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Afghanistan
Military Frustrated With Pace Of Obama's Deliberations On
Afghanistan
Is the Military Ignoring Its Heroin Problem in the
Ranks? Occupy the world's largest heroin
producer in Afghanistan and it's no wonder the methadone clinics are
overpacked -- but the military is mum on the subject.
Clinton: 'Not Every Taliban Is al Qaeda'
Western recruits flock to join Taliban, al-Qaeda | Taliban
prospering
The 'Safe Haven' Myth
Afghanistan to hold poll run-off Karzai to face main rival after
election commission orders second round of voting.
Iraq
US gov't cuts ties to worker in Iraq bribery case
A State Department manager charged with
taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks on
contracts for Iraq reconstruction work is no longer employed by the
government.
Pricey new U.S. Embassy in Iraq has 'multiple' flaws The $736
million new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which American diplomats have
occupied for 18 months, contains "multiple significant construction
deficiencies," and the U.S. government should try to recover more
than $130 million from the contractor who built it, according to a
report released Thursday.
Iraq suspends university for politics BAGHDAD -- Iraq's prime
minister suspended classes and banned political activities at one of
Baghdad's leading universities following student protests on campus,
a government spokesman said Wednesday.
Pickens: US 'entitled' to Iraq oil
Oil baron tells Congress US entitled to Iraqi oil
because of war.
Pakistan
Two Blasts Rock Pakistan University (5 Reported Killed)
U.S. aiding Pakistani military offensive U.S. drones are
providing intelligence and surveillance video in support of
Pakistan's offensive in South Waziristan, the first time Islamabad
has accepted such help for major military operations.Drone
Strikes Increased Dramatically Under Obama »
One-Third of People Killed in Pakistan Drone Strikes Are Civilians
Pakistan Hits Taliban, Urges NATO to Seal Border.
Pakistan
launches ground offensive
Over 30,000 troops storm alleged al-Qaida
stronghold near Afghanistan border
Europe
US: Russia not complying with Georgia war truce
Russia is not complying with the cease-fire that ended last year's
war with Georgia, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday, adding that
Washington wants international observers in Russian-controlled
territories.
UK Army
'hijacked by racist, far right extremists'
Inquiry fails to find single trafficker who forced anybody into
prostitution The UK's biggest ever investigation of sex
trafficking failed to find a single person who had forced anybody
into prostitution in spite of hundreds of raids on sex workers in a
six-month campaign by government departments,
Africa
US to give Mali equipment for military forces The United States
is providing security forces in the West African nation of Mali with
more than $5 million in new vehicles and other equipment.
Pirates raid two cargo ships off Somalia
Nigeria 'to give 10% of oil cash' Nigeria reportedly plans to
give 10% of oil revenues to people in the Niger Delta, a key demand
of militants there. |
Middle East
Iran Suicide Bomber Assassinates 5 Revolutionary Guard Commanders
Iran accuses Pakistan of harbouring terror
After India and Afghanistan, it is now Iran's turn to accuse
Pakistan of harbouring perpetrators of the suicide bombing in its
southeastern province in which over 40 people were killed. Will it
put Pakistan under further international pressure?
Iran arrests suspects in attack on military chiefs Iranian
security forces have arrested suspects in a suicide bombing that
killed at least 42 people, including senior Revolutionary Guard
commanders, Iran's police chief said Wednesday.
Suspected Revolutionary Guard Arrested raqi forces arrested
during the early hours of Monday two men wanted on “terrorist”
charges, one of them suspected of involvement with the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard forces, a source from the Multi-National Force
(MNF) information office said.
Russia snubs US on Iran sanctions
New Iran sanctions could strengthen Rev. Guard Tougher sanctions
against Iran that the U.S. and its allies are considering might only
strengthen its hard-line president and the Revolutionary Guard,
experts warn.
Revolutionary Guards buy 51% stake in Iran's telecommunications
company
Iran, Israel allegedly held secret nuclear talks
Reports are surfacing about a meeting that allegedly took place
between an Israeli atomic expert and a senior Iranian official in
Cairo in September to discuss the possibility of making the Middle
East a nuclear-free zone.
Israel pulls textbook that present Palestinian claim of ethnic
cleansing in 1948
US should justify its allegations, Goldstone Judge Richard
Goldstone challenged the USA to prove that there are a lot of flaws
in his report which accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza.
PA Official: Hamas Sabotaging Reconciliation because
of Ties with Iran
Asia
Ford unveils small car to be produced in India
Gates: Disputed US airfield should stay on Okinawa U.S. leaders
expect Japan's new government to stick with already-forged
agreements
Japan Probes 1960s Nuclear Agreements With U.S. Japan, the only
nation that has endured nuclear attacks, forbids making, possessing
and storing nuclear weapons on its soil. But under an understanding
reached in the early 1960s, Japan agreed to look the other way when
nuclear-armed U.S. ships used Japanese ports. A 1969 agreement
allowed nuclear weapons to be stationed in emergency cases on U.S.
bases on the island of Okinawa, after it was returned to Japanese
control in 1972.China
secretly seizing Uighur men, says rights group Scores of Uighur
men have disappeared since deadly ethnic riots in far-west China in
July, seized by security forces who refuse to tell their families
anything about their fate, a rights group said on Wednesday.
Toxic alert as US ship heads for India Indian
environmentalists claim a United States ship on the way to the
country's ship-breaking "graveyard", Alang, is the latest toxic
vessel engaged in trickery to avoid port-of-origin detoxification
laws.
Next nuclear worry for US: Kazakhstan? So far, the former
Soviet state has cooperated with the US on nuclear issues. But a new
report suggests that Kazakhstan might be looking to do business with
other, less responsible regimes, too.
