Dispatches From North Of The Border

State investment firm faces huge challenges

China Daily

BEIJING -- The much hyped State investment company set to be launched faces multiple challenges ranging from establishing transparent management under laws as yet to be written to showing solid financial gains.

Hu Xiaolian, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), also said that the State investment company will be established this year, although details are yet to hammered out.

The new company is expected to be under the direction of the State Council, China's Cabinet, while professional managers will handle the reserve fund.

City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention

NEW YORK TIMES

NEW YORK — For at least a year before the 2004 Republican National Convention, teams of undercover New York City police officers traveled to cities across the country, Canada and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention, according to police records and interviews.

From Albuquerque to Montreal, San Francisco to Miami, undercover New York police officers attended meetings of political groups, posing as sympathizers or fellow activists, the records show.

They made friends, shared meals, swapped e-mail messages and then filed daily reports with the department’s Intelligence Division. Other investigators mined Internet sites and chat rooms.”

Pentagon: Taking a Hard Look at CIFA

MSNBC

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is reviewing the charter of a controversial counterspy agency set up by former Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld after 9/11. The Counter-Intelligence Field Activity (CIFA) was supposed to "coordinate" counterintel and antiterrorist reporting by myriad Pentagon spy outfits—including intel divisions maintained by all four military services. But CIFA seemed to overreach. As part of an assignment to collate data about suspicious incidents at U.S. military bases, CIFA also collected info on peace activists and anti-Bush protesters. CIFA's contracting practices came under investigation as part of a corruption inquiry. At one point, more than 90 percent of the people employed at CIFA HQ worked for defense contractors, rather than directly for the government; the Pentagon says the percentage of contract employees at the agency now has been reduced to 60 percent.

Hundreds held as ARD protests today

DAILY TIMES PAKISTAN

Hundreds of opposition activists have been detained ahead of a countrywide protest today called by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) against the suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan.

The ARD has planned rallies at the divisional level across the country, with the major rally to be held at the District Courts Chowk in Rawalpindi. The decision to organise the protest was made by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif – the heads of the two major parties in the ARD, the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – at a meeting in London last week.

Iran limits cooperation with IAEA after sanctions

REUTERS

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved the sanctions on Saturday for Tehran's refusal to suspend its program, but major powers also offered new talks and renewed an economic and technological incentive package offer.

An Iranian government spokesman said Iran would limit its cooperation with the U.N. watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, in retaliation.

"Iran will not stop its peaceful and legal nuclear trend even for one second because of such an illegal resolution," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

Two rescued in Gulf after falling off cruise ship

CNN

HOUSTON, Texas -- More than four hours after they fell from a cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico, two vacationers were pulled from the water about 150 miles off the Galveston, Texas, coast early Sunday, according to the cruise line and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman apparently fell from a passenger's cabin balcony on the Grand Princess about eight hours after the cruise ship left the Galveston port, said Julie Benson, spokeswoman for Princess Cruises.

"When alerted to this, the ship stopped, initiated an emergency search operation, and returned to the position where the overboard incident was initially reported," Benson said, adding that the ship turned around and headed back within 10 minutes of getting word.

Gucci store ram raided

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Detectives are examining a stolen car that was left lodged in the doors of a high-end Sydney designer store after a ram-raid this morning.

The gold-coloured Honda Civic sedan smashed through the front doors of the Gucci store in Castlereagh Street near Martin Place about 2.30am.

The stolen car shattered the glass doors and bent back a security grille, allowing the thieves to loot designer handbags, clothing, sunglasses, footwear and jewellery from the store before fleeing in another vehicle.

Menu pet food recall widens

TORONTO STAR

TORONTO -- Menu Foods, the Mississauga-based company linked to the deaths of North American pets has asked retailers to remove all of its ‘cuts and gravy’ style food after reports that tainted products are still being sold.

The company had initially recalled wet dog and cat food manufactured at its Kansas and New Jersey facilities between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. But the company said in a statement Saturday it would remove all 95 brands of wet food, regardless of its manufacturing date, to ensure no tainted food remained on store shelves.

“There is no known risk from items not listed on the recall list but an abundance of caution is called for in this situation,” the company said. “(The Food and Drug Administration) has been apprised of this action.”

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New occupations boom in the rise of China

China Daily

BEIJING -- Jewellery appraisers, sign language interpreters and disabled children caregivers have become new occupations in China as classified by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

About 2,000 occupations have been confirmed by the ministry in China up until now, including eight batches of eighty-six new occupations publicized since 2004. The ministry releases new occupation lists three to four times a year.

