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| Last Update: Friday, March 27, 2009 |
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A suspected U.S. missile strike killed seven people Wednesday in
Pakistan's turbulent tribal region, a political official and an
intelligence source told CNN.
China Wants New Currency To Replace Dollar As Global Standard The Big Takeover: Bailout or Coup d'Etat? Liddy made AIG sound like an orphan begging in a soup line, hungry and sick from being left out in someone else's financial weather. He conveniently forgot to mention that AIG had spent more than a decade systematically scheming to evade U.S. and international regulators, or that one of the causes of its "pneumonia" was making colossal, world-sinking $500 billion bets with money it didn't have, in a toxic and completely unregulated derivatives market. Bones may be from US grave of 57 Irish immigrants Researchers may have discovered a mass grave for nearly five dozen 19th century Irish immigrants who died of cholera weeks after coming to Pennsylvania to build a railroad. Insurers offer to stop charging sick people more The health insurance industry offered Tuesday for the first time to curb its controversial practice of charging higher premiums to people with a history of medical problems
Girl's strip search tests
policy limits |
Iraq Withdrawal Will Be a ÂMassive and Expensive' Effort, GAO Says
The removal of about 140,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011
will be a "massive and expensive effort" that is likely to increase
rather than lower Iraq-related expenditures during the withdrawal and
for several years after its completion, government investigators said in
a report released... Scientists in possible cold fusion breakthrough Researchers at a US Navy laboratory have unveiled what they say is "significant" evidence of cold fusion, a potential energy source Marijuana Legalization Bills Introduced In Massachusetts Commentary: Legalize drugs to stop violence Over the past two years, drug violence in Mexico has become a fixture of the daily news. Some of this violence pits drug cartels against one another; some involves confrontations between law enforcement and traffickers. Roundup: Other countries' efforts to develop and support teachers A recent study identified teaching-related areas in which nations with high student achievement tend to have an advantage over the US. Why Singapore is another model for teaching excellence It's an honored and very selective profession – and teachers are highly paid. |
| Connecticut | |
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Conn. court restores non-driving DUI conviction
Drunk people don't actually have to drive their cars to be charged with
operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the
Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday.
Bill seeks state legislative control of stimulus funds Even as Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell continues distributing federal stimulus money throughout the state, legislative Democrats are pursuing a plan to give the General Assembly a greater say in how those funds are allocated. Police, ethnic profiling not on agenda Some of the people at a Monday evening meeting between Mayor April Capone Almon, members of the Latino community and other town officials left disappointed that it didn’t deal more directly and forcefully with issues of alleged police profiling and harassment of the customers of Latino businesses along Main Street. AG's Biting Into Acai: The Wonder Berry Eat Acai berries and you’ll be thin, have energy, be cancer-free, see and sleep well and have one heck of an immune system. Those claims had Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wondering. |
Connecticut lawmakers consider apology for slavery Conn. lawmakers consider fines for small pot busts A new legislative report shows that Connecticut could save more than $11 million if the state decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana. State Report: A Little Pot Goes a Long Way Decriminalizing minor marijuana possession could save the state $11 million, says a new legislative report. Dodd Hits Back As Wife's Ties To AIG Are Scrutinized Dodd OK with granting government takeover authority at companies like AIG Conn. salesman charged with stealing $950,000 Connecticut state police say a cleaning company salesman accused of embezzling nearly $950,000 from his employer has surrendered to face felony larceny and forgery charges. |
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United States |
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Girl's strip search tests policy limits Supreme Court to hear case of 13-yr.-old, strip searched at school for ibuprofen. 