Viable Swine Flu Shot Closer to Reality

Viable Swine Flu Shot Closer to Reality

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MONDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Progress has been made towards developing a viable H1N1 swine flu vaccine, with experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying this week that they have two promising candidate viruses for use in such a shot.

Meanwhile, a 50-year-old woman died of swine flu in New York City over the weekend, becoming the second swine flu fatality in that city and the 11th in the United States, according to the Associated Press.

As with most of the other reported swine flu deaths, the woman had other health conditions, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti said. No other information on her case was disclosed Sunday.

But good news came Friday from CDC officials, who reported that they are closer to a viable vaccine for this new strain of flu.

"Today CDC received, from one institution, a candidate vaccine virus," Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's interim deputy director for science and public health program, said during a news conference on Friday.

The strain was created by "combining the genes of the novel H1N1 virus with other parts from other viruses," Schuchat explained. This type of hybrid virus will grow more easily in eggs -- an essential part of the vaccine production process.

The CDC, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has also created a second candidate virus using reverse genetics, Schuchat added.

The CDC is testing both viruses to make sure they can stimulate an optimal immune response, Schuchat said. "After that work is done, suitable viruses will be sent out to manufacturers. We expect by the end of May that will happen," she added.

Also Friday, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the federal government was allocating $1 billion to the search for a swine flu vaccine, the AP reported. The funding is aimed at pilot testing of a vaccine and the setting up of a "pre-pandemic" stockpile that HHS said would cover at least 20 million people, including health-care workers and people at high risk for complications from the illness.

In related news, a study released on Friday suggests that many of the genes that make up the new H1N1 swine flu virus have been circulating undetected in pigs for more than a decade.

Scientists at the CDC and elsewhere sequenced the genomes of dozens of samples of the swine flu strain and found it is distantly connected to its closest viral relatives.

The researchers also found that the new H1N1 strain lacks genes that -- in other influenza A strains -- confer ease of transmission and virulence.

CDC officials discussed the findings at a teleconference Friday. The findings were released early in the journal Science because of the broad interest in this new strain of swine flu.

"From our analysis, we have confirmed that the novel H1N1 virus likely originated from pigs, based on data that each of the genetic components of this virus are most closely related to corresponding influenza virus genes identified from swine influenza viruses," said Dr. Nancy Cox, chief of CDC's Influenza Division.

However, this new virus is not similar to seasonal H1N1 viruses, she said. In their analysis of 70 samples of the new H1N1 virus from the United States and Mexico, the researchers found minor genetic differences, but consider the virus to be basically homogeneous, Cox noted.

Knowing the genetic makeup of the virus makes it easier to come up with a candidate vaccine, Cox said. "We see much less variation among these new H1N1 viruses than we do for typical seasonal influenza viruses," she said.

Sequencing the virus' genetic code is also important for planning the public health response, including knowing which antiviral medications will be effective and which won't, Cox said.

And, Cox added, "We can take measures to be sure that the virus doesn't reemerge in a slightly different form."

In the future, scientists will need to keep a closer eye on pig populations to spot similar emerging flu viruses, the researchers said in the Science paper.

In the United States, most cases of the swine flu continue to be no worse than seasonal flu. Testing has found that the swine flu virus remains susceptible to two common antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, according to the CDC.

While the new swine flu only seems to cause relatively mild infection, experts worry that, if the virus mutates, people would have limited immunity to it. The CDC is concerned that, as the H1N1 virus moves into the Southern Hemisphere, where the flu season is just getting under way, it could mutate and return in a more virulent form in the Northern Hemisphere next fall.

On Thursday, U.S. health officials said that, while many states are still reporting new cases of infection, there seems to be an overall decline in visits to doctors and hospitals by people with the disease, indicating that the outbreak might be subsiding.

The CDC reported on Wednesday that some older people may have partial immunity to the new H1N1 swine flu virus because of possible exposure to another H1N1 flu strain circulating prior to 1957. So far, 64 percent of cases of swine flu infection in the United States have been among people aged 5 to 24, while only 1 percent involves people over 65, officials said.

