The America's Intelligence Wire articles from December 2005

The America's Intelligence Wire archives from December 2005

N.C. Inmate Hopes He's Not Number 1,000.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: ESTES THOMPSON A killer on North Carolina's death row worried Wednesday about becoming a macabre footnote to history _ the 1,000th person executed in the U.S. since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976....

Texas inmate set to be executed next week wins delay for DNA testing.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL GRACZYK A judge in El Paso on Wednesday delayed next week's scheduled execution of a Texas man condemned for a slaying almost 14 years ago. Tony Ford, 32, had his Dec. 7 lethal injection put...

WORLD SPORTS at 0000 GMT.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL GRACZYK SOCCER: UEFA CUP: Lokomotiv Moscow, Steaua Bucharest, AZ Alkmaar, Litex of Buglaria advance LONDON _ Lokomotiv Moscow, Steaua Bucharest, Dutch team AZ Alkmaar and Litex Lovech of...

Engines did not fail before deadly Venezuela plane crash, investigators say.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PATRICIA RONDON ESPIN A plane crash earlier this year that killed 160 people was not caused by a failure of both engines _ as the crew had reported shortly before the crash _ Venezuelan investigators said...

Schwarzenegger names Democrat chief of staff amid broader shake-up.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOM CHORNEAU Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took the first step to shaking up his administration after his resounding special election failure, appointing a longtime Democratic activist as his chief of staff....

Report: U.S. military paying Iraqi newspapers to run pro-military stories.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: LOLITA C. BALDOR The U.S. military offered a mixed message about whether it embraced one of its own programs that reportedly paid a consulting firm and Iraqi newspapers to plant favorable stories about the...

Appeals court delays transfer of Padilla to Justice Department custody.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARK SHERMAN Jose Padilla's transfer from a military brig to a civilian jail was unexpectedly delayed by a federal appeals court, the latest twist in the legal fight over the Bush administration's policy...

Bernard Hopkins wants to go out on top and still talking.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TIM DAHLBERG In a way, Bernard Hopkins is almost the anti-Mike Tyson, at least when it comes to money. He bags his own groceries, proudly carries a warehouse store card in his wallet, and knows all the...

Syria fights U.N. probe, touting a recanting witness, but some see a plant by Damascus.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SAM F. GHATTAS Syria is fighting back hard against the U.N. inquiry into the slaying of a Lebanese politician, touting a witness who now says his testimony against Syrian officials was false. But some here...

Justices decline to block Crips founder's execution.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS Crips gang co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams moved one step closer to the death chamber Wednesday when the California Supreme Court refused to reopen his case and halt the state's highest...

Alito pushed for step-by-step abortion fight as Reagan lawyer.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID ESPO As a young government lawyer opposed to abortion rights, Samuel Alito argued for a legal strategy of chipping away at the landmark Supreme Court ruling rather than mounting an all-out assault...

Swiss businesswomen 'eaten alive' by bedbugs in New York hotel, lawyer says.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SAMUEL MAULL Two Swiss businesswomen who spent a week at Manhattan's Hotel Pennsylvania in September have filed a lawsuit saying they had a lousy time trying to sleep there because they were bitten by...

EU-Ukraine summit to open amid hopes in Kiev to win market economy status.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARA D. BELLABY President Viktor Yushchenko will host a EU-Ukraine summit Thursday, which this ex-Soviet republic hopes will bring it long-awaited recognition as a free market economy and further bind...

ECB likely to raise interest rate to 2.25 percent.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MATT MOORE The European Central Bank is poised to adjust the euro zone's interest rate Thursday for the first time in more than two years, likely voting for an increase to head off what it said were fears...

Fort Campbell Soldier Charged in Shooting.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: MATT MOORE A soldier accused of opening fire on fellow soldiers six weeks ago has been charged with attempted murder, Fort Campbell officials said Wednesday. No one was wounded. Pvt. Nicholas D. Mikel, 21,...

Justices Refuse Clemency for Crips Founder.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS Crips co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams moved one step closer to the death chamber Wednesday when the California Supreme Court refused to reopen his case and halt the state's highest profile...

