Bush's meeting with European Union leaders today is scheduled to focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions and economic concerns, but the United States' conduct of the war on terrorism will be an unspoken theme. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley has said he doubts Mr. Bush will have much to say about the U.S. prison for terror suspects at U.S. Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, charges of prisoner abuse in Iraq and suspected killings of Iraqi civilians by Marines in Haditha. For millions of Europeans, however, these are the issues that matter -- and their concerns are shared by politicians. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, plans to urge Mr. Bush to close Guantanamo. Peter Pilz, a senior member of Austria's Green party, says Mr. Schuessel should tell Mr. Bush "that the criminal actions of his government will not be tolerated in Europe." ...
http://www.washingtontimes.com
censor News |
Editor - 22:50:00 06-20-06
|
 Armed clash with Georgia feared |
Growing diplomatic tensions, a Russian trade embargo and a massive boost in Georgian arms spending are raising fears of conflict in the volatile Caucasus region along Russia's southern border. Analysts say a meeting last week between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili failed to defuse the tension and that Russia's open support for the leaders of Georgia's separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is pushing the limits of Georgian patience. The tension is expected to be discussed when Mr. Putin hosts heads of state from the Group of Eight club of wealthy nations in St. Petersburg next month. It also will be discussed in Washington July 5 when Mr. Saakashvili meets with President Bush, who has accused the Kremlin of bullying pro-Western states in the former Soviet Union. ...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060620-093842-8613r.htm
full News |
Editor - 22:49:00 06-20-06
|
| Pyongyang asserts 'right' to test-fire missiles |
North Korea declared today that it has a right to carry out long-range missile tests, a day after U.S. officials said the Pentagon has activated a new missile defense system and as several countries called for Pyongyang to refrain from launching a missile. "It is not right for others to tell us what to do about our sovereign rights," Han Song-ryol, the deputy chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, told a South Korean news agency, although he also said his country was open to talks with the U.S. on the issue. "The United States says it is concerned about our missile test launch. Our position is, 'OK then, let us talk about it,'?" Mr. Han told Yonhap. White House officials would not say what the consequences would be if North Korea tested a missile, and officials at the Pentagon and State Department refused to comment on whether the U.S. ground-based interceptor system was up and running, as The Washington Times reported yesterday...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060621-124310-6189r.htm
full News |
Editor - 22:47:00 06-20-06
|
| Vietnam to back needle exchanges |
Vietnam's National Assembly is due to pass a new law allowing illegal drug users to receive clean needles to tackle the growing HIV/Aids problem. Until now, needle exchanges have been illegal in Vietnam. The measure is part of a comprehensive package intended to halt the spread of the virus, which is estimated to infect about 100 Vietnamese every day. Last month UNAids listed Vietnam as one of the countries in which the spread of infection was a major concern. The initial version of this law did not meet the approval of international organisations working on HIV and Aids, and it took two years of negotiations to get a draft on which everyone could agree. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5100940.stm
full News |
Editor - 22:43:00 06-20-06
|
| Brand-Name Drug Prices Rise Faster Than Inflation in U.S. Study |
Drugmakers raised U.S. prices for brand-name medicines in the first quarter almost four times as fast as inflation while generic prices were unchanged, two reports found. The average price for the most widely prescribed brand-name drugs, including cholesterol and sleeping pills, rose 3.9 percent in the first quarter, said AARP, a consumer group for people 50 and older. Inflation was 1.1 percent in the first three months this year, according to the U.S. Labor Department. The jump in prices for branded medicines was the biggest in the six years AARP has been compiling the report. The Washington-based group called the increase a ``disturbing reversal'' as the rate of drug-price gains had been slowing since mid-2004. The quarter was the first in which drugmakers didn't raise generic prices since AARP began tracking increases in 2001. ...
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aT609ezo_jpY&refer=home
full News |
Editor - 22:38:00 06-20-06
|
| Gov. Bush Suspends Miami City Commissioner |
Gov. Jeb Bush suspended a Miami city commissioner Tuesday, a day after prosecutors announced that he had been charged with battery and disorderly intoxication. The charges against Johnny Winton stem from an altercation May 15 with police at Miami International Airport after his flight was canceled. Authorities said one officer was kicked in the groin and another suffered a chipped tooth. Winton, who was injured when his head hit a wall, was charged with two felony counts of battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2100729
full News |
Editor - 22:20:00 06-20-06
|
|
| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
|
|
