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UK defends security services over Woolwich murder

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:52:28 -0400

LONDON - The British government has defended its spy agencies for failing to prevent murder of a soldier in London despite signs and revelations that the two suspects were well known to MI5. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said it was impossible to control everyone all the time. "Peers and MPs will do a thorough investigation in terms of what the security forces knew but I've seen ...

US bridge collapses sending vehicles into water

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:45:25 -0400

WASHINGTON - A handful of vehicles and some people plunged into a river after a more than half a century old bridge that links Seattle in the US with Canada collapsed, throwing the movement on the highway into disarray. Authorities said there were no deaths in the bridge collapse on the Skagit River in the US state of Washington. Three people were rescued and taken to hospitals, they said. ...

Report shows big drop in teen births in US

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:20:01 -0400

The birth rate among American teenage girls has dropped considerably, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The birth rate among women ages 15-19 decreased by almost half from 1991 to 2011, from 62 to 31 births per 1,000 adolescents. From 2007 to 2011, the most recent period of the study, the birth rate fell 25 percent, but its decline was even greater ...

Pakistan remains opposed to illegal drone strikes in country after Obama speech

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:40:04 -0400

The Pakistan Government has repeated its view that drone strikes by America in its territory were illegal. The rhetoric from Pakistan came after President Barack Obama laid out new guidelines for the use of he unmanned vehicles. According to the Daily Times, Obama mounted a firm defence of the covert drone war as 'legal' in a major speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday. He, however, ...

Spanish art gets privileged space in New York museum

Sat, 25 May 2013 01:50:01 -0400

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has reopened its European paintings galleries after a two-year renovation, giving a privileged space to Spanish masters Velazquez, El Greco and Goya. Prior to the overhaul, the Met's large collection of works by Velazquez, Goya, Ribera, Murillo and El Greco had been distributed in different galleries organized either by artistic movement or thematically. ...

Indians rules the roost in National Geographic Bee

Sat, 25 May 2013 01:10:01 -0400

A 12-year-old Indian American from Plainville, Massachusetts, has emerged as the winner of this year's National Geographic Bee. Sathwik Karnik won the 25th annual geography bee on Wednesday -correctly answering the question, "Because Earth bulges at the equator, the point that is farthest from Earth's center is the summit of a peak in Ecuador. Name this peak," as Chimborazo, People magazine ...

Carrie Underwood donates $1 mn to Red Cross

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:50:01 -0400

Singer Carrie Underwood has donated $1 million to fund the American Red Cross' hurricane relief efforts in her hometown Oklahoma. "I have watched the devastation in my home state of Oklahoma over the past several days with great sadness," femalefirst.co.uk quoted te 30-year-old as saying. "With the help of my fans, who attended my concerts over the past year, we can offer the Red Cross a little ...

Lady Gaga ready for live gig in August

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:50:02 -0400

Pop star Lady Gaga, who underwent a hip operation earlier this year, is likely to perform on stage at a Beyonce Knowles' show in New York in August. Gaga is said to be planning her live return at the said show. If the news turns out to be true, it will be her first major gig following an operation on her hip in February. The grapevine is abuzz after a reported email sent by concert listings ...

Lincolns life-saving note put up for 15000 dollars

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:50:01 -0400

Former American president Abraham Lincoln's scribbled note ordering a disabled 14-year-old boy to be released from the Army in response to the boy's father's plea, has been put on sale at 15000 dollars as part of a rare collection of Lincoln's children-related documents. Lincoln's order on a telegram from Col. Thomas W. Harris about his son, Perry said 'Let this boy be discharged', Fox News ...

HSBC could face criminal prosecution as deal on money laundering charges stalls

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:10:01 -0400

HSBC's controversial 1.9 billion-dollar settlement deal with American authorities over money laundering charges, has been stalled after a row between the Department of Justice and the judge overseeing the case. The deal - known as a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) - would have exempted HSBC from prosecution and triggered a storm of criticism, reports the Guardian. Judge John Gleeson is now ...

