The News Crawler

The News Crawler
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Last Update: Sunday, May 10, 2009

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Taliban spokesman: Al Qaeda is not our boss He keeps his eyes averted, he won't engage in small talk, and he looks ill at ease. That's how CNN's Nic Robertson describes Zabiullah Mujahid, one of two spokesmen for Taliban leader Mullah Omar. In an exclusive interview, Mujahid says the Taliban will never be defeated in Afghanistan. US Accused of Violating Its Amnesty in Iraq A senior anti-Qaeda militia leader allied with American forces said on Monday that his arrest was a violation of an amnesty deal signed with the United States last year. Study: Bailed Out Banks Fueled Subprime Lending Obama Tax Haven Plan: Read The Full Text President Barack Obama plans changes to tax policy to crack down on tax havens, a move certain to be unpopular with corporations with international divisions who exploit tax loopholes. Aides say the plan is a step toward the massive overhaul of international financial regulations that the president has promised. President Obama announced the plan at the White House Monday. US interrogators killed dozens, human rights researcher and rights group say United States interrogators killed nearly four dozen detainees during and after their interrogations, according a report 400,000 Still on Terror Watchlist, Including Author of Book on Rove 24,000 IMPROPERLY KEPT ON FBI TERROR LIST Liberty City Six jury deliberations at a standstill A juror at odds with 11 others deciding the fate of six men charged in a Miami terrorism conspiracy said Monday she isn't willing to deliberate further because the other jurors are making her sick to her stomach. Student Wins Suit After Teacher Says Creationism 'Superstitious Nonsense'	America has protected Israeli nuke program for 40 years The origins of the U.S. shield of Israel's nuclear program date to a 1969 summit between President Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, documents released in the past few years show. There is no one piece of paper that actually describes the accord. However, the closest acknowledgment of the deal came in 2007, when the Nixon Library declassified many of the papers of former National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger. Taxpayers lose $7 billion as Obama administration writes off Chrysler loan Pentagon to create 20,000 jobs to manage arms buys President Barack Obama's Defense Department plans to create 20,000 new government jobs to help revise how it buys more than $100 billion of weapons each year, the Pentagon's No. 2 official told Congress WATCH: Fed Inspector General Knows Roughly Nothing About The Fed AIPAC launches push for Iran sanctions AIPAC delegates will fan out on the Hill for over 500 separate meetings with lawmakers and key aides. 2 Senior AIPAC Employees Ousted", Two senior employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of Washington's most influential lobbying organizations, have left their jobs amid an FBI investigation into whether they passed classified U.S. information to the government of Israel, a source close to the organization said yesterday. Paranoid Authorities Wouldn't Let My Plane Fly Over U.S. Territory -- Was It Something I Wrote? An AirFrance flight was forced to divert a plane thousands of miles because a journalist was considered a national security threat.
Connecticut
Dodd: Bush officials in torture flap ‘ought to be pursued’ Conn. considers 'green cleaning' in schools A coalition of lawmakers and health advocacy groups are asking Connecticut's General Assembly to require all public schools to use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Beverage Distributors Go To Court To Keep Bottle Deposits Mass. company proposes energy plant in Conn. A Massachusetts company is proposing to build a plant in Connecticut to transform garbage into electricity. Conn. judge rejects bottle injunction A Connecticut judge has ruled against a group of soda and beer distributors who sought to stop the state from taking an estimated $6 million in unclaimed nickel bottle and can deposits that the companies had kept.	Connecticut House Prices Fall For Sixth Month In A Row Lieberman campaign agrees to pay $50,000 fine U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's campaign has agreed to pay a $50,000 civil penalty in connection with what federal authorities call improper petty cash payments made during the 2006 Democratic primary. Blumenthal Meets With Craigslist Owner State attorneys general from Missouri, Illinois and Connecticut begin negotiations with Craigslist to eliminate what they contend are advertisements for illegal sexual activities Dodd wants waterboarding prosecutions Dodd says the release of the so-called torture memos creates a moral imperative for an investigation. CT Fishermen Hit Hard by New Regulations The commercial fishing industry in the state is bracing for a blow with strict new regulations on the amount of fishing allowed by law.
