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US Senate approves rules regulating detainee treatment The United States Senate approved a proposal that imposes restrictions on the detention, interrogation and treatment of prisoners held by the US military. Iraqi insurgents guilty of war crimes, says Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch released a study of attacks on civilians by members of the Iraqi insurgency. They claim these attacks are illegal under international law, and violate the Geneva Convention.

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Ulcer researchers awarded '05 Nobel Prize Warren and Marshall were awarded their prize "for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease." Before their discovery, peptic ulcer was often a chronic disease which was attributed to stress and lifestyle.

Wikipedia Current Events
New York City increases police presence in the New York City subway system after receiving a credible terror threat. Hurricane Katrina: Louisiana National Guard officials say repeated news reports by CNN on September 1, 2005 that shots were fired at a UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopter at the Louisiana Superdome were false. Conflict in Iraq: As Iraqi president Jalal Talabani tells UK Prime Minister Tony Blair any troop withdrawal would be a "catastrophe", 10 people die following a bomb near the Ministry of Oil in Baghdad. The European Court of Human Rights rules the United Kingdom's ban on voting rights for prisoners is unlawful. Properties in Manchester, England are searched by the Assets Recovery Agency during on-going investigations into the business activities of men alleged to have links with the Irish Republican Army. Death toll of Hurricane Stan reaches 166. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel is to ban using Palestinians as human shields following a Supreme Court of Israel ruling.

Explosion at Port Comfort plastics plant

THIS NEWS ITEM IS CURRENTLY BREAKING AT THE TIME OF PRINT.

There has been an explosion at the Formosa Plastics plant in Port Comfort, TX. Residents have been advised to shelter in place. Port Comfort is about 25 miles south-east of Victoria, TX.

Witnesses report an explosion and "lots of black smoke", some visible from as far as 40 miles away. There are no reports on injuries at this time. The prevailing east to north east winds are directing smoke away from Port Lavaca and Victoria, and city officials are not recommending evacuation of these areas.

Point Comfort Elementary School has been evacuated, children are being moved to HJM Elementary in Port Lavaca. Schools in Port Lavaca, Seadrift, and Port O'Connor have halted outdoor activities and school buses until they recieve further notice. School superintendent Larry Nicols has said that parents will be allowed to pick up their children at any school if they desire.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

Threat on New York City subway system hightens security alert level

THIS NEWS ITEM IS CURRENTLY BREAKING AT THE TIME OF PRINT.

A "credible threat" has been made against the subway system of New York City. In response, the security alert level of the system has been raised. A press conference will be made at 2130 UTC time today. At this time, the subway system seems to still be operating.

Australia's High Court rules mod-chips are legal

Australia's High Court, in a unanimous decision today, found modchips to be legal. Mod-chips are attached to the systems motherboard that allows users to bypass copyright and regional controls on game consoles such as PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

While playing illegally copied games is one of the primary reasons people install a modchip, modchips also have several legal uses. They allow users to play games imported from different regions, play homebrew games, and back up copies of games. Imported games are often cheaper and are available sooner in countries with late official release dates, such as Australia.

In many other countries the selling and use of modchips is illegal. In the UK the EU Copyright Directive has been used by Microsoft and Sony to prevent sales of modchips. The EU Copyright Directive makes it illegal to circumvent copy protection systems. A similar law the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) makes it illegal in the USA.

The defendant in the case was retailer Eddy Stevens, who sold and installed PlayStation 2 modchips. Sony, the manufacturer of the Playstaion 2 sued arguing the modchips were in violation of Australian copyright law.

The court ruled that as the modchips merely allowed users play copied or imported games, and do not enable the copying of games, they do not breach copyright. "There is no copyright reason why the purchaser should not be entitled to copy the CD-Rom and modify the console in such a way as to enjoy his or her lawfully acquired property without inhibition," said the court. "This is a hell of a victory for the consumer. That's why we did it," said Mr. Stevens.

IRA assets worth 55 million dollars are confiscated

The British Assets Recovery Agency has confiscated $55 million of assets believed to be owned by senior members of the IRA, using information provided by the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau and British and Irish law enforcement agencies. The money is believed to represent a small fraction of the wealth obtained by the organisation. This move follows the recent decommissioning of IRA weapons. Most of the assets are believed to have been owned by the IRA chief of staff, Thomas Murphy and businessman Dermot Craven. Now that negotiations over weapons decommissioning are over, it is believed that other IRA members who have become rich through running protection rackets or other criminal activities may also be stripped of their illegal assests in the forthcoming weeks.

Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell said: "An Garda Síochána and the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) and the Criminal Assets Bureau and the ARA are co-operating in every possible way to ensure that on this island those who have control of the proceeds of crime are deprived of those proceeds."

US Senate approves rules regulating detainee treatment

The United States Senate approved a proposal that imposes restrictions on the detention, interrogation and treatment of prisoners held by the US military. The rules prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in US government custody, regardless of where they are held. The rules also require all US troops to use only interrogation techniques authorized in a new Army field manual but does not cover techniques used by the Central Intelligence Agency. The rules follow revelations of detainee abuse committed by US military and intelligence personnel in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

Sponsored by Senator John McCain, the measure was passed by a 90 to 9 vote, with 46 Republicans, including the majority leader Bill Frist joining 43 Democrats and one independent in favor. The proposal is part of a $440 billion military spending bill.

McCain argued that American soldiers need clarity and "are not served by ambiguity". "We demanded intelligence without ever clearly telling our troops what was permitted and what was forbidden. And then, when things went wrong, we blamed them and we punished them. We have to do better than that," McCain, himself subjected to torture during five years in a Vietcong prison camp, said.

