Headlines

Politics

• McCain Catches Obama In National Poll
• Obama: Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
• Dean: McCain Weak Candidate, Vulnerable On Age And “Old Fashioned” Positions

US

• Bush Orders Halt To Iraq Troop Withdrawal
• Cheney Approved Waterboarding, Shielded Bush
• Buchanan: Petraeus Testimony Is Laying Groundwork For Iran War
• Marine Wanted For Killing Pregnant Fellow Marine Caught In Mexico
• American Airlines Faces Stranding Another 250,000 Passengers
• Landscaper Turns In Bag Containing $140,000 In Cash

International

• UN Secretary General Will Not Attend Olympics’ Opening Ceremony
• Olympic Athletes Face Disqualification For Political Views
• China Claims To Disrupt Olympic Kidnapping Plan
• Olympics President Calls On China To Improve Human Rights Record
• India’s Inflation Hits Highest Rate In Three Years
• Zimbabwe Opposition Rejects Runoff Possibility
• Israeli Strikes Kill Hamas Terrorists

Business & Economics

• WSJ: Microsoft Likely To Win Bid For Yahoo
• China’s Trade Surplus Falls Nearly 11%
• Philippines Turn To US For Grain Supplies After China Refuses

Video of the Day

A nude photo of former supermodel Carla Bruni - now the First Lady of France after marrying President Sarkozy - sold for nearly $100,000 at auction.

Politics

McCain Catches Obama In National Poll

A new AP poll shows the heated battle between Obama and Clinton for the Democrat nomination is starting to take its toll on the party - where as late as February Obama held a 10 point lead over McCain in a head-to-head matchup, the two are now tied 45 to 45, while Clinton maintains a three-point lead over McCain, down from eight points in February.

Obama: Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

“Sen. Barack Obama says if elected president he won’t require that his appointees to the Joint Chiefs of Staff support allowing gays to serve openly in the military. The Democratic presidential front-runner told The Advocate, a gay magazine, that he wants to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays, which was instituted during the Clinton administration.”

Dean: McCain Weak Candidate, Vulnerable On Age And “Old Fashioned” Positions

Howard Dean announced yesterday that DNC focus groups found that voters think McCain is a “weak candidate” and vulnerable on his age and “old fashioned” positions on issues. Dean went on to say that the Democrats won’t need to make age an issue in the general election.

US

Bush Orders Halt To Iraq Troop Withdrawal

President Bush took the advice of his top commander in Iraq - General David Petraeus - and ordered a halt to US troop withdrawals from Iraq starting in July, saying Petraeus will “have all the time he needs” to ensure the country has been stabilized and draw down troops as conditions allow. “Democratic opponents of US President George W Bush have accused him of putting off tough decisions on Iraq until after the presidential elections.”

Cheney Approved Waterboarding, Shielded Bush

“Dick Cheney and other senior Bush administration officials attended meetings to approve harsh interrogation techniques“, including waterboarding, the controversial technique that simulates drowning and that many consider to be torture. “The officials took care to insulate George Bush, the US president, from the meetings”. Other senior officials allegedly involved include former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, current Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former CIA Director George Tenet, and former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Buchanan: Petraeus Testimony Is Laying Groundwork For Iran War

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan reads in General David Petraeus’s recent comments and Congressional testimony the groundwork being laid for war with Iran, with the general explicitly calling out Iranian forces for their role in arming and training Shia terrorist groups in Iraq, which Petraeus said are directly responsible for the killing of hundreds of US soldiers. Buchanan insists that prior to leaving office and leaving the threat to future administrations, Bush is preparing to launch air and naval attacks against Iran to halt its involvement in Iraq and progress in its nuclear weapons program.

Marine Wanted For Killing Pregnant Fellow Marine Caught In Mexico

“U.S. Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, the main suspect in the killing of a 20-year-old pregnant Marine, has been captured in Mexico three months after fleeing North Carolina, the FBI announced Thursday.” Laurean allegedly killed, chopped up, and burned the body of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach before fleeing to Mexico, with his motive being her bringing charges against him for rape.

American Airlines Faces Stranding Another 250,000 Passengers

After stranding over 100,000 passengers this week due to nearly 2,000 flight cancellations in order to re-inspect planes that were not inspected or maintained according to FAA standards, American Airlines faces another week in which up to 250,000 passengers may be stranded due to more inspections. American has only re-inspected less than half of the 300 MD-80s in its fleet, planes that may suffer from faulty wiring. Airlines throughout the industry are having to ground planes and cancel flights after lax FAA oversight and enforcement came to light.

