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TOP NEWS STORIES - TUESDAY JUNE 5th 2007:

Behind Bush's Missile Defense Push

In his search for a long-term foreign policy achievement that can offset Iraq in the history books, George W. Bush has returned to a central national security tenet of his early days as President: the need for missile defense. Beyond fighting terrorism, no issue is more important to the President's strategic vision, and he and his closest advisers have pursued anti-missile programs from the earliest days of the Administration. But as he presses his efforts to get a regional missile defense system in train for central Europe before he leaves office, Bush faces more resistance than he bargained for, resistance that now threatens to overshadow his other foreign policy legacy efforts.

The biggest obstacle comes from Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin told reporters this week that Russia might again target countries in Europe that accept such a system. "If a part of the strategic nuclear potential of the United States appears in Europe and, in the opinion of our military specialists, will threaten us, then we will have to take appropriate steps in response," Putin said in comments released Monday by the Kremlin. "What kind of steps? We will have to have new targets in Europe."

Russia's Cold War rhetoric is set to disrupt an otherwise carefully orchestrated G-8 summit this week in Germany where Bush had planned to highlight global development efforts, a new climate change program and trade negotiations. It also threatens to fracture already weak European support for missile defense. Bush will meet Putin Thursday in Germany, and again early in July at Kennebunkport as part of the effort to reassure the Russians that missile defense is aimed not at undermining Russia's deterrent capability but at combating regimes like Iran that are developing missile arsenals and are hostile to the U.S.

In Prague today, Bush said, "I look forward to having conversations with President Putin, not only at the G8, but in the United States when he comes over. And my message will be, Vladimir — I call him, Vladimir — that you shouldn't fear a missile defense system." Bush followed up on the offer to collaborate with Russia on missile defense that his Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made recently in Moscow. Bush said he'd tell Putin, "Please send your generals over to see how such a system would work. Send your scientists. Let us have the ability to discuss this issue in an open forum where we'll be completely transparent."

In fact, the success rates of U.S. missile defense systems are marginal at best. And the most optimistic projections put deployment in Europe more than five years away. Yet if that should reassure Putin, it hasn't. He and the Russians see the deployment as both a potential future threat to their missile arsenal and as an affront to their national security akin to the American view of Khrushchev's deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba in the early 1960s. So if the systems, which aren't even ready yet are causing so much agitation in Russia, why is the Administration pushing as hard as it is on the issue now?

For starters, Bush's top advisers are all graduates of the school of Star Wars, old national security hands who in one form or another cut their teeth on the issue as young policymakers. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley pursued missile defense with the Soviets as an arms control negotiator in the administration of George H. W. Bush. When he became George W. Bush's deputy National Security Adviser in 2001, he kept a small model of the Soviet ballistic missile arsenal near his desk and spent his first nine months so focused on getting a rollback of the anti-ballistic missile treaty that he was later accused of ignoring the terrorist threat as it built in the run-up to 9/11. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were both Russia experts at George H. W. Bush's National Security Council, and pursued the issue as closely as Hadley did.

Rice and Hadley also schooled Bush himself on the importance of missile defense during his campaign for the Presidency in 1999 and 2000. On the theory that no weapons system has ever been developed that has not eventually been used, Hadley and others argue that missile defense is a necessity in an era of proliferation — one component of a defense that also includes deterrence and coercion. If the systems to be deployed by the U.S. have had low success rates against missiles thus far, they argue, all the more reason to that continued commitment to the program is needed, in order to accelerate technological progress.

Critics say the rush to deploy a system before it's ready and in the face of the opposition of nominal allies is unnecessary, expensive and damaging. They say unilateral agreements between the U.S. on the one hand and Poland and Czech Republic on the other cause friction with other European countries and undermine support for missile defense. And they argue that Bush's insistence on pursuing deployment agreements now shows that the current push is less about the imminent threat than it is about his legacy. "Bush wants to make an irreversible move forward before he leaves office," says Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations, "He wants this to be in train even if not completely deployed."

