NEWSGRID JANUARY 2005

FEBRUARY 3, 2005

WAR IRAQ On the ground:
U.S. toll + Zarqawi Barely Avoids Capture in Iraq -Minister + 12 Iraqi Soldiers Killed in Ambush in the North + 28 Dead as Iraq Insurgents Launch Fresh Attacks + Insurgents Ambush 50-Strong Iraqi Police Convoy + Civilian Killed in Iraq Is Identified + 4 Out of 10 Desert New Iraqi Security Force When Under Fire + Why Did That Hercules Crash in Iraq? + Explosives on board RAF C-130K may be blamed + Despite Progress in War on Terror, Extremist Ideologies Hard to Fight + Rumsfeld Says Election Success May Embolden Ordinary Iraqis to Oppose Insurgents + U.S. condoned Iraq oil smuggling + Orders of battle + Juan Cole reports

Election: In a Second-Floor Room, Iraq's Vote Slowly Unfolds + Low Voting Rate Risks Isolation for Sunni Iraqis + Sunni clerics seek role in new government. While condemning election, they will work with its results + 'Fuzzy Math' and the Iraqi Election + Deal-making begins on new Iraqi government

War prisons: Abu Ghraib Called Filthy and Volatile at Army Hearing + Judge: CIA Must Turn Over Detainee Records + Psychologist Says Abu Ghraib Conditions Ripe for Violence From Typical Soldiers
SEC OKs Use of Data-Tagged Corporate Reports

IRAN: Iran Tests Atomic Parts Despite Freeze + Diplomats: Iran Testing Centrifuge Parts

MIDDLE EAST: Abbas Says Palestinians to Call Cease-Fire; Israel Will Free 900 Prisoners + Mideast summit aims to keep up momentum. Egypt, Jordan ready to announce return of envoys to Israel + Sharon and Abbas Agree to Meet Tuesday in Egypt

RUSSIA: Pro-Moscow government dismisses Chechen rebel ceasefire 

Mikhail Gorbachev deeply disappointed in Putin

EUROPE: EU lawmakers want communist symbols banned

Saakashvili steps in as PM dies + Georgian Prime Minister 'killed by gas leak'

The New Kosovo War: Nebojsa Malic

'Democratic' Latvia refers to Nazis as lesser evil as opposed to those who liberated them of fascism

Whitehall still mired in 'culture of secrecy'

Why French Prez Jacques Chirac is a Closet Cowboy

AFRICA: Sudan: Officials Failed to Halt Deaths, U.N. Envoy Says

Businessman Takes Oath as President of Mozambique

Russia Might Send Peacekeepers to Sudan

ASIA PACIFIC:

China Environment Agency Takes On Giant Dam Corporation

Ancient tribes swept into the world by Tsunami

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Homeland Security seen hampered by bureaucracy, conflict

United Nations: All Players Gained From 'Oil-for-Food' + UN oil-for-food process 'tainted' + UN Oil-for-Food Chief Sevan Had `Grave' Conflict of Interest, Volcker Says

Atlas rocket lofts spy satellite for U.S.

Feds act out terror attack scenario

Night-vision goggles still missing at Fort Lewis

US Asks Saudi Arabia to Indict or Return Terror Suspect

Jane’s warns of new terror group more radical than Al-Qaeda Click.

Russian SAMs versus the U.S. Patriot

People Smugglers Moving Terrorists Around

Armed Robots That Think For Themselves

Master List Of Dead Scientists And Microbiologists

Iranian judiciary official: Israeli spy sentenced to 10 years in prison

Human intel vs. technology

FBI Urged to Scrap $170M Computer Project

We're going to do it again, says man behind Beslan bloodbath

Nuclear Evidence Could Point To Pakistan

Local execs stole secrets for Chinese

Al-Ashwa charged with spying for Hizbullah

Somaliland frees girl jailed for espionage

S. Korea's Spy Agency Picks 7 Cases for Reinvestigation

Kenney questions PM on espionage

Tel Aviv court charges Danish citizen with spying for Hezbollah

Fidesz mayor in spy charge

Committee to List Agenda of Probe into Spy Agency's Past

N. Korea May Have Sold Uranium + North Korea May Have Sent Libya Nuclear Material, U.S. Tells Allies

Saudi intelligence a "critical problem"- US report

2.2% need vetting; US reduces visa delays

Congress was told of DoD intel plan

Fear makes counter-terrorism book bestseller

Atta "was disturbed"

HOW LOW
THE
LAW GOES....

