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White House refuses to release climate policy documents The United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing today on the accusation that the Bush Administration had interfered on data regarding climate change in order "to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming." Iran to expand military and economic ties with Iraq; will reconstruct nation Iran has announced that the country plans to expand their military and economic ties further into Iraq and has plans to build a branch of the Iranian Nation Bank in downtown Baghdad.

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Wikinews exclusive: 'speed not behind New Zealand's road toll' Accredited Wikinews reporter, Gabriel Pollard (Nzgabriel) has been contacted by Rachael Ford, co-ordinator for New Zealand's Candor Trust about what they assert is the hidden cause of deaths on New Zealand's roads.

Wikipedia Current Events
John Perlman, the South African radio broadcaster and whistleblower, resigns after exposing political censorship at the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Windows Vista, the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system is released worldwide to consumers. About 2.000 Greek schoolchildren form a human chain around the Acropolis of Athens to demand that the UK return the Elgin marbles.

Philippine commission holds retired general responsible for killings
The head of the Melo Commission announced they had recommended that retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. and other commanders be "held responsible for the extrajudicial killings in their respective areas during their tours of duty".

Melo commission, formed in August 2006 by the president to look into the spate of politically related killings after local and international clamor, submitted the 89-page report of the commission to the president last week but the findings have not yet been made public.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo said holding military commanders responsible for extrajudicial killings was one of the recommendations in the final report.

Melo reportedly said the investigation of the four-member panel showed that “majority of the victims were leftist-activist-militants” and that the suspected assailants belonged to the military.

He clarified though that they "don’t want to tag the whole military establishment", adding that "only elements of the military who were allowed to do their thing without supervision from higher officers."

He attributed "some of the killings to politicians, some to the security guards of landlords," but Melo pointed to the military elements for majority of the killings.

Earlier, another member of the commission, Butuan City Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, on Saturday said the military was involved in some attacks of leftists.

"We have identified that there are killings really perpetuated by the military," he said.

He remarked that the Melo Commission has recommended to President Arroyo that military commanders be held criminally liable if one of their subordinates were found guilty of political murders.

"We are suggesting the criminalization of the command responsibility in order to put more teeth in the aspect of peace and to stop the killings," the Bishop said.

Commission head Melo also confirmed, report said, that among those mentioned in the fact-finding report was Palparan, who retired in September 2006. Leftist groups had labeled Palparan “berdugo” (butcher) for the spate of killings during his tenure as commander in Mindoro, Samar, and Nueva Ecija provinces.

"He has said he inspired them. You can hook the fish through the mouth,” Melo said, referring to a media interview given by Palparan where he admitted he had "inspired" some people to "punish" suspected communist New People’s Army rebels who had committed crimes in their communities.

Palparan was one of four military officials who testified before the commission. They were the only witnesses who responded to the commission’s summonses.

Leftist groups and families of victims had boycotted the hearings of the commission, saying it lacked credibility and independence.

For his part, Jovito Palparan admitted on Monday that some soldiers could be involved in extrajudicial killings of left-wing activists.

"It's possible," Palparan was heard saying in a radio interview, noting that "some [soldiers] are victims so it's not surprising that some get angry because it's their lives on the line."

Meanwhile, human rights group Karapatan called on the Melo Commission on Monday to recommend punishment for the masterminds and perpetrators of extrajudicial killings, which, it said, mostly came from the military.

Dorris Cuario, secretary general of regional chapter of Karapatan in Southern Tagalog, said the initial report of the commission was not enough to solve the unabated political killings in the country. Southern Tagalog covers the province of Mindoro where Palparan's assignment as military commander coincided with escalation of human rights violations reportedly perpetrated by military elements.

"We hope [the report] is not just a facade of the commission to make people believe it was doing something," she said.

Cuario challenged the Melo Commission "to serve justice" by demanding for the punishment not only of the low-ranking policemen and soldiers but also of AFP generals and even Ms. Arroyo, whom Cuario and other militant groups point to as the masterminds of the killings.

Aside from Melo and Bishop de Dios Pueblos, the other commission members were National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Nestor Mantaring, Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, and University of the Philippines Regent Nelia Gonzales.

Zenit rocket explodes on launch pad
A Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket has exploded on its Ocean Odyssey launch pad, just seconds before it was scheduled to launch. The engine had just been started when the rocket appeared to fall downwards, and was engulfed in a fireball. The rocket's payload, the NSS-8 communications satellite, for SES New Skies, is believed to have been destroyed in the incident.

