SPB News for Sunday.

Egyptians christen sweet fruits 'Obama'

Reflecting political mood, Ramadan's finest dates named after US president.

'Death panel' creator resigns from board

Senator seeks data on health insurer profits — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate Democrat asked the top 15 health insurers to explain what portion of premiums go to profits versus patient care, putting further pressure on the companies to explain their business practices as Congress considers sweeping health reform legislation.

US military disclosing list of secret prisoners The Pentagon plans to give the Red Cross access to a list of terror suspects held in secret prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, US military officials say. In another shift of policy made by the US President Barack Obama, the Pentagon will give the Red Cross access to dozens of suspected terrorists and militants held in what it calls the Special Operations camps, The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing three unidentified military officials.

Afghanistan Contractors Outnumber Troops --Despite Surge in U.S. Deployments, More Contractors Are Posted in War Zone; Reliance Echoes Controversy in Iraq Even as U.S. troops surge to new highs in Afghanistan they are outnumbered by mercenaries working alongside them, according to a Defense Department census due to be distributed to Congress. The number of mercenaries in Afghanistan rose to almost 74,000 by June 30, far outnumbering the roughly 58,000 U.S. soldiers on the ground at that point... In Iraq, as of June 30 there were 119,706 mercenaries, down 10% from three months earlier. But as the Pentagon has been drawing down mercenaries in Iraq, their ranks have been growing in Afghanistan -- rising by 9% over that same three-month period to 73,968.

CIA staged mock execution, wielded power drill in interrogations, secret report says --The methods were not mentioned in Justice Department memos authorizing the so-called enhanced interrogation program for prisoners. The CIA staged a mock execution and brandished weapons, including a gun and a power drill, during interrogation sessions with detainees the agency was desperate to persuade to talk, according to a long-secret internal CIA report expected to be released Monday. The episodes are part of a catalog of alleged torture -- a 2004 report by the CIA's inspector general -- that has prompted U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to consider appointing a criminal prosecutor to investigate cases in which the CIA strayed beyond its interrogation authorities.

Up to 11,000 U.S. veterans may have been mistakenly infected with HIV 11,000 veterans who had colonoscopies at U.S. Veterans Affairs hospitals may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. The veterans were advised equipment used during their treatment was not sterilized.

Common Sense 2009 By Larry Flynt The American government -- which we once called our government -- has been taken over by Wall Street, the mega-corporations and the super-rich. They are the ones who decide our fate. It is this group of powerful elites, the people President Franklin D. Roosevelt called "economic royalists," who choose our elected officials -- indeed, our very form of government. Both Democrats and Republicans dance to the tune of their corporate masters. In America, corporations do not control the government. In America, corporations are the government. This was never more obvious than with the Wall Street bailout, whereby the very corporations that caused the collapse of our economy were rewarded with taxpayer dollars.
Banker who tipped feds to UBS tax scam gets prison time In a surprisingly heavy judgment, Bradley Birkenfeld, the former UBS private banker who blew the whistle on a wide-ranging scheme in which the Swiss bank helped wealthy Americans dodge income taxes through secret accounts, was sentenced to 40 months in prison Friday morning. The sentence was 10 months longer than the prosecution had asked for.

Mercury found in every U.S. fish tested A federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday found the toxic substance in every fish tested at nearly 300 streams across the country, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become. From 1998 to 2005, scientists collected and tested more than a thousand fish from 291 streams nationwide.

Lutherans allow LGBT parish leaders