San Francisco: FBI sets up hot line for corruption tips re: local, state, federal

Gang trial tests reach of new laws on terror + Giving jobs to gang leaders + Cameras after gangsters

Connecticut Debates a Death Wish

Arizona: Doctors Arrested Over Bootleg Botox That Paralyzed 4

Woman Gets Prison and Fine for Philadelphia Airport Threat

Shanley: Rape, Assault Charges Against Ex-Priest Shanley Stand + Ex-Priest's Defense to Call Psychologist + Ex-Priest's Child Rape Trial Goes to Jury

Fewer Mexicans die trying to cross border

Background 'DWI' Checks Effective: Study Shows That Pilots Who Drink And Drive Are At Higher Risk To Crash Planes

New Zealand: International ring of perverts exposed but no arrests

Car Chase Tech That's Really Hot

Hunting Down E-Commerce Bandits

Did Zoloft Make Him Do It?

Bombing Suspect's Lawyers Claim 'numerous Deficiencies' at ATF Crime Labs

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Calif. Supreme Court to review $500 million verdict against Genentech

How dead can you get?

Court clears execution path for Crips founder, children's author

Top FBI Agent in L.A. Placed on Leave After Suicide of Former Girlfriend + Report: FBI agent set for transfer romantically linked to agent who committed suicide

Opinion: Close the youth prisons

Sacramento & north: Diana Griego Erwin: Oak Park resident kept low profile, but gun in his face was too much + Fair Oaks: Suspect held in long chase + Not-guilty plea in sex case involving Reno teenager + West Sac police want resident input + Train victim was West Sac man + Citrus Heights girl admits making up kidnap story + Yolo: Meth found in car; 3 men arrested + Stockton CYA staffers vow to fight for jobs

San Francisco, San Mateo: Click. Gary Thompson gets his job back. But the juvenile justice system is still a wreck. + Man who set son on fire testifies he needs gun. He explains fears, how he burned boy at '3 strikes' trial + Key may be key to recent rash of thefts at several parks. $20,000 in losses -- master opener may have been used

Alameda: Fremont: Food fight injures two + Fremont: Gun store thieves net more than 30 firearms + Fremont residents to discuss alarm policy + Unsolved murder baffles investigators + Fremont: 32 guns taken in break-in. Store owner blames new police policy brushing off alarms

Santa Clara: East Palo Alto crime task force unveils recommendations + Santa Clara: Mortally wounded dad dies in hospital + Sex crime Web site not for dates + Police seek man who used cards of victim + Police identify shooting victim + Massage therapist arrested on sex charge

Contra Costa: Martinez: Police search for missing foreign-exchange student + College student from Pleasant Hill dies in hazing + Man, 34, accused in sex crimes. Investigation leads to Richmond church + Martinez: No charges for man who took son from wife + Montara: $50,000 reward offer in post office robbery + Richmond: Ex-church janitor charged in sex abuse

Marin: Marin Judge Sutro rules Kaiser has right to evict patient Mrs. Nome

Sonoma: Ukiah sting nets 845 pot plants + D.A. drops rape case vs. video producer after judge bars tape as evidence

Napa: AmCan man sentenced, gets prison time for molesting then 13-year-old 'girlfriend'

Solano: Grant widow named executor of slain businessman's estate + Vallejo Police Calls

Monterey: Rescued cats recovering, no charges in hoarding case + Driver in fatal crash says he fled to call 911 + Teen was racing before crash, witness says

Central Valley: Split trial urged for home invasion defendant+ Lawsuit says priest molested two girls+ Peterson reimbursement among county's priorities + Law & Order

