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Ballots ‘rejected automatically’

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

 Tens of thousands of votes in the Holyrood election were rejected by the counting machines without any human adjudication, BBC Scotland has learned. An investigation has established that the machines were programmed to reject some of the new style ballot papers automatically.

They never appeared on the screens to be challenged by the parties or adjudicated by returning officers.

The Scotland Office said there was no evidence it added to voter confusion.

It added that, in the instance of auto-adjudication for the 3 May election, the decision was taken between returning officers and the e-counting provider.

However, First Minister Alex Salmond described the development as “astonishing” and deeply disturbing.

“I was under the impression - until this revelation - that the ballots that were rejected were actually seen by the election agents as part of the process,” he said.

More than 140,000 ballots were spoilt on 3 May when votes were held for the Scottish Parliament.

Tens of thousands more ballots were rejected for the local authority elections, which were held on the same day, under a separate electoral system.

One of the enduring images of election night was of candidates and agents scrutinising screens showing the rejected ballots.

However, the BBC has learned that in some contests, more than half of all the “spoilt” ballots were rejected without any human adjudication.

The machines were set to auto-adjudicate if they thought they had a Holyrood ballot paper with a cross in one column but apparently no mark in the other.

Human adjudication

In those circumstances the machine would count the good vote, reject the other one and automatically put the ballot paper in the pile alongside all the correctly-completed ballots.

Shadow Scottish secretary David Mundell said he was “appalled” by the claims.

“Unfortunately it has become part of a series of revelations. Right from the start the Scotland Office did not come clean about the mishandling of the elections,” he told BBC Scotland.

The Tory MP claimed that information had to be “dragged out of” the Scotland Office.

He said: “Rather than putting their hands up and saying ‘we made a complete hash of this and we apologise to the people of Scotland’, they’ve just continued to show arrogance and contempt, as if somehow it was nothing to do with them.”

Mr Mundell’s Lib Dem opposite number, Alistair Carmichael, added that the auto-adjudicate decision was “inappropriate”.

“Individual decisions should have been taken by returning officers in consultation with the machine operating company,” he said.

A spokesman for the Scottish Green Party said that the review of the election must leave no stone unturned in order to get to the bottom of the problems.

He added: “We are particularly concerned that the review of the election may only look at samples of rejected ballot papers rather than all of them. It is important that the review is absolutely thorough.”

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“Bums for Bush” protesters won’t turn the other cheek

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

A game group of Australian anti-war protesters are planning a cheeky protest against a visit by US President George W. Bush — baring their bottoms in what they hope will be a world-record moon.

Police officers stand guard on an elevated road over the Sydney Conventation Centre, the venue of the APEC summit. A game group of Australian anti-war protesters are planning a cheeky protest against a visit by US President George W. Bush — baring their bottoms in what they hope will be a world-record moon.

Organiser Will Saunders said the Friday protest was aimed at lightening the mood in Sydney, a city currently patrolled by 5,000 police and soldiers and divided by a massive steel and concrete fence ahead of the APEC summit.

Police have said they expect violence during a series of protests against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which will gather together 21 leaders from around the world.

“There’s this heaviness about the protests,” Saunders told AFP.

“It’s hoped to make the point that protests don’t have to be these terribly heavy serious things.”

The “Bums Not Bombs” group will particularly target Bush, whose unpopular war in Iraq has been strongly backed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

The visits by the world leaders, including Bush’s five-day stay at a luxurious 3,500 US dollar per night harbourside hotel, have resulted in road blocks, changes to public transport, and other disruptions in Australia’s biggest city.

The protest will take place on Friday in Sydney’s Hyde Park, close to where the leaders will be meeting.

In a leaflet to possible supporters, the group calls for 4,000 cheeks — er, 2,000 people — to “tell Bush what we really think about his visit.”

Saunders said numbers for the protest were not yet certain but he had a core group to perform a “21 Bum Salute” to represent each of the countries in the grouping.

“I think there’s certain to be hundreds of people,” said Saunders, who previously attracted media attention when he and another man painted “No War” on the Sydney Opera House in huge, bright red letters on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The group said it needed 4,000 cheeks to break the previous world record moon. “This is one APEC protest we can all enjoy,” it said.

Bush himself seemed unworried about any of the protests.

“People feel like they want to protest — fine, they can,” he told a press conference in Sydney.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5itXCuMNVA4ujiEZDehc4FpagmQVw

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Israel told to let Arab farmers onto their land

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

By Tim Butcher

Palestinians celebrate Israel’s high court order that the West Bank security barrier should be moved

Israel’s high court caused jubilation among Palestinian human rights campaigners when it ordered yesterday that a section of the West Bank security barrier should be moved so that Arab farmers could reach their land.

While the ruling did not order the barrier shifted back to the line of the 1967 perimeter of the West Bank, as some critics have demanded, it nevertheless marked a step forward for the campaigners.

