to this argument) any insistence on the removal of the settlements would amount to a de facto ethnic cleansing.
Afghanistan	Map of Afghanistan
REPORT: BUSH ADMIN. AVERTED PROBE OF CIA-BACKED, MASS AFGHAN SLAUGHTER U.S. Inaction Seen After Taliban P.O.W.’s Died Bush administration officials are said to have repeatedly discouraged efforts to investigate a 2001 mass killing in Afghanistan by the forces of a U.S.-backed warlord. Pentagon 'terrorist suspect' talking to Karzai Haji Sahib Rohullah Wakil spends his days going from one high-level official meeting to another with the swagger of a tribal elder, advocating for the needs of Kunar province, his home region. The Afghan Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. Hanged bodies of three Taliban found Sources told The News that the body of Mustafa, a local resident and Taliban militant, was hanging from the electricity pole in the main square Crooked Afghan police challenge Marines Afghan villagers had complained to the U.S. Marines for days: The police are the problem, not the Taliban. They steal from villagers and beat them. Days later, the Marines learned firsthand what the villagers meant. Helicopter crash kills six in Afghanistan; two Marines die in separate incident Soldier: Obama not U.S. born, can't send me to Afghanistan In a 20-page filing in U.S. District Court in Georgia, Army Major Stefan Cook said he doesn't believe Obama is a natural-born citizen of the United States and therefore is ineligible to serve as commander-in-chief of U.S Armed Forces. Cook wants his deployment to Afghanistan halted and the Army forced to grant him conscientious objector status.	Five more UK dead in Afghanistan Suicide bombings paralyze Peshawar The Pakistani city has been hit hard by militants' retaliatory attacks as a government offensive against the Taliban continues. Markets and parks are silent, and workers refuse night shifts. Osama is in Afghanistan: Pak minister Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and other top operatives of the terrorist network are hiding in Afghanistan, probably in Kunar area, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said, describing as futile US drone attacks within his country as no "big fish" was present there. American service member killed in Afghan attack Official says British kill over 197 Afghan Taliban Top Taliban commanders killed, Fazlullah injured' Pentagon 'terrorist suspect' talking to Karzai Haji Sahib Rohullah Wakil spends his days going from one high-level official meeting to another with the swagger of a tribal elder, advocating for the needs of Kunar province, his home region. After brutal police rule, Afghans see Taliban as 'liberators' British government criticized over Afghanistan equipment Britain's defense secretary faced angry questions in parliament on Monday over the shortage of vital military equipment in Afghanistan, where 15 British soldiers have been killed in the past two weeks. New peril for British troops in Afghanistan: Taliban have learned modern warfare
Pakistan	Map of Pakistan
New Kashmir protests over murder Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Indian-administered Kashmir, following the alleged murder of a young woman. Blast in Pakistan Kills Seven Children Studying Koran Explosion Kills 17 in Eastern Pakistan Pakistan to try Mumbai suspects Pakistan to try Mumbai suspects	Indians among 18 killed in Taliban attack: Pak TV 2 LeT operatives caught in J&K The army in Jammu and Kashmir has caught two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives. The two militants – Shafakat and Adnan – are from Pakistan and were held in Kupwara district. Operation is still on to trace the route the operatives followed. They Infiltrated into Kashmir through Lippa Valley in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
Asia
Muslim women lead protests in restive west China Turkey attacks China 'genocide' Turkey's prime minister says ethnic violence in China's Xinjiang region is "a kind of genocide", as the death toll passes 180. CHINA LOCKS UP UIGHUR WORKERS Uighurs defy Urumqi mosque closure KKK infiltrates Aussie political wing China Spy Case Linked to Mining Price Dispute China’s detention of Rio Tinto employees reportedly relates to the mining company’s negotiations with Chinese steel makers over iron ore prices. Korean leader Kim 'has cancer' North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has life-threatening pancreatic cancer, a South Korean TV news channel says. China To Stop Shock Therapy On Internet Addicts Chinese police kill two Uighurs Tajik ex-minister dies in ambush A former Tajik government minister who allegedly joined a drug-trafficking gang has been shot dead by the group.	China bans Urumqi mosque prayers China has ordered mosques in its restive western city of Urumqi not to open for Friday prayers. The order comes after several days of ethnic violence between Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese. 'Hundreds dying' in Sri Lanka camp UK newspaper report tells of dire conditions in camp for Tamil civilians displaced by war. American shot dead at Freeport mine in Indonesia Unknown assailants shot and killed a 29-year-old American working at Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.'s mine in Indonesia's restive Papua province on Saturday. China arrests 'concern' Australia Trade minister presses for information on mining giant employees detained for "spying". Are we all smiling nicely? Japanese firm to check up on staff A Japanese train company is to scan the faces of staff to ensure that they are smiling enough Most Xinjiang dead Han Chinese Some three-quarters of the victims of the violence in China's Xinjiang region were ethnic Han Chinese, official figures show.
