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NEWS SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER 4, 2010 NEWS
EARLY EDTION
Obama
To Launch New Economic Aid Package
Eager to jumpstart the economy ahead of crucial midterm elections,
President Barack Obama said Friday he intends to unveil a new package of
proposals, including tax cuts and targeted spending, to spark job growth.
Obama spoke in the Rose Garden after the August jobs report came out better
than expected, showing the private sector adding 67,000 new jobs last month
and revising upward the numbers from June and July. But unemployment ticked
upward to 9.6 percent as more people entered the job market, and the president
said it wasn't good enough. CBS
VOA VIEW: More voodoo economics.
Wyoming
Man Donates $1.5M To Defend Arizona Immigration Law In Court
A Wyoming man has given more than $1.5 million to help defend Arizona's
controversial immigration enforcement measure in court, Gov. Jan Brewer's
office said Thursday. The contribution from Timothy Mellon of Saratoga
is the largest to Brewer's defense fund, which has amassed more than $3.6
million from 41,000 donors nationwide. Mellon could not immediately be
reached for comment. The latest legal bills released Thursday show Brewer's
office has spent more than $440,000 for the first two months of defending
the law. The bills, obtained through a public records request by The Associated
Press, are for work performed through June by Phoenix law firm Snell &
Wilmer. They do not cover July hearings in federal court before a judge
Susan Bolton temporarily blocked enforcement of the law's most controversial
provisions. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Americans are stepping up to
fight Obama tyranny.
BP
Begins Effort To Remove Failed Blowout Preventer
BP began operations to remove its failed blowout preventer from atop
its well deep below the Gulf of Mexico, the company said Friday. BP spokeswoman
Jessie Baker said a vessel that will be raising the device from the water
is now connected to underwater equipment in preparation for the removal.
The procedure may take place as early as this weekend, depending on weather
conditions. Joint investigation teams, engineers and the Department of
Justice are closely monitoring the status of the blowout preventer, as
it may hold important forensic evidence as to why it failed on April 20,
triggering the world's largest accidental oil spill after a deadly explosion
that killed 11 rig workers. CNN
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Jobless
Rate Rose To 9.6 Percent In Aug.
Growth in jobs last month was not fast enough to prevent the unemployment
rate from ticking up to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent, the Labor Department
reported Friday morning. Businesses added another 67,000 jobs in areas
from health care to business services, but that was overwhelmed by 121,000
layoffs by governments around the country, including 114,000 temporary
workers let go by the Census Bureau. The comings and goings at census have
particularly distorted the jobs picture in recent months, depressing overall
employment by 54,000 in August. Earlier this year, they inflated the job
gains to over 400,000 in one month. Washington
Times
Osteoporosis
Drugs Tied To Esophageal Cancer
A second look at British registry data indicates that esophageal cancer
may be more common after all in patients taking oral bisphosphonate drugs,
a type of drug used to treat osteoporosis, for long periods. In an analysis
involving some 80,000 patients tracked for more than seven years on average,
individuals diagnosed with esophageal cancer of were 1.93 times as likely
to have received at least 10 prescriptions for oral bisphosphonates compared
with controls not having cancer, reported Dr. Jane Green of the University
of Oxford in England and colleagues online in BMJ. ABC
Toshiba
Recalls 41,000 Computers Over Risk Of Burns
Toshiba has announced the voluntary recall of about 41,000 notebook
computers worldwide at risk of overheating and burning users. The recalled
models are the Satellite T135, Satellite T135D and Satellite ProT130 notebook
computers, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumers
are asked to immediately download the latest version of a software program
called BIOS. The program will detect whether a recalled notebook is overheating,
and will disable the computer's external power and alert the consumer to
contact Toshiba for a free repair. The software is available at http://laptops.toshiba.com/about/consumer-notices.
Customers without Internet access are asked to contact the company for
installation of the program. CNN
American Academy
Of Pediatrics Says Media Portrayal Of Sex ‘Unhealthy'
Calling media portrayals of sex “unhealthy,” the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) has issued new guidelines calling on all media outlets
to present human sexuality in a healthy, scientifically accurate manner.
