"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished."   Proverbs 22:3 and Proverbs 27:12  KJV   Word study on this verse

U.S. Appeals Court Refuses to Overturn Gay Marriage Ruling bloomberg.com 6/29/4 ["that legalized same-sex marriage in the state."]
Annan Says U.N. Action Against Sudan Possible reuters.com 6/29/4 ["if it does not act to ease a humanitarian crisis in the western region of Darfur.   ...Fighting broke out last year in Darfur, which borders Chad, forcing more than one million black Africans to flee their homes and triggering what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis."]
Army to Call Up Retired, Discharged Troops abcnews.go.com 6/29/4 ["Digging deeper for help in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is preparing for an involuntary recall to active duty of about 5,600 civilians who have either retired or were discharged after previous service."]
UN clears Iran nuclear facility news.bbc.co.uk 6/29/4 ["The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has said Russia's nuclear co-operation with Iran is no longer a matter of concern.   ...He denied US claims that the Bushehr reactor could be used to make weapons."]
Karzai Presses NATO to Boost Afghan Peace Force reuters.com 6/29/4 ["to secure September elections, embarrassing alliance members reluctant to provide the forces for the mission."]
Supreme Court Bars Enforcement of Internet Porn Law reuters.co.uk 6/29/4 ["The law in question requires that Web site operators use credit cards or adult access codes and personal identification numbers to keep minors from seeing harmful pornography."]
Iraqis to get legal custody of Saddam tomorrow telegraph.co.uk 6/29/4 ["placed in the legal custody of the newly sworn in Iraqi government from tomorrow, while remaining in the physical custody of the US military."]
Around the world, relief mixed with skepticism chron.com 6/29/4 ["But in the Muslim world, many expressed skepticism about the handover.  "Occupation will wear a new dress," Syrian political analyst Haitham Kilani said. "]
Mayors Conference to Vote on Gay Marriage guardian.co.uk 6/28/4 ["The mayors' resolution states that the amendment would restrict the ability of local governments to determine marriage policy, and may be interpreted as prohibiting local governments from granting domestic partner benefits."]
San Francisco gay pride parade features something unusual - married couples cjad.com 6/28/4 ["Newsom, who helped push the marriage debate onto America's agenda shortly after taking office, received the kind of reception usually reserved for rock stars and matinee idols, with shouts of "We love you Gavin" and "Ga-vin, Ga-vin, Ga-vin" rising from the crowd as he passed.   ...California's largest public event."]
Alabama: Court approves distribution of materials before an abortion timesdaily.com 6/28/4 ["A federal judge has ruled the state may proceed with the distribution of informational materials to women who are considering having an abortion, Attorney General Troy King said Monday."]
Pope Hoping Patriarch's Visit Boosts Ecumenism zenit.org 6/28/4 ["visit of the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople this week will relaunch the commitment toward full union between divided Christians."]
Bush Can Hold Citizens Without Charges apnews.myway.com 6/28/4 ["The Supreme Court ruled narrowly Monday that Congress gave President Bush the power to hold an American citizen without charges or trial, but said the detainee can challenge his treatment in court."]
US Court: Confession Can't Be Used in Miranda Case reuters.com 6/28/4 ["At issue in the case was the police tactic of questioning a suspect twice - first intentionally deciding not to tell the suspect of his or her rights, and then using details of any incriminating statements to get a suspect to confess again after being told of their rights."]
FBI Warns Home-Made Mines May Lurk in U.S. Waters reuters.com 6/28/4 ["Beginning July 1, all ships must obtain special security certificates which meet new International Maritime Organization standards.   The new code also stipulates that ports visited in the complex web of trade need to be security certified, with vessels required to keep a log of the last 10 ports they visit. "]
U.S. Seeks U.N. Response to Iran Nuke Plan foxnews.com 6/28/4 ["U.N. sanctions may be the appropriate response to Iran (search), after the government in Tehran announced Sunday that it plans to continue its centrifuge construction for a nuclear program opposed by the international community, U.S. officials said."]
The Degree of Real Sovereignty Which Iraqis Will Have Depends on the Level of Violence by Insurgents ap.tbo.com 6/28/4 ["Insurgents even decided the pace of the transfer of sovereignty from the U.S.-run Coalition Provisional Authority to the appointed government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi."]
U.S. Treasury Notes Decline After Report Shows Faster Inflation bloomberg.com 6/28/4 ["`Geopolitical risk may play a larger role than the Fed in driving asset values over the next four months   ...The Iraqi '`power transfer, which appears somewhat cosmetic, may inspire another crescendo of terrorist attacks within Iraq.' "]
Magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattles windows as it strikes parts of Midwest freep.com 6/28/4 ["from Wisconsin south to Missouri and from Indiana west to Iowa."]
Blix team could be permanent news24.com 6/28/4 ["The former UN disarmament chief in Iraq, Hans Blix, suggested on Monday that the weapons inspection team which he headed in Iraq could be made into a permanent instrument of the UN Security Council."]
Watching TV 'blocks sleep hormone in children' news.independent.co.uk 6/28/4 ["can influence melatonin levels in children and possibly contribute to the premature onset of puberty"]
Revelers celebrate gay pride worldwide sltrib.com 6/27/4 ["the 12th annual celebration of Christopher Street Day, commemorating the start of the gay rights movement in New York's Greenwich Village in 1969.   ...about 200,000 people   ...Canada's largest gay and lesbian pride celebration -- a weeklong festival in Toronto that started June 21   ...expected to attract about 1 million spectators and participants. "]
Gay Paris presses government on same-sex marriage signonsandiego.com 6/27/4 ["PARIS – Half a million people took to the streets on Saturday in the annual "Gay Pride" parade   ...A recent poll showed two-thirds of French people are in favour of same-sex weddings but fewer believe gays should have the same adoption rights as married heterosexual couples."]
Iran Vows to Resume Building Centrifuges foxnews.com 6/27/4 ["will resume building centrifuges for its nuclear program on Tuesday despite international objections, but will continue to hold off enriching uranium, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday"]
Peace without honour leaves Iraq in chaos  news.scotsman.com 6/27/4 ["Bush... will never step outside the impenetrable cocoon of the ‘Green Zone’, and will meet only hand-picked Iraqis.   ...Despite the fact that attacks on foreign forces are averaging between 35 and 45 a day, the highest levels since the invasion"]
Turncoats use US training to help rebels theage.com.au 6/27/4 ["Resistance is stronger when you are working with the occupation forces," he points out. "That way you can learn their weaknesses and attack at that point."]
Annan: Disengagement will strengthen ME stability jpost.com 6/27/4 ["Israeli disengagement from Gaza could result in greater stability throughout the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday.   ...Following a week-long meeting in Geneva on the situation in the Middle East, a delegation of United Nations human rights rapporteurs condemned Israel on Friday its "inhuman and degrading treatment" of the Palestinians and called on the international community to send a protection force to the region."]
Nato agrees to train Iraqi troops news.bbc.co.uk 6/27/4 ["The US and UK governments are pushing for the fullest possible Nato involvement in Iraq."]
US-N. Korea stand-off prolongs nuclear crisis straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/27/4 ["Nuclear freeze dispute means six nations will go back to drawing board"]
Indian gays and lesbians parade for rights in Calcutta abc.net.au 6/27/4 ["Nearly 300 gays and lesbians have paraded through the streets of Calcutta to push for their acceptance in society on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in the United States.  ...Activists welcomed the attention saying they hoped it would lead to greater awareness and acceptance in society."]
Israel: Fence in north has cut terror penetrations to zero haaretzdaily.com 6/27/4 ["It has gone from a situation of 600 terrorist operations and criminal activities a year, to zero. It saves lives, and creates quality of life."]
US Experts Unconvinced by Bush Assurance on Torture commondreams.org 6/27/4 ["why did the administration seek legal guidance on torture? Why did they need to discover what they thought they could legally get away with?" he said."]
Portuguese PM set to be EU chief reuters.co.uk 6/27/4 ["The appointment would end weeks of acrimonious debate over the post that pitted Britain against France and Germany, reigniting EU rivalries that had flared over the Iraq war."]
Violence threatens to overshadow NATO talks sltrib.com 6/27/4 ["The hostage-taking quickly cast a pall over Bush's ongoing diplomatic mission to heal rifts with allies opened by the Iraq war."]
 

 

UN demands access to terrorism suspects abc.net.au 6/26/4 ["the statement says a team of UN representatives should visit inmates held on suspicion of terrorism offences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay - all US military operations."]
Britain labels US military trials as 'unacceptable' abc.net.au 6/26/4 ["there are certain principles on which there can be no compromise," he said.  "Fair trial is one of those, which is the reason we in the UK have been unable to accept that the US military tribunals...offer sufficient guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with international standards." "]
UN Torture Day: No room for complacency - fight against torture must be reinforced amnesty.org.uk 6/26/4 ["Under international law torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, are absolutely prohibited, even during a state of war or state of emergency."]
'Saddam, US had pre-war deal' news24.com 6/26/4 ["Primakov, who now heads Russia's chamber of trade and industry, also cast doubt on the authenticity of footage of Saddam's reported capture that circled the world on December 14."]
Tel Aviv celebrates seventh Gay Pride Parade jpost.com 6/26/4 ["Nearly 100,000 people, many carrying rainbow flags, took part in the Friday afternoon parade."]
Anti-U.S. Rally of One million Pyongyang Citizens Held yonhapnews.co.kr 6/26/4 ["took part in anti-U.S. rallies in their capital, Pyongyang, and other parts of the country to mark the anniversary of the Korean War, the North's media said Saturday."]
U.N. Hopes U.S. Won't Pull Peace Forces ap.org 6/26/4 ["from peacekeeping operations after its failure to win an exemption from international prosecution for war crimes."]
NATO Settles Dispute Over Training Iraqi Forces reuters.com 6/26/4 [""]
Majority of Americans Now Call Iraq War a Mistake reuters.com 6/26/4 ["The findings mark the first time since Vietnam that a majority of Americans has called a major deployment of U.S. forces a mistake"]
Border Patrol unleashes drones in Arizona desert seattletimes.nwsource.com 6/26/4 ["that uses thermal and night-vision equipment to help agents spot illegal immigrants trying to cross the desert into the United States.   ...The two drones being used in the Arizona project can detect movement from 15 miles up, read a license plate, view a vehicle's occupants and detect weapons"]
Expats in S. Arabia allowed to bear arms straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/26/4 ["But analysts say the move - hot on the heels of an amnesty offer to radicals - serves only to show up the regime's inability to tackle terror"]
Afghan opium production out of control: UN abc.net.au 6/26/4 ["Afghanistan now provides about three quarters of the world's production."]
Rally against gay marriage ban theaustralian.news.com.au6/26/4 ["HUNDREDS of Sydneysiders today rallied against the Howard Government's ban on same-sex marriages, calling on Canberra to stop using gays and lesbians as political pawns."]
Gay marriage places church and state in historic clash michnews.com 6/26/4 ["As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote in a couple of weeks on whether to consider a constitutional ban on gay marriage, Americans are curiously quiet even though a majority oppose gay marriage."]

