NEWSGRIDS OCTOBER 2005

October 31, 2005

WAR IRAQ On the ground:  Six US soldiers killed in Iraq (Monday) + 20 killed in Bazra car bomb blast + Fight for Town Tall Afar Far From Over + A Top Iraqi Official's Brother Is Killed + Seven U.S. Troops Die in Deadliest Month for Americans Since January + One Bullet Away: A Former Marine Officer Who Commanded Platoons in Afghanistan and Iraq Reflects on Going to War - and Coming Home + Orders of battle + Juan Cole reports

Iraq government: Iraq militants launch fresh attacks on government officials + Corruption cost Baghdad billions + Iraq's best and brightest driven abroad by violence, taking away skills needed at home

War prisons: UN keen to quiz Guantanamo detainees + US judge orders release of Guantánamo hunger strikers' medical records

AFGHANISTAN: 2 GIs in Afghanistan Charged With Assault

MIDDLE EAST: Saudi king meets Siniora after Syrian premier's visit

Gamal Mubarak launches 'battle of Cairo'

Israel, Palestine: Israeli troops kill two Islamic Jihad militants in shootout + Israel's disease: Never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity + Sharon to Knesset: Separation fence will be first priority + IDF arrests militant responsible for the death of 10 Israelis + IDF kills Hadera bomb mastermind + Kuwait, Bahrain, and Israel: Bridging the Gulf

RUSSIA: Russia's Putin won't seek third term + Russian-European integration depends on future generations - Putin + Putin calls manufacturing driving force of Russian economy + Putin says government does not want to control media + No hazardous waste on the Ukrainian-Russian border - deputy + Russia agrees to new countries joining transport corridor agreement + Russian Watchdog to make ruling on Siberian-Pacific pipeline + Company Watch: ConocoPhillips' green light to bid for fields + Russia, China set to discuss economic cooperation + Russia's chief auditor talks reform check, projects, watchdog + Techno- and industrial parks to be built in Russia with state backing + Viewpoint: Stabilization fund must secure Russia's intellectual leadership + Russia to finish building world's largest nuclear icebreaker + Official proposes independent body to audit financial watchdog + Russia, China to ink agreement on medical aid to Beslan children + Legalization of free arms sales in Russia to result in massive upsurge of criminality

EUROPE: Leader in Germany's Proposed Coalition Government to Step Down as Party Head

Latvian government grants bigger tax breaks to former Nazi collaborators

Ukrainian president nominates new prosecutor general + Ukrainian parliament members to distribute revenue from Kryvorizhstal sale + Russian businesses should up invest in Ukraine - ambassador

Armenian defense minister may run for president in 2008

CENTRAL ASIA: President pledges to foster booming economy in Kazakhstan

Defense Ministry says Georgia addressing MANPADS issue + Viewpoint: Georgia uses conflict with S. Ossetia to get U.S. financial aid + Russian official calls Georgia's South Ossetia plan unrealistic + Georgia aims to join NATO and EU - foreign minister + Americans will not replace Russians in Georgia-S.Ossetia conflict zone - Georgian minister

AFRICA: Uganda Takes Up Abstinence Campaign

Tanzania Election Sparks Clashes

Ivory Coast: President Rejects Demands to Leave Office

Nigerian court trying Russian tanker crew adjourns until Nov. 29

ASIA PACIFIC: Hu Jintao holds talks with top Vietnamese leaders + President Hu in Hanoi for official visit + China-Russia partnership enters "very important" stage

Koizumi grooms novice as successor + New Japanese foreign minister does not expect quick resolution of territorial dispute with Russia + Koizumi reshuffles ruling party leadership + US to reduce marines from Japan's Okinawa

SOUTH ASIA: Singh probes foreign link in bombings

UNICEF CHIEF BEGS FOR EARTHQUAKE AID

AMERICAS: Ten years later, Quebec again flirts with independence

Beta spawns floods in Central America

Isolation, many dangers explain why Brazilians rejected gun ban + Brazil's president took donations from Castro, magazine alleges

Russia set to support UN resolution on lifting Cuba blockade + Venezuela Becomes Cuba's No. 1 Trading Partner

Venezuelan Soldier Allegedly Killed by Colombian Rebels Near Border + President Hugo Chavez Frias decrees 50% pay rise for public sector doctors

Colombia: Alleged Drug Boss Sought by U.S. Seized

Mexican rights group exposes government's whitewash of student massacres

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

AP Interview: Chertoff Says Disaster Preparedness Depends on Public Altruism

US government misses dozens of security deadlines

Australia: AWB 'set up' sham Iraq deal + New Zealand: Fonterra faces inquiry over sales to Iraq