On Friday, the CDC was reporting 6,552 U.S. cases of swine flu in 48 states, including nine deaths, although health officials said the death toll could be as high as 10.

The World Health Organization on Saturday was reporting 12,022 diagnosed cases in 43 countries, including 86 deaths, mostly in Mexico, believed to be the source of the outbreak.

Mexico City on Thursday lowered its swine flu alert level from yellow to green after no new infections had been reported for a week, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection (As of May 22, 2009, 11:00 AM ET) States # of confirmed and probable cases Deaths Alabama 66 Arkansas 3 Arizona 520 2 deaths California 553 Colorado 59 Connecticut 81 Delaware 94 Florida 129 Georgia 27 Hawaii 33 Idaho 18 Illinois 877 Indiana 106 Iowa 71 Kansas 34 Kentucky** 22 Louisiana 86 Maine 9 Maryland 41 Massachusetts 197 Michigan 176 Minnesota 39 Mississippi 7 Missouri 24 1 deaths Montana 10 Nebraska 29 Nevada 32 New Hampshire 23 New Jersey 47 New Mexico 97 New York 327 1 deaths North Carolina 12 North Dakota 5 Ohio 14 Oklahoma 50 Oregon 101 Pennsylvania 73 Rhode Island 9 South Carolina 36 South Dakota 4 Tennessee 89 Texas 900 3 deaths Utah 122 1 deaths Vermont 2 Virginia 25 Washington 494 1 death Washington, D.C. 13 Wisconsin 766 TOTAL*(48) 6,552 cases 9 deaths *includes the District of Columbia **One case is resident of Ky. but hospitalized in Ga. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

More information

For more on swine flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Susan Boyle Wows Viewers, Making It to Show Finals - ABC News

Is AT&T Preparing a Google Android Offensive?

AT&T has been keeping quiet on its plans to adopt the Google Android platform so far. But with rumors that Verizon might steal its iPhone exclusivity and several high-end handset manufacturers already set to deliver Android phones, the wireless carrier is now on track to spread some Google love to its customers.

is reportedly gearing up for the launch of the HTC Lancaster in August, the carrier's first Google Android device. Sporting a sliding full QWERTY keyboard, the HTC Lancaster will also feature a customized (AT&T branded) user interface, with August 3rd as the expected launch date.

The HTC Lancaster (which probably won't be the final name of the device) looks a lot like other devices from the Taiwanese manufacturer. Lancaster resembles the HTC Magic when closed, and brings back memories of the T-Mobile G1 when the keyboard is slid out.

HTC Lancaster's specifications are good, but not groundbreaking: a 3-megapixel camera (fixed-focus), AGPS, and a 2.8-inch QVGA (240X320 pixel) touchscreen display). The storage capacity is not yet available, but a safe assumption would be that it would come with 512MB (RAM 288MB), which could be expanded via microSD memory cards.

Other specs include Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, a 1,350mAh battery, EDGE and 850 / 1900MHz HSPA, a weight of 110 grams and sized at 109 x 54 x17.1 mm. HTC Lancaster is expected to be available exclusively on AT&T for 6 months after the initial launch of the device.

As for the customized user interface on Android mentioned above, this is something we've been hearing about quite a bit lately. Just like manufacturers have been playing in the past years with Windows Mobile interfaces (like TouchFlo) word has been spreading that carriers will now attempt to modify Android to suit their needs as well.

In order, AT&T's HTC Lancaster could come with a more stylish "skin" and some "unique social messaging user interface" as per the screenshot below.

With Nomination Imminent, Supreme Court Speculation Reaches Fever Pitch

With President Obama expected to announce his Supreme Court nominee as early as Tuesday, speculation over the decision was reaching a fever pitch in Washington. 

Republicans continue to brace for, and accept, the likelihood of a liberal nominee -- though Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the Senate Republican whip, warned Sunday that the GOP reserves the option to filibuster any nominee dramatically outside the mainstream. 

Meanwhile, analysts are reading hard into Obama's comments last week that he's looking for someone with "intellectual fire power, but also a little bit of a common touch" and a practical sense of the world. The handicapping of potential candidates entered its final stage over the weekend. 

