In the News: Dec-02

Iraq's "Chemical Ali" gets second death sentence - 2 Dec 2008 at 8:16am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi court sentenced Saddam Hussein's cousin "Chemical Ali" to death Tuesday for the killing of thousands of Shi'ites in a ruthless crackdown on their uprising after the 1991 Gulf War.

He quashed an insurgency, so he's a hero -- oops, no -- he was subsequently captured by the Americans, so I guess he's just a plain old murderer.

Auditors fault Treasury oversight of bailout funds - 2 Dec 2008 at 3:12pm - A government audit says the Treasury Department needs tougher controls to oversee the $700 billion financial bailout package.

US official: India attack may have Pakistani roots - 2 Dec 2008 at 12:31pm - WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has reason to suspect a group at least partly based in Pakistan for last week's attack in India, and revealed that the U.S. had warned the Indian government beforehand that terrorists appeared to be plotting an assault on Mumbai, officials said Tuesday.

Botched London tube shooting not unlawful: coroner - 2 Dec 2008 at 9:18am - The coroner overseeing the inquest into the death of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, gunned down by police who wrongly thought he was a suicide bomber in London, has ruled out a verdict of unlawful killing.

Chances of WMD attack in big city greater: report - 2 Dec 2008 at 8:36am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chances of a terror attack on a major city somewhere in the world using weapons of mass destruction are better than even, according to a task force mandated by the U.S. Congress, The Washington Post reported in its Tuesday edition.

Panel: Bio attack likely in next 5 years - 2 Dec 2008 at 7:37am - WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan commission is asserting the country should expect a terrorist attack using nuclear or biological weapons sometime in the next five years.

Thought for the day:
The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness. -Joseph Conrad (1857 - 1924)