Obama considers U-turn on military trials for terror suspects
The decision would effectively show his government has been unable to find another way of prosecuting detainees regarded as too dangerous to be freed, who include five men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks.
The rise and rise of Russian nationalism
There have been a number of threats to Russia's security in recent years, from Chechen terrorism to the country's worrying demographic decline. But according to sources close to the Russian security services, what the authorities fear most in these times of economic crisis is the very thing that many Russians see as the country's saviour – nationalism.
Iraq bloodshed rises as US allies defect
IRAQ is threatened by a new wave of sectarian violence as members of the “Sons of Iraq” – the Sunni Awakening militias that were paid by the US to fight Al-Qaeda – begin to rejoin the insurgency.
Chan hits back at WHO critics
The head of the World Health Organisation hit back at critics who have accused it of over-reaction to the swine flu crisis, warning it may return “with a vengeance” in the months ahead.
Israeli Planes Prepare for Airstrike on Iran
While the U.S. is preparing for talks with Iran, Israel appears to be preparing for an attack, according to a plethora of media reports
Black Box Probe Will Monitor Web Activity
SPY chiefs are pressing ahead with secret plans to monitor all internet use and telephone calls in Britain despite an announcement by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, of a ministerial climbdown over public surveillance.
U.S. has a 45-year history of torture
The difference between American involvement in South American atrocities in 1964 and 'enhanced interrogation' now is that some modern-day officials appear proud of themselves.
'Draconian' powers seen to contain swine flu
Regional governments can invoke "draconian" powers if the swine flu virus reaches a worst-case scenario, from monitoring people in their own homes to seizing control of entire economies.
Swine flu 'in decline' in Mexico
There is no evidence of the swine flu virus spreading in a sustained way outside North America, a top World Health Organization official says.
New swine flu alert despite doubts over level of danger
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) is poised to declare a global swine flu pandemic despite suggestions by scientists that the H1N1 virus responsible may be no more dangerous than the average annual flu season.
Montana Governor Signs New Gun Law
The USA state of Montana has signed into power a revolutionary gun law. I mean REVOLUTIONARY. The State of Montana has defied the federal government and their gun laws. This will prompt a showdown between the federal government and the State of Montana.
GOP Turn To Jeb Bush For Help
After losing the White House and control of the House and Senate, the Republican party is now turning to Jeb Bush for help.
New Hate Crimes Bill Criminalizes Words and Thoughts,
By Jim Kouri
While President Barack Obama held his televised press conference marking his first 100 days in office, the federal hate crimes bill -- HR 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 -- passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 249 to 175.
Bush Team Strategy Now Obama's Swine Flu Playbook
The Obama administration has relied on a Bush-era public health strategy aimed at coordinating its response across an array of government agencies in the week since the first reports of a swine flu outbreak emerged, officials say, as it attempts to balance safety concerns with a desire to prevent a panic.
Senator proposes free flu shots for all Americans
A Democratic U.S. senator proposed on Friday setting up a free nationwide voluntary flu vaccination program to fend off future outbreaks of dangerous strains.
Flashback - Coral Cross: Pandemic Preparedness from the Hawaii Department of Health
As part of a larger public engagement initiative that includes community meetings and a live TV panel, the Hawaii State Department of Heath has contracted with the Hawaii Research Center for Future Studies to produce Coral Cross, a “playable scenario” on the island of Oahu. According to Judy Kern at the Communications Office of the Hawaii State Department of Health, the goal of the ARG is to “help encourage public dialogue and elicit input for decision-makers on Hawaii’s pandemic priorities.”
The game is scheduled to launch during the second half of May, with each day representing one month of game time. While anyone can play, the game’s core audience will be located in Hawaii, particularly the island of Oahu. As Stuart Candy, researcher at the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, explains,
Immigrants push for reforms at rallies nationwide
Thousands of immigrants and their families marched in cities from coast to coast, hoping to channel the political muscle Hispanics flexed last fall as President Barack Obama won election. This time, they hoped to jump-start an old cause: forging a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S.
Mortgage Bankers Celebrate Victory
You would think this year's Mortgage Bankers Association annual meeting would be a rather solemn affair -- given the criticism the industry has endured in recent months. But our ANP reporter attending the meeting found the bankers in a celebratory mood. The reason? A massive lobbying campaign against bankruptcy reform legislation known as "cram-down" appeared to be working.
Buffett says Berkshire Q1 operating profit falls
Berkshire Hathaway Inc's first-quarter operating profit fell about 12 percent from a year earlier, as the recession depresses results at most of the insurance and investment company's businesses, Chief Executive Warren Buffett said on Saturday.
U.S. delays release of bank stress tests, fueling concerns
The Obama administration and the Federal Reserve have pushed back until May 7 the release of much-anticipated results on how the nation's 19 biggest banks performed under so-called stress tests.
Colleges Flunk Economics Test as Harvard Model Destroys Budgets
On a Thursday morning in March, the $32 million School of Management building at Simmons College in Boston is all but deserted. Three students lounge in armchairs facing floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the quad with its winding walkways and greening lawn; another makes photocopies.
UN report: 60,000 Jerusalemites at risk of their homes being demolished
Sixty Thousand Palestinians living in occupied Jerusalem are at risk of their homes being demolished by Israeli occupation authorities according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Status QuObama: A Hundred Days of Fake-Progressive BS and Liberal-Left Surrender
The nation's first Black president proceeds unmolested by the Left as he moves mountains of money in a crusade to save the investment banking class. Anti-war forces dissolve into nothingness as Barack Obama extends the U.S. occupation of Iraq indefinitely. A new theater of war called Af-Pak coagulates in South Asia, yet benumbed "progressives" praise their president as the consummate man of peace.