The apparent short list consists mostly of female lawyers, both on and off the bench. Obama's criteria could be applied in varying degrees to any of them. 

Diane Wood, a judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals out of Chicago, is considered a front-runner for several reasons. 

She arguably has the closest ties to Obama of all the potential contenders, since she also taught law at the University of Chicago law school -- where Obama was a colleague until 2004. Obama interviewed Wood last week while she was in Washington. 

But she could also fulfill Obama's criteria for "intellectual fire power," as analysts say she's proved her ability to stand up to conservatives while serving in Chicago. They say she could serve as the perfect counterbalance to the high court's conservative heavyweights like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. 

"She is a very smart, very thoughtful, very scholarly and careful judge," said Tom Dupree, who served in the Justice Department during the Bush administration and has argued cases before Wood. "The court that she sits on has a number of very prominent conservatives and Judge Wood, whether or not you agree or disagree with her legal philosophy, has certainly been able to hold her own with those conservatives. So, President Obama might see her as someone who could really provide an intellectual counterweight to some of the conservatives on the Supreme Court." 

Dupree called Wood a consensus builder who possesses ideal judicial temperament. 

"She's not viewed as a bomb thrower," he told FOX News. 

Obama's pick would replace outgoing liberal Justice David Souter, and would not shake up the ideological balance of the court. 

But Fortune magazine's Nina Easton said Wood has proved she can do more serve as a reliable liberal vote. 

Wood "can also shape decisions, shape a majority and can stand up to conservatives on the Supreme Court," she said. "And she's done that." 

However, Wood has taken positions on abortion that could rile Republicans in the confirmation process. 

In one case, she dissented in a 2-1 decision upholding an Indiana law requiring women seeking abortions to wait 18 hours after consulting with a physician. In another, she ruled that the National Organization for Women could use a law intended to go after mobsters to sue anti-abortion protesters. The Supreme Court later reversed that ruling. 

Plus her academic background could work against her, since Obama clearly stated in his interview with C-SPAN last week that he wants more than "ivory tower learning." 

The emphasis on candidates with real-world experience and the "common touch" has led some to predict the president will go with someone like Sonia Sotomayor, a judge for New York's 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Though an appellate judge now, Sotomayor is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants and grew up in a Bronx housing project. 

Nominating a Hispanic woman would also add to the diversity of the high court. 

Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, though, said Obama showed his cards last week by repeatedly stating he wants a nominee with "practical" experience. 

Kristol, one of the few who predicted GOP presidential nominee John McCain would pick Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, told "FOX News Sunday" he thinks Obama will pick Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to fill the vacancy. 

Granholm, who went to Harvard Law School and also served as Michigan's attorney general, could have the "empathy" Obama is looking for since she leads a state hard-hit by the recession. 

Plus she would diversify the professional background of the Supreme Court, where appeals court experience is the norm for members. 

"I think it would be a pretty easy confirmation in the Senate. They tend to like their fellow politicians," Kristol said, guessing Obama would make the announcement Tuesday. 

Solicitor General Elena Kagan, former dean of Harvard Law School, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are also considered possible picks. 

But whether Obama's nominee will be in for an "easy confirmation" is up for debate. 

Kyl told "FOX News Sunday" that Obama's nominee will "undoubtedly" be liberal and acknowledged that Republicans don't have the votes to successfully filibuster. 

"That's probably not going to happen in this case," he said. 

But he warned that the GOP would take issue with any liberal judge who bases decisions on "emotions or feelings or preconceived ideas," and not the merits of the case at hand. 

"In extraordinary circumstances ... I think both Democrats and Republicans reserve the right to not only oppose a nomination but also prevent vote on the nomination. That should be a rare case. And I would hope that the president's nominee would not fall into that category," he said. "But I think you never say never here. And given the fact that the president has already signaled that he wants to appoint someone who has empathy and will decide cases based on that, I think you have to reserve it." 

Sen. Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat from Nebraska, told "FOX News Sunday" he's reserving judgment, but doesn't want to see Obama appoint an "activist" to the Supreme Court. 