New occupations, including pet health caregivers, professional pet trainers, coffee baristas and gold investment consultants, have made people's lives more convenient and changed the way of living of many citizens.

Storm Brings New Woes to Travelers at Kennedy

NEW YORK TIMES

NEW YORK — Fourteen hours after boarding a flight to North Africa to take part in a 151-mile marathon across the Sahara, Jeremy Colgan completed an endurance feat of a different kind yesterday. He got off the plane, which never left Kennedy Airport.

The Royal Air Maroc jetliner had circled the airport — at ground level — for twice as long as its scheduled flight to Casablanca, Morocco. It was de-iced twice. The second time, it had the bad luck to fall in line behind an airplane that broke down inside the de-icing station.

After the pilot gave up and taxied back to the gate at about 10 a.m., Mr. Colgan, 35, said that a voice on the loudspeaker told a planeload of people whose mood ranged from annoyed to angry: “We deeply apologize for the delay. The gods are against us.”

Disorder in King George's Court

MSNBC

WASHINGTON -- At highly charged moments, attorney General Alberto Gonzales can seem placid, passive—at times, just plain out of it. In the summer of 2002, high-level Bush administration officials met to debate secretly a delicate issue: how aggressively could the CIA interrogate terror suspects? While the lawyers from Justice, Defense and the vice president's office hotly debated definitions of torture (at times discussing specific interrogation techniques), Gonzales, who was then the White House counsel, sat by and said virtually nothing. The attorney general's behavior was typical, say administration officials who have worked with him. His defenders say he likes to keep his counsel. Others wonder if he's ill prepared, insecure or simply has nothing to say.

Last week Gonzales's bland, what-me-worry? smile seemed to fade. He appeared slightly forlorn as he answered hostile questions from reporters at a hastily called press conference. He was asked about the role of the White House in firing a group of U.S. attorneys. "As we can all imagine," he began, "in an organization of 110,000 people, I am not aware of every bit of information that passes through the halls of the Department of Justice ... " He was aware, he said, that there was "a request from the White House as to the possibility of replacing all the U.S. attorneys. That was immediately rejected by me." The impression was that Gonzales was merely responding to the ill-considered scheme of his successor as White House counsel (Harriet Miers); that he, personally, had not been in the loop for a series of controversial decisions that have set off a congressional brouhaha over the dismissal of one U.S. attorney in the summer of 2006 and seven more in December..

Indian Muslims for Taslima’s beheading

DAILY TIMES PAKISTAN

An Indian Muslim group has offered a Rs 500,000 ($11,334US)bounty for the beheading of controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen. The president of the All India Ibtehad Council said on Friday he had declared the reward for anyone who carried out the “quatal” or “extermination” of the “notorious woman”. “Taslima has put Muslims to shame in her writing. She should be killed and beheaded and anyone who does this will get a reward from the council,” Taqi Raza Khan said in a statement received in the northern city of Lucknow. The council, based in Bareilly town also in Uttar Pradesh state, is a splinter group of the influential All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Khan said the only way the bounty would be lifted was if Nasreen “apologises, burns her books and leaves”. Nasreen has incensed conservative Muslims for writing a novel “Lajja” or “Shame” depicting the life of a Hindu family facing the ire of Muslims in Bangladesh. The book is banned in Bangladesh along with her autobiographical works on grounds of being anti-Islamic. The author was forced to flee her homeland in 1994 after radical Muslims decried her writings as blasphemous and demanded her execution.

Four years on, war costs Bush at home and abroad

REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four years after he began the Iraq war, a diminished President George W. Bush has sacrificed much of his domestic agenda and eroded U.S. credibility abroad in pursuit of the sort of nation-building he once scorned, analysts say.

The president's job approval ratings have fallen from 90 percent shortly after the September 11 attacks to just over 30 percent.

He forfeited the dream of cementing Republican control over Congress and his administration is increasingly under fire from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Three dead in Thai school attack

CNN

SABAYOI, Thailand (AP) -- Attackers hurled explosives and opened fire on an Islamic school in southern Thailand, killing three students and sparking a riot by angry Muslim villagers, officials said Sunday.

Shortly after the attack, three Buddhists were shot dead in the same district, raising fears that a festering insurgency that has already taken more than 2,000 lives could erupt into open combat between the Muslim and Buddhist communities.

Attackers hurled explosives and sprayed dozens of bullets into a dormitory of the Bamrungsart Pondok boarding school, where about 75 boys were sleeping, killing a 12-year-old and two 14-year-olds, police Col. Thammasak Wasaksiri said.