Central Coast: Moss Landing: Woman dies in police pursuit + Police link thefts to value of copper + Logging battle goes to Supreme Court + Cops and Courts

Southern California: L.A.. jail Called Deadly, Outdated + OC: Juror Reveals a Link to Haidl + Irvine: Two Charged in Involuntary Servitude Case of Girl in Garage + Anaheim: Hit-Run Deadly for Passenger, Police Say + Report criticizes LA's downtown Men's Central Jail over safety and staffing issues + Rapper Tray Deee gets 12 years in Long Beach shooting case + D.A. Decides Not to File Charges in Los Angeles Police Beating

Michael Jackson: Jurors' questionnaire scarcely addresses issues in molestation case, only 8 pages + Potential Jackson jurors quizzed on sex accusations

Robert Blake: Blake Defense Says Police Ignored Other Leads + Detective decided not to investigate most of men bilked by Bakley

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA....

The Governor:  Leaders and Gov. prepare to go east to lobby for state + Capitol Primed for War, Not Solutions + Walsh to Lead Gov.'s Planning, Research + Planning office leader named + Daniel Weintraub: Big bucks, trust and the tale of two governors + Other view: Discount drug plan for state falls short + State begs for transit funding + State set to push toll roads + Gov. touts special election plan to donors in Orange County Click.

Shelley: Hearing delayed + Shelley hearing delayed. Lawyers ask for time to review evidence

Jerry Brown's got $1.44M on hand for AG run

Burton considers run for state schools chief. $622,000 in fund gives him 'a leg up' in 2010 election Legislature: Bill would let abused kids testify on closed-circuit TV + Group wants air laws to refocus on individuals Click.

Privatizing state pensions, CalPERS: New way to calculate pensions sought + Angelides enlists allies + Angelides to fight Gov.'s pension plan + Gov.'s proposal for pension criticized + Angelides, others start national fight against changing pensions

State control of land use would boost California's marketability

Office of Criminal Justice planning missing $425 million: Click. Records are so bad, a real audit could not be done + Audit: Defunct agency misplaced millions + State office may owe U.S. millions

AdWatch: Hospital care's quality is focus of nurses' ad

CalSTRS pension fund is looking overseas

Caltrans officials make case for switching design of Bay Bridge

Indian tribes: Applicants sought for D-Q board + Indian gaming revenue unclear about billion in transportation revenue + River Rock casino liquor license hearing delayed + Pauma taps Hard Rock for casino project. Tribe must first reach agreement with county + Tribal deals fall far short of projections. Governor predicted $300 million in revenue this year, but challenge to compacts clogs gains + Yolo won't join tribal collective of counties + Lytton chairwoman touts casino employment outlook + NIGC wants to ensure tribes receive 'fair share'

LOCAL NEWS:   If NASA approves, UCSC will have new view of universe

Sacramento & north: A frat house death in Chico + Pledge dies in hazing at Chico fraternity. House was kicked off CSU campus in 2002 for infraction + Close watch on sex probe of Sacramento firefighters + Strip clubs irk Rancho Cordova

San Francisco, San Mateo: Union complains about high bonuses for UC hospital executives + UC faulted for paying millions in bonuses, Union says money for hospital officials could be better spent + Click. Mirant's claim of reduced land value could cost the city $8.5 million + Click. Affordable-housing developer faces scrutiny after fumbling before city panel + Editorial: Save the Harding Theater + 49ers help out with new Burton High field + St. Brigid slated for demolition + Pat Yankee's back, Ms. Stone's abroad + S.F. bonus for families earning IRS tax credit. First payments expected this fall + Supes seek to save St. Brigid Church. Landmark status could thwart archdiocese plan to raze, sell land to pay abuse suits + $200 in rebates on low-water fixtures + $600 in free drugs for eligible seniors