Defense Ministry says Georgia addressing MANPADS issue

Putin says terrorist need to be stripped of support

British blunder may free terrorist suspect

Militants to bomb 5 capitals in South Asia: reports

Macao legislature passes bills against terror, money-laundering

Nazi `Dr. Death' has been hiding in Spain 20 years

Absence of leads frustrates Bali bombing inquiry

Women's lib becomes a gender jihad for Muslims

FBI Arrests Indian American Engineer for Sharing Military Technology+ Son says father innocent of selling U.S. stealth bomber secrets abroad + FBI: Former LANL scientist admitted to selling military secrets+ Secrets sold: 'I did it for the money' + Maui man had been up for DOD contract + 'Father' of the B-2 + Rural area was site of FBI search

Industrial Espionage is Continuous despite the End of the Cold War

Sri Lanka condemns killing of top intelligence officer

HOW LOW
THE
LAW GOES....

Supreme Court turns away Microsoft Web browser case

Supreme Court won't consider Holocaust-era case

Supreme Court rejects telecommuting case

Court to hear medical patent case

Supreme Court nixes appeal on cell phones

Inspector General: Serious Breakdowns in Government Settlement With Wal-Mart

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA....

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Russia, China could create spacecraft to explore Mars, the Moon + Russia to launch satellite for World Space Observatory + Russian space agency sets new date for first Venus mission

Clicking to find if you're hot or not

Big troubles may lurk in super tiny tech

ZAP Has Big Hopes for Brazilian Mini-Car in U.S.

Disney's Technology Grows Up

New Telescope Opens Its Eyes

MILITARY

Many employers AWOL on duty to guard members

Infrared Detects Sniper Gunfire

Military Wants to Own the Weather

Cdn troops to get mini spy planes

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

Series of Nelson Mandela comic books launched

An international book fair: They've got it covered

Qatar's Al Jazeera Pursues Global Ambitions

New Live-Speech Translation

Is the Web Ready for Prime Time?

'The Blade' Takes Scalpel to GOP Funding in 2004 Campaign

Milwaukee Paper Apologizes for Accepting 'Cooked' WMD Evidence

The Return of Jeff Gannon! Ex-White House Favorite Finds New Outlet in Gay Papers

Scott McClellan Gets Apology from the 'Other' John Roberts

Why Google Print Is Good for Books

Rush & Molloy: Jay & Dave: Talk-show hosts who still aren't speaking

Today's papers

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Why do we hunt deer?

The shame of bear hunting

Stakes are so high it's hard to wait

The builder of simple homeless shelters

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Chiron OKs sweetened $5.1B Novartis offer

'View tax' triggers revolt in rural New Hampshire

Wal-Mart a juggernaut?

Dow Jones to increase number of indices in Islamic financial market

Australia: Pay for private water even if dams are full

Europe and Venezuela have cut their exposure to the insane US debt

Canada's No.1 gold producer, Barrick Gold bids US$9.2 billion for Placer Dome

Ellison's Fractured Friendships

Web Banking to Upgrade Security

Mergers, Acquisitions and Mayhem

Dell Says Sales Missed Forecast on Lower U.S. Consumer Demand; Shares Drop

FCC Approves SBC-AT&T, Verizon-MCI Unions

Judge Gives Preliminary OK to KPMG Tax Shelter Settlement


Rosa Parks: How I Fought for Civil Rights

Helen Thomas: Rosa Parks Showed One Person Can Incite Change

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Scientists use `reverse genetics' to develop bird flu vaccine + Innovative vaccines may be critical in fighting bird flu + A Chicken-and-Egg Problem: How to Speed Up Production of Flu Shots

Bird flu confirmed in 10 rural communities across Russia + Canada discovers strain of avian flu in wild ducks

California: Bird flu not a problem in Pacific Flyway

China: No avian flu among migratory birds reported: official + Shandong activates daily surveillance of bird flu in migration season + Wild birds at HK's Mai Po tested negative for H5N1


Diagnosing Cancer From the Drug Store

Flipped Genetic Sequences Illuminate Human Evolution And Disease

Edible rice vaccine possible for allergies

Franklin's legacy to Medicine

'Start of life' gene discovered

New vaccine technology in the works

MEDICAL RESEARCH BIASED TOWARD DISEASES OF RICH WESTERNERS

Drug mixers spike nurse's workload

Greenhouse effect occurred 5,000 years ago: archaeologists

At 50, Tylenol Brand Gaining Steam on Safety Image

FDA Expedites Review of Erbitux for Head, Neck Cancers

An Essential Regulator Of Body Weight Revealed

Zebrafish And CHIP Help Untangle Protein Misfolding In Brain Disease

Studies Clarify Risk Factors For Mother-to-child Transmission Of Hepatitis C Virus

Could Plain Soap And Probiotics Beat Hospital Bugs?