Despite those criticisms and Russia's objections, however, Bush is in a good position to advance his missile defense agenda. At home, there is no real opposition to missile defense — mainstream Democrats since Bill Clinton's presidency have shied away from dissenting over missile defense. And abroad there is some willingness to go along with the U.S. in the face of public resistance. Czech President Vaclav Klaus today said he supported Bush's program, despite 60% disapproval among Czechs. All of which means that even threats to target European countries are unlikely to shake the U.S. will to deploy, setting the two countries on an increasingly tense course for the final 18 months of Bush's presidency.

G8 Leaders Gather Amid Differences and Protests

By Sonja Pace

Heiligendamm, Germany

05 June 2007

Pace report (mp3) - Download 867k Listen to Pace report (mp3)

Leaders of the G8 group of major industrial nations are gathering in Germany's Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm for three days of discussions to include climate change, economic issues and debt relief for Africa. But differences were evident before the summit began and security was extremely tight to keep protesters away from the meeting site, as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from Heiligendamm.

The stage has been set with meticulous preparation in the traditional resort of Heiligendamm. It is here that these major world leaders will hold bilateral meetings, working lunches and dinners. There will be group photos, handshakes and smiles, but these are unlikely to fully mask underlying policy differences.

Angela Merkel, 4 Jun 2007

Summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put climate change on the top of the agenda, but a major breakthrough is unlikely because of differences over how to rein in global warming.

Mrs. Merkel would like to see agreement on benchmark limits to global warming, but the United States and some other countries are reluctant to commit themselves to such limits.

Speaking just days before the summit, Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair said there is the possibility of moving forward on a global warming strategy, but he warned that all the major players must be on board.

"Unless you can get a global agreement that encompasses all the main players and that means America, obviously, but also China and India and the developing world that is as a result of its economic growth going to be emitting vastly more of the greenhouse gas emissions than before," said Blair. "Unless you can get a comprehensive global deal then we are unlikely to make progress."

And, there is no indication in Heiligendamm that all the major players agree on the issue.

Another major agenda item is aid to Africa and debt relief for the continent. The G8 members committed themselves to major aid increases and debt relief at their summit in Glen Eagles in Scotland two years ago, but experts say implementation of those promises has been sparse.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has said he hopes to see some steps forward. "What we would like to see come out of Heiligendamm is further movement forward," he said. "I do not have a sense that there is anybody among the G8 who is opposed to that and ... increased aid from the U.S. and Germany that have been announced in the last few days - I think are a signal of that kind of commitment."

Talks at the summit between U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are likely to steal the headlines. Relations have become increasingly tense over U.S. proposals to build a missile defense system in Europe that Washington says is vital to thwart possible attacks from Iran.

Mr. Putin has dismissed such reasoning and says instead that the American missile system would pose a threat to Russia. Mr. Putin threatened to aim Russian missiles at European targets if the system is built.

Speaking in the Czech capital, Prague, Mr. Bush said the Cold War is over and Russia has nothing to fear from this missile defense system. Instead, Mr. Bush said he will try to convince Mr. Putin that the U.S. and Russia can work together to deal with common threats.

Anti-globalisation protesters are stopped and searched by police as they leave the train station in the north-eastern town of Warnemuende, Germany, 05 Jun 2007 Preparations for the summit involve what officials say is the largest security operation in post-war Germany. Heiligendamm has been completely cordoned off and there is a heavy police presence throughout the area to try to keep protesters away. Authorities estimate up to 100,000 activists have gathered in the vicinity of the summit.

Clashes between police and demonstrators have already taken place in the nearby city of Rostock. An anti-summit riot on Saturday left about one thousand people injured and there are fears of further unrest.

Germany holds the G8 rotating presidency and hosts the meeting of leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. They are joined by leaders from China, India, Brazil, Mexico and a number of African countries.

Cyclone Gonu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section contains information about an ongoing meteorological event or phenomenon. Information may undergo major changes as events occur.

Current storm status Category 3 cyclone (1-min mean) As of: 1500 UTC June 5 Location: 22.0°N 61.0°E Winds: 80 knots (150 km/h, 90 mph) sustained (10-min mean) gusting to 110 knots (210 km/h, 130 mph) Pressure: 970 mbar (28.65 inHg) Movement: N See more detailed information.

