May 17, 2005

PICTURE OF THE DAY

WAR NEWS

Newsweek Retracts Story on Quran Abuse
Newsweek magazine, under fire for publishing a story that led to deadly protests in Afghanistan, said Monday it was retracting its report that a military probe had found evidence of desecration of the Quran by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

Muslim Reaction to Newsweek Apology: Too Little, Too Late
Muslims brushed off an apology to readers that appeared in this week's edition of the newsweekly that acknowledged errors in a story alleging U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Koran, Islam's holy book. Interestingly enough, Newsweek has an Arabic issue but there was no mention of the apology in this week's issue. Critics called it a strategic move in the face of the overwhelming and violent reaction. The report sparked protests in Afghanistan, where at least 15 were killed and more than 100 injured.

Muslim double standard on religious desecration?
Islamic world blasted for protesting Quran 'story,' silence on Jewish incidents

U.S. Looking Into Militant Incitement
The U.S. military needs better relations with Islamic leaders in Afghanistan and is looking at whether militant groups fanned the violence and anti-American sentiment sparked by a report alleging interrogators desecrated Islam's holy book, a U.S. commander said Monday.

Rice: U.S. Will Pressure Syria Regarding Iraq Border
Rice also praised the expanded role given Sunni Arabs and said she was confident the Iraqi government could meet important deadlines.

Insurgents’ violence a bid for civil war?
Fears rise that extremists killing civilians may spark insurrection

Saddam Bribed Russians for U.N. Favors
Russian leaders received millions of dollars in Iraqi oil allocations from top representatives in Saddam Hussein's former government in hopes of ending U.N. penalties against Iraq, Senate investigators were told.

WAR ON TERROR

Terror accused tells of bin Laden interview
Al-Jazeera reporter says he spoke with bin Laden weeks after Sept. 11

Lawyers Want Venue Change in Al-Arian Terror Case
The former computer science professor and three others now are going to be tried on charges they helped fund the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Air Travelers Stripped Bare with X-ray Machine
The refrigerator-sized machines are considered a breakthrough in scanning technology but have been labeled "a virtual strip search" by the American Civil Liberties Union.

AXIS OF EVIL

Congress May Be Ready for New Sanctions Against Iran
As Iran appears to move closer to resuming nuclear activities, support has been quietly building in Congress for new U.S. sanctions, including penalties that could affect multinational companies and this country's foreign aid recipients.

MIDDLE EAST UPDATE

Police Foil Missile Plot in Jerusalem
Jewish extremists talked of firing a missile at a key Islamic holy site in Jerusalem, and hundreds of others blocked main highways with burning tires - examples of how opponents hope to scuttle Israel's planned pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank.

ON THE HOME FRONT

'Grandma' Mae Magouirk dies
81-year-old was at center of post-Schiavo euthanasia controversy

Runaway Bride May Have Sought Old Flame
Jennifer Wilbanks wasn't just running away from her wedding, she was running toward something — an old paramour with whom she had had a steamy sexual relationship.

Mexico’s Fox apologizes for racial comment
President Vicente Fox reversed course Monday night and apologized for saying that Mexicans in the United States do the work that blacks won’t.

Man sentenced after trying to rob bank with a vacuum attachment
Michael Shewman won't be cleaning up with his vacuum cleaner. He's been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pretending that a vacuum cleaner attachment was a gun.

Artists concerned tattoos losing nonconformist lure
As models flaunted head-to-toe body art and hard rock pulsated in a cavernous ballroom, veteran tattoo artists at a New York convention on Saturday wondered if their once taboo artistry was losing its nonconformist lure.

Saucy sheep comment OK, says authority
A man who decided to use fire instead of sledgehammers on a demolition project blamed his own bad judgment for starting a blaze that destroyed three unoccupied buildings in town. "I would've been all right if the wind hadn't changed," said Stinson Bailey, 63, after he was charged with reckless burning and disorderly conduct in connection with Saturday's fire.

AROUND THE WORLD

Krakatoa rumors stoke tsunami fears
Many residents of Indonesia’s Sumatra island fled to higher ground before dawn on Tuesday after rumors that a notorious volcano had erupted sending a tsunami hurtling towards the coast, local media reported.

EUROPEENING

War hero 'donkey man' remembered
As a parade is held in the home town of a stretcher-bearer who died in action as he rescued soldiers on his donkey, the BBC news website looks at the remarkable life of Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick.

French to Protest Lost National Holiday
A poll published Sunday in regional weekly Dimanche Ouest France indicated that 55 percent of the French do not plan on going to work.

Saucy sheep comment OK, says authority
New Zealand broadcasting authorities reject complaint about radio presenter who claimed local people cuddle their sheep.