Sentencings in Doubt After Court Decision abcnews.go.com 6/25/4 ["The Supreme Court ruled that only juries, not judges, may lengthen prison terms beyond the maximum set out in state sentencing guidelines.   ...The ruling appears to give defendants a right to demand that every fact that could lengthen a sentence be put to a jury and proved beyond a reasonable doubt"]
US gives Iraq troops legal cover news.bbc.co.uk 6/25/4 ["The US Government has said it plans to maintain legal jurisdiction over US forces in Iraq after the handover of sovereignty at the end of June.  It is taking the action so its forces are not subject to Iraqi courts. "]
Senate Confirms "Pro-Life" U.N. Ambassador, Human Cloning a Concern lifenews.com 6/25/4 ["While Danforth compiled a pro-life voting record on abortion, some pro-life advocates are concerned that he will deviate from President Bush's position against human cloning and embryonic stem cell research."]
Religious right could be strong pillar for Bush news.yahoo.com 6/25/4 ["In interviews with pastors across Florida, many said some politicians are invited to meet the faithful during Sunday services, but their churches never endorse candidates. To do so would risk the churches' tax-exempt status."]
NATO could find its new purpose in Iraq iht.com 6/25/4 ["Of almost two million European uniformed personnel, only about 65,000 are usable for the force projection tasks of modern warfare. "]
U.S. Readies for Draft newsmax.com 6/25/4 ["Despite denials that the U.S. plans to re-institute the draft, the Pentagon has stepped up preparations for a new Selective Service System that could allow for a full-blown draft by next year."]
SC: Forced testimony okay in terror hearings cnews.canoe.ca 6/25/4 ["The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that reluctant witnesses can be forced to testify - and those hearings should be made public - under the country's new anti-terrorism laws."]
World Bank advises cautious pullout jpost.com 6/25/4 ["The World Bank has recommended that Israel transfer settlers' homes and other assets to the PA after it withdraws from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank rather than turn them over to a neutral, third party."]
N. Korea Threatens to Test Nuclear Weapon apnews.myway.com 6/25/4 ["North Korea told the United States on Thursday that it would test a nuclear weapon unless Washington accepted Pyongyang's proposal for a freeze on its atomic program, a senior administration official said."]
World Court to rule on West Bank barrier iht.com 6/25/4 ["said Friday that it would rule July 9 on the legality of Israel's West Bank barrier"]
U.S. wants Russia to form joint peacekeeping brigade with NATO troops interfax.ru 6/25/4 ["Washington wants Moscow to consider forming a joint peacekeeping brigade with NATO troops"]
Our $8 trillion headache cincypost.com 6/25/4 ["after taking office with the publicly held share of the national debt declining thanks to four years of surpluses, the Bush administration has had to twice ask that the borrowing cap be lifted, for a total of $1.4 trillion."]
More US ships and planes heading their way to Asia taipeitimes.com 6/25/4 ["The US plans to put "substantially" more ships and warplanes in Asia and the Pacific, even as it pulls troops out of South Korea, a top Pentagon official told Congress on Wednesday.   The build-up of armaments is part of the broadest repositioning of US forces worldwide since the end of the Korean War more than 50 years ago."]
The White House papers: Torture and the rule of law iht.com 6/25/4 ["Americans are still being denied the full picture because the documents on planning for the treatment of prisoners were selected by the White House, which has for months ignored the Senate Armed Services Committee's demand for the whole record. "]
Satellite photos show destruction in nearly 400 villages in western Sudan, U.S. aid chief says billingsgazette.com 6/25/4 ["there have been reports of fighting or threatened attacks in every camp for displaced people, the U.S. aid chief said...  Fighting between Arab militias and African residents has killed thousands of people and forced more than 1 million to flee their homes."]

About 100 Die in Rebel Attacks in Five Iraq Cities reuters.com 6/24/4 ["and several hundred wounded in Iraq Thursday when insurgents launched bloody assaults in five cities to disrupt next week's formal handover to Iraqi rule."]
Annan backs US immunity decision news.bbc.co.uk 6/24/4 ["the move is a major climb-down for the Americans, who rarely face such united opposition on the Council.  She says the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq and opposition from Mr Annan, helped persuade the majority of council members not to back the proposal. "]
Annan Victory as U.S. Drops War Crimes Exemption Demand news.scotsman.com 6/24/4 ["While the US won praise for not pushing for a vote that would have deeply divided the UN Security Council, the Bush administration clearly suffered a defeat in its lengthy battle against the world’s first permanent war crimes tribunal."]
U.S. Device Seen at Supected Iran Atomic Site reuters.com 6/24/4 ["The disclosure could prove embarrassing to Washington which has accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons program and has called on countries to crack down on exports of even seemingly innocent machinery that could be used in weapons programs."]
Gerashchenko Chosen As New Yukos Chairman forbes.com 6/24/4 ["Gerashchenko, with connections at many levels of government... Many analysts see the tax case and the charges against Khodorkovsky as a Kremlin-driven effort to curb Khodorkovsky's political clout - he had funded opposition parties. "]
Moonie leader 'crowned' in Senate guardian.co.uk 6/24/4 ["He owns the conservative newspaper the Washington Times and the US news agency United Press International....   His fiercely conservative attitudes towards homosexuality and pre-marital sex have won him the endorsement of leading Republicans, including the president's father, George Bush, and John Ashcroft, the attorney general, who participated in one of Mr Moon's "prayer luncheons" days before the president's inauguration in January 2001."]
Bush memos show stance on torture guardian.co.uk 6/24/4 ["Questions were also raised on the role of President George Bush after the release of a previously secret order he signed in February 2002. In the order, Mr Bush reserves the right to suspend the Geneva convention on treatment of detainees at any time."]
Pro-Life Groups Continue Push for Abortion-Fetal Pain Legislation lifenews.com 6/24/4 ["legislation that would warn women considering abortion that unborn children feel intense pain during the abortion procedure."]
The talk of Washington: Reverend Moon's Senate 'coronation' iht.com 6/24/4 ["Others, like Senator Mark Dayton, a Minnesota Democrat, insisted that they had been duped and had had no idea that the organization holding the reception was connected to Moon."]
AP Sues for Access to Bush Guard Records story.news.yahoo.com 6/24/4 ["Controversy surrounds Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard because it is unclear from the record what duties he performed for the military when he was working on the political campaign of a U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama."]
U.N. Law Of the Sea Treaty threatens U.S. sovereignty newswithviews.com 6/24/4 ["Lugar insists that the Bush “Administration even helped write the resolution of advice and consent accompanying the treaty."   ..Moreover, Turner is a close buddy of Dick Cheney, so his efforts for the treaty have been interpreted as being official White House policy. If Turner wins this round, his next attack will be for ratification of the UN’s Biodiversity Treaty that the Senate refused to consider ten years ago."]
Faiths unite for service in support of gay rights thejournalnews.com 6/24/4 ["The event was intended to bring people of different faiths together in acceptance of gay rights at a time when gays' attempts to marry across the country have pushed the issue of religious life and sexuality into the national dialogue.   ...Greenleaf and the Rev. Dawn Sangrey, a Unitarian minister who leads a small congregation in Mohegan Lake, earlier this year catapulted themselves into the middle of the battle over gay marriage in New York state by marrying 25 gay couples in New Paltz."]
Homosexual Porn to Run as AIDS Prevention Campaign Across Canada; Funded by Health Canada lifesite.net 6/24/4 ["Critics of HIV/AIDS Prevention campaigns have argued for years that such government funded campaigns are frequently used to promote acceptance of homosexuality and to desensitize the public to homosexual behaviour and culture, which is a heavy consumer of pornography."]
We'll release embryo stem cells for free to speed up research, says firm smh.com.au 6/24/4 ["An Australian company has pledged that any stem cells it obtains from Australian embryos will be made freely available to researchers around the world."]
Oil prices rise on threat of Norway shutdown emedia.com.my 6/24/4 ["World oil prices rose as Norway's oil industry management prepared to lock out strikers, threatening to drain output from the world's third-biggest oil exporter."]

War crimes court launches Congo probe seattlepi.nwsource.com 6/23/4 ["the court's first formal case since its creation two years ago  ...Cases also may be referred to the court by member states or the U.N. Security Council.  The announcement coincided with Washington's surprise announcement it was dropping an attempt to win the Security Council's approval for a third year of exemptions from prosecution for U.S. citizens by the tribunal."]
Iraqi Prime Minister Requests NATO Help rferl.org 6/23/4 ["confirmed today that Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has written to the alliance requesting training and other assistance."]
Air exercise a wake up call: US news.com.au 6/23/4 ["US Air Force has had a "wake-up call" as a result of mock air-to-air engagements with India earlier this year that showed the US can no longer take air superiority for granted in a conflict, a top US general said today.  ...The Russian-made SU-30s are reported to have bested the F-15s in a majority of their engagements, much to the surprise of the organisers."]
Pope criticizes Spain for gay marriages washtimes.com 6/23/4 ["criticized the Spanish socialist government's plans for social change, including same-sex marriages, faster divorces and abortion."]
More Airlines Gave Passenger Data, TSA Says reuters.com 6/23/4 ["More airlines than originally thought secretly provided passenger data for a U.S. government screening system in possible violation of privacy laws, the Bush administration said on Wednesday."]
Hostage Dreamed of Missionary Work in Arab Nations times.hankooki.com 6/23/4 ["Kim Sun-il, the 33-year-old Korean being held captive by Iraqi insurgents...  A native of Pusan and a devoted Christian, Kim graduated from a local theological seminary..."]
U.S. Drops UN Measure to Shield Its Soldiers Abroad reuters.com 6/23/4 ["U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan helped harden the position in the council by telling members last week to oppose the measure, saying it sent an "unfortunate signal any time -- but particularly at this time." ...It would exempt from prosecution all military and civilian personnel "related to a U.N.-authorized operation.""]
Afghan detainees routinely tortured and humiliated by US troops guardian.co.uk 6/23/4 [""]
Iraq Militants Warn Allawi Over Emergency Laws reuters.com 6/23/4 ["not to implement emergency laws in Iraq and said they would attack anyone involved in such measures"]
U.S. Is Quietly Spending $2.5 Billion From Iraqi Oil Revenues to Pay for Iraqi Projects nytimes.com 6/23/4 ["Because of deteriorating security and complex delays in contracts that have slowed the spending of the $18 billion in Congressionally appropriated money, occupation authorities say they decided recently that they had to spend the Iraqi money to build schools, factories and oil fields, and to turn Iraqis away from violence."]
Sharon: I don't intend to allow Egypt to act as mediator haaretzdaily.com 6/23/4 ["He also said he would not allow Egypt to raise the issue of Israeli-Palestinian talks in Gaza or of comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The disengagement plan, he said, would remain unilateral."]
Bill Would Reverse President Bush, Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research lifenews.com 6/23/4 ["The bill, sponsored by Republican Michael Castle of Delaware and Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, is designed to reverse President Bush's August 2001 decision preventing federal funding of any new embryonic stem cell research.  "Government policy -- not scientific limitation -- is now holding stem cell research back," DeGette said at a news conference to announce the bill."]
U.S. Puts N. Korea Deal On Table cbsnews.com 6/23/4 ["Under the U.S. proposal, those countries would give North Korea "provisional security guarantees" while the nuclear dismantling work is carried out, according to the American officials.  North Korea has insisted that without such a guarantee, it must keep its nuclear program to deter a possible U.S. attack. "]
U.S. considers classifying Sudan actions as genocide columbiatribune.com 6/23/4 ["A U.S. interagency review is aimed at judging whether the Darfur tragedy qualifies as genocide under a 1946 international convention that outlaws the practice."]
Military tests computer networks in global exercise nctimes.com 6/23/4 ["a massive global war game sponsored by the U.S. Northern Command, one that is set to link nearly 10,000 military and civilian officials in more than 20 different countries this week to test new computer communication systems for military operations and homeland defense."]

