The News Crawler

The News Crawler
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Last Update: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

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will appoint Afghan 'prime minister' to bypass Karzai The US and its European allies are preparing to plant a high-profile figure in the heart of the Kabul government in a direct challenge to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, the Guardian has learned. Soldiers: Army forced us to deploy despite health woes Several soldiers say commanders constantly pressure troops with health issues to deploy, even when medical records show problems. IRS Defends Drop In Audits Of Millionaires Court says US asked detainee to drop torture claim A British court says U.S. authorities asked a Guantanamo Bay detainee to drop allegations of torture in exchange for his freedom.	U.S. unveils new bank rescue plan The goal is to buy up at least $500 billion of existing assets and loans, such as subprime mortgages that are now in danger of default. Treasury said the program could potentially expand to $1 trillion over time, but that the hope is that the program would not only help cleanse the balance sheets of many of the nation's largest banks, which continue to suffer billions of dollars in losses, but help get credit flowing again. FIRMS GIVING BAILOUT MONEY TO POLITICIANS AS CAMPAIGN DONATIONS The American Way of War E. Jarecki of 'Why We Fight': Obama is moving towards traditional Washington view of defense
Connecticut
Atlantic Wire Co. Sentence For River Dumping Delayed Since the Atlantic Wire Co. was caught dumping polluted water into the Branford River in 2007, chemicals and equipment used to make the steel wire and processed rod at the now-closed facility have been properly disposed of, court records say. White Powder Found In Envelope Sent To DeLauro Members of the FBI and the New Haven police and fire departments are called to the New Haven office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro after an envelope containing white powder is found.	800 hired for Conn. count for US Census Bureau AIG Problems Will Kill 400 CT Jobs AT&T union workers protest to keep jobs Union workers at AT&T protested outside a call center in Hamden, Sunday. They claim the company is trying to edge them out. Greenleaf Biofuels awarded $1.3M grant
United States
Who Needs NASA? Teens Capture Amazing Space Photos With Just Balloon And Camera Student obesity linked to proximity to fast-food outlets The American Way of War E. Jarecki of 'Why We Fight': Obama is moving towards traditional Washington view of defense Court says US asked detainee to drop torture claim A British court says U.S. authorities asked a Guantanamo Bay detainee to drop allegations of torture in exchange for his freedom. SHAMED: 15 OF 20 TOP AIG BONUS RECIPIENTS GIVE BACK $30 MILLION IN PAYMENTS Judge orders FDA to let 17-year-olds use Plan B Wealthy Have Facebook Of Their Own Some of the world's wealthiest people are joining the social networking site Affluence.org, which requires members to prove they have a net worth of $3 million. Consumers could subvert energy conservation Yes, Stewart, CNBC Still Trusts Cramer	Drug industry hopes for FDA split Regulators seek global approach to short selling Bill would allow Oregonians to register to vote from home computer Oregonians can already vote from home by mail, and by next year they may also be able to register to vote from their home computer. Vibrant democracy 'requires newspapers' ABC radio reporter found dead in NYC Sniper range may hit 1,200 meters soon $73.2M to Extend Caterpillar Equipment Life Caterpillar, Inc in Mossville, IL received a $73.2 million cost plus, no fee, firm-fixed-price contract with options. Alaska volcano Mount Redoubt erupts 4 times Terrorism Recruiting Manual Worries Authorities A new terrorism recruiting manual, which encourages local recruiting and training, is causing authorities to reevaluate how al-Qaida may be finding and training new members. The 51-page manual, posted on a Web site, offers tips and a guide for the recruiters Soldiers: Army forced us to deploy despite health woes Several soldiers say commanders constantly pressure troops with health issues to deploy, even when medical records show problems.
