Red Cross: Millions of Iraqis at Risk from Contaminated Water
AlterNet: War on Iraq - 31 Oct 2008
Ten liters of bottled water costs 50 cents, but many Iraqis cannot afford it, drinking water from polluted rivers instead.

The contributions of Iran
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 31 Oct 2008
Summary: 2001 Bonn ConferenceFEW COUNTRIES were as helpful to the United States in its early involvement in Afghanistan as Iran. Yet after the fall of the Taliban, the US failed to capitalize on the possibilities of that strategic relationship. Now coalition and Afghan troops are losing ground against the same insurgents they confronted in 2001, in a war that the United States is unlikely to win unless it rethinks its relationship with Iran source: The Boston Globeread more

Reining in the influence industry
UKWatch.net - 31 Oct 2008
It comes as no surprise that the European Commission is relaxed about Peter Mandelson’s meetings with the aluminium magnate, Oleg Deripaska, at a time when the trade commissioner was party to discussions that would affect the business of the Russian. Brussels has long had a reputation as being unaccountable to public opinion. Despite the commission’s attempts to open up EU decision-making to greater public scrutiny ? through its European Transparency Initiative ? secrecy remains the modus operandi. The system governing the behaviour of officials allows for widespread conflicts of interest. Parliamentary rules for MEPs have been described by one British MEP as a “scandal waiting to happen”. Numerous cases have been documented of apparent conflicts of interests involving MEPs. Giles Chichester hit the headlines this summer after breaking the rules on MEP’s expenses and was forced to resign as chairman of the Conservative party in Brussels. However, little has been made of his problematic ties to the nuclear industry. He is president of a pro-nuclear industry lobby group known in Brussels as “The submarine of the energy industry”. Until recently, he also held the key position of chair of the EU parliamentary committee with responsibility for nuclear issues, including nuclear safety, decommissioning and nuclear waste disposal. Another example is Scottish Conservative MEP, John Purvis, who has a financial stake in a firm that invests in the biotechnology sector. At the same time he has been seen as a leading advocate for biotech in the European parliament. Another Brit, Caroline Jackson MEP, sits on the parliament’s environment committee and drafted a report on the EU’s waste framework directive while at the same time being a paid advisor to private waste company, Shanks. Jackson is one of five EU officials nominated for a “Worst Lobby Award”, an initiative organised by a coalition of civil society groups pushing for greater transparency in Brussels. Among the corporate interests up for an award is the International Air Transport Association for its deceptive lobbying campaign to avoid CO2 reduction obligations in the aviation sector. Also nominated is The European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines for hiding the involvement of the big pharmaceutical companies in their campaigns. The awards spotlight just a few of the thousands of mainly commercial organisations that seek to influence EU policy. In Brussels, as in Britain, lobbyists operate in an almost entirely unregulated environment. In June the European Commission attempted to increase transparency in the industry by introducing a register of lobbyists. Registration, however, is voluntary and as few as 10% of the thousands of commercial lobbying firms that peddle influence and access in Brussels have so far chosen to sign on to it. Thanks to the recent insight into the affairs of the rich and powerful, we should be under no illusion in Britain that undue influence is also being exerted on our policy-makers. Our lobbying industry, which today includes law and accountancy firms, management consultancies, think tanks, charities and others, has grown to be worth an estimated 1.9bn. It is embedded in our political system, and, as in Brussels, it operates away from the public gaze. Under the radar of most journalists, a parliamentary inquiry has been taking place into the normally opaque world of lobbying. Throughout the last 12 months, the influential public administration select committee, chaired by Tony Wright MP, has taken evidence on whether certain interests are being afforded privileged access to, and undue influence over, our decision makers. It has also sought to find out what effect this is having on public trust in politics. The recommendations the select committee will make in the next few weeks are key. If it finds, much as the British public suspects, that there is an enormous disparity in access and influence in our political system, it should recommend action: that the government introduce a mandatory register of lobbyists. This is the first step in opening up the opaque world of lobbying to public scrutiny. The effect will be to increase the accountability of government to the people they serve. Something that the majority of the British public has long ceased to expect but should now demand. The Mandelson-Deripaska affair gives us a rare insight into the relationship between politics and the wealthy elite. A register of lobbyists would guarantee that information on those who seek to influence our politicians is systematically put into the public domain.

“Serious Risk of Torture” for Iraqi Prisoners Facing Transfer by U.S.
AlterNet: War on Iraq - 31 Oct 2008
“We’re getting out of the detention business,” says a U.S. military spokesman.

Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker Michael Moore on the Election, the Bailout, Healthcare, and 10 Proposed Decrees for the New President’s First 10 Days
Democracy Now - 31 Oct 2008
With the election four days away, we spend the hour with Academy Award-winning filmmaker and author Michael Moore. His film Fahrenheit 9/11 took on the Bush administration. Sicko took on the health insurance industry. His first film Roger and Me targeted General Motors. Moore joins us from Michigan to talk about the election, the bailout as “robbery,” the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the changing political climate in his home state. Moore also shares his ten proposed decrees for a new administration’s first ten days in office. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for October 31, 2008
Democracy Now - 31 Oct 2008
Economy Contracts 0.3%; Consumer Spending Falls, Exxon Breaks Own Profit Record with $14.8B 3rd Quarter, Bush Admin in Frantic Deregulation Rush Before January Exit, Obama, McCain Enter Final Weekend of Campaign, Study: Americans Making Less Than $100K Would Pay Less Taxes Under Obama, GOP Ads Darken Skin of Indian American Dem. Candidate, Windows Smashed at Sheehan?s Office, Colorado to Reinstate Thousands of Purged Voters, CIA Officers Could Face Charges in UK Probe of Gitmo Torture Claims, 77 Killed in India Blasts, Audit: $6B Spent on Private Security Companies in Iraq, Iraq War Resister Freed After 4 Months, Admin to Suspend Bolivia Trade Benefits, Red Cross Warns of ?Humanitarian Catastrophe? in Congo, LA Police Officer Kills Unarmed African American, Ex-Meatpacking CEO Arrested on Immigration Charges