NATO boss ready with missile shield plan
Fourth Estate Cooperative Staff Washington, D.C., United States (4E) – NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday said that the West is determined to go ahead with its plans to build a missile defense system. In an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal, Rasmussen wrote that his alliance would continue to expand the system after the Chicago summit toward full operational capability. He added that the NATO has already developed an initial command-and-control system, which will link the U.S. assets with interceptors and sensors given by European nations. “I expect more announcements in the months and years ahead,” he added. Chicago is set to host a summit on May 20-21 where NATO leaders are likely to declare the beginning of an “interim capability” for the missile shield. Despite NATO’s assurances, Russia has always said that the said missile systems would pose threat to its national security. However, the U.S.-led alliance tries to assure that it is aimed at rogue states like Iran and North Korea. Last month, Rasmussen revealed that NATO conducted the first test of missile-defense capability during which a series of simulated engagements have been carried out to test the defense alliance’s ability against the potential missile attacks. Describing the test successful, Rasmussen said, “The test was a clear demonstration of trans-Atlantic solidarity in action. It also shows NATO’s continuing determination to protect our members’ territory and populations from attack and the threat of attack.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Judge refuses to dismiss John Edwards’ finance campaign charges
Diane Alter – Fourth Estate Cooperative Reporter Raleigh, NC, United States (4E) – The judge presiding in the John Edwards finance campaign corruption case refused to dismiss the charges on Friday, pushing the trial into week number four. The defense argued that the prosecution’s case was too weak, a routine motion, and the judge rejected the motion, as expected. The judge’s refusal to dismiss the charges means that a North Carolina jury will ultimately decide the former presidential candidate’s fate. If convicted on all six counts of violating campaign finance law, Edwards could face up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors maintain Edwards funneled $1 million in unregistered campaign donations from two wealthy donors into a covert fund that was used to hide his pregnant mistress. The first three weeks bought witnesses to the stand who testified that Edwards betrayed his cancer stricken wife with his campaign videographer, and then lied to her about ending the tryst. While the testimonies have been revealing and humiliating to Edwards, they are not legally damning, experts note. As the soap opera of a case enters its fourth week, reports are swirling at Edwards’s ex-mistress Rielle Hunter, may take the stand. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Double agent is British man of Middle East origin: media
AHN News Staff Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The double agent who recently foiled an al-Qaeda plot to blow up a United States-bound airline is a British man of Middle East origin, U.S. media have reported. The militant group has long targeted Western passport-holders to plan attacks. In such a case, al-Qaeda reportedly approached the Saudi man with a British passport as he could enter the U.S. without a visa. However, when the man learned about the group’s terror plots, he contacted Saudi counter-terrorism officials, who in turn informed U.S. intelligence. Saudi officials then informed the Americans that they had succeeded in infiltrating the group, CNN said. The double agent gathered sensitive information after spending a few weeks with al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The information helped the CIA in launching an air strike to kill senior the al-Qaeda operative in Yemen, Fahd al-Quso, who was accused of masterminding the attack on the USS Cole in 2000. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Global Fund will have US$1.6 billion more
New York, NY, United States (IRIN) – The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has announced that it will have US$1.6 billion more to invest in life-saving programs between 2012 and 2014. The new funds are a result of “strategic decisions made by the Board, freeing up funds that can be invested in countries where there is the most pressing demand”, a statement by the Fund said. Organizational changes have brought “improved financial supervision and overall efficiency”; for instance, the Fund has cut its staff by 7.4 percent. In addition, it has received new donations recently, including $750 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and $340 million from Japan. Poor funding in 2011 forced the Fund to make an unprecedented decision to cancel its 11th round of funding, raising fears that gains made in the fight HIV would be lost. Some $616 million in grant requests is now being considered by the Technical Review Panel. UNAIDS said the money would allow countries and communities to take the lead in determining their priorities to meet the targets of the 2011 UN Political Declaration on AIDS. “This ushers in a new era for the Global Fund and I am pleased to see that it is opening the door to new partnerships,” Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, said in a statement. “The Global Fund must keep firmly focused on country successes, and continue to leverage resources to ensure that countries can reach their goals and that more lives are saved.” The international NGO, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), welcomed the new money but cautioned that the Fund must stick to country-driven, needs-driven and demand-driven programming. Sharonann Lynch, HIV policy advisor to MSF International, urged the Global Fund, which will have its 26th board meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 10 and 11 May, to adhere to its founding principle of saving lives. “The Global Fund will deliberate on whether it can afford to open a new funding window this year [2012]. MSF demands that it does so as quickly as possible – we can’t afford to waste more time and squander the opportunity to save lives and prevent new infections,” Lynch told IRIN/PlusNews. “The funding window must be made available to all poor countries affected – the fear is that rushed reform within the Global Fund could lead to new strategies where it cherry-picks countries and interventions under the guise of poor funding.” The Global Fund is one of the largest contributors to the fight against HIV, TB and malaria, and by 2010 was…
Obama extends sanctions on Syria by one year
AHN News Staff Washington, United States (AHN) – U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday claimed that Syria posed national security to the U.S., forcing them to extend existing sanctions for another year. In a notice sent to the Congress, Obama said that the Syrian government’s policies to support terrorist organizations and continuous look out for chemical and biological weapons pose an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.” The president alleged the Arab nation of blocking Lebanon’s ability to function effectively. The U.S. and the European Union had long ago listed Hezbollah militant group, a close ally of Syria, as a foreign terrorist organization. Obama added that Syrian government’s defiance to stop civilian violence could yield “greater instability” in the region and called on President Bashar al-Assad to resign to give way for a political transition. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Veteran Lugar defeated by Tea Party candidate in GOP primary
Paula David – Fourth Estate Cooperative Reporter Indianapolis, Ind., United States (4E) – Richard Lugar, one of the longest-serving United States senators in history, has been defeated by Tea Party-backed Richard E. Mourdock in Tuesday’s Republican primary in Indiana. Lugar, who has held his seat for six terms, lost by a 20 percent margin against Mourdock, who said he couldn’t have won without the support of Tea Party activists. Mourdock won 61 percent percent against Lugar’s 39 percent. In his concession speech, Lugar said that he hopes Mourdock prevails in November, when he faces Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly, so he can contribute to the Republican majority in the Senate. Mourdock, in his acceptance speech, said that “Hoosiers want to see Republicans inside the U.S. Senate take a more conservative track.” He said he saw Lugar not as his enemy but as his opponent over the last 15 months. Lugar is the first long-serving senator who has lost in primary elections since Kenneth McKeller in 1952. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Japanese diplomat may face 20-year sentence for domestic abuse in U.S.
