Vladimir Putin will roll out the red carpet for his fellow G8 leaders in St Petersburg later this month, as they gather for their annual chin-wag; but news that the International Monetary Fund has invited a rather different group for high-level talks on global financial imbalances is a reminder that the G8 is no longer where the action is when it comes to the world economy.At the IMF's spring meeting in Washington in April, its member governments gave it new powers of 'multilateral surveillance', allowing managing director Rodrigo de Rato to assemble small groups of relevant countries to discuss in private how to deal with pressing global issues. Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, welcomed the radical reform as a way of opening channels of communication between countries that had previously had little real opportunity to consult each other.... http://observer.guardian.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 11:33:00 07-02-06 |
ID Data Stolen From Texas Red Cross Social Security, Medical Information Encrypted On Laptop Taken In May |
A laptop containing personal information from thousands of blood donors — including Social Security numbers and medical information — was stolen from a local office of the American Red Cross, but officials said the information was encrypted. The data included matching names and birth dates of donors from Texas and Oklahoma, as well as donors' sexual and disease histories. “We haven't viewed this as a security breach at this point,” Darren Irby, spokesman for the national American Red Cross office, told The Dallas Morning News for its Saturday editions. The laptop was one of three stolen from a locked closet in the Farmers Branch office of the American Red Cross in May, but the two others did not contain the personal information. There was no sign of forced entry, said Red Cross spokeswoman Audrey Lundy. ... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/01/national/main1773805.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1773805
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Editor - 11:32:00 07-02-06 |
White House suitors deluge New Orleans |
Visiting Louisiana and Mississippi has become increasingly important for politicians considering a White House bid. Although New Hampshire and Iowa hold the first-in-the-nation presidential primary and caucuses, the Gulf Coast region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina has emerged as a crucial stop for 2008 contenders. Sen. George Allen, Virginia Republican, recently walked amid the rubble of what were once homes in New Orleans neighborhoods. Others interested in the presidency also have taken a tour. "If you are going to be a serious, credible politician, you are going to have to be able to talk intelligently about what Katrina did to this region, and the first step in that is going to be to come and visit now," said Brian Brox, assistant professor of political science at Tulane University. Mr. Allen pledged to help New Orleans because he views it as a unique American city. "I don't think that by 2008 this is all going to be built back," ... http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060702-121944-6600r.htm
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Editor - 11:14:00 07-02-06 |
Gitmo win likely cost Navy lawyer his career. 'Fearless' defense of detainee a stinging loss for Bush |
Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift -- the Navy lawyer who beat the president of the United States in a pivotal Supreme Court battle over trying alleged terrorists -- figures he'll probably have to find a new job. Of course, it's always risky to compare your boss to King George III. Swift made the analogy to the court, saying President Bush had overstepped his authority when he bypassed Congress and set up illegal military tribunals to try Guantanamo detainees such as Swift's alleged al-Qaida client, Salim Ahmed Hamdan. The justices agreed, ruling 5-3 Thursday in favor of dismantling the current tribunal system. Despite his spectacular success, with the assistance of attorneys from the Seattle firm Perkins Coie, Swift thinks his military career is coming to an end. The 44-year-old Judge Advocate General officer, who was recently named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the country by The National Law Journal, was passed over for promotion last year as the high-profile case was ... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/276109_swift01.html
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Editor - 11:10:00 07-02-06 |
French Help Hide Illegal Immigrants With Deportation Reprieve Expiring July 4, Citizens House Families |
Hakun Bingolbali, a rambunctious 6-year-old born in the Kurdish region of southeast Turkey, says he is French, no question about it. He does not know that his parents are living in France illegally, that the authorities want to deport them, and that one reason they keep changing apartments is to avoid the police. What he knows is that he is surrounded by friends. "We have a lot of people who help us," said the little boy, chattering away in fluent French despite the purple lollipop lodged in his mouth. "They like us to live here." Like dozens, perhaps hundreds, of illegal immigrant families across France, the Bingolbalis - mother, father, Hakun, and twin 3-year-old boys - have been adopted by a circle of neighbors, strangers, and activists who say they are ready to hide them, if necessary, to prevent the government from sending them away. ... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/29/world/main1765417.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1765417
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Editor - 11:04:00 07-02-06 |
Dollar Likely to Extend Declines, Top Currency Analysts Predict |
The most accurate currency analysts on Wall Street last quarter are telling customers to anticipate more losses for the dollar against the euro. ``The dollar will continue its slide,'' said Alex Patelis, head of currency strategy in London at Merrill Lynch & Co. His forecast of $1.28 per euro was the closest to the June 30 rate among the 53 firms Bloomberg surveyed from April 11 to 13. Merrill, Citigroup Inc. and Mizuho Corporate Bank, among the most bearish on the dollar during the second quarter, say the currency will continue to fall. The dollar fell 2.2 percent against the euro last week to $1.2790, rounding out a 5.3 percent quarterly drop as the Federal Reserve signaled it may pause before raising interest rates. The U.S. currency declined 1.84 percent compared with the yen last week to 114.42, ending the quarter down 2.85 percent. ... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2HRhGbILySY&refer=top_world_news
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Editor - 11:02:00 07-02-06 |
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