At the same time, the group pomoted the use of contraceptives among teenagers
and denigrated abstinence-only education. “There is a major disconnect
between what mainstream media portray – casual sex and sexuality with no
consequences – and what children and teenagers need – straightforward information
about human sexuality and the need for contraception when having sex,”
the AAP said. CNS
News
Roman Polanski
Still On The Run – U.S. Justice Department Not Releasing Documents In Ongoing
Case
Although famed movie director and criminal fugitive Roman Polanski
was released by Swiss authorities from house-arrest in July and is free
to travel in his homeland France and in Switzerland, the U.S. Justice Department
is still pursuing him, as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by
CNSNews.com verifies. Swiss authorities had arrested Polanski in September
2009 based upon a U.S.-issued international arrest warrant that stemmed
from a sex-crime Polanski committed in the United States in 1977, and were
holding him pending the outcome of an extradition request for his return
to the United States. CNS
News
Kia
Recalls 56,000 Souls, Sorentos In U.S.
Kia Motors said on Friday it had started a recall of some 56,000 Soul
and Sorento vehicles sold in the United States and South Korea due to defective
wiring harnesses that could cause fires. Some harnesses supplied by Johnson
Controls for lighting in 2010 model-year Soul cars and 2011 model-year
Sorento SUVs were improperly soldered, leading to possible electrical shorts,
Kia said in a letter to U.S. safety regulators on August 30. There were
no reports of accidents or injuries due to the issue, which was identified
in June, said Kia, an affiliate of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. Kia
determined that a recall was needed on August 23. Reuters
Indian
Army Likes U.S. Weaponry
India's Ministry of Defense is placing orders for U.S. armaments following
joint exercises with U.S. military forces. Russia has traditionally been
India's largest arms supplier but following evidence of the capabilities
of U.S. military equipment during joint exercises with the Indian army,
navy and air force, the Indian army decided to purchase of several hundred
Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, demonstrated during the war games, the
Telegraph reported Friday. UPI
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Oil
Hovers Near $75 As Global Stocks Rally
Oil prices hovered near $75 a barrel Monday in Asia, buoyed by rallying
global stock markets and improving investor sentiment. Benchmark crude
for October delivery was down 38 cents at $74.79 a barrel at late afternoon
Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The contract rose $1.81 to settle at $75.17 on Friday. Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday the central bank was ready to step in
if the U.S. economy showed further signs of weakening. Bernanke's comments
sparked a stock market rally, with the Dow Jones industrial average jumping
1.7 percent Friday. ABC
Too
Early To `Declare Victory' As Housing Revives
The housing market is showing progress two years after the credit crunch
drove down home prices, though it’s too soon to “declare victory,” Housing
and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said. “It is too early to
certainly declare victory,” Donovan said in an interview for Bloomberg
Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. He
said prices picked up over the last year and Americans added $1.1 trillion
in equity to their homes. Pending home sales rose an unexpected 5.2 percent
in July, the National Association of Realtors reported yesterday. Seasonally
adjusted pending sales had dropped 2.8 percent in June and almost 30 percent
in May. When President Barack Obama came into office, “what was driving
the housing market was bad loans, today it’s unemployment,” Donovan said.
Bloomberg
VOA VIEW: The housing market is far from
recovering.
Families
Calling For Justice For Soldiers
As major U.S. combat operations in Iraq end, some families of soldiers
and Marines convicted of crimes during battle hope the nation doesn't forget
their sons. The men, known as the "Leavenworth 10," were convicted by military
courts for the murder of Iraqis over the past seven years. They're serving
sentences, which range from 10 to 40 years, at Fort Leavenworth. But their
families say it's all an injustice and want other Americans to share their
outrage over what happened to their loved ones. Las
Vegas Sun
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Your
Hair Knows When You're About To Have A Heart Attack
A new study shows your tresses store a long-term record of your stresses.