Senate to take up gay marriage amendment next month detnews.com 6/22/4 ["constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, forcing lawmakers to cast a tough political vote just weeks before the Democratic presidential convention in Massachusetts."]
US ports set to meet deadline for global security standards straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/22/4 [Tom Ridge: "'For the first time ever, through an international effort, there will be one world standard for ship and port security,' he said on Monday."]
Amnesty slams Gulf rights record news.bbc.co.uk 6/22/4 ["The US-led "War on Terror" has had a "profound and far-reaching impact" on human rights in the Gulf region, says an Amnesty International report."]
Bush woos people of faith detnews.com 6/22/4 ["Rules against churches' candidate endorsements present complications...  Under Internal Revenue Service laws, churches and other religious organizations can lose their tax-exempt status if they endorse political candidates.  ...churches are free to speak out on political issues — such as whether the government should outlaw abortion or gay marriage."]
Powell gave U.N. 'ambiguous' data on Iraqi weapons, NSA chief says baltimoresun.com 6/22/4 ["The director of the National Security Agency acknowledges in a new book that audiotapes that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell aired before the United Nations last year to justify the need to confront Iraq offered "ambiguous" evidence that Baghdad was hiding banned weapons."]
Probe chief: Al-Qaida closer to Iran than Iraq suntimes.com 6/22/4 ["al-Qaida had much more interaction with Iran and Pakistan than it did with Iraq, underscoring a controversy over the Bush administration's insistence there was collaboration between the terrorist group and Saddam Hussein."]
EU to try again to pick president news.bbc.co.uk 6/22/4 ["European leaders will try again next week to nominate the next president of the European Commission - but only if they have neared an agreement."]
SF’s gay wedding march inspires documentarians thedesertsun.com 6/22/4 ["one of nine films inspired by the monthlong march to matrimony at City Hall making their debut this weekend at the 28th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Another five films in the festival deal more broadly with same-sex marriage themes.   Organizers of the festival, whose $10,000 first prize for best documentary is the most generous on the gay and lesbian film circuit"]
U.S. to Give 'Legal' Custody of Saddam to Iraqis reuters.com 6/22/4 ["plans to turn over legal, but not physical, custody of Saddam Hussein and some other prisoners to the Iraqi interim government soon after it takes over on June 30"]
Maine couple in same-sex suit seeking privileges of marriage pressherald.com 6/22/4 ["they have joined eight other same-sex couples from around New England in a lawsuit that claims the law, known as Section 11, is unconstitutional as applied to gay and lesbian couples...  'Cultural changes take time,' said Theberge. 'I think we've come very far and it's just a matter of time and exposure.'"]
AIDS Behind Food Shortages In Southern Africa voanews.com 6/22/4 ["The director of the U.N. World Food Program says that H.I.V./AIDS is greatly exacerbating the effects of food shortages in southern Africa. James Morris says over and above natural disasters, such as drought, AIDS is killing those who would normally produce the region's food."]
Iran threatens to get tough with British sailors straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/22/4 ["They will be prosecuted for illegally entering Iranian territorial waters,' Iran's Al-Alam television reported."]
UN slams US over spending Iraq funds news.ft.com 6/22/4 ["United Nations-mandated auditors have sharply criticised the US occupation authority for the way it has spent more than $11bn in Iraqi oil revenues and say they have faced "resistance" from coalition officials."]
Castro warns Bush not to launch invasion baltimoresun.com 6/22/4 ["Tens of thousands of Cubans rallied yesterday, as Fidel Castro warned President Bush against launching a military attack on Cuba, saying it would provoke a mass exodus and an all-out ground war...  In May, a U.S. presidential commission delivered to Bush what amounts to a policy of regime change in Cuba."]
Russian Troops Hunt Rebels After Rampage thestate.com 6/22/4 ["Although Chechnya is a largely Muslim region in overwhelmingly Christian Russia, the first of Chechnya's two wars was an essentially secular conflict. However, after Russian troops pulled out when Chechen rebels fought them to a standstill, the separatists increasingly took on a specifically Islamic mantle."]

S.Korea Party Asks U.S. to Avoid Intelligence Errors news.yahoo.com 6/21/4 ["South Korea's ruling party urged President Bush's administration on Monday to share more intelligence on North Korea  to ensure there is no repeat of what it said was the flawed information that led to war in Iraq"]
Top Court Rules People Must Give Police Their Names reuters.com 6/21/4 ["A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that people are required to identify themselves when asked to do so by police, and rejected arguments that it violates their constitutional rights to privacy and to remain silent."]
Iran Seizes Three British Vessels, 8 Crewmen reuters.com 6/21/4 ["while delivering a boat from Umm Qsar to Basra," Britain's Ministry of Defense said...  Oil market jitters..."]
Fallujah mystery deepens gulf-news.com 6/21/4 ["A militant group targeted by a US air strike that killed 22 people in Fallujah does not operate in the rebellious Sunni town, Iraqi security officers said yesterday."]
Russia approves protest law globeandmail.com 6/21/4 ["signed a new law on demonstrations on Monday that the government had softened to counter allegations that it was encroaching on Russians' freedom of assembly...  would have banned rallies outside all government buildings."]
More Than 20,000 Revelers Gather at Stonehenge for Summer Solstice ap.tbo.com 6/21/4 ["More than 20,000 New Age followers, self-styled druids and other revelers celebrated the summer solstice at this ancient stone circle Monday, dancing to drums and holding aloft flaming torches."]
Iran satellite images raise nuclear questions newscientist.com 6/21/4 ["show that the site's buildings have been razed, its features obliterated and its ground cleared."]
NATO: Why not really make Russia a partner? iht.com 6/21/4 ["Moscow has sufficient economic and strategic leverage to frustrate further Western plans for the region if Russian interests are not taken into consideration. Russia will continue to play a critical role in the Caucasus and Central Asia irrespective of American intent. Cooperation with Russia is the only way forward."]
Conservatives React: 'Hate Crimes' Amendment Discriminatory crosswalk.com 6/21/4 ["In a 65-33 vote on Tuesday, the Senate added the amendment to the $447 billion defense authorization bill for next year.  The measure would add three new categories of protected groups -- sexual orientation, gender, and disabilities -- to the civil-rights-era law on hate crimes."]
Americans brace for more attacks after beheading gulf-news.com 6/21/4 ["Americans working in Saudi Arabia fear a new terrorist will step in to replace the alleged Al Qaida leader reportedly killed by police."]
Annan Sees 'Alarming Resurgence' of Anti-Semitism reuters.com 6/21/4 ["Greeted by a standing ovation, Annan opened the first U.N.-organized conference devoted entirely to anti-Semitism amid charges from Jewish leaders that the world body was concentrating on the Palestinian cause at the expense of Israelis."]
Egypt Demands: No Israeli Anti-Terror Activity In Gaza After Withdrawal israelnationalnews.com 6/21/4 ["It now appears that Israel's "unilateral" disengagement from Gaza will only occur if Egypt sets the precise terms. Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleimon is expected to arrive in Israel this week, and will lay down the conditions that both Israel and the PA must fulfill for Egypt to agree to the Israeli withdrawal."]
Bush Support for Extreme Liberal Specter Shows President Puts Party over Principle, Says Constitution Party Candidate Peroutka peroutka2004.com 6/21/4 ["If re-elected, Specter is in line to be Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This would be a serious setback for Constitutional, conservative government since Specter's record shows that he is an enemy of both."]

US air strike on Fallujah poses new threat to Iraqi handover news.independent.co.uk 6/20/4 ["The handover of power in Iraq - now a mere 10 days away - appeared to be in a state of renewed crisis yesterday after a US air strike on homes in Fallujah brought to an end a week in which large-scale violence once again boiled to the surface...  It bore the hallmark of a revenge attack straight out of the Israeli book - engendering an incensed reaction similar to that of Palestinians on the receiving of Israeli air raids in Gaza and the West Bank."]
The big stick sltrib.com 6/20/4 ["If Iran is trying to join the nuclear weapons club, it is partly because the United States has pushed it in that direction. "]
Repairs Completed on Iraq Oil Pipeline story.news.yahoo.com 6/20/4 ["Only the smaller of the two southern lines has been repaired. Repairs on the larger line were expected to take up to six days, the official said."]
China told to use nukes if Taiwan hits dam straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/20/4 ["Some parliamentary delegates call on Beijing to retract its no-first-use pledge to deter 'terrorist acts' like dam strike"]
Egypt sets terms for disengagement role haaretzdaily.com 6/20/4 ["has presented the Palestinians with conditions for its involvement in the disengagement plan and its proposal to dispatch security experts to the Gaza Strip.  Cairo is also demanding that Israel halt all military activity in the Strip as a condition for its involvement"]
Iraq Restructures Forces to Fight Insurgents reuters.com 6/20/4 ["a U.S. air strike that killed 22 people in Falluja on Saturday. Iraqi officers in the restive town say the dead included women and children, not foreign Islamic militants."]
Cheney asked to prove Saddam-Al Qaida link gulf-news.com 6/20/4 ["to turn over any intelligence reports that would support the White House's insistence that there was a close relationship between Saddam Hussain and Al Qaida."]
Russia’s fast-neutron reactors world’s best, US professor says itar-tass.com 6/20/4 ["U.S. Professor Leonard Koch, Global Energy International Prize winner, said Russia had unconditional priority in the creation of a new generation of fast breeder reactors."]
Arizona abortion regulation invades privacy, appeals court says sfgate.com 6/20/4 ["Legislation requiring Arizona abortion clinics to submit to warrantless searches and to make patient files available to state regulators is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, a federal appeals court ruled Friday."]

[NY] Senate bill raises hopes of stem cell research proponents newsday.com 6/19/4 ["Republican President George Bush opposes an expansion of stem cell research because of its potential to lead to human cloning, which is anathema to conservatives and religious fundamentalists. Both the Senate and Assembly bills in New York would permit stem cell research in New York but prohibit cloning. "]
UN to Caterpillar: Don't sell bulldozers to Israel jpost.com 6/19/4 ["Ziegler said his letter was the first under a new resolution passed this year by the 53-nation UN Human Rights Commission extending responsibility for protecting rights beyond governments to "non-state actors.""]
Report: Forced evacuation in 6 months jnewswire.com 6/19/4 ["Jewish residents of the Gaza Strip will be forced from their homes by the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon much sooner than originally expected, two Israeli daily news outlets reported Friday."]
Sudanese Leader Orders All Outlaw Groups Disarmed reuters.com 6/19/4 ["The presidential statement also said that the judicial authorities in Darfur should set up prosecution offices and courts to prosecute plunder gangs and criminals "without delay.""]
EU ready to end trade sanctions after U.S. gesture iht.com 6/19/4 ["after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to eliminate a $4 billion annual tax break for American exporters.  The tax break was ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization, which let the EU impose as much as $4 billion in retaliatory sanctions."]
The Suicide Capital Of America cbsnews.com 6/19/4 ["Las Vegas...  You're in a place that nobody cares. It's not famous for being warm and fuzzy. It's a place you can be anonymous and die."]
Warlords spur fears of Afghan civil war thestar.com 6/19/4 ["Warlords have overrun a provincial capital in central Afghanistan, forcing the governor to flee, in the latest challenge to President Hamid Karzai's authority in a country which Amnesty International warns is facing outright civil war."]
Putin says Iraq planned US hit theage.com.au 6/19/4 ["In the holy city of Najaf, supporters of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr halted Friday prayers for the second week running. Sheikh Sadr's supporters, who a week earlier stoned moderate clerics, said they would stop anyone from preaching without permission."]
Bush Again Delays Move Of US Embassy to Jerusalem cnsnews.com 6/19/4 ["Invoking a national security clause, President Bush has suspended the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act and delayed for another six months the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem...  Many nations withdrew their embassies from the city in 1980, when Israel enshrined in law its claim to Jerusalem as its "eternal, indivisible capital." "]
3,000 more UK troops for Iraq guardian.co.uk 6/19/4 ["A Nato force including up to 3,000 British troops will be deployed to Iraq to support the vulnerable new government as it takes over the running of the country, under a plan being drawn up in London and Washington...  would be "temporarily extracted" from Nato to make it more politically acceptable to members of the alliance - notably France and Germany - that were opposed to the war, as well as Russia and many Iraqi leaders."]
Liberty under threat in Russia nzherald.co.nz 6/19/4 ["This week has seen two court cases, one involving artistic and religious freedom, and the other an onslaught on the freedom to take part in politics and criticise the Kremlin."]
Bush told he is playing into Bin Laden's hands guardian.co.uk 6/19/4 ["Al-Qaida may 'reward' American president with strike aimed at keeping him in office, senior intelligence man says "]
Iran Reconsidering Uranium Enrichment Suspension, Defends Related Activities ap.tbo.com 6/19/4 ["did not say explicitly that Iran would resume enriching uranium, but he said the country believed activities related to enrichment at the nuclear plants at Arak and Isfahan were "legal.""]
US current account deficit $1.5bn a day news.ft.com 6/19/4 ["The wider-than-expected deficit put pressure on the dollar, which declined against a basket of currencies and reached a six-week low against the yen in morning trading.  There were few surprises in the report, which continues a well-established trend."]
Crews Push to Repair Iraqi Pipelines ap.org 6/19/4 ["hope to resume partial crude oil exports this weekend and restore shipments fully by the end of next week"]
Norway strike set to slash output by 400,000 bpd gulf-news.com 6/19/4 ["from the world's third biggest exporter, stoking already high world oil prices."]

