Report critical of FBI

Report critical of FBI

WASHINGTON — Six years after arresting turncoat Robert Hanssen, the FBI remains vulnerable to espionage from within, the parent Justice Department said in a report Monday. The reason for this, said the Justice’s Office of Inspector General, is that the bureau has failed to fully adopt security measures to track suspicious behavior involving its own employees.

The investigation by the IG’s office sought to examine the extent of internal security at the nation’s lead law enforcement and domestic spy agency following the 2001 capture of Hanssen, who admitted spying for Moscow for cash and diamonds over two decades.

The 41-page unclassified report credits the FBI for taking at least two critical steps to crack down on internal spies — creating a new unit designed specifically to detect security penetrations within the agency and installing senior operational posts in its counterespionage section.

Inheritance fight

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Brooke Astor, the aristocrat who spent her long life giving away millions of dollars, carefully arranged to continue her philanthropy after she died. But her favorite charities fear that the nasty family fight over her estate could bleed millions more from the bequest she left. The judge overseeing the estate battle has warned that if the case is left to the lawyers, it will be litigated until the entire $198 million is gone.

That is not what Astor, who died in August at 105, would have wanted, the judge added. She took pleasure in donating hundreds of millions to the arts and the unfortunate after the 1959 death of her husband, Vincent Astor, heir to the fortune his great-great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor, made in real estate and the fur trade.

Nurses go on strike

HAZARD, Ky. — Hundreds of nurses in the Appalachian regions of Kentucky and West Virginia went on strike Monday, demanding better benefits and safer staffing from the impoverished area’s largest health care provider. At least 600 registered nurses began picketing in shifts just after midnight outside Appalachian Regional Healthcare hospitals, said Pat Tanner, lead negotiator for the Kentucky and West Virginia nurses association.

More funds for wars

WASHINGTON — Thwarted in efforts to bring troops home from Iraq, Senate Democrats on Monday helped pass a defense policy bill authorizing another $150 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 92-3 vote comes as the House planned to approve separate legislation Tuesday that requires President Bush to give Congress a plan for eventual troop withdrawals.

The developments underscored the difficulty facing Democrats in the Iraq debate: They lack the votes to pass legislation ordering troops home and are divided on whether to cut money for combat, despite a mandate by supporters to end the war. Democratic leaders say they will renew their fight when Congress considers the money Bush wants in war funding.

Iraq deaths decline

BAGHDAD — The number of American troops and Iraqi civilians killed in the war fell in September to levels not seen in more than a year. The U.S. military said the lower count was at least partly a result of new strategies and 30,000 additional U.S. forces deployed this year. Although it is difficult to draw conclusions from a single month’s tally, the figures could suggest U.S.-led forces are making headway against extremist factions and disrupting their ability to strike back.

The U.S. military toll for September was 64, the lowest since July 2006, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press from death announcements by the American command and Pentagon. More dramatic, however, was the decline in Iraqi civilian, police and military deaths.

The figure was 988 in September — 50 percent lower than the previous month and the lowest tally since June 2006, when 847 Iraqis died.

Putin eyes power hold

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin, in a surprise announcement, opened the door Monday to becoming Russia’s prime minister and retaining power when his presidential term ends next year.

The popular Putin is barred from seeking a third consecutive term in the March presidential election.

Peacekeepers missing

EL FASHER, Sudan — African peacekeepers searched for more than 20 members of their force still missing and feared wandering the wilderness of Darfur on Monday after rebels overran their base in an unprecedented attack that stunned the international force.

The attack Sunday on the Haskanita base in northern Darfur illustrated the region’s chaos ahead of peace talks later this month — and the dangers that could face a bigger United Nations force due to start deploying in coming weeks.

Associated Press