Exclusive: Whistleblowers Say State Farm Shredded Documents to Avoid Paying Katrina Victims, Allegations of Massive Fraud
August 25, 2006 -- KATRINA FRAUD
Exclusive: Whistleblowers Say State Farm Shredded Documents to Avoid Paying Katrina Victims, Allegations of Massive Fraud
State Farm Insurance supervisors systematically demanded that Hurricane Katrina damage reports be buried or replaced or changed so that the company would not have to pay policyholders' claims in Mississippi, two State Farm insiders tell ABC News. (ABC News)
IRAQ NEWS
Rare Visit to al Qaeda Stronghold in Iraq
Terrorists hold a deadly grip over the city of Ramadi, which they use as a base for the insurgency that is taking a terrible toll on the thousands of American troops trying to hold them at bay. (ABC News)
Iraqis Cautious Over Baghdad Security Crackdown
U.S. commanders have declared their security crackdown in Baghdad a contest for the future of the entire country but many in the capital have a hard time believing anything can save their city from further bloodshed. (Reuters)
NY-DUBLIN FLIGHTT
Aer Lingus Flight Evacuated in Ireland
Aer Lingus Flight From N.Y. Evacuated in Ireland Following Threat Against the Aircraft. (AP)
METH
Online Meth Registries on the Rise
Despite the controversy over an online database that lists the names of methamphetamine offenders in Tennessee, both Illinois and Minnesota lawmakers have recently approved similar registries that list the names, birth dates and counties of residence of people convicted of methamphetamine crimes. (ABC News)
U.K.
Islamic Charity's Assets Frozen for Alleged Connection to Terrorism
Bank accounts of an Islamic charity alleged to have funded terrorist activities, including the recent plot to blow up U.S.-bound flights from London, were frozen today by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. (ABC News)
U.S.
Army Reviewing Casualty Reports
Army Reviewing Afghan and Iraq Casualty Reports on Complaints of Not Always Being Accurate. (AP)
AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Leader Orders Probe of Killings
President Hamid Karzai ordered an investigation Friday into the killings of eight people in eastern Afghanistan during a raid that U.S. forces claimed targeted al-Qaida members, according to a government statement. (AP)
MIDEAST CRISIS
U.S. Investigating Israeli Use of Cluster Bombs: NYT
The State Department is investigating whether Israel's use of U.S.-manufactured rockets armed with cluster bombs in Lebanon violated agreements with the United States restricting use of such weapons, The New York Times reported on Thursday. (Reuters)
GERMANY
Unclear If German Train Bombers Part Of Global Network: Police
Two Lebanese men suspected of planting bombs on two German trains had accomplices in Germany, but it is too early to say if they belonged to an international network, federal police chief Joerg Ziercke said on Friday. (Reuters)
THAILAND BOMB PLOT
Questions, Theories Swirl Around Thai PM Bomb Plot
Sceptical Thai media questioned on Friday the government's assertion of a plot to blow up Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but the opposition feared the incident could presage a violent election campaign. (Reuters)
CHINA
New York Times Researcher Jailed for Three Years in China
A Chinese court took the unusual step yesterday of dismissing a charge of leaking state secrets against a researcher for The New York Times but sentenced him to three years in jail for fraud. (The London Times)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Lessons on Terrorism
Eleven suspects were brought to court in London this week, charged with involvement in the plot to blow up several airliners over the Atlantic. The foiling of their alleged conspiracy will inevitably be scrutinized for what it reveals about the changing character of the terrorist threat five years after Sept. 11. Even though there is some uncertainty about the scope of the plot and possible links to Al Qaeda, there are important general lessons to be gleaned. (The Boson Globe)
Why Would the Bald Man Fight for a Comb?
By Amir Taheri
Why would a bald man fight tooth and nail to get a comb? The question fits the situation in which the Islamic Republic of Iran finds itself regarding its controversial nuclear programme. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Why are Pakistanis Doing Terrorism?
By Khaled Ahmed
Pakistan is a hotbed of global terrorism because it has minimal internal sovereignty. The jihadi identity of the state is backed by the clergy, which is electorally powerful for the first time. When it comes to controlling anarchism, democracy with a weak writ of the state is a lethal combination. (Daily Times)
The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.