Restless Legs Syndrome Linked To Psychiatric Conditions

Montreal Surgeons Implant New Mechanical Heart

Structure Of Key Cancer Drug Target Identified

Vaginal Gel May Provide A New Approach To HIV Prevention

New Blueprint To Aid Physicians In Predicting Risk For Type 1 Diabetes

Wnt Signaling Controls The Fate Of Stem Cells In Adult Brains

Broccoli Sprouts, Cabbage, Ginkgo Biloba And Garlic: A Grocery List For Cancer Prevention

Baby's Genes Affect Mom's Cholesterol Levels

MBL Study Shows How Good Cholesterol Provides Human Immunity To Certain Parasites

How Hot Tuna (and Some Sharks) Stay Warm

Microfossils Show Promise In Prospecting Climate History

Cowpeas Could Add Sustainability To Cropping Systems

THE BUSHWORLD...

W urged to chain Cheney + White House Rebuffs Calls for Shakeup and Apology + Iraq War Critic Joseph Wilson Defends Credentials, Calls for Rove's Ouster

Security Council Adopts Watered-Down Warning to Syria Over U.N. Lebanon Probe

Bush, Berlusconi shun public pullout talk

Cheney names two to fill Libby's positions + Cheney's new security adviser linked to bogus information on Iraq

Republicans join call for Rove to resign + New York's mayor shakes off the taint of George Bush

Fed plan on protecting ports is delayed

New rules will combat money laundering

Russian drug control chief to discuss drug trafficking in U.S. + Russia, U.S. to exchange info on MANPADS in November - Ivanov

Sharon praises stands against Iran, Syria

New White House chef makes official debut

Violent US Mexico Border Clashes Surging

Supreme Court Nominee: Bush Nominates Alito to Supreme Court + Alito has affirmed abortion restrictions + Court nominee Alito holdings top $615,000 + Text of Bush, Alito remarks + Pol: W benched O'Connor

Katrina/Wilma: FRAIL AND ELDERLY SUFFER IN FLORIDA + THOUSANDS OF KATRINA EVACUEES FACE EVICTION

Iran: Leanne Piggott: What the Iranian President's rant was really about

Syria, Lebanon: U.N. Security Council OKs Syria resolution + Lavrov urges journalists to avoid focusing on economic sanctions against Syria + Lavrov says UN resolution on Syria can serve as basis for future work + Pakistan urges restraint by United States, Iran and Syria + To survive, Bashar Assad will have to fight his family + Russia voices concerns over UN Syria resolution + Syrian FM slams UN vote pressuring Damascus + Despite Warnings, U.S. Leans on Syria

N. Korea: Cultural Bubble Goes Pop

Social Security: Officials fear confusion over Medi-Cal shift (SactoBee) The poorest people on Medicare have less than two months to make a successful switch to the new prescription drug plan or maybe go without needed drugs in January. In January, they will be liable for co-pays of $1 for generic drugs and $5 for brand-name drugs. Those in long-term care facilities won't pay anything

Congress: Hutchison, DeLay cases have parallels + Senate Turns to Spending-Cut Plan, Alaska Oil Drilling

GOP: Mike Pence becoming voice of small-government conservatives

OPINIONS:

Xymphora: Rummy flu?

David Ignatius: Bush may move rightward, compounding his isolation

Cut & Paste: Only a true global alliance can deal with climate change

John O'Sullivan: Bush has a year to regain upper hand

Mark Steyn: Russia is dying and Islamists will grab parts of the carcass

Rangel says government will NOT take people's homes and possessions

(WSW)The political implications of the Libby indictment

Gloria Borger: Libby case puts W on trial

John Leo: It's '72 all over again for Dems

Bush picks a Supreme Court fight

(Spiegel) George W. Bush's Propaganda War Goes on Trial

Capitol Hill Blue: Propaganda Can't Hide the Facts + Oregon's Great Land Use Debate + The Outcome is Rigged

PLAMEGATE.... 

