Israeli tycoon charged with fraud Oct 2, 2009
Mr Gaydamak is one Israel's best-known businessmen, with investments in sports teams, and high-profile charitable donations ... Mr Gaydamak, who settled in Israel in 1972, has a large following among the country's approximately one million Russian emigres ... He is also wanted in France in connection with an investigation into alleged arms deals with Angola. (BBC News -- Africa)
Labour race on to replace Morgan Oct 2, 2009
The party's executive committee said the election campaign would begin officially at midday. The 36-member committee, comprising constituency Labour parties, MPs and AMs, will oversee the process which is expected to take eight weeks ... That attracted criticism because the unions were not obliged to ballot their members but instead delivered a "block" vote for their preferred candidate. (BBC News -- UK)
Without Bush, media lose interest in war caskets... Sep 30, 2009
"The idea that they are essentially snuck back into the country under the cover of night so no one can see that their casket has arrived, I just think is wrong." ... arrived at Dover the night of April 5 -- the first arrival in which press coverage was allowed -- there were representatives of 35 media outlets on hand to cover the story ... (All the figures here were provided by the Mortuary Affairs Operations Center. (The Drudge Report)
Congress Challenges Bonuses at Veterans Affairs Sep 24, 2009
In a separate issue involving bonuses at the agency reviewed by the Veterans Affairs House oversight subcommittee, executives within all department were awarded $4 ... Gould said the situation among technology office employees investigated by the IG was professionally disturbing and inexcusable and that actions were being taken to ensure something like that doesn t happen again ... James J. O Neill, assistant inspector general for investigations with the VA s IG office, said he s confident the... (Time.com)
Disney sets out to make 'The Passion for kids' Sep 24, 2009
"Ambitious and successful city banker strangled wife after discovering she was having an affair, a court hears. Find may be more significant than burial ship at Sutton Hoo. Suffolk chosen by conservationists as best place to reintroduce birds. Northern Ireland Secretary profoundly shocked after inquiry delayed again. Advertisement John Travolta describes trying to save life of his autistic son Jett. A new Michael Jackson will include backing vocals from singer's brothers. Fourth child for actor... (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
Bush Interior secretary investigated Sep 19, 2009
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether former Interior secretary Gale A. Norton illegally used her position to steer lucrative oil leases to Royal Dutch Shell PLC, the company she works for now, officials with both departments confirmed. The criminal investigation is focused on a 2006 decision by the Interior Department to award three oil shale leases on federal land in Colorado to a Shell subsidiary ... Investigators are looking into whether Norton, named... (Boston Globe)
AG Declines to Prosecute Former DOJ Official Connected to U.S. Attorney Firings Probe Sep 15, 2009
Bradley Schlozman, who served as the top official in Justice's Civil Rights Division under President George W. Bush, has been accused of lying to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007 while testifying as part of the investigation into the U.S. Attorney firings of 2006 ... Schumer, who questioned Schlozman at the original hearing, had called on Holder to re-examine the case ... Schlozman resigned from the Justice Department in 2007 and is now. (Law.com)
President Obama Should Pardon CIA Interrogators Aug 30, 2009
Daily Conservative Cartoon Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons ... So you'll forgive me if I don't buy into the argument that, as a simple lawman, Holder had no choice but to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged abuses during CIA interrogations of high-value detainees ... To the contrary, the CIA waterboarded all of three high-level detainees -- then stopped in March 2003 -- when Bush White House lawyers determined the technique to be legal. (Townhall.com)
CIA Program: Reckless or Tightly Governed? Aug 27, 2009
CIA Program: Reckless or Tightly Governed ... CIA Program: Reckless or Tightly Governed ... Newly Released Documents Show Prisoner Interrogations Were Highly Regulated. (CBS News -- Early Show)
Blowing Smoke at Terrorists Aug 27, 2009
Daily Conservative Cartoon Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons ... CIA officers blew smoke in Nashiri's face, according to the report, and they used cigars ... The IG's office described this smoke-blowing as one of several "unauthorized or undocumented techniques" it discovered had been used in isolated incidents by CIA employees interrogating high-level al-Qaida terrorists. (Townhall.com)
Nigeria: Osun - Still on the Police Report Forgery Saga Aug 26, 2009
com: Nigeria: Osun - Still on the Police Report Forgery Saga (Page 1 of 1). Nigeria: Osun - Still on the Police Report Forgery Saga ... The judgment read in part: "The Final Security Report on the governorship election in Osun State was made by a Police officer under a strict duty by the Inspector-General of Police to inquire into the conduct of the elections. The said document marked rejected is a public document. The position of the law is that once a public document is signed and certified as... (allAfrica.com)
