 Zimbabwean authorities have seized more than $50m worth of old banknotes at roadblocks and border posts in a crackdown on money launderers. People are rushing to make a deadline in 12 days' time to deposit their cash after the introduction of new currency. Anyone carrying more than $400 in old currency is liable to have it seized. The central bank head said last week over $80m worth was not in circulation, hinting it might be stashed outside the country for speculative purposes. The central bank unexpectedly devalued the currency last week, lopping off three zeros off banknotes, in an attempt to stem both corruption and hyperinflation of more than 1,000%. Banknotes worth about $40m were discovered in containers at Harare international Airport, Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper reports. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 13:58:00 08-09-06
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 U.S. forces repel raid on new base in remote eastern Afghanistan, kill 19 militants |
U.S. soldiers and warplanes drove off an insurgent attack on a new American base early Wednesday, reportedly killing 19 militants in an area where rebels are trying to resist a push by coalition troops into remote mountains of eastern Afghanistan. In the volatile south of the country, wracked by the bloodiest fighting in nearly five years, suspected Taliban rebels hanged a 70-year-old woman and her son from a tree, accusing them of spying for President Hamid Karzai's government, officials said. Meanwhile, Karzai, whose popularity has declined because of slow progress in reconstructing the war-battered country and poor security, signaled in an interview that he won't run for president again in elections slated for 2009. The raid on the U.S. base at Kamdesh in the eastern province of Nuristan — one of the country's wildest regions — was staged by extremists likely belonging to the Hezb-e-Islami militant group, who attacked from three directions ...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-09-taliban_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 13:54:00 08-09-06
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| Prudhoe Bay raises questions about aging oil fields. The only question left is, how much can they charge Americans for gas, $5 maybe $7 a gallon? |
BP's problem of corroding pipes is worsening as the nation's largest oil field ages and more water and less oil is produced during drilling."Really, we are a giant water field," said Bill Hedges, BP PLC's corrosion expert, explaining that what comes up now during drilling is three-quarters water.Oil and gas production naturally contains water, carbon dioxide and bacteria, which are catalysts for corrosion.The shutdown this week of the Prudhoe Bay oil field because of severe corrosion found in transit lines is raising questions about the condition of the rest of the field. Oil first flowed at Prudhoe Bay on June 20, 1977....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-09-prudhoe-bay_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 13:48:00 08-09-06
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| Florida Judicial Candidates Advised They May Answer Questionnaires |
On Monday, the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee notified judicial candidates that they may announce their views by answering questionnaires without running afoul of Canon 7A(3)(d)(i) and (ii), which states that judicial candidates shall not, “with respect to parties or classes of parties, cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pledges or promises, or commitments of conduct in office other than that are inconsistent with the faithful and impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of the office.” A judicial candidate inquired about the propriety of answering questionnaires from the Florida Family Policy Council and the Christian Coalition of Florida, asking whether a candidate could “[r]espond to questionnaires which cover such subjects as same-sex marriage, parental notification, and school vouchers, and whether the candidate agrees or disagrees with recent court decisions.” ...
http://On Monday, the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee notified judicial candidates that they may announce their views by answering questionnaires without running afoul of Canon 7A(3)(d)(i) and (ii), which states that judicial candidates shall not, “with respect to parties or classes of parties, cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pledges or promises, or commitments of conduct in office other than that are inconsistent with the faithful and impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of the office.” A judicial candidate inquired about the propriety of answering questionnaires from the Florida Family Policy Council and the Christian Coalition of Florida, asking whether a candidate could “[r]espond to questionnaires which cover such subjects as same-sex marriage, parental notification, and school vouchers, and whether the candidate agrees or disagrees with recent court decisions.” ...
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Editor - 12:17:00 08-09-06
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| Navy says sailor in brig stole laptop, gave out classified info. |
After refusing to release full details on a pending espionage case involving a petty officer held in the Norfolk brig, the Navy on Tue provided some specifics about the charges. The Navy's charges depict Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann as a sailor who stole a Navy laptop computer, deserted his ship for more than 8 months & traveled the globe, both attempting to give & actually delivering classified defense info to an undisclosed foreign government. Arguably the most serious charges 3 counts of espionage in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first count alleges that in March 2005, in or near Manama, Bahrain, Weinmann did "attempt to communicate, deliver or transmit" classified information relating to national defense to "a representative, officer, agent or employee of a foreign government." Why so secretive about this foreign Governments identity? So Israel is caught spying on us again. Is this a National security issue, or embarrassing to someone...
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=108896&ran=82404
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Editor - 11:33:00 08-09-06
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| Center for war-related brain injuries faces budget cut. Wounded get shafted again. What happened to “support our troops”? Oh, didn’t mean these troops |
Congress appears ready to slash funding for the research & treatment of brain injuries caused by bomb blasts, an injury that military scientists describe as a signature wound of the Iraq war. House & Senate versions of the 2007 Defense appropriation bill contain $7 million for the Defense & Veterans Brain Injury Center — half of what the center received last fiscal year. Proponents of increased funding say they are shocked to see cuts in the treatment of bomb blast injuries in the midst of a war. "I find it basically unpardonable that Congress is not going to provide funds to take care of our soldiers & sailors who put their lives on the line for their country," says Martin Foil, a member of the center's board of directors. "It blows my imagination." Spokespersons for the appropriations committees in both chambers say cuts were due to a tight budget this year. "Honestly, they would have loved to have funded it, but there were just so many priorities," Like their pay raises?...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-08-08-brain-center_x.htm
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Editor - 11:05:00 08-09-06
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| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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