All launch personnel are believed to have been located aboard another ship, the Sea Launch Commander, located approximatly three miles away, at the time of the explosion, and it is therefore believed that nobody has been injured or killed in the incident, however the extent of damage to the Odyssey platform is unclear at this stage.

This is the ninth launch failure of the Zenit rocket, and the third for a 3SL varient, operated by Sea Launch.

Home of Stonehenge builders found
A small village has been found by scientists in the United Kingdom at the Durrington Walls that is believed to have belonged to those who built Stonehenge. This is the largest Neolithic settlement to ever be discovered in the U.K., believed to have housed over 100 people.

Scientists say that the village was built around 2,600 B.C. which is roughly when Stonehenge was believed to have been constructed.

Inside the areas which would have been the interior of houses at the time, scientists also found "bed" and "cupboard or dresser" outlines. Pieces of pottery and "filthy" rubbish around the site. Animal bones were also uncovered. Arrowheads, stone tools and other relics were also discovered.

"We've never seen such quantities of pottery and animal bone and flint. In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines on the floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards," said Sheffield University archaeologist, Mike Parker Pearson.

So far, the dig has revealed at least 8 houses roughly 14-16 feet square, but scientists say that they think there may have been at least 25 altogether.

The site was likely occupied only seasonally rather than year around and evidence suggests that a lot of "partying" was also taking place at some point during the occupation.

"The animal bones are being thrown away half-eaten. It's what we call a feasting assemblage. This is where they went to party - you could say it was the first free festival. The rubbish isn't your average domestic debris. There's a lack of craft-working equipment for cleaning animal hides and no evidence for crop-processing," added Pearson.

The Durrington Walls are approximately 2 miles from the Stonehenge site.

Several dead after gas station explosion
Conflicting reports say that as few as 2 to 7 people have been killed after a gas station near Ghent, West Virginia blew up. At least 9 others have been critically injured.

The explosion occurred at 10:50 a.m. [EST] at the Flat Top Little General Store, and fire officials say that the cause may have been from a nearby propane tank that was leaking. The gas station was completely wiped out.

The company that stocks the tank with gas had sent out a representative, who officials believe was killed in the explosion.

Fire and rescue squads are continuing to search for victims, but the area is still on fire.

Witnesses say that the explosion could be felt as far as 1 mile away. Ben Monast, who owns a ski shop about a mile away from the scene, said that he "thought we got struck by lightning. The whole building shook and the power went off."

An elementary school that is close to the scene was not damaged, but students are being kept inside for safety purposes.

Senator Arlen Specter challenges President Bush
Arlen Specter, the Republican senator form Pennsylvania has directly challenged President George W. Bush in a showdown with Congress saying that Bush is "not the sole decision maker" in regards to sending over 21,500 troops to Iraq.

The response comes after Bush declared that he is "the decision-maker" when it comes to war.

"I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility," said Specter.

The Senate Judiciary Committee began the groundwork today in order to block President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 more US troops to Iraq, or set limits on the war.

During the Congressional hearing today, attorneys told Senators that they do have the power to stop the sending of troops to Iraq and even to stop the war altogether.

"I think the constitutional scheme does give Congress broad authority to terminate a war," said one of those lawyers present during the hearing, Bradford Berenson.

"It is ultimately Congress that decides the size, scope and duration of the use of military force," said another attorney who was also present during the hearing, Walter Dellinger.

Not everyone agrees that Congress has the authority. University of Virginia School of Law teacher, Robert Turner says that "in the conduct of war, in the conduct of foreign affairs, the president is in fact the decider."

White House refuses to release climate policy documents
Arlen Specter, the Republican senator form Pennsylvania has directly challenged President George W. Bush in a showdown with Congress saying that Bush is "not the sole decision maker" in regards to sending over 21,500 troops to Iraq.

The response comes after Bush declared that he is "the decision-maker" when it comes to war.

"I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility," said Specter.

The Senate Judiciary Committee began the groundwork today in order to block President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 more US troops to Iraq, or set limits on the war.

During the Congressional hearing today, attorneys told Senators that they do have the power to stop the sending of troops to Iraq and even to stop the war altogether.

