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NEWS     MONDAY, MAY 21, 2012     NEWS

Boehner Rejects Supposed Rev. Wright Ad
House Speaker John Boehner on Sunday downplayed the supposed plan to resurrect Rev. Jeremiah Wright in an anti-Obama ad campaign, becoming the latest prominent Republican to knock down the proposal despite Democratic efforts to play it up. The shelf life of the Wright plan was short. After The New York Times reported Thursday on an ad campaign being coordinated by conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder of  TD Ameritrade, Ricketts himself said through an aide it was not a serious plan and not one he supported. Mitt Romney also condemned the ad. Asked about the proposal Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Boehner said: "The issue is not Rev. Wright. The issue is the economy." Fox News
VOA VIEW: Treating Obama with kid gloves could cost Republicans the White House.

Prosecutor Launches Strauss-Kahn Rape Probe
A French prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of rape in a Washington hotel by former IMF chief and one-time French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The prosecutor in Lille in northern France followed a request by investigating judges earlier this month to broaden a suspected prostitution probe to examine the claims of rape in December 2010. The Lille prosecutor's office said in a statement Monday that they are looking into the allegation that Strauss-Kahn may have been involved in a rape during a sex party in the hotel while he was chief of the International Monetary Fund. NY Post

Former Ultranationalist Is New Serbian President
Serbia is likely to get a government with ambitions to join the European Union despite the election of a pro-Russian nationalist as the country's new president, officials said Monday. Tomislav Nikolic, a former ultranationalist ally of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, beat incumbent Boris Tadic for Serbia's presidency on Sunday. The result that could slow down the Balkan country's attempts to join the EU and reconcile with wartime foes, including the former province of Kosovo that declared independence in 2008. However, Tadic's Democrats are likely to form a new government with the Socialists, leaving Nikolic without real power as a figurehead president. Seattle Times

US Warns NKorea Against Another Nuke Test
The top U.S. envoy for North Korea warned Pyongyang on Monday that any nuclear test would be a serious miscalculation that would unify the world in seeking swift, tough punishment. Glyn Davies' comments after meetings with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts come as outside analysts and governments voice worry that North Korea may follow a failed April 13 long-range rocket test with its third nuclear test - a pattern that happened in 2006 and 2009. North Korea is being led by Kim Jong Un, the young son of Kim Jong Il who took power after his father's death in December and has since vowed to place top priority on his impoverished country's military. Tampa Tribune
VOA VIEW: N Korea is not afraid of Obama's weak threats.

Veterans Symbolically Discard Service Medals At Anti-NATO Rally
Nearly 50 U.S. military veterans at an anti-NATO rally in Chicago threw their service medals into the street on Sunday, an action they said symbolized their rejection of the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the veterans, many wearing military uniform shirts over black anti-war t-shirts, choked back tears as they explained their actions. Others folded an American flag while a bugle played "Taps," which is typically performed at U.S. military funerals. "The medals are supposed to be for acts of heroism. I don't feel like a hero. I don't feel like I deserve them," said Zach LaPorte, who served in Iraq in 2005 and 2006. Sun Sentinel

Eclipse Crosses Asia, US: Millions Look Skyward
From a park near Albuquerque, to the top of Japan's Mount Fuji, to the California coast the effect was dramatic: The moon nearly blotting out the sun creating a blazing "ring of fire" eclipse. Millions of people across a narrow strip of eastern Asia and the Western U.S. turned their sights skyward for the annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges. The rare lunar-solar alignment was visible in Asia early Monday before it moved across the Pacific — and the international dateline — where it was seen in parts of the western United States late Sunday afternoon. Houston Chronicle

Russian Leader Putin Names New Cabinet
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a new Cabinet, warning that it will have to fulfill its duties in a difficult global economic climate. Putin, who won a third term in March's election, said Monday that the new Cabinet — led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev— should continue the course set in previous years. Medvedev stepped down as president to allow Putin to reclaim the top job. Putin served as the premier for four years after having to relinquish his presidency after two terms due to limits. Many members of the old Cabinet have retained their seats, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Atlanta Journal
VOA VIEW: Russia is a fake Democracy.