Laos marks three decades under communist rule with little prospect for change.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DENIS D. GRAY As the aging communist revolutionaries of Laos celebrate 30 years in power, watchdogs screen every neighborhood for dissidents, the vast majority are dirt-poor and there's not a single decent...

Venezuela accuses United States of role in election boycott.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: FABIOLA SANCHEZ Venezuela accused the U.S. government of trying to destabilize the country by supporting an opposition boycott of the weekend's congressional elections. Vice President Jose Vicente...

U.S. jazz musician, others plead not guilty to charges of conspiring to support terror groups.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: LARRY NEUMEISTER A Washington, D.C., cab driver, a Florida doctor and a Bronx jazz musician pleaded not guilty Wednesday to conspiring to help terrorist organizations. The driver, Mahmud Faruq Brent,...

Iraq hostages part of Chicago-based pacifist group that's spent years in danger zones.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL TARM Four Christian peace activists taken hostage in Iraq belong to a Chicago-based group that has spent more than 15 years walking into some of world's hottest war zones, usually armed only with...

Pressel, Miyazato share lead.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL TARM Morgan Pressel and Ai Miyazato hit their strides at different points in the opening rounds of the U.S. LPGA Tour qualifying tournament and both wound up with a 6-under 66 to share the lead on...

Bush talks tough, but is he setting up troop reduction?
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOM RAUM President George W. Bush came as close as he ever has to admitting mistakes on Iraq, acknowledging setbacks and uneven results in the training of Iraqi troops in his latest defense of the war 2...

States Restrict Use of Autopsy Photos.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Connie Ayres lost her 16-year-old daughter in a car crash in 1996. The next year she learned that a county morgue was using the autopsy photos in a slide show to help fight drunken driving....

Justices Refuse Clemency for Crips Founder.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to halt the scheduled execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, the Crips gang founder who became an anti-gang activist while in prison...

Illinois Pharmacists Balk at Contraception.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: JIM SUHR Walgreen Co. said it has put four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception in violation of a state rule. The four...

Co. Recalls Kid's Necklaces, Zipper Pulls.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: ANDREW BRIDGES A California company is voluntarily recalling about 6 million children's necklaces and zipper pulls that pose a serious risk of lead poisoning, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said...

Tropical Storm Strengthens in Atlantic.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: ANDREW BRIDGES The Atlantic hurricane season ends Wednesday, but Tropical Storm Epsilon could still cause dangerous surf conditions in Bermuda, forecasters said. Epsilon, the 26th named storm of the...

U.N. Asks Record $4.7 Billion for 2006 Aid.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: NICK WADHAMS The United Nations appealed Wednesday for a record $4.7 billion to ease major humanitarian crises around the world in 2006, with about a third slated for Sudan and the conflict in its Darfur...

Taiwan's pigeon racing fraternity vies for fame and fortune.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PETER ENAV Pigeon racing traces its roots to Europe, but Taiwanese have made it their own. Every year, dozens of racing associations on this island of 23 million people wager tens of millions of...

Singapore envoy does not know if condemned Australian will be allowed to hug mother.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROD McGUIRK Singapore's envoy to Australia said Thursday he did not know if his government would change its rules to allow a mother to hug her Australian son before he is hanged Friday. Singapore...

U.S. takes on key project in tsunami-devastated Indonesian province.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DENIS D. GRAY Concrete bridges weighing hundreds of tons were swept away like bathtub toys. The roadbed vanished or was chopped up into islands of asphalt to which homeless, hungry and injured survivors...

China tries to clarify number of miners missing in explosion that killed at least 161.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEPHANIE HOO After three days of searching, rescuers at a collapsed coal mine in northeast China still couldn't agree on the number of miners missing _ further underlining the government's lack of...

American help to stricken Muslims scores points, but doesn't erase hatred of U.S. policies.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEPHANIE HOO EDITOR'S NOTE _ Associated Press Correspondent Denis Gray was aboard the first U.S. helicopters that rushed aid to survivors of last year's tsunami in Indonesia. He recently revisited the...

