Docudharma Times Monday Nov.5

This is an Open Thread: No speaking in tongues or Parseltongue either.

USA

Plan for Nuclear Storage Is Slow to Form

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 – The Energy Department has not finished plans to consolidate storage of nuclear bomb fuel and other high-risk materials now spread among numerous sites, even though the department said in 2005 that it would do so within about a year, according to a Government Accountability Office report to be released Monday.

As a result, the department is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to defend additional sites.

The G.A.O. had reported that the Energy Department was putting off making security improvements at some of the storage sites because the sites were due to be phased out. But the new report makes clear that the goal of shutting down some obsolete weapons and research centers, and simplifying the security job by centralizing “special nuclear material,” as bomb fuel is called, has yet to advance from concept to plan, let alone to finished project.

Top US legal adviser refuses to rule out ‘torture’ technique

The top legal adviser within the US state department, who counsels the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, on international law, has declined to rule out the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding even if it were applied by foreign intelligence services on US citizens. John Bellinger refused to denounce the technique, which has been condemned by human rights groups as a form of torture, during a debate on the Bush administration’s stance on international law held by Guardian America, the Guardian’s US website. He said he would not include or exclude any technique without first considering whether it violated the convention on torture.

Oil’s Recent Rise Not as Familiar as It Looks

Traders, Not Political or Supply Concerns, May Be Pushing Fuel Toward $100

By Steven Mufson

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, November 5, 2007; Page A01

After a week of new records for crude oil prices, the question is: How high can they go?

In the past 10 weeks, the price of crude oil has shot up $25 a barrel, closing at $95.93 in New York on Friday, near an all-time inflation-adjusted peak. Unlike earlier spikes in oil prices, which came on the heels of war in the Middle East, this latest ascent does not appear to be linked to any one conflict or to any physical shortage.

Evangelical Democrat Stirs the Pot in Miss.

By Peter Whoriskey

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, November 5, 2007; Page A03

JACKSON, Miss. — A wealthy evangelical Christian, John Arthur Eaves Jr., is running a campaign for governor that is rife with what Jesus might do.

He talks about banishing “the money changers” from state politics and about a health-care proposal focusing on the “least among us” — just as Jesus would — and the cornerstone of his stump speech is familiar to anyone who knows the bit in Matthew 6:24 about “Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”

“The most important question in this campaign,” he said at a typical campaign stop here last week, “is ‘Who do you serve?’ “

Plan 9 from outer space

November 3, 2007

Page 1 of 5 | Single page

Fears of an alien invasion created greater alarm in the US than the threat of a Soviet nuclear attack, writes Philippe Mora.

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In January 1979, The New York Times reported that despite repeated, feverish denials, the CIA had indeed investigated the UFO phenomenon: “CIA Papers Detail UFO Surveillance” screamed the headline. The report is said to have so upset the then CIA director, Stansfield Turner, that he reportedly asked his staff: “Are we in UFOs?”

The answer was yes – since the late 1940s, apparently. But exactly how, what, when, why and who remained layered in mystery, leaving grist for the conspiracy mill.

Asia

Pakistan police attack protesters

Police have used tear gas and batons to break up demonstrations by Pakistani lawyers against the country’s state of emergency.

Lawyers said many colleagues were arrested as protests were dispersed in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.

The Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami was also targeted, saying hundreds of its members were arrested overnight.

Fiji detains 16 alleged plotters

Police in Fiji have arrested 16 people in the past two days, after uncovering an alleged plot against the country’s military leader, Frank Bainimarama.

Businessmen, politicians and former soldiers were among those detained, and will be charged, police say, on Monday.

Ex-pat English teachers stranded by collapse of Japan’s Nova schools

By David McNeill in Japan

Published: 05 November 2007

In a country teeming with cute cartoon characters, few are cuter or better known than the Nova bunny. The pink mascot stood in the doorways of language schools across Japan, promising a short educational encounter with an exotic foreigner. But now, thousands of teachers and students have found that the bunny bites, hard.

The collapse of Nova, Japan’s biggest employer of foreigners, has left 4,000 teachers – including more than 900 from the UK – stranded without work, money and, in some cases, a place to live. “There are people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said Bob Tench, an official with Nova’s union. “It’s very distressing.”

Middle East

Report: Hezbollah stages maneuvers

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Thousands of Hezbollah guerrillas staged secret military maneuvers without weapons or uniforms near Israel’s border in southern Lebanon, a pro-Hezbollah Lebanese newspaper reported Monday.

If accurate, the development could pose a major challenge to a U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended last year’s war with the Jewish state.

Al-Akhbar, a pro-Hezbollah newspaper, said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah personally supervised the maneuvers, which it reported were carried out in the last three days and were the biggest ever staged on Israel’s border by the Shiite Muslim militant group.

Europe

A400M delays to cost 1.2 to 1.4 billion euros: EADS

PARIS (AFP) – European aerospace group EADS said Monday that delays in Airbus’ new A400M military transport plane announced last month will cost between 1.2 and 1.4 billion euros (1.7 to 2.0 billion dollars).

The group said that as a result it would be announcing a new operating profit for 2007 when it presents its quarterly results Thursday, without giving details.

“While the calculations have not been finalised, EADS currently estimates it will have to spend between 1.2 and 1.4 billion euros, of which more than one billion for Airbus” because of the delays, it said in a statement.

Italian right calls for repatriation of Roma

Rightwing leaders in Italy yesterday unleashed a flood of vitriolic anti-immigrant rhetoric and called for mass repatriation and the closing of the country’s frontiers, amid a growing backlash against foreign workers in the country.

Gianfranco Fini, the head of Italy’s “post-fascists”, led the way with an outburst against Gypsies. Speaking three days after the arrest of a Romanian of Roma origin for the savage robbery and murder of an Italian woman, Mr Fini said Gypsies considered “theft to be virtually legitimate and not immoral” and felt the same way about “not working because it has to be the women who do so, often by prostituting themselves”.

Latin America

Food, water scarce in Mexico floods

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico – Authorities worked early Monday to deliver badly needed food and water to thousands of residents stranded by devastating floods that have damaged the homes of up to 500,000 people.

Since swollen rivers first broke their banks on Oct. 28, flood waters have isolated many Gulf coast communities. Thousands of residents who rescuers haven’t been able to reach have run out of food, water and are living with no electricity and no way to flee.

Centrist claims win in Guatemala

Centre-left candidate Alvaro Colom has declared victory in Guatemala’s presidential election with the count nearly complete.

With results from 95% of polling stations counted, Mr Colom had a lead of 5% over his right-wing rival Otto Perez Molina.

Mr Colom says he will try to tackle the country’s high crime and murder rate by lifting people out of poverty.

Africa

Fears for press freedom as Mbeki allies buy out critical media group

By Ian Evans in Cape Town

Published: 05 November 2007

President Thabo Mbeki’s political adviser, a foreign ministry official, and a businessman have made a bid to take over Johncom, one of South Africa’s most influential media groups, including a newspaper which has frequently been critical of the government.

The move has drawn criticism from Mr Mbeki’s opponents, who accuse him of hurting South Africa’s democracy by purging opponents and stifling dissent. He denies the allegations. It will also spark controversy at a time when the opposition is watching Mr Mbeki’s every move as he competes in the race to lead the ruling African National Congress (ANC), a post which usually brings with it the presidency.