15 Of Top 20 AIG Bonus Recipients Returned The Money Call to 'shut down' Street View A formal complaint about Google Street View calls for it to be shut down until it does a better job of protecting personal privacy. Bill seeks to protect gun ownership for vets Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Jim Webb, D-Va., have joined forces to try to prevent veterans from losing the right to own a gun if a fiduciary is appointed to handle their finances. What governments offer to victims of nuclear tests A look at where some leading nuclear powers stand on offering compensation to victims of nuclear tests. NY court to hear arguments on police use of GPS Arguments will be heard in New York's top court over whether police violated the constitutional rights of a burglary suspect when they attached a global positioning tracker to his van without a court warrant. Gainesville, Fla., votes on gay discrimination ban Voters in this university city went to the polls Tuesday in an election that could strip the local government's anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents. Roundup: Other countries' efforts to develop and support teachers A recent study identified teaching-related areas in which nations with high student achievement tend to have an advantage over the US. Why Singapore is another model for teaching excellence It's an honored and very selective profession – and teachers are highly paid. Most electronic voting isn't secure, CIA expert says The CIA, which has been monitoring foreign countries' use of electronic voting systems, has reported apparent vote-rigging schemes in Venezuela, Macedonia and Ukraine and a raft of concerns about the machines' vulnerability to tampering. An old engine learns new solar tricks J.D. Sitton's mission was to find a new market for a 193-year-old engine that nobody wanted. His innovative answer: turn it into a solar power collector, then persuade top auto-parts suppliers - currently eager for work - to build it. Insurers offer to stop charging sick people more The health insurance industry offered Tuesday for the first time to curb its controversial practice of charging higher premiums to people with a history of medical problems Most states lag on teen dating violence laws Only a handful of states have responded to teen dating violence with laws enabling the young victims to obtain protection orders on equal terms with adults, a new survey reveals. Will Californians vote to end state's 'marriage business'? Two students are now working to gain enough signatures on petitions to propose a ballot initiative that would end the state's issuance of marriage licenses, instead substituting civil-union licenses that would be issued to both straight and gay couples. The proposal was the result of a question posed by a state Supreme Court justice during a hearing on Proposition 8 earlier this month. Prostitution Tax Proposed In Nevada A key lawmaker says a $5 tax on acts of prostitution could help fund "essential government services," as well as a counseling agency for sex workers. A spokesman for the brothel industry says he believes the state's legal bordellos would support the plan. The governor does not.
Why the Heat Is on Robert Gates Over the Pentagon's Big-Ticket
Weapons The defense secretary faces a budget showdown over some
of the Pentagon's most expensive systems.
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Renter who paid on time 'left out with nothing' When Lisa
Brown moved into her rental house on Long Island, New York, last summer
with her three daughters, she says, it felt like a new beginning.
Instead, Brown and her family are being evicted because her landlord
defaulted on the mortgage. The house was recently sold at auction. "It
took everything I had to move in," Brown says, "to give my kids a better
environment." And now, "I'm left out with nothing."
full story
No US troops to Mexican border...
for now US 'offered Binyam plea bargain' Former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed was offered a "plea bargain" by the US, previously unpublished documents reveal. I Was Followed, Harassed, and Ambushed By Bill O'Reilly's Hooligans BAE Systems to compete in $17.5B Army program BAE Systems said Monday it has been chosen to compete for equipment orders under an Army program that prepares soldiers for combat using simulators to mimic battle conditions. Bones may be from US grave of 57 Irish immigrants Researchers may have discovered a mass grave for nearly five dozen 19th century Irish immigrants who died of cholera weeks after coming to Pennsylvania to build a railroad. Commentary: Legalize drugs to stop violence Over the past two years, drug violence in Mexico has become a fixture of the daily news. Some of this violence pits drug cartels against one another; some involves confrontations between law enforcement and traffickers. Jefferson Davis Statue in the Middle of Controversy In the summer of 2008, the Southern Confederate Veterans, the self-proclaimed “guardians of Confederate history and heritage,” commissioned Lexington-based sculptor Gary Casteel to create a statue in honor of the bicentennial of Davis’s birth. Costing upwards of $100,000, the statue depicts Davis with his biological son, Joe, and adopted black son, Jim Limber. Harvard economist: Prohibition drives violence, legalize all drugs
Unhealthy habits cost you more at workMore
companies are adopting a carrot-and-stick
approach to lowering their health care costs:
reward healthy workers and penalize those who
maintain unhealthy habits.
Probe finds poor response to wage complaints An undercover investigation found the Labor Department repeatedly botched its response to workers who complained about not receiving fair wages or overtime pay and other labor violations 'If you had a pulse, we gave you a loan' By the end of 2008, a record 5.4 million homeowners were delinquent on their mortgages or in foreclosure. Over the course of six months, Dateline NBC spoke to Countrywide insiders about the unethical practices that led to their institution's collapse, and whistleblowers who explained how the U.S. got into the mortgage mess
VA hires vets to go find comrades who need help Derek Graner can
scan a crowd of veterans and pick out those needing help. The former
Army sergeant developed post traumatic stress disorder in Iraq and
knows the signs — the withdrawal, the restlessness, the distrust.