United States
FBI and police review YouTube videos of recent Kent State riot for evidence of excessive force Joe The Plumber: I Would Never Let "Queers" Near My Children Paranoid Authorities Wouldn't Let My Plane Fly Over U.S. Territory -- Was It Something I Wrote? An AirFrance flight was forced to divert a plane thousands of miles because a journalist was considered a national security threat. GI Bill transfer rights rules anger some vets As the Aug. 1 launch date nears for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, more people are realizing they won’t be able to share education benefits with their families. Lost Manuscript Unmasks Details Of Original Ponzi In the summer of 1920, William H. McMasters, one of Boston’s top publicists, was in a pickle. A new client, a dapper and charming Italian immigrant named Charles Ponzi, was raking in millions on promises to pay investors 50 percent interest in 45 days. Army extends immigrant recruiting Pilot program seeks to boost the ranks of language and healthcare specialists by offering citizenship. Texas police shake down drivers, lawsuit claims Roderick Daniels was driving through east Texas in October 2007 when, he says, he was the victim of a highway robbery. The Tennessee man says he was ordered to pull his car over and surrender his jewelry and $8,500 in cash that he had with him to buy a new car. But Daniels couldn't go to the police to report the incident. The men who stopped him were the police. Liberty City Six jury deliberations at a standstill A juror at odds with 11 others deciding the fate of six men charged in a Miami terrorism conspiracy said Monday she isn't willing to deliberate further because the other jurors are making her sick to her stomach. American workers outsourcing own jobs overseas Skewer-Onion: Report finds personal outsourcing is revolutionizing how Americans don't do their work Nearly 1 In 3 Homeowners Owe More On Mortgage Than Home Is Worth Audit: air traffic systems vulnerable to attack The nation's air traffic control systems are vulnerable to cyber attacks, and support systems have been breached in recent months allowing hackers access to personnel records and network servers Report: FBI slow to update terror watchlist The FBI has been slow to update the national terror suspect watchlist - and the lapses pose real risks to U.S. security, a Justice Department audit has found Sex offenders living under Miami bridge Don’t Sign That Document, Fool! Black and brown Americans are some of this nation's most hopeful and trustful citizens. Why the banking industry’s eagerness to prey upon our hope and our trust ranks among its greatest crimes. Justice drops criminal charges against Ehren Watada, the Iraq war's first high-profile resistor. AIG Confesses to Bonuses Four Times Higher Than Reported	Student Wins Suit After Teacher Says Creationism 'Superstitious Nonsense' Another Man Shoots Cops Because He's Worried About Obama Supreme Court Throws Out Ruling On Janet Jackson Wardrobe Malfunction The high court on Monday directed the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to consider reinstating the $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission imposed on CBS over Jackson's breast-baring performance at the 2004 Super Bowl. Google Gets Goats to Mow Lawn at Company Headquarters Apple and Google 'probe launched' The Federal Trade Commission is looking into the ties between the boards of Apple and Google, according to reports. Britain Tries to Block CIA Rendition Case UAW chief says union will sell its Chrysler stock The United Auto Workers union has no intention of keeping its 55 percent stake in the new Chrysler and will sell the shares as soon as possible to fund a trust that will take over retiree health care costs next year, the union's president said Monday. Generations disagree on same-sex marriage A new national poll suggests a majority of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex marriages, but the survey indicates a vast generational divide on the issue Supreme Court limits identity theft law The Supreme Court on Monday took away one of the government's tools for prosecuting and deporting workers in this country illegally, ruling that the crime of identity theft was limited to those who knew they were using another person's Social Security number. Utah takes nuclear waste from states with own dump Despite having their own radioactive waste dump, three states have shipped millions of cubic feet of waste across the country this decade to a private Utah facility that is the only one available to 36 other states, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. Department of Energy records. Maine legalizes same-sex marriage 50 amphib sailors have flu symptoms A possible outbreak of the so-called swine flu aboard the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Dubuque has caused Navy leadership to cancel the ship’s planned June 1 deployment in the Pacific. Appeals court says raid on Muslims' Va. home OK Government agents searching for evidence of terrorist funding acted reasonably when they broke down a Muslim family's front door, entered with guns drawn and handcuffed a frantic woman and her teenage daughter, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Pentagon plans to speed up chemical weapons destruction The Pentagon plans on ramping up by more than three years the destruction of chemical weapons at Blue Grass Army Depot, a move that includes an additional $1.2 billion in construction at two new disposal plants in Kentucky and Colorado, according to the Department of Defense. 400,000 Still on Terror Watchlist, Including Author of Book on Rove 24,000 IMPROPERLY KEPT ON FBI TERROR LIST