And testing a few hairs may be able to predict your risk of an imminent
heart attack, according to a report from LiveScience. Troubles at work?
Family strife? Money woes? All that angst is stashed in your hair in the
form of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, Canadian researchers found.
The hormone gets released in the bloodstream when you're freaking out and
seeps into your hair follicles. As the hair grows, it provides a timeline
of your anxieties -- and the toll they take on your heart. Gideon Koren,
a professor at the University of Western Ontario, took hair samples from
120 men and measured cortisol levels in the 1.2 inches of hair closest
to the scalp. That’s about three months worth of growth. MSNBC
Jobs
Report Helps Stocks Extend September Rally
The stock market is closing out its first winning week in a month after
news on the economy started getting better. The Dow Jones industrial average
jumped 128 points Friday, its fourth straight day of gains. The strong
start to September marked a turnaround from a dismal performance in August.
A better report on job creation Friday was the latest piece of good news
on the economy and pushed shares higher. The jobs reported “created a bit
of optimism, but there's still a degree of caution,” said Nick Kalivas,
vice president of financial research for MF Global. The services sector
report renewed some skepticism, Kalivas said. CBS
Earl
Sideswipes NC
A weakening Hurricane Earl swiped past North Carolina on Friday on
its way to New England, where officials warned residents that it still
packed dangerous winds that could topple trees or damage the area's picturesque
gray-shingled cottages. Earl dropped to a Category 1 storm — down from
a powerful Category 4 a day earlier — with sustained winds of 80 mph. The
storm could weaken to a tropical storm by the time it passes about 50 to
75 miles southeast of Nantucket on Friday night, said National Hurricane
Center Director Bill Read. "The good news on Earl is it has been steadily
weakening, maybe even a little quicker than forecast," Mr. Read said. Washington
Times
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U.S.
Government Probes Mariner Platform Fire
The U.S. government on Friday launched an investigation into Mariner
Energy Inc's Gulf of Mexico platform fire, and a light oil sheen spotted
near the offshore facility was not believed to be a leak, according to
the U.S. Coast Guard. A Coast Guard helicopter crew surveying the platform
spotted a small sheen, about a gallon, but it is thought to be related
to Thursday's efforts to extinguish the fire, an agency spokesman said.
Investigators have boarded the damaged facility and are working to verify
that it is not leaking crude oil into the Gulf. The cause of the fire,
which forced the evacuation of the oil and gas production platform's 13-member
crew, is not yet known. Reuters
Drugmakers
Script Social Media To Push Meds
Under the Obama administration, the FDA has vowed to crack down on
increasingly aggressive marketing tactics — both online and off. But even
Abrams acknowledges the agency lacks the resources to sharply curtail misleading
drug ads. Downturn or no, the pharmaceutical industry hasn't been skimping
on advertising. In 2009, companies spent a vast $4.8 billion to reach out
to consumers in the United States — the only country besides New Zealand
that allows direct-to-consumer advertising — up from nearly $4.7 billion
the year before, according to tracking firm Kantar Media. MSNBC
DC
Like ‘Drug Dealer’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is likening the federal government to a
drug dealer. In an interview Thursday with Fox News' "Your World With Neil
Cavuto," Pawlenty defended his order that seeks to limit his state's participation
in the new health care overhaul law that makes available funds for states
to try new medical models. The potential 2012 Republican presidential contender
said it would be wrong to take the money. "Instead of all just running
around saying, 'We'll take the money because it's free money,' let's call
it what it is: The federal government is basically a drug dealer trying
to give out free samples, or give people a taste, get them further addicted,"
Pawlenty said. Las
Vegas Sun
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7.2
Magnitude Quake Rocks New Zealand
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck close to New Zealand's second-largest
city of Christchurch early Saturday local time, the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, though some residents
there said buildings had collapsed and power lines were severed. The USGS
did not immediately warn of the threat of tsunamis. The quake hit at 4.35am
local time just 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Christchurch, on New Zealand's
South Island. Christchurch is New Zealand's second-largest city with a