Iraq Buys U.S. Drones To Protect Oil
The United States has agreed to sell unarmed surveillance drones to Iraq's navy as part of an effort to help protect that nation's oil exports amid growing tensions in the Persian Gulf and to strengthen U.S.-Iraqi ties. "They understand the importance of the mission to protect its oil platforms," said Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, who heads the U.S. Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq. The office, which operates out of the U.S. Embassy and manages U.S. military sales programs in Iraq, confirmed the sale of drones but declined to say the model or number of drones that are part of the contract. USA Today

Resolution Of Chen Crisis Indicates Possible Maturation In U.S.-China Relationship
For two nations whose exchanges are perennially fraught with tension and distrust, the arrival of blind activist Chen Guangcheng in New York during the weekend marked a tidy conclusion to a month-long diplomatic drama and an encouraging sign for U.S.-Chinese ties. That the two sides were able to resolve a crisis amid intense pressure points to a possible maturation in the relationship — a sign that Washington and Beijing are, cautiously, learning to hash out disagreements even under the most trying circumstances. But the way the Chen saga played out also suggests that certain fissures make their way into other areas of the relationship no matter how hard both sides try to contain them. Washington Post

Romney Faced Leadership Test In Big Dig Tragedy
Mitt Romney was at his New Hampshire vacation home on a summer night in 2006 when 26 tons of concrete ceiling panels in one of Boston's Big Dig highway tunnels collapsed. The debris crushed a car and killed a female passenger. Romney, then in his final year as Massachusetts governor, dashed back to Boston and immersed himself in the crisis. His response offers insights into what kind of leader the expected Republican nominee would be if elected president. Romney has made his management skills a major selling point in his campaign. Yet Romney's stiffest leadership test as governor produced mixed results. He was praised, even by some Democrats, for his energetic, take-charge management style. But he also drew criticism for playing to the media and dodging personal blame. Boston Globe

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Tropical Storm Alberto Not Seen To Gain Strength
Tropical Storm Alberto churned slowly toward the South Carolina coast on Sunday where heavy rain and dangerous surf are expected from the beach resort of Myrtle Beach south to Savannah, Georgia, forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Bringing an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto rose to tropical storm strength on Saturday and by Sunday morning was about 95 miles south-southeast of Charleston, according to the latest update by the hurricane center in Miami. It carried maximum sustained winds near 50 miles per hour. Reuters

Kicking Up The Spice May Help Your Heart
Hitting the gym is a great way to keep your heart healthy. But what about breaking a sweat during dinner? Eating spicy foods may protect your heart against disease, according to new research presented at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society. Scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied the effects of capsaicinoids, a compound that gives chili peppers, jalapenos, and cayenne peppers their kick, on hamsters. Researchers fed the hamsters high-cholesterol diets, giving one group spicy foods, and the other capsaicinoid-free meals. The hamsters that munched on spicy foods had lower levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol compared to their capsaicinoid-free counterparts. The spicy compound also blocked the action of the gene responsible for causing arteries to contract. That means the muscles were more relaxed and blood could flow more easily to the heart in the hamsters that were fed capsaicinoids. MSNBC

Obama: NATO Shifting To Help Peace In Afghanistan
The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be “hard days ahead,” President Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting coalition will remain effective despite France’s plans to yank combat troops out early. With a global economic crisis and waning public support for the war in the backdrop, world leaders opened a NATO summit confronted by questions about Afghanistan’s post-conflict future: money for security forces, coming elections and more. They were also papering over the crack in the fighting alliance with the planned French withdrawal. Washington Times

Obama Needs To Act Like An Adult
The top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, criticized President Obama for failing to lead on the debt, calling it the nation's "biggest problem," and indicating that nothing will get done about it until he takes initiative. On "Face the Nation," McConnell said "this president needs to become the adult" when it comes to the long-term debt, adding that he and House Speaker John Boehner "have been the adults in the room arguing that we ought to do something about the nation's most serious long-term problem." McConnell told host Bob Schieffer that the president has had three-and-a-half years to tackle the deficit, but "we could not get this president to do anything serious about entitlement reform, for example, the single biggest threat to future generations." CBS

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Obama Adviser Axelrod: Religion Not A Campaign Issue
President Obama’s senior adviser on Sunday pledged that the Democratic campaign won’t target Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith. “We’ve said that’s not fair game,” said David Axelrod, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The declaration came three days after Mr. Romney repudiated plans by Republican donors and super PACs to launch a $10 million ad campaign tying Mr. Obama to his controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, known for fiery condemnations of the United States and its policies delivered from behind the pulpit. Washington Times