New report blasts U.S. on immigrant detainees More than 400,000 people a year are detained by immigration officials in the United States - including undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants who run afoul of the law and asylum seekers who come fleeing persecution - but according to a report released... |
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Science |
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| Scientists: Less ice on Great Lakes during winter Ice cover on the Great Lakes has declined more than 30 percent since the 1970s, leaving the world's largest system of freshwater lakes open to evaporation and lower water levels, according to scientists associated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. | Scientists in possible cold fusion breakthrough Researchers at a US Navy laboratory have unveiled what they say is "significant" evidence of cold fusion, a potential energy source |
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Economy |
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| Thomas Geoghegan on "Infinite Debt: How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy" “We dismantled the most ancient of human laws, the law against usury, which had existed in some form in every civilization from the time of the Babylonian Empire to the end of Jimmy Carter’s term. |
China
Wants New Currency To Replace Dollar As Global Standard Global trade 'will shrink by 9%' Wall Street Gives up Some Ground After Huge Gains |
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Iraq |
Map of Iraq |
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Deadly attack on Iraq funeral At least 25 people killed by suspected
suicide bomber in Diyala province, police say. Monday: 45 Iraqis Killed, 96 Wounded Tuesday: 1 Iraqi Killed, 6 Wounded String of deadly Iraq bombings reflects Kurdish-Arab tensions A suicide bomber attacked mourners at a Kurdish funeral in a town north of Baghdad, killing at least 25 and injuring at least 45 in the worst of a series of four bombings around Iraq Monday. Altogether, 37 people were killed and 60 were wounded in the attacks. Iraq invites oil majors to Basra Supermajors Chevron and Total, along with Norway's StatoilHydro, may bid on short-term contracts to develop the Nahr Bin Umar oil field in southern Iraq. Iraq says Turkey to double water supply Turkish President Abdullah Gul has promised to double the amount of water allocated to Iraq from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said on Wednesday.
* Oil minister says KRG objects to handing over oil
Suicide bomber kills 13 at Iraq funeral SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, Mar 23 (Reuters) A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Kurdish funeral in Iraq's volatile, ethnically mixed northern Diyala province today, killing 13 people and wounding 30, police said.
A 36-year-old Rochester businesswoman is scheduled to be sentenced
this afternoon in federal court for conspiring to export
telecommunications and other equipment to Iraq before the fall of
Saddam Hussein.
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Iraq requests 140 additional Abrams tanks Hundreds of unemployed in Baghdad streets Hundreds of unemployed people gather each day since the dawn in Baghdad in a place known by Al Mastar waiting to get a job that would help them to gain their families bread. However, those people might wait for hours without getting job. Iraq Withdrawal Will Be a ÂMassive and Expensive' Effort, GAO Says The removal of about 140,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011 will be a "massive and expensive effort" that is likely to increase rather than lower Iraq-related expenditures during the withdrawal and for several years after its completion, government investigators said in a report released...US says attacks in Iraq at lowest level since 2003 US tries new tack against insurgents in Iraq In Iraq's northwestern desert, the US military is trying a new approach to counter-insurgency in an area long regarded as a key smuggling route -- tackling local problems directly rather than simply throwing money at them. Security developments in Iraq, March 25In Iraq, truth commission idea gains traction As Iraqi officials speak loftily of ethnic and political reconciliation, Abu Wissam seethes.
Iraq: Turkish president opposes PKK amnesty (AKI) - An Iraqi Kurdish
leader has indicated he would welcome any move by Turkey to grant an
amnesty for separatist militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).But
Turkey's president Abdullah Gul on Tuesday ruled out such a move and
urged prime minister Nechirvan Barzani of Iraq's largely autonomous
Kurdistan region to "take a clear position" ...
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Middle East |
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Israel accused of 'new Gaza crime'UN
official says not allowing Palestinians to flee combat zone is crime
against humanity. Lebanon: Senior Palestinian official killed in a blast The deputy head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Lebanon Kamal Medhat was killed with four other people in a roadside bomb explosion at the entrance of the Mieh Mieh camp outside the southern Lebanese city of Saida Qassam rocket hits Ashkelon area after 10 day lull A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Ashkelon area Tuesday afternoon, after ten days of quiet Israel's Labor votes to join Netanyahu A Labor Party official says his party has voted to join the incoming government of Benjamin Netanyahu, giving a centrist tone to the coalition that has looked hard-line up to now. |
Clashes erupt in Israeli-Arab town Police fire tear gas on Arabs
protesting against Jewish rally in Umm el-Fahm. Virtual battleground attacks Hezbollah's soft underbelly Last week, while trying out breaking-in tools developed by Chinese hackers, an Israeli Network security company, Applicure, brought down the Hezbollah Web site (hizbollah.tv), using no more than 10 bots, which are computers controlled by hackers U.S. charges Irish firm over sales of aircraft parts to Iran An Irish trading company and three of its officers have been charged with sending helicopter engines and other aircraft parts to Iran, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court Tuesday |
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Afghanistan |
Map of Afghanistan |
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Journalists decry Afghan arrests Afghan journalists condemn the
arrest of two TV reporters over material they broadcast.