Top China banker warns on asset bubbles Qin warns that China
needs an ‘urgent’ tightening of monetary policy to prevent stimulus
measures from inflating stock and property bubbles
The Americas
Nicaragua Court Opens Way For Daniel Ortega Re - Election
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US
Headlines |
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Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment May Be Stripped By Senior Dem, Sources
Say
Report: Big Pharma has 2.3
lobbyists for every lawmaker
Wall Street Steps Up Political Donations, Lobbying
Some of the biggest Wall Street firms are
back in the political-spending game after hunkering down while they
were getting government bailout funds.Goldman
Sachs Group Inc.,
Bank of America Corp.,
Morgan Stanley and other large financial-services firms stepped
up their political donations in September to members of Congress,
for many the first time this year they have joined the fray.
U.S. Chamber Reports Record Spending on Lobbying
John McCain — ‘Tech Troglodyte’ And Top Recipient Of Telecom Cash —
Unveils Bill To Block Net Neutrality
GOP Base Driven By Bizarre Ideology, Not Racism, Report Finds
New medical marijuana policy issued by Obama administration The
Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users
and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new
policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.
Bush's Point Man Nominated for Social Security Board President
Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate Chuck
Blahous and Robert Reischauer to serve on the Social Security Trust
Fund Board of Trustees.
Obama EPA releases Bush-era global warming finding
Cindy McCain Bankrolled Conference That Called for Ban on
Mercenaries "he use of deadly force must be entrusted only to
those whose training, character and accountability are most worthy
of the nation's trust: the military," reads the executive summary of
the U.S. Naval Academy’s 9th Annual McCain
Bernard Kerik JAILED Kerik was police commissioner when
terrorists crashed jetliners into the two World Trade Center towers
on Sept. 11, 2001. He and then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani received
glowing reviews for their leadership in the crisis. Kerik was later
President George W. Bush's pick to lead the Department of Homeland
Security, but withdrew.
Capital Eye Opener: ANTI-RAPE AMENDMENT HAS LOBBYIST FOES:
Defense contractors are lobbying Senate Appropriations Committee
Chairman
Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) to remove or water down language from
the defense appropriations bill that prohibited defense contractors
from denying victims of assault or rape the ability to bring their
case to court. Defense contractors, including
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, have been some of Inouye's
top campaign contributors over the years.
9/11 Redux Pt1 Former FBI agent Colleen
Rowley discusses still unanswered questions about the lead up to
9/11 Pt2
FBI delves into DMV photos in search for fugitives
In its search for fugitives, the FBI has begun using
facial-recognition technology on millions of motorists, comparing
driver's license photos with pictures of convicts in a high-tech
analysis of chin widths and nose sizes.
WATCH: WWII Veteran Makes Impassioned Case For Gay Marriage
US bank failures hit 100 for year
PBS VIDEO UPDATED:
veteran FRONTLINE producer
Michael Kirk unearths the hidden history of the nation's worst
financial crisis since the Great Depression. At the center of it all
he finds Brooksley Born, who speaks for the first time on television
about her failed campaign to regulate the secretive,
multitrillion-dollar
derivatives market whose crash helped trigger the
financial collapse in the fall of 2008."We didn't truly know the
dangers of the market, because it was a dark market
China economic growth accelerates China says it is on track to
hit its growth target of 8% this year, after the economy grew 8.9%
year-on-year in the third quarter.
US criticises 'inflexible yuan' The US Treasury criticises China
for what it describes as the lack of flexibility of the Chinese
currency, the yuan.
Zombie Stocks Refuse to Die Shares for Lehman Bros., Washington
Mutual, AIG survive on Pink Sheets markets.
U.S. won't reopen NAFTA for now: ambassador
Officials: 250,000 teaching jobs aided by stimulus
Report: School Stimulus Funds Not Used As Intended
The Education
Department's inspector general says some states are using stimulus
funds to plug holes in education budgets. This despite the fact that
the Obama administration said that stimulus dollars earmarked for
education were meant to supplement school funding.
Fraud in First-Time Homebuyer Program Children being used to
defraud the government out of $8,000 housing credit.
Unbelievable: Woman's Rape Called "Pre-Existing Condition" By
Insurance Companies
House Dems want Medicare for everyone
Public option likely to be managed
by private insurance company
Senator Sanders Unfiltered~on single payer |
Taser tells police to avoid shooting at chest
Stun-gun maker Taser International has started telling police
agencies to avoid firing the devices at suspects' chests, explaining
that there's an "extremely low" risk of ill effects on the heart
Department of Homeland Security Expands Controversial 287(g) Program
Empowering Local Police to Enforce Immigration Laws
U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets
America’s spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of
your Twitter updates — even check out your book reviews on Amazon.In-Q-Tel,
the investment arm of the CIA and the wider intelligence community,
is putting cash into
Visible Technologies, a software firm that specializes in
monitoring social media.
Tanker Collision Spills Oil into Gulf Of Mexico...
U.S. hunters, anglers lobby for climate bill An unlikely
lobbying group is pressing the U.S. Senate to curb greenhouse gas
emissions: American hunting and fishing groups who fear climate
change will disrupt their sport.
Judge Refuses to Dismiss War Crimes Case Against Blackwater A
federal judge sends the lawyers for Iraqi victims of Blackwater back
to the drawing board, while rejecting Blackwater's plea to toss out
the case.
Why Nukes Are Necessary: To Stop Industrial-Scale War As long as
a nukeless world remains wishful thinking, we'll be all right. But
if the Nobel Committee truly cares about peace, its members will
think harder about trying to make it a reality
Pentagon used psychological operation on US public, documents show
Man Charged in Plot Against Troops, Malls
Ex-FBI Translator (Sibel Edmonds) Claims Spying at DoD After
seven years of forced silence, a government whistleblower is opening
up on what she learned while working as a Turkish translator for the
FBI in the wake of 9/11.