Torture of Terrorism Suspects Aug 26, 2009
A 2004 report by the CIA's Inspector General (IG) on interrogation techniques carried out by the US's foremost intelligence agency has renewed the debate on torture ... As a sign of his resolve, President Obama, two days after his inauguration, signed two : (a) the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, seen by many as a monument to detainee abuses, within a year's time and (b) adoption of the Army Field Manual on interrogations, which follows international law standards against torture... (Suite101.com)
Nigeria: Court Orders Release of Two Bank Chiefs Aug 26, 2009
com: Nigeria: Court Orders EFCC to Release Adigwe, Nwosu (Page 1 of 2). Nigeria: Court Orders EFCC to Release Adigwe, Nwosu ... Only yesterday, the former Managing Directors of Afribank Plc and Fin Bank Plc, Mr Sebastian Adigwe and Mr Okey Nwosu, respectively, also removed two weeks ago by the CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, were yesterday ordered to be released on bail by the EFCC by the same court, eight days after their arrest. (allAfrica.com)
New Unit Will Question Key Terror Suspects Aug 25, 2009
Washington Post: President Obama Shifts Interrogation Oversight From the CIA to the White House ... Obama signed off late last week on the unit, named the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, or HIG. Made up of experts from several intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the interrogation unit will be housed at the FBI but will be overseen by the National Security Council -- shifting the center of gravity away from the CIA and giving the White House direct oversight ... Seeking to signal... (CBS News -- US)
Read the report here Aug 25, 2009
Editor's note: You can download the full IG report , or read a short collection of excerpts ... The evaluation says that Abu Zubaydah is mentally stable and a powerful figure within al-Qaida ... Highlights of the CIA interrogation reportBy Mark Benjamin. (Salon)
Obama's Blunder Aug 25, 2009
Daily Conservative Cartoon Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons ... Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to go after the CIA has all the earmarks of policy designed to make left-wing hearts palpitate ... I have written deliberately "go after the CIA," notwithstanding the demurral of newly appointed special prosecutor John Durham, which concerns the supposedly "preliminary" scope of his investigation into alleged abuses perpetrated by CIA interrogators against terrorism... (Townhall.com)
5 Liberal Lies About Obamacare Aug 25, 2009
Daily Conservative Cartoon Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons ... Rather than engaging in an honest debate about the pluses and minuses of socialized medicine, they've abandoned all significant attempts to work with the GOP, they've demonized American citizens who've dared to voice their concern at townhalls, and they have lied more than Bill Clinton probably did the first time Hillary mentioned the name "Gennifer Flowers" to him ... But when liberals talk to each other, they... (Townhall.com)
Times: Report calls for reopening CIA abuse cases Aug 24, 2009
The CIA's internal investigator found that agency interrogators conducted mock executions of terror suspects and in one case threatened a detainee suspected in the USS Cole bombing with a gun and power drill, congressional officials said late Friday ... The report's findings were first reported by Newsweek on its Web site Friday night ... Lamberth also questioned the credibility 00004000 of current CIA Director Leon Panetta, saying that Panetta's testimony in the case contained significant... (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Five Questions for the CIA IG's Interrogation Report Aug 24, 2009
Former Vice President Dick Cheney and other members of the Bush Administration might have had a tense weekend ... Over the past two days news reports have quoted unnamed officials as saying the IG's findings include instances where CIA interrogators used power drills and even a gun to threaten a detainee; on another occasion, as first reported by Newsweek, they allegedly staged a mock execution ... A heavily-redacted version of IG John Helgerson's findings was released last year. (Time.com)
Guns, Drills, Threatened Executions: CIA Atrocities AllegedSources: Handgun, electric drill used to interrogate al Qaeda commander. Aug 23, 2009
Now, , a redacted and partly declassified report from 2004 by the CIA inspector general (IG) will say a handgun and an electric drill were used to try to break down a captured al Qaeda commander, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. the report will say the CIA wanted to frighten him into thinking he would be shot or tortured ... "When it comes to national security, what we have to focus on is getting things right in the future as opposed to looking at what we got wrong in the past," Obama told ABC News'... (ABC News)
As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses Aug 21, 2009