"I think the constitutional scheme does give Congress broad authority to terminate a war," said one of those lawyers present during the hearing, Bradford Berenson.

"It is ultimately Congress that decides the size, scope and duration of the use of military force," said another attorney who was also present during the hearing, Walter Dellinger.

Not everyone agrees that Congress has the authority. University of Virginia School of Law teacher, Robert Turner says that "in the conduct of war, in the conduct of foreign affairs, the president is in fact the decider."

MySpace shares its database of sex offenders
MySpace, a popular Web network, has announced the decision to provide its database to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The database comprises about 50 U.S. state registries on convicted sex offenders. This way MySpace hopes to support law enforcement efforts in the investigations being carried out by the center.

The network has undertaken the step of sharing the database as a means to provide the safety of teenage users who fall prey to sex offenders getting registered at the site. The cases of children offended by adult sex abusers who pretend to be teenagers led to the formation of a coalition of prosecutors representing 39 U.S. states. The coalition wants the site undertake the necessary measures to organize the system of age verification of new applicants. Otherwise, it is intending to bring legal action against MySpace.

MySpace continues to work out the strategy of keeping the convicted sex abusers away from the site. At present time the data on sex offenders is gathered by a number of state authorities. The site in conjunction with Sentinel Tech Holdings Corp., a company involved into background verification, has amplified a technology that united all the registries. The technology will assist police in keeping track of about 600,000 convicted sex offenders.

MySpace and Sentinel Tech Holdings Corp. has been involved in developing the database since December. The database has been applied for identifying, blocking or deleting the accounts of convicted sex offenders on its service. The database contains special software tools to match photos and allow authorities cross-reference photos or characteristics of sex predators against registered offenders.

NCMEC hopes that the use of the national database as well as the support of authorities, MySpace and other on-line communities will contribute to the efficient work of the center.

T-Wolves extinguish Suns, end Phoenix streak
The Suns had been on fire for the entire month of January. Unfortunately for them, Kevin Garnett was holding the extinguisher when the Suns came into the Target Center on Monday night.

Garnett posted a double-double, scoring 44 points and snaring 11 rebounds, as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-112. The loss prevented the Suns from posting a perfect record in the month of January, and ended the Suns' season-high 17-game winning streak.

The Suns had problems answering Garnett's scoring prowess, but it was the Minnesota defense that doomed the Suns, limiting them to 17 points in the final quarter after allowing 95 from Phoenix in the first three periods. Steve Nash had 20 points and 18 assists, but in the fourth quarter he was only able to score 3 points and provide one assist.

In the fourth quarter, it was simply the Kevin Garnett show.

Garnett scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, with 13 of those points coming in the final 6:20 of the period. "It's just about being a presence," Garnett said. "It's about making them have to deal with me. I will continue to take that approach." In addition to his 44-point night, Garnett helped his team by not turning the ball over at all during the game.

Such a performance was not the case for Steve Nash, who turned the ball over an uncharacteristic five times during the game. The Suns had 14 turnovers as a team. It was a case of Garnett and the Timberwolves taking full advantage of the mistakes the Suns made and turning it into an opportunity to win.

However, the loss certainly didn't leave the Suns or their coach, Mike D'Antoni, discouraged.

"We'll start another [streak]. This is fun."

NBA announces starters for 2007 All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has released the rosters for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. The starting rosters can be found on the newly launched 2007 All-Star Game website. The 56th All-Star Game is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2007 Eastern Conference All-Stars Starters

Gilbert Arenas (Washington)

Chris Bosh (Toronto)

LeBron James (Cleveland)

Shaquille O'Neal (Miami)

Dwayne Wade (Miami)

2007 Western Conference All-Stars Starters

Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)

Tim Duncan (San Antonio)

Kevin Garnett (Minnesota)

Tracy McGrady (Houston)

Yao Ming (Houston)

The All Star Website was also launched at about noon EST on January 26. The website features pictures of the players on the rosters and other information.

Greek actor Nikos Kourkoulos dies at 73
Athens, Greece - The famous Greek cinema and theatre actor, Nikos Kourkoulos died at the Ericos Dynan Hospital of Athens, after a long-standing fight with cancer.

Kourkoulos was the artistic director of the National Theatre of Greece since 1994. He died on Tuesday morning, according to doctor's announcement.

