Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews. Although Republican activists have repeatedly said fraud is so widespread that it has corrupted the political process and, possibly, cost the party election victories, about 120 people have been charged and 86 convicted as of last year. Most of those charged have been Democrats, voting records show. Many of those charged by the Justice Department appear to have mistakenly filled out registration forms or misunderstood eligibility rules, a review of court records and interviews with prosecutors and defense lawyers show. In Miami, an assistant United States attorney said many cases there involved what were apparently mistakes by immigrants, not fraud.
In Wisconsin, where prosecutors have lost almost twice as many cases as they won, charges were brought against voters who filled out more than one registration form and felons seemingly unaware that they were barred from voting. A federal panel, the Election Assistance Commission, reported last year that the pervasiveness of fraud was debatable. That conclusion played down findings of the consultants who said there was little evidence of it across the country. The push to prosecute voter fraud figured in the removals last year of at least two United States attorneys whom Republican politicians or party officials had criticized for failing to pursue cases.
U.S. seeks control of Europe through missile shield – Gorbachev http://en.rian.ru/world/20070412/63534265.html
"It is all about influence and domination in Europe," Mikhail Gorbachev said. "I believe it is wrong that America did not even bother to consult its NATO allies." Asked how Russia could respond to these plans, he only said: "Time will show." The U.S. revealed plans in January to deploy elements of its missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland to counter possible attacks from Iran or North Korea, whose nuclear programs have provoked serious international concerns. Russia, which has been anxious about NATO bases that have appeared in former Communist-bloc countries and ex-Soviet republics, has blasted the plans to deploy anti-missile systems in Central Europe as a national security threat and a destabilizing factor for Europe. The Bush administration has once again cited Ukraine on a list of 15 countries cooperating with the U.S. on its national missile defense system, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
Ukrainian president could delay new elections http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page=detalii&categorie=worldnews&id=20070411-17997
President Viktor Yushchenko could delay implementation of his order to dissolve parliment and hold snap polls, a top adviser said yesterday, signalling a possible concession in the political crisis gripping the country. The presidential decree issued earlier this month ordered the dissolution of parliament, which is controlled by anti-Yushchenko forces, and the holding of elections on May 27. The parliamentary majority, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, has refused to obey. Meanwhile, thousands of rival demonstrators rallied in the Ukrainian capital. About 3,000 supporters of Yanukovych rallied on Independence Square while thousands of Yushchenko supporters demonstrated on Europe Square nearby. Yushchenko and Yanukovych have feuded since 2004, when the Orange Revolution protests brought pro-Western Yushchenko to power after a presidential election win initially handed to Russian-backed Yanukovych was declared fraudulent.
Study notes decline in male births in the US and Japan http://www.physorg.com/news95336450.html
A study published in this week's online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives reports that during the past thirty years, the number of male births has decreased each year in the U.S. and Japan. In a review of all births in both countries, the University of Pittsburgh-led study found significantly fewer boys being born relative to girls in the U.S. and Japan, and that an increasing proportion of fetuses that die are male. They note that the decline in births is equivalent to 135,000 fewer white males in the U.S. and 127,000 fewer males in Japan over the past three decades and suggest that environmental factors are one explanation for these trends. The report speculated that environmental factors, such as prenatal exposure to endocrine- disrupting environmental pollutants may impact the SRY gene – a gene on the Y chromosome that determines the sex of a fertilized egg. Other environmental factors that also may affect the viability of a male fetus include the parents' weight, nutrition and the use of alcohol and drugs.
Thai king pardons Swiss for insult http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Thai_king_pardons_Swiss_for_insult_04122007.html
Thailand was set to deport a Swiss man Thursday after he was given a royal pardon for defacing the king's portrait during a drunken spree that had landed him a 10-year prison sentence. Oliver Jufer was sentenced just two weeks ago after pleading guilty to lese majeste -- offending the dignity of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is widely revered and protected by strict laws against even the slightest insult.The 57-year-old was handed over to Swiss authorities at Bangkok's international airport and was expected to be deported later in the day, immigration officials said.
Vietnam warned against sea pipeline http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04/11/content_847749.htm
Chinese government said on Tuesday Vietnam had caused concern by agreeing with BP, a British oil company, to build a gas pipeline in the South China Sea . China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and neighboring areas," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Beijing. "Vietnam's new actions infringing on China's sovereignty, sovereign power and administrative rights in the Nansha Islands (in the South China Sea) go against the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on this maritime issue," he emphasized. "It is not beneficial to stability in the South China Sea area. China is paying close attention, and we have already made serious representations to the Vietnamese side," the spokesman said. "With everyone's hard work, the situation in the South China Sea has been stable."