Alameda: Local Dems pan domestic vision + Union criticizes bonuses for executives at UC med centers + Newark board rejects cuts to child care + Livermore: Vote on Pardee development likely — but when? + Alameda 'Divas' are all in tune + Oakland enacts massage parlor moratorium + Firm is hired to audit Oakland cops overtime cost + Oakland airport parking fees will be highest in Bay Area + De La Fuente mayoral coffers flush + Candidates queue for Pleasanton election + Pleasanton council raises glass to pub + North Livermore petitions filed + Dublin's Ybarra earns city award for heroism + Dublin apartment conversion vote delayed + New speed-sensitive signal being set up near Livermore. Motorists rushing on country roads to avoid I-580 jams + Berkeley: Blacks favored in public housing, U.S. says. City urged to recruit more UC students -- official 'stunned' + Oakland moves to limit massage parlors

Santa Clara: Anxious tenants await fate of mobile homes + P.A. woman's body found in Florida woods + East P.A. extends limits on condos + Beloved BBQ purveyor tries to smoke out $100,000 + Mayoral hopeful aiming at labor + Weimers: Still a market for good peach + Hacienda Gardens going wrong way + Chow down on crab

Contra Costa: Richmond to answer audit + Brentwood eatery's art upsets patron + Pinole: Small dogs to get their own park

Marin: 'Chapel' in Canal Area to be torn down today + Local leaders assail pension proposal + Rare plant species nearly wiped out by Marin County work crews clearing culvert

Sonoma: Cotati fight re: big box totals nearly $690,000 + Healdsburg council seeks wireless Internet access for Plaza + Thompson, Woolsey accuse Bush of using scare tactics + RP may oust city manager next week + Some Santa Rosa seniors leery of plan for personal accounts + If they walk to dinner, all the better

Napa: Chardonnay golf course to reopen with tiny staff, despite court proceedings + Browns Valley most at risk due to slow fire response + Candidates team up in hopes of changing Napa politics

Solano: Area reaction to overhaul is subdued + County housing still shy of needs + AmCam reconsiders EDC pact + Waterfront group plans Valentine's ball

Monterey: Salinas, Caltrans work together in plan to preserve downtown trees + Holman Ranch's McEwen mourned + Pacific Grove Planning Commission nominee withdraws + Watsonville woman dies in Highway 1 crash + + Salvage crew hopes to raise sunken yacht today + A hope for Salinas libraries? + Carmel Valley incorporation backers seek return of state funding

Central Valley: Stanislaus County tops in heart deaths + Woman finds strength above+ Office complex may get housing+ Applications by freshmen record at UC + Hughson rethinks principal's transfer + Modesto firefighter hurt in blaze + MJC weekly series makes science fun+ Turlock temple planned + Putting school on cropland under fire + He's my hero; he also is my little brother+ Stockton covets warship+ Soldier, high-schooler represent Central Valley+ News & Notes+ Around the Region+ Community Briefing + Kiernan Business Park should exclude housing + Post office not suitable for a homeless shelter + Report grim on Central Valley flood risks Click. + Bakersfield: Price tag for Parra-Gardner race $4 million Click.

Central Coast: News from Central Coast + Student’s choice: Good grades or family + Trees cut down, upsetting La Selva Beach residents + Local politicians mixed on State of the Union speech + Coast Lines

Southern California: Head Start must make budget cuts + Parks would halt DWP rate hikes + Parks Vows to Freeze Rates + King/Drew Hospital Faces Loss of Funding + Federal medical agency warns that troubled South LA hospital may lose funding + LA mayoral Candidates Promising the World + Judge Upholds S.D. Mayoral Election + State judge upholds San Diego mayor's re-election + Los Alamitos Seeks Details on Base Plan + Howie's Ranch Customers Find Old-Fashioned Market Super + Placentia City Council to Take Charge of OnTrac + After the Pothole Gave Him a Jolt, Things Got Downright Nasty + LA Council Approves Hike in Sewer Fees + Proposed cuts by forestry offiicals to ground portions of air tanker fleet Click. + LA will investigate potential fraud in the cases of 35 of more than 5,800 former public safety employees who retired with disability pensions Click.

