Bush administration lawyers who paved the way for sleep deprivation and waterboarding of terrorism suspects exercised poor judgment but will not be referred to authorities for possible sanctions, according to a forthcoming ethics report, a legal source confirmed. The work of John Yoo and Jay Bybee, officials in the Bush Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, provided the basis for interrogation strategies that critics called torture in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes. The men and their OLC colleague Steven Bradbury became focal points of anger from Senate Democrats and civil liberties groups because their memos essentially insulated CIA interrogators and contractors from legal consequences for their roles in harsh questioning. Their reasoning was set out in a series of secret memos shortly after Sept. 11. WASHINGTON POST
IRAN
16 Ahmadinejad foes go on trial in Tehran Leaders of Iran's opposition movement and the country's hard-line establishment sharpened their confrontation, with opponents calling on demonstrators to take to the streets on the anniversary Feb. 11 of the founding of the Islamic Republic, and the judiciary putting 16 alleged opposition supporters on trial. Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi voiced deep sorrow over the "hasty" executions of two Iranians Thursday.
CALIFORNIA
Investigator in Mexico slaying is killed The lead investigator in the slaying in Mexico of a Southern California school board member has been killed in an ambush, authorities said Saturday. Mexican officials wouldn't say whether investigator Manuel Acosta's killing was related to the killing of Agustin Roberto Salcedo last month. Acosta, 42, was ambushed near his office in El Monte, Calif., Jan. 15. He was shot several times, and succumbed to his wounds Tuesday. Five others were killed in the attack.
FLORIDA
Body found under slab is Lotto winner Human remains found behind a home near Lakeland on the west coast of Florida are those of missing Lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare, authorities said. The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office determined his identity through fingerprints. Cause of death is not yet known, said a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. After three days of searching, authorities found the remains under a 30-foot by 30-foot concrete slab. No arrests have been made.
CALIFORNIA
Mosquito-borne virus vaccine is a step closer U.S. researchers have developed a prototype vaccine that protects monkeys and mice against the emerging chikungunya virus, a major step toward the production of a vaccine for humans. Human trials could begin later this year. Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that first appeared off the eastern coast of Africa. Public health authorities fear that the virus will spread more widely because it has adapted to the Asian tiger mosquito, which survives in temperate climates.
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