Ron Paul Wins Majority Of Delegates In Minnesota
Rep. Ron Paul won a majority of delegates in Minnesota's state convention on Saturday where his supporters captured 12 of the 13 delegate slots. The strong state convention turnout means that the Republican presidential candidate will receive 32 of the 40 Minnesota delegates for the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Paul placed second in Minnesota's February 7 primary, with 27 percent support behind Rick Santorum, who won 45 percent. The Texas congressman announced last week that he would stop actively campaigning in states yet to vote, and rather work to organize to win delegates for the convention - a strategy that proved successful in Minnesota this weekend as well as in Nevada and Maine, where he also won a majority of delegates earlier this month. CBS

Afghan President Karzai Thanks US For ‘Your Taxpayers’ Money’
Afghan President Hamid Karzai thanked the United States today for shouldering much of the cost for the decade-old war in Afghanistan, as the NATO alliance readies to hand over primary responsibility to Afghan security forces. “I’m bringing to you and to the people of the United States the gratitude of the Afghan people for the support that your taxpayers’ money has provided us over the past decade, and for the difference that it has made to the well-being of the Afghan people,” Karzai said after his meeting with President Obama ahead of the start of the NATO Summit. ABC

Red Onions Recalled Over Contamination Risk
Gills Onions recalled 2,360 pounds of diced red onions because of possible listeria contamination, the California-based company said Saturday. The recalled onions were distributed to retailers in Canada and retailers and distributors in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida. The product is beyond its use-by dates -- May 14, 15 and 17 -- and no illnesses and have been reported, the company said. It advised consumers to toss whatever recalled onions they might still have in the trash. CNN

2,000 Convicts Exonerated In 23 Years, Registry Shows
More than 2,000 people who were falsely convicted of serious crimes have been exonerated in the United States in the past 23 years, according to a new archive compiled at two universities. There is no official record-keeping system for exonerations of convicted criminals in the country, so academics set one up. The new national registry, or database, painstakingly assembled by the University of Michigan Law School and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law, is the most complete list of exonerations ever compiled. The database compiled and analyzed by the researchers contains information on 873 exonerations for which they have the most detailed evidence. The researchers are aware of nearly 1,200 other exonerations, for which they have less data. Detroit News

Church Removes Two More Priests
The archdiocese said it substantiated sex-abuse claims against one and that the other confessed. A claim was made against Mazzotta in 2010, and Campbell confessed last year, church officials said. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Sunday announced that it had found two more priests unsuitable for ministry over claims that each had sexually abused a minor. The archdiocese said it had substantiated a claim against Msgr. George J. Mazzotta, who most recently served at Stella Maris Parish in Philadelphia and St. Madeline Parish in Ridley Park. Msgr. Hugh P. Campbell, who is retired but most recently served at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in West Chester, told the archdiocese himself in December that he had sexually abused a minor, according to a brief news release from the archdiocese. Philadelphia Inquirer

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U.S. Marks 150th Anniversary Of Homestead Act Offering Free Land
The United States on Sunday marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Homestead Act, the law that gave away 270 million acres of land and transformed the vast American interior. Representatives from 30 states will take part in a ceremony at the National Monument of America in the Nebraska town of Beatrice, representing the states where nearly 2 million people each received 160 acres of free land under the program. The monument is the site of what is considered the nation's first claim under the act by Daniel Freeman, a Union Army scout, on January 1, 1863. Reuters

Price Of Gasoline Drops 6 Cents In The Past 2 Weeks
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States fell 6.2 cents to $3.78 in the last two weeks due to a drop in crude oil prices, partly on concerns about Europe's economy, according to the nationwide Lundberg Survey. According to the survey of some 2,500 gas stations in the continental United States, the national average for regular gasoline as of May 18, was down more than 12 cents a gallon compared with a year earlier. It was the third straight survey to show a price decline. Prices fell 18.4 cents during the six week period, which survey editor Trilby Lundberg said was "enough" for consumers to feel. MSNBC

Newt Gingrich Owed $4.78M When He Suspended Campaign
By the time he announced his plans to suspend his campaign in late April, Newt Gingrich owed $4.78 million, according to his FEC filing for April, released today. The Gingrich campaign had just $806,960 cash on hand by the close of the reporting period, which was April 30. Gingrich took in only $638,830 in that month. Gingrich’s largest debt — $1.03 million — is to Moby Dick Airways, a private jet company. Gingrich also owes a great deal to himself: $580,134. Among Gingrich’s other debts are the $16,525 he owes Herman Cain Solutions for strategic consulting and travel, and the $12,763 he owes Twitter for a media buy, according to the FEC report. ABC