School days: A Matter of Principal + OC: Santiago school's Charter Is Intact for Now + More High School Seniors Apply for UC's Fall Term + UC Davis sees 4% drop in applicants + School districts make some cuts from the top + Fremont: Fund-raisers keep music in schools + Second study criticizes high cost of textbooks + Budget chief for Mill Valley schools + Oakland teacher to speak at black forum + Foster youths receive aid for college + Mt. Diablo schools face struggle + Editorial: SFUSD's bond mess + Vallejo: Sports facing ax? + Fewer out-of-state UC freshman applicants + Contra Costa: Free help filling out college-aid forms + If NASA approves, UCSC will have new view of universe

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Vietnam Moves to Curb Bird Flu + Vietnam appeals for bird flu help + Bird flu kills Cambodian woman


Spinal Cord Key to Sexual Dysfunction

Researchers Develop 'Biological Pacemaker'

New treatment zaps killer cancer, study says

Suicide Rate Down in the Era of Prozac

Sodium imbalance can have severe effects

Napans with spinal injuries hear how estrogen may lead to a cure

Autism network seeks to improve level of care nationwide

First defense in fighting kidney disease: Awareness

FDA has questions for Xcyte about design of drug trial

Biotech Falls Short in Farming, Group Says

Dispersal Or Drift? More To Plant Biodiversity Than Meets The Eye

New Language Points To Foundations Of Human Grammar

Chemists Create 'Superbowl' Molecule; May Lead To Better Health

Scientists Reveal Cells' 'Energy Factories' Linked To Cancer

Gene With Broad Role Also Causes Prevalent, Inherited Nerve Disorder

What Does An Airline Traveler Have In Common With A Glowing Fish?

Drinking Water Smarts

Slowing Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Vitamins

One contact can correct for distance while the other does close-up

VCU Research Shows Erectile Dysfunction Drug Reduces Death Of Heart Cells In Heart Attack Model

Structure Of A Conserved RNA Element In The SARS Virus Genome Determined

New Research Could Help Physicians Tailor Asthma Therapy In Children

More Homeless Mentally Ill Than Expected According To UCSD Study: Interventions Urged

Problems In The Bedroom Can Indicate Heart Problems

Screening For Osteoporosis Prevents Hip Fractures In Older Adults

NYU Biologists Find New Function For Pacemaker Neurons

Researchers Find New Genes Necessary To Make Embryo

Whisker Velocity Patterns Tell Rats What They're Feeling

Discovery Promises Simpler Therapy For Sickle Cell Disease

Calcium And Vitamin D Most Effective For Treatment Of Crohn's-related Bone Loss

A 'gene's kiss' turns on puberty

Microsoft's New Search Engine Falls Flat

Sun plans to start auctioning capacity

Inventor made millions on pop top

The Cell Chip - how will MS and Intel face the music?

Botnets strangle Google Adwords campaigns

Repair Costs for Hubble Are Vexing to Scientists

Computation Provides A Virtual Recording Of Auditory Signaling

CSIRO Finds A Way To Get More Out Of Old Cars

Brit Flying Car Earns Its Wings

Dyslexia Slows Drivers' Reactions

Scientists Find Evidence Of Electrical Charging Of Nanocatalysts

Report scorns Beagle 2 decision

Scientists Find Missing Matter

THE BUSHWORLD...

Bush Takes His Social Security Proposal to Voters in North Dakota, Montana

Bush to Propose Tightest Budget of Presidency + Bush Budget to Curb Domestic Spending Below Inflation Rate

Bush: Iran 'Primary Sponsor of Terror'

Rice heads to Mideast and Europe in new role

Bush Hints Election May Facilitate Exit From Iraq Top Military Officials Say US Forces Strained

Elliott Abrams Named Deputy National Security Adviser

Ideologues poised to kill social gains, rights leader says. Dems urged to bar picks for high court chief

Rep. Doolittle, 4 others miss speech for security reasons

Laura Bush to Shepherd Program for Troubled Boys

Carlyle group prepares for next generation

State of the Union: In Speech, Bush Sketches a Bold Domestic and Foreign Agenda + Confident, diplomatic presentation of plans + A closer look at some of president's assertions + Sacrifice Of The Union

