Tony Blair and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, were under pressure last night to refute convincingly claims that Britain has been complicit in alleged use of CIA planes to take suspected terrorists for torture in secret camps abroad. Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, has accused the Government of conducting a "hear no evil, see no evil" policy on renditions, after repeated denials that Britain is colluding in transporting prisoners to countries where torture is reputedly widespread. But there are signs that the Government's attempt to keep free of the controversy are becoming untenable, amid calls from MPs, human rights groups and European bodies for an in-depth investigation. The Foreign Secretary revealed on Monday for the first time that he had agreed as Home Secretary to rendition for two flights from the UK to the US under the Clinton administration on the grounds that the suspects were to stand trial. He refused a third, he said, because ...
http://news.independent.co.uk
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Editor - 23:50:00 12-13-05
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 CIA flight assurances 'worthless' |
Jack Straw's statement that there are no records of the CIA flying terror suspects through the UK to face torture may be "worthless", a group of MPs say. The MPs are not reassured by the foreign secretary and say they have legal advice suggesting the government must actively investigate the claims. But Mr Straw later told MPs there was no need at all for a judge-led inquiry. And he said that unless people believed he and his US counterpart were lying, there was no truth in the allegations. All we can do is go by past records and when we do, is it any wonder we take for granted they are lying again. Now if they had a record of truthfulness, honesty and morality, we might believe it. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4525164.stm
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Editor - 22:22:00 12-13-05
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| Iran's Top Negotiator Says the Country Doesn't Need U.S. Security Guarantee |
Iran's top negotiator said Tuesday that his country does not need the United States to guarantee its security for it to proceed with its nuclear program. Ali Larijani was responding to a suggestion by Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Washington offer security assurances as part of negotiations aimed at making Tehran permanently freeze nuclear enrichment. That process can produce material for use in warheads or fuel for nuclear plants to generate electricity. "Iran doesn't need such aristocratic guarantees," state-run radio quoted Larijani as saying. He added that Iran had "the national might to protect itself." ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1403113&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
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Editor - 21:53:00 12-13-05
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| Apartments unaffordable for many Cost of rental housing increased faster than wages |
The cost of rental housing has increased faster than wages, making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to afford even modest apartments, an advocacy group said Tuesday."The picture is similar to past years, but it's getting worse," said Danilo Pelletiere, research director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.The coalition, which advocates for more affordable housing, issues a report each year tracking rental costs in every state, county and metropolitan area in the country.It says families should spend no more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing and utilities, a standard recognized by many housing experts. Under that standard, the coalition said it could not find a single county in the United States where a full-time worker making minimum wage could afford a one-bedroom apartment.In reality, the report found, many low-income families spend a far larger share of their incomes on housing....
http://www.cnn.com/rssclick/2005/US/12/13/renting.ap.ap/index.html?section=cnn_us
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Editor - 21:46:00 12-13-05
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| US expectations at stake in Iraqi poll |
After losing more than 2,300 troops dead and spending over $250 billion in Iraq, the United States and its allies have an awful lot invested in Thursday's parliamentary election. The vote will not just determine Iraq's first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, it will also act as significant waymark toward withdrawing U.S. troops from a war that is increasingly unpopular with Americans. Not surprisingly, Western diplomats and analysts have been setting benchmarks for what they think will constitute a successful poll — one which will give Iraqis hope and allow Americans to think realistically about bringing troops home. "If you get 60 percent voter turnout with pretty even voting across the country, with not too many violent incidents, that would be successful," said one Western official in Baghdad's Green Zone who, like others, asked not to be identified. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1403105
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Editor - 21:36:00 12-13-05
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| Former Texas Sheriff Sentenced to More Than 24 Years in Corruption Case |
A former sheriff was sentenced Tuesday to more than 24 years in federal prison for extorting money from drug dealers and tipping off criminals about investigations. Conrado Cantu, the former sheriff of Cameron County along the Texas-Mexico border, apologized before sentencing, saying he had broken under the pressure of the job and hated drugs. But U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle was curt in her response. "You used your charisma to betray your community," she told Cantu, 50. "For somebody who hates drugs, you certainly did a lot to help the drug trafficking trade." ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1403093
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Editor - 21:32:00 12-13-05
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