Madoffed
SEC charges money market fund with fraud

Science
Ancient tsunami 'hit New York' Evidence is building to support the notion that a huge wave crashed into the New York City region 2,300 years ago. Report: American Indians all descended from single ancestral group	Telegraph (UK) Scientist create face of first European Using radiocarbon analysis scientists say the man or woman, lived between 34,000 and 36,000 years ago
Politics
GOP Fight To Keep Tax Loopholes For Big Business Detainee abuses on US troops? Joint chiefs chair worries techniques may be used on deployed US soldiers House GOP Campaign Chief Holds Fundraiser At Risque Vegas Nightclub Bill would triple U.S. non-military Pakistan aid AIPAC launches push for Iran sanctions AIPAC delegates will fan out on the Hill for over 500 separate meetings with lawmakers and key aides. 2 Senior AIPAC Employees Ousted", Two senior employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of Washington's most influential lobbying organizations, have left their jobs amid an FBI investigation into whether they passed classified U.S. information to the government of Israel, a source close to the organization said yesterday. Chrysler won't repay bailout money Chrysler LLC will not repay U.S. taxpayers more than $7 billion in bailout money it received earlier this year and as part of its bankruptcy filing. Bush Aides Trying To Soften Torture Report Cheney may have tried to have torture memo destroyed: Rice lawyer We must be doomed: Congress praises newspapers Members of Congress, who sometimes bristle at press coverage of them, now are searching for ways to help buck up an industry that many Wall Street analysts think is well past its prime in the Internet age. Wednesday, they took testimony from a raft of newspaper executives. Gates Funds Unorthodox Health Research There is a magnet that can detect malaria at the flick of a switch, a flu-resistant chicken, an "antiviral" tomato and a vaccine enhanced with the use of a laser. The ideas are so bold that, as the scientists behind them admit, they can often struggle for funding.. US interrogators killed dozens, human rights researcher and rights group say United States interrogators killed nearly four dozen detainees during and after their interrogations, according a report	Stress Test Results: 10 Of 19 Banks Will Need Capital AIG Won't Need Another Bailout Swine flu no worse than regular flu, Napolitano says EPA: ethanol crops displaces climate-friendly ones The Environmental Protection Agency says that corn ethanol -- as made today -- wouldn't meet a congressional requirement that ethanol produce 20 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline. But the agency said it is still more climate friendly than gasoline. Schwarzenegger says it's time to study legalizing pot Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday it's time for California to study whether to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational use, though he's not yet advocating for such a change. No Criminal Case Likely Over Torture Memos Justice Department officials have stopped short of recommending criminal charges against Bush administration lawyers who wrote secret memos approving harsh interrogation techniques of terror suspects. A person familiar with the inquiry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says investigators recommended referring two of the three lawyers to state bar associations for possible disciplinary action. The person was not authorized to discuss the inquiry 6 Puerto Ricans arrested for disrupting Congress A group of six pro-independence Puerto Ricans was arrested Wednesday for demonstrating inside the House, a Capitol Police spokeswoman iPhone app tracks stimulus spending Arkansas said Wednesday it launched the first iPhone application to track state projects funded through the federal stimulus package. WATCH: Fed Inspector General Knows Roughly Nothing About The Fed Geithner Tells Charlie Rose: Banks Negotiated Intensely Over Stress Test Results
Obama
WHITE HOUSE: WE CAN'T SAVE NEWSPAPERS Justifying His Fiscal Policies, Obama Borrows From the G.O.P. For 30 years, Republicans have held as an article of faith that tax cuts spur the economy and generate more revenue. “Deficits don’t matter,” as former Vice President Dick Cheney said. Now President Obama is adapting Republican arguments to his own agenda — only substituting spending for tax cuts. Obama's Chilling Crew: The legal harassment of those investigating Tony Rezko Why is there so little media investigation of the financing behind Barack Obama’s early political sponsor—and now convicted felon—Tony Rezko? The dual US-Syrian citizen Rezko--who assisted Obama in the purchase of his Chicago mansion--was heavily funded by loans from Iraqi-British ex-Baathist billionaire Nadhmi Auchi. According to testimony at Rezko’s trial, Obama met Auchi at an April 3, 2004 event at Rezko’s home during Obama’s 2004 US Senate campaign. The Times of London reports discovering, “state documents in Illinois recording that Fintrade Services, a Panamanian company, lent money to Mr. Obama’s fundraiser in May 2005.” Fintrade directors, according to The Times “include Ibtisam Auchi, the name of Mr. Auchi’s wife”. Taxpayers lose $7 billion as Obama administration writes off Chrysler loan Pentagon