Social security: White House notes plan lacks solutions for shortfall + Republicans Say the Sales Pitch Is in the Details + Here's how Bush's plan would work + Social Security proposal finds a wary audience + Democrats' reply: Plan 'immoral'

Nominations: Prisoner Policy Put Bush's Lawyer on Rocky Road to Justice Department + GOP Sees Breakthrough in Gonzales' Confirmation + Ridge's Likely Successor Welcomed + Bush nominee parries torture queries. Would-be chief of homeland security says he did not discuss details of interrogations + Homeland Security Nominee Grilled on the Hill

Congress: DeLay Critic Removed From Ethics Committee + Fazio out of running for base-closure panel + Pombo: Ocean trust fund not likely + Lawmaker makes history: speaking Spanish in Senate. Martinez pays tribute to attorney general nominee Gonzales

Democrats: Party says it's time to stand and fight + A year later, Dean fits leadership role + Dean for DNC chairman? Yeeaarrgghh! + Sen. Clinton's frank talk on abortion

OPINIONS:

Kennedy, Harts: Pentagon still failing to protect the troops

Morford: Come See Our Brutal Democracy

Domestic, Foreign Agenda Run Counter to Fiscal Goals

Bush's Case for Equal Justice

Margaret Carlson: Sex, Politics and President Hillary

Max Boot: George Bush Talks Big, and He Delivers

Living Under the Bombs:DahrJamail

The Shi'ite Earthquake: Juan Cole

Miller & Chalabi, Together Again: Jack Shafer

Judith Miller and Ahmed Chalabi, Together Again

Ted Rall: What would Republican Jesus do? Click.

Sheryl McCarthy: So far, Boxer stages a rebellion of one Click.

Fred Cederholm: A dangerous game of global poker Click.

David Corn: The State of George W. Bush Click.

Maureen Dowd: Inherit the windbags

Click. Exploding the myth of the Bushes as an all-American family

President Warbucks rides again

Waxing messianic

Noam Chomsky: The US occupation

Molly Ivins: Noble ideas, nasty actions

MILITARY  Army Considers Extending Reserve

Pakistan Army Denies Directing U.S. Artillery Fire

Pentagon Won't Extend Reservists' Deployment

New Mexico: Life Insurance for Guard Members Underwritten

Marines Fall Short of Recruiting Goal, Cite Parents' War Worries

UK: Commando admits he inflicted brutal rituals on soldier

UK: Naval officer charged over child images

Seven soldiers face Iraq murder charge

LEAKGATES  Justice and 9-11

Did September 11 Cause a Constitutional Paradigm Shift?


Marjie Lundstrom: Worrying signs suggest First Amendment faces second-class status Click.

Marine General: It's Fun to Shoot People + Marine general counseled for saying "it's fun to shoot some people ...

UK's ID Card Plan Could Violate Human Rights Law

Blair Defends House Arrest Plans

Controversial Ward Churchill lecture

Congress Ready to Dramatically Boost Indecency Fines

Blood for pork....

Defense boosts Northrop's bottom line

G.E., Halliburton Stop Doing Business in Iran + Halliburton and Iran

Halliburton Proves Expensive for US

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Fed cranks up rate 0.25% again

Gates Ogles China in Davos

Ex-Chief of Big Board Had 'Unfettered Authority'

Big surge in homes costing $1 million. San Francisco Bay Area's sales rise 73% as low rates lure more buyers

The traps in amnesty for taxes

Views From Space Help Oil Prospectors See Deep Underground

Googling the Bottom Line

What's really at stake with IBM-Lenovo

SEC OKs Use of Data-Tagged Corporate Reports

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Northern Women: Tough Enough

Crazy Radio. Mental institution's station gives its patients a voice

New Take on Winchester Mystery

Vatican No. 2, Experienced in Behind-the-Scenes Diplomatic Missions, Now More in Spotlight + Pope's Deteriorating Health Raises Questions About What Happens if He Can No Longer Carry Out Duties

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:  San Francisco gay group defends right to arms. Pink Pistols oppose ballot issue backed by supervisors

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

WHITE HOUSE FRIENDLY REPORTER UNDER SCRUTINY

Angry Talk Radio Callers -- Unite!