In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said. The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said ... Separately, a technology office employee became involved in an "inappropriate personal relationship" with a high-level VA official. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Afghan Corruption: Is the Inspector General the Right Man for the Job? Aug 8, 2009
Afghan Corruption: Is the Inspector General the Right Man for the Job ... Earlier this year Stuart Bowen, head of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), estimated that about 15% of the nearly $20 billion spent on major construction projects since 2003, or roughly $3 billion, had been wasted as a result of mismanagement or outright corruption ... So, in an effort to avoid making some of the same mistakes in the nation's other war zone, Congress created a... (Time.com)
The Georgina Wood Movies, Part 1 Jul 31, 2009
So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; For brightness, but we walk in deep shadows ... At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; Among the strong, we are like the dead. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Bailouts could cost U.S. $23 trillion... Jul 21, 2009
For the government to be on the hook for the total amount, worst-case scenarios would have to come to pass in a variety of federal programs, which is unlikely, says Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the government s financial , in testimony prepared for delivery to the House oversight committee Tuesday ... Still, the enormity of the IG s projection underscores the size of the economic disaster that hit the nation over the past year and the unprecedented by the federal government... (The Drudge Report)
China YiBai United Guarantee International Holding Inc. Explores New Service Fields and Innovative Service Principles Based on the Existing Businesses Jul 19, 2009
IG Finance Inc, together with China Dragon International Investment (HK) Co., Ltd is the overseas company of China YiBai. Dalian YiBai Small & Medium Enterprises Guarantee Co., Ltd, as its operator, is engaged in providing value added services for Chinese SMEs including equity mortgage guarantee and loan service, Finance Consultant, design of listing and merger plan as well as core competitiveness ... Advantages of SMEs' business process consist of consultant firm, accounting firm, and law firm... (PR Newswire)
Report: Too Few Officials Knew of Surveillance Jul 12, 2009
SIGN UP FOR FREE NEWS ALERTS ... WASHINGTON -- Not enough relevant officials were aware of the size and depth of an unprecedented surveillance program started under President George W. Bush, let alone signed off on it, a team of federal inspectors general found ... The Bush White House pulled in a great quantity of information far beyond the warrantless wiretapping previously acknowledged, the IGs reported. (Newsmax)
Click to read:Cheney Linked to Concealing CIA Project Jul 12, 2009
(CBS/AP) Former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to withhold information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years, the New York Times. Agency director Leon Panetta, who ended the program when he learned of its existence on June 23, briefed Senate and House intelligence committees about it i 00004000 n separate closed sessions the next day, according to the Times ... The details of the wider surveillance program described by the... (CBS News)
Post-9/11 surveillance went beyond wiretapping Jul 11, 2009
July 10: C Street is a house in Washington D.C. run by a secretive religious group called The Family ... It's unclear how much valuable intelligence was yielded by the surveillance program started after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the unclassified summary of reports by five inspectors general ... President George W. Bush authorized other secret intelligence activities which have yet to become public even as he was launching the massive warrentless wiretapping... (MSNBC -- Politics)
Obama Administration Delays Release Of CIA Report Jul 4, 2009
The Justice Department had originally said it intended to release the report in June as part of a lawsuit, but department officials now say they need until the end of August ... "The public has a right to know what took place in the CIA's secret prisons and on whose authority," said Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU National Security Project ... "As we re-reviewed the CIA IG report it was clear that we would not be able to complete it in an expedited manner as we had hoped," Schmaler said. (KCRA 3, CA)
Have We Forgotten Iraq? Jul 2, 2009
A year ago, in the heat of the presidential campaign, the issue of whether U.S. forces should stay or go produced pointed debate and disagreement between Obama and John McCain ... Obama marked the moment with brief remarks yesterday afternoon at the White House, saying that the Iraqi people were "rightly treating this day as a cause for celebration," while noting that Iraqi leaders have many political issues to resolve ... Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signaled his desire to establish a... (CBS News -- Politics)
Who Railroaded the Amtrak Inspector General? Jul 2, 2009
Daily Conservative Cartoon Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons ... Moreover, the report revealed, Amtrak regularly retained outside law firms shielded from IG reach ... In another case, Amtrak's Law Department appeared to meddle in an inspector general investigation of an outside financial adviser suspected of inflating fees. (Townhall.com)