to create 20,000 jobs to manage arms buys President Barack Obama's Defense Department plans to create 20,000 new government jobs to help revise how it buys more than $100 billion of weapons each year, the Pentagon's No. 2 official told Congress Obama plans lean Yucca budget President Barack Obama will propose the lowest budget for Yucca Mountain since the Nevada site was selected as the nation’s nuclear waste dump, according to a summary of the fiscal 2010 budget obtained today by the Sun	Obama seeks larger, pricier consumer commission President Barack Obama is turning to South Carolina's former school superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry. White House: banks should boost capital privately Obama cuts prayer-day service President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the following morning. All Mr. Obama will do for the National Day of Prayer, which is Thursday, is sign a proclamation honoring the day, which originated in 1952 when Congress set aside the first Thursday in May for the event Obama Tax Haven Plan: Read The Full Text President Barack Obama plans changes to tax policy to crack down on tax havens, a move certain to be unpopular with corporations with international divisions who exploit tax loopholes. Aides say the plan is a step toward the massive overhaul of international financial regulations that the president has promised. President Obama announced the plan at the White House Monday. Businesses pan tax crackdown plan U.S.: Obama Urged to Sign Native Rights Declaration The United States is considering whether to endorse a major U.N. General Assembly resolution calling for the recognition of the rights of the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples over their lands and resources New standards could cut tax breaks for corn-based ethanol The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed renewable-fuel standards that could reduce the $3 billion a year in federal tax breaks given to producers of corn-based ethanol. The move sets the stage for a major battle between Midwest grain producers and environmentalists who say the gasoline additive actually worsens global warming.
Economy
BofA mulls $8 billion CCB stake sale Bank of America , which may need to raise an additional $34 billion in capital according to a source familiar with the results of a U.S. government stress test, would gain an extra dividend of $200 million if it holds its stake in China Construction Bank until June 17, the Financial Times said on Wednesday. Fed, Bernanke mulled unconventional options in '03 Ben Bernanke has done something no other Federal Reserve chairman has done before: cut rates to near zero and resorted to unconventional tools to lift the country out of recession	Most Of The Top 25 Subprime Lenders Were Owned Or Financed By Bailed-Out Banks The List Of Top 25 Subprime Lenders... Maps Showing Where Subprime Loans Originated Millionaires don't feel so rich: survey Who wants to be a millionaire when nearly half of them don't even feel rich, according to a survey released Wednesday. Ford Shifting SUV Plant to Electric Vehicles Study: Bailed Out Banks Fueled Subprime Lending

Iraq	Map of Iraq
Former Iraqi allies turn against US S.KOREANS convicted in Iraq bribery scheme. Sunday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 15 Wounded Monday: 15 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded US Accused of Violating Its Amnesty in Iraq A senior anti-Qaeda militia leader allied with American forces said on Monday that his arrest was a violation of an amnesty deal signed with the United States last year. Tuesday: 37 Iraqis Killed, Unknown Wounded Iraqi Army Kills U.S.-allied Sunni Militiaman IED Kills Civilian in Western Mosul Truck bomb loaded with vegetables kills 11 in Baghdad Iraq Says Kills over 30 Militants in New Strike Iraqi security forces have killed more than 30 Islamist militants in a new military operation in the restive province of Diyala, a security official said on Tuesday.	Iraq imports 95% of its foodstuff Iraq Central Bank refuses to borrow government money from its reserves Iraq Central Bank refused governmental bids aiming at borrowing money from the reserves of the Bank in order to face the budget deficit. The Central Bank considered this step illegal and said that it breaches the independence of the bank. Iraqi Police: Suicide Bomber Apprehended In Kirkuk A Syrian National And ISI Member The commander of police of subprovinces in Iraq’s Kirkuk province, Police Brig. Sarhad Qadir, has said that the would-be suicide bomber who was apprehended May 1 as he tried to carry out an attack at a Shi'ite house of worship in Kirkuk, ... Informants: Blackwater talked of arms dump A defense contractor charged with trying to smuggle firearms out of Iraq claimed Blackwater guards asked him to help get rid of weapons after a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad. U.S. Forces Kill, Arrest 8 al-Qaeda Gunmen in Salah el-Din
Middle East
