| Robert Scheer:
`The war on terror" made me do it. That's the excuse that works for George W. Bush to rationalize his assaults on the rule of law, from arbitrary arrest to torture. So why not try some war-on-terror obfuscation to bail out his president-dictator buddy over in Pakistan? That's the card Bush played at his press conference last Saturday when he once again celebrated Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as a strong ally in the war on terrorism: "If you're the chief operating officer of al-Qaida, you haven't had a good experience. There has been four or five No. 3s that have been brought to justice one way or the other, and many of those folks thought they had found safe haven in Pakistan. And that would not have happened without President Musharraf honoring his word." Of course, Bush's statement was utter nonsense.
Sanjay Dutt's bail plea hearing today
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is expected to hear the bail petition of actor Sanjay Dutt who has been sentenced to six years imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, which on November 2 had declined him an urgent hearing, will take up Dutt's plea along with petitions of three other convicts -- Yusuf Mohsin Nallawala, Samir Hingora and woman accused Zaibunisa Anwar Qazi.
Earlier, the court had asked the CBI to respond to their bail petitions.
In his plea, Dutt has contended that he was only convicted under the Arms Act and during the 14 years of trial he has already undergone one-fourth of the six-year imprisonment he was sentenced to.
The actor had remained in jail for 18 months during the trial before he was granted bail by the apex court.
INSURANCE COMPANY PAYS OUT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: LAWYERS
PARIS, Nov 19, 2007 (AFP) - The French insurance company Axa paid out one million dollars (680,000 euros) Monday, as the first instalment of a 17.5 million-dollar settlement to compensate life-policy holders killed in the Armenian genocide, lawyers said.
The settlement was reached in 2005 following a class-action suit brought in the United States by descendants of victims who held policies with insurance companies now incorporated into Axa.
The money was handed over to three French-Armenian charities by the lawyers who brought the suit. The charities will receive a further two million dollars in the next two months.
The rest of the money is to go to individuals, who have until January 7 to register on an Internet site. So far 5,000 people -- mainly in the USA, Armenia and France -- have laid a claim.
Nationwide Mail Campaign Begins to Help At-Risk Homeowners in Mortgage Crisis
WASHINGTON (AP) - An alliance created to combat a rising flood of mortgage foreclosures began a nationwide mail campaign Monday, offering help to homeowners who may be having trouble meeting their mortgage payments. The Hope Now alliance will mail 300,000 of the one-page letters before the end of next week. The letters urge the recipients to seek information on the options available to avoid defaulting on their mortgages. "Homeowners can easily find out about relief options that may include repayment plans, changes that can be made to the terms of a loan and other alternatives for which homeowners may be eligible," the letters state, providing a toll-free telephone number, 888-995-HOPE. .
Nigeria: In Spite of Court Injunction, FG Takes Over Nicon
In spite of a subsisting court order, the federal government yesterday took over the management of NICON Insurance Plc and Nigeria Re-Insurance from Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim as it also announced the list of 49 insurance companies authorised to do business in Nigeria. However, government has set up interim management committees for the two companies for the period they would be verified until it takes a final decision on them. .
Dead teen's family outraged over bail bid
The family of Jane Young, one of two 16-year-olds run down by a car outside a party in Christchurch in May, is devastated her alleged killer may be released on bail for Christmas. Jane and Hannah Rossiter, both Christchurch teenagers, were amongst a large group outside an out-of-control party on Edgeware Road when 22-year-old Lipine Sila allegedly ploughed into the group, killing the two girls and injuring several others. .
Swiss Re To Book US$1.07 Bln Credit-default Swaps Loss -Update
(RTTNews) - Monday, Swiss Re (SWI.L), the world's largest reinsurance company, said it expects to book 1.2 billion Swiss francs, or $1.07 billion, mark-to-market loss on credit underwriting to provide insurance cover to a client against reductions in the value of a portfolio of assets. Swiss Re noted that the loss, equivalent to 981 million Swiss francs after tax, cropped up from its exposure to two related credit default swaps written by its Credit Solutions unit in October due to subprime rout. The company said, though investment grade credit default swaps had been constructed to provide protection against a remote risk of loss, "the unprecedented and severe ratings downgrades undertaken by the ratings agencies in October and the lack of any truly liquid market for these securities has resulted in a significant and material reduction in the value of the underlying assets.
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