"I don't care whether they're liberal or conservative. I just want to make sure they're not activist. I don't want an activist on the bench," he said. "We don't want to have to read judges' minds. So I think that's the test. ... I would hope that there wouldn't be any circumstances that would be so extreme with any of the president's nominees that the other side would feel the need to filibuster or that I might feel the need to filibuster in a case of extraordinary circumstances."

Nigerian militant group attacks major oil pipelines

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- A militant group operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria said Monday that it had destroyed several major oil pipelines in response to a military offensive.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had "put out of operation" a Chevron storage facility by destroying several pipelines that fed into it.

"This will henceforth become our standard mode of operation," the group said in a statement.

The U.S.-based Chevron Corporation could not be immediately reached for an assessment of the damage.

Nigeria's military has been clearing the western Niger Delta region in a major operation against MEND. The armed militant group demands that more of Nigeria's oil wealth be reinvested in the region instead of enriching those whom they consider corrupt politicians.

The group declared war against the government in September for what it said were unprovoked attacks. At that time, MEND destroyed several oil facilities, forcing Nigeria to cut its oil exports by as many as 1 million barrels of oil per day, or 40 percent.

The recent violence -- which has included attacks on pipelines and hostage-taking -- has limited shipment of crude oil supplies out of Nigeria, Africa's largest producer.

"We will continue our cat-and-mouse tactics with them (the military) until oil export ceases completely," the MEND statement said.

All About Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta • Nigeria • Oil Production and Refining

2nd Death in New York City Linked to Swine Flu

A second New York City resident, a woman from Queens in her 50s, has died from swine flu, the city’s health department said on Sunday.

The woman had an underlying health condition that made her more at risk from the disease, said Jessica Scaperotti, a health department spokeswoman.

Mitchell Wiener, an assistant principal at a Queens middle school, who died on May 17, became the first person in New York State to die of the flu strain that has swept across much of the world since it was first identified in April.

Ms. Scaperotti declined to reveal any further details of the latest death, including the hospital where the woman had been treated. But she said that the woman died sometime over the past two days and that testing had confirmed that the woman had the H1N1 virus. She would be the 11th confirmed death caused by swine flu in the United States.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, in a statement released Sunday night, said: “My father also died in his 50s because of an underlying health condition. I remember how hard that was on my mother, my sister and me, and my thoughts and prayers are with this woman’s family.”

The number of people hospitalized with swine flu since the beginning of the outbreak in New York City at the end of April had risen to 94 on Sunday from 68 Saturday and 57 on Friday, health department officials said, suggesting that the rate of infection and hospitalization might be increasing.

Ms. Scaperotti could not say how many of those patients were now hospitalized or how many were in critical condition. On Friday, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center said it had a patient in critical condition with swine flu at its location in Morningside Heights. Doctors there were optimistic that the patient’s condition was improving.

“As we see more cases in the community we are going to see more severe illness and possibly death,” Ms. Scaperotti said. “If you’re sick right now with flu, you probably have H1N1.”

By Friday, 12,022 cases of swine flu, including 86 deaths, had been reported to the World Health Organization from 43 countries. More than half of the cases were from the United States; of the deaths, 75 were reported by Mexico.

On Sunday, health officials in New York continued to stress that anyone with underlying health conditions — like diabetes, asthma, emphysema or a compromised immune system — who is exposed to flu should seek medical attention.

“It’s obviously a very stressful time for people in Queens,” said Eric N. Gioia, a Queens councilman. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know someone who has gotten the flu.”

“We all want a lot more information,” he added. “We feel there’s a huge disconnect with what’s going on out there with what we’re hearing from City Hall.”

The flu’s New York City history began in Queens at St. Francis Preparatory School, where hundreds of students became ill and 69 cases were confirmed, and it has caused dozens of city schools to close. Twenty of the schools — all but four in Queens — are to reopen on Tuesday, including Intermediate School 238 in Queens, where Mr. Wiener, 55, was the assistant principal.