Martha Stewart to mirror Trump. She'll run her own 'Apprentice' show

Watching TV May Soon Be Like Being There

Federal Shield Law Introduced in House

Today's papers



Vincent van Gogh The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Everything the Getty offers, in the palm of your hand

Anchored in Bar Harbor

Cuzco: Climb and punishment

Getty's lost psalter

Retirees Find More for Less in Panama

Wheelin' and dealin'

Neck Face is not a crackhead

San Francisco Independent Film Festival

Nature photographer Frans Lanting shows the extreme side of Hawaii

National Gallery unveils interactive art experience

500-year-old Tudor garden discovered

A SoHo Birthday

Louis Menand on Hollywood books

The real Macbeth was not all toil and trouble

Battle rages over Irish Celtic site

Rush & Molloy: Leona's small dog now a medium?

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Dogg-ed drive for charity

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

JANUARY 28, 2005

WAR IRAQ On the ground:
U.S. Helicopter Crashes in Southwest Baghdad + On Campaign Trail, a Single Shot + Violence rolls across Sunni region+ 5 U.S. Soldiers, 5 Iraqis Killed in Attacks in Baghdad + Iraqis capture 3 al-Zarqawi associates + Iraq closer to capturing Zarqawi with arrests of top aides: deputy PM + U.S. toll in Iraq, 1,418 + Displaced Militants Adapt, Widen Their Scope + In Insurgent Search, Marines Sift the Facts + Orders of battle + Juan Cole reports

Election: Iraq Says It's Winning War on Terror as Polls Near + In Armored Vehicles, U.S. Troops Tell Iraqis to Vote + It's time to vote: Stock up on food, and grab your gun.  + Ominous campaign literature makes rounds + Shiite parties prepare list of potential leaders + Elections begin yearlong political march in Iraq+ Few expatriates will cast ballots + Iraq expatriate voter registration a success+ Iraqis Trickle to U.S. Voting Venues + Blitz of TV ads rolls + 25,946 Iraqis expected to vote in U.S. + New Iraqi forces face security test at polls + Allawi prepares to tough it out + Analysis: Antonio Castaneda + Critics See Hypocrisy in China's Support for Baghdad Elections + How to Assess and Understand Election Days Results and Turnout

War prisons: Prisoner Released From Guantanamo Bay

AFGHANISTAN: Soldier Shoots Dead 5 Comrades in Afghan Base Attack

MIDDLE EAST: Israeli Army 'Reducing Operations' in W. Bank, Gaza + Palestinians restrict guns. Ban on civilians carrying arms is aimed at militants

RUSSIA: Putin's rating hits all-time low as retirees continue massive protests

EUROPE: Click. What does the UK education secretary see in the controversial Opus Dei group?

EU Ministers Promise to Tackle Anti-Semitism, Nazi Symbols in Europe

AFRICA: Libya plans to shed old and begin a new era

ASIA PACIFIC: Indonesia, Rebels Talk Peace for Tsunami-Hit Aceh + Indonesia offers amnesty to rebels

Despite 'reforms,' food crisis hits N. Korea

AMERICAS: Once Lula was a hero of the left - now they heckle him off stage

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

FBI in Talks to Extend Reach + FBI expands its role in domestic spying

Riggs Bank Agrees to Guilty Plea And Fine for failing to prevent money laundering by Pinochet and Equatorial Guinea officials

EU and U.S. Can Boost Fight Against Terror by Information Exchange

Spy games

Moussaoui seeks access to terror witnesses

Eavesdropping on terror talk in Germany

Officer who nabbed Lee Harvey Oswald dies

At Davos, U.S. is seen as aloof + Every Topic Is Fair Game for Bill Clinton

Malaysia, Thailand spar over 'mastermind'

Click. Alleged IRA Members Names N-Z

Russian ex-spy on hunger strike

HIZBULLAH USES WESTERN NATIONALS FOR ESPIONAGE

Middle East, Israel says Danish spy suspect filmed secret sites

Congressmen scrutinize IBM, Lenovo deal + China's Lenovo confident US panel will clear IBM deal

Britain's spies keep phone taps out of court+ Prime Minister says phone tapping violates press freedoms?