population of about 342,000 people. New Zealand's National Radio reports
the temblor shook thousands of residents awake. Fox
News
Abbas
Said Under U.S. Pressure In Talks
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is being pressured to continue
talks with Israel even if Israel resumes construction in West Bank settlements,
sources say. The Obama administration has renewed its pressure on Abbas
to remain in direct peace negotiations with Israel even if construction
begins again after the end of the current moratorium, a senior Palestine
source told the Haaretz newspaper. Abbas would not abide a renewal of construction
and would be forced to withdraw from the talks, the source warned. Palestinian
acceptance of renewed construction as talks are resumed is politically
impossible, the source said. UPI
News
Peres
Hails 'Promising Start' Of Newly Launched Peace Talks
Hillary Clinton declares peace is within Israeli and Palestinian interests
in Friday night interview with Israeli and Palestinian reporters; Erekat
denies report that negotiating teams scheduled to meet in West Bank. President
Shimon Peres said newly launched peace talks with the Palestinians had
a “promising start,” speaking to reporters at an economic conference in
Italy on Friday. Peres stated that the negotiations had a “surprisingly”
good beginning, considering the fact that “skepticism prevailed before.”
The president expressed his hope that the latest round of talks could lead
to a peace agreement, saying that the difficulties existing in bridging
the gap between the two sides are manageable and those taking part in the
negotiations are serious. Jerusalem
Post
'Jerusalem
Cannot Be The Capital Of State Called Israel'
Nasrallah derides peace talks as dead on arrival in "Jerusalem Day"
speech after explosions erupt from suspected Hizbullah arms cache. The
current round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks will not succeed, Hizbullah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said during a "Jerusalem Day" commemoration
speech on Friday. Nasrallah characterized the talks as "stillborn" and
said, "Jerusalem, and not even one of its streets, can not be the capital
of the state called Israel." The Hizbullah chief's comments came hours
after explosions ripped through a building Friday in southern Lebanon that
might - according to Lebanese security officials - have been used to store
weapons for the terrorists group. Jerusalem
Post
VOA VIEW: So much for peace.
Radical Islam
Is World's Greatest Threat
Tony Blair has described radical Islam as the greatest threat facing
the world today. He made the remark in a BBC interview marking the publication
of his memoirs. Mr Blair said radical Islamists believed that whatever
was done in the name of their cause was justified - including the use of
chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Mr Blair, who led Britain into
war in Afghanistan and Iraq, denied that his own policies had fuelled radicalism.
Asked about the argument that Chechens, Kashmiris, Palestinians, Iraqis
and Afghans were resisting foreign occupation, he said Western polices
were designed to confront radical Islamists because they were "regressive,
wicked and backward-looking". BBC
Japan
Imposes New Iran Sanctions Over Nuclear Programme
The measures - which go beyond than those imposed by the UN Security
Council - ban transactions with some Iranian banks, and also target energy-related
investments. Japan approved sanctions against Iran last month, but US officials
have been urging Tokyo to adopt tougher measures. Many states fear Iran's
nuclear programme is developing atomic weapons; Iran insists its programme
is peaceful. Japan is a major importer of Iranian crude oil, but did not
impose any restrictions on oil imports from Iran. "We took those steps
as they are necessary to push for nuclear non-proliferation and prevent
its nuclear development," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told
a news conference. BBC
Afghan
Officials Resist Clean-Up Of Kabul Bank As Scandal Engulfs Elite
Officials in Afghanistan are resisting US pressure for a wide-ranging
clean-up of Kabul Bank, which is mired in allegations of corruption which
has engulfed some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country.
The stand-off came as the bank's third-biggest shareholder, Mahmoud Karzai
– the elder brother of President Hamid Karzai – called for a US bailout
of the stricken bank. The Central Bank on Tuesday ordered that the chairman
and chief executive of Kabul Bank, who are both large shareholders in the
bank, should step down from their positions and a government official be
appointed to manage the bank. Guardian
Gaza
Groups Threaten Attacks On Israel
Militant groups in the Gaza Strip said last night they had joined forces
to step up attacks against Israel, possibly including suicide bombings.