Robert Parry: Did Fitzgerald let the White House walk?

Berlusconi Backs Embattled Intel Director + Italy Defends Spy Chief Over Iraq Controversy

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:  Conservative Anglicans Say North American Priests Doing Too Little to Mend Church Rift on Gays + Supreme Court nominee alarms gay groups + Alaska Supreme Court rejects court ruling barring gay benefits + Gay church should be role model for others + US Methodist panel orders gay minister defrocked + Liverpool comes out for more gay pride



Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge
 

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Day of the Dead thick with history, tradition

Culture clash or varied tastes?

The good witch of Marin

Herbalist brings back ancient remedies

Dracula, Elvis, Easter Bunny and more; pugs make the scene

Long Beach: Dead Men Do Tell Tales

High Desert ghostbusters tread softly to hear voices of the dead

1611 The Maid's Tragedy, by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher

American Photographs: The First Century

Bijin-ga: Prints of Beautiful Women

The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult

Highland flings

Nationwide "Liu Xiang craze": to be or not to be?

Madonna defends her Kabbalah faith in light of public criticism

Mighty Martha: 'I really cannot be destroyed'

Writer told to take this Jobs and shove it

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA....

The Governor:   Gov. Campaigns In San Diego + Gov. trolls for votes at San Diego restaurant + Gov. cools rhetoric in latest campaign stop + Election advertising push shows Latinos' clout + Central Valley: 250 protestors greet Gov. + Gov. Is Paying the Price for Breaking His Promise to Schools+ Wal-Mart, Waltons weigh in on state vote + Matier & Ross: Gov. losing star power in special election + First Lady Appears to Be Sitting Out This Election + Both Sides Go Trolling for Voters

Intellectual piracy tops list for Gov.'s China trip (SactoBee) "As it is, California's Silicon Valley is somewhat reluctant to go into China," said Ted C. Fishman, author of "China Inc". "Venture capitalists have been slow to move in there - slower than the rest of California - because of fears about intellectual protection." One reason for that fear may be that nine out of every 10 software programs sold in China are pirated. Another product apparently being counterfeited is Napa Valley wine

Election (Propositions): Analysis: Ballot measure ads deliver a personal pitch to voters (SactoBee) Using the voices of teachers, firefighters, police officers and nurses, they remind voters that Gov. broke a promise on education funding and began collecting massive amounts of political cash. Now the Gov. is responding directly, in a new ad in which he acknowledges that he's had a lot to learn. The buzz: Verdict is in: Campaign mailer outrages foes (SactoBee) Jury duty is good citizenship, but using that phrase to fool voters into reading your political mail is not. That's the feeling of Proposition 77 advocates, who were upset last week that opponents of the redistricting initiative sent mailers to Republicans with the words "JURY DUTY" next to a postmark

Rules slow state worker probes (SactoBee) a frustrating part of State Auditor Elaine Howle's job: She lacks enforcement authority, and, because of a new state law, she cannot share sensitive financial records she gathers when investigating state employee misconduct

The cost of medical care for illegal immigrants

Bob Shallit: To bosses overseas, rule misses the pint (SactoBee) California's new law requiring sexual harassment training for managers is creating lots of work for HR consultants. The final regs for the training law haven't been issued. But there's a good chance they'll require California-based firms to train managers who work outside the state

Editorial: Shortsighted regulation (SactoBee) Beware hospitals have choices. In Sacramento, where the Mercy and Sutter hospital chains are preparing elaborate and expensive expansions, the City Council, under union pressure, is responding with a proposal to start regulating them. In Sacramento, expanding a hospital may trigger a review of the hospital's compliance with "community benefit principles" and city examination of hospital debt collection practices, nurse staffing, and labor negotiation tactics. The message is pretty clear: Invest in Sacramento health care, and in return, get regulated even more. In Folsom, where Mercy is looking to expand its emergency room, the City Council has responded differently. Folsom is delivering Mercy a check ($1 million)

2 Californians at center of congressional storm (SactoBee) Dreier and Matsui battle on House rules panel. Democrats said majority Republicans have adopted tight rules that bar any amendments, convened emergency meetings late at night to discourage press coverage and held the voting roll open for hours while the Republican leadership twisted enough arms to win

Wine grape bonanza for state's vineyards

State Seeking Ways to Speed Cargo

Legislature: Dan Walters: Legislators spent a lot of time deciding who can legally drive (SactoBee) Effectively, a Californian without a driver's license and a car is doomed to second-or even third-class status - which explains, perhaps, why extending or withholding the privilege consumed much attention during the 2005 legislative session. The syndrome was most noticeable in the hotly debated measure that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain specially marked driver's licenses