European Union Adopts First Constitution guardian.co.uk 6/18/4 [""]
Liturgy for gay marriages developed in Vt. seattlepi.nwsource.com 6/18/4 ["has become the first in the country to develop a liturgy - a script for a religious service - in response to a state law making same-sex unions legal."]
Martial law threatened for Iraq news.ft.com 6/18/4 [""A decision to impose martial law could be taken if the attacks continue," said Hazem Shaalan, the defence minister...  Such laws carry uncomfortable echoes of the legal fabrications used by the former regime of Saddam Hussein and many current Arab governments to justify repressive and totalitarian rule."]
Russia 'Warning' on Saddam Puzzles U.S. reuters.com 6/18/4 ["State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters he did not know anything about the information that Putin said Russia passed on. No such information was communicated from Russia through the State Department, he said."]
Putin Says Russia Warned U.S. on Saddam news.myway.com 6/18/4 ["that Iraq's Saddam Hussein planned "terrorist attacks" on its soil, President Vladimir Putin said Friday."]
UN says Iraq still too dangerous news.bbc.co.uk 6/18/4 [" still too violent for United Nations staff to return, Secretary General Kofi Annan has said."]
China Will Not Back U.S. on Immunity from New Court reuters.com 6/18/4 ["a decision that may leave Washington short of votes to pass the resolution."]
Bush: 'I Never Said 9/11 Was Saddam-Al Qaeda Plot' cnsnews.com 6/18/4 ["According to the 9/11 commission, Iraq "apparently never responded" to al Qaeda's requests for help in acquiring weapons and setting up training camps."]
Al-Qaida rebuffed by Iraq in 1990s baltimoresun.com 6/18/4 ["The bipartisan commission concluded that Iraq and al-Qaida never developed a "collaborative relationship," even though President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have long argued that they did. The Bush administration made that argument to justify, in part, Bush's decision to invade Iraq and topple Hussein."]
Western drought beats Dust Bowl, could be wors[t] in 500 years sfgate.com 6/18/4 ["with effects in the Colorado River basin even worse than during the Dust Bowl years, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey say...  the report reinforces the need to figure out a better way to manage the Colorado River before reservoirs run dry."]
Senate sets mid-July vote on marriage washtimes.com 6/18/4 ["Senate Republican leaders have scheduled the Senate vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman for the week of July 12, just two weeks before Democrats convene in Boston for their presidential nominating convention."]
Annan: Int'l Intervention in Sudan Possible foxnews.com 6/18/4 ["to protect more than 1 million people threatened by fighting in the Darfur region of western Sudan"]
Rallies to go beyond 'zone' boston.com 6/18/4 ["Loud and boisterous protesters are expected to branch far beyond the ''free-speech zone" next to the FleetCenter at next month's Democratic National Convention"]
Israel launches Gaza moat plan reuters.co.uk 6/18/4 ["inviting contractor bids for the project meant to prevent arms reaching Palestinian militants through tunnels."]
Oil Up, Iraqi Exports Resumption Doubted reuters.com 6/18/4 ["World oil prices rose modestly Friday amid doubts that Iraqi imports would start flowing again during the weekend, four days after sabotage attacks cut off supplies.  Prices still remained broadly supported by fears that global oil production is nearing its limits, with the Iraqi halt and a Norwegian strike exacerbating the problem. "]

Annan slams war crime exemption news.bbc.co.uk 6/17/4 ["The UN secretary general has urged the Security Council not to renew an exemption from prosecution for US troops on UN peacekeeping duties...  would discredit the UN's claim to represent the rule of law."]
Gay rights group asks for IRS review of Waterford pastor detnews.com 6/17/4 ["Election endorsements violate nonprofit rule... “We’re hoping that they’ll revoke their nonprofit status,” Kosofsky said. “It is very disturbing that this minister would try to insinuate that gay people are bad for children.”... He said the church would do what the IRS asks."]
Senate OKs Law to Protect Gays, Lesbians newsmax.com 6/17/4 ["Senate voted 65-33 Tuesday to give gays and lesbians protection under the federal hate crime law, and officials said a debate was likely next month on a far more controversial measure to amend the Constitution with a ban on homosexual marriages."]
Bush 'must apologise' for lies news24.com 6/17/4 ["Now President Bush should apologise to the American people, who were led to believe something different," the Times editorial said."]
Bombs, rage shake Baghdad denverpost.com 6/17/4 ["Crowd turns hostile after rush-hour truck explosion...  Yet at the precise moment that the violence is peaking in Iraq, U.S. forces are deferring increasingly to Iraqi security services."]
Poll reveals hostility to US and support for rebel cleric news.independent.co.uk 6/17/4 ["which was commissioned by the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) last month and which was leaked yesterday, reveal that only 2 per cent of the Iraqis polled in mid-May see coalition troops as liberators, while 92 per cent said they were occupiers."]
Bush officials try to cherry-pick statistics; it's still worst job creation record in 60 years detnews.com 6/17/4 ["Employment numbers create a fight about 'jobless recovery'"]
Gay Couples to Sue Over Marriage Law reuters.com 6/17/4 ["Gay couples from several Massachusetts towns and from out-of-state said on Thursday they would sue Massachusetts for enforcing a controversial marriage law they decried as discriminatory."]
Russia raises WMD issue news24.com 6/17/4 ["Russia raised a piece of unfinished business in the Security Council debate on a UN resolution backing the restoration of sovereignty to Iraqis - what about the search for weapons of mass destruction?"]
Pentagon Admits Holding Iraqi in Secret abcnews.go.com 6/17/4 ["Pentagon Acknowledges Improperly Holding Iraqi in Secret, Violating Geneva Conventions"]
Pentagon: Military Hid Iraq Prisoner from Red Cros reuters.com 6/17/4 ["Both assigning a prisoner number and notifying the Red Cross are required under the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian laws."]
  IAEA Admits Error in Iran Report voanews.com 6/17/4 ["admitted wrongly accusing Iran in one instance of withholding information from investigators probing Tehran's nuclear program."]
Other views: Asia's shifting sense of U.S. power iht.com 6/17/4 ["China's role as the engine of regional growth has helped defuse historic tensions, and trade is integrating most of the region's economies. This means much of East Asia is becoming less reliant on the U.S. military for its sense of security. "]
Cheney Won't Back Down on Saddam-Qaeda Links -Aides reuters.com 6/17/4 ["who took the lead in pushing the idea of long-standing links between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, has no intention of backing down despite a finding to the contrary by the Sept. 11 commission"]
Pakistan hails US decision to grant it major non-NATO ally status news.yahoo.com 6/17/4 [" Bush granted Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led anti-terror war, the increased status on Wednesday, opening the door for closer military ties.  The decision allows Pakistan to join an exclusive club of countries that enjoy a privileged security relationship with the United States."]
Iraq and Saudi Arabia violence tied together straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/17/4 [" This week, Mr Faisal Al-Fayez, the Prime Minister of Jordan, warned that instability resulting from attacks in Saudi Arabia could spread to other Gulf countries and even affect Jordan itself.  'The Arab nation in general is facing a ferocious terror campaign, particularly Saudi Arabia. If international and regional efforts to fight terrorism are not stepped up there will be no stability in the Middle East,' Mr Al-Fayez said."]
Legal scholars say condoning abuse could be impeachable offense projo.com 6/17/4 ["More than 400 legal scholars from across the country urged Congress Wednesday to consider impeaching President Bush and any high-level administration officials who approved the Iraqi prisoner abuses."]
US Senate backs Bush on new nuclear weapons nzherald.co.nz 6/17/4 ["plan to study a new generation of low-yield and earth-penetrating nuclear weapons, rejecting concerns that the research could spur an arms race...  said just considering the new weapons takes nuclear warfare out of the realm of the unthinkable and encourages adversaries of the United States to develop such weapons."]
Raucous bar scene emerges in Baghdad's green zone boston.com 6/17/4 ["''I don't know if they are corrupting us or we're corrupting them,'' one CPA official quipped."]
Egypt's Mubarak Meets CIA Chief, Official Says reuters.com 6/17/4 ["Vague rumors had circulated earlier in the day that the 76-year-old Mubarak was unwell."]

"Hat in Hand," on "Bended Knee" (Excerpt) thenewamerican.com 6/16/4 ["After supposedly breaking with the UN over the Iraq War, the Bush administration has not only come to the UN as supplicant but is pushing for a UN standing army."]
Iraq Rebels Stage More Attacks, Oil Exports Choked reuters.com 6/16/4 ["In the latest attack on Iraq's oil industry, saboteurs blew a hole in one of Iraq's two southern oil export pipelines on Wednesday for the second time in 48 hours, an Iraqi oil source told Reuters. The source said the damage was "fairly big."   ...The cleric said this week he would set up a political party, which could contest national elections to be held by January. Iraq's interim president has welcomed that idea and even Bush said he would not oppose it."]
Greenspan Says Economy Must Deal With Threats nytimes.com 6/16/4 ["the central bank must stand ready to deal with a large number of possible threats to the economy, including another terrorist attack on U.S. soil."]
No Christianity in new E.U. Constitution interestalert.com 6/16/4 [""]
UK bid to clone human embryo guardian.co.uk 6/16/4 ["A request from British-based scientists to clone human embryos for medical purposes was today being considered by the UK authority with the power to grant licences...  Stem cells..."]
9/11 Panel Disputes Iraq Link to Attacks apnews.excite.com 6/16/4 ["Bluntly contradicting the Bush administration, the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks reported Wednesday there was "no credible evidence" that Saddam Hussein had ties with al-Qaida."]
Hijack 'suspects' alive and well news.bbc.co.uk 6/16/4 ["Another of the men named by the FBI as a hijacker in the suicide attacks on Washington and New York has turned up alive and well."]
Oil fight shows Putin's tighter grip csmonitor.com 6/16/4 ["controversial case widely seen as a Kremlin effort to establish further control over vast assets held by a handful of oligarchs - and over Russia's civil society."]
While risky, Chavez recall shows global pressure works gulf-news.com 6/16/4 ["The domestic unrest and international condemnation that would have resulted would have jeopardised his continued rule."]
Why Has Bishop O’Malley Abandoned the Fight Against Homosexual “Marriage?” massnews.com 6/16/4 ["O’Malley followed the failed leadership of the psychologist from Colorado, James Dobson of Focus on the Family, from January to March as he whipped the state into a frenzy. Now Dobson is gone, and the leaders in the state have retreated, disillusioned and discouraged, but not the people. No one knows how much money Dobson garnered from his efforts to “save” Massachusetts, but the number of his fundraising letters across the entire nation are known to have been in the tens of millions."]
Consensus Grows at IAEA Meeting on Sharp Rebuke of Iran ap.tbo.com 6/16/4 ["Diplomats said they were near agreement on a toughly worded draft resolution to censure Iran rather than punish it for its lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency."]
Inquisition torture wasn't so common, Vatican says freep.com 6/16/4 ["Pope John Paul II praised the research, recalling that in 2000, the church asked pardon for "errors committed in the service of the truth through recourse to non-evangelical methods."" - whitewash]
Australia's Hill Says Govt Knew About Abu Ghraib in January bloomberg.com 6/16/4 ["The Australian government knew about claims of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraq prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in January, Defense Minister Robert Hill said."]
Fighting Iran in a Regional Mideast War chronwatch.com 6/16/4 ["Should Iran undermine the U.S. position in Iraq, it would serve as a checkmate in the regional chess game.  Nearby nations might seek pragmatic agreement with Iran in order to forestall terrorist groups, and U.S. prestige would be dealt a major blow.  Moreover, the war on terror would be far more difficult to control than it is at the moment."]
Iran may resume uranium enrichment straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/16/4 ["Teheran warns nuclear agency against approving draft resolution to rebuke it for not cooperating fully with inspectors...   if this resolution passes, Iran will have no moral commitment to suspend uranium enrichment,' President Mohammad Khatami said in his toughest warning yet to the United Nations nuclear watchdog."]
UN staff fear whistleblowers will suffer internal reprisals news.independent.co.uk 6/16/4 ["and do not view the organisation's leaders as role models for integrity, according to a global survey of employees.  ...easure attitudes and perceptions among UN staff about integrity - a core value of the world body.   ...the UN's reputation was called into question earlier this year over allegations of fraud and corruption in the UN oil-for-food programme for Iraq."]
TSA tries biometric checks fcw.com 6/16/4 ["Frequent travelers at five airports who submit biometric data and pass a background check will be able to breeze through security checkpoints as part of the Transportation Security Administration's Registered Traveler Pilot program."]
 

