April 30, 2003

'Saddam letter' urges resistance CNN - A London Arabic newspaper has published what it says is a letter from deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein urging Iraqis to resist coalition forces. The handwritten letter was dated April 28, Saddam's 66th birthday, and was faxed to the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, said its editor, Abdel Bari Atwan. 11:14:17 AM

Rodent road signs revealed in fields New Scientist - Mice make signposts out of leaves and twigs so that they do not get lost in fields, new research shows. 10:26:09 AM

Spam Sent by Fraud Is Made a Felony Under Virginia Law NY Times - In the toughest move to date against unsolicited commercial e-mail, Virginia enacted a law yesterday imposing harsh felony penalties for sending such messages to computer users through deceptive means. The law would be enforced against those who use fraudulent practices to send bulk e-mail, commonly known as spam, to or from Virginia, a state that is headquarters for a number of major Internet providers, including the nation's largest, America Online. 9:46:33 AM

Iraqi-Born Billionaire Has Stake in Bank That Holds Oil-for-Food Funds NY Times - One of the largest private shareholders in BNP Paribas, the French bank that holds more than $13 billion in Iraqi oil funds administered through the United Nation's oil-for-food program, is an Iraqi-born businessman who once helped to arm Iraq in the 1980's and brokered business deals with Saddam Hussein's government, according to public records and interviews. The involvement of the businessman, the British billionaire Nadhmi Auchi, raises questions about how carefully the United Nations has vetted the bank in its continuing role as repository of oil-for-food funds. 6:48:36 AM

US Troops 'Won't Arrest' Comical Ali icNorthern Ireland, UK - Former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf is attempting to surrender to US forces, London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat has claimed ... 6:24:42 AM

Canadian Prime Minister says pot soon to be decriminalized CBC Canada - Jean Chrétien drew applause and a few whoops of joy at a fundraising dinner Tuesday night when he said that legislation decriminalizing possession of marijuana in Canada would soon be announced. "Don't start to smoke yet," he quickly cautioned the celebrants in the audience. "We're not legalizing it, we're decriminalizing," said Chrétien who points out he has never smoked a joint. 6:18:05 AM