Indian tribes: Valley Center: Casino crime must be reported to deputies

HOW LOW
THE
LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

SF State launches investigation into arrest of professor

Despite testimony, Jackson limits ex-wife's child visitation rights

Jackson lawyer praised

Sempra Energy reaches settlement in $9 billion class-action lawsuit

Attorney General Bill Lockyer Announces Prison Sentences and Multi-Million Dollar Restitution Order Handed Down In Securities Fraud And Tax Evasion Case

Attorney General Bill Lockyer Releases Annual Juvenile Justice Report

State warns charities to fold 'em (SanJoseMerc) `CASINO NIGHTS' ILLEGAL. The recent surge of interest in poker has many California charities turning to the games to raise money. Now they're learning it's a bad bet.

Bren Aims to Keep Riches Private in Child Support Case

Sacramento & north: Garcia Charged With Murder In Christie Wilson Case + 'Operation Boo' Targets Sex Offenders + Domestic Violence Sweep Nets Probation Violators + Four Men Sentenced In Chico St. Water Hazing Death + Butte: Man, woman arrested in fatal 2004 shooting

San Francisco, San Mateo: SF: 3 different shootings leave 7 wounded + Son arrested in Sunnyvale murder

Alameda: Jail time for former Fremont firefighter + Shumate maintains innocence 10 years later + Oakland: Wayward bullet kills man in home + Oakland: Gunman kills one, injures three

Contra Costa: Apartment fire under investigation (CCT) A three-alarm fire that started in a second-floor apartment early Sunday morning gutted a commercial-residential building along the El Cerrito border

Marin: Bolinas man in fracas with deputies + Mill Valley girl bitten in face by dog

Sonoma: Judge to rule whether 3 face trial in death of teen on New Year's Eve

Napa: Attempt to con renters out of their apartments

Central Valley: Morgan Hill: Shootings a ‘wake-up call' for gang intervention + Merced County: Driver strikes and kills two children, flees the scene + Woman, 20, is charged in slaying of Norteño (MBee) A 20-year-old Modesto woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the May 2004 death of Auerelino Juarez, according to court records + News from the San Joaquin Valley + Fresno: Gang member arrested + Fresno: Police step up gang crackdown + Fresno police identify school shooting victim + Overwhelmed by serious crime, police say they lack the staffing to keep up (MBee) While on patrol in Modesto recently, officer Rick Applegate watched a call flash across a computer monitor mounted to the dashboard of his car

Southern California: Informant's Past Shadows His Testimony From '85 Murder Trial + Serial-Murder Trial Hinges on DNA Evidence + Aliso Viejo shotgun spree baffles police + Human body parts found in two SoCal locations + Human body parts found in San Bernardino park + Police try to uncover motive in SoCal rampage + San Diego: Gang slapped with injunction + Doctor links Camacho cop killing to drugs + Ex-con gets 27 years for Carlsbad pimp business + Affidavit outlines fleecing of schools

MORE ONLY IN CALIFORNIA....

LOCAL NEWS:   UC Regents Run With the Devil on Los Alamos Lab Bid

Sacramento & north: Sacramento: New Metro Fire Chief Sworn In + Sacramento: 6 Years After Arson, B'nai Israel Celebrates Renovations + New low for tiny Delta fish (SactoBee) The threatened Delta smelt has notched another historic population low, prompting some observers to worry the tiny fish may be near extinction + Cordova eyes daytime curfew (SactoBee) Cordova High School senior Rosanna Olvera says she likes the idea of a daytime curfew for teens + Elk Grove: Truck Hits People Leaving Halloween Party + Highway 99: Women pulled from burning car + Paradise group to consider future trash contracts + Oroville: Water district to clarify deal with state + El Dorado Hills - Spending chasm gapes in incorporation race

San Francisco, San Mateo: Huge Crowds Expected At S.F. Halloween Party + Castro Halloween events + Golden Gate bridge barrier debate + Addicts Learn to Save Others From Death