US Congressional Group Warns of Troubling Trends in US-China Ties voanews.com 6/15/4 ["China is engaged in what he called a diplomatic offensive in the Asia-Pacific region to buy space and time for its economic development. He warned, though, that this robust development is translating into rapid military modernization."]
Southern Baptists vote to quit global alliance iht.com 6/15/4 ["complaints that some members of the loose global association had adopted liberal theology and "anti-American" thinking."]
China Helping Iran, North Korea on Weapons-Panel reuters.com 6/15/4 ["China's continued failure to adequately curb its proliferation practices poses significant national security concerns to the United States"]
U.S. Wants Further Delay in New Passport Rules reuters.com 6/15/4 ["to introduce machine-readable passports with a computer chip containing a digital photo."]
U.S. wants to press Iran over nuclear program baltimoresun.com 6/15/4 ["Hopes of getting the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran appear doomed for the foreseeable future by the prospect of vetoes by Russia and China"]
Michigan: Thousands of Gay Couples Rally at Capitol wlns.com 6/15/4 ["Michigan is one of the only states in the union that has its statewide pride rally in its capital city. In recent years, it has grown to be the largest annual event held on the capitol steps."]
Iraq Oil Pipeline Attacked wbex.com 6/15/4 ["The blast shut down oil exports from the area's two terminals"]
Bush finds common cause with Baptists seattlepi.nwsource.com 6/15/4 ["President Bush said Tuesday he was leery of casting himself as "more religious than my neighbor" as he aligned himself on an array of issues with a politically influential Christian group."]
AMA Opposes Feds on Morning-After Pill ap.org 6/15/4 ["The American Medical Association voiced its support for over-the-counter sales of morning-after birth control, saying the Food and Drug Administration was wrong to reject such sales and urging doctors to write advance prescriptions."]
Bush rejects calls on stem-cell research boston.com 6/15/4 ["we are still at a phase where we are conducting the basic research so that we can better understand the promise of stem-cell research. There's a lot we don't know at this point."]
Come home, U.S. urges citizens in Saudi Arabia denverpost.com 6/15/4 ["renewed its call Monday for Americans to leave Saudi Arabia after the recent terrorist attacks, saying the safety of U.S. workers is more important than any effect on oil supplies or the Saudi economy."]
Terrorism in Iraq widening post-gazette.com 6/15/4 ["an average of at least one car bombing a day somewhere in Iraq."]
Iran massing troops on Iraq border washingtontimes.com 6/15/4 ["if U.S. troops pull out, leaving a security vacuum."]
Trade negotiators meet as 180-country UN forum begins in Brazil canadaeast.com 6/15/4 ["Top trade negotiators met Sunday in a push to break down global trade barriers but made little progress in an effort to create a free trade zone covering the European Union and four South American countries."]
Former leaders say U.S. security policy a failure seattletimes.nwsource.com 6/15/4 ["Angered by President Bush's conduct of foreign policy and dismayed about America's diminished reputation abroad, more than two dozen former top diplomats and military leaders will release a statement this week calling for a change in U.S. national-security policy."]

Top Court Rejects Atheist's Challenge to Pledge reuters.com 6/14/4 ["the U.S. Supreme Court avoided the constitutional question and ruled he could not bring the challenge on behalf of his daughter."]
Islamic Conference Backs Iraqi Government guardian.co.uk 6/14/4 ["The head of the world's largest Islamic organization urged member states Monday to extend ``financial, moral and diplomatic support'' to Iraq, and delegates circulated a draft resolution endorsing Iraq's interim government."]
Red Cross ultimatum to US on Saddam guardian.co.uk 6/14/4 ["Saddam Hussein must either be released from custody by June 30 or charged if the US and the new Iraqi government are to conform to international law, the International Committee of the Red Cross said last night."]
European voters punish leaders over Iraq conflict thestar.com 6/14/4 ["European voters punished leaders in Britain, Italy and the Netherlands for getting involved in Iraq — but also turned their ire on the war's chief opponents, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac, over local issues, projections showed yesterday."]
Analysis: Saudi blow to US plans news.bbc.co.uk 6/14/4 ["The upsurge of violence in Saudi Arabia with its implicit threat to oil prices is the last thing the US Administration wants right now..."]
Powell warns of 'dangerous situation' in Saudi Arabia abc.net.au 6/14/4 ["Mr Powell says the Saudi leadership is facing a dangerous threat and could do more to combat the attacks."]
Proposition to take DNA at arrest stirs privacy fears  sfgate.com 6/14/4 ["Although backers of the measure say such a greatly expanded DNA database could clear up thousands of unsolved crimes, civil rights activists argue it would give the government access to too much information about too many people."]
Secret world of US jails observer.guardian.co.uk 6/14/4 ["network of prisons where more than 3,000 al-Qaeda suspects have been held without trial - and many subjected to torture - since 9/11 "]
Probe into Gulf war illnesses thisislondon.com 6/14/4 ["There was caution from the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association, who said it feared it might be a whitewash."]
Mexican Trucks on US Highways csmonitor.com 6/14/4 ["The decision is a welcome reinforcement of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, but it leaves unresolved the issues of whether those trucks can meet US safety and pollution standards. "]
Palestinian Militant Leader Killed in W.Bank -Medics reuters.com 6/14/4 ["leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades"]

`A lot to celebrate' at 2004's gay parade news.bostonherald.com 6/13/4 ["The couple joined as many as 100,000 at the festivities...  'You can tell the culture has changed' "]
June bursting with pride sfgate.com 6/13/4 ["The Bay Area swells with pride as thousands of visitors arrive for the big parade and hundreds of events, performances and parties. Here's some of the highlights..."  The list of events is two pages!!]
UN talks aim to bridge trade gap news.bbc.co.uk 6/13/4 ["aimed at easing the impasse between rich and developing nations."]
G8 plan 'forces NKorea into nuclear crisis' iol.co.za 6/13/4 ["was aimed at sparking the same crisis in North Korea as that in Iraq, forcing the communist state to increase its nuclear deterrent, Pyongyang said on Sunday."]
U.S. Warns of Increasing Threats in Iraq guardian.co.uk 6/13/4 [Powell: ``It's hard to protect an entire [Iraqi] government'"]
Israel Not Invited to U.N. Conference on Refugees israelnationalnews.com 6/13/4 ["UNRWA, the UN agency charged with handling refugee camps from the 1948 war, held a conference last week on the "humanitarian needs of the Palestinian Arab refugees" - but did not invite Israel."]
Britain allows non-essential staff to leave Saudi Arabia abc.net.au 6/13/4 ["Saudi militants have carried out six attacks on Westerners in the country in six weeks, sending shockwaves through the expatriate community in the world's largest oil exporter and prompting fears of a mass exodus."]
Apathy and protest votes in EU elections reuters.co.uk 6/13/4 ["The four-day exercise in cross-border democracy reached its climax on Sunday as 19 countries were voting in the poll...  People use elections in many countries to sanction their governments, with domestic issues rather than European-dominating debates"]
Australian Opposition Backs off Pledge to Remove Troops from Iraq voanews.com 6/13/4 ["Australia's opposition Labor Party has backed away from its promise to withdraw the country's troops from Iraq by Christmas if it wins the next election. "]
Gay Christians yearn for place at the table thestate.com 6/13/4 ["gay and lesbian Christians are worshipping in their own congregations and calling for mainline churches to address the issue of homosexuality."   "Once we get that church built, no little kid growing up in this area now who finds out they are gay or lesbian will have to say, ‘There’s not a church here for me,’”]
Nude biker protest catches some attention seattletimes.nwsource.com 6/13/4 ["Seattle police monitored the protest yesterday; spokesman Sean Whitcomb said there were no complaints and no arrests...  'It shouldn't be up to the police to choose which laws they enforce'...  'We saw a lot of swaying, but it wasn't of minds' "]
 

 

Switzerland approves same-sex unions washingtontimes.com 6/12/4 ["The law makes same-sex partners legal next of kin, but does not allow for adoption or marriage"]
Same Sex Marriage Issue Divides France voanews.com 6/12/4 ["Polls show that the majority of French support same-sex marriages. More recently, several leftist mayors have backed the notion as well...  The couple is threatening to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, which may have far-reaching implications for Europe."]
NY Court Says Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional reuters.com 6/12/4 ["Justice Court in New Paltz threw out charges that the town's mayor, Jason West, violated the law by marrying dozens of gay couples in February without licenses....  It is the first time that any court in this state has declared that same-sex couples have the same rights, same status, and same dignity as every other citizen."]
India unchanged on refusal to send troops to Iraq, official says channelnewsasia.com 6/12/4 ["India's previous Hindu nationalist Indian government, which was ousted by Congress in April/May elections, had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq and turned down US requests to send troops to Iraq without a clear UN mandate."]
New Europe' cools to Iraq war after Abu Ghraib scandal sfgate.com 6/12/4 ["Poles, Hungarians, Czechs question role as U.S. allies"]
Same-sex marriage lawsuits consolidated pasadenastarnews.com 6/12/4 ["Legal challenges across the state asking whether the state Constitution permits same-sex marriages were consolidated into one case and will be tried in San Francisco"]
Annan offers international help in implementing pullout plan haaretzdaily.com 6/12/4 ["Annan called both Sharon and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Friday to thank them for their joint efforts to prepare security arrangements for Gaza after an Israeli withdrawal, government sources said."]
UN measure on Iraq angers Kurds newsday.com 6/12/4 ["In another challenge to the new interim government, saboteurs blew up a key northern oil pipeline near Beiji yesterday, forcing a 10 percent cut on the national power grid... power cuts are common nationwide, in some places topping 16 hours a day."]
Rebel cleric endorses interim government sfgate.com 6/12/4 ["Al-Sadr may shift from insurgency to national politics...  lent his approval to the new interim Iraqi government Friday and appeared to urge his followers to honor a week-old cease-fire that has been frayed by continuing violence."]
Army withholds chemical attack antidote seattlepi.nwsource.com 6/12/4 ["The product, Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion, was developed by the Canadian military years ago, won Food and Drug Administration approval in 2003 and is sold in other NATO countries for neutralizing sarin, mustard gas and other chemical agents."]
US plans to release another 650 prisoners to be released from Abu Ghraib on Monday boston.com 6/12/4 ["The U.S. military has said it will hand over the prison, which was also notorious for being a torture site during Saddam Hussein's regime, to Iraqi officials in August."]
Venezuelan President threatens to cut off oil is US tries to overthrows him worldnews.com 6/12/4 ["he would cut off crude oil supplies from the US´s 3rd largest producer in the event of any US-sponsored attempts to destabilize his government."]
Iran Rejects New Demands To Curb Nuclear Program rferl.org 6/12/4 ["Iran will continue operations at a uranium-processing plant near Isfahan. He also said Iran will go ahead with plans to build a heavy-water reactor in Arak. "]
Afghanistan: UN anti-narcotics chief's visit to address boom in drug cultivation un.org 6/12/4 ["where concern is growing that the 2004 opium crop may reach record levels, topping last year's 3,600 tons produced."]
 