Watch lists, guns and government Jun 30, 2009
This new addendum also to be cloaked in secrecy would empower the U.S. Attorney General to deny a person the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights to purchase a firearm ... The American people would never be privy to what criteria might be employed by the attorney general to determine whether someone is an appropriate suspect, and they would have no way of knowing why they might be denied the ability to purchase a firearm ... For legislators like Lautenberg and King, who... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
House Passes Global Warming Bill Jun 27, 2009
Supporters and opponents agreed the result would be higher energy costs, but disagreed widely on the impact on consumers ... confirmed by the Senate on Thursday to an administration post, put off her resignation from Congress until after the final vote on the climate change bill ... While the bill would impose a "cap-and-trade" system that would force higher energy costs, Republicans for weeks have branded it an energy tax on every American. (CBS News)
Rocket Day 'Miss' is itself a 'Miss' Jun 26, 2009
In this video press release, Democratic members of the Assembly Budget Committee - Louis D. Greenwald (D-Camden), Assembly Budget Committee Chairman; Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair; Gary S. Schaer (D-Passaic), Assembly Budget Committee Vice-Chair; Albert Coutinho (D-Essex); Joan M. Quigley (D-Hudson); Joseph Cryan (D-Union); Gordon M. Johnson (D-Bergen); and John J. Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) - discuss the General Assembly's passage of New Jersey's annual... (NJ.com -- Times)
LETTER: Obama breaking the law 'in the public interest' Jun 25, 2009
No state shall pass laws impairing the obligation of contracts ... The unsecured United Auto Workers will own 68 percent; Fiat, a foreign company who had no claim on the assets and did not invest a dollar, will own 20 percent; and the US and Canadian governments will split the remainder ... JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Boutique exchange sets up in CME's shadow Jun 25, 2009
(Crains) Just down the street from , the worlds biggest futures exchange, is perhaps the worlds smallest ... UK-based IG Group Holdings PLC, which runs retail-oriented markets in nine other countries, bought the exchange license and technology and this week relaunched it as Nadex ... The model is one that parent IG Group has used to generate increasing revenue for the past 11 years, says CEO Tim Howkins, who joined Mr. Beinart in an interview at the markets 26th-floor office on... (Crain's Chicago Business)
Obama Protects Cronies at Taxpayers' Expense Jun 21, 2009
Daily Conservative Cartoon Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons ... Walpin -- in investigating the misuse of AmeriCorps funds by St. HOPE charity, which is under the direction of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a strong Obama supporter -- discovered that St. HOPE had failed to use the federal monies for the purposes specified in the grant and improperly had used AmeriCorps personnel to drive Johnson to personal appointments, run other errands for him and wash his car ... But the... (Townhall.com)
White House: Firing AmeriCorps IG an act of 'political courage'... Jun 19, 2009
White House: Firing AmeriCorps IG an act of "political courage" ... Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday ... In one exchange, according to the GOP aide, the White House lawyers explained that inspector general Walpin was not working well with the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps, and the administration believed that IGs should work well with the leadership of their... (The Drudge Report)
Inspectors general need congressional backing Jun 19, 2009
The controversy surrounding Walpin s dismissal stems from White House claims that Walpin was confused and disoriented at an agency meeting as well as from a 2008 investigation into the potential misuse of AmeriCorps grants to the St. HOPE Academy of Sacramento, Calif ... Walpin s investigation concluded that Johnson and a colleague had misused about $850,000 in grant funding ... Prosecutor Lawrence Brown, also appointed by Bush, settled the matter with Johnson and later filed a complaint with an... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Sen. Ensign to Acknowledge Extramarital Affair... Jun 17, 2009
The Fix - Ensign Acknowledges Extramarital Affair ... Ensign Acknowledges Extramarital Affair ... UPDATE, 6:55 p.m.: In a press conference moments ago, Ensign admitted the affair but seemed resolved to remain in political life. (The Drudge Report)
US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive, Tom Leonard, The Telegraph Jun 17, 2009
Dozens of US cities may have entire neighbourhoods bulldozed as part of drastic "shrink to survive" proposals being considered by the Obama administration to tackle economic decline. By Tom Leonard in Flint, Michigan Published: 6:30PM BST 12 Jun 2009 ... Having outlined his strategy to Barack Obama during the ele 00004000 ction campaign, Mr Kildee has now been approached by the US government and a group of charities who want him to apply what he has learnt to the rest of the country. (Harper's Magazine)