Manufacturing, Housing Probably Improved
Manufacturers probably received more orders in April and home sales rose, a sign the U.S. expansion is still on track, economists said before reports this week. Factory bookings for long-lasting goods rose 0.3 percent last month after falling 3.9 percent in March, according to the median forecasts of 61 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before a May 24 Commerce Department report. Other figures may show purchases of existing and new houses also climbed. Manufacturers may keep forging ahead as automakers crank out more cars and trucks, while housing will probably benefit from record-low mortgage rates that are making properties more affordable. Nonetheless, those industries alone will fail to spur a pickup in growth without bigger increases in employment throughout the economy that will propel consumer spending. Bloomberg

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Storm Clouds Continue To Gather Over Greece
Facebook is finally public, but that won't solve Greece's problems. Investors are likely to continue to bail out of stocks and continue the move into U.S. Treasuries and gold in search of safety as doubts over Greece's future in the eurozone continue to build. Elections in Greece earlier this month failed to form a coalition government, and now the debt-laden country is under a caretaker government until the next election in June, which experts say will serve as a referendum on whether Greece stays in the eurozone. Syriza, a coalition of leftist parties, is currently leading the polls. Syriza has vowed to fight austerity measures that are a condition for Greece to get the €130 billion bailout agreed to in March. CNN

In Romney, Mormons See Path To Christian Mainstream
During the 2008 presidential primary race, evangelical stalwart Mike Huckabee darkly hinted that Mitt Romney might believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers. This time around, Romney is the featured graduation speaker at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. What changed? In the short-term world of party politics, the answer is that everybody loves a winner -- even the people who tried to beat him in the first place. Evangelicals will have to vote for the presumptive Republican nominee unless they want to stay home and effectively cast their votes for President Barack Obama. Romney may be a Mormon, but Obama is worse, even for those who acknowledge that he is not (gasp) a Muslim. What is more, evangelicals had a disastrously bad primary season. At least since 1980, they have been an important, indeed crucial, bloc in Republican electoral politics -- motivated, activist and effective. Now the moving force on the right wing of the Republican Party is the Tea Party. Bloomberg

For Gay Marriage Opponents, Moments Shape Minds
When President Obama announced his support for gay marriage, supporters and pundits declared it symbolic of a historic shift in American attitudes. But as the attention fades, the fact remains that voters in 31 states have rejected gay marriage and more are lining up to do so. That leaves opponents of gay marriage to wonder if they're lagging behind history-in-the-making or leading it. Some say that, despite their convictions, they believe marriage between two men or two women will inevitably become law across the U.S. Others say that Obama's announcement strengthens their resolve, and will not slow the drive to protect an institution they consider vital to the nation's survival. Las Vegas Sun

Doctors Seek New Approach For Jailed Addicts
A group of prominent addiction doctors has mounted a quiet legal campaign on behalf of Cameron Douglas, the troubled son of the actor Michael Douglas, in hopes of finding a sympathetic ear for their view that drug addiction is best handled with more treatment, not more prison time. In December, Mr. Douglas, who is 33 and already serving a five-year federal sentence for drug distribution and heroin possession, was sentenced to an additional four and a half years after being caught behind bars with heroin and Suboxone, a prescription medication used to blunt the pull of opioid addiction. NY Times

Jury Weighs Six Counts Against Edwards
The eight men and four women tasked with determining the guilt or innocence of former presidential candidate John Edwards are to return to their deliberations Monday morning.  On Friday, the first day of its deliberations, the jury spent about 4?1/2 hours behind closed doors, emerging once to hear Judge Catherine Eagles respond to a request for evidence and another time for an hour lunch break. The trial that played out over almost four weeks of testimony in a windowless, wood-paneled courtroom often seemed to be more about the details of a philandering husband and celebrity, but the issues before the jury are about drier stuff: the fine points of campaign-finance laws that regulate national political campaigns. Charlotte Observer

Lockerbie Victim's Wife Feels 'No Sense Of Justice' With Al-Megrahi's Death
Victoria Cummock’s war against Moammar Gadhafi’s Libyan regime outlived the notorious strongman, and now will outlive the one man convicted of bombing the airplane that killed Cummock’s husband 24 years ago. On Sunday, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi died of prostate cancer at his home in Tripoli, Libya. He had lived there for almost three years after Scotland freed him from prison on a “humanitarian” waiver in 2009 after he had served eight years of his life sentence. At the time, he was given just months to live. The decision appalled Cummock, and she expressed little satisfaction in Megrahi’s death. “I feel a sense of relief that he is gone,” Cummock, 59, said Sunday from her Miami home. “There really is no sense of justice.” Mc Clatchy