 

North Korea missile test 'brings US within range' news.telegraph.co.uk 6/11/4 ["It could reach up to 3,700 miles, enough to hit Alaska."]
World Oil Demand Growth at 23-Year High reuters.com 6/11/4 ["It said oil demand had proved stronger than expected in North America, Brazil and India, despite high oil prices."]
Sabotage Cuts Power to More Than 100 Key Electrical Lines nytimes.com 6/11/4 ["While most of the damage occurred last year and has since been repaired, the report shows that in the first months of 2004, far more attacks occurred than were publicly reported by the Iraqi government or occupation forces. The report details 68 incidents, ranging from shelling towers to shooting apart lines, in the first three months of this year alone."]
Americans Say Iraq War Not Worth It -LA Times Poll reuters.com 6/11/4 ["Despite a growing sense that the war was not justified, voters did not advocate a quick pullout of Iraq."]
Draft would create many problems, solve none baltimoresun.com 6/11/4 ["Increasing the size of the active-duty force is a slow process, since you have to find, train and equip all those extra people. The Congressional Budget Office says it would take three full years just to add a single Army division (about 16,000 soldiers) - by which time, with any luck, we'll have bid Iraq adieu."]
Editorial: Iraq's shaky new start thestar.com 6/11/4 ["As yet, al-Yawer and Allawi have scant legitimacy. They were selected, not elected, by Iraq's discredited outgoing council, itself installed by the U.S. They must earn respect."]
Bosnian Serbs admit to Srebrenica abc.net.au 6/11/4 ["have made the first official admission that their forces took part in the murder of thousands of Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995.  ...Bosnian Serb military and police units, as well as special units of the Ministry of Interior, participated in the murders."]
Torture tales should deter indefinite detentions atimes.com 6/11/4 ["The news has put the spotlight on how security detainees and remand prisoners are treated under Malaysia's own laws and questioned the whole basis of "preventive detention". "]
Iraq jail dog scare 'was policy' news.bbc.co.uk 6/11/4 ["using dogs to frighten and intimidate prisoners violated the Geneva Convention, and was also a violation of US policy as stated in the army field manual."]
Job losses have little to do with offshoring freep.com 6/11/4 ["But he conceded that the report only looks at a small slice of the pie.  Extrapolating the data would suggest that perhaps 100,000 people lost their jobs to offshoring in the first three months of the year, Tilton said. He warned, though, that such extrapolations are subject to wide error. "]
Venezuelan Oil Production Lags OPEC Quota, Universal Reports quote.bloomberg.com 6/11/4 ["Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil supplier, in May produced about 250,000 barrels a day less than its OPEC-sanctioned quota...  Venezuela's state oil company fired more than half of its workforce last year to break a two-month strike that was aimed at forcing President Hugo Chavez from office. "]
Scientology link to public schools sfgate.com 6/11/4 ["As early as the third grade, students in S.F. and elsewhere are subtly introduced to church's concepts via anti-drug teachings...   Scientology, a religion that claims to improve the well-being of followers through courses aimed at self-improvement and global serenity."]
 

New York Court Rules in Favor of Gay Marriage reuters.com 6/10/4 ["on the grounds that denying gays the right to legally wed goes against equal protection measures in the state's constitution."]
Selling stem cells sfgate.com 6/10/4 ["Stem-cell research used to be dangerous country. Fears of human cloning, abortion politics and public puzzlement undercut support.
But the climate has changed. Stem cells are now cutting-edge science with a half-dozen countries bidding for the business."]
U.S. General: Iraq Police Training a Flop ap.org 6/10/4 ["Misguided U.S. training of Iraqi police contributed to the country's instability and has delayed getting enough qualified Iraqis on the streets to ease the burden on American forces, the head of armed forces training said Wednesday."]
US Army's ranks spread thin atimes.com 6/10/4 ["Indeed, US troops are spread so thin that the Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the army would expand its "stop-loss" program, meaning thousands of soldiers who planned on retiring from the military will now be forced to extend their terms of service and join their units in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan."]
Study shows U.N. business pact works washtimes.com 6/10/4 ["it is more important than ever that global stakeholders and institutions, including the private sector, work collaboratively to ensure stronger bonds of community among people and societies. Advancing global corporate citizenship is crucial in this endeavor.""]
G8 seeks to help create world peacekeeping force abc.net.au 6/10/4 ["intends to help create a global peacekeeping force of more than 50,000 people over the next five to six years, senior US officials have said."]
Iraq abuse 'came from US policy' news.bbc.co.uk 6/10/4 ["were the direct result of a policy to ignore the Geneva Conventions.  The Bush administration has said that these were the acts of individuals.  Human Rights Watch has challenged the government to prove this by releasing all relevant government documents. "]
U.S. to give personal data to G8 nations washtimes.com 6/10/4 ["next year, including Russia, under a new global aviation-security plan agreed to Wednesday at the G8 summit in Sea Island, Ga."]
US Corrects Terrorism Report, Says Attacks Went Up reuters.com 6/10/4 ["the number of international "terrorist" attacks and resulting deaths fell last year was wrong and both figures had in fact risen."]
Valley clergy group condemns statements that reject gays azcentral.com 6/10/4 ["denounced statements that use "religion to sanction the condemnation and rejection" of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered."]
'Keep the Cross, Remove the Democrats,' Protestors Say cnsnews.com 6/10/4 ["but despite their efforts, county supervisors refused to reverse their decision to remove a small cross from the county's official seal. "]
Iraq: A perplexing predicament atimes.com 6/10/4 [The US "has turned to the world body to give its occupation some sense of legality"]
UN urged to quell ethnic attacks in Sudan news.independent.co.uk 6/10/4 ["The leaders of the world's most powerful nations appealed to the United Nations yesterday to help prevent a humanitarian catastrophe..."]
The Pinochet Principle: Bush Defends Torture in the Name of National Security democracynow.org 6/10/4 ["Attorney General John Ashcroft is refusing to release or discuss memos detailing U.S. torture policy as lawmakers accused him of trying to hide how the Bush administration has justified the abuse of prisoners."]
Russia Qualifies Its Nuclear Cooperation with Iran reuters.com 6/10/4 ["but, in the face of U.S. pressure, said Tehran must meet international calls for openness about its nuclear program."]
North Korea Threatens 'Merciless Blows' if Seoul Violates Sea Border voanews.com 6/10/4 ["Communist North Korea says the South is engaging in reckless actions by deploying naval ships, patrol boats and helicopters along their common but disputed border in the Yellow Sea."]
 U.S. probes if Gaddafi ordered Saudi leader killed swissinfo.org 6/10/4 ["The allegations could jeopardise Libya's efforts to get off the U.S. State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, which imposes sanctions including a ban on receiving U.S. aid and arms."]
TIA now verifies flight of Saudis sptimes.com 6/10/4 ["The government has long denied that two days after the 9/11 attacks, the three were allowed to fly."]
Global force to 'patrol' chatrooms guardian.co.uk 6/10/4 ["British "cybercops" are to join other law enforcers around the world which are patrolling internet chatrooms to try to protect children from paedophiles."]
Scholar Says Ronald Reagan's Religion Was Strongly Evident, but Ambiguity Remains ap.tbo.com 6/10/4 [""]
 

 

U.S. force in Iraq to grow as Marine deployment pushed up General: Corps badly stretched usatoday.com 6/9/4 ["The Pentagon will increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to about 145,000 this summer, from the current 140,000, in recognition of the continued difficulty coalition forces are having in providing security leading up to the hand-over of political power to Iraqis on June 30.   ...Marines already in Iraq could have their tours extended to overlap with incoming replacements"]
Global Military Spending Soars in 2003 guardian.co.uk 6/9/4 ["reaching $956 billion, nearly half of it by the United States as it paid for missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror"]
ASEAN energy ministers bond together to reduce impact of oil price hike xinhuanet.com 6/9/4 ["ASEAN members are now starting to buy oil from fellow Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, andRussia."]
Bush Sees Possible NATO Role for Iraq, Not Chirac reuters.com 6/9/4 ["There's going to be some constraints, obviously. A lot of NATO countries are not in a position to commit more troops."]
New Iraqi PM Not Ashamed of CIA Links wireservice.wired.com 6/9/4 ["having worked with the CIA and other intelligence agencies as head of an exiled group trying to destabilize Saddam Hussein's regime."]
Attacks hint tactics in Iraq are changing iht.com 6/9/4 ["Coordinated sabotage attacks on fuel and transmission lines around an enormous power plant south of Baghdad shut the plant down last weekend"]
Bush administration has used 27 rationales for war in Iraq, study says spanishjournal.com 6/9/4 ["according to a new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. All but four of the rationales originated with the administration of President George W. Bush. "]
Lawsuit Filed Against U.S. Contractors Over Iraq Abuse wireservice.wired.com 6/9/4 ["Two U.S. defense contractors were accused in a class-action suit on Wednesday of conspiring with U.S. officials to torture and abuse prisoners in Iraq.  ...and did so to make more money"]
86% of evangelicals say Bush has their vote, Barna reports bpnews.net 6/9/4 ["The data, researcher George Barna said, reveals that Bush is receiving more support from evangelicals than he did in 2000."]
Congolese Gov't Forces Recapture City abcnews.go.com 6/9/4 ["ending a weeklong takeover by renegade troops that posed the biggest threat yet to the peace process in the central African country."]
Greater anxiety in China over Taiwan than at any time in 25 years: expert spacewar.com 6/9/4 ["China's military -- the People's Liberation Army (PLA) -- has already managed to achieve superiority over Taiwan, said David Shambaugh, a professor at the George Washington University."]
Laura Bush 'Cannot Back' Nancy Reagan's Call to Lift Stem Cell Research Restrictions voanews.com 6/9/4 ["human embryos are destroyed when stem cells are removed from them for study.  Laura Bush's own father also died of Alzheimer's disease. "]
Venezuelan President to Face Recall Vote guardian.co.uk 6/9/4 ["on Aug. 15, elections officials said, moving a step closer to the possible ouster of a leftist government hostile to the United States, Venezuela's biggest customer for crude oil."]
Lockdown on Sea Island news.independent.co.uk 6/9/4 ["The body bags have been shipped in, locals are running scared, and foreigners are being arrested and deported. Organisers of this week's G8 Summit are taking no chances with security."]
Election Official Urges E-Voting Software Be Released techweb.com 6/9/4 ["suggested that the software be released under nondisclosure pacts that would enable software experts to examine the code."]
UN relocates nearly 90,000 Sudanese refugees to camps away from Chad border un.org 6/9/4 ["at least 150,000 Sudanese have fled their homeland for neighbouring Chad since early last year"]
How Can Individuals Be Better Prepared for Catastrophic Terrorist Attacks? rand.org/ 6/9/4 ["the safety and health dangers will arise so fast that individuals will be on their own during the critical early moments.  In other words, they will need to take actions to save themselves even before government officials or emergency responders would be able to help or guide them."]
The wrong nuclear message iht.com 6/9/4 ["the Bush administration's proposed military budget moves in a different and more dangerous direction by seeking a sharp increase in the funds for research on two new kinds of nuclear bombs."]
Japan to take part in Iraq multi-national force goasiapacific.com 6/9/4 ["to be formed in Iraq under a new UN resolution."]
Hurricanes Could Hamper Oil Production kplctv.com 6/9/4 ["all industries prepare for a potential shutdown of drilling operations in the Gulf"]
RFID gets temperature sensitive computerworld.com.au 6/9/4 ["The first generation tags can save 64 data points but generation two will hold 512 data points."]
 