US Scientist Charged With Attempted Spying For Israel
U.S. can't trace visitors on expired visas
Rajaratnam Surfaced in U.S. Terrorism Probe The hedge-fund
billionaire charged as part of a vast insider-trading case surfaced
in an earlier, separate probe into U.S. fundraising by a Sri Lankan
terrorist group
C.I.A. Is Still Cagey About Oswald Mystery For six years, the
agency has fought in federal court to keep secret hundreds of
documents from 1963, when an anti-Castro Cuban group it paid clashed
publicly with the soon-to-be assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. The C.I.A.
says it is only protecting legitimate secrets. But because of the
agency’s history of stonewalling assassination inquiries, even
researchers with no use for conspiracy thinking question its
stance.The files in question, some released under direction of the
court and hundreds more that are still secret, involve the curious
career of George E. Joannides, the case officer who oversaw the
dissident Cubans in 1963. In 1978, the agency made Mr. Joannides the
liaison to the House Select Committee on Assassinations — but never
told the committee of his earlier role.
Bailed-Out Banks Rake in Profits
Soros calls Wall St profits ‘gifts’ from state The big profits
made by some of Wall Street’s leading banks are “hidden gifts” from
the state, and taxpayer resentment of such companies is “justified”,
George Soros, the fund manager, said in an interview with the
Financial Times.
Did Hank Paulson Break the Law? According to a
new book on the financial meltdown by New York Times
reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin, in June 2008, Paulson, who was the
chairman of Goldman Sachs before joining the Bush administration,
held a
secret meeting in Moscow with the board of directors of his
former employer. The problem for Paulson—then and possibly now—was
that after he had been nominated in 2006 to the Treasury post he had
signed an
ethics letter vowing to stay clear of potential conflicts of
interest with Goldman Sachs and promising not to take any action
that might affect the firm's ability to cover his
multimillion-dollar pension.
Banks Allowed
to HANDPICK Who Regulates Them... GOP Senator Pushing To Change Rule
SEC, CFTC mull joint enforcement squad: sources U.S. securities
and futures regulators are considering a joint enforcement squad to
investigate and root out fraud in the markets, two sources familiar
with the matter said on Thursday.
Goldman
Adviser Defends Bonus Billions, Says Income 'Inequality' Will Lead
To 'Prosperity And Opportunity For All'
Chomsky Book Banned From Guantanamo
While the prison offers inmates books and videos on Harry Potter and
the World Cup, which are among the more than 16,000 items it holds,
leftist intellectual commentary from an 80-year-old
MIT linguistics professor is apparently taboo. U.S. military
censors rejected the donation of an Arabic-language copy of the 2007
anthology called
Interventions, donated by a Pentagon lawyer
Security Spending Primer: Getting Smart About The Pentagon Budget.
(PDF Document)This Primer is a “one-stop-shopping” resource and has
two main goals: to provide comprehensive, easy-to-understand
information on the complexity of the federal budget process; and to
help build the capacity of people across the United States who want
their voices and their priorities to be heard in the debate over
federal spending in general and military spending in particular. |
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Connecticut |
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DEP Cleans Newtown Oil Spill
UHart Student Tests Positive for Swine Flu
Out of Doses: Seasonal Flu Shot Clinics Canceled
New Haven Sued Again Over Promotion Exam Four months the Supreme
Court sided with a group of 20 New Haven white and Hispanic
firefighters who sued the city for reverse discrimination, a black
New Haven firefighter has filed a federal lawsuit.
Danbury man who debated Malcolm X to speak at church program Friday
night Herb Wright doesn't remember the angry, militant Malcolm X
who is seared into some history books. Instead, Wright remembers an
intellectual adversary, a polished and profound speaker who later
became his friend. Wright, a Danbury resident who turned 82 last
weekend, debated Malcolm X about a dozen times back in the 1960s,
including a memorable exchange at Yale Law School in 1960
Resident files bias suit against condo group A resident of the
Harbour Landing condominium complex has filed a civil lawsuit
against the condominium’s association and its members, charging they
discriminated against her because she is a lesbian.
Standardized Math Tests Show State's Economic, Ethnic Disparities
Persist
Connecticut Dairy Farms May Get U.S. Funding Boost Dairy farmers
in Connecticut and the rest of the country might see an influx of
federal aid by the end of the year from $350 million in emergency
funds included in a Department of Agriculture appropriations bill.
Chris Dodd: Once the "Senator from Aetna," now the leading advocate
for a public option
House committee moves toward Countrywide inquiry....Subpoenas
issued over Countrywide VIP loan program
Guilford High Swine Flu Cases 500 high school students stay home
with flu-like symptoms
Totoket 3rd-graders given option
Blumenthal, Rell face off over High Meadows
Conn. gas prices tumble in October
CT Drug
War
Drug conference set for Friday at WestConn
Opiate overdoses are now the second leading
cause of deaths in young adults in the U.S. There were 32,000 such
deaths in 2008. It's a growing challenge for communities, schools
and justice programs to address substance abuse and users' often
parallel psychiatric illnesses, including depression and bipolar
illness.
Hartford's "Infested" With Gangs: Cops
Man, Woman Killed in Hartford Drive-By Shooting: Cops
Budget and Taxes
House Approves Bonding, Fee Increases, Delays Some
Votes
Ending death penalty could save US states hundreds of
millions: study
Conn. borrows $10.5M to pay unemployed
For the first time since the early 1990s, Connecticut had to borrow
from the federal government to cover unemployment checks. "We've had
to borrow because of the high unemployment claims load," said
New Detention Center For Girls To Be Built in
Bridgeport; $15 Million Center To Receive Bond Commission Approval |
Wallingford officials mull
dirt's purpose
Northford Store owner gets second try
Police: Student Threatened School Violence NORTH
BRANFORD, Conn. -- Police in North Branford
said that a student was going to shoot up a
school and even named a classmate.
