Mark Twain
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Saddam ouster 'essential'
Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, said in an interview that the removal of Saddam Hussein had been "essential" to secure world oil supplies, a point he emphasized to the White House in private conversations before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Greenspan, who was the country's top voice on monetary policy at the time Bush decided to go to war in Iraq, has refrained from extensive public comment on it until now, but he made the striking comment in a new memoir out today that "the Iraq War is largely about oil." Greenspan said disruption of even 3 million to 4 million barrels a day could translate into oil prices as high as $120 a barrel - far above even the recent highs of $80 set last week - and the loss of anything more would mean "chaos" to the global economy. Getting rid of Saddam achieved the purpose of "making certain that the existing system" of oil markets "continues to work, frankly, until we find other" energy supplies.
Big Brother is watching us all
The US and UK governments are developing increasingly sophisticated gadgets to keep individuals under their surveillance. When it comes to technology, the US is determined to stay ahead of the game. Their goal is to invent a system whereby a facial image can be matched to your gait, your height, your weight and other elements, so a computer will be able to identify instantly who you are. So far there is no gadget that can actually see inside our houses, but even that's about to change. In Britain alone, there are monitored four million CCTV cameras monitoring people 24/7. Opinion polls, both in the US and Britain, say that about 75% of us want more, not less, surveillance
Microsoft loses anti-trust appeal
Microsoft has lost its appeal against a record 497m euro ($690m) fine imposed by the European Commission in a long-running competition dispute. The European Court of First Instance upheld the ruling that Microsoft had abused its dominant market position. A probe concluded in 2004 that Microsoft was guilty of freezing out rivals in server software and products such as media players. Microsoft has two months to appeal at the European Court of Justice.
Bush 'picks new US legal chief'
Bush is expected to name retired federal judge Michael Mukasey as his choice for the replacement for outgoing US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Mukasey has presided over a number of high-profile terror trials and is seen as a conservative, analysts say.
Warming 'opens Northwest Passage'
The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia is fully clear of ice for the first time since records began, the European Space Agency (Esa) says.
Historically, the Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans has been ice-bound through the year. The findings, based on satellite images, raised concerns about the speed of global warming.
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Mega-city plans for Hong Kong
Hong Kong may seem crowded enough to the seven million people who live in small flats in high-rise neighborhoods. But government-backed planners say the city's future lies in numbers, big numbers. They say Hong Kong should be merged with Shenzhen, the southern Chinese city across the border, to make a mega-city of 20 million people.
China Prepares to Send Peacekeepers to Darfur
The Chinese government organized a reporters' trip to an army base in central Henan province to see the People's Liberation Army engineering unit headed to Darfur to join peacekeeping forces there. Saturday's reporting trip was clearly an attempt to deflect criticism over China's close economic ties with the government of Sudan.
OJ Simpson held without bail in Vegas
American football star OJ Simpson has been arrested by Las Vegas police investigating an alleged armed robbery. He is accused of taking part in a raid on a sports memorabilia dealer at a hotel room in the Palace Station Casino on Thursday. He faces charges including robbery with a deadly weapon, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. OJ says he was trying to retrieve stolen items belonging to him, and denies any guns were involved.
France warning of war with Iran
France's foreign minister says the world should prepare for the possibility of war over Iran's nuclear program.
Greek PM claims election victory
The governing conservative party of PM Costas Karamanlis has claimed victory in Greece's general election, with opposition socialists conceding defeat.
Greenspan attacks Bush on economy
The former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan has said President George W Bush pays too little attention to financial discipline. In a book to be published this week, Greenspan says Bush ignored his advice to veto "out-of-control" bills that sent the US deeper into deficit.
Reports on religious freedom
Religious freedom has deteriorated in Iraq and Egypt, while China has cracked down on foreign missionaries ahead of the Olympics, the US government said.
The annual State Department report on religious freedom said violence in Iraq was not suffered by just Shia and Sunni Muslims, but all religions and sects.
