Reuters

House Democratic leaders pledge healthcare progressReutersWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic leaders in the US House of Representatives on Friday hailed "historic" progress on healthcare legislation and pledged to continue momentum to deliver on President Barack Obama's vow of reform. …House Panels Approve Health LegislationNew York TimesHouse panel passes health bill, critics slam costWashington PostBetter Ways to [...]

ABC News

Man U scraps Indonesia match after hotel blastsThe Associated PressKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Manchester United canceled a planned visit to Indonesia after Friday's bomb attack on the hotel where the team was due to stay in Jakarta. The English Premier League club was booked to stay Saturday and Sunday nights at the …NY police [...]

CTV.ca

Tehran's streets erupt after a key opposition figure speaksLos Angeles TimesAyatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's harsh rebuke of Ahmadinejad supporters is followed by renewed violence, suggesting the discontent over recent election results is as strong as ever. By Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim Reporting from Tehran …Friday prayers: Differing viewsBBC NewsRafsanjani: Iran insider and Ahmadinejad [...]

BBC News

Pope has surgery after breaking wrist in fallAFPAOSTA, Italy — Surgeons operated on Pope Benedict XVI on Friday after the 82-year-old pontiff fell and broke his right wrist while on holiday in northern Italy. "Everything went well" in the operation carried out with local anaesthetic in a hospital in …Pope breaks right wrist in [...]

ABC News

Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor hard to peg on church-state disputesSalt Lake TribuneSupreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (The Associated Press) Washington » As a federal judge, Sonia Sotomayor sided with Santeria prisoners who …Sotomayor Nears ConfirmationWall Street JournalSotomayor wins backers after smooth hearingsThe [...]

FOXNews

Sotomayor treads careful lineWashington PostWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican lawmakers stepped up pressure on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday, hoping to paint her as judicial activist who will stamp the court with President Barack Obama's liberal agenda. …Sotomayor's stance on business is moderateLos Angeles TimesTiptoeing through the SenateBaltimore SunHow Sotomayor's comments compare to Roberts, [...]

CTV.ca

Black boxes 'damaged ' in Iran air disasterCNN InternationalTEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — A day after an Iranian passenger plane crashed in flames killing all 168 people on board, aviation officials were Thursday examining the aircraft's damaged flight data recorders to try to determine the cause of the disaster. …2 black boxes from Iranian plane crash [...]

Washington Post

Chechnya's peace is built on murderguardian.co.ukYesterday, in especially spineless and despicable fashion, a friend of mine was murdered. She was Natasha Estemirova, 50, the head of the Chechnya office of the human rights organisation Memorial, and one of the bravest people in Russia. …Comments on slaying of Russian activist EstemirovaThe Associated PressPROFILE: Natalya Estemirova: [...]

Indian Express

For Clinton, '09 Campaign Is for Her TurfNew York TimesPablo Martinez Monsivais/AP At the White House last month, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton watched a news conference of President Obama and President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea from a colonnade. By MARK LANDLER WASHINGTON — When Secretary …Q+A: India-US ties past, present and [...]

AFP

Routing Taliban 'may take time'BBC NewsThe top military commander in the US, Adm Michael Mullen, says he does not know how long it will take for security to improve in Afghanistan. He warned that the Taliban were "much more violent, much more organised, and so there's going to be fighting …Afghan Taliban says they are [...]

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Young misses out on All-Star sequelMLB.comST. LOUIS — Three years later, Michael Young and Trevor Hoffman met again in the All-Star Game. This time the circumstances were a little different and not quite as dramatic as what happened in 2006 in Pittsburgh. …Even Obama can't help NL end losing streak in All-Star GameUSA [...]

ABC News

Sotomayor answers her Senate critics in hearingLos Angeles TimesThe Supreme Court nominee explains the legal bases for her past rulings, reassuring supporters if not winning over conservatives. By David G. Savage and James Oliphant Reporting from Washington — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor proclaimed …Sotomayor repudiates 'wise Latina' commentBoston GlobeSotomayor fields Senate panel's volleysUSA [...]

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Obama: Unemployment Rate Likely to RiseCBS NewsPresident Barack Obama, right, tries to get the media to leave after their photo opportunity with Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands in The Oval Office of The White House in Washington Tuesday, July 14, 2009. …Obama Announces Community College PlanWashington PostA Boon to 2-Year [...]

