Washington, D.C.

DNA tests confirm Canada source of mad-cow case

Genetic testing confirms that the cow diagnosed with the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was born in Canada, agriculture officials said Tuesday.

The finding puts new emphasis above the border in the investigation of the North American outbreak of the brain-wasting disease. The Holstein, slaughtered in Washington state on Dec. 9, is the second cow born in western Canada diagnosed with mad cow disease since May.

The DNA tests on the cow, on one of its offspring and on the semen from the cow’s sire, as well as records that show the cow came from a dairy farm in Alberta, make “us confident in the accuracy of this traceback,” said Dr. Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture Department’s chief veterinarian.

Washington, D.C.

Firms winning Iraq contracts have ties to U.S. officials

A partnership of giant companies with ties to U.S. officials has been awarded a $1.8 billion Iraq reconstruction contract, the government said Tuesday.

The Bush administration also announced plans to open bidding on an additional $5 billion in projects.

The team of Bechtel National Inc. and Parsons Corp. won the deal for major reconstruction projects in Iraq, said Gordon West of the State Department’s U.S. Agency for International Development.

Bechtel executives gave thousands of dollars to President Bush’s 2000 campaign.

Separately, Parsons won an $89 million contract; it has hired two former top Energy Department officials to help the company land Energy Department contracts.

Washington, D.C.

Companies chosen to make plane-defense systems

The Bush administration announced Tuesday it has chosen three companies to develop plans for anti-missile systems to defend commercial planes against shoulder-fired rockets.

BAE Systems, Northrup Grumman and United Airlines will receive $2 million each over six months to determine whether existing military technology can be used to counter the terrorist threat, said Charles McQueary, the Homeland Security Department’s undersecretary for science and technology.

Existing defenses, such as infrared jammers that redirect heat-seeking rockets away from aircraft engines, already are used on military planes.