The city and its contractors are not immune from lawsuits brought by emergency workers sickened after toiling amid toxic dust at ground zero, a judge ruled, clearing the way for what he said should be the speedy resolution of thousands of claims.In his decision Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said the city, its roughly 150 private contractors, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were only partially immune from lawsuits, with the precise scope and extent of the immunity varying according to date, place and activity."If even a minority of the plaintiffs suffered serious injuries to their respiratory tracts arising from the acrid air of September 11, their claims deserve to be heard when a recovery could make a difference in their lives," the judge wrote, adding that the defendants are entitled to resolution at the earliest possible point....
http://www.foxnews.com
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Editor - 08:20:00 10-18-06
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 Ecuador's Noboa regains poll lead |
Conservative candidate Alvaro Noboa has regained the lead in the latest partial count of Ecuador's presidential poll. With almost 80% of the votes counted, the electoral authorities gave Mr Noboa just over 26% of the ballots to 23% for closest rival Rafael Correa. Initial results showed the left-wing candidate ahead by a narrow margin. Mr Correa has claimed electoral fraud. Police have raided the office of the Brazilian company hired to speed-count the results after its system collapsed. The general attorney's office is investigating alleged irregularities in the process, which the company, E-vote, denies. Neither candidate looks set to gain the necessary 40% to win outright, forcing a second round run-off next month. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6060036.stm
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Editor - 08:18:00 10-18-06
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| Iraq attacks kill 10 US soldiers |
The United States military in Iraq says a marine and nine soldiers have been killed in Iraq, including four in a roadside bombing near Baghdad. The blast struck the soldiers' vehicle as they travelled west of the capital. Three more were killed in the restive Diyala province, north of Baghdad. The three others died in separate attacks. The deaths come as US-led forces in Iraq experience a surge in casualties in insurgency attacks; more than 60 US troops have been killed this month. The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says that, with an average of three Americans dying every day, this is one of the highest casualty rates sustained by US troops since January 2005. The US military gave no further details about the deaths in Diyala, apart from saying they occurred during operations in the province. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6061488.stm
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Editor - 08:15:00 10-18-06
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| Accused officer's attorneys focus on Abu Ghraib toga party |
Defense attorneys focused on a Halloween toga party at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq as they tried to establish who was in charge when detainees there were abused.The attorneys, representing Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, said Tuesday that Col. Thomas Pappas, then commander of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, resided at Abu Ghraib and was directly in charge of an interrogation center at the complex when he attended the morale-boosting event in 2003.Johnson, the highest-ranking officer charged with crimes at the prison, was nominally the center's director, but he wasn't responsible for the forced nudity and intimidation by dogs that some Abu Ghraib prisoners endured, defense attorneys contend.The Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding, is to determine whether Jordan should be court-martialed for any of the 12 charges he faces, including cruelty and maltreatment. He could be sentenced to up to 42 years in prison if convicted....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-18-abughraib-trial_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 08:12:00 10-18-06
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| Blair Nixes Early Withdrawal From Iraq |
Prime Minister Tony Blair defended Britain's presence in Iraq against sharp criticism Wednesday, saying it would be a "gross dereliction of our duty" to withdraw before Iraqi troops are able to take responsibility for security.The comments came after opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron pressed the prime minister about the assertion last week by Gen. Richard Dannatt, the head of the army, that British forces should leave Iraq soon because their presence provokes more violence than it prevents."I do not want to either dismay our allies or hearten our enemies by suggesting we will do anything else than stay until our job is done," Blair said. Britain's strategy, he said, "is to withdraw progressively as the Iraqi forces build up their capability."...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/18/ap/world/mainD8KR25EO0.shtml
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Editor - 08:10:00 10-18-06
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| Italian Police Arrest 30 Suspected of Mafia Ties |
Italian police said Wednesday they had arrested more than 30 people as part of a crackdown on organized crime in southern Italy, including key figures who have been active for over three decades.The arrests targeted the so-called 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate active the Calabria region, at the toe of boot-shaped Italy. The suspects were believed to be from rivaling clans of the organization, officials said.The FBI Web site describes the 'Ndrangheta as an organization of about 160 crime families and 6,000 "members" loosely connected by marriage, specializing in kidnapping and political corruption. It's estimated that there are about 200 'Ndrangheta members in the U.S., mostly in New York and Florida, and actively engaged in dealing drugs, contract murder and racketeering....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,222017,00.html
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Editor - 08:09:00 10-18-06
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