Group says blacks lacking at work site
Members of the grass-roots Man Up Community
Works Organization will hold a rally at 11
a.m. Monday outside Roberto Clemente
Leadership Academy, 360 Columbus Ave.
Coach says 2 teammates with victim during
stabbing One teammate performed first
aid while another comforted a University of
Connecticut football player who was fatally
stabbed during a fight outside a
school-sanctioned dance over the weekend
Elementary Schoolers Suspended for "Sexual"
Bus Incident
Simsbury Family Pushes for Autism Coverage
The expenses associated with raising a child
with Autism can be through the roof, so
families are teaming with Connecticut
Congressman Christopher Murphy to mandate
insurance coverage for treatments.
Pellet-Selling Prison Official in Trouble
Again The legal problems are mounting
for a lieutenant with the state Department
of Correction, who is accused of running a
business while he was out of work and
collecting disability payments.
Dodd to continue push for public insurance
option
State’s 1st wheelchair-accessible taxi joins
the region’s fleet
Dodd blasts Wall Street firms, says huge
bonuses an ‘outrage’
McMahon to Report Spending $2 Million So Far
on Senate Bid
Record number of Conn. business closures in
3Q
Unemployment in CT continues to climb
Hartford says gang problem
overstated
Pratt wants AG to stay
neutral
Long Island Laptop Still Not Found; AG
Blumenthal Releases 37-Page Report That
Taxpayers Were Exposed
Three Professional Wrestling Videos Taken
Down After Criticism By State Democratic
Party On Sex And Violence The videos
featured public sex in a wrestling ring and
simulated rape, among other things. The
party criticized World Wrestling
Entertainment entrepreneur Linda McMahon of
Greenwich, who is running in a Republican
primary for the right to face U.S. Sen.
Christopher J. Dodd in the November 2010
election.
Full Transcript Of President Obama's Remarks
At Fundraiser For U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd
In Stamford
15-Year-Old Charged With Terrorism, Having
Weapons A teen from Norwich Technical
High School is accused of threatening to
hurt people at the school and cops charged
him with an act of terrorism, having a sawed
off shotgun and “manufacturing a bomb.”
Police officer
shoots and kills man at Conn. home
A police officer shot and
killed an armed man outside a home Saturday
after responding to a complaint of a
"despondent" person, Connecticut State
Police said.
$52 million awarded for Conn. Army Reserve
center The Army Corps of Engineers has
awarded a Connecticut construction
partnership $51.5 million to build a new
Army Reserve center in Middletown.
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United States |
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American church plans Bible burning A pastor in the United
States plans to gather his congregation to burn Bibles and religious
books by various Christian authors, including Mother Teresa, because
they are "Satanic". Marc Grizzard, a pastor with the Amazing Grace
Baptist Church in Canton, North Carolina, said he and his
congregation plan to come together to burn Bibles on Halloween,
October 31.
States suing federal government for unclaimed war bonds
$16.7 billion in certificates has yet to be cashed in. Six
states now say that Treasury officials haven't tried to find
the bondholders or their descendants, and that states have a
right to the money.
Security Issues
Obama declares swine flu a national emergency President Barack
Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving
his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms
offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients....
55 agencies to enforce immigration laws The Obama administration
has signed up 55 state and local law enforcement agencies to help
enforce immigration laws, including an Arizona county sheriff under
investigation for racial profiling, the Homeland Security Department
announced yesterday.
GAO finds mistakes in Army test of body armor The Army made
critical mistakes in tests of a new body armor design, according to
congressional investigators who recommend an independent review of
the trials before the gear is issued.
Family wants answers after GI's suicide Family and his friends
want to know what happened in Iraq that pushed the gentle, playful
19-year-old to kill himself two months ago.
US military backs away from ban on photos of dead Military
leaders in Afghanistan have backed off an attempt to ban news
organizations embedded with the Army from photographing or
videotaping images of U.S. personnel killed in the war. But there
was still confusion
U.S. to announce arrest in terror probe in Boston
Ex-Los Alamos lab physicist says home searched Federal agents
seized computers, papers, books and electronic equipment from the
home of a former Los Alamos National Laboratory nuclear scientist,
who last year sought to work on a fusion project with Venezuela but
believes the U.S. government is wrongly targeting him as a spy.
Rape case to force US defence firms into the open The Pentagon's
auditor found Halliburton/KBR was linked to "the vast majority" of
fraud cases investigated by the defence department in Iraq.
Furthermore, a civil servant who oversaw contracts accused
Halliburton of unlawfully receiving preferential treatment over
contracts for work in Iraq, Kuwait and the Balkans. The firm
reportedly severely overcharged the Pentagon for fuel deliveries to
Iraq. Halliburton is headquartered in Houston, Texas but has
recently opened a new joint head office in Dubai.
Courts
Judge Rules Sex Ads Not Craigslist's Problem
Why Is UBS Whistle-Blower Birkenfeld Headed to Prison? No one
would argue that Bradley Birkenfeld is a saint. Yet it's hard to
deny that he was essential to the landmark tax-evasion case against
Swiss banking giant UBS
NYC: Jury Orders Exxon To Pay $105M In Contamination Case
Court:
Smokers may sue for payment on cancer screenings
Man in Ohio terror case says he was framed One of three men
convicted of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill
American soldiers in Iraq told a federal judge Tuesday that
prosecutors twisted his words and wrongly painted him as a
terrorist.