Alameda: Livermore: Charter School Backers May Add High School + Livermore: Candidates Disagree on Most Issues + Livermore Valley Charter School Celebrates Grand Opening + Go Green Initiative Expands to Dublin Schools + Bernal Planning Discussion Postponed+ Zone 7 Raises Treated Water Rates, Reaffirms Trails Policy + Livermore: Measure D Arguments Present Differing Views of the Initiative + Pleasanton Residents Form Majority of Golf Course Panel + Livermore First to Have Official City Historian + Livermore: Vineyard Ave. Traffic Circles to be removed + Livermore: Catholic High School Gets OK + Livermore tech center moves downtown + Residents sound off on project (CCT) While residents were split over the wisdom of a striping project on Marin Avenue in Albany and Berkeley, there have been relatively few complaints since the bulk of the work was completed earlier this month. Council to look at car sales on street (CCT) Pleasanton Neighbors say Santa Rita frontage road is no place for vehicle deals Residents who live along the east side of Santa Rita frontage road may get some relief from the City Council this week to close down the makeshift auto dealership on their street + De La Fuente hopes to prove mettle as Oakland mayor (CCT) With a broad-shouldered swagger and bursts of fog-throated speech, Ignacio De La Fuente has been selling himself to Oakland since the day in 1971 when he arrived from Mexico with no local ties and a small wad of bills in his pocket + Union City questions bill's legality + Bitter legal sniping for Fairview neighbors + Livermore: Spending Big at the Ballot Box to Build

Santa Clara: City gets set to clean toxins (SJM) $2 MILLION RESERVED; FIRM HIRED TO CHECK PARK CONTAMINATION. San Jose officials have set aside $2 million for toxic cleanup in the Watson Park area and hired an international environmental consulting firm to determine the extent of contamination + San Jose's archives now have two homes (SJM) For the record, David Crosson has been telling people he's puzzled. As CEO of History San Jose, he's keeper of all of San Jose's public records going back to the founding of the pueblo. It's just that he hasn't seen any records lately

Contra Costa: Necessity of Measure J questioned (CCT) As the November special election date creeps closer, voters within West Contra Costa school district boundaries face a decision on whether to grant $400 million more for campus reconstruction + Nothing to fear on thoroughfare (CCT) City leaders plan to close the road here that leads to the "Gates of Hell." The City Council hopes that barricading Empire Mine Road to traffic will discourage decades' worth of haunted urban folklore that has created an unlikely tourist attraction

Marin: House on cliff in Bolinas nixed + Supervisor approve Forest Knolls Park renovations + Valley schools may leave federal standards behind + Proposed Tomales Bay cleanup is based on outdated science + Trust raises $1 million for affordable housing + Ross Valley district sued over sewage

Sonoma: More floors sought for Santa Rosa high rises + New curator of county museum + Windsor: Buildings vie for new permits

Napa: Wood returns as an alternative heating source + City offers council meeting audio recordings on Web site + City offers council meeting audio recordings on Web site

Solano: Vaca school candidates focus on improvement + Dioxin discovery closes water facility (CCT) A water line and pumping system were disabled at a wastewater treatment plant where small amounts of the toxic chemical dioxin were discovered last year

Monterey: Fresh slate for Pebble Beach Community Services District + Family homeless from clothes dryer fire + Man hit by train in Elkhorn + General plan gets more attention + A home for the holidays, hopefully + Your Town + Military briefs + Kiwanis Club appoints new officers

Central Valley: El Rancho San Benito, in the developer's words + Gilroy candidates discuss key issues + San Benito: Planning director on a fast track + Tracy eyes grants in bid to add parkland (CCT) City officials looking to preserve more open space in and around Tracy are talking about buying land or its development rights to do it + Stockton residents: Measure W hasn't done enough + Stockton: Railways seen as an option to get traffic on track + Fresno: Man runs car through motel; one woman dies + Protesting workers back on the job at Merced County poultry plant +Housing criteria laid out (MBee) Manteca: Regulation baseball diamonds, competition-style swimming pools, wildlife areas and walking trails are some things the Manteca City Council would like in housing developments + School bond on ballot in Tuolumne (MBee) Tuolumne County voters will decide Nov. 8 on a $9.3 million Groveland area high school bond measure, as well as a measure to create a Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District.