US may revive military commissions: report
The administration of US President Barack Obama is moving toward reviving the military commission system for prosecuting terrorism suspect held at a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, The New York Times reported.
Regulators close banks in Georgia, New Jersey and Utah
Regulators on Friday closed Silverton Bank in Atlanta, Georgia, Citizens Community Bank in Ridgewood, New Jersey and America West Bank in Layton, Utah, taking the total number of bank failures in the U.S. this year to 32.
Swine flu hits Asia in global march
Health authorities across Asia were scrambling Saturday to limit the spread of swine flu after reporting two confirmed cases in one of the world's most densely populated regions.
Telescopes that could see the fu
A pair of space telescopes to be launched later this month will help to answer some of the biggest questions in the Universe – such as how did we get to where we are now, and where are we likely to end up.
Gardasil Linked to Nerve Disorder
Girls and women who receive the Gardasil vaccine to prevent cervical cancer may be at increased risk of a rare but serious disorder of the nervous system in the first few weeks after getting their shots, researchers report.
Rothschilds, Elite Continue To Finance UK Politics
Few names are more redolent of dynastic wealth than Rothschild, and Serena Rothschild, wife of the 4th Baron, handed more than £190,000 of that money to the the party 2007.
Swine flu alert clears old stock of Tamiflu
It is almost three years since we faced the hysteria of an avian flu epidemic, when governments bought billions of dollars of Tamiflu – the same anti-viral now being promoted to combat a supposed swine flu pandemic. The shelf life of Tamiflu also happens to be three years.
Canada: Mass Vaccination Centers Planned
Health officials expect the World Health Organization to raise its alert to the highest level indicating a pandemic outbreak of the swine flu, says the area's top doctor.
If flu threat rises, CDC wants 'pandemic coordinator' in workplace
If the World Health Organization (WHO) raises the pandemic threat alert to Level 6 -- it's already just one notch below that at Level 5 -- companies that are now scrambling to figure out business continuity issues will have to do more than tell sick employees to stay home and healthy ones to wash their hands.
Royal Torture Video 'To Be Investigated'
Officials in the United Arab Emirates may investigate a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family over a videotape showing a member apparently torturing another man.
May Day turns violent across Europe
Hundreds of thousands of European workers feeling the pinch of the economic crisis rallied at May Day protests Friday from Moscow to Berlin to Istanbul.
Dumbed down news drives down newspaper circulation
By Jerry Mazza
USA TODAY reports that “total average daily circulation declined 7.1%% in the October-March period from the same six months in 2007-2008. The latest figure represents data from 395 daily US newspapers that reported in both the current and year-ago periods. . . . USA TODAY remains the No. 1 newspaper though it suffered the steepest circulation drop in the publication’s history.”
Mexico encouraged by fall in new flu cases
Mexico started a five-day shutdown of most offices and businesses on Friday to try to halt the spread of a deadly flu strain, and officials said they were encouraged by signs that the number of new cases was falling.
China cuts down purchases of US debt
China, wary of the troubled US economy, has already "cancelled America's credit card" by cutting down purchases of debt, a US congressman said Thursday.
INSIDE WASHINGTON: Taxpayers to get rude surprise
Millions of Americans enjoying their small windfall from President Barack Obama's "Making Work Pay" tax credit are in for an unpleasant surprise next spring.
Senators want to expel junk food from U.S. schools
U.S. schools with vending machines that sell candy and soda to students could soon find the government requiring healthier options to combat childhood obesity under a bill introduced on Thursday by two senators. Is that really something the federal government needs to or should be regulating?
New York pension investigation spreads to Texas
A sweeping corruption investigation of public pension systems in New York expanded nationwide Thursday with the arrest of a Dallas investment adviser whose firm has worked for similar retirement plans in five other states.
The CIA's $1,000 a Day Specialists on Waterboarding, Interrogations
As the secrets about the CIA's interrogation techniques continue to come out, there's new information about the frequency and severity of their use, contradicting an 2007 ABC News report, and a new focus on two private contractors who were apparently directing the brutal sessions that President Obama calls torture.
US keeps Cuba on terrorism blacklist
The United States announced Thursday it has retained communist Cuba on a list of countries that allegedly support terrorism.
Nadler: Obama’s Torture Comments Prove Probe Is Required By Law
I noted below that Obama’s acknowledgment at his presser last night that the Bush administration authorized torture will prove powerful ammo for those calling for a probe into Bush’s torture program. First up: Dem Rep Jerrold Nadler, who just told me in an interview that Obama’s comments leave the administration only one legal option: Investigate, and if necessary, prosecute.
50-100 Guantanamo inmates can't be tried, freed: Gates
US officials planning the closure of Guantanamo prison are weighing the cases of about 50 to 100 detainees who cannot be tried or released, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
Severin suspended for comments about Mexican immigrants
Jay Severin, the fiery right wing talk show host on Boston's WTKK-FM radio station, was suspended yesterday after calling Mexican immigrants "criminaliens," "primitives," "leeches," and exporters of "women with mustaches and VD," among other incendiary comments.
Former 'enemy combatant' pleads guilty
Ali al-Marri, once the only designated "enemy combatant" on U.S. soil, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Source: Liberal-leaning Justice Souter to retire
Justice David Souter is planning to retire after nearly two decades on the Supreme Court, but his departure is unlikely to change its conservative-liberal split.