Abdullah Abu Rahma, one of the leaders of a weekly protest at the mile-long section of barrier near the West Bank village of Bili’in, called the court decision “wonderful”.

“This means that our struggle is fruitful,” Mr Abu Rahma said. “We will continue the struggle and we want the decision to be implemented immediately.”

Two years of protests saw routine clashes with the Israeli security forces with, according to one estimate, a total of 50 people arrested and 800 injured since the rallies began.

A panel of three judges in the court ordered the Israeli government and military to re-route a section of the barrier because it blocked residents’ access to farmland.

The judges added that Israeli security could still be guaranteed if the barrier was routed differently.

The barrier, which is mostly a fence but becomes a concrete wall near cities including Jerusalem, was begun in 2002.While many international lawyers believe it is in breach of international law - which forbids such construction on occupied land - Israel argues it is needed to stop suicide bombers travelling from the West Bank to launch attacks.

The Israeli defence ministry said it would study yesterday’s ruling and respect it.

• Haim Ramon, the Israeli deputy prime minister, yesterday proposed cutting off electricity, fuel and water to the Gaza Strip to force Hamas to stop the daily rocket fire.

“We won’t continue to supply oxygen [to Gaza] in the form of electricity, fuel and water when they are trying to kill our children,” he told an Israeli radio station.

The prime minister, Ehud Olmert, had earlier instructed the army “to destroy every Qassam rocket launcher and anyone involved in their launching” after a rocket exploded in the town of Sderot.

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Bush can’t recall why Iraqi army disbanded

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

In biography excerpts, he says he initially wanted to maintain the forces: ‘Yeah, I can’t remember.’

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske

One of the most heavily criticized actions in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was the decision, barely two months later, to disband the Iraqi army, alienating former soldiers and driving many straight into the ranks of anti-American militant groups.

But excerpts of a new biography of President Bush show him saying that he initially wanted to maintain the Iraqi army and, more surprising, that he cannot recall why his administration decided to disband it.

“The policy was to keep the army intact; didn’t happen,” Bush told biographer Robert Draper in excerpts published in Sunday’s New York Times.

Draper pressed Bush to explain why, if he wanted to maintain the army, his chief administrator for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, issued an order in May 2003 disbanding the 400,000-strong army without pay.

“Yeah, I can’t remember; I’m sure I said, ‘This is the policy, what happened?’ ” Bush said, adding: “Again, Hadley’s got notes on all this stuff” — a reference to national security advisor Stephen J. Hadley.

Spokesmen for the White House and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld declined to comment about the excerpts Sunday. Bremer could not be reached for comment.

Douglas J. Feith, then undersecretary of Defense for policy and an architect of the Iraq invasion, said the excerpts raised interesting questions about how the pivotal decision was made.

Feith was deeply involved in the decision-making process at the time, working closely with Bush and Bremer.

In February 2003, the month before the invasion, Feith briefed Bush about plans Rumsfeld had signed off on to maintain the Iraqi army. The assumption at the time, based on information provided by the CIA, was that the army would remain intact after the invasion, Feith said.

Instead, Iraqi officers fled their posts, which were ransacked and looted. U.S. officials inherited a military that would have to be overhauled or abandoned, Feith said in an interview Sunday, and they opted for the latter.

Feith said he could not comment about how involved the president was in the decision to change policy and dissolve the army.

“I don’t know all the details of who talked to who about that,” he said.

But he said the decision warrants scrutiny.

“I know there are people out there who say one of the most significant decisions the United States made [in Iraq] was the dissolution of the Iraqi army,” Feith said. “So it’s an interesting question. But very often on these things, until everybody writes memoirs and all the researchers look at the documents, some of these things are hard to sort out. You could be in the thick of it and not necessarily know all the details.”

Feith, a visiting professor at Georgetown University, is the author of a forthcoming memoir, “War and Decision,” about his work in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Draper’s book “Dead Certain” is to be released Tuesday.

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Food additives ‘can cause hyperactivity’

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

 A new study has indicated that some food additives can increase hyperactivity in children.Researchers commissioned by the UK’s Food Standards Agency looked at the effects of two combinations of E numbers on the behaviour of children who were prone to hyperactivity.

The scientists took two mixes of artificial food colours and the popular preservative sodium benzoate, which can be found in foods in like soft drinks, confectionary and ice cream, which are popular with children.

They found that the combinations did increase hyperactivity among children and recommended that those who are prone to hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder should eliminate these additives from their diet.

The study added that there are many factors associated with hyperactivity including genetic factors, being born prematurely or environment and upbringing.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland says it is aware of the study, which covered Sunset Yellow (E110), Tartrazine (E102), Carmoisine (E122), Ponceau 4R (E124), Quinoline Yellow (E104) and Allura Red (E129).