Seventeen public schools and programs will still be closed, although they are all slated to reopen by Thursday.

In addition, at least four yeshivas in the greater Flatbush area of Brooklyn have voluntarily closed due to swine flu, according to Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents the district.

The schools were Magen David Yeshiva, Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel, Masores Bais Yaakov and Yeshiva Shaarei Torah.

Each school had an unusually high absentee rate, and upon investigation this weekend, school officials discovered probable or confirmed swine flu cases.

S. Korea Says North's Nuclear Test 'A Serious Threat to Peace'

South Korea Says it will join regional partners in seeking a strong response from the United Nations Security Council to North Korea's latest nuclear test.

South Korean Presidential Spokesman Lee Dong-kwan called North Korea's nuclear test Monday a "serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula."

He says South Korea will work together with the United States, Japan, China and Russia to seek a response at the United Nations Security Council.

Earlier Monday, shortly after a 4.5 magnitude seismic event was detected in northeastern North Korea, North Korean official media confirmed a test had taken place.

A North Korean newsreader says the country "successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test," demonstrating what Pyongyang calls its "self-defensive nuclear deterrent" to the entire world.

This is North Korea's second nuclear test.  Scientists say it took place near the site of North Korea's first test in 2006.  That test drew condemnation from the international community as well as the passage of a punitive United Nations Security Council Resolution.

The test does not come as a complete surprise.  North Korea warned it would conduct more nuclear tests last month, after the Security Council condemned its launch of a long-range rocket.  It has since ejected international nuclear inspectors and announced its permanent withdrawal from multinational talks aimed at ending its nuclear programs.  The North has also said it would recommence the process of deriving weapons-grade material from spent nuclear fuel.

Lee Jung-hoon, a professor of political science at Seoul's Yonsei University, says North Korea probably conducted the test because it felt it had nothing to fear.

Lee says North Korea's long-range rocket launch in April drew no real sanctions from the United Nations Security Council, just a warning.  He says that probably emboldened the North, by making it difficult to take the United States and its partners seriously.

Also Monday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted unnamed sources as saying the North had test fired at least one short range missile into waters off its east coast.

Obama signs law curbing surprise credit card fees/Obama signs new credit card rules; asks shoppers, companies to be more responsible

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama warned overeager shoppers and greedy credit card companies alike on Friday to act responsibly as he signed into law a bill designed to protect debt-ridden consumers from surprise charges.

The White House staged a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden, an indication of the legislation's importance to Obama. Though opposed by many financial companies, the bill cleared Congress with broad support.

Obama made clear that he didn't champion the changes with the intention of helping those who buy more than they can afford through "reckless spending or wishful thinking."

"Some get in over their heads by not using their heads," the president said. "I want to be clear: We do not excuse or condone folks who've acted irresponsibly."

And yet, he said, for many of the millions of Americans, trying to get out of debt has been made difficult and bewildering by their credit card companies.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans have credit cards and half of those carry a balance, according to the White House. The Federal Reserve estimates the nation is some $2.5 trillion in debt, a figure that does not include home mortgages.

Obama said many people have gotten "trapped" because of the downturn in the economy that has turned family budgets on their heads. But, he said, "part of it is the practices of the credit card companies."

He criticized policies that allowed for confusing fine print; the sudden appearance of unexplained fees on bills; unannounced shifts in payment deadlines, interest charges or rate increases even when payments aren't late; and payments directed to balances with the lowest interest rates rather than the highest.

"We're here to put a change to all that," Obama said.

One part of the bill Obama did not publicly celebrate at the signing, a gun amendment. The measure by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., allows people to bring loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges.

The addition of the amendment to the bill -- and Obama's acceptance of it -- was viewed as a bitter disappointment for gun-control advocates.

They watched gun-rights supporters gain a victory from a Democratic-controlled Congress and a Democratic president that they couldn't achieve under a Republican Congress and president. Many blamed the National Rifle Association, which pushed hard for the gun law.

Democrats lawmakers and aides said they didn't have enough time to send the bill to the House-Senate conference committee -- where the gun provision could have been removed without a vote -- and still get the bill to Obama by the Memorial Day weekend as he requested.