Clippers' Rebraca treated for irregular heartbeat.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEPHANIE HOO Los Angeles Clippers backup center Zeljko Rebraca had treatment to help prevent a recurring irregular heartbeat on Wednesday. The procedure was done at University of Michigan Hospital in...

Longtime Egyptian ambassador to U.S., figure in Camp David talks, dies at 80.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILLIAM C. MANN Ashraf Ghorbal, a member of the Egyptian negotiating team that worked out the first Arab peace deal with Israel and longtime ambassador to the United States, has died, the State Department...

President Bush vigorously defends war in Iraq, sets no pullout timetable.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DEB RIECHMANN President George W. Bush gave an unflinching defense of his war strategy, refusing to set a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals and asserting that once-shaky Iraqi troops are proving...

Dorfmeister still going strong heading into final season.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BOB BAUM Entering what she says will be her final season of competitive skiing, Michaela Dorfmeister has 21 World Cup victories, a world super-G championship, and an Olympic silver medal. ...

Australian building company James Hardie approves asbestos liability funding deal.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BOB BAUM Australian building materials company James Hardie Industries N.V. on Thursday approved a multibillion-dollar plan to compensate victims of lung diseases caused by its asbestos products. ...

United States pledges answer to European questions about secret prisons.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANNE GEARAN The European Union has requested answers from the Bush administration about reports of secret U.S.-run prisons for terrorism suspects in Europe. The United States will reply "to the best of...

Research reveals alarming levels of ignorance about HIV risk in South Africa.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ALEXANDRA ZAVIS The deadly HIV epidemic may be leveling off in South Africa, but too many people suffer from a false sense of security in the world's most infected country, researchers said. A...

California's top court declines to block gang founder's execution.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS Stanley "Tookie" Williams _ co-founder of the Crips street gang and a man praised by President George W. Bush as demonstrating the outstanding character of America _ moved one step closer to...

Britain marks World AIDS Day with millions in funding.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS Britain marked World AIDS Day on Thursday by announcing it was contributing 27.5 million pounds (US$48 million, A40 million) to the global fight against the disease. Prime Minister Tony...

Chinese river town shuts down water supply as toxic slick arrives.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JOE McDONALD Another town on a poisoned Chinese river shut down its water system, and Communist Party members went door-to-door giving out bottled water in an effort to show that China's leaders can...

Electronic Voting Examined; Deadline Nears.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: BRIAN BERGSTEIN Even in this election off-year, the potential perils of electronic voting systems are bedeviling state officials as a Jan. 1 deadline approaches for complying with standards for the machines'...

Ill. Treasurer Enters Race for Governor.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: MAURA KELLY LANNAN Republican state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka entered the race for governor Wednesday, saying she believes she is the candidate who can "take out" Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2006. ...

Justices Refuse Clemency for Crips Founder.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to halt the scheduled execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, the Crips gang founder who became an anti-gang activist while in prison...

Tropical Storm Strengthens in Atlantic.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: DAVID KRAVETS The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended Wednesday, but Tropical Storm Epsilon could still cause dangerous surf conditions in Bermuda as it nears hurricane strength, forecasters said. ...

RNC Chairman Questions Democrats on Iraq.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: MICHAEL R. BLOOD The head of the Republican National Committee accused Democrats of trying to exploit the Iraq war for political gain at home _ the latest attempt to turn mounting criticism away from President...

Daly injures right hand.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL R. BLOOD John Daly withdrew from the Bard Capital Challenge on Wednesday, saying he broke his right hand playing in an exhibition last weekend. It was not clear how Daly injured his hand or how...

Venezuelan TV stations pay fines for airing opposition ads for free.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL R. BLOOD Two of Venezuela's main private television stations paid nearly US$1 million (A850,000) in fines and back taxes Wednesday for airing pro-opposition commercials for free during a national...

New York camera shop combines 18th-century Jewish traditions and the hottest digital technology.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ADAM GOLDMAN Every morning except Saturday, the buses stop at a bustling corner of Manhattan, and bearded men in dark suits and felt hats, some clutching prayer books and speaking Yiddish, step onto the...