Nikos Kourkoulos played in several movies, both in Greece and abroad while he was nominated for Broadway's 1968 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor for the musical "Illya, Darling". He played along with Greece's most prominent actors and actresses including Melina Mercouri and Aliki Vougiouklaki.

Kourkoulos was married to the daughter of the greek tycoon Yiannis Latsis, Marianna Latsis, and had 3 children.

Since the announcement of his death, most of the greek television media host opinions from greek celebrities who express their opinion for Kourkoulos' contribution to greek cinema and modern theatre. His funeral is expected to take place at the Zografou cemetery of Athens.

Hewlett-Packard partnership expansion
This Monday Hewlett-Packard is to announce that it is expanding its partnership with SAP. The partnership will be working with NetWeaver around several new services. The company is also expected to mention about its new enterprise solutions that are currently in development.

Hewlett-Packard will offer its clients services for upgrading servers, storage and NetWeaver – SAP's application builder platform meant for integrating business processes throughout different systems. Among other services that the company is going to provide comprise assessment, governance and some architecture services for R3.

The manager of Worldwide Packaged Applications for Enterprise Applications Services at HP Services Consulting & Integration, Tim Treat, stated that the company first of all looks at servers, storage and management and only afterwards it makes a proposal regarding the things that are to be updated. He mentioned that when Hewlett-Packard will work on upgrading servers and management, it will turn its attention towards Intel.

After performing all the upgrades, the company is going to offer its clientele a variety of services package options that are related to NetWeaver. The services offered by Hewlett-Packard will include: enabling the service, design and implementation, application development and management.

Tim Treat said that adaptive infrastructure is one of the company's new things that are to come. Recently the company's clients have put in place enough hardware capacity and infrastructure with the goal of supporting peak or quarter-end processes. However, a big amount of that capacity is unused till peak times. This is why Hewlett-Packard looks forward to bring solutions that are to allow users pay for the things they really use.

Treat also outlined the fact that, besides its new services, the company is to announce business-process consulting together with IDS Scheer - software and consulting company, which is one of the leading providers of Business Process Management and IT solutions.

Wikinews exclusive: 'speed not behind New Zealand's road toll'
Rachael Ford, co-ordinator for New Zealand's Candor Trust reveals in a Wikinews exclusive what Candor asserts is the hidden cause of deaths on New Zealand's roads.

Candor Trust is an organisation based in New Zealand that helps educate New Zealanders about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.

Candor Trust says that the message that "Speed kills" is the "number one road safety threat".

In 2000, the number of road accidents causing injuries was 7,447. Last year, this rose to 10,738 - the highest since 1995. Statistics provided by the Ministry of Transport show that in the same period, the number of hospitalisations too rose by about a quarter (25%), to 7,427.

Saying that the general level of safety on New Zealand's roads has "gone down the gurgler", Candor trust says that the "unjustified emphasis" on speed, which is far from the greatest factor in fatalities, only serves to distract from bigger issues."

Candor Trust urges a rethinking of the "Speed kills" message, pointing out that it does not predict that record numbers of hospitalisations accompanying the record numbers of speeding tickets issued.

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ) both say that a one percent decrease in the mean speed will cut the death toll by four percent and the injury rate by two percent.

Dr. Patrick Meffen has told transport officials from the Ministry of Transport that factors other than the drop in average speeds are responsible for the drop in the death toll.

Provisional figure for 2006 show a four percent decrease of the mean speed from 101 km/h to 97 km/h coinciding with an increase of people being seriously injured. The number went up by 330, a 15% increase from the 2000 figure of 2,243.

Candor Trust says that it is incredible that other agencies, including LTNZ, are continuing to spread the message that speed kills, even when an experiment to show what happened when users took party pills and then drove was stopped when no fatalities occurred, just concern over adverse effects.

Candor Trust said: "The survival of road users depends on the goodwill of planners who need to come clean and admit the 'reduced harm correlates to reduced average speeds' hypothesis is disproven in the present NZ context."

Ms Ford said: "It is not OK that the damning Breen report [a review of road safety to 2010 strategy] expressed concerns [that] our road safety policy is not sufficiently evidence based, and yet we carry on doing as we've always done." She said that because of this, the road victim disability services are overloaded and unable to meet the needs of the victims.

The speed theory is based on a formula called 'Ashtons formula'. Ashtons formula is based on demonstrated association, which is said to need the weakest scientific evidence, but Candor Trust says that it does not account for variables such as the vehicle standards.