UN Adopts Iraq Resolution voanews.com 6/8/4 ["by a unanimous vote.  ...but stops short of granting Iraq veto power over U.S. led military offensives. "]
Experts: Americans Would Trade Rights for Security story.news.yahoo.com 6/8/4 ["But civil liberties can erode much further before Americans will say enough is enough, say experts in social history and political behavior."]
Boston Police to Search Rail Riders; Work Stops reuters.com 6/8/4 ["plans to search subway and train riders to foil a possible a terror attack while other city workers brought preparations for the Democratic National Convention to a standstill."]
UN attacks Sudanese failures over crisis in Darfur news.independent.co.uk 6/8/4 ["of not taking seriously the conflict in western Darfur that has killed 10,000 people and displaced one million since last year, causing a humanitarian crisis."]
Government 'misled MPs' over abuse inquiries news.independent.co.uk 6/8/4 ["Tony Blair faced demands yesterday for a personal statement to MPs after the Government made damaging admissions about the alleged mistreatment of Iraqi civilians and the failure of planning for the aftermath of war."]
Saudi Arabi: Militants in threat to Westerners theage.com.au 6/8/4 ["Former US counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke yesterday warned the threat posed by Saudi Arabia was worse than Iraq."]
37 years after victory, Israel decides to retreat jnewswire.com 6/8/4 ["Israel's cabinet Sunday decided the time had come to abandon the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria and uproot the Jews living there."]
Bush, Hosting G8, May Offer Iraq Work to Countries He Rebuffed bloomberg.com 6/8/4 ["to offer France, Germany and Russia a share of $18.4 billion in Iraq reconstruction contracts as an inducement to help the U.S. stabilize the Arab nation."]
US 'not bound by torture laws' news.bbc.co.uk 6/8/4 ["The document also argued that torturers acting under presidential orders could not be prosecuted"]
Fires Destroy Archives of Saddam Rule ap.org 6/8/4 ["were burned with the use of some intensely flammable material like phosphorous - not the sort of thing a causal looter might use - and the destruction was thorough."]
Pills vs. Talking abcnews.go.com 6/8/4 ["When Chad Taylor noticed his son was apparently experiencing serious side effects from Ritalin prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he decided to take the boy off the medication. Now, he says he may be accused of child abuse."]
Iraq abuse continued after scandal broke gulf-news.com 6/8/4 ["prisoners held in Iraq, many of whom were randomly picked up by US troops, did not automatically fall under the protection of the Geneva Convention."]
Transit of Delight as Venus Makes Date news.scotsman.com 6/8/4 [""]
 

PM regrets: I've been misled smh.com.au 6/7/4 ["The Prime Minister, John Howard, and senior Defence officials were forced to admit yesterday the Federal Government misled the public over when the Australian military was aware of prisoner abuse in Iraq...  were aware of "allegations of serious mistreatment" long before January."]
Broadway's Best Shows Too Risque for Republicans reuters.com 6/7/4 ["Gay puppets, transvestites, assassins and a pedophile child killer piled up Tony honors on Sunday  ...this season has been marked by diverse shows that have tackled racial themes, embraced gay culture and explored life's seamier elements."]
U.S. Refuses to Accommodate France on Iraq Military reuters.com 6/7/4 ["United States and Britain on Monday rejected an attempt to give Baghdad a virtual veto over major American military operations after the occupation ends officially on June 30."]
Israel Bombs Palestinian Guerrilla Base in Lebanon reuters.com 6/7/4 ["fired four missiles at a Palestinian guerrilla base south of Beirut Monday, a Lebanese security source said."]
'Harry Potter' holds fans spellbound with $93.7 million debut sfgate.com 6/7/4 ["the third-biggest opening weekend ever"]
Inspectors: Iraq Weapons Sites Destroyed guardian.co.uk 6/7/4 ["To date, UNMOVIC has found no evidence that these were used for proscribed chemical or biological weapon purposes"]
OPEC Needs to Secure Oil to Cut Prices, Analysts Say bloomberg.com 6/7/4 ["prices are inflated by as much as $10 a barrel because of concern terrorists will attack Middle East oil fields. Rising demand and lower-than-normal fuel inventories are also bolstering prices."]
Iraqi government announces accord to dissolve nine militias boston.com 6/7/4 ["al-Sadr's forces not a part of deal  ...integrating some of the 100,000 fighters into the army and police and pensioning off the rest to firm up government control ahead of the transfer of sovereignty."]
Cities Say No to the Patriot Act wired.com 6/7/4 ["In the past two years, more than 300 cities and four states have passed resolutions calling on Congress to repeal or change parts of the USA Patriot Act that, activists say, violate constitutional rights such as free speech and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure."]
US, South Korea meet over troop pullout straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/7/4 ["to reposition forces and withdraw up to one-third of the 37,000 US troops stationed near the Cold War's last frontier."]
Israeli Cabinet Approves Gaza Withdrawal, Delays Vote on Removing Settlements ap.tbo.com 6/7/4 ["in principle, but a last-minute compromise with Cabinet hard-liners diluted the historic decision, leaving uncertain the future of 21 Israeli settlements."]
Supreme Court Rules Bush Administration Can Skip Environmental Study, Let Mexican Trucks Roll ap.tbo.com 6/7/4 ["said the president has authority to open the border, and a federal agency responsible for truck safety has no say in the matter. Thus, the agency was under no obligation to study environmental effects from opening the border, as a lower federal court had ordered."]
String of Iraq attacks kill 21 thestar.com 6/7/4 ["assailants directed heavy gunfire at an Iraqi police station, and subsequently halted long enough to inform those inside they had a single chance to leave. Then they blew up the building, according to witnesses and Iraqi officials."]
Christian Reviewer Warns New Movie 'Saved' Makes Mockery of Faith headlines.agapepress.org 6/7/4 ["the upcoming movie portrays Christians as hateful, uptight, bigots and ignorant gossips, and hypocrites... is downright hateful in its portrayal of Christians, and one that is likely to have a damaging impact on young believers. "A lot of Christian kids, especially the ones that they've been marketing this to, are going to come away with 'Christo-phobia, with anti-Christian attitudes -- you know, 'All those Christians are mean, horrible people'"]
Venus about to make Sun passage news.bbc.co.uk 6/7/4 ["The planet Venus is set to make a very rare passage across the face of the Sun"]
Mobs attack four churches near Jakarta boston.com 6/7/4 ["Similar attacks on "wild churches," as some Muslims refer to unauthorized places of worship, have taken place in the past."]

World Leaders Hail D-Day Heroes, Pledge Unity reuters.com 6/6/4 [""]
Thousands rally in Jerusalem for Gaza withdrawal jpost.com 6/6/4 ["took place the night before the government's critical cabinet vote on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, which calls for a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four isolated West Bank settlements by the end of next year."]
Mideast conflict fuelling Islamic terror in SE Asia: Malaysia, Singapore channelnewsasia.com 6/6/4 ["Israeli-Palestinian conflict is generating widespread outrage among Muslims in Southeast Asia and hampering the region's efforts to subdue Islamic terrorism, the defence ministers of Malaysia and Singapore said here."]
Militants strike at Saudis' weakest point news.independent.co.uk 6/6/4 ["The militants are all too aware that no country is more dependent on cheap Saudi oil than the US...    The Saudis also keep an estimated $1 trillion (£550bn) on deposit in US banks and another $1 trillion or so in the stock market. If they were to suddenly withdraw their investments, it would have a catastrophic impact on the US economy."]
2,000 suicide bombers recruited straitstimes.asia1.com.sg 6/6/4 ["The action was intended to 'show our friends in Iraq and all other Muslims that we are ready to give our lives to defend our honour and Islam's', Mr Samadi said then, pointing to US military operations in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, which are revered by Shi'ites in Iran as well as Iraq."]
Newsview: Bad Timing for Bush Proposal lasvegassun.com 6/6/4 ["The timing could hardly be worse for President Bush to call for reforms in the Middle East. Arab mistrust of the United States has intensified as a result of Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip and the release of photos of abused Iraqi prisoners."]
Gulf Vets Victimized Again wired.com 6/6/4 ["The Defense Department and the CIA used flawed computer modeling to determine which troops were exposed to chemical warfare agents during the first Gulf War, the General Accounting Office said this week."  -  no mention of vaccines that gave the syndrome to vets who did not even go over there.]
The decline of the West gulf-daily-news.com 6/6/4 [mentions how WWII helped unify Western Europe and spur NATO]
Director Cuaron faithful to Potter books seattlepi.nwsource.com 6/6/4 ["As the books evolve, the tone gets more dark with each one"]
China Plant Shut Over Political Umbrellas guardian.co.uk 6/6/4 ["has closed a factory that produced umbrellas with the words ``direct elections'' printed on them and detained its owner, an activist said Sunday...  to be used at a march planned for July 1 to demand universal suffrage in Hong Kong"]
 

Current Event RECAP - 5/22/4

US expert slams WMD 'delusions' news.bbc.co.uk 6/5/4 ["Weapons of mass destruction do not exist in Iraq and it is "delusional" to think they will be found, says former chief US weapons inspector David Kay."]
Mayor celebrates France's first gay wedding theage.com.au 6/5/4 ["France's first gay wedding was held yesterday in spite of warnings from the conservative government that the ceremony was illegal and the mayor who conducted proceedings could face punishment...  to applause from dozens of gay rights supporters."]
Conservatives Downplay Rifts With President foxnews.com 6/5/4 ["It seems to me that in fighting the global war against terrorism, we need to restrain what are growing U.S messianic interests – a sort of global social engineering where the United States feels it is both entitled and obligated to promote democracy – by force if necessary"]
Bush backing seen eroding in defense professions boston.com 6/5/4 ["An increasing number of current and former military officials, defense industry executives, and homeland security professionals have grown disenchanted with the direction of President Bush's national security policies"]
Prisoner abuse could be war crime, says UN news.ft.com 6/5/4 ["Though the report does not pursue this further, it does propose the appointment of an international ombudsman to report on compliance of US-led coalition forces with international humanitarian and human rights law."]
US forces agree Najaf withdrawal news.bbc.co.uk 6/5/4 ["The US forces will pull back from the sensitive areas... but we will still be in a position where we can provide the necessary response force in the event that the police should need it"]
Sadr's militia defeated: US news.com.au 6/5/4 ["THE US military said today it had defeated the outlawed militia of flamboyant Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr across central Iraq, and denied that there was any truce with the radical preacher."]
Waqf Expanding Past The Mount israelnationalnews.com 6/5/4 ["expanding the cemetery outside the eastern wall of the Temple Mount, and are now using area near the southeastern corner for burial."]
Bomb Explodes at Russian Refinery voanews.com 6/5/4 ["in the Stavropol area Saturday, causing extensive damage but no casualties."]
Pictures, more than ever, tell Iraq story thestar.com 6/5/4 [Michael Moore]
UN investigates Congo rebel reports reuters.co.uk 6/5/4 ["reports that renegade soldiers who took control of the eastern Congo border town of Bukavu are moving toward a second city, sources say."]
500,000 protest Bush's visit to Rome washingtontimes.com 6/5/4 ["and their own country's involvement in the Iraq war"]
WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: Bush uncharacteristically late for pope meeting cbs11tv.com 6/5/4 [also records Italian reaction to his presence]
Obesity a Thin Excuse for Supersizing Federal Land Grabs heartland.org 6/5/4 ["Ask your friends, colleagues, and family members how much American land the government should own. I guarantee most will give you a figure much less than 40 percent."]
Pakistan Test Fires Another Missile reuters.com 6/5/4 ["a second test of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile in less than a week on Friday, but officials said it was not meant as a message to rival India's new government."]
Louisiana Bills Banning All Human Cloning Almost to Governor lifenews.com 6/5/4 ["The Louisiana legislature's about-face on embryonic stem cell research means that two wholesale bans on human cloning are just a vote away from the governor's desk."]
 

 

$3 billion stem cell bond measure qualifies for ballot  sfgate.com 6/4/4 ["A bond proposition that would provide $3 billion for stem cell research and is expected to boost the state's biotechnology industry if passed, has officially qualified for the November ballot."]
Army extends duty tour in units bound for Iraq. Plan also affects GIs already there sfgate.com 6/4/4 ["will require soldiers to extend their active duty tours if their units are bound for Iraq and Afghanistan, a move that could keep thousands of troops in the service for months longer than they had expected over the next several years."]
Oil and Gas prices are heading up, up, up -- will costs reach the level of the 1972 Oil Crises? cuttingedge.org 6/4/4 [""]
Bush administration hopes new U.N. resolution will draw NATO into security duty in Iraq boston.com 6/4/4 ["The resolution proposed by the United States and Britain has been revised twice to respond to demands that it strengthen Iraq's authority over the 32-nation force in Iraq that includes 138,000 U.S. troops."]
Worst is yet to come as US pays price of failure guardian.co.uk 6/4/4 ["Not merely does the situation in Palestine get worse because of Iraq, so it does via the rebound in Iraq too. An American disaster in Iraq always had the built-in propensity to become a regional one."]
Old Europe ponders 'new America' news.bbc.co.uk 6/4/4 ["President George W Bush is in Europe to commemorate the Allied landings in German-occupied France - leaving some Europeans nostalgic for an "old America".   ...Sixty years on from D-Day"]
D-Day to be marked by stringent security news.ft.com 6/4/4 ["there will be 17 heads of state and government, including George W. Bush, the US president, Queen Elizabeth, Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president."]
Nukes: Fewer Missiles, More Muscle cbsnews.com 6/4/4 ["The United States is cutting its back-up supply of nuclear weapons while bolstering its ability to build new and better bombs if necessary, the Energy Department said Thursday...  stockpile will be the smallest it has been in several decades"]
Hong Kong remembers Tiananmen massacre reuters.co.uk 6/4/4 ["Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong have held candles and sung songs of democracy to mourn those killed when Beijing sent in tanks to crush a pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square 15 years ago."]
Potter Movie Sets Ticket Sales Record news.scotsman.com 6/4/4 ["The Prisoner of Azkaban is also the first film to take more than £5 million on a single day in the UK.   ...opened in 535 locations"]
China Snuffs Out Protest on Tiananmen Anniversary wireservice.wired.com 6/4/4 ["on the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Friday, worried that even a minor protest could threaten the Communist Party."]
Calls for inquiry into Cheney's contracts link news.scotsman.com 6/4/4 ["an inquiry into whether Dick Cheney, the vice president , helped his old firm, Halliburton, secure contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq. "]
Right-Wing Republicans Sinking Law of the Sea, Again ipsnews.net 6/4/4 ["Despite overwhelming support for it in the U.S. Senate, ratification of the 1982 Law of the Sea Treaty (LOS) is being held up by half a dozen right-wing Republican senators backed by a coalition of national groups who see the agreement as another step toward global government."]
 