Central Coast: School race row in Capistrano + Race lawsuit could set precedent about where kids go to school + News briefs from California's Central Coast + Santa Cruz bus strike nears end + Caltrans Refines CA Highway in Effort to Reduce Driving Perils + Measure C proposes adding temporary tax to balance Scotts Valley's budget

Southern California: Getty Trust board forms panel to investigate claims + Bratton's Plans for Homeless Debated + Seeds of Dissension Linger re: South Central Gardens + Downtown L.A. Streets to Close for Roybal Mass + Valley's Orange Line a Hit Out the Gate + New Anti-Smoking Program Targets LGBT Community + LA: Lack of Tough Competition No Reason to Coast + LA: Huizar Has the Cash and Key Backers + LA: Pacheco Aims to Reclaim His Lost Job + 10 Candidates Compete to Fill the Seat Left Vacant by Villaraigosa + Carlsbad: City agrees to pay $150,000 to accident victim + Lake Elsinore: Dearth of hotels hampers tourism + Coachella Valley: Ominous warning of water crisis deserve our attention, action + Anaheim: The Urban Afterthought + San Diego: Mayoral Race Foes Are Doing the Math + Mayoral rivals warn of cuts

School days: Young futures on the line (SactoBee) Within the next few months, a staggering number of California high school seniors may see their worlds come crashing down. They are the guinea pigs in a tough new state experiment: the California High School Exit Exam. So many now are at risk of not graduating, it would take 60 + Placer has a second college plan (SactoBee) While one university development proposal in Placer County has garnered much of the attention lately, another has been gathering steam as it winds its way through the planning process + How to Write More Clearly, Think More Clearly, and Learn Complex Material More Easily + Strunk, William. 1918. The Elements of Style + School race row in Capistrano + Mexico City university is free with right number + Students attempt high school exit exam again this week + Race lawsuit could set precedent about where kids go to school + UC Regents Run With the Devil on Los Alamos Lab Bid


Day of the Dead thick with history, tradition

Culture clash or varied tastes?

The good witch of Marin

Herbalist brings back ancient remedies

Dracula, Elvis, Easter Bunny and more; pugs make the scene

Long Beach: Dead Men Do Tell Tales

High Desert ghostbusters tread softly to hear voices of the dead

October 19, 2005

WAR IRAQ On the ground: Insurgents Kill 19 in New Iraq Violence + Elections Officials Among 13 Dead in Iraq + Soldiers killed in Iraq attacks + British soldier killed by Iraqi roadside bomb + Security incidents in Iraq, Oct 19 + Saddam's nephew arrested in Tikrit + Major Developments in Iraq on Wednesday + Orders of battle + Juan Cole reports

Iraq government: US to deploy military-civilian reconstruction teams in Iraq + Saddam Hussein goes on trial, but some still support him + Saddam: this court is not fit to judge me + Scharf: Tribunal could be cornerstone for a new Iraq + Saddam trial adjourned + Kurdish judge steps forward + Profiles: Defendants in Saddam's trial + Demonstrations, statements, supporting Saddam + 7 Iraqis, two American soldiers killed in Iraq + Iraqi Parliamentary elections should involve all political and ethnic groups - Lavrov + Teamwork lacking at water plant outside Baghdad + A Dynamic Advocate Is Now a Statistic

AFGHANISTAN: Militants Kill District Chief In Southern Afghanistan + Afghanistan's Recognition Of Israel Contingent On Independent Palestinian state + 'Taleban' kill school headmaster + Overseer of Buddhas' Demise Now in Office

MIDDLE EAST: Egypt seeks int'l support for Palestinians + Egypt Offers Historic Summit for Peace + Egypt's Foreign Min To Meet With UN Nuclear Agency Chief

Israel, Palestine: Israel plans 'apartheid' roads in W Bank + Russia, Egypt warn against unilateral steps on Palestine's final status + Abbas meets Spanish leader

RUSSIA: Russian and Norwegian foreign ministers discuss trawler scandal by phone + Lukoil's Romanian unit secures long-term IFC loan + Lukoil increases oil production by 4.3% in 9M05 + Berezovsky declared personal non grata in Latvia + Lithuanian foreign ministry reduces claims for Russian jet crash + Russia to borrow $100 mln from World Bank - Gref + Russian Railways strikes $600mln foreign loan deal + Egyptian govt. approves opening of Egyptian-Russian university + Russia prepares document on common air defense system with Belarus + Russia hopeful Latin American states will back its WTO accession bid

EUROPE: France snubs EU's trade talk plan + France makes new bid to rein in EU trade boss

German navy gets new submarines + The Uncertain Future of Germany's Grand Coalition

Italy set for early election

Britain: Serious concern over Libya "no torture" deal + Oxbridge bias denied by Falconer

Euro-Atlantic integration and joining NATO priority for Ukraine - President

Georgian foreign minister awaits presidential decision + Georgian general fired after officers skip class in U.S

