Vigilante in Afghanistan Says He Worked for U.S.

Sayed Salahuddin, Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) — An American arrested in Afghanistan with two countrymen for illegally detaining people he suspected of being Islamic militants said Wednesday he was working for the U.S. government, and he had evidence to prove it.

"Threat of Police Pickets Adds to Boston's Worries"

John Kifner, New York Times

Boston, July 17 — Besides the threat of a terrorist attack at the
Democratic National Convention here later this month, the police will
have to deal with at least 70 sets of demonstrators, including
opponents of abortion, particularly passionate in this heavily Roman
Catholic area; Quakers who want to protest the war in Iraq with 800
pairs of empty combat boots and a plowshare forged from 10,000 spent
bullet casings; anarchists; Buddhists — and even themselves.

That's right. Boston police officers, along with the city's
firefighters, are locked in a long-running contract dispute and plan
to picket several convention events, beginning with the 32 welcoming
parties for various state delegations given by Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

"10 Downing Street Admits Hutton Cover-Up"

Colin Brown, Kim Sengupta and Andrew Grice, The Independent (UK)

Downing Street admitted yesterday that MI6 embarked on an unprecedented cover-up after it withdrew intelligence supporting the Government's dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction because it was unreliable.

In an astonishing admission after the disclosure of the cover-up in yesterday's Independent, Tony Blair's official spokesman said MI6 decided not to tell the Hutton inquiry — set up to investigate the death of the government scientist David Kelly — that crucial intelligence on Saddam's chemical and biological weapons was unsound. The security services, he said, felt it was "too sensitive'' to be made public. The head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, also decided not to tell Mr Blair. The Prime Minister's spokesman said Mr Blair only became aware of the withdrawal of the intelligence as a result of the inquiry by Lord Butler of Brockwell, which was delivered three days ago.