The statement was made as Israeli and Palestinian leaders met in Washington
for the first day of direct talks yesterday, and agreed that a peace deal
could be achieved within a year. George Mitchell, the White House envoy
who joined the negotiations, said the two leaders decided to begin framing
an agreement on all major issues – such as borders, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements
and security – that will "establish the fundamental compromises necessary"
to flesh out a comprehensive peace deal. Guardian
'Seething'
Brown Claims Moral High Ground
Gordon Brown is said to be "seething" and "dismayed" about Tony Blair's
searing criticism of him in his memoirs but yesterday told aides not to
respond in kind. Instead, claiming the moral high ground, he announced
how he plans to devote his spare time to working without payment to improve
conditions in the world's poorest countries. The former prime minister
will be paid up to £64,000 for some speeches, to fund a London-based
Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown, with a staff of two or three. Mr Blair
has a staff of about 130 for his work as a Middle East peace envoy; projects
in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia; a London office and his sports and
inter-faith foundations. He is said to have been paid up to £250,000
for speeches and to have earned £20m since leaving Downing Street
in 2007. Independent
UK
Vow On Military Ties With France
Defence Secretary Liam Fox promised "closer co-operation" with the
French today as military budgets face being squeezed on both sides of the
Channel. Dr Fox, who was in Paris for talks with his French counterpart
Herve Morin, said the "tough financial climate" meant it was in the interest
of both nations to work together. The Defence Secretary and Mr Morin also
discussed Afghanistan and the progress being made to train military and
security forces in the country. As the leading military nations in Europe,
the Ministry of Defence said a strong relationship between the UK and France
was important for the defence and security of both countries. Speculation
about closer defence ties, including reports of sharing aircraft carrier
capability, surfaced in the build-up to today's meeting. Dr Fox said: Independent
Afghan
Withdrawal Date 'Emboldens' Taliban
An influential American general has endorsed a report that criticises
President Barack Obama and the Prime Minister’s decision to set a withdrawal
date for Afghanistan that “emboldens” the Taliban to fight on. The report
cautions that Afghan people are now frightened of supporting the Kabul
government as they would be labelled collaborators once Western forces
leave. The report attacked the political rhetoric of timelines for withdrawal
which played into the hands of the Taliban and undermined the Nato military
effort. “It emboldens insurgents to continue fighting, as they are presented
with a survival target to reach,” wrote the report’s author George Grant,
a counter-terrorism expert. Telegraph
UN
Agency Convenes Special Meeting To Examine Turmoil In Wheat Markets
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will hold
a special meeting later this month to examine the recent spike in wheat
prices and help avoid any repeat of the recent global food crisis. The
meeting, slated for 24 September at FAO headquarters in Rome, will bring
together experts and government representatives to consider how to ease
the current turmoil in grain markets and what role should the UN agency
in handling the situation. Wheat prices experienced their biggest monthly
rise in almost a year in August, according to the FAO’s Food Price Index,
climbing by 5 per cent following persistent drought in Russia – a major
producer – and that country’s subsequent restriction on sales. Higher sugar
and oilseed prices also contributed to the price spike, which has flowed
into overall international food prices as well. UN
News
Economic
Recovery Strategies Must Prioritize Job Creation
Although the global economy is on the cusp of a fragile recovery, governments
must take concerted action to create jobs to spur growth and development,
according to the heads of the United Nations International Labour Organization
(ILO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “A job-centred growth
strategy should be our number one priority,” said ILO Director General
Juan Somavia, ahead of a high-level conference on 13 September in Oslo.
“Otherwise, the economic recovery may take years to reach those who need
it most, or it may not reach them at all.” The joint ILO-IMF summit, hosted
by Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, will explore ways to forge
a sustainable, job-rich economic recovery. UN
News
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