Free Republic

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court judge Tuesday extended for the fourth time an order barring a former investigator for the U.N. oil-for-food probe from turning over documents to two U.S. congressional committees. The delay, until July 6, was granted by U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina in Washington. All parties have asked for repeated delays while they try to work out an agreement. The restraining order, first issued on May 9, blocks Robert Parton, a former FBI agent, from handing over boxes of documents to two congressional committees that subpoenaed them after he resigned from the U.N.-appointed Independent...

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Land-access disputes between oil firms and northern Canadian native groups must be solved in six to 12 months or the companies may drop plans for a C$7 billion ($5.6 billion) gas pipeline to focus on U.S. liquefied natural gas projects, a top analyst said Wednesday. Of the two major Arctic gas projects being proposed in North America, the Mackenzie Valley pipeline faces the biggest risk of being canceled due to its high-profile delays, said Tristone Capital analyst Chris Theal, author of a new 50-page report on the prospects for northern frontier gas. Mackenzie partners Exxon Mobil,...

Mofaz cites failure to disarm 52 wanted terrorists and the smuggling of Strella missiles into Gaza by PA intelligence agents as reasons for the delay. But preparations for handover are continuing. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered the IDF to delay transferring the city of Kalkilya to PA armed forces. Mofaz accused the PA of failing to fulfill their promises to seize weapons held by 52 terrorist fugitives hiding out in Jericho and Tulkarem, cities that were recently handed over to PA control as part of an agreement reached between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and PA leader Mamoud Abbas in...

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata on Friday postponed a confirmation hearing for a state official tapped by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to carry out the overhaul of the California workers' compensation system. Influential labor and legal organizations are pressuring Democratic lawmakers to oust Andrea Hoch, the administrative director of the Division of Workers' Compensation. Her critics, including Perata and other Democratic legislators, assert that new formulas she crafted to determine permanent disability benefits would cut payments by up to 70 percent and reduce medical care for severely injured workers. Hoch declined comment Friday. A Schwarzenegger spokesman indicated the governor will...

Free Republic 2001http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a70b8577a8c.htm Clinton's Costly Vietnam Trip -- More than $63.5 MillionSource: Far Eastern Economic Review Published: 2-1-01 Clinton's Costly Vietnam Trip The massive cost of airlifting Bill Clinton and his entourage to Vietnam last year has ruffled some feathers in the U.S. military. The former president paid historic visits to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the former South Vietnamese capital Saigon, in November. Informal research conducted by officers and staff of the Strategic Assessment Centre and the School of Advanced Airpower Studies says 74 U.S. Air Force aircraft, including 26 giant C-5 Galaxy transports, were used to ferry...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Midwest group points to holiday travel problems SOUTH BEND -- On Monday, airlines were trying to comfort angry passengers. Drivers were digging their cars out of snow-covered ditches in the Midwest. And the Indiana High Speed Rail Association made its customary appeal to the federal government -- develop high-speed rail, sooner than later. The association sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta on Tuesday, suggesting the department make high-speed rail development in the Midwest "the centerpiece" of its transportation policy. Speedy trains could have lessened the blow to air...

Spending Bill Held Up by Tax ProvisionSurprise in Measure Spurs Criticism of Legislative Process A $388 billion government-wide spending bill, passed by Congress on Saturday, was stranded on Capitol Hill yesterday, its trip to the White House on hold as embarrassed Republicans prepared to repeal a provision that could give the Appropriations committees the right to examine the tax returns of Americans. Top GOP lawmakers disavowed the provision, expressed surprise that it was in the bill, and blamed both the Internal Revenue Service and congressional staffs for incorporating it into the omnibus spending package funding domestic departments in 2005. But...

Dean Esmay writes: I just got off the phone with Karol Sheinin. It's 4:45 Eastern. She's on a plane on her way home, and they're on the ground at O'Hare in Chicago. They just told the passengers that no flights are being allowed into New York right now. They aren't saying why. I just turned on the news and I see nothing. UPDATE: The FAA status page for LaGuardia says: Delays by Destination: Due to WEATHER, TSTMS, departure traffic destined to The William B Hartsfield International Airport, Atlanta, GA (ATL) is currently experiencing delays averaging 1 hour and 19 minutes....

The familiar sounds of partisan gridlock overtook the Capitol Friday, as efforts to get a state budget agreement broke down with Democrats and Republicans choosing sides over a plan to revise how local governments are financed. The air of optimism that had characterized negotiations all week has all but dissipated. And expectations that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could still step in like a kindergarten cop and settle the flare up seem far fetched as the governor struggled with his own difficulties. "At this point, this budget is being held up and it isn't by Democrats," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los...

Kuwait Sandstorms Tough for U.S. Soldiers (THE SADISTIC UN IS COUNTING ON THIS!!!) Fri Mar 7, 8:09 PM ET CAMP NEW JERSEY, Kuwait - Pfc. Charles Bryant got lost for three hours on the way back to his tent, disoriented by thick clouds of sand swirling at 50 mph in this desert camp near the Iraqi border. Sandstorms, a gritty and miserable fact of life in the Persian Gulf region this time of year, are making things uncomfortable for troops waiting for a possible war with Iraq (news - web sites). They also present major problems for U.S. war planners....

The headlines say it all -- the airlines are in trouble. United and US Airways are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, their long-term survival in question. American is said to have hired bankruptcy lawyers. The major "network" (as opposed to low-cost, "point-to-point") carriers are reporting record, or near-record, losses, and several have asked their employees for deep concessions. Discussions about federal cash assistance and loan guarantees have been in the air since Sept. 11, 2001. Even Southwest, the only major airline to avoid losses after the attacks, has warned that it could dip into the red for the first time this...

Mid Section of the contry is forceast for a foot of snow or more for tomorrow, the second biggest travel/shopping day of the year.Could play havoc with flights and car transportation, looks like it will be worst around Oklahoma and Missouri

Weapons inspectors warn of delays By Kim Sengupta in Baghdad 24 November 2002 A newly arrived United Nations team has warned of delays in inspecting the most controversial suspected Iraqi weapons sites, including the palaces of Saddam Hussein. The news is likely to infuriate Washington, which has little time if it is to launch an invasion of Iraq before the onset of hot weather there. The UN says that it does not yet have enough personnel, secure communications or transport to start its mission this week with "surprise raids" on the most sensitive targets. It has yet to set up...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. HERNDON, Va. -- The Federal Aviation Administration says it's taking steps, including new air routes and more frequent weather updates, to make planes fly on time as the summer travel season gets under way. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey came to the nation's air traffic control center here Friday to outline the agency's latest efforts to reduce delays. "If the weather cooperates, travelers should arrive at their destinations on time," Garvey said, a day before the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend, the traditional kickoff of the summer travel season. To help...