Death to the Krispy Kreme: the Parents Jury has spoken

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

IT'S fat-laden, sugar-coated and for some, seriously addictive. But the polarising Krispy Kreme doughnut has become a pariah among health-conscious parents, and now they're passing sentence.

Today, the Parents Jury - a 2500 member online activist group which has vowed to tackle the unethical marketing of junk food - is expected to pronounce Krispy Kreme Australia guilty, or rather most guilty, of what it says are underhand marketing techniques, by directly plying its wares to children through school and sporting fundraisers.

But Krispy Kreme is strongly disputing this, saying it has never directly approached schools to use its fundraising services.

Prepare for vote, PM says

TORONTO STAR

TORONTO -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper reached out to more than 4,000 boisterous Conservative party faithful last night and told them to get ready for another federal election.

An election where he will define his party as the only one that is tough on crime and will stand up for working families, support the troops in Afghanistan, remain close to the United States, cut taxes and protect the environment.

"Let the NDP defend the vocal interests. Let the Liberals defend the vested interests. Let the socialists promise tax increases. Let the Grits protect tax loopholes," Harper told the crowd, many of them bused in from across the province to add to those already attending a campaign school at the Toronto Congress Centre.

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Military spending rise is moderate

China Daily

BEIJING -- The country has no intention of engaging in an arms race, although its military spending inches up as a result of economic growth, a legislative official said yesterday.

The State Council, or Chinese Cabinet, has proposed that the country's 2007 defense budget be increased by 17.8 percent year-on-year. It will be deliberated and approved by the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), which opens its last session today, NPC spokesman Jiang Enzhu said.

During the session, the top legislature will also discuss and decide on drafts of the property law, the corporate income tax law, and other important issues, Jiang, also a secretary-general of the meeting, told a press conference in Beijing.

The proposed 350.9 billion yuan ($44.94 billion) defense spending accounts for 7.5 percent of the year's fiscal expenditure budget, a ratio similar to previous ones, which ranged between 7.3 percent and 7.7 percent in the 2004-06 period, he said.

Beijing Accelerates Its Military Spending

New York Times

BEIJING -- China announced its biggest increase in defense spending in five years on Sunday, a development that quickly prompted the United States to renew its calls for more transparency from the Chinese military about the scope and intent of its continuing, rapid arms buildup.

Jiang Enzhu, a spokesman for the National People’s Congress, the Communist Party-controlled national legislature, said China’s military budget would rise this year by 17.8 percent to roughly 350 billion yuan, or just under $45 billion.

“We must increase our military budget, as it is important to national security,” Mr. Jiang said at a news conference. “China’s military must modernize. Our overall defenses are weak.”$100 laptop sports truly innovative UI

$100 laptop sports truly innovative UI

MSNBC

Interface, called Sugar, does away with traditioinal desktop

The so-called $100 laptop that's being designed for school children in developing nations is known for its bright green and white plastic shell, its power-generating hand crank, and for Nicholas Negroponte, the technology futurist who dreamed it up and who tirelessly promotes it everywhere from Bangkok to Brasilia.

What has not received much attention is the graphical user interface — the software that will be the face of the machine for the millions of children who will own it. In fact, the user interface, called Sugar, may turn out to be one of the more innovative aspects of a project that has already made breakthroughs in mesh networking and battery charging since Negroponte unveiled the concept two years ago.

Sugar offers a brand new approach to computing. Ever since the first Apple Macintosh was launched in 1984, the user interfaces of personal computers have been designed based on the same visual metaphor: the desktop. Sugar tosses out all of that like so much tattered baggage. Instead, an icon representing the individual occupies the center of the screen; "zoom" out like a telephoto lens and you see the user in relation to friends, and finally to all of the people in the village who are also on the network.

US should Recognise Pakistan’s interests in Afghanistan

Daily Times Pakistan

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has been urged to recognise Pakistan’s legitimate interests in Afghanistan, such as its concerns about India, while remembering that it is an “article of faith” with Islamabad and part of its national security doctrine that the US is an “unreliable ally”.

In an extended testimony before the Senate Armed Service Committee on March 1, Barnett R Rubin of the Centre on International Cooperation, New York University, said the US should try to encourage greater transparency concerning Indian activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Asian Marts, Jobs on Stocks' Radar

REUTERS

NEW YORK -- Licking their wounds after stiff losses, jittery investors will be looking for relief this week in the form of reassurance that the U.S. economy will keep growing at a moderate pace.

They will nervously watch for news on how the Asian markets fare on Monday, with the Nikkei's drop to a seven-week low a sign that Wall Street could be in for a stomach-churning day. Last week's sharp sell-off began on Tuesday with the sharpest drop in China's main stock index in a decade.

