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WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The war in Iraq has killed at least 647 civilian contractors to date, according to official figures that provide a stark reminder of the huge role of civilians in supporting the U.S. military.
The contractor death toll is tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor on the basis of claims under an insurance policy, the Defense Base Act, that all U.S. government contractors and subcontractors working outside the United States must take out for their civilian employees.
In response to questions from Reuters, a Labor Department spokesman said there had been 647 claims for death benefits between March 1, 2003, and Sept. 30, 2006. The Defense Base Act covers both Americans and foreigners, and there is no breakdown of the nationalities of those killed.
PBL has set the Leighton Group a tight deadline to complete its $1.7 billion City of Dreams casino/hotel project in Macau. Announced on Monday, the City of Dreams is set to become Leighton's largest single project in terms of turnover over the next few years, chief operating officer Bill Wild said yesterday. Mr Wild said Leighton had several larger projects on its books, including Melbourne's $2.5 billion EastLink, otherwise known as the Mitcham-to-Frankston freeway. But he said the Macau project had a much tighter deadline with the casino and most of the rest of the project - which includes four hotels, an apartment block and a theatre - due for completion in the second half of 2008. "It will be a challenge to deliver a massive project in a couple of years," Mr Wild said.
SAN DIEGO -- Authorities are seeking more victims of a pool designer and contractor accused of scamming at least 11 people out of more than $150,000, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Monday. Daniel Torgel, 46, is charged with felony diverting or misusing contracting funds and misdemeanor contracting without a license. "There may be victims who have not come forward yet, which could lead to more criminal charges being filed against the defendant," Dumanis said. "We urge anyone who may have been defrauded to contact our office." .
Congressional investigators have subpoenaed two Hewlett-Packard Co. employees and one contractor to testify before a House investigative subcommittee Thursday as part of the panel's probe of an HP spying scandal that has spawned two criminal investigations. The scandal grew out of a series of media-leak investigations at the Silicon Valley computer giant. The subpoenas, the first issued by the panel in this case, went out over the weekend to HP senior counsel and ethics director Kevin Hunsaker; former HP global security director Anthony Gentilucci; and Ronald R. DeLia, owner of Security Outsourcing Solutions, a Boston investigative firm HP hired to help identify the sources of media leaks. .
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning took up several reports under its 2006-2007 budget agenda item, focusing on the financing of the Development Account, construction of additional facilities in Addis Ababa and Vienna, and the contingent liability reserve for the United Nations Postal Administration. .
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