AHN News Staff San Francisco, Calif., United States (AHN) – A Japanese diplomat could face a 20-year jail sentence if convicted of multiple counts of domestic violence against his wife. Yoshiaki Nagaya, the vice consul at Japan’s consulate in San Francisco, is charged with 17 offenses, including three counts of assault and 14 of domestic violence. According to San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, Nagaya, 32, committed the offenses between January 2011 and March of this year. “The violence ranged (from) pushing and shoving, and bruising upwards (to) the most serious, (when) he knocked a tooth out. On another occasion he jabbed her or stabbed her in the hand with a screwdriver. On another occasion he knocked her down and stomped on her with his foot. The final occasion was when he shoved her out of a car in their parking garage, causing scrapes to her face and knees,” Wagstaffe said. He added that Nagaya would not have diplomatic immunity because the charges dealt with incidents in Nagaya’s personal life. Nagaya is free on $350,000 bond after pleading not guilty in the court, The next hearing on the charges is set for June 14. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Rick Santorum endorses Romney via late-night email
Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Rick Santorum has finally endorsed GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, pledging to help his former foe defeat President Obama in the November elections. In an email to supporters late Monday night, Santorum said, “The task will not be easy. It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious. Gov. Romney will be that nominee and he has my endorsement and support to win this, the most critical election of our lifetime.” The endorsement comes about one month after the former Pennsylvania senator suspended his campaign, which cleared the path for Romney to cinch the Republican nomination. The only other Republican hopeful still campaigning is Ron Paul. All of Romney’s other ex-rivals have endorsed Romney. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Massachusetts Lawmakers Unveil Ambitious Plan To Cut Health Care Costs
Boston, MA, United States (KaiserHealth) – When Massachusetts passed sweeping health insurance reform in 2006, a crucial piece was missing from the landmark legislation: how to control rising medical costs. Today, state lawmakers announced a new proposal to do just that, including new ways to pay doctors and hospitals, a specific cap on health-care spending tethered to economic growth and a tax on the state’s most expensive hospitals if they can’t justify their prices. Different Takes: How Massachusetts Can Control Health Care Costs. MIT economics professor Jonathan Gruber, an architect of the state’s 2006 health law and an advisor to President Barack Obama on the national Affordable Care Act calls the new House proposal “aggressive, broad and visionary.” “This is an incredibly hard problem,” said Gruber, speaking on WBUR’s Radio Boston today. “What I like about this…is that it’s really taking the spaghetti approach to cost control; let’s throw a bunch of things against the wall and see what sticks. They’re doing a bunch of different things all of which might work.” So, what does it mean for patients? Mass. state Rep. Steve Walsh, the House chair of the joint Committee on Health Care Financing, said the plan would save $160 billion over 15 years. As far as savings for patients, Walsh said: “The first thing I’d tell [a patient] is five years from now, her family plan is going to be $2,000 cheaper than it is today.” Walsh said businesses would also find their health costs cut significantly. House Speaker Robert DeLeo added: “With this bill, I think everyone’s gotten a little something they want and everyone’s gotten a little something they don’t want. So that’s what this legislation is all about, but at the end of the day, most importantly what it’s going to provide is some real health care cost containment. That’s what the bill is all about.” One of the greatest challenges, he said, was to contain costs while not undermining a key industry in the state, with 1 in 7 jobs here linked to health care. Clearly some folks will be disappointed that the plan didn’t go far enough. Gov. Deval Patrick introduced legislation in February 2011 that would have allowed greater government oversight of contracts between insurers and health care providers and moved more medical groups into global payment systems that put doctors and medical groups on a budget. But DeLeo also made the point that once again, the state is in the forefront of health reform. “I look at this…
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