Early on Monday, the Nikkei was down 2.2 percent, or about 382 points, at 16,836.35, a seven-week low as investors remained wary after last week's global equities sell-off and the yen's strength gave them a reason to sell shares …

NAACP President Resigns after 19 Months

CNN

NEW YORK -- NAACP President Bruce S. Gordon is quitting the civil rights organization, leaving after just 19 months at the helm, he told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Gordon cited growing strain with board members over the group's management style and future operations.

"I believe that any organization that's going to be effective will only be effective if the board and the CEO are aligned and I don't think we are aligned," Gordon said. "This compromises the ability of the board to be as effective as it can be."

Kids in Libs' Sights Again

Sydney Morning Herald

TEENAGERS could be jailed for six months if they disobey antisocial behaviour orders the Coalition says it will introduce if it wins power.

The Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, said yesterday that under the plan youths could be prevented from going out at night, associating with certain people or visiting certain areas.

Once a troublesome youth was brought to the attention of a magistrate by police, the magistrate could impose the orders, similar to an apprehended violence order, even though the youth had not been charged with anything. Juveniles who breached the orders would face sentences of up to six months.

Flaherty to discuss ABM fees with bank execs

Toronto Star

Automated banking machine fees will be under scrutiny Monday as federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty sits down with bank executives to discuss the charges.

The private meeting in Toronto could mark an end to ABM fees as we know them - a prospect that worries bankers.

Flaherty has said his goal is to ensure competition and choice, after the issue was keyed up last month by NDP Leader Jack Layton.

Layton launched a scathing criticism of fees imposed on clients who withdraw money from their bank accounts at machines of other institutions, calling the levy of between $1.50 to $2.50 "very, very high and unfair."

Transport Feels Strain as Festival Return Begins

China Daily

BEIJING -- The country's transport system was working at full steam Friday as people began ending their Spring Festival holidays and returning to major cities.

The railway network was expected to carry a record 4.5 million passengers Friday, an increase of 160,000 people on last year. The railway bureaus in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanchang have all added additional passenger trains to cope with the increased traffic flow.

Venezuela Spending on Arms Soars to World’s Top Ranks

New York Times

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s arms spending has climbed to more than $4 billion in the past two years, transforming the nation into Latin America’s largest weapons buyer and placing it ahead of other major purchasers in international arms markets like Pakistan and Iran.

Venezuelan military and government officials here say the arms acquisitions, which include dozens of fighter jets and attack helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, are needed to circumvent a ban by the United States on sales of American weapons to the country.

They also argue that Venezuela must strengthen its defenses to counter potential military aggression from the United States.

Report: U.K. Faces Worst Terror Threat Since 9/11

MSNBC

2,000 U.K. - Based Militants Plotting Attacks, Intel Document Reportedly Says

LONDON - The threat of homegrown terrorists attacking Britain is greater now than any time since the Sept. 11 attacks, a British Sunday newspaper reported, citing a leaked intelligence document.

More than 2,000 British-based Islamic terrorists are believed to be plotting attacks, according to a government threat assessment prepared this month that The Sunday Telegraph said it had seen.

Scout Training Compulsory from Next Academic Session

Daily Times Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The government has decided to make scout training compulsory in all schools from the next academic year, which starts in September, Daily Times has learnt. Two percent of the exam fees collected by examination boards all over the country will go to the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association and Girl Guides, separate from funds allotted to these organisations in the budget.

The provincial governments have been directed to make scout training compulsory in all schools to meet the target of Pakistan having over 1 million youth volunteers to help out in emergencies, such as the October 2005 earthquake. According to the last census, there were 526,581 scouts registered with nine boy scouts associations (BSAs) in the country.

U.S. Developing Contingency Plan to Bomb Iran: Report

Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Despite the Bush administration's insistence it has no plans to go to war with Iran, a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President George W. Bush, The New Yorker magazine reported in its latest issue.

The special planning group was established within the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to an unidentified former U.S. intelligence official cited in the article by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in the March 4 issue.

The panel initially focused on destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and on regime change but has more recently been directed to identify targets in Iran that may be involved in supplying or aiding militants in Iraq, according to an Air Force adviser and a Pentagon consultant, who were not identified.

Virginia Expresses 'Profound Regret' for Slavery

CNN

House approves apology 96-0; Senate passes with unanimous voice vote

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- Meeting on the grounds of the former Confederate Capitol, the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously Saturday to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.