Shooting The Watchdog Jun 16, 2009
eIBD Investor's Business Daily Digital Edition ... Oversight: The inspector general for the AmeriCorps program is fired after accusing an administration supporter of misappropriating funds ... We wouldn't see things like the Bush administration firing U.S. attorneys for "political" reasons even though it had the right to do so. (Investors Business Daily)
Who will be the ‘transportation governor’? Jun 16, 2009
So it was kind of surprising last week to see that with just 18 months left as governor, Perdue was up in Washington expressing enthusiasm for bringing intercity high-speed rail service to Georgia. All of a sudden, a state that wont cough up $15 million for a single 26-mile commuter rail line is ready to invest hundreds of millions as its share in a multibillion-dollar high-speed rail project ... Clearly, they understand how important the issue will be in wooing the votes of metro Atlanta... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
What Pelosi Can Learn from Durbin Jun 1, 2009
There is a clear difference between my public record of oversight on the Peru tragedy and the speaker s attempts to cover-up what she knew and what she did not do after being told about the CIA s enhanced interrogation program ... Given the damage to morale at the CIA following Speaker Pelosi s still unsubstantiated claim, Republican leader John Boehner rightly called on the speaker to provide evidence for her claim -- a federal offense should it be true -- or apologize to the hard-working men... (Human Events Online)
SEC Attorneys Probed For Insider Trading May 16, 2009
CBS News 00004000 Exclusive: Two High-Level Attorneys Under Scrutiny By FBI ... SEC Attorneys Investigated ... The SEC is under fire once again over two employees who are currently under investigation by the FBI for insider trading. (CBS News)
When lawyers torture the law May 6, 2009
Today Republicans accused Democrats in Congress of having blood on your hands too in relation to the escalating calls to investigate. I would like to say that this is exactly right ... Today s suddenly urgent calls by our congressional Democratic leaders, and even by many of the American people, to prosecute CIA operatives, military men and women and contractors who were certainly involved with, colluded in or turned a blind eye to torture are not only the height of hypocrisy, they are a form of... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Hate Crimes and Misdenomers May 5, 2009
This was not one of the GOP's brighter moments in a field lately dim with low lights ... During the trial, a police investigator testified that one of the murderers taunted Shepard, saying, "It's Gay Awareness Week." Shepard's fatal injuries included many kicks to the groin area ... The federal hate crimes act of 1969 created special victims in cases where crimes were found to have been motivated by racism or hatred of a victim's ethnicity, national origin or religion. (Townhall.com)
Fiat boss to discuss Opel bid in Germany May 4, 2009
Fiat's Sergio Marchionne was to meet with Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is also the vice chancellor ... Talk of a possible takeover of GM's European operations comes just a week after Fiat signed an agreement to buy an initial 20 percent stake in U.S. automaker Chrysler LLC. ... Employee representatives have made clear they worry about what a Fiat investment might mean for jobs. (OregonLive, OR -- Business)
THE PRESIDENT'S INTERVIEW Apr 30, 2009
But a big surprise it turned out to be when Yar'Adua sat down and spoke for more than three hours ... 30 p.m. did not start until well after 4 p.m. But once the session began, there was no stopping him and his passion for Nigeria was palpable in every word ... Facts and figure reeled off his memory. (Guardian News, Nigeria)
Analysis: Specter The Pragmatist Apr 29, 2009
Specter saw what has happened to other moderate Republicans in recent elections and doesnt want to be the next one to go down fighting against a conservative challenger ... (AP )Specter, whos been in the Senate for 29 years, has seen the polls and the political landscape in his state, especially the surge in Democratic registration thanks to the high-profile presidential primary there last year ... And, perhaps most importantly, President Obama told him today that hell campaign and raise... (CBS News)
Behind Pulitzer Prize, The New York Times’ Hidden Agenda Apr 28, 2009
Last week, New York Times reporter David Barstow received a Pulitzer Prize for his April 20, 2008 front-page investigative story, Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon s Hidden Hand. The article, which claimed that the Pentagon was engaged in propaganda by using retired military officers to promote Bush administration policies, has since been largely debunked by an independent, non-partisan investigation by the Department of Defense s (DoD) Inspector General (IG) ... But the Times reported that far from... (Human Events Online)
White House economic adviser Goolsbee won't rule out... Mar 26, 2009