Judge Orders Sheriff Arpaio to Stop Pre-Charging Prisoners for
Abortions
US judge cuts Cuban spy sentence
Some Judges Siding With Homeowners In Mortgage Fights
What The? Woman Faces 15 Years for Cutting Wal-Mart Line
Education
NY public school students get limited use of school library so 3
charter schools can use it.
Hawaii schools to move to four-day week in state cost-cutting
measure
New report says black male Dropouts lead nation in incarceration
Newsweek: Texas district ejects Mexican students
College cuts make it harder to earn degrees Deep budget cuts are
forcing colleges to lay off instructors and eliminate some classes,
making it harder for students to get into the courses they need to
earn their degree.
Healthier U.S. school meals boost costs: study
Teacher’s
aides accused of waterboarding special-needs student
CDC: 1 in 5 Kids Had Flu-Like Illness This Month (most likely were
swine flu)
US school to punish six-year-old for using own cutlery at lunch
A six-year-old American boy is ordered to spend 45 days at a school
for troublemakers after he brought his favourite camping cutlery to
school. |
Greed
Nicolas Cage Owes How Much to the IRS?!
IBM veteran exec put on leave after insider arrest IBM placed
senior executive Robert Moffat on leave of absence after he was
arrested in the largest ever hedge fund insider-trading scheme.
White Collar Criminals White-collar criminals cost the United
States more than $300 billion annually according to the FBI. Here
are a few more names that may ring an alarm bell...
U.S. Plans to Charge 10 More After Rajaratnam Arrest - Federal
investigators plan to charge at least 10 securities professionals
with insider trading, some linked to the criminal case against
billionaire hedge-fund manager
Raj Rajaratnam that shook Wall Street last week, people familiar
with the matter said.
Toys "R" Us facing antitrust probe: report Toys "R" Us is facing
a U.S. antitrust probe over whether the toy retailer used its market
clout to stifle discounting by retail competitors and force
consumers to pay higher prices for baby products, the Wall Street
Journal reported on Saturday.
UBS registered mail warns U.S. clients on tax: report Swiss bank
UBS AG warned U.S. customers by registered mail their account
details may be given to U.S. tax authorities, a method that could
itself breach secrecy laws, a Swiss paper said on Sunday.
Ex-Bear Stearns officials 'misled investors' Two former Bear
Stearns hedge fund managers who ran investment vehicles that
collapsed and marked the beginning of the financial crisis misled
investors to save their multi-million dollar bonuses and reputations
Wire taps bring anti-mob tactics to white-collar crime US
prosecutors signalled a new aggressiveness in their pursuit of
white-collar crime yesterday by revealing that they had used court-
authorised wire taps in the investigation
$14 million Ponzi scheme targeted Haitian Americans: U.S.
Media
Arianna: Why
America's Homeless Children Should Get Trapped In A Runaway Balloon
AT&T to raise landline phone service by more than 20 percent
Bill O'Reilly Takes on Sexy Dancing High School Girls Nothing
like a moral scolding about lewdness from a guy sued for making
obscene phone calls.
Bill Moyers: How Can the U.S. Be an Empire and a Democracy at the
Same Time?
How to hack a wifi network in a few minutes
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Science |
History Resources |
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Giving
babies Tylenol may blunt vaccine effects
Antidepressant improves recovery from spine injury
WATCH: Bottlenose Dolphins Playing Ball Scientists in Wales film
dolphins using their tails to toss jellyfish.
200,000-year-old Cut Of Meat: Archaeologists Shed
Light On Life, Diet And Society Before The Delicatessen
Global warming opens new Arctic shipping lane |
150 Years Ago Abolitionist John Brown Raided Arsenal at Harpers
Ferry in Attempt to Start Slave Insurrection in South
Commemorations are being held in West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
Virginia and Maryland today to mark the 150th anniversary of
abolitionist John Brown’s raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. We
end today’s show with a reading of John Brown’s address to the court
in Virginia that ordered his hanging.
US' first mass killer dies at 88 Howard Barton Unruh, a war
veteran who killed more than a dozen people in a 1949 shooting spree
in New Jersey, has died.
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Politics |
Political Resources |
U.S. states suffer "unbelievable" revenue
shortages
Breitbart, ACORN Foes Release Strange Video
of Philadelphia Sting The source of the
“lie” claim was the heavily edited video,
which nonetheless cast serious doubt on
ACORN’s version of what happened during a
July sting in Philadelphia. In September,
when O’Keefe and Giles released their first
batch of videos, ACORN claimed that the
videographers were kicked out of the
Philadelphia office after they behaved
strangely. Katherine Conway Russell,
an ACORN volunteer in the office,
produced a police report and video
statement, claiming that she answered some
basic questions and referred them to a
meeting, but after they asked about El
Salvador (their ruse included a plan to
smuggle under-age prostitutes in from the
country) she told them that “they had to
leave and I had other things to do.”
ACORN Part 1: Mike Stark Asks Breitbart and
O'Keefe Tough Questions
Puerto Rico Debate Hits Congress The
never-ending debate over Puerto Rico's
political status is again knocking on
Congress' door, but the island's politicians
are betting that a host of new factors will
mean that this time they won't be turned
away
Jindal, Mary Landrieu want official who
wouldn't marry interracial couple ousted
SC GOP chairmen: Sen. DeMint is like a 'Jew'
FBI records: Late senator linked to Klan
Nearly a quarter century after U.S. Sen. Jim
Eastland's death, Klan leader Edgar Ray
Killen still talks about the many jobs he
did for the veteran lawmaker
Bloomberg dodges questions about campaign
stoking racial
fears; suggested cities that elect black
mayors 'collapse'
Nevada is prosecuting ACORN itself, not just
individuals in it
ACORN, the Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now, faces still
another high-stakes challenge — and more
embarrassment — in Nevada, where it has been
charged with 13 felony counts related to
potential voter registration fraud during
the 2008 campaign.This is the only state
where ACORN, as an organization, is accused
of criminal wrongdoing. Similar
investigations in Pennsylvania and Florida
have resulted in charges against individual
canvassers the group hired to register
voters.