44 Killed, 8 Gunmen Arrested After Brutal Attack On Turkish Engagement Ceremony Khamenei Scolds Ahmadinejad Over Dismissed Official Hamas Leader: We've Halted Rocket Strikes On Israel, Now Support Two-State Solution 'Blood feud' behind Turkey attack Interior minister rules out separatist PKK role in attack on wedding party. Journalist group: US reporter hospitalized in Iran The American journalist on a hunger strike for two weeks to protest her imprisonment in Iran was briefly hospitalized after she intensified her fast by refusing to drink water, Reporters Without Borders said Monday. Man stoned to death in Iran for adultery: judiciary A man was stoned to death in Iran for adultery but the woman involved in the case repented, the judiciary said on Tuesday, suggesting her life was spared. Yemen halts 7 papers amid southern rioting Yemen has suspended seven publications -- including the nation's most popular daily on Tuesday -- in effort to stifle reporting on an unprecedented wave of deadly rioting sweeping the south. Violence in Yemen Shows Growing Power of Insurgency A series of demonstrations and armed confrontations have left at least eight people dead and dozens injured in the past week. Biden: Dismantle West Bank settlements Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday called for dismantling Israeli settlements in the West Bank and repeated guarantees that the United States under President Obama will defend Israel's security. CIA OSC: Secret Israeli database shows full extent of illegal settlements, Apr 2009 According to Haaretz, "An analysis of the data reveals that, in the vast majority of the settlements - about 75 percent - construction, sometimes on a large scale, has been carried out without the appropriate permits or contrary to the permits that were issued,", and "The database also shows that, in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction of buildings and infrastructure (roads, schools, synagogues, yeshivas and even police stations) has been carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents." UN watchdog finds traces of enriched uranium in Egypt Assad defends Iran nuclear drive (AFP) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defended Iran's nuclear drive, saying world powers locked in a standoff with Tehran should also voice concern over archfoe Israel's atomic arsenal.	Iraq Restricts Intel To U.S. Military Iraq has begun to restrict the flow of intelligence to the U.S. military. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has begun to block intelligence to the U.S. military. Iran shells border villages in Northern Iraq Iranian shelling is pursuing on Kurdistan border villages. An informed source told Kurdistan National Union website that shelling targeted villages in Penjwin District in Sulaymaniya and included border villages in a District in Soran, Arbil. The same source said that targeted villages are Dolan, Egypt's Christians see bias in pig slaughter The Egyptian government is using swine flu as an excuse to get rid of tens of thousands of pigs raised by garbage collectors who live amid the refuse in Cairo slums. But the move has prompted accusations Monday that Muslims are attacking minority Christians, who breed the animals. Israeli gender equality ranked 53 of 115 Property rights index finds Israeli women's rights lower than most of Europe, North America, Turkey. Syria looks to Lebanon War for tips on arming Hezbollah Syria continues to transfer advanced weaponry to Hezbollah while working toward bettering its relations with the United States, Israeli security sources say UN report accuses Israeli military of negligence in Gaza war Wife joins Iranian presidential candidate on campaign trail In a radical departure for the Islamic republic, Rahnavard has accompanied her husband, Mir Hosein Mousavi, to a succession of rallies as he seeks to unseat Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential election on 12 June. 10 Kurdish rebels killed in strike in Iraq: report (AFP) America has protected Israeli nuke program for 40 years The origins of the U.S. shield of Israel's nuclear program date to a 1969 summit between President Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, documents released in the past few years show. There is no one piece of paper that actually describes the accord. However, the closest acknowledgment of the deal came in 2007, when the Nixon Library declassified many of the papers of former National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger.
Afghanistan	Map of Afghanistan
US Afghan Bibles 'confiscated' Inquiry call after troops filmed discussing how to distribute Bibles in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman: Al Qaeda is not our boss He keeps his eyes averted, he won't engage in small talk, and he looks ill at ease. That's how CNN's Nic Robertson describes Zabiullah Mujahid, one of two spokesmen for Taliban leader Mullah Omar. In an exclusive interview, Mujahid says the Taliban will never be defeated in Afghanistan. OSC study of terrorism in Afghanistan Some of the resulting conclusions are trivial or obvious. Thus, OSC found that terrorist incidents are more likely to occur in populated areas of the country than in barren wastelands. Other conclusions concerning seasonal variations and changes in target distributions may have more practical significance.	U.S. military says Afghan bibles have been destroyed Bibles in Afghan languages sent to a U.S. soldier at a base in Afghanistan were confiscated and destroyed to ensure that troops did not breach regulations which forbid proselytizing, a military spokeswoman said. U.S. probes strike on Afghan civilians A U.S. airstrike likely wounded at least 11 civilians in southwest Afghanistan, a senior U.S. military official said Wednesday. Officials: Afghan civilians killed in raid An Afghan official says villagers in southern Afghanistan brought approximately 30 mutilated bodies to a provincial capital to show that women and children had been killed by coalition airstrikes.