ABC News

House Dems' health bill would tax richUSA TodayBy Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP By John Fritze, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Taxing the rich may be popular with many Americans, but some experts warn that a proposed tax on the wealthy to pay for an overhaul of health care could be bad economic medicine. …Pressure grows [...]

msnbc.com

China Warns Companies in Algeria to Heighten SecurityBloombergBy Bloomberg News July 15 (Bloomberg) — China's government warned its citizens based in Algeria to heighten security, after an al- Qaeda-linked group vowed to avenge the deaths of Muslim Uighurs in rioting in Xinjiang province this month. …China warns citizens in Algeria of al Qaeda threatReutersChina warns [...]

Washington Post

Firefighter to Take Spotlight in Sotomayor HearingsWall Street JournalWASHINGTON — Opponents of US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor paint her as a judicial activist, yet a key protagonist in her opposition, New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci, has been an activist in his own right. …PBS to stream Sotomayor confirmation hearings in SpanishBizjournals.comQuestioning Judge SotomayorNew [...]

Los Angeles Times

CIA Had Plan to Assassinate Qaeda LeadersNew York TimesWASHINGTON — Since 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency has developed plans to dispatch small teams overseas to kill senior al Qaeda terrorists, according to current and former government officials. …CIA Plan Envisioned Hit Teams Killing al Qaeda LeadersWall Street JournalBush-era distractions may weigh down Obama's [...]

Seattle Post Intelligencer

US June budget gap $94.32 bln, record for JuneReutersWASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) – The US government rang up a $94.32 billion budget deficit in June, a record for the month, as the price tag for efforts to prop up the economy, banks and automakers mounted while revenues weakened. …US Govt Posted $94B Total [...]

New York Times

Surgeon general nominee has Atlanta tiesBizjournals.comAmerica's new surgeon general nominee is an Alabama doctor with ties to Atlanta and Georgia, according to several media reports. President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Dr. Regina Benjamin for surgeon general. Benjamin graduated from the Morehouse …Biographical information on Dr. Regina M. BenjaminThe Associated PressDr. Regina Benjamin [...]

BBC News

Florida gets $21 million in flu preparedness fundsBizjournals.comThe US Department of Health and Human Services has made $350 million in grants available to help states and territories prepared for the 2009 H1N1 flu virus and the fall flu season. Florida is in line for $15.5 million in grants for public health …us to Buy [...]

Washington Post

Few fireworks expected at Sotomayor hearingKansas City StarDon't expect a lot of fireworks from the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday as it begins hearing testimony on whether Sonia Sotomayor should be the next Supreme Court justice. "My bet is that we'll see a relatively dignified hearing," …Sotomayor faces friendly jury as hearings beginThe Associated PressSotomayor's [...]

FOXNews

Senator: Cheney and alleged secret CIA program 'a problem'CNNWASHINGTON (CNN) — CIA Director Leon Panetta testified to a congressional committee that he was told former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the intelligence agency to withhold information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress, …Democrats May Investigate Secret ProgramWashington PostCheney Role in CIA Secrecy QuestionedABC NewsCheney [...]

ABC News

Afghanistan Blast Kills 2 MarinesNew York TimesKABUL, Afghanistan — Two United States Marines were killed in a roadside explosion in the southern province of Helmand, a United States forces spokeswoman said Sunday. A third American service member died of wounds Friday back home. …Two US Soldiers Killed in Southern AfghanistanVoice of AmericaBritish PM defends [...]

ABC News

Urumqi violence extinguishes brother's hopeTimes OnlineFor one week Yu Dongzhi clung to hope that his sister might still be the only surviving member of her family. That tiny glimmer was extinguished today when officials identified her charred remains. It is now certain that she was one of the 184 people …Istanbul Demonstrators Protest Violence [...]

Telegraph.co.uk

Africans reflect on Obama's 'tough love' messageChristian Science MonitorThe president used his first African visit – to the democratic bastion of Ghana – to signal a harder-line US approach to dealing with corrupt African leaders. By Drew Hinshaw | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Accra, Ghana – President …Out of AfricaJerusalem PostObama Delivers Call [...]