NJ-Gov: The Video Chris Christie Doesn't
Want Anyone to See
Ala. Mayor Accused of Racial Discrimination
Mayor fired blacks, allegedly threatened to
burn cross on councilwoman's lawn.
'Spy' claims over US group Legislators
on "witch hunt" accusing largest Muslim
advocacy group of spying.
Obama
Re: Obama's Email Problem An old problem is back in Barack
Obama's inbox: What to do about millions of missing Bush-era emails?
Has Obama's foreign policy sacrificed human rights?
Is Obama 'Too Nice' to Make Tough Decisions?
Baraknaphobia
Kan. lawmaker reposts anti-Obama ‘Rap’ A Kansas legislator
reposts his "RedNeck Rap" video criticizing President Barack Obama
on YouTube after adding an introduction responding to critics who
assailed it as racist.
NJ Airport Worker Arrested for Obama Threat
Tea Party Patriots vs. Tea Party Express
One-Third of Tennesseans Think Obama Is Muslim or Foreign-Born
Lobbying
U.S. Chamber Reports Record Spending on Lobbying The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce shelled out a record $34.7 million for federal
lobbying in the third quarter of this year as the powerful business
group sought to influence a wide gamut of issues from health care to
legislation involving pythons.
Senate
Vitter won't
condemn justice who refused interracial wedding
Louisiana Senator David Vitter
is facing criticism over his apparent unwillingness to speak out
against a justice of the peace who refused a marriage license to an
interracial couple.
Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment May Be Stripped By Senior Dem, Sources
Say Inouye's office, sources say, has been lobbied by defense
contractors adamant that the language of the Franken amendment would
leave them overly exposed to lawsuits and at constant risk of having
contracts dry up. The Senate is considering taking out a provision
known as the Title VII claim, which (if removed) would allow victims
of assault or rape to bring suit against the individual perpetrator
but not the contractor who employed him or her.
Senate Finance Committee Votes to Restore Abstinence-Only Education
Abstinence education works," says Orrin Hatch. But it doesn't.
Congress's own research has proven it doesn't work.read
more
Expanded Unemployment Benefits Stalled by GOP ACORN, Immigration
Amendments
Senators ask Obama to review personality-disorder discharges At
issue is whether the Pentagon is avoiding treating soldiers for
post-traumatic stress disorder by claiming they had a personality
disorder before they were sent to Iraq or Afghanistan and
discharging them from the military. Four senators wrote Obama this
week, remding him that as a senator he fought for better
mental-health care for troops.
House
House extends hate crime law to cover gays
U.S. derivatives bill addresses end user concerns The chairman
of the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee on Friday
unveiled a draft bill on regulation of over-the-counter derivatives
that differs in some key respects from bills drawn up elsewhere in
the House and by the Obama administration.
House panel OKs legislation to speed up date for credit card rule
House bill would make changes in Patriot Act House Judiciary
Committee leaders on Tuesday introduced a bill to place new
restrictions on government surveillance and seizures in
anti-terrorism investigations, while allowing the Obama
administration to continue some tactics used by its predecessor.
DOJ
Obama's DOJ May Appeal Ruling Ordering Release of Cheney's CIA Leak
Transcript |
Health Insurance
Ambulances start charging extra for obese patients
247 Billion Medicare 'Fix'
Study: Doctors Have Less Respect for Obese Patients
Dawn's Story: Brain Tumor Patient Received more than 9 denials from
Cigna
Health Insurance Execs Called Patients "Dogs," "Trainwrecks"
Man Joins Army To Pay For Wife's Chemo
Hill Aides: More Senators Would Back Public Plan If Obama Pushed
Harder
Colorado Toddler Denied Health Insurance For Being Underweight
Congress Considers Revoking Health Insurance Industry's Exemption
from Antitrust Laws
In His Mother's Footsteps: California Man Jailed for Five Days After
Sit-In at Blue Cross Office in Los Angeles On Thursday, Sam
Pullen was arrested at the Los Angeles offices of the insurance
giant Blue Cross. He refused to give his information to police and
vowed to remain in prison until Blue Cross agreed to hear demands
that it stop denying doctor-recommended medical treatment to
seriously ill patients. Despite his resistance, Pullen was finally
ordered released from jail on Monday, against his will.
Sen. Al Franken Schools Hudson Institute Dilettante Over Health Care
Bankruptcies & Cherry Picking Sen. Al
Franken (D-MN) humbles Hudson Institute dilettante over health care
bankruptcies This during a senate Judiciary sub-committee hearing on
bankruptcies driven by catastrophic medical expenses...
Public Option Has Enough Votes In Senate To Pass
Defense Spending
US arms Mali to battle al-Qaeda The US hands Mali $5m of
military hardware to help fight al-Qaeda's North Africa branch.
Drone Strikes Increased Dramatically Under Obama »
U.S. aiding Pakistani military offensive
U.S. supplies Lebanon with military equipment
Roll Call: How Senate voted on defense policy bill
New bases in Bulgaria, Romania cost U.S. over $100M
GAO: Army shouldn't privatize West Point jobs The Government
Accountability Office says Defense Department plans to privatize
nearly 400 public works jobs at West Point military academy would
result in a waste of taxpayer dollars
Pentagon speeds up work on 15-ton bomb The Pentagon is speeding
up delivery of a colossal bomb designed to destroy hidden weapons
bunkers buried underground and shielded by 10,000 pounds of
reinforced concrete.