The new credit card rules, which go into effect in nine months, prohibit companies from giving cards to people under 21 unless they can prove they have the means to pay the debt or a parent or guardian co-signs. A customer also will have to be more than 60 days behind on a payment before seeing a rate increase on an existing balance. Even then, the lender will be required to restore the previous, lower rate if the cardholder pays the minimum balance on time for six months.

And consumers also will have to receive 45 days' notice and an explanation before their interest rates increase.

Despite being touted as a victory for consumers, financial experts said the bill could have unintended consequences as credit card companies look for ways to make up for potential lost revenue. Those measures could include more cards with annual fees and the loss of a grace period before interest accrues, which would affect even those consumers who pay off their balance each month.

Last year, the Nilson Report estimated that more than 700 million credit cards were in circulation in the United States. That's more than two cards for every man, woman and child.

The president noted that nearly half of all Americans carry a balance on their credit cards, and that their average balance is more than $7,000.

Obama decried the "uneasy, unstable dependence" that a minority of card users have on credit.

"So we're not going to give people a free pass, and we expect consumers to live within their means and pay what they owe," Obama said. "But we also expect financial institutions to act with the same sense of responsibility that the American people aspire to in their own lives."

Washington U. professor accused of falsifying research takes leave from school

(KMOV) -- A Washington University School of Medicine professor and former Army physician accused of falsifying research involving wounded soldiers has taken a leave of absence from the school and its affiliated hospitals.

Dr. Timothy R. Kuklo, who previously worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, has been accused by four former colleagues of falsifying research involving a bone-growth product made by medical company Medtronic that was used on severely injured soldiers.

The colleagues also claim Kuklo forged their signatures when he submitted his research to a medical journal last year.

The episode did not garner much attention until U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA.) sent a letter seeking more information about Dr. Kuklo to Walter Reed, Washington University, two medical journals and Medtronic. 

The Army investigated and rebuked Kuklo but their officials said Kuklo was not disciplined further because he is retired from the Military. 

Dr. Kuklo has been a consultant for Medtronic and they paid for some of his research, but the company announced Wednesday they are suspending his consulting contract. 

Washington University School of Medicine spokeswomen Joni Westerhouse said the school approved the leave but declined to comment on if it will be paid.  She also said she does not know the duration of the leave.  She did not know if the leave was imposed on Dr. Kuklo or if he requested it. 

2 Americans die separately in Baghdad Green Zone

BAGHDAD – Two Americans have been killed in separate incidents inside Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Saturday, raising concerns about its security as Iraq's forces assume more control.

The body of an American civilian was found Friday in a vehicle in the Green Zone, and another contractor was killed by a rocket attack that night near the American Embassy, U.S. military officials said.

The body was believed to be that of a civilian working for the Department of Defense, said Lt. Col. Brian Maka, adding that the death was under investigation and no other details were immediately available.

An Iraqi police official, however, told The Associated Press that the American appeared to have been killed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The second American was killed when a rocket struck the Green Zone Friday night at 8:15 p.m. local time, said military spokesman Maj. Jose A. Lopez.

The rocket attack and discovery of the body come as the Iraqi government has begun tearing down blast walls surrounding the Green Zone, which houses a number of government ministries as well as the American Embassy.

Iraq assumed control of the Green Zone under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact that took effect Jan. 1. The U.S. continues to provide its own security in key areas, such as near the embassy and at the small military base inside.

Under the pact, the American military must withdraw from Iraq's urban areas by June 30, 2009 and the rest of the country by the end of 2011. President Barack Obama, however, has announced plans to withdraw combat troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010.

Since the Green Zone was established shortly after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, it has been repeatedly shelled or attacked by suicide and car bombers.

In 2005, Ronald Schulz of Anchorage, Alaska, was believed to have been kidnapped from the Green Zone where he was working as an electrician. His body and that of a woman believed to be his Iraqi fiancee were found by the U.S. military in a grave in September 2008.

The Islamic Army in Iraq claimed in December 2005 that it had killed the pair.