Google calls for web privacy laws
Google has called on governments and business to agree a basic set of global privacy rules. Without global standards the health of the internet was at risk, the firm's privacy chief Peter Fleischer told a UN agency conference in Strasbourg. He said that the rise of the net meant vast amounts of personal data was now regularly shipped around the globe. That information often passed through countries with insufficient or no data protection laws, he said. Three quarters of countries have no privacy rules at all and among those that do, many were largely adopted before the rise of the internet, he said. Europe, for example, has strict privacy regulations, but these rules were set out in 1995, largely before the rise of the commercial internet, he said. In contrast, the United States has no country-wide privacy laws, instead leaving them to individual states or even industries to set up.
Investment banks 'to lose $30bn'
World investment banks are set to reveal they have lost about $30bn from bad debts linked to the global credit crunch. Analysts are predicting the firms - many of which report quarterly results this week - will have to write-off 10% of the $300bn loans they have agreed. In some cases profits will be almost wiped out.
US accountants charged in probe
US financial regulators have charged 69 firms for breaking new corporate laws brought in after a wave of scandals. The companies were charged with failing to register with the Public Company Accounting Board (PCAB) as required under the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley law. The SEC added that 50 of the companies had already settled their cases. Sarbanes-Oxley was passed after the financial scandal that brought about the collapse of energy giant Enron. In total, 37 accounting firms and 32 partner groups were brought to book by the SEC. The watchdog added that the companies issued a total of 60 audits for 53 companies between November 2003 and October 2005.
Rebels Accuse Ethiopian Government of Atrocities
A humanitarian crisis may be brewing in Ethiopia's troubled Ogaden region. Rebel forces there are accusing the Ethiopian government of depriving the area of vital services and committing atrocities against the people. But those reports those accusations are proving hard to confirm.
Bounty set over Prophet cartoon
The purported head of al-Qaeda in Iraq has offered a reward for the murder of a Swedish cartoonist over his drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The $100,000 reward would be raised by 50% if Lars Vilks was "slaughtered like a lamb" said the audio message aired on the internet.
With thousands signing up as early space tourists, a new race is on
Market researchers predict as many as 14,000 tourists could go into space each year by 2021, and private investors in Singapore, Dubai, and New Mexico are preparing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to create travel packages.
Bush signs 'minimal' legislative ethics bill but urges more reforms
Bush signed what he described as a "minimal" ethics reform bill designed to force lawmakers to disclose pet projects and divulge more details about campaign contributions. The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 was passed last month in the Senate after being approved in the House in late July. Hailed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) as the "toughest lobbying and ethics reform in generations," it requires congressmen to flag their support of earmarks - targeted spending programs - and disclose donations from lobbyists who "bundle" donations totaling over $15,000. The legislation also strips pensions from lawmakers found guilty of bribery or perjury.
Fair use of copyrighted material benefits US economy
The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) released a report Wednesday saying that fair use exceptions to US copyright laws create more than $4.5 trillion in revenue in the US annually, employ millions of workers, and represented one-sixth of the total US GDP in 2006. The report, released at a briefing on Capitol Hill, indicates that media firms, educational establishments and software developers that benefit from the fair use of content contribute more than three times the amount that copyright-controlled industries do to the US economy. The Fair Use exception to US copyright law says that limited unauthorized use of copyrighted material for scientific, educational, journalistic, or research purposes is not a violation of the copyright; the exception permits a broad range of technology businesses to benefit.
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Newsweek
The Greenspan Gospel. Alan Greenspan steered the economy through turbulence to unprecedented growth. At a time of new uncertainty, a look at his legacy.
Business Week
The Best Places To Launch A Career. Number-crunchers, take heart: Our ranking of top companies for young people finds that an accounting talent shortage has made bean-counting sexy. Plus: How Gen Y is different.