Landscaper Turns In Bag Containing $140,000 In Cash

Saying it was the right thing to do, a struggling Long Beach, CA landscaper found a bag containing $140,000 in cash from Bank of America that was lost by Brinks Armored truck drivers and turned it in to police, who were astounded that the man turned in such a large sum. Brinks rewarded the man with $2,000.

International

UN Secretary General Will Not Attend Olympics’ Opening Ceremony

“UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, an aide has said.
The decision was due to ’schedule issues’ and had been made months ago, said UN spokeswoman, Marie Mukabe.” The UN insisted there are scheduling conflicts and that the move is not a protest of China’s human rights record. A growing number of world leaders have announced they will not be attending the opening ceremonies in protest.

Asia

Olympic Athletes Face Disqualification For Political Views

The president of the International Olympic Committee said that Olympic athletes will face sanctions and potential disqualifications for indulging in political propaganda, referring specifically to athletes who champion the cause of Tibetan independence during the Beijing games. The rules apply even to athletes in their housing, prohibiting them from hanging Tibet flags in their rooms, for example.

China Claims To Disrupt Olympic Kidnapping Plan

“China says it has uncovered a criminal ring planning to kidnap athletes and others at the Beijing Olympic Games.
The Chinese Ministry’s of Public Security spokesman Wu Heping told a news conference today that the ring was based in the restive western Xinjiang region.” Like Tibet, the Xinjiang region was formerly sovereign territory that was invaded, occupied, and annexed by China.

Olympics President Calls On China To Improve Human Rights Record

China faced rare criticism of its human rights record from the head of the International Olympics Committee on Thursday, even as calls for a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Games grew louder in Europe and the United States. The president of the Olympic committee, Jacques Rogge, called on the authorities in Beijing to respect their “moral engagement” to improve human rights in the months leading up to the Games and to provide the news media with greater access to the country. He also described the protests that have dogged the international Olympics torch relay as a “crisis” for the organization.

India’s Inflation Hits Highest Rate In Three Years

“India’s inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in more than three years, raising concern the central bank may increase borrowing costs as soon as this month. Wholesale prices rose 7.41 percent in the week ended March 29 from a year earlier’”

Africa

Zimbabwe Opposition Rejects Runoff Possibility

“Zimbabwe’s main opposition party decided Thursday that its presidential candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, would not take part in a runoff because it determined he had won the disputed election outright, its secretary general said at a news conference here. After waiting 12 days for an official announcement of the outcome of Zimbabwe’s presidential election, Tendai Biti, the opposition’s secretary general, accused the governing party, led by President Robert Mugabe, of carrying out ‘a constitutional coup d’état.’ Independent monitors say Mr. Tsvangirai won the vote, though probably not by enough to avoid a runoff.”

Middle East

Israeli Strikes Kill Hamas Terrorists

“Two Hamas fighters have been killed and two others wounded in an Israeli air raid on the town of Khan Younis in the centre of Gaza. The strike took place one day after Gaza fighters had carried out a cross-border raid in which two Israelis were killed. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, had earlier vowed to ‘keep hitting Hamas’ and end attacks from Gaza a day after Palestinian fighters carried out a cross-border raid on a fuel terminal in Israel.”

Business & Economics

WSJ: Microsoft Likely To Win Bid For Yahoo

“Yahoo Inc.’s directors meet Friday to discuss alternatives to a Microsoft Corp. takeover, with many insiders still seeing a Microsoft deal — without the participation of News Corp. — as the most likely outcome.” After having its bid rejected twice by Yahoo’s board for being too low, Microsoft has been in talks with News Corp. to potentially partner and raise the bid. Yahoo has been talking to other companies such as Google and Time Warner, looking for a way to maintain its independence and fend off Microsoft.

China’s Trade Surplus Falls Nearly 11%

“China’s customs agency Friday said the country’s trade surplus for the first quarter of the year fell 10.8% from a year earlier, to $41.4 billion. The decline in the first quarter’s trade surplus reflected an acceleration in imports, which rose 28.6% from a year earlier to $264.5 billion. Exports rose 21.4% on the year to $305.9 billion, the customs agency reported.” The falling US Dollar is helping right the imbalance, making Chinese imports more expensive and US exports less expensive around the world.

Philippines Turn To US For Grain Supplies After China Refuses

“The Philippines, battling to secure adequate rice shipments, said China turned down a request to supply wheat, underscoring the mounting problems that food- importing nations face in securing grain supplies as prices surge.” The Philippines are instead turning to Australia and the US, who has committed to helping.