Cyclone Gonu (JTWC designation: 02A, also known as Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu) is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea, and tied for the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the northern Indian Ocean(since 1945).[1] The second named tropical cyclone of the 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gonu developed from a persistent area of convection in the eastern Arabian Sea on June 1. With a favorable upper-level environment and warm sea surface temperatures, it rapidly intensified to attain peak 10-min winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) on June 3, as warned by the India Meteorological Department. Intense cyclones like Gonu have been rare over the Arabian Sea, as most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly.[2]

Contents [hide] 1 Storm history 1.1 Current storm information 2 Preparations 3 Impact 3.1 Energy 4 See also 5 References

Storm history

On May 27, a widespread area of convection persisted over the southeastern Arabian Sea.[3] By May 31, an organized tropical disturbance developed about 645 km (400 mi) south of Mumbai, India with cyclonic convection and a well-defined mid-level circulation. The disturbance initially lacked a distinct low-level circulation; instead it consisted of strong divergence along the western end of a surface trough of low pressure.[4] A propitious upper-level environment allowed convection to improve, and on June 1 a low-level circulation formed.[5] By late on June 1, the system developed to the extent that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) classified it a depression.[6] It tracked westward along the southwestern periphery of a mid-level ridge over southern India; convection continued to organize, and early on June 2 the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) classified it Tropical Cyclone 02A while it was located about 685 km (425 mi) southwest of Mumbai, India.[7]

Upon first forming, the system contended with the entrainment of dry air to the northwest of the storm; this was expected to limit intensification.[7] The storm steadily intensified; early on June 2 the IMD upgraded it to deep depression status,[8] and later in the day the IMD classified the system as Cyclonic Storm Gonu while it was located 760 km (470 mi) southwest of Mumbai, India.[9] As a mid-latitude trough developed over Pakistan, Gonu turned to the north and northeast,[10] though resumed a westward track after ridging built to the north of the storm.[11] With a solid area of intense convection, it rapidly intensified to attain severe cyclonic status early on June 3,[12] and with good outflow the JTWC upgraded it to the equivalent of a Category 1 tropical cyclone.[13] The dry air ultimately had a smaller impact on the intensification than previously estimated. As the storm tracked under an upper-level ridge axis, outflow increased further, and combined with a local increase in ocean heat content, Gonu rapidly deepened and developed a well-defined eye in the center of convection.[14]

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu approaching Oman.Late on June 3, the IMD classified the storm as Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu,[15] upon which it became the most intense cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea.[1] With low amounts of vertical wind shear and favorable upper-level outflow, Gonu strengthened further to attain peak 1-min sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and gusts to 315 km/h (195 mph) while located about 285 km (175 miles) east-southeast of Masirah Island on the coast of Oman.[16] At that intensity, Gonu was tied for the strongest tropical cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean.[1] the IMD upgraded it to Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu late on June 4, with 10-min sustained winds reaching 240 km/h (150 mph) and an estimated pressure of 920 mbar.[17]

After maintaining peak winds for about 9 hours, the IMD downgraded Gonu to very severe cyclonic storm status early on June 5.[18] Its eye became cloud-filled and ragged, and the cyclone gradually weakened as it continued tracking northwestward over cooler water temperatures and through drier air.[19]

Current storm information As of 1500 UTC on June 5, Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu is located at 22.0°N 61.0°E. It has maximum sustained winds of 80 knots (150 km/h, 90 mph), with stronger gusts. Gonu's minimum central pressure is 970 mbar (28.65 inHg), and it is moving to the north.

See the latest IMD bulletin on Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu.