Dr. Meffen told the LTNZ that it is not true if a crash occurred at 95 km/h and another at 105 km/h, the slower one would be more survivable. He said that the media releases are misleading people, making them believe in a false sense of security. "An important spin off from the misuse of these statistics has been the concept promoted by media of survivable accidents at or near open road speeds. In reality the chances of surviving around the open speed limit are low and purely random."

Candor Trust said: "Speed control must stop dominating policy - over limit speed is only present at 18% of fatal crashes. Safety has nothing to do with legality, and putting all our eggs in the speed basket as it's easily 'enforceable' has been a mistake." Over half of all fatal crashes the speed is under 60km/h, and fatal side-on crashes occur at speeds usually below 40 km/h.

In 2005 and partly 2006, $2,385,000 NZD was spent on advertising to prevent speeding, the majority of the advertising budget. Speeding teenagers, who are of the most concern, do not make up the bulk of the toll.

Candor Trust said the most important issue that could end up saving lives is the use of 1990-dated imports in cars that are being used by the under 25-year-olds on New Zealand roads, or as Candor Trust described the roads, "State Goat Tracks."

Candor Trust calls for an immediate review and reconstruction of how the police deals with crashes, and want information on inattention and drug intoxication to be collected following a crash. A police source told Candor Trust that there are often times when crash investigators argue with the police when the police try to tick the speed box, because they are "overly keen". Candor Trust want a better and more effective road safety policy, especially when it comes to speed.

Also in the latter half of this month, January, 19 fatal crashes occurred and 16 of those were the result of a centreline cross, which usually occur because a driver is fatigued or otherwise impaired, and they move the steering wheel; or "run off road events." Ministry of Transport statistics shows that a head-on collision in which one of the cars is travelling 80 km/h or more will most likely result in a fatality. Research conducted in America also showed that mobile phones are not a major cause of deaths when compared to other causes. In the 3 seconds before a crash, 80% of drivers are inattentive and local studies implicate fatigue or drug abuse as the main risk factors for that.

Postal suspension lifted in Hamilton, New Zealand
The two-day postal delivery suspension placed on three streets in Hamilton, New Zealand has been lifted by New Zealand Post and the posties are back to work delivering mail.

The suspension of deliveries applied to Tennyson Road, Dryden Road, and Emerson Place, which are located in Fairfield. New Zealand Post came to the decision on Friday to put the ban in place because of recent gang violence/conflict. Along with the New Zealand Police, New Zealand Post reviewed the current situation, and also drove along the streets, they came to the conclusion that the situation has now "cooled down," according to New Zealand Post spokesperson, Fiona Mayo and postal delivery general manger, Matthew Nant.

The residents on those streets came out to greet the postie, who was accompanied by business leader Brendon Coker, as she delivered the residents mail. Martha Rollo, Tennyson Road resident for 13-years, said that she was thrilled that her mail was once again being delivered after the "senseless" gang violence had temporarily stopped post. "Why should the rest of the locals suffer because of the gangs. We don't need this hassle." Ms Rollo said that the gang activity has only recently happened.

Vicky Roughan and Kevin Roughan, 12-year residents of Dryden Road, said that the post suspension, vandalism, and gang activity has been a problem for them. Mr Roughan claims that children from the age of nine and up are drinking late at night. "You don't know what the hell's going to happen."

Mr Nant has apologised to the affected, inconvenienced residents.

New Zealand Post state they are going to continue to monitor the situation, however and also have on-going discussion with the local council and police "to make sure we're abreast of any developments in the area."

The gang violence/activity New Zealand Post are referring to is, on the previous Thursday the Armed Offenders Squad was called out where they raided three homes following a shooting, eight people were arrested, and a large number of firearms were seized.

Despite post not being delivered, newspapers were still being delivered, waste collection was still happening, and electricity meter readers were also going around house to house, checking the meters.

Māori Party co-leader, Doctor Pita Sharples, has said that gangs are again starting to imping on on society like in the 1970's. He says we should include gangs into society, instead of disrupting them.

Wikinews previously reported on a letterbox for sale on New Zealand internet auction site, TradeMe, which has now reached a bid of $26.03 by Eliz "polysstew".