Pakistan	Map of Pakistan
Pakistan expects up to 500,000 refugees from Swat Pakistanis Flee Swat Valley As Taliban Peace Deal Crumbles Bill would triple U.S. non-military Pakistan aid As Pakistani forces continue to battle an advancing Taliban, the leading senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced legislation Monday tripling aid to the country. Taliban has sympathisers in Pak, in its army: NYT	Suicide bomber kills 6 in Pakistan US seeks Saudi influence on Pakistani leaders (AP) The War Through the Taliban’s Eyes Whatever you do, don’t miss The New York Times’ epic interview with a Pakistani Taliban tactician about what has become “a seamless conflict” on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Asia
Police break up Nepal protest Riot police deployed as Maoists threaten mass demonstrations following PM's resignation. Pentagon warns over Chinese boats The Pentagon accuses Chinese fishing boats of "dangerous" manoeuvres near a US Navy ship in the Yellow Sea last week. Pregnant woman won't face firing squad A British woman who faced execution in Laos will escape the death sentence because she is pregnant, a spokesman for the Laotian Foreign Ministry said today. Samantha Orobator, 20, was facing death by firing squad for drug trafficking, said Clare Algar, executive director of the human rights group, Reprieve. Reprieve says Orobator became pregnant in prison, possibly as a result of rape.	Colombo says shelling images 'fake' Photos showing "deadly attack" on makeshift hospital fabricated, Sri Lankan military says. Chinese county stops urging officials to smoke A rural Chinese county said Tuesday it had backed away from a rule urging its officials to smoke a certain amount of local cigarettes to boost tax income after it was reported in a newspaper. East Timorese go begging as foreign advisers rake it 86 charges against Kasab, from war to murder Trial in Mumbai attacks case could last eight months, say prosecutors.
Europe
Sweden to sell state-owned pharmacies Sweden moved closer to ending a government monopoly on over-the-counter drugs when 616 branches of the state-owned Apoteket pharmacy chain were put up for sale. Spain: judge presses on with Israel investigation A Spanish judge says he will continue an investigation of current and former Israeli officials over an air force bombing in Gaza in 2002 that killed 15 people. Georgia Alleges Russian Role in a Coup Plot Georgia’s Interior Ministry said that it had uncovered a Russian-backed military coup a day before the scheduled start of NATO military exercises there. MI5 agents 'tried to recruit Guantánamo detainees' British spies tried to recruit men held in Guantánamo Bay and other US prison camps by offering to secure their return to the United Kingdom in exchang	'Too early' to say flu virus mild England's chief medical officer warns against complacency as the 28th case of swine flu in the UK is confirmed. Basques set for landmark handover A new government is set to take over the Basque region of Spain - the first non-nationalist administration in 30 years. French judge wants to investigate 3 Africa leaders A French judge has decided to investigate three African heads of state for money laundering and other alleged crimes linked to their wealth in France. Right-Wing Shock Jock Michael Savage Banned from the UK for Extremist Views Georgian military rebellion ends Commander arrested as troops end mutiny at base outside Tbilisi, the capital.
Africa
SKorean warship rescues NKorean vessel off Somalia South Korean snipers hovering in a helicopter Monday chased away pirates pursuing a North Korean freighter, a rare instance of recent cooperation between the two Koreas. Zimbabwe judge sends activists back to prison A judge revoked the bail of a prominent Zimbabwean rights activist and 17 other suspects Tuesday after prosecutors formally charged them in a terrorism case that has been widely denounced as a sham.	Russia proposes international pirate court Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday suggested establishing an international court to try suspected pirates. Somali pirates seize German ship
The Americas
Dictatorship-era official reappears in Paraguay A former dictatorship-era official considered a brutal torturer by human rights groups has made a surprise return to Paraguay, where he faces six pending trials for the disappearance and killings of government opponents in the 1970s and 1980s. Free trade and Mexico's drug war Miguel Tinker-Salas: Collapse of traditional economy created the space for the cartels to grow	Law would let Venezuela take over oil contractors The National Assembly gave preliminary approval Tuesday to legislation that would let President Hugo Chavez's government seize control of some oil service companies without following usual legal procedures for expropriating private businesses.