Preparations

The Oman Chairman of the National Committee for Civil Defence remarked the nation had already developed a contingency plan, which included the activation of army and police personnel after the storm's passage. Significant damage was expected, especially in northeastern areas, along with up to 150 mm (6 in) of rainfall and very strong winds.[20] Officials recommended citizens to evacuate from potentially affected areas,[21] and about 7,000 people forced to leave Masirah Island due to the threat for high surf and strong winds.[22] A state of emergency was declared for the nation.[21] The national weather service in Oman warned that the cyclone was expected to be worse than the destructive cyclone which hit Masirah Island in 1977. The Mina al Fahal oil terminal was expected to be shut down once the cyclone hits. The country's export terminal located in Sur, which handles liquefied natural gas exports, was also closed.[23]

In Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both members of OPEC, no official warnings had been issued on Gonu. The storm was not expected to disrupt oil supplies from these two nations.[21] Due to the threat of the cyclone disrupting oil shipments, crude oil prices increased to over US$70 per barrel.[24]

In Pakistan, officials recommended fishermen to remain within 50 km (30 mi) of the coastline, due to anticipated rough waves in the open ocean.[25] Naval authorities in the United States warned for ships to avoid the cyclone in the Arabian Sea.[26]

Impact

The cyclone delayed the arrival of the Indian Ocean south-west monsoon in the Western Ghats in India.[27]

Fierce sea waves pushed large amounts of water to coastal areas in Fujairah of the United Arab Emirates, forcing roads to be closed and traffic diverted. Civil defence and police were on duty to manage the road closures, while municipal workers pumped the excess water off the roads. The road connecting Kalba and Fujairah was closed due to the road being submerged by sea water.Effects from this cyclone have started in the United Arab Emirates with blowing sand and overcast conditions.[28]

Energy

Oil prices rose early Tuesday because of concerns about disruptions caused by Gonu and the threat of further strikes in Nigeria, Africa's biggest producer. Crude oil for July delivery rose $1.13, or 1.7 percent, to $66.21 Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest close since May 21. Futures touched $66.48, the highest intraday price since April 30. The contract was at $65.95 a barrel, down 26 cents, in after-hours electronic trading at 9:43 a.m. Tuesday in Singapore.[29] But Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said he doubted the increase could really be attributed to Gonu. "I don't know if you can really attribute any of the gain to the cyclone," he said. "It's an excuse, as opposed to a reason, for the rise in prices."[30]

See also Tropical cyclones Portal List of notable tropical cyclones

References

^ a b c Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Northern Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Best Track Data. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ NASA Earth Observatory: Tropical Cyclone Gonu. NASA (2007-06-04). Retrieved on 2007-06-05.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). May 27 Tropical Weather Outlook. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Delta Forecast Team (2007). May 31 Significant Tropical Weather Advisory for the North Indian Ocean. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Charlie Forecast Team (2007). June 1 Significant Tropical Weather Advisory for the North Indian Ocean. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). June 2 Tropical Weather Outlook. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ a b Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone 02A Warning NR 001. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). Deep Depression over East Central Arabian Sea. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). Cyclone Storm “GONU’ over East Central Arabian Sea. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone Gonu Warning NR 004. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone Gonu Warning NR 005. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). Severe Cyclone Storm “GONU’ over East Central Arabian Sea. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone Gonu Warning NR 006. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone Gonu Warning NR 007. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). Very Severe Cyclonic Storm “GONU’ over East Central Arabian Sea. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone Gonu Warning NR 010. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). A Super Cyclonic Storm “GONU’ over East Central and adjoining westcentral and north Arabian Sea. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ India Meteorological Department (2007). Very Severe Cyclonic Storm “GONU’ over East Central and adjoining westcentral and north Arabian Sea. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2007). Tropical Cyclone Gonu Warning NR 012. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Sunil K. Vaidya. "Tropical cyclonic storm to strike eastern coast of Oman". Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ a b c Reuters (2007). Oman on alert for cyclone - official news agency. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Associated Press (2007). Oman evacuates eastern island as powerful storm approaches. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Agencies (2007). Cyclone reaches Omani coast. Gulfnews.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.

^ Jane Merriman and Janet McBride (2007). Oil at $70 as cyclone nears Mideast Gulf. Reuters. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Pakistan Daily Times (2007). Tropical cyclone heading to Sindh coast. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ DowJones News (2007). Crude Rallies On Rising Demand, Gulf Storm, Russia. CNN.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Staff Writer (2007). More pre-monsoon showers in city. Cybernoon.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

^ Staff reporter (2007). Fujairah hit by Cyclone Gonu. Gulfnews.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.