 

Terri Schiavo Legal Battle Heads to Florida Supreme Court lifenews.com 6/3/4 ["a Florida state appeals court has sent the lawsuit over Terri's Law to the state's highest court. "]
Quakes Beget Quakes Near And Far spacedaily.com 6/3/4 ["While the delay in the laboratory is in seconds, in the real world the delay can be from minutes to a week after the initial shock."]
Shi’ites defy curfew in Gilgit, 8 arrested thestatesman.net 6/3/4 ["ransacked a state-run radio station in this northern Pakistani city, as they demanded the government publish separate Islamic studies textbooks for their students, the government said. "]
Powell rules out Iraq veto right news.bbc.co.uk 6/3/4 ["will not have a veto over actions by US and UK forces after the 30 June transfer of power."]
Calif. Boy Sues School Over Anti-Gay T-Shirt Ban reuters.com 6/3/4 ["Our school embraced what God had condemned"]
Science, Politics and Death thenewamerican.com 6/3/4 ["Environmental extremism kills. Millions die annually because of restrictions on DDT, and imposing the "Kyoto" regulations would kill many more."]
Congo crowds attack UN reuters.co.uk 6/3/4 ["compounds across Democratic Republic of Congo, furious that U.N. troops had not stopped renegade soldiers seizing the eastern town of Bukavu."]
  Egypt Eager to Help Israel Out of Gaza ipsnews.net 6/3/4 ["Egypt would also train and equip Palestinian security forces, and send its own observers to help monitor compliance with the ceasefire. "]
  Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall massnews.com 6/3/4 ["...Did Encourage, Aid and Abet Atty. Mary Bonauto and GLAD in Bringing the Lawsuit, "Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health" In Violation of the Massachusetts Code of Judicial Conduct"]
Saudi Attack Spurs More U.S. Workers to Pull Up Stakes nytimes.com 6/3/4 ["Statistics are hard to come by, but executives in many American and European companies said that dependents left in droves this week."]
 

 

Army Issues Order to Stop U.S. Soldiers from Leaving news.myway.com 6/2/4 ["preventing thousands of soldiers designated for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan from leaving the military even when their volunteer service commitment expires, officials said on Wednesday."]
Federal Judge Says Women's Right to Abortion Trumps Unborns' Pain headlines.agapepress.org 6/2/4 ["a woman's right to have an abortion is paramount, and that it's "irrelevant" whether the unborn child suffers pain in the process."]
U.S.-promised 'full sovereignty' of Iraq after June 30 might not be so cnews.canoe.ca 6/2/4 ["unable to do basic functions such as like make laws or control military forces."]
State Of Emergency Allows Brunswick Police To Halt G8 Protests news4jax.com 6/2/4 ["Activists said the change allows authorities to squelch lawful dissent without reason"]
Iran Challenges U.S. to Prove Nuclear Bomb Charge reuters.com 6/2/4 ["but Washington said there is proof enough in a new U.N. atomic watchdog report."]
Justices could temper Bush's powers detnews.com 6/2/4 ["whether the Internet should remain free of criminal restrictions and whether pedestrians must identify themselves to police...   In three cases, the justices will decide whether the military should be allowed to hold “enemy combatants” — foreign and domestic — without filing charges or giving them a hearing. "]
U.S. Hate Crime Bill Could Criminalize Biblical Truth, Pro-Family Spokesman Fears headlines.agapepress.org 6/2/4 ["Two U.S. Senate Republicans have introduced the new legislation, the language of which is virtually the same as that in an earlier attempt by liberal lawmakers to put a hate crimes law on the books -- an effort that was defeated. However, this newly introduced bill would attach "sexual orientation" to the language of the previous bill."]
Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005 congress.org 6/2/4 ["pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin at early as Spring 2005 -- just after the 2004 presidential election."]
Pentagon can't seem to kill idea of military draft usatoday.com 6/2/4 [" two main reasons the idea keeps coming back. One is that even with its 1.4 million active-duty volunteers and thousands more reservists, the United States seems to have too few troops for the wars it is fighting.  The other is a kind of guilt that the cost of the wars is being paid by very few Americans, analysts said. "]
City of Brotherly Love Kicks Off Gay Ad Campaign reuters.com 6/2/4 ["to promote a city as a gay destination, officials said on Wednesday"]
Russian TV Anchorman Sacked in Censorship Row reuters.com 6/2/4 ["triggered fresh fears among liberal media figures of tightening state censorship."]
Bush pushes charity initiative washtimes.com 6/2/4 ["trying to revive a stalled initiative, said yesterday the doctrine of separation of church and state should not prevent religious groups from competing for government money to help the needy." - hush money]
Junk Food Accounts For 30 Percent Of The American Diet healthtalk.ca 6/2/4 ["What is really alarming is the major contribution of 'empty calories' in the American diet...  We know people are eating a lot of junk food, but to have almost one-third of Americans' calories coming from those categories is a shocker. It's no wonder there's an obesity epidemic in this country."]
'PROBE' Technology Allows Police To Scan License Plates For Criminals wral.com 6/2/4 ["Device May Also Be Used To Track Individuals On Homeland Security List"]
Accenture lands Homeland Security deal news.com.com 6/2/4 ["a contract worth up to $10 billion for help in upgrading the nation's system for tracking visitors...  The program aims to capture and share data--including biometric data--on foreign visitors."]
Business Analysis: With the oil price surging, will Bush turn on the American tap? news.independent.co.uk 6/2/4 [""]
Saudi Militants Fire at Americans, Oil Off Peak wireservice.wired.com 6/2/4 ["U.S. light crude prices peaked at a record $42.45 a barrel in early trading -- the highest since futures were launched in New York in 1983 -- but fell nearly $2 a barrel when producers led by the United Arab Emirates said they would raise output."]
 

 

Let's Get Haiti Right, Annan Tells UN Troops alertnet.org 6/1/4 ["The stakes are high. This time, let us get it right"]
US behind 'the worst attack on rights for 50 years' scotsman.com 6/1/4 ["THE United States-led war on terror has produced the most sustained attack on human rights and international law in 50 years, Amnesty International said in its annual report yesterday....  Amnesty International wrote to the British and US governments a year ago detailing reports of torture, ill-treatment, deaths in custody and other abuses in Iraq, Ms Khan said.  "]
Federal judge says partial-birth abortion ban unconstitutional sfgate.com 6/1/4 ["A federal judge Tuesday permanently blocked the Bush administration from enforcing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act against Planned Parenthood Federation of America clinics and their doctors, who perform roughly half the nation's abortions."]
Alabama race turns into referendum on 'Ten Commandments' judge usatoday.com 6/1/4 ["Observers said the outcome of those races could indicate if Moore's fight to acknowledge God in public buildings has staying power politically — or if the GOP's business wing can fend off the religious right."]
U.N. Peacekeepers Head Back to Haiti abcnews.go.com 6/1/4 ["Unless they get new orders, the 1,900 U.S. troops will leave at the end of June many to return to combat in Iraq."]
Sunni Governing Council Chief Named New Iraqi President After U.S.-Backed Candidate Refuses ap.tbo.com 6/1/4 ["Council members had angrily accused the American governor of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, of trying to install Adnan Pachachi, a former foreign minister, over their opposition."]
Sharon presents revised Gaza plan boston.com 6/1/4 ["In the new plan, the withdrawal would take place in four stages, and most buildings in the settlements would be demolished."]
US runs a high-tech trade gap csmonitor.com 6/1/4 ["Exports fail to keep pace with imports, stirring concern about a key fount of jobs."]
Pentagon Says China Rethinking Its Military Strategy In Light Of US War In Iraq wsvn.com 6/1/4 ["The speed with which U.S. ground forces captured Baghdad and the prominent role played in Iraq by U.S. commandos, have led China to rethink how it could counteract the American military in the event of a confrontation over Taiwan..."]
Bush Administration Blocked on Oregon Suicide Law news.myway.com 6/1/4 ["directive seeking to stop Oregon doctors from helping terminally ill patients commit suicide was unlawful and unenforceable."]
Judge: Homosexual Isn't Libelous Term kentucky.com 6/1/4 ["She pointed to a Supreme Court ruling last year that found a Texas sodomy law unconstitutional, and to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling last year that it would be unconstitutional to prevent gays in the state from marrying."]
U.N. to assess rights of Iraqis washtimes.com 6/1/4 ["assessing the state of Iraqis' civil rights under the Coalition Provisional Authority, a potentially critical accounting that could undermine U.S. authority on the commission and ignite renewed revulsion over Abu Ghraib."]
Drug causing GIs permanent brain damage upi.com 6/1/4 ["the drug, called mefloquine, has "serious risks" that have not been adequately tracked by the Pentagon, the Peace Corps and other government agencies that distribute it."]
Russia Says it Will Join US Proliferation Security Initiative voanews.com 6/1/4 ["Moscow had long resisted calls to agree to the initiative, expressing concerns that it would allow the United States to take unilateral military action such as boarding ships at sea."]
EU Agrees to U.S. Flight Demand wired.com 6/1/4 ["to let American border officials access the personal information of every European heading to America on commercial airlines, despite objections from members of European Parliament, which voted three times against the deal."]
Huge rise in teenager sex diseases thisislondon.co.uk 6/1/4 ["has more than doubled in seven years, disturbing government figures show today."]
Inside camp of troubles nydailynews.com 6/1/4 ["The soldiers of the 442nd Military Police never heard of depleted uranium before they went to Iraq.  They know only that inexplicable ailments have befallen them."]
British Fans Welcome Harry Potter Movie ap.org 6/1/4 ["the result was "a bit darker" than previous Potter films."]
Navy to Deploy Carrier Groups to Test Rapid Readiness wavy.com 6/1/4 ["will have a large part of the Navy fleet deploying out of Norfolk... is sending seven carrier strike groups out to sea."]
American Internet usage is primarily religious churchcentral.com 6/1/4 ["A small percentage (28 percent) of religious users found the Internet a tool to seek and exchange information about their own religious faith or tradition. An equally small percentage (26 percent) reported using the Internet to look for information about other faiths."]
Saudi raid wake-up call to West nzherald.co.nz 6/1/4 ["The world oil markets are already volatile, with prices hitting US$41 ($64) a barrel in the past few weeks amid fears that a major attack could disrupt exports. The price has risen from US$30 in just five months, tracking the escalation of violence in Iraq almost exactly...  Baer says a co-ordinated assault on five or more key junctions in the system could put the Saudis out of the oil business for two years. A successful assault on the giant Ras Tanura complex "would be enough to bring the world's oil-addicted economies to their knees, America's along with them"."]
Chinese lesson in how to put food in the mouths of millions guardian.co.uk 6/1/4 ["The one-child policy, which has been condemned internationally as an infringement of human rights, has checked population growth and the strain on resources.  ...sometimes involve forced resettlement from traditional rural homes to suburban housing estates."]
Oil price hits 21-year high of $42 after Saudi attack by al-Qa'ida news.independent.co.uk 6/1/4 ["growing signs of instability in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter."]