Japan, China companies sign oil, gas deals http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/T310929.htm
The deals were struck at a Japan-China energy seminar in Tokyo during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit here. Nippon Oil Corp. and China National Petroleum Corp. signed an accord for long-term cooperation, including overseas oil and natural gas resources development. Watari said the deal may cover the East China Sea. Japan and China disagree over the boundary between their exclusive marine economic zones in the East China Sea, and Japan objects to Chinese development of gas fields near the border. China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) on Wednesday confirmed for the first time it had begun producing gas at a field in the East China Sea despite Japan's objections. Tokyo fears the development might drain off its resources.
China targets oil and gas thieves http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04/12/content_848912.htm
China arrested more than 4,500 people for theft of oil, illegally drilling for oil and gas or damaging pipelines in 2006, Xinhua reported in January. Last year's crackdown netted 9,000 tonnes of oil, or 65,700 barrels, a haul worth several million dollars but a drop in the ocean of China's demand of nearly 7 million barrels per day. Most of the thieves were farmers and villagers tapping into crude and gas pipelines that pass near their houses, and diverting the fuel into crude plastic bags or balloons. The oil is often sold to small illegal refineries that are shut down by authorities due to heavy pollution.
China to conduct survey on polluters http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04/12/content_848835.htm
The survey, scheduled to begin in 2008, is mainly aimed at finding the number, sector and geographical distribution of the polluters in the country, including those in industrial, agricultural and residential areas. Statistics show that there are more than 1.45 million industrial enterprises in China, but only 80,000 of them have been included in the government's key surveillance data. Early this month, China's environment watchdog for the first time made public a list of more than 6,000 industrial polluters, which analysts say will be under mounting pressure to clean up their act.
159,000 rounded up in Bangladesh sweeps http://www.xinhua.org/english/index.htm
After assuming power on Jan. 12 this year under the emergency, Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed's caretaker government declared war on corruption and criminal godfathers. Arrestees include scores of big guns from both BNP of Khaleda Zia and AL of Sheikh Hasina. The high profile arrest include immediate past Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman who is now imprisoned facing trial on charges of corruption and extortion. Meanwhile, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina now in the United States on a family visit has planned to return to Dhaka on April 14 to face the alleged criminal charges in the court of law,her party leaders told the media.
Delhi High Court: Minor can elope to save her love http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=25606cca-aca8-4de8-8205-30e7c08a0d51
In a judgement that could trigger a debate on the extent of liberty minor girls enjoy under the law, the court said parents have no right to marry off their daughter against her wishes, as "right to life and liberty as guaranteed by the Constitution is equally available to minors". Braving stiff resistance from her father and the community, 17-year-old Afsana (later became Anjali) married Vivek on April 12 last year at an Arya Samaj Mandir. Frustrated at his failure to persuade his daughter, the father filed an FIR against the boy, accusing him of kidnapping her. Under the Indian Penal Code, the consent of a girl below 18 years for marriage is not valid and the spouse can be punished for kidnapping. However, "forceful taking away" or "enticement" has to be proved in the case. But in her statement before the court, Afsana said: "I told my father that I am in love with Vivek and wish to marry him. He repeatedly slapped me and said I was going to malign our religion and threatened to kill me. One day, a boy of my father's choice came to meet me and said I will have to live with him for three months and thereafter live with his grandfather. I told him I was in love with someone else and the next day I ran away with Vivek".
India's growth impressive: IMF, World Bank http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=cca1a3ad-f4ab-45ad-8d2d-a2ad44d4ee34
Terming India's economic growth as "impressive", the World Bank and IMF have said the country faces a challenge in the infrastructure sector which it needs to improve in order to attract more foreign investment. "Overall, India is doing impressively well, and it's a very encouraging story of how a very large country with an extraordinarily diverse population can make real inroads in poverty reduction and in development with a democratic system, and I think that's encouraging," World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said at a press conference in Washington. Observing that India was attaining its growth rate with very low inflation, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Rodrigo de Rato said, "the growth rate shows that the Indian economy is becoming much more efficient." On the issue of corruption, the head of the World Bank remarked, "...As I said in my opening comments, the problem with corruption, which is a problem that affects even the richest countries in the world, is one that can't be eliminated overnight. You have to tackle it progressively". "And I think many of the countries we're dealing with are doing that. I just came back from Indonesia, and it's almost a national preoccupation is the fight against corruption," Wolfowitz remarked.