Madoffed
Details Emerge of Money to Refund Madoff VictimsMadoff victims line up for refunds, vie for shares of pot that will be in the billions IRS Defends Drop In Audits Of Millionaires

Politics
Brownback to block Iraq nominee The Kansas senator threatened Thursday to hold, using a Senate rule, Christopher Hill's confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Iraq on the grounds that Mr. Hill misled him regarding human rights talks with North Korea. Could split contract solve Air Force tanker dispute? (McClatchy Newspapers) Despite opposition from the Pentagon, one of the most powerful members of the House Appropriations Committee is considering including a provision in an upcoming supplemental defense bill that would split the $35 billion contract for Air Force refueling tankers between Boeing and a European competitor. Senate Subcommittee Looks At Abusive Credit Card Practices	FIRMS GIVING BAILOUT MONEY TO POLITICIANS AS CAMPAIGN DONATIONS BILBRAY COAUTHORS BILL TO EXEMPT SOLAR FARMS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Protesters tell Palin take stimulus funds Foreign firms eye stimulus dollars Foreign nations and companies are eyeing U.S. stimulus dollars, stepping up their lobbying efforts in Washington and in state capitals in a bid to gain vital business in hard times. Earmarks reform "a sham"; Congress hides billions in pet projects A Times investigation of the 2008 defense bill has found 155 hidden earmarks worth $3.5 billion. House members broke the new rules 110 times by not disclosing who was getting the favors
Obama
FAQ: What IS The Geithner 'Toxic Assets' Plan? U.S. unveils new bank rescue plan The goal is to buy up at least $500 billion of existing assets and loans, such as subprime mortgages that are now in danger of default. Treasury said the program could potentially expand to $1 trillion over time, but that the hope is that the program would not only help cleanse the balance sheets of many of the nation's largest banks, which continue to suffer billions of dollars in losses, but help get credit flowing again. Obama says risks still haunt U.S. financial system The U.S. financial system still faces risks requiring government intervention to avoid a more destructive recession, President Barack Obama said, before a critical week of fleshing out and selling his recovery plan. U.S. Rounding Up Investors to Buy Bad Assets The Obama administration worked to persuade private investors to buy troubled assets, ahead of Monday’s announcement of the administration’s plan for the government to do so.	Obama Releasing "Ugly" Bush Administration Torture Memos Obama criticizes some Guantanamo release decisions (AP) President Barack Obama says the U.S. hasn't done a good job sorting out who should be released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Geithner Lays Out Toxic Assets Agenda In Wall Street Journal... Axelrod Vs. Geithner: Volcano Erupts In Alaska Weeks After Jindal Mocked Funding For Volcano Monitoring Obama administration hit with two Gitmo-related lawsuits Geithner Refuses To Endorse Tarp Bonus Tax WATCH: Obama's "60 Minutes" Interview
Economy
Why To Be Worried About Deflation The Fed has said it will effectively print $1.2 trillion to flood the U.S. economy with more money for loans. Fed Chair Ben Bernanke fears that if people can't get loans to buy cars and homes or even to take vacations, we're going to see more lot more deflation. But what's so bad about prices going down	Stocks extend gains on home sales Traders are applauding the government's latest plan to help banks remove as much as $1 trillion in bad assets from their books. Dollar weak against rivals Existing home sales spike 5%

Iraq	Map of Iraq
US flag-burning marks war anniversary American flags were set on fire Friday to chants of "no, no for occupation" as followers of an anti-U.S. Shiite cleric marked the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war New video released of British hostage taken in Iraq nearly two years ago Hostage says five Britons seized nearly two years ago are being treated well and urges British government to secure their release US: Airstrike in Iraq kills 11 insurgents The U.S. military says an airstrike on a militant hideout north of Baghdad has killed at least 11 insurgents. Saturday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 11 Wounded Sunday: 8 Iraqis Killed, 8 Wounded Joint Iraqi-US operation arrests 33 suspects The Big Takeover: How Wall Street Insiders are Using the Bailout to Stage a Revolution	Iraq fired 62,000 accused of corruption: minister (AFP) Iraq has fired 62,000 employees accused of corruption and is dismantling sectarianism among its police -- signs that it has turned a corner en route to eventual self-rule, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani wrote in a US newspaper Sunday. Turkey could let U.S. troops cross its territory Turkey could allow American troops to withdraw from Iraq across its territory if Washington requests permission, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells CNN. Relations between the NATO allies soured in 2003 when Turkish lawmakers blocked U.S. plans to invade northern Iraq from Turkish soil. full story U.S. says Iraqi prisoners to be freed or charged Turkey may allow US arms shipments via İncirlik base’
Middle East