US Boy Scouts to accept openly gay members

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:10:01 -0400

The Boy Scouts of America has voted to welcome openly gay scouts from January 1. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council who voted, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. According to Fox News, the result was welcomed by many liberal members of the Scouting community and by gay-rights activists. The vote followed what the BSA ...

No Quick Fix for Downed Bridge on Holiday Weekend

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:41:08 -0400

Washington state officials are scrambling to find a temporary fix for a bridge that collapsed on an important interstate highway and, incredibly, left just three motorists with injuries. Whatever the solution, it won't come in time to help with Memorial Day's highway hoards. Transportation experts are also working to find out whether the spectacular disintegration of the heavily used ...

Center for Biological Diversity Polar Bears at Risk of Drowning in the Chukchi Sea

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:53 -0400

Surveys show numerous bears swimming far from land as sea ice nears record low ANCHORAGE - August 21 - Recent government surveys document that polar bears are at risk of drowning in large numbers off the north coast of Alaska as sea ice once again approaches record low levels. On August 16, surveys located 9 polar bears swimming in open water offshore of northwest Alaska in the Chukchi Sea, in ...

Action Against Hunger Emergency Teams Assist Displaced Georgians

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:52 -0400

James L. Phelan , Senior External Relations Officer, ACF-USA 212-967-7800 x108; Cell: 646-265-7796 Action Against Hunger - Spain Alejandra Mahiques ...

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood CCFC Praises France Baby TV Ban Urges FTC Action in the US

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:52 -0400

CCFC Praises France Baby TV Ban; Urges FTC Action in the US WASHINGTON - August 19 - Yesterday, ...

Conservation Groups Alpine Boulder Bunny Imperiled by Global Warming

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:52 -0400

Center for Biological Diversity , (415) 632-5301, cell (415) 385-5746 Stuart Pimm, Professor of Conservation Biology, Duke University, (919) 613-8141, cell (646) ...

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Nuclear Suppliers Group Must Not Cave In To Bush Administration on U.S.-India Nuclear Deal

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:52 -0400

Nuclear Suppliers Group Must Not Cave In To Bush Administration on U.S.-India Nuclear Deal WASHINGTON - August 19 - The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation today urged the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which is meeting today on the U.S.-India nuclear deal, not to capitulate to the Bush administration and permit an unprecedented exception in international nuclear trade rules for India. ...

The Real News Network Russians Checkmate US in Georgia

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:51 -0400

As tensions increase in Georgia to Iran, The Real News analyst, Eric Margolis says Russia won't let an ex-territory in the former USSR be used to launch attacks against Iran WASHINGTON - August 18 - The Real News analyst Eric Margolis says "The US is used to passive Russian response under Yeltsin" and the Russians checkmating the US in Georgia was a "brilliant move by ...

Natural Resources Defense Council EPA Buzz Kill Is the Agency Hiding Colony Collapse Disorder Information

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:51 -0400

NRDC Forced to Sue to Get Public Records on Bee Mystery WASHINGTON - August 18 - The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit today to uncover critical information that the US government is withholding about the risks posed by pesticides to honey bees. NRDC legal experts and a leading bee researcher are convinced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evidence of ...

Environmental Groups Court Strikes Down Bush Administration Pollution Monitoring Loophole Upholds Publics Right to Know

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:51 -0400

Throws out EPA rule that waived pollution monitoring requirements for thousands of factories and power plants WASHINGTON - August 19 - A federal appeals court ...

Union of Concerned Scientists Northwest Airlines Asks Clear Channel to Pull Science Groups Anti-Nuclear-Weapons Ad in Minneapolis Airport

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:51 -0400

Billboard Calls for Sen. McCain to 'Get Serious' About Reducing the Threat of Nuclear Weapons WASHINGTON - August 19 - Northwest, the official airline of the Republican National Convention, has taken on a new role of censor. Yesterday it asked Clear Channel Communications to remove a Union of Concerned Scientists' (UCS) anti-nuclear-weapons billboard in the Minneapolis airport ...