^ Gonu Weakens to Category Four Storm, Heads for Oman Bloomberg.com, June 5 2007

^ Oman on high alert as cyclone nears Al Jazeera, JUNE 05, 2007

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Gonu"

Categories:

Current events as of June 2007 | Hurricane articles needing a track map | 2007 North Indian cyclone season | Category 5 tropical cyclones | North Indian cyclones

Tehran warns on new sanctions, has talks with Germany

By Louis Charbonneau Reuters

Tuesday, June 5, 2007; 11:24 AM

BERLIN (Reuters) - Iran warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday against slapping more sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear work, saying it was like "playing with a lion's tail" as its top negotiator met Germany's foreign minister.

The talks in Berlin between Ali Larijani and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, coming two weeks after a negative U.N. nuclear watchdog report on Iran that could trigger tougher sanctions soon, ended without comment from either side.

It followed talks in Madrid last week between Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana that yielded no headway in resolving the core dispute -- Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment as a precondition for negotiations on trade benefits.

The meeting also came on the eve of a Group of Eight (G8) summit in the German resort of Heiligendamm where industrialized nation leaders will discuss what "steps should be taken next" on Iran, among other issues, a senior German official said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said it was too late for anyone to reverse Iran's nuclear course, which Tehran insists is a peaceful quest for an alternative source of electricity, not for atomic bombs.

"They should be aware that Iran is a big country. Some say Iran is like a lion sitting calmly in the corner. We advise them not to play with a lion's tail," Ahmadinejad told visiting foreign journalists in Tehran. "Iran's (nuclear) move has passed the point where they (Western countries) could stop it."

"BLUFF AND BLUSTER"

Asked about his remarks, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington that the world would not be "intimidated by these kinds of threats..., bluff and bluster from the Iranian government ... The international community is united in opposing Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon."

Originally it was Larijani's deputy Javad Vaeedi who was to go to Berlin for talks with senior German and EU officials.

A diplomat close to the Iran-EU discussions said Vaeedi had planned to warn them against a crackdown on Tehran over its nuclear program at the G8 summit.

Another diplomat close to the German foreign ministry said the Iranians had decided to upgrade the meeting to a ministerial level with Larijani -- who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, most likely to send a stronger message.

The West accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says its efforts to make nuclear fuel are wholly peaceful, but has dodged a number of investigations by U.N. nuclear inspectors.

The Security Council has imposed two rounds of sanctions since December. Washington says Iran faces a harsher resolution after the U.N. watchdog reported Tehran was rapidly expanding the work in defiance of Security Council demands to stop.

Ahmadinejad said the Council should avoid what he termed illegal measures against Iran.

"They observed that previous sanctions had no effect on Iran's nuclear activities and we have told them not to enter this path. They cannot harm our nation."

Iranian officials have repeatedly shrugged off the impact of sanctions, one of whose targets is a major Iranian state bank. Although sanctions are narrowly focused, economists say they are now deterring both foreign and local investors.

(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Parisa Hafezi and Edmund Blair in Tehran, Sue Pleming in Washington)

Nigeria: Drug Test - FG Sues Pfizer for $7 Billion

Daily Trust (Abuja)

5 June 2007

Posted to the web 5 June 2007

Ruby Rabiu

Drugs giant, Pfizer, came under greater pressure yesterday when the federal government went to court to seek $7billion in damages and compensation for the 200 children affected by an illegal drug test in Kano.

The case is in addition to one before the Kano High Court which also kicked off yesterday.

The government accused Pfizer of testing a new antibiotic on the children without the consent of their illiterate parents.

The Federal High Court in Abuja said it would fast track the case. The case is being brought by the Attorney General on behalf of the Kano state government.

Pfizer International Incorporated, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, ran tests of an antibiotic 'Trovanfloxacin Mesylate' (Trovan) on 200 Nigerian children. The families of the children say they were not properly informed of the tests and did not know their rights. The 200 children in the case were infected by a meningitis outbreak in 1996. Eleven died and others were made blind and deaf, the government says.