This is likely to catch some on the left by surprise, as both Petraeus and Odierno weighed into the debate to offer their support to the embattled nominee, and Brownback has few allies in this fight other than Senators Lieberman and Graham ... Brownback insists -- quite rightly -- that Hill lied to him during committee meetings in July of last year (the substance of this charge is contained in , which Brownback read into the record today) and subsequently failed to make the issue of human rights... (The Drudge Report)
Anxiety In S/Eeast Over DIG Onovo's Fate Mar 22, 2009
No IG From Southeast Since Independence -Igbo. New Paradigm Emerges After Sunday's Publication ... TO quote Alan Paton in Cry the Beloved Country, "anxiety" of some Nigerians of Igbo extraction has turned into "fear" over the fate of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo. (Guardian News, Nigeria)
Shobaa De: Political babes in woods Mar 22, 2009
In fact, these elections are dominated by the Babe Brigade ... Then the b 00004000 ig boys back off leaving the babe to face the music ... Gandhigiri is not the sole prerogative of these two families. (India Times, India)
RMV starts bond with AAA as union cries foul Mar 14, 2009
But the union representing registry workers says Inspector General Greg Sullivan should investigate Patrick administration efforts to privatize Registry services, saying the change could jeopardize privacy rights of customers and appeared rigged to deliver registry business to AAA. ... An official in IG Sullivan s office declined to comment ... Dufresne said the Registry made numerous overtures to union members to address their concerns and fears while also investigating similar AAA programs in... (Beacon Villager, MA)
GM's woes a headache for Berlin Mar 7, 2009
One of the hottest issues in German politics right now has "Made in America" stamped on it ... Merkel, up for re-election in the autumn, is sensitive to complaints from her constituents in the business community about bailouts for big banks and other companies and nothing for anyone else ... "They might just play Ping-Pong with Opel," said Ferdinand Dudenhffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (International Herald Tribune)
Germany's leader in hot seat over GM aid request Mar 6, 2009
One of the hottest issues in German politics right now has "Made in America" stamped on it ... But whether Chancellor Angela Merkel will make available the public financing needed to help release Opel from the clutches of General Motors is now a murky, highly politicized question involving a reluctant government, an influential automotive union that wants politicians to save jobs and employees who yearn to re-establish Opel as an independent German company ... Merkel, up for re-election in the... (International Herald Tribune)
Wall Street slides after Citigroup-government deal Feb 28, 2009
NEW YORK (AP) Wall Street ended another unforgiving month with a steep loss one that left the Dow Jones industrial average at less than half its record high ... Citigroup Inc. agreed to turn over a big piece of itself to the government, a move that fanned worries that other banks would face crippling trouble with bad debt ... Dan Cook, senior market analyst at IG Markets in Chicago, said Wall Street's ability to show some recovery Friday despite the onslaught of bad news is a good sign. (OregonLive, OR -- Business)
Obama Shoots for Mars Feb 27, 2009
President Barack Obama, on Tuesday night, gave his first presidential address before Congress ... But when the applause died down, the President took out a scattergun and attempted to hit everything in sight ... He confidently asserted his and our intention to overcome the current economic downturn and march toward an even brighter future. (Townhall.com)
Report: Over 100,000 deportees had children in US Feb 14, 2009
WASHINGTON Immigration officials are reviewing whether to gather more information about parents they deport whose children may be U.S. citizens and are left behind. An investigation by the Homeland Security Department inspector general found immigration officials deported 108,434 parents with children who are U.S. citizens during 1998 to 2007 ... A report on the investigation was made public Friday. (Yahoo News -- Politics)
Police chief orders arrest of Zamfara ex-governor Feb 11, 2009
This follows the crisis that erupted between the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters in the state during the burial of the father of Alhaji Umaru Sambo, Speaker of the state House of Assembly ... He said he would soon write to the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mike Okiro, for further action to be taken against Yerima ... Meanwhile, the Forum of Zamfara State Political Parties (ZFPP), has called on the IG to intensify effort to ensure security in... (Guardian News, Nigeria)
An investigation into everything Bush? Not a good idea Feb 10, 2009
An investigation into everything Bush ... WASHINGTON (AP) The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is proposing a truth commission to investigate abuses of detainees, politically inspired moves at the Justice Department, and whole range of decisions made during the Bush administration ... said the primary goal of the commission would be to learn the truth rather than prosecute former officials, but said the inquiry should reach far beyond misdeeds at the Justice Department under Bush to... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