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Obama Surrogate Booker Slams President's Campaign Over Anti-Romney Bain Ad
A top Obama campaign surrogate chastised the president's reelection team Sunday over its ad campaign attacking Mitt Romney's record at private equity firm Bain Capital. The unusual comments from Newark Mayor Cory Booker came during a roundtable discussion Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Within hours of the appearance, Booker took to Twitter to reiterate his support for the president -- but he appeared to stand by his criticism of the anti-Romney ad, which he had described as "nauseating." "I have to just say from a very personal level, I'm not about to sit here and indict private equity," Booker said, referring to the ad which spotlighted the story of a Kansas City steel company that went bankrupt after Bain Capital's involvement. Fox News

Party Leaders Refuse To Budge On Debt Positions
Republicans and Democrats are refusing to budge when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., both said Sunday that when Congress is asked to raise the nation's borrowing cap after the election, they'll insist on spending cuts to offset the increase. Democratic leaders countered that the GOP stance was irresponsible, given that the partisan showdown over the debt ceiling last year caused a downgrading of the U.S. government's credit rating. Las Vegas Sun

Ryan To Obama: Stay Away From Bailouts
The Obama administration should leave it to the private market to rescue struggling companies, budget hawk Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis, said Sunday. Ryan, chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee, dismissed the success of Obama's bailout of the auto industry and accused the president of "gambling with taxpayer money" and abetting crony capitalism. "What is right is a private sector that [has] risked that capital," Ryan said on "Fox News Sunday." "You put capital in businesses whether they're struggling or not to try and grow those businesses; some succeed, some don't." UPI

Snoring May Be Linked To Cancer Death
Snoring, one of the main symptoms of sleep disordered breathing, may be linked to cancer death, U.S. researchers say. Study leader Dr. Javier Nieto of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and colleagues found the study participants with severe sleep disordered breathing were almost five times more likely to die of cancer than those not affected by the problem, the Daily Telegraph reported. The researchers said the link may be due to breathing problems causing an inadequate supply of oxygen -- intermittent hypoxia, or oxygen starvation -- promoted tumor growth in mice with skin cancer. UPI

Marion Featured In Obama Campaign Video Labout Romney's Bain Capital
An assault by President Barack Obama's campaign on the business credentials of Republican challenger Mitt Romney will turn this week to Indiana. A nearly six-minute online ad, set to be released today and provided Sunday to The Indianapolis Star, treads on familiar political terrain: In 1994, a company backed by a venture capital firm -- that's Bain Capital, with Romney as CEO -- bought Marion-based SCM Office Supplies. In short order, the new owner, American Pad & Paper (called Ampad), battled with the union. Within a year, it closed the factory. More than 250 workers lost their jobs. Indy Star

Yemen Officials: Militants Injured US Soldier
Yemeni security officials say militants have opened fire on three U.S. Coast Guard trainers in western Yemen, wounding one. The officials say the shooting took place on Sunday in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in western Yemen. The three Americans were traveling in a car near their hotel when the militants pulled up in another vehicle and sprayed them with machinegun fire. The officials had no word on the condition of the wounded American. The officials spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. San Diego Union

Europe Stocks Inch Up After G8 Vague On Europe Fix
European stocks inched up Monday morning in spite of investors' lingering concerns that the G-8 leaders had failed to provide a concrete plan to solve the European debt crisis. Traders both in Europe and Asia were kept on edge by worries about the economic future of Greece and whether it would exit the 17-country euro currency union. "The defensive mood among market participants is unlikely to change soon," UniCredit said in a morning note, adding that the impending election in Greece will likely be the market driver over the next four weeks. Miami Herald

Miss. Prison Riot Leaves Guard Dead, 8 Hurt
A guard was killed and, at one point, hostages were taken during a riot at a Mississippi prison that holds illegal immigrants, authorities said. The Sunday riot at the privately run Adams County Correctional Center in southwest Mississippi began around 2:40 p.m. CDT and involved dozens of inmates before it was brought under control that night. Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield told the Natchez Democrat that 15 employees were freed at one time during the uprising by opening a fence and protecting the route with guns. The sheriff said in a statement early Monday that there were at least two dozen hostages being held at one time. SF Gate

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'Hamas, Fatah Agree On Deadline For Unity Gov't'
Rival Palestinian parties Hamas and Fatah have signed an agreement accelerating their reconciliation process, Palestinian Ma'an news agency quoted a Fatah official as saying. Under the terms of the deal, heads of the two parties will begin consultations on a government, and will choose a new cabinet with ten days of the start of negotiations, Ma'an reported. Delegations representing Fatah and Hamas met in Cairo last week, after the PA's formation of a new cabinet last week drew the ire of several leading Hamas figures due to the Gaza-ruling Islamist party's absence from the new government. Jeusalem Post