Primary camera on Hubble Space Telescope shut down
The primary camera on the Hubble Space Telescope has shut down and is likely to only be restored to partial functionality, according to reports from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The camera on the telescope, known as the "Advanced Camera for Surveys" or ACS, can be reactivated but will be restored to only one-third of its operating capacity. The restoration will probably take place in mid-February. The camera shut down over the weekend, probably due to a failure of its backup power supply. It was the third such shutdown of the camera in the past calendar year. The camera had been operating on its backup power since June 30, 2006, when engineers switched from the primary power supply ("Side A") to the backup ("Side B") due to a malfunction. A review board was convened on January 29 to assess all options and to decide on a course of action. Their findings will be reported to NASA on March 2, 2007.

The ACS, developed jointly by four American agencies, was installed in March of 2002. It is a system of three cameras, filters, and dispersers which act to detect wavelengths of light ranging from near-infrared to ultraviolet. It is a system that was designed to last five years, according to Preston Burch, associate director and program manager for the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA also indicated that the other four main systems on the telescope remain unaffected and functioning normally. Research work will resume this week using those systems.

A scheduled mission to the space telescope in 2008 is expected to deliver instruments to further upgrade the capabilities of the telescope. It is not known what the effect of the ACS failure will have on the scheduled mission. Burch said in a press release posted on the NASA main website, "It is important that the review board conduct a thorough investigation that will allow us to determine if there are any changes needed in the new instruments that will be installed on the upcoming servicing mission so that we can be sure of maximizing the telescope's scientific output. We are continuing to make excellent progress in our preparations for the servicing mission, which is presently targeted to fly in September 2008."

Iran to expand military and economic ties with Iraq; will reconstruct nation
Iran has announced that the country plans to expand its military and economic ties with Iraq, and that there are plans to build a branch of the Iranian Nation Bank in downtown Baghdad.

Hassan Kazemi Qumi, Iran's ambassador to Baghdad has stated to The New York Times that the country plans to reconstruct Iraq and offer military training and supplies to the Iraqi military force for "the security fight." Qumi said the United States failed in the reconstruction of Iraq.

"We have experience of reconstruction after war. We are ready to transfer this experience in terms of reconstruction to the Iraqis," said Qumi.

In a first public statement, Qumi said that 2 Iranian men who were captured inside Iraq by U.S. forces and then later freed, were indeed part of the Iranian security force, which is in accordance with what the U.S. had always thought. Qumi, however, denied that the men were doing anything illegal, and were in fact in Iraq to conduct "legitimate" talks with the government of Iraq and they "should not have been detained" by U.S. forces.

"They worked in the security sector in the Islamic Republic, that’s clear," added Qumi.

In regards to opening an Iranian Nation Bank in Baghdad, Qumi stated that a license has been granted and issued to the government of Iran to allow a bank to be built in Baghdad. Hussein al-Uzri, a senior official for Iraq's national bank confirmed that a license has been issued and that "[the bank] will enhance trade between the two countries." Qumi says that several more banks will follow including agricultural banks and private banks.

In regards to cooperating through the economy, Qumi states that electricity and kerosene will be supplied to Iraq and that agriculture cooperatives will also be built.

Qumi states that he will not reveal "specific details" of military operations or plans in Iraq, but did say that border patrols along the Iran-Iraq border will increase and that a "joint security committee" will also be formed.

The U.S. has not commented directly on Qumi's statement, but a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, Sean McCormack, says that any Iranian influence or activity in Iraq is "a negative role in many respects."

Today in History
1606 - Guy Fawkes was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot against the English Parliament and King James I.

1747 - The London Lock Hospital, the first clinic specialising in the treatment of venereal diseases, was opened.

1946 - In Yugoslavia, a new constitution established the six constituent republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

1961 - Aboard Mercury-Redstone 2, Ham the Chimp became the first higher primate to travel in outer space.

January 31 is Independence Day in Nauru (1968).

Quote of the Day

Everyone does magic all the time in different ways. 'Life' plus 'significance' = magic.
~ Grant Morrison

Word of the Day

miasma; n

A noxious atmosphere or influence.

About Wikinews
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Articles published in this Print edition were created by Wikinewsies. Other content released under the GNU Free Documentation License. To view a copy of the CC-BY license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, California, 94105, USA To view a copy of the GFDL, visit: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Wikipedia Current Events http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events Today in History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Quote of the Day http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page Word of the Day http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page
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