Tokyo stocks edge higher after session of profit-taking; dollar lower against the yen.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ADAM GOLDMAN Japanese stocks edged higher early Thursday, rebounding from a session of profit-taking a day earlier. The dollar was lower against the yen. The Nikkei 225 index rose 42.60 points, or...

Supreme Court grapples with parental notification for young abortion-seekers.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: GINA HOLLAND The Supreme Court wrestled with a state law that requires a parent to be told before a daughter ends her pregnancy, with no hint the justices were ready for a dramatic retreat on abortion...

Documents show Britain covered up murders of 5 journalists in Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JESSICA SALLABANK The British government tacitly backed Indonesia's 1975 occupation of East Timor and sought to cover up the subsequent murder of two British journalists by the invaders, according to newly...

Australian building company James Hardie approves asbestos liability funding deal.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MERAIAH FOLEY Australian building materials company James Hardie Industries N.V. on Thursday approved a multibillion-dollar plan to compensate victims of lung diseases caused by its asbestos products. ...

Japan close to setting December talks with North Korea, report says.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MERAIAH FOLEY The Japanese government is in the final stage of negotiations with North Korea to restart talks in December over the North's abductions of Japanese citizens and other outstanding bilateral...

Conn. Senate Passes Campaign Finance Bill.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: SUSAN HAIGH The state Senate on Wednesday approved some of the most sweeping changes in campaign finance laws in the country, including tight restrictions on contributions and a voluntary, publicly funded...

One year later, accurate death toll for the tsunami is still unclear.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: CHRIS BRUMMITT One year later, officials still aren't exactly sure how many people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami, but a tally of conservative government figures puts the number of dead and missing at...

U.S. officials reassure Dutch of military support for troops deploying in Afghanistan.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ARTHUR MAX The United States reassured the Netherlands of military support to Dutch troops deploying in Afghanistan, hoping to head off a reversal of its agreement to send 1,100 peacekeepers. The...

Rallies held throughout California to urge clemency for inmate.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROBERT JABLON Death penalty opponents rallied around the state to urge Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to save the life of convicted killer-turned-gang peace activist Stanley "Tookie" Williams. The...

Peace pioneer Peres quits Labor Party to campaign for Sharon.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RAVI NESSMAN A historic realignment of Israeli politics jumped forward when longtime Labor Party leader and Mideast peace advocate Shimon Peres transferred his loyalties to Ariel Sharon, a rival who turned...

Oil executives acknowledge contacts with administration, deny misleading Congress.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: H. JOSEF HEBERT Five oil industry executives acknowledged frequent company contacts with government officials to discuss energy issues but insisted they had responded truthfully at a recent Senate hearing...

Decision to drop DNA tests dash Israeli Holocaust survivor's hope of identifying father's body.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RACHEL HOAG An Israeli Holocaust survivor expressed disappointment over a German decision not to conduct DNA tests on bodies found in a mass grave from World War II, dashing his hopes of identifying his...

U.S. jury recommends death for Mexican national who killed police officer.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RACHEL HOAG A jury recommended the death penalty for a Mexican national who shot a police officer to death in 2003 during a traffic stop. Adrian Camacho, 30, was convicted Nov. 14 of killing Officer...

World Bank steps up global anti-AIDS program to avail of money influx, better treatment.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RACHEL HOAG Money is available, treatment is better and much of the mystery is gone from prevention, treatment and care of AIDS. Yet more people will become infected with the HIV virus and die from...

Study: Many W. House aides accept free travel from companies, colleges and private groups.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN Companies lobbying government, colleges seeking star speakers and groups eager for information or face time paid for $2.3 million in trips over six years for White House officials, a...

Picturing Hope: Children capture images of AIDS among them.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: VERENA DOBNIK More than 2 million children around the world live with the AIDS virus and fewer than 5 percent are being treated. Now, hundreds of youths in India, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Romania and...