Chavez foe accused of treason with U.S. aid

Scientists Work on Software to Scan Arabic

Religious Historian Dies at 89

Former British Spy Chief Learned Early To Cope With Danger and Move On

Getting Past the Past

Blood for pork....

Military Contractors Target Latin America For New Recruits Click.

Contractors' work hinges on outcome of Iraq elections

Prime contracts for defense work up $21.7 billion

Pentagon: Lockheed Martin top contractor

HOW LOW
THE
LAW GOES....

California Train Wreck Spawns Possible Copycat Bid

SEC Investigation Into Merck Becomes Formal

Serbian general to hand himself in to UN war crimes court

Illinois: Serial murder suspect tries to plead guilty

Gap close to settling: Clothing voucher handout in dress-code suit

U.S.: Kidnappings high along Mexico border

Putting a Price on Pain. Dividing $3 million among 132 victims

The moron defense

Judge blames teen's parents for unleashing Blaster worm

Cyber-stalker faces sentencing today

Kids' blogs a 'paedophile's dream'

Area 51 'hacker' charges dropped

Dad busted in daughter's slaying

Mob boss a rat

NIH Seeks Outside Inquiry of Scientist

Handguns Allowed on Houston's Buses,

Fugitive for 41 years, Mafia boss a master of elusion

John Dean: Chief Justice Rehnquist's Annual Report on the Federal Judiciary

Actress shot to death in Manhattan

Federal Court Invalidates Patent for Key Merck Drug

Shanley: Judge Denies Mistrial in Priest Child Rape Case + Ex-Priest's Accuser Weeps in Court

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Supreme Court: Driver causing fatal crash while fleeing police not necessarily guilty of murder

Groups sue over plans to log in Sequoia National Monument

Guarding comatose, incapacitated inmates costly

Stanislaus cuts check to pay for Peterson trial

Sacramento & north: Will thought-out + Sacramento man faces sex charge involving teen + Suspect pleads not guilty in eBay auction fraud + Top welfare officials mismanaged funds, Yolo grand jury says + El Dorado property crimes increase + Heavy fines in snakehead fish smuggling case

San Francisco, San Mateo: Fear of vigilantism blamed for convict's gun. Lawyer defends man who set son on fire in 1983 + Johns' cars may be seized + Counterfeiters making big bucks + San Mateo: Teacher pleads not guilty to sex charges involving teen boy. The 16-year-old fathered her child+ Daly City woman denies guilt in child molest case +  Ernst & Young former accountant sentenced to prison for falsifying records + Teacher denied lower bail in sex case

Alameda: Reward offered in 18-year-old Sunol murder case + Family drawing attention to slaying of woman in 1986 + Berkeley CPA will serve time for audit cover-up + Three arrested in Fairview pot farm case + Oakland: Alleged drug dealers face tougher sentences in U.S. court. FBI agents join cops in raid that nets 5 suspects + Violent end to retirement dream. Stray gunfire kills Hayward man

Santa Clara: Victim's family vows to press for justice against cop + Kids find pile of cash, spend it + Man charged in 8-month-old East Side drive-by shooting + No one claims baby's body in tree + State guards incapacitated inmate + Woman posed as boy, faces child sex charges + Man files second suit against Catholic order + 3 arrests in M.H. hotel stabbing + San Jose: Autopsy shows baby was full-term

Contra Costa: Concord: An ungodly legacy of pain. Former De La Salle students say abusive counselor made lives hell + Dublin police seek suspects in two Thursday night crimes + Police arrest hit-and-run suspect + Ex-student sues Christian Brothers + Conoco pollution fine: $4.5 million + Legaspi sentenced in tax fraud case + Moraga: Suspect arrested in hit and run death + Rich