Mixed Feelings Over Possible Iran Deal
Israel was struck by mixed feelings on Sunday amid optimism in the West that talks world powers will hold with Iran this week in Baghdad could end in an agreement over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. On the one hand, Israeli officials acknowledged that without Israel’s efforts and primarily Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s saber rattling, the world would not have imposed the sanctions it has and would not be taking the issue as seriously as it is. On the other hand, the Israelis are at the same time concerned that under a deal that does not lead to a complete cessation of the enrichment of uranium, Iran will be able to continue to develop a nuclear weapon, albeit a bit slower than it is today. Jerusalem Post

Ed Balls Warns Of Cuts 'Catastrophe'
Speaking on Sky News, the shadow chancellor said David Cameron must urge leader Angela Merkel to change course. Labour's former chancellor, Alistair Darling, has also warned that austerity could damage living standards. But the prime minister has said he backs Germany's calls for "strong plans" for dealing with deficits. The G8 summit of leaders of major economies has been discussing the ongoing crisis in the eurozone. Mr Cameron said the countries in the single currency had to take "decisive action" to end the problems caused by high levels of debt in Greece and elsewhere. BBC

Syria: Hama Shelling 'Kills 34'
Shelling by Syrian forces has killed 34 people according to the British-based group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The organisation says there are children among the dead in the town of Souran in the central province of Hama. It cited residents saying: "The army shelled the town and then stormed it," according to Reuters. In a separate incident there was an explosion near a convoy carrying the head of the UN mission in Syria. There are no reports of casualties in that case and it is not clear if it was a bomb or a rocket-propelled grenade. BBC

Draining Of World's Aquifers Feeds Rising Sea Levels
Humanity's unquenchable thirst for fresh water is driving up sea levels even faster than melting glaciers, according to new research. The massive impact of the global population's growing need for water on rising sea levels is revealed in a comprehensive assessment of all the ways in which people use water. Trillions of tonnes of water have been pumped up from deep underground reservoirs in every part of the world and then channelled into fields and pipes to keep communities fed and watered. The water then flows into the oceans, but far more quickly than the ancient aquifers are replenished by rains. The global tide would be rising even more quickly but for the fact that manmade reservoirs have, until now, held back the flow by storing huge amounts of water on land. Guardian

Israel PM: Illegal African Immigrants Threaten Identity Of Jewish State
The Israeli prime minister has stoked a volatile debate about refugees and migrant workers from Africa, warning that "illegal infiltrators flooding the country" were threatening the security and identity of the Jewish state. "If we don't stop their entry, the problem that currently stands at 60,000 could grow to 600,000, and that threatens our existence as a Jewish and democratic state," Binyamin Netanyahu said at Sunday's cabinet meeting. "This phenomenon is very grave and threatens the social fabric of society, our national security and our national identity." Israel's population is 7.8 million. Guardian

Red Meat And Butter 'Could Raise Alzheimer's Risk'
US researchers linked to Harvard University found older women who ate lots of food high in saturated fats had worse memories than others. By contrast, those who ate more monounsaturated fats - found in olive oil, sunflower oil, seeds, nuts and avocados - had better memories. Dr Oliva Okereke, from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., which is affiliated to Harvard Medical School, said: "When looking at changes in cognitive function, what we found is that the total amount of fat intake did not really matter, but the type of fat did." She and fellow researchers made their conclusions after looking at results from 6,000 women over 65, who carried out a series of mental tests over four years and answered questionnaires about their diet and lifestyle. Telegraph

JPMorgan Losses Highlight Need For Credit Default Swap Regulation
Rattled shareholders have wiped more than $20bn (£12.6bn) from JPMorgan's market value since the bank disclosed ten days ago that it racked up $2bn of losses in six weeks betting on the creditworthiness of a slew of US companies. The losses stem from bets some of the bank's London-based traders made on indices made up of credit-default swaps (CDS's) on individual companies. Credit default swaps act like an insurance contract in which the buyer is paid if a company or country defaults on its debt, while the seller receives a regular stream of interest payments. "I'd push them (CDS's) off the planet," said Ms Bair, who was head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for five years before stepping down last summer. "The CDS market is very volatile and very opaque. From a safety and soundness point of view, I'm uncomfortable with that." Telegraph

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