Anti-Arab attacks 'on the rise' in Israel Trouble brewing in Jerusalem Either side of Jerusalem's Old City walls, a storm is brewing, threatening to engulf residents the length and breadth of the region. If the Israeli authorities make good on their promise to demolish homes in Silwan and evict families in Sheikh Jarrah, locals swear that Israel will be drenched with blood and tears, Islamist sentenced to death in Yemen after offering to spy for Israel A Yemeni court sentenced an Islamist to death and handed down jail sentences against two others on Monday after convicting them of seeking to work for Israeli intelligence services Police prevent provocations with capture of 3 PKK members Turkish police have captured three members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who were allegedly preparing to stage provocative acts in İstanbul ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for March 29.	Israel says car bomb defused at shopping mall (Reuters) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday an explosives-laden car parked at a shopping mall in northern Israel, and defused by police, was an attempted Arab attack aimed at causing mass casualties. Egypt seizes TNT, sheep on way to Gaza Stocks extend gains on home sales Saudi rights group criticizes religious police PLO official killed in Lebanon bomb blast A bomb killed a senior official in the Palestinian Fatah faction and four other people in southern Lebanon on Monday, security sources said. Hamas leader welcomes Obama's "new language": report
Afghanistan	Map of Afghanistan
will appoint Afghan 'prime minister' to bypass Karzai The US and its European allies are preparing to plant a high-profile figure in the heart of the Kabul government in a direct challenge to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, the Guardian has learned. Security developments in Afghanistan, March 23 U.S. to put "exit strategy" in Afghanistan policy The new U.S. policy for Afghanistan to be unveiled soon will contain an exit strategy and include greater emphasis on economic development, President Barack Obama said. Flying robots to spy on Taliban bombmakers	US envoy: Afghanistan war on drugs a failure Afghanistan unrest kills more than 70: officials (AFP) A wave of clashes in Afghanistan killed more than 70 people, including 18 policemen and four Canadian soldiers Friday, officials said, amid alarm about the country's mounting Taliban-led insurgency. NATO: Taliban commander among 10 killed in strike NATO killed a senior Taliban commander and nine other suspected militants in southern Afghanistan, while the coalition and its Afghan allies suffered an equal number of deaths in separate attacks in the same area, officials said Monday.
Pakistan	Map of Pakistan
Civilians fly killing drones for CIA Some pilots who pull missile triggers are CIA hired contractors. Pakistani, Indian troops trade fire in Kashmir (AFP) Pakistani and Indian troops on Saturday traded fire in the disputed Himalayan Kashmir region amid heightened bilateral tensions triggered by Mumbai terror attacks. Suicide Bomber Targets Pakistan Police, 2 Killed CIA chief in Pakistan amid missile strike furor	Pakistan sends Mumbai attack DNA data to Interpol (AP) Security developments in Pakistan, March 23 Obama Plan Would Link Pakistan Aid to Taliban Fight President Barack Obama has been given a new Afghan war strategy that calls for tighter control of the Afghan-Pakistani border and linking aid to Pakistan with its willingness to fight extremists, said people familiar with the plan.
Asia
Dozens of monks detained after China riot Media barred from writing on 7/11 probe The special MCOCA court in Mumbai passed an order on Saturday prohibiting the media from publishing anything pertaining to investigations in the serial train blasts here in July 2007. Goldman (Sachs) May Sell Part of Its Stake in Chinese Bank ICBC	China says will continue buying U.S. debt China will continue buying U.S. government debt while paying close attention to possible fluctuations in the value of those assets, a vice governor of Beijing's central bank said Monday. 11 injured in Thai bomb blasts
Europe
U.K. backtracks on preventing war crimes charges against IDF London will not push through changes in legislation that permits the arrest of Israel Defense Forces officers visiting Britain on war crimes, as previously promised, Jerusalem has learned.	Sweden Says No to Saving Saab, a National Icon
Africa
Hutu rebels in Congo strike back against joint offensive FDLR militia targets civilians, aid workers, and officials who supported the Congo-Rwanda effort. At least 26 killed in Darfur tribal clashes: chief (AFP) Pope condemns war, tribalism in Africa Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on Sunday with hundreds of thousands of Angolans and decried the "clouds of evil" over Africa that have spawned war, tribalism and ethnic rivalry that he said condemned poor people to virtual slavery.	Al-Bashir urged to drop Qatar trip Sudanese scholars say president should not attend Arab summit amid fears of his arrest. 3 pirate attacks reported off Somalia Pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at Japanese, Greek and Hong Kong cargo ships off the coast of Somalia but fled after the ships took evasive maneuvers, officials said Monday.