It is also recommending parents to read food labels when buying products for their children.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0906/foodadditives.html

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A ‘chilling’ proposal for a universal DNA database

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

By Nigel Morris

A civil liberties storm erupted yesterday after a senior judge called for the genetic details of every person in Britain, and all visitors to the country, to be added to the national DNA database. Critics warned that the “chilling” move would infringe privacy, be hugely impractical and have only a marginal impact on crime.

Downing Street and the Home Office, which have been accused of moving Britain towards a surveillance society, distanced themselves from Lord Justice Sedley’s controversial suggestion without entirely ruling it out.

About 4.1 million samples are already on the database, almost 7 per cent of the population and far more than in any other Western country. Police can take DNA from anyone arrested, regardless of whether they are eventually charged.

But Sir Stephen Sedley, one of the most experienced Court of Appeal judges, protested that there were “indefensible” anomalies in the system, including disproportionate numbers of people from ethnic minorities on the database.

He said: “We have a situation where if you happen to have been in the hands of the police, your DNA is permanently on record and if you haven’t, it isn’t.”

The judge told the BBC that the remedy could be to place every person on the database, as well as the 32 million annual foreign visitors to the country, for the “absolutely rigorously restricted purpose of crime detection and prevention”.

He acknowledged that the creation of a universal database had very serious implications, but argued that it ultimately led to a fairer system.

Tony Blair said last year that he could see no reason why the DNA of everyone should not ultimately be kept on record.

Gordon Brown’s official spokesman said the Government had no plans to introduce a compulsory database, and stressed the logistical and bureaucratic problems, and the civil liberties concerns, surrounding such a move.

Tony McNulty, the Home Office minister, said he was broadly sympathetic to the “real logic” of the judge’s argument. But he stressed: “There is no government plan to go to a compulsory database now or in the foreseeable future.”

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, accused the Government of a “cloak-and-dagger strategy of creating a universal database behind the backs of the British people”.

David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, called for a parliamentary debate on the issue. He said: “The erratic nature of this database means that some criminals have escaped having their DNA recorded whilst a third of those people on the database – over a million people – have never been convicted of a crime.”

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights organisation Liberty, said a database of DNA from convicted sexual and violent offenders was a “perfectly sensible crime-fighting measure”.

But she added: “A database of every man, woman and child in the country is a chilling proposal, ripe for indignity, error and abuse.”

The DNA database, created in 1995, is growing by 30,000 samples a month. It contains the profiles of 884,000 children, including more than 100 who are less than 10 years old.

The Home Office is currently reviewing the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which sets out the powers to take and retain biometric data. It will consider whether records should only be held temporarily for minor offenders and people who are not charged.

The Home Office said last night that the database provides police with an average of 3,500 matches each month.

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9/11 DVD Delayed to Protect the Clintons?

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

The writer of last year’s TV miniseries “The Path to 9/11″ says the release of the show’s DVD is being delayed in order to protect Bill Clinton’s legacy and Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Cyrus Nowrasteh says he was told by ABC that the DVD would be released this past January, then April, then this summer. Now there is no release date set.

The mini-series cast a critical eye on the Clinton administration’s anti-terror efforts prior to the attacks. It was a ratings success and garnered seven Emmy nominations.

Now even Hollywood liberals are upset with its apparent shelving. Oliver Stone calls it, “Censorship in the most blatant way… it’s an important work and needs to be seen.”

Anchor Away

“CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric says she has seen major improvements during her visit to Iraq.

“We hear so much about things going bad, but real progress has been made there in terms of security and stability,” Couric said on Tuesday’s broadcast.

She noted that moderate Sunnis are joining the Iraqi security forces, saying: “The spike in police has really been significant. The incidents in Iraq have gone down dramatically.” And she said that Fallujah is, “considered a real role model of something working right in Iraq.”

The Hsu Fits

Rhode Island Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy says he is not returning $6,600 in contributions from embattled fundraiser Norman Hsu — who has bankrolled many party leaders and is currently a fugitive. Kennedy’s chief of staff says the congressman is following all the rules and there is no indication Hsu’s contributions were illegal.

But several top Democrats have said they will return Hsu’s money or donate it to charity — among them Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Kerry — and the congressman’s father, Senator Edward Kennedy.

Back Market

You’ve been hearing for years about the Chinese ripping off things like music, books and American movies.

Now it turns out one Chinese official even plagiarized the letter of apology that he read during his corruption trial. Zhang Shaocang wept as he read his four-page statement, which said he had initially been dedicated to his work but lost his way.

It turns out the letter featured whole sentences copied word-for-word from a printed apology two weeks earlier by another disgraced Chinese official. an official state newspaper says Zhang was trying to get leniency from the court — but his stolen statement was dismissed as “showboating.”

—FOX News Channel’s Martin Hill contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295882,00.html

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