The government is asking for $500m, the cost of treating, compensating and supporting the victims of the Kano Trovan test and their families, another $450m incurred during their public enlightenment efforts to "erase the societal misgivings and prejudices". They are also asking the court to grant another $1billion used for health sponsored programmes and initiatives which have failed and an extra $5billion as "general damages".

Those named as defendants are Pfizer International Incorporated, Pfizer Nigeria Limited, William Steere, Samuel Ohuabunwa, A. Dogunro, Isa Dutse, Scott Hopkins, Mike Dunne, Debra Williams and Robert Buhl.

Steere was at the material time the Chief Executive Officer of PII, Ohuanbunwa was at the time of the test, the Chief Executive Officer of PNL, Dogunro was a medical doctor in the employment of PNL at the time, Dutse was a medical doctor at the time and was the Principal Investigator of PII at the time the test was carried out.

Hopkins, Dunne and Williams were medical doctors employed by PII.

When the case came up for hearing, counsel to the AGF, Mr Tunde Irukera, sought for an adjournment to enable him serve papers on the other defendants who were based outside the country.

Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), counsel to the defendants, said the action before it was incompetent as the rules of court have not been followed.

He said however, that his clients were anxious to defend their reputation and integrity against the "damaging allegations" in the plaintiff's claim. He urged the court to grant accelerated hearing in the case and said the world is interested in the outcome of the case and that his client who are leading manufacturers are anxious to defend their reputation since they committed no wrong.

The court granted all Chief Afe Babalola prayers and adjourned the matter to June 26, for report of compliance.

Daily Trust reported the Kano state government had instituted a suit against Pfizer International Incorporated demanding $ 2.7 billion for the tests.

In Kano, the high court fixed July 9, 2007 for the hearing in the criminal case between the Kano government and Pfizer incorporated and nine others.

The court was adjourned because Pfizer did not turn up in court to defend themselves, Justice Shehu Atiku, ruled.

Daily Trust observed that counsel to the state government who is also the director of public prosecu-tion, Barrister Sulaiman Baba Namalam, was in the court for more than an hour waiting for the defendants to appear before the court.

A Nigerian government investigative panel concluded in 2001 that the Pfizer experiment was "an illegal trial of an unregistered drug".

The panel also said the clinical trial was a "clear case of exploitation of the ignorant."

Pfizer denies the allegations and claims that its clinical trials were done according to Nigerian laws and international standards.

The drug company claims that "verbal consent was obtained" from the parents of the children who took part in the trial and that the exercise was "sound from medical, scientific, regulatory and ethical standpoints".

'Pearl of Kamchatka' geysers lost under mudslide lake

Luke Harding in Moscow

Tuesday June 5, 2007 The Guardian

It is one of the world's last natural wonders, a lunar landscape of spewing volcanic craters and gurgling eruptions. But yesterday environmentalists were assessing the damage done by a landslide to one of Russia's most famous attractions. The Valley of the Geysers in the Kronotsky national reserve has 90 or so geysers and a dazzling array of thermal pools.

The valley is the most popular tourist attraction in the far-east region of Kamchatka - even if visitors must be rich enough to fly in by helicopter before walking beside geothermals blasting off mud and steam.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A mound covered by snow collapsed "within seconds" on Sunday and caused a huge landslide engulfing two-thirds of the valley, park ranger Valery Tsypkov told Russian TV yesterday. Millions of cubic metres of mud and stones were dumped in the landslide's path, destroying most of the geysers and springs. The torrent stopped metres away from the valley's hotel, the ranger said. Tourists and park staff had to be evacuated, although two Germans making a documentary refused; no injuries were reported.

"The mudslide erased the pearl of Kamchatka and a part of the Unesco world heritage site at Geyser Valley in just three minutes," said Laura Williams, director of the Kamchatka office of the Word Wildlife Fund, in a statement on its website.

"The torrent of mud blocked a river, created a dam, and the water level began to increase rapidly. The majority of geysers situated on the banks of the river were covered with water.