SEIU McCain Health Care Putting Moms Last

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:50 -0400

Starting Tuesday, Nationwide SEIU Events Will Highlight How McCain Care Leaves Women and Families Behind WASHINGTON - August 18 - With health care costs rising out of control, more and more Americans are finding it impossible to keep up. Women, 90 percent of whom shoulder the health care responsibility for their families, are in particular feeling the strain. Beginning Tuesday, August 19, ...

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Senior Advisor to John McCain Oversaw Gun Lobby Office That Hired Spy

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:50 -0400

Senior Advisor to John McCain Oversaw Gun Lobby Office That Hired Spy WASHINGTON - August 18 - A political consultant who serves as a senior advisor to presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain apparently oversaw a lobbying operation that hired a mole to infiltrate and spy on progressive opposition groups. James Jay Baker, a longtime Republican political operative, served as ...

Amnesty International Sudan Still Holding Hundreds Without Charge Months After Attacks Ouside Khartoum

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:50 -0400

Sudan Still Holding Hundreds Without Charge Months After Attacks Outside Khartoum, Amnesty International Says NEW YORK - August 18 - Amnesty International today accused the Sudanese government of holding hundreds of people -- including women and a nine-month-old -- without charge or access to lawyers as they prepare to try another 109 individuals in sham courts over the armed attacks by the ...

Brave New Films AFL-CIO and SEIU Team Up With Brave New Films to Tell Public That Multimillionaire John McCain Is the Real Elitist

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:49 -0400

AFL-CIO and SEIU Team Up With Brave New Films to Tell Public That Multimillionaire John McCain Is the Real Elitist LOS ANGELES - August 18 - This morning, Brave New Films will distribute to its list of 500,000 people a new online video meant to bring attention to John McCain's exorbitant personal wealth. 'McCain's Mansions: The Real Elitist' makes the case that ...

CIVIC Georgia After Dropping Cluster Bombs Russia Has Responsibility to Help Civilians

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:49 -0400

Georgia: After Dropping Cluster Bombs, Russia Has Responsibility to Help Civilians WASHINGTON - August 15 - Human Rights Watch reported today that on August 12 Russian forces used cluster bombs in two separate attacks on Georgian towns, killing a total of 11 civilians and injuring dozens more. Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) deplored the use of the indiscriminate weapon and ...

Peace Action Maine Mainers Unite to Prevent War With Iran

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:49 -0400

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention Will Propose a Platform Emphasizing Diplomacy, Not War PORTLAND, Maine - August 15 - Peace Action Maine, Pax Christi Maine, Military Families Speak Out/ Maine, the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, and other Maine based organizations are circulating a statewide petition that opposes preemptive military action, acts of war, a naval ...

International Campaign to Ban Landmines Condemns Russian Use of Cluster Munitions in Georgia

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:49 -0400

ICBL Condemns Russian Use of Cluster Munitions in Georgia August 15 - The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) strongly condemned Russia today for the use of cluster bombs in Georgia which resulted in at least 11 civilians being killed and dozens injured. Evidence of cluster munitions use by Russia was revealed by ICBL member Human Rights Watch in a press release issued ...

American Rights At Work Formal Complaint for FEC Investigation of Wal-Marts Unlawful Federal Election Activity

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:48 -0400

Formal Complaint for FEC Investigation of Wal-Mart's Unlawful Federal Election Activity WASHINGTON - August 14 - Today American Rights at Work, the AFL-CIO, Change to Win, and WakeUpWalmart.com will hand ...

SEIU to Count Down to Better Health Care With 365 Stories for Next 365 days

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:48 -0400

Health Care Workers, Patients, Consumers to Speak Out About Challenges of Broken System WASHINGTON - August 15 - With growing numbers of Americans calling on elected officials to fix the broken health care system, ...

American Friends Service Committee California Becomes First State to Condemn Use of Torture in War on Terror

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:48 -0400

California Becomes First State to Condemn Use of Torture in 'War on Terror' SACRAMENTO, CA - August 14 - The California Legislature today adopted a resolution aimed at preventing California health professionals from engaging in coercive interrogations of detainees at ...

India Resource Center Coca-Cola Plant Shut Down in India