Aspiring NYC Dancer With Secret Life Slain.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: LARRY McSHANE Catherine Woods came to the big city from Ohio with dreams of making it big on Broadway. Instead, she wound up working as a topless dancer under the stage name "Ava" _ a secret that came out only...

BlackBerry Maker Urged to Settle Dispute.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: STEPHANIE STOUGHTON A federal judge moved a step closer Wednesday to reissuing an injunction that threatens BlackBerry e-mail service in this country, placing more pressure on the wireless device's maker,...

Judge Lets 10 Colo. Convictions Stand.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: JON SARCHE A judge has ruled that the convictions of 10 people will stand even though transcripts from each case have not been completed by a court reporter who said breast cancer interfered with her work. ...

Fla. Response Plan to Be National Model.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: CURT ANDERSON A Florida plan for quick, coordinated police response to child abductions _ developed after the 2004 killing of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia _ is being taken nationwide. The state's Child...

Wis. Judge Sentences 'Dr. Chaos' to Prison.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: CURT ANDERSON A man who called himself "Dr. Chaos" online was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in federal prison for hacking into computers and causing power failures in northeastern Wisconsin. Joseph D....

Lawyers call strike after bomb blasts kill 10 in two Bangladesh cities.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: FARID HOSSAIN A lawyers' group and 14 opposition parties were launching a strike Thursday against a series of bomb attacks that killed 10 people this week. Schools and businesses usually stay shut and...

Head of Justice Department tobacco trial team quits.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PETE YOST The head of the government trial team in a landmark lawsuit against the tobacco industry pulled out of the litigation amid a probe of whether high-level political influence was brought to bear in...

Gregory Peck's stolen star replaced on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: PETE YOST In a simple ceremony, a new star honoring Oscar winner Gregory Peck was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to replace one that was stolen by a brazen thief. Kneeling on the ground,...

French doctors claim world-first partial face transplant.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: CAROLE BIANCHI Doctors in France said they had performed the world's first partial face transplant, forging into a risky medical frontier with their operation on a woman disfigured by a dog bite. The...

Saturn's largest moon has dramatic weather, geological activity.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANGELA DOLAND Saturn's planet-size moon Titan has dramatic weather, with a turbulent upper atmosphere, periodic floods and possibly lightning, scientists said, describing a world that may look like Earth...

French face transplant doctor acclaimed for series of life transforming operations.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANGELA DOLAND Doctor and professor to some, politician to others, Jean-Michel Dubernard, who has just helped perform the world's first partial face transplant in France, is "Max" to friends _ nicknamed for...

World Bank Unveils New Plan to Fight AIDS.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Online) Byline: ANGELA DOLAND Money is available, treatment is better and much of the mystery is gone from prevention, treatment and care of AIDS. Yet, more people will become infected with the AIDS virus and will die...

Actress Wendie Jo Sperber of TV's 'Bosom Buddies' dies at 46.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANGELA DOLAND Actress and cancer care activist Wendie Jo Sperber, who starred opposite Tom Hanks on TV's "Bosom Buddies," has died. She was 46. Sperber died at home Tuesday after an eight-year battle...

Brazil opens largest-ever exhibition devoted to Carmen Miranda.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL ASTOR Carmen Miranda is back and fighting to get her slice of the icon pie in her native Brazil, where memories have faded of the late bombshell known for her trademark fruit headdress. On...

U.S. convicted on child molestation charges.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MICHAEL ASTOR A former child counselor was convicted of 51 counts of child molestation and children pornography with allegations that included bondage and sodomy and faces a sentence of up to life in...

Iranian foreign minister rebuffs possible discussions with U.S. ambassador.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SUZAN FRASER Iran's foreign minister has rebuffed possible negotiations with the U.S. ambassador to Iraq to discuss future security issues. On Monday, the U.S. State Department said Ambassador Zalmay...

John Sentamu inaugurated as Britain's first black archbishop.
December 1, 2005... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROBERT BARR A son of Uganda who became the Church of England's first black archbishop brought an African beat to his installation in northern England, and declared his hope of energizing the dispirited...