Sponsors of the resolution say they know of no other state that has apologized for slavery, although Missouri lawmakers are considering such a measure. The resolution does not carry the weight of law but sends an important symbolic message, supporters said.

Iran Fires Rocket Into Space

Sydney Morning Herald

SYDNEY -- Iran said on Sunday it successfully launched its first rocket into space carrying cargo intended for research, at a time of mounting tension with the West over its nuclear program. "The first space rocket has been successfully launched into space," a state television anchor announced, without disclosing its range.

"The rocket was carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence," Mohsen Bahrami, the head of Iran's aerospace research centre, told state television.

Toronto Summit 2007 - Working Paper: Culture

Toronto Star

TORONTO -- The Toronto City Summit Alliance is hosting meetings on Monday and Tuesday to find ways to address the challenges facing the city. The Star is looking at the issues. Today we offer a snapshot of reports on culture.

THE PROBLEM

Looking at the construction going on in Toronto's culture-related institutions, it's obvious a cultural renaissance is underway but, beyond structures, many of the people involved in the creative industries are being neglected. While there is much buzz about the new or enhanced structures for the ROM, The AGO, the Gardiner Museum, and the Canadian Opera Company, among others, what about smaller organizations that also need assistance?

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Premier Outlines New Year Anti-graft Drive

China Daily

BEIJING Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday announced the measures his government will take this year to check corruption, targeting in particular unnecessary red tape, collusion between officials and businessmen, extravagance and waste.

Congress Finds Ways to Avoid Lobbyist Limits

New York Times

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 — The 110th Congress opened with the passage of new rules intended to curb the influence of lobbyists by prohibiting them from treating lawmakers to meals, trips, stadium box seats or the discounted use of private jets.

But it did not take long for lawmakers to find ways to keep having lobbyist-financed fun.

More Snow Forecast for Already Buried N.Y.

MSNBC

REDFIELD, N.Y. - The lake-effect squalls that have buried parts of upstate New York in nearly 12 feet of snow finally ended Monday, leaving road crews with the task of clearing snow piled as high as street signs.

US Plans for Iran Strike Ready

Daily Times Pakistan

LAHORE: US preparations for an air strike against Iran are at an advanced stage, in spite of repeated public denials by the Bush administration, informed sources in Washington told the Guardian newspaper.

Ewen MacAskill writes in the Guardian: “The present military build-up in the Gulf would allow the US to mount an attack by the spring. But the sources said that if there was an attack, it was more likely next year, just before Mr Bush leaves office.”

Obama Sees New Generation of Leadership

Reuters

AMES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama drew a contrast with rival Hillary Rodham Clinton over the Iraq war on Sunday and said he was "not clear" how she planned to end the conflict.

On the day after he formally launched his 2008 White House bid, Obama said on a campaign swing through Iowa that even before the war began it was possible to see the dangerous consequences of a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Gates Calls for Partnership with Russia in Security Matters

CNN

MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in his first speech as Pentagon chief, made an urgent call Sunday for NATO allies to live up to their promises to supply military and economic aid for Afghanistan, saying that failing to do so would be shameful.

And in a carefully worded rebuke, he used both humor and some pointed jabs to blunt Russia's sharp attack against U.S. foreign policy a day earlier.

PM's Home Truths ... What John Howard Thinks Really Matters To You

Sydney Morning Herald

DROUGHT-PROOFING Australia and solving the water crisis are bigger election issues than climate change, Prime Minister John Howard says.

Mr Howard set the scene for the election year by nominating the home-based issues of economic prosperity, national security and "self-contained" Australian environmental issues as the keys to a fifth successive victory.

Dion's Aggressive Tone Raising Eyebrows

Toronto Star

OTTAWA–Neither man would probably want to see it this way, but as this 2007 political season is shaping up, it seems that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion are trying to borrow style points from each other.

They're both in the business of defining – or in Harper's case, redefining – themselves in the public eye.

Ever since the Liberals chose an environmentally friendly new leader in December, it seems that Harper and his government have been trying to rub off some of their own hard edges. It's still a work in progress. The words "environment" and "friendly" aren't exactly the ones that spring to mind when describing the 1-year-old Harper regime.

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120 Million Mobile Phones Sold in 2006

China Daily

Deadly Bird Flu Confirmed in British Turkeys

New York Times

Viacom Demands YouTube Remove Videos

MSNBC

Chrysler Reassuring Dealers After Inventory Crisis

Reuters

Iraqi Interior Ministry Estimates 1,000 killed in One Week

CNN

Big Four Emitters (USA,Russia,China,India) Ignore Call for Action

Sydney Morning Herald

Why Not Shop the Better Way?

Toronto Star

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