Congress passes 3.4 percent pay boost for military
GITMO/Bahgram/CIA-Blacksites
Music Stars Demand Records On Bush Admin's Use Of Music For Torture
New Group (Including Retired Generals) Whacks Congress for Gitmo
Failure (TV Ad)
House Roll Call: How they voted on Gitmo detainees The 224-193
roll call Thursday by which the House rejected a Republican effort
to block the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. for trial.
Lithuanian leader suspects her
country hosted CIA jail
Lithuanian President Announces Investigation into CIA Secret Prison
Michigan town lobbies for Gitmo transfers
Did the NSA Wiretap Gitmo Defense Lawyers? That’s one of the
questions coming up in a
Freedom of Information Act lawsuit being argued today by the
Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of 23 lawyers who believe
they may have been wiretapped without a warrant by the National
Security Agency during the Bush administration. But the government
won’t answer the question.
Lawyers duel over evidence in Sudanese terror case The U.S.
military in Afghanistan kept no medical records on a Sudanese
suspect who was captured in a March 2002 raid on an al Qaeda
safehouse, a Marine prosecutor said Wednesday.
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Economy
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Click for Economic
Statistics |
Financial Crisis for Beginners |
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Consumers cut borrowing by $12 billion U.S. consumers reduced
their borrowing for the seventh straight month in August, as
households trim spending and banks reduce credit card limits.
U.S. Trade Gap Narrows As Exports Rise
Jobless Claims Dip; Consumer Prices Up 0.2 Percent
Oil Surges to One-Year High of More Than $81 on US Gasoline Supply
Drop
Report: Mortgage Companies Making MORE Money On Foreclosures Than
Loan Mods
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Iraq
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Map of Iraq |
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Dispute Over Ballots
Could Delay Iraqi
Elections At
issue in the dispute
is whether voters
will choose a
political party or
individual
candidates. The
party option used
four years ago
simplified the
process and
protected
individuals from
violence, but most
Iraqis agree it's
better to cast a
vote for a
candidate.
Parliament must pass
an election law if
polls are to take
place in January.
US gov't cuts ties
to worker in Iraq
bribery case A
State Department
manager charged with
taking tens of
thousands of dollars
in bribes and
kickbacks on
contracts for Iraq
reconstruction work
is no longer
employed by the
government.
Pricey new U.S.
Embassy in Iraq has
'multiple' flaws
The $736 million new
U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad, which
American diplomats
have occupied for 18
months, contains
"multiple
significant
construction
deficiencies," and
the U.S. government
should try to
recover more than
$130 million from
the contractor who
built it, according
to a report released
Thursday.
Twist in Iraq's
democracy:
anti-American party
pushes electoral
reform Ahead of
January elections,
supporters of the
Sadr movement cast
ballots for
individual
candidates – rather
than parties – for
the first time in a
primary poll.
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Middle
East |
Map of the Middle East |
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Israel
Israel: Turkish TV paints troops as child-killers
Israelis bring green power to West Bank Residents of a West Bank
village with no electricity have been helped by Israelis who
installed solar panels and wind turbines to illuminate the
Palestinians' makeshift homes.
Israel pulls textbook that present Palestinian claim of ethnic
cleansing in 1948 The Palestinians and the Arab countries
contended that most of the refugees were civilians who were attacked
and expelled from their homes by armed Jewish forces, which
instituted a policy of ethnic cleansing, contrary to the
proclamations of peace in the Declaration of Independence," states
the text, which presented the Palestinian and the Israeli-Jewish
versions side by side.
Israel Supreme Court: Open 'apartheid' road to Palestinians
Israel's Supreme Court ordered a segregated West Bank highway to be
opened for Palestinian use. But rights groups say 10 more
'apartheid' roads should be opened too.
IDF threatens to dismiss 'disgraceful' pro-settler troops A
group of Israel Defense Forces conscripts who disrupted their
swearing-in ceremony by calling for continued settlement in the West
Bank were
Fatah-led security officers accused of torturing Hamas suspect to
death
Hamas patrols beaches in Gaza to enforce conservative dress code
Israel rejects police abuse probe An Israeli state prosecutor
rules that border police officers who were filmed abusing
Palestinian civilians will not face charges.
Citzens arrest and mass disruption of former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert
in San Francisco
Turkey
PKK members surrender to Turkey
Ergenekon suspect Arslan contradicts Tekin over link Alparslan
Arslan, the hit man in a 2006 armed attack at the Council of State
-- a case that has been merged with the first trial against
Ergenekon, a clandestine gang charged with plotting to overthrow the
government -- said at Monday's session that he had met with key
Ergenekon suspect retired Capt. Muzaffer Tekin a few times.Ergenekon
to become party name
Turkey drops 20 ranks in Press Freedom Index
Saudi Arabia
Saudi court orders flogging female journalist
Militants killed in Saudi shootout were local The two al-Qaida
militants killed in a recent shootout sneaked into Saudi Arabia from
Yemen and were planning to carry out a massive attack, the Interior
Ministry spokesman said Sunday. |
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Afghanistan
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Map of Afghanistan |
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Italy denies paying off Taliban in Afghanistan
Afghans tricked into U.S. trip, detained For Ziaulhaq, an Afghan
driver who had never ventured outside the borders of his war-torn
country, the prospect of a trip to the United States seemed like the
adventure of a lifetime.
AP source: Karzai expected to accept he fell short
US signals Afghan coalition government is possible
Three Taliban group commanders captured in N Afghanistan
Is the Military Ignoring Its Heroin Problem in the Ranks? Occupy
the world's largest heroin producer in Afghanistan and it's no
wonder the methadone clinics are overpacked -- but the military is
mum on the subject.