"The scale of the disaster is striking, especially for those who saw the unique place before the disaster. Everybody is used to the fact that such disasters are normally man-made. In this case nature itself destroyed its own treasure."

"The splendour of the valley has changed beyond recognition," said the director of Kronotsky national reserve, Natalya Radugova.

Others, however, were more sanguine and suggested that tourists would probably continue to visit. One tourist officer, Denis Lazarev, believed that the dam created by the mudslide would turn the 6km-long valley into a thermal lake, and this lake could in turn become the new "tourist jewel of Russia".

A sparsely populated peninsula, Kamchatka is 4,200 miles and a nine-hour flight from Moscow. It was completely closed to foreigners until 1990, but now attracts thousands of tourists annually. The valley is 125 miles north of Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka's main city, which looks onto a range of snow-capped mountains and two imposing volcanoes.

The geyser valley was only discovered in 1941, but later in Soviet times the area was hugely popular all across Russia. These days, though, it is a destination only for the curious rich, with four- and five-hour helicopter trips to the valley costing $500 a head.

"This is tragic for humankind, in that we have lost one of the great natural wonders of the world," Ms Williams said, before concluding on a philosophical note: "But for nature, this is only a blip in the history of the planet's evolution."

Others did not share such cosmic insouciance. "The consequences of such a natural catastrophe are irreversible," said Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Russia's environmental agency, Rosprirodnadzor.

JFK arrests raise issue of pipeline vulnerability

Expert says ‘wackos’ might do limited damage, but large blast unlikely

NEW YORK - A foiled plot to blow up a jet fuel pipeline under John F. Kennedy International Airport drew attention to what counterterrorism experts have warned could be a key target.

On Saturday, three men, one of them a former member of Guyana’s parliament, were arrested and one was being sought in Trinidad as part of a plan that intended to “cause greater destruction than in the Sept. 11 attacks” in a neighborhood surrounding the airport, according to an indictment.

It was the first threat against Buckeye Pipe Line Co., which operates petroleum conduits in 18 states, the company said. Its pumping facility in Linden, N.J., has 45 storage tanks pumps turbine fuel, gasoline, diesel and other fuel and heating oils through two 12-inch pipes to customers in New York City, including JFK and LaGuardia airports. The network totals 35 miles within the city alone.

Precautions kept close to the vest Roy Haase, a spokesman at Buckeye Partners LP, in Breinigsville, Pa., declined to discuss details of the plot or the security measures of the company, which operates pipelines ranging more than 5,000 miles.

“There was a time when we would brag about our safety and security features, but we would not do that now, for fear we would be undermining them,” Haase said.

Buckeye works closely with federal Homeland Security officials, the FBI, New York fire and police and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the area’s three major airports, Haase said.

“We have been kept fully informed and apprised of this potential threat from the very beginning,” Haase said.

Authorities called the plot “chilling,” though it never got beyond the planning stages to kill several thousand people and destroy parts of New York’s borough of Queens, where the line runs underground.

Blast might do only limited damage

An explosion’s force would depend on the amount of fuel under pressure and likely would be “restricted” and not travel up and down the line., said Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline expert and president of Accufacts Inc., an energy consulting firm that focuses on pipelines and tank farms.

“That doesn’t mean wackos out there can’t do damage and cause a fire, but those explosions and fires are going to be fairly restricted,” he said.

While pipelines have been the target of terrorism in Britain, Colombia and Turkey, records show only one other recent threat against a pipeline in the United States.

A report prepared for Congress last year said that federal authorities have warned of Al Qaida interest in pipelines as targets, especially the Alaska pipeline that handles 17 percent of U.S. domestic crude oil production.

“To date there have been no known Al Qaida attacks on TAPS or other U.S. pipelines, but operators remain alert,” it said.

In 2006, a Pennsylvania man was arrested for allegedly plotting to sabotage the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) and other petroleum facilities in New Jersey and Wyoming. There is no record that he was charged.

UPLOAD NEWS for Tuesday June 5th 2007 -- Read, Analyze... Proactively Prepare and ACT NOW!!