ENTERTAINMENT

American way of life attacked in films at Cannes
The dark underside of the United States has taken center stage in several films at Cannes this year, capped on Monday with a scathing attack of past and present racism in America by Danish director Lars von Trier.

Jackson witnesses portray family as rude, greedy
Michael Jackson's accuser drank alcohol, his younger brother secreted a stash of porn magazines and his mother drove off for a body wax at the singer's expense at the time the family claims they were being held at Neverland, defense witnesses told jurors on Monday.

Britney gives up sexy image for comfort
Pregnant pop star Britney Spears has warned fans they will never see looking sexy again because as a wife she "doesn't care" what she looks like.

‘Raymond’ ends on warm, funny note
It was a typical outing, with just a little farewell tenderness - in Raymond’s throat after the surgery, which he was nursing with ice cream, and in the hearts of the usually bickering Barones.

HEALTH

Drug's Effect on Cancer Stuns Doctors
No one could have been more surprised than the doctors themselves. They were just hoping to relieve the symptoms of a deadly blood disorder — and ended up treating the disease itself. In nearly half of the people who took the experimental drug, the cancer became undetectable.

ACLU Files Suit Over Abstinence Program
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Monday alleging that the federal government has improperly used taxpayer dollars to fund Christian religious activities.

Women having abortions over and over
33% repeat in Britain, procedure's risks allegedly swept under rug

Menstrual Cycle May Alter Brain Chemistry
Hormonal changes may actually alter the chemical balance in the brain and trigger some of the mood swings associated with a woman's monthly menstrual cycle, according to a new study.

SCIENCE / SPACE

Science facts catch up with ‘Star Wars’ sci-fi
3-D teleconferencing, sassy robots ... but no lightsabers yet

Oxygen generator out on space station
A balky Russian oxygen generator broke down on the International Space Station, but its two-man crew has a reserve air supply that would last about five months, NASA officials said Friday.

TECHNOLOGY

Sony Unveils New PlayStation 3 Consoles
Sony Corp unveiled three flavors of its new PlayStation 3 video game machine Monday in what is likely a new round of console wars with rivals Microsoft and Nintendo.

Microsoft unveils new Xbox 360
Microsoft Corp. unveiled its new Xbox 360 on Thursday, taking aim at Sony Corp in the video game console market with a machine sporting high-definition graphics and features that make it an entertainment hub for the living room.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY

Nissan, GM Head Vehicle Quality Survey
Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. were the top performers in a new survey of vehicle quality, with satisfied owners praising power and styling.

Restaurant icon HoJo's close to disappearing
The orange roof is long gone, and the Simple Simon plaque is history. The famous 28 flavors of ice cream have dwindled to 16 varieties.

POLITICS

Senate Dems Float Filibuster Compromise
The Dems say they won't block judicial nominees "except in extreme circumstances" if the GOP doesn't use the 'nuclear option'.

Should political blogs be regulated?
Ordinarily, the U.S. Federal Elections Commission is preparing to hire some extra mailroom staff about now. But since the overwhelming majority of responses to the current invitation to public comment are likely to arrive electronically, there probably won't be many mail sacks to heave up to the boardroom.

Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism
Pat Buchanan speaks of American conservatism in the past tense. "The conservative movement has passed into history," says the one-time White House aide, three-time presidential candidate, commentator and magazine publisher.

The White House 'Thank You' Tour
At a GOP fund-raiser last March, Michigan Rep. Vernon Ehlers was waiting for his turn to take a photo with President Bush when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

SCHOOLS

Middle-School Girl Gets Detention For Hugging At School
Public displays of affection are against the rules at Sky View Middle School, and 14-year-old Cazz Altomare found that out the hard way.

Preschoolers expelled more often, study finds
Preschools are expelling youngsters at three times the rate of public schools, according to a nationwide study by Yale researchers, prompting concerns that children are being set up for educational failure at a very young age.

'Little Black Book' teaches kids 'gay' sex
Massachusetts group decries aggressive pro-homosexual advocacy

SPORTS

NCAA to ban Indian mascots?
Governing body could decide by August on future of teams

Rice vs. Thomas for NFL Boss?
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, both of whom admit they want the job of NFL commissioner.

GLENNVIRNOMENT

Another Bad Hurricane Season Predicted
The Atlantic Seaboard and the Gulf Coast could be in for another bad hurricane season, one of the government's top forecasters said Monday.

ANIMALS

SWAT teams to save escaped, wild animals?
When California game wardens killed a Bengal tiger in a Los Angeles suburb in February, Alan Schulman mourned the death of another cat whose dwindling numbers have landed it on the endangered species list. Then the noted veterinarian of 25 years launched a campaign to change a state wildlife policy that he calls "shoot first and ask questions later."