Clinton: 'Not Every Taliban Is al Qaeda'
Western recruits flock to join Taliban, al-Qaeda | Taliban
prospering |
Afghan
official: 4,000 foreigners join Taliban
Karzai Vote Falls Below 50%, Runoff Possible
Military Frustrated With Pace Of Obama's Deliberations On
Afghanistan Only nine months ago, the Pentagon pronounced itself
reassured by the early steps of a new commander
in chief.
President Obama was moving slowly on an American withdrawal from
Iraq, had retained former President
George W. Bush’s defense secretary and, in a gesture much
noticed, had executed his first military salute with crisp
precision.
The 'Safe Haven' Myth
Afghanistan to hold poll run-off Karzai to face main rival after
election commission orders second round of voting.
Key players in the U.S. debate on Afghanistan policy
U.S. envoy Holbrooke denies strained ties with Karzai
Speculation is rife after the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan
was absent from Sen. Kerry's key meetings with the Afghan president
last week. |
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Pakistan |
Map of Pakistan |
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Pakistan cuts deal with anti-American militants
Taliban just 18 km from India
Two Blasts Rock Pakistan University (5 Reported Killed)
Pentagon ramps up direct military aid to Pakistan The Pentagon
is ramping up delivery of military equipment long sought by the
Pakistani army to fight militants, U.S. officials said on Friday.
Punjabi Taliban threat growing Pakistan | While U.S. forces
battle ethnic Pashtuns in Afghanistan, Pakistan's dominant ethnic
group from its most populous province, Punjab, has increasingly
taken control of Taliban forces targeted by the latest Pakistani
army offensive. Pakistani authorities say they are concerned that
Punjabi Taliban will flee the tribal areas and return to their home
province, which already has been the scene of multiple suicide
bombings as the army geared up for the ground offensive along the
Afghan border that began Oct. 17. The growing role of Punjabis marks
a major escalation of the extremist threat in Pakistan, analysts
say.
Pakistani troops retake Taliban stronghold in Waziristan
Suicide bomber attacks suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan
A suicide bomber attacked a suspected nuclear weapons site Friday in
Pakistan, raising fears about the security of the nuclear arsenal,
while two other terrorist blasts made it another bloody day in the
country's struggle against extremism. |
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North&South
Asia |
Map of Asia |
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China: "Kingdom of Dwarves" Theme Park
Showcases Little People
Second Indian airspace violation by US A
US military plane was grounded on Sunday
after it violated Indian airspace. The plane
with 200 marines was on its way from the UAE
to Bangkok. It was flying over Mumbai when
it was noticed that the plane didn’t have
the required permission. It was later
allowed to leave, but the crew are spending
the night in Mumbai to get some rest.
Gazprom Strikes Preliminary Deal With China
The head of Russia's state-run natural gas
monopoly said Tuesday a preliminary deal had
been reached to supply energy-hungry China.
Gazprom's chief executive said the deal with
China National Petroleum Corp. calls for the
supply of 70 billion cubic meters of gas a
year. A price had not been set.
Sri Lanka blasts US report The Sri
Lankan government today angrily rejected a
US state department report containing
allegations of human rights abuses in the
final days of the country's civil war,
saying the document would fan further
conflict
'Huge damage' in Australia spill The WWF
says an oil spill off north-west Australia
is causing massive, widespread damage to
marine life.
Japan Probes 1960s Nuclear Agreements With
U.S. Japan, the only nation that has
endured nuclear attacks, forbids making,
possessing and storing nuclear weapons on
its soil. But under an understanding reached
in the early 1960s, Japan agreed to look the
other way when nuclear-armed U.S. ships used
Japanese ports. A 1969 agreement allowed
nuclear weapons to be stationed in emergency
cases on U.S. bases on the island of
Okinawa, after it was returned to Japanese
control in 1972.
Toxic alert as US ship heads for India
Indian environmentalists claim a United
States ship on the way to the country's
ship-breaking "graveyard", Alang, is the
latest toxic vessel engaged in trickery to
avoid port-of-origin detoxification laws.
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Europe |
Map of Europe |
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French
official under fire for sex with ‘boys’ A leading Socialist
lawmaker has asked the French president to fire Culture Minister
Frederic Mitterrand as a scandal grows over his admission in a 2005
book that he had paid for sex with boys.
UK Army
'hijacked by racist, far right extremists'
US: Russia not complying with Georgia war truce
Russia is not complying with the cease-fire that ended last year's
war with Georgia, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday, adding that
Washington wants international observers in Russian-controlled
territories.
France Considers Warning Labels for Airbrushed Photos
A French lawmaker is taking on the digitally enhanced advertisements
that make models look slimmer, cars appear shinier and oranges seem
juicier. Airbrushed photographs, she argues, should include a
warning for consumers
Spain curbs judges' right to act as 'global police' Spain's
parliament approved a law narrowing the scope of a cross-border
justice doctrine that had allowed judges to indict people such as
Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden.
Chechnya blast kills one police, injures seven
Dissenting voices to be silenced as liberal Russian TV channels come
under state control |
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Africa |
Map of Africa |
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The Americas |
Map of North America and South America |
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Colombia Probes Vice President Over Militia Ties
Prosecutor Tallies 27, 000 Colombians 'Disappeared'
Honduras de facto leader lifts ban on media, protests
Puerto Rican Workers Stage General Strike
Colombia's robber barons rule jungles with guns
Farmers in Chocó province say mining and logging firms are pushing
them off the land by force or trickery
Chávez takes over Hilton hotel Socialist hotel empire grows as
Venezuelan president seizes second property
Bolivian politician free to campaign, from jail Bolivian
election officials say a jailed opposition politician can campaign
for vice president from behind bars. |