Return of Soares to politics shows depth of Portuguese crisis

CENTRAL ASIA: Russian foreign minister to visit Central Asia

Kazakhstan's GDP up 9% in nine months

No Revolution Coming, Azerbaijani Leader Says

AFRICA: Archbishop: 'Mugabe should just be banished' + Zimbabwe police 'dangerously' underfunded

Malawi's top dog under fire

Botswana forces the Basarwa out

Violence brewing in Nigeria

Kenya: Draft Constitution Campaigns Push On

Ethiopia: Peacekeeping Presence in Mission Area Becoming "Useless" - UN

Tanzania: Country Now Making Its Own ARVs With Thai Help

Botswana: The Breakdown of Social Support Systems

Ethiopia says Eritrea building up troops on border

Congo army moves against ex-rebels in Brazzaville

Sudan: Escaping Africa's longest civil war

Restoring electricity a major challenge for Liberia's next leader

ASIA PACIFIC: Aceh peace deal implemented well: AMM

Beijing denies fudging arms cost + China issues 1st white paper on democracy + HK publishes proposals on selecting Chief Executive + CNPC reaches agreement with Kazakhstan over oil deal + Rumsfeld holds talks with China defense chief Cao + Manifesto of China-ASEAN Cities of Charm signed + Chinese Premier calls on to improve endowment insurance system + Int'l human settlements meeting to open in Nanning + Australia expects more cooperation in energy with S. China province + Russian ambassador: China to be second largest trade partner of Russia + PetroKazakhstan shareholders OK CNPC bid

Philippine bishops too involved in politics: Govt

Oil fears push ecologically-friendly cars into limelight at Tokyo show + Koizumi reiterates he sees new reason to stop Yakusuni visit

Vietnam to build 1st nuclear power plant

E Timor border at 'flashpoint'

SOUTH ASIA: India and Pakistan to open border + Disaster Brings Slight Thaw to Kashmir

US moving forward on nuclear deal with India + Poor countries need protections for farmers - India + Cisco unveils India investment

Aftershocks Trigger Landslides, Panic in Pakistan + Germany promises long-term aid for Pakistan + Pakistan strips sat images of quake-stricken region from Net + Quake-hit Kashmir linked by phone + Will an open Kashmir plan fall foul of military sensitivities?

AMERICAS: Hurricane Wilma 'strongest ever'

Chile court strips Pinochet immunity in tax case + Japan, Chile to begin free trade talks: report

Veterinary Crisis Could Benefit Argentina + Argentina Presents Ambitions on European Stage

Peru's Fujimori Cleared by Court of Illegal Arms Deal

The secret laboratories fuelling Colombia's 40-year armed conflict

More help for Amazon drought

UN presses for Haiti's elections

Fox favorite headed for Mexico primary defeat-poll + Mexico smugglers' village booming on US border + Castañeda's Bid for Mexico Presidency Gets Boost

Crops destroyed in Guatemala + Guatemalans wary of military aid

Venezuela's 2006 Budget Plan May Fuel Inflation, Lawmaker Says + US private contractors scheming to oust Chavez? + Venezuela Defends Right to Nuclear Energy + Portugal May Invest in Venezuela

Ecuador Mulls over Constituent Assembly

Bolivians Lash at Congressional Crisis

Blockade of Cuba Punishes People in the US

HOW LOW
THE
LAW GOES....

Ryan defense protests prosecution tactics

Beckhams go to court in defense of their marriage

Does the U.S. Constitution Allow Government To Limit the Use of Assisted Reproduction Technologies to Married Couples?

Tracking Every Move You Make, Part Two: Government Monitoring of Drivers' Cell Phones Raises Some Privacy Concerns that Can Be Easily Mitigated

In John Gotti's Shadow: Junior Gotti as a Sequel to Organized Crime's Infamous Dapper Don

Investigators Wait For DNA Results In Vitale Murder

Illegal immigrants can get workers' compensation, LA court rules

Feds hardly make a dent in illegal immigrants' 'invisible bankers'

State appeals court ruling favors Sen. Clinton in fundraiser case

Water Plan for Klamath Is Rejected

Impact of 3-Strikes Law Still Unclear

Suit Seeks to End Dispute Over Funding for Foster Children

Death of Abandoned Infant Death Points Up Difficulty of Reaching Mothers in Distress

State Sued in Probes of Care Homes

Illegal Immigrants Who Aided Police Sue for Federal Visas

Hubble Takes Rare Look at Moon to Gauge Amount of Oxygen in Minerals for Future Prospectors

Broadband net goes stratospheric

Call for British astronauts

Map shows Mars 'earthquakes'

Study lists top five tech trends