Time
The Real Running Mates. Political spouses have traditionally wielded their influence in private. But in this race, all the rules will have to be rewritten
The Economist
For all General Petraeus's spin, Iraq is still a violent mess. That is why America should not leave yet
L'Express
Le problème Cécilia
Der Spiegel
Terror-Basis Pakistan
Bin Ladens deutsche Jünger. Pakistan - Hort des Terrors. In der Grenzregion Waziristan gerät die Lage außer Kontrolle. Wie die Stadt Langen zur internationalen Drehscheibe für Dschihadisten wurde. Der Film "Ein mutiger Weg" mit Angelina Jolie schildert die Suche nach dem 2002 in Karatschi verschleppten und ermordetenUS-Reporter Daniel Pearl
Africa flood relief gathers pace
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
DR Congo discovers mass graves in area formerly under renegade general
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator
Contractors abandon workers housing projects
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Central African Republic: Government Forces Kill Hundreds
Human Rights Watch (Africa), International news press releases
Gauteng ANC gains seven councillors
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Pupil's 17th birthday party turns deadly
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Police say they're closing in on serial killer
Mail & Guardian Online, Liberal, Johannesburg, South Africa
Joburg teacher drowns in CT
News24.com, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Bus crashes in Mexico; at least 17 killed
Brazil Sun, Independent online news aggregator
TTFF received TT$173 million - where is the money?
Caribbean News Portal, Online news aggregator
Brazil: Report on Past Atrocities a Key Step Forward
Human Rights Watch (Americas), International news press releases
Jamaica Labour Party's worst nightmare - Portia blasts bloated Cabinet - Wehby pick a conflict of interest
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica
Monopoly Over Lima, Peru's Safety & Emissions Inspections Questioned
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru
Quebec riveted by search for missing girl
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Canadian miraculously survives Thai plane crash
Toronto Star, Liberal daily, Toronto, Canada
Aftershocks continue to rattle Bengkulu
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Gates: U.S. Mission in Iraq to Change Over Time
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
'Al-Qaeda training camp exists in Pakistan'
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India
Suspected HuM terrorist held in Delhi
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
People age 80 and over top 7 million
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Two more sinkholes appear after earthquakes
Malaysian Star, Online news portal, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Exploding balloons injure dozens in China
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Black boxes of crashed Thai plane recovered
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
Jet crash victim named
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Musharraf can contest
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India
Bank braced for more withdrawals
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Aurelio returns for Reds
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland
Madeleine: The case against the McCanns begins to crumble
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
TP adds Czech, European titles to VoD offering
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anfield showpiece plan as dock concert moved
icLiverpool, Online news portal, Liverpool, England
Serbian leader denounces NATO intentions in Kosovo
International Herald Tribune, Independent daily, Paris, France
Legal expert's drink-drive shame
Manchester Online, Independent daily, Manchester, England
Body found by crashed car
News & Star, Independent daily, Carlisle, England
New fight to save homes
North-West Evening Mail, Independent daily, Cumbria, England
Five Killed In M4 Motorway Crash
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England
Victory for European Commission: Court Rejects Microsoft Antitrust Appeal
Spiegel International, Liberal newsmagazine, Hamburg, Germany
Ministers back moves to grow GM crops in the UK
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England
O'Brien pair avoid Melbourne penalty
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland
Doctors' white coats banned under MRSA shake-up
The Scotsman, Moderate daily, Edinburgh, Scotland
Five killed in m-way smash
The Sun, Conservative tabloid, London, England
iPhone 'will launch on O2 in UK'
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England
Peacekeepers hope to stop Olympics being branded the ‘genocide games'
Times Online, Conservative daily, London, England
IDF Flip-Flops, Allows MKs to Enter Homesh
Arutz Sheva, Online, right-wing, Tel Aviv, Israel
Wife Casts Fresh Doubt on Fate of Islamist in Lebanon Camp
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Ruling party re-elected in Greece
Gulf News, Independent daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ahmadinejad: Iran wants peace, friendship with U.S.
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
ASE launches Market Watch Live programme
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan
88 Killed in Thai Plane Crash
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon
Saudi Islamist lashes out at Al-Qaeda, bin Laden
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon
Amidst heavy security protestors threaten to end regime
Yemen Times, Independent weekly, Sana'a, Yemen
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emocracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
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