Europe
'Rude' French seen as world's worst tourists A new survey has found that hotel owners view French tourists as the meanest and rudest in the world. Al-Qaeda releases Swiss hostage Western Gas Pipeline Secures European Support European governments signed an agreement with Turkey Monday for a gas pipeline that would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. LCD flat-screen makers charged with price fixing LG and Philips among electronic groups accused by European Commission of operating a cartel	French workers threaten to blow up factory German convicted of al-Qaida membership A German man of Pakistani heritage was convicted Monday of membership in al-Qaida and sentenced to eight years in prison for his active support of the terrorist group. South Park censored for making fun of Vladimir Putin A Russian TV channel cut a segment of the cartoon South Park that appeared to mock Vladimir Putin. The channel 2X2 cut material that portrayed the prime minister as greedy and desperate, a network spokesman admitted.
Africa
Somali Islamist Insurgents Behead 7 People Nigerian group claims oil attack Nigeria's most prominent militant group says it has blown up a Chevron pipeline only recently repaired after a previous attack. Liberia's Charles Taylor Begins His War Crimes Defense Nigerian oil attack 'kills five' Nigeria releases key rebel leader Nigerian militant leader Henry Okah is freed from jail days after accepting an amnesty offer from the government.	UK firm admits Africa corruptionA British engineering company admits it was involved in overseas corruption and breaching UN sanctions Nairobi water 'stolen for farms' Authorities in Kenya's capital say they have unearthed a syndicate stealing water to irrigate farms at a time of acute shortages. Somalia: 43 killed in clashes between government forces and rebels Fighting ends Zimbabwe meeting A conference aimed at framing a new constitution for Zimbabwe is broken up by police amid fighting between rival factions.
The Americas
Gunmen launch deadly raids in Mexico Gunmen carried out deadly attacks against federal police in six cities in Michoacan state after a suspected drug cartel operative is captured Mexican gangs gun down police in eight cities Coordinated attacks in at least eight Mexican cities killed three federal police officers and two soldiers Saturday in what officials called an unprecedented onslaught by drug gangs. The attacks were in retribution for the capture early Saturday of Arnoldo Rueda Medina, a high-ranking member of the Michoacan Family drug gang, the state-run Notimex news agency reported, citing federal police Colombian paramilitaries admits to killing 21,000 US deports 'minister for cocaine' to Bolivia	Chile to push for chopper deal with Russia despite U.S. pressure Fujimori fights corruption charges Former Peru leader says he is not "legally responsible" for $15m bonus paid to spy chief. Kids recant abuse claims after dad jailed 20 years Former Vancouver police officer Clyde Ray Spencer spent nearly 20 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually molesting his son and daughter. Now, the children say it never happened. Iran's invisible Nicaragua embassy For months, the reports percolated in Washington and other capitals. Iran was constructing a major beachhead in Nicaragua as part of a diplomatic push into Latin America, featuring huge investment deals, new embassies and even TV programming from the Islamic republic.