Mitterrand's son to face trial over arms sales to Angola http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2430123.ece
Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, the son of the late president, and 42 other people, including several big names, have been sent for trial in connection with alleged illegal arms dealing with Angola in the 1990s. M. Mitterrand, 60, will join the former interior minister Charles Pasqua, and the former head of the European development bank, Jacques Attali, among the accused at the trial later this year. M. Mitterrand is a former journalist who became African policy adviser to his father, President François Mitterrand. He was often used as an emissary to African leaders, who gave him the nick-name "papa m'a dit" (daddy told me).
Naval drills along border used by al-Qaida-linked groups http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070410161756&irec=17
Malaysia and the Philippines began joint annual naval drills Tuesday that will include live-fire exercises in waters considered a key conduit for al-Qaida-linked militants, human traffickers and arms smugglers, officials said. Guarding the sprawling sea border has been daunting, especially for the impoverished Philippines, which has one of Asia's weakest militaries. A major problem is the influx of illegal Filipino migrants from the southern region of Mindanao to Malaysia's eastern Sabah state. Al-Qaida-linked Indonesian militants also have been traveling to Mindanao for terrorist training in Filipino rebel strongholds via Malaysia, Filipino security officials have said. Malaysian security officials have expressed concern over the possibility of Islamic militants belonging to the Abu Sayyaf group and their Indonesian allies fleeing to Malaysia to escape amassive U.S.-backed offensive on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, which is a few hours by boat from Sabah.
Guided missile destroyer USS Chafee en route to Gulf http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070410/NEWS08/704100337/1018/NEWS
The guided missile destroyer USS Chafee left port and families yesterday on a mission that will take it to the Persian Gulf in search of commercial vessels harboring smuggled goods and in a show of force against Iran. Two rigid-hull inflatable boats will be used by search-and-seizure teams looking for vessels that may be trafficking drugs or harboring terrorists. A similar mission led to the seizure of 15 British sailors and marines on March 23 by Iranian Revolutionary Guards during the inspection of a merchant ship in the northern Gulf. The crew was released 13 days later. The Chafee will join up with the USS Nimitz carrier strike group and operate with the Stennis aircraft carrier group in a show of force aimed primarily at Iran.The Chafee, which has a crew of more than 350 officers and enlisted personnel, is expected to be gone for six months. The ship will continue to train for visit, board, search and seizure en route.
Female blogger gets 10-year sentence for arson attacks http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200704100076.html
A court Monday handed a 10-year prison sentence to a 21-year-old woman who set buildings on fire for pleasure and posted pictures of the blazes on her Web log for fame. The Nagano District Court's Matsumoto branch held Erika Hirata responsible for nine arson attacks in and around Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, in April and May 2006. Prosecutors had demanded a 13-year term for Hirata, who pleaded guilty to the charges. According to the ruling, Hirata started her string of arsons on April 13, 2006, when she torched a wooden shed in Suwa. The next month, she burned down a 740-square-meter former gymnasium at the junior high school she had attended. In another case, she burned the walls of an apartment in Chino, near Suwa. No injuries were reported in the fires. Hirata put pictures of the fires on her blog, in which she called herself "Kumaeri," combining part of the name of a female TV personality with hers.
Tennessee prison tries to poach California inmates http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20070401/od_notw/nwx070401xml;_ylt=AqUp7nL9PIGoxPpbeCkwLdQ3AIZ4
The West Tennessee Detention Facility (Mason, Tenn.) made a video pitch for California inmates, hoping some would volunteer to be outsourced under that state's program to relieve overcrowding. The hard-timers should come east, the video urged, because of West Tennessee's "larger and cleaner jail cells, 79 TV channels, including ESPN, views of peaceful cow pastures, and ... the 'Dorm of the Week,' (with its inmates) staying up all night, watching a movie and eating cheeseburgers or pizza," according to a March description in Nashville's Tennessean. "You're not a number here," said one inmate. "You come here, it's personalized."
Listerine Rinse Recalled For Contamination http://www.local6.com/spotlight/11661262/detail.html
The maker of Listerine is recalling one of its rinses after tests showed it was contaminated with microorganisms. A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said a company unit is recalling 4 million bottles of the recently launched Listerine Agent Cool Blue plaque-detecting rinse, marketed primarily for use by children. The recall affects the Glacier Mint and Bubble Blast flavors.
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