Short skirts get Afghan TV station in trouble Obama: U.S. to stay on offense in Afghanistan Nearing completion of a revamped strategy in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the United States will "stay on the offensive" to dismantle terrorist operations in the country. Hard-core Taliban using more insidious tactics in Kandahar Hard-core elements of the Taliban that moved into Kandahar have imported more insidious tactics to sow confusion among NATO and Afghan forces, according to former insurgent fighters and Canadian army documents. Security developments in Afghanistan, March 25 |
Bomb kills 10 civilians in eastern Afghanistan KABUL (AP) —
One roadside bomb killed 10 civilians Wednesday in a van along a route
used by foreign troops in eastern Afghanistan while another wounded
three Australian troops — highlighting a tactic increasingly favored by
Taliban militants. U.S. says shot Afghans were not civilians
KABUL (Reuters) - Two Afghans shot dead by U.S.-led forces were not
civilians, U.S. military said on Wednesday, after a police chief
said they were Afghan farmers watering their land.
Most Germans Want Their Troops Out Of Afghanistan - Poll BERLIN (AFP)--A poll published in Germany on Wednesday showed almost 60% support for a pullout of the country's troops from Afghanistan just over a week before a key North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. |
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Pakistan |
Map of Pakistan |
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Taleban tap into Swat's emeralds The Taleban in Pakistan's
strife-torn north-western district of Swat take over operations in its
emerald mines. Schools for extremists thrive in Pakistan
March 25 (Bloomberg) -- Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said
Russia is “very much concerned” about the security of Pakistan’s
nuclear arsenal, and the country must be stabilized before peace can
be achieved in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan police, displaced clash: officials One man was killed and several wounded when hundreds of people displaced by a Pakistan offensive in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan clashed with police Wednesday, officials said.
A suspected U.S. missile strike killed seven people Wednesday in
Pakistan's turbulent tribal region, a political official and an
intelligence source told CNN.
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Suicide bomber kills policeman in Islamabad Lashkar eclipsing Al Qaeda, even beyond Pakistan Islamabad, Mar.25 : The Lashkar-e-Toiba is close to eclipsing Al Qaeda as the most feared terror group in Pakistan. KAHUTA: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the armed forces... Pakistan close to water scarcity: Afridi ISLAMABAD: Minister for Environment Tuesday urged water conservation measures as the country was nearing scarcity with per capita availability falling down to 1000 cubic meter annually.....Pakistan arrests 74 Indian fishermen Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency said Wednesday it has seized 13 boats and arrested 74 Indian fishermen for illegally trawling in its waters in the Arabian Sea. |
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Asia |
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Clashes in Indian Kashmir claim 24 lives Five suspected rebels were
killed Tuesday in gunbattles between government forces and insurgents in
Indian Kashmir, bringing the death toll from five days of fighting to
24. China is 2008 leader on executions as US figures decline China in 2008 was the world leader on capital punishment, executing at least 1,718 people, which accounted for almost three quarters of executions worldwide, |
China
'blocks YouTube video site' China reportedly blocks YouTube because
of footage that purports to show soldiers beating monks and other
Tibetans. Citing dangerous housing, China bulldozes ancient Uighur culture Delayed Nano car goes on sale India's Tata Motors launches "world's cheapest car" in Mumbai months behind schedule. |
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Europe |
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France to pay nuclear test victims Defence minister announces
compensation for civilians and veterans affected by tests. Georgian opposition members held Georgian police arrest members of an opposition party for allegedly trying to buy illegal weapons, a claim the party denies. |
France to limit executive bonuses
Move comes after employers' federation refuses to accept voluntary
accord Spanish government criticised for renewing titles issued under Franco |
| Africa | |
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Dutch judges
convict Rwanda Hutu of killing
Tutsis
A Hutu man was convicted and
sentenced to 20 years in prison
Monday for the slaying of two
Tutsi mothers and at least four
of their children during
Rwanda's 1994 genocide .
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The Americas |
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| Venezuela court moves trial of Chavez opponent The trial of a top opposition leader will be held in Caracas instead of his home city, Venezuela's Supreme Court announced -- a move the official says is aimed at stacking the odds against him. | |