More than two dozen retired senior military officers, including Colin L. Powell and John M. Shalikashvili, two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have endorsed the amendment. The measures have also been welcomed by human rights organizations.

Bush administration officials say the legislation would limit the president's authority and flexibility in war. White House spokesman, Scott McClellan called the amendment "unnecessary and duplicative" and added: "If it's presented, then there would be a recommendation of a veto, I believe". If President Bush chooses to veto the bill, it would be first veto since he took office in 2001.

Sri Lanka blast injures one

THIS NEWS ITEM IS CURRENTLY BREAKING AT THE TIME OF PRINT

Officials in Sri Lanka have confirmed that an explosion that occured during morning rush hour in Colombo injured one person. The explosion occured outside a newspaper office of a political party allied with the Sri Lankan government.

There have not been any claims of responsibility yet, although a senior police officer has said that the bomb was planted in a van belonging to the political party, which used to be a militant group against the government.

Twenty killed in Lake George USA boating accident

Twenty elderly people were killed Sunday when a boat capsized on Lake George in upstate New York. The Ethan Allen was filled with touring passengers from the Detroit, Michigan area, all of whom were on a pleasure cruise to see fall foliage in the Adirondack Mountains. All the passengers aboard were reported to have not worn life preservers.

Investigators speculate that the Ethan Allen capsized when it steered into the wake of another tour boat, causing the former to turn sharply. The incident occurred at 3:00 PM EDT (2000 UTC) about 150 yards offshore at Cramer Point. Amongst those who survived was the captain, Richard Paris, 74, who was reportedly the only crew member aboard the boat.

The boat operator company's license has been temporarily revoked pending a urine analysis test for alcohol consumption 80 hours before the incident. All other boat licenses owned by the company are also being held.

Five soldiers killed in Southern Thailand

Five soldiers in the southern Thailand province of Narathiwat were killed and another two injured in a drive-by attack by suspected Islamic militants.

Location of Narathiwat province in Thailand

The attack occurred whilst the soldiers were eating their evening meal. A representative of the Thai army said that the attackers fired assault rifles at the group before fleeing the scene in a pick-up truck. Metal spikes were strewn on the road to foil pursuit. In addition to the deaths, a number of firearms were stolen prior to the insurgents making their escape.

This was the second incident involving suspected Islamic militants on the day prior to Ramadan. Earlier in the day the decapitated body of a middle-aged man was found at a roadside in Yala Province.

Over one thousand people have been killed in insurgency-related incidents in the predominantly Muslim south of Thailand since 2004.

Romanian president to hold referendum on unicameral parliament

The president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, announced today that he would call a referendum next year asking Romanians whether they approve the switch to a unicameral parliament.

Romania currently has a bicameral parliamentary structure, similar to the United Kingdom and United States, with a Chamber of Deputies as the lower house and a Senate as the upper house. In the past month, however, President Băsescu has stated that he would like to see the replacement of the current system with a unicameral parliament, consisting of only one chamber, as well as a reduction in the overall number of parliamentarians. His reason is the functions of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate are nearly identical in Romania, both being elected by the people every five years under the system of proportional representation.

The unicameral plan, however, has come under fire from several political parties, including some from the ruling Justice and Truth Alliance. The Prime Minister of Romania, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, from the National Liberal Party, does not support the unicameral plan, and neither do the two major opposition parties, the Social Democrats and Great Romania.

Romania's Chamber of Deputies

Despite the political opposition, President Băsescu has constantly said that it would up to the people to decide whether such a reform should take place, and hence announced today that the referendum on this issue would be held next year. The referendum would be held at the same time as the vote to elect Romania's 35 representatives to the European Parliament, as Romania will join the European Union in 2007.

Romania to host Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006

Romania has been chosen to host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, according to a press release by the country's government-funded broadcaster, TVR. According to the network, the Junior Eurovision will be held in Bucharest in November 2006, where it will be organized in a venue with a capacity of more than 6,000 seats. Romania's successful bid has been confirmed by Svante Stockselius from the European Broadcasting Union.

The three countries shortlisted for the Junior Eurovision 2006 were Romania, Croatia, and the Netherlands. On October 4, however, it was announced that TVR had won the bidding process and the event would be held in Romania. The Junior Eurovision 2006 is the first Eurovision event to be held in Romania, and comes after Romania's best ever result in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where it was ranked third.

The event will be co-financed by TVR and the European Broadcasting Union, with approximately 3.4 million Romanian lei (€1 million) being funded by the EBU.

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest was founded in 2003 and is open to contestants from across Europe ranging from eight to fifteen years of age. The 2005 event will be held on November 26 in Hasselt, Belgium, and will be attended by contestants from 17 countries, including Romania.

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Today in History

October 07:

3761 B.C.: The epoch of the modern Hebrew calendar.

1571: The Ottoman Empire was decisively defeated by the Christian West for the first time, as a multinational fleet led by Don John of Austria crushed the Turkish navy near the Gulf of Corinth in the Battle of Lepanto (painting by Paolo Veronese).

1949: The German Democratic Republic was proclaimed in East Berlin.

1985: The Mediterranean ocean liner Achille Lauro was hijacked by Palestine Liberation Front terrorists while sailing from Alexandria to Port Said.

2001: War on Terrorism: The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan began at 16:30 UTC with an aerial bombing campaign targeting Taliban and Al-Qaida forces.

Quote of the Day

Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.

Death closes all; but something ere the end,

Some work of noble note, may yet be done,

Not unbecoming men that strove with gods.

~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~

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Jake Novak

2005-10-06T20:51:03

Jake Novak