Lieberman Introduces Legislation in U.S. Senate to Repeal "Donīt Ask, Donīt Tell"
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Washington The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nationīs largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, this week lauded the introduction of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 in the U.S. Senate. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (I...
U.S. President Barack Obama said $100 million would be available immediately to provide equipment, food, water and medicine to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. "This investment will grow over the coming year as we embark on the long-term recovery from this unimaginable tragedy," Obama said.
The first w...
"Candle of Hope" legislation passed early morning Christmas Eve.
Democrats in the United States Senate have passed the first major health care reform bill since the 1960s. The bill would extend health care coverage to an additional 31 million Americans who are currently without coverage. Not a ...
New York: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging countries to seize the opportunity presented by next monthīs climate change conference in Copenhagen to clinch a political agreement that will help chart the way forward on a new legally binding pact to combat global warming.
"Opportunity is knock...
At 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the historic passage of a health care bill revamping the health care system and bringing about the reforms promised by President Obama during the November 2008 election.
The vote was 220 to 215 with one Republican, Representative C...
$1 billion minimum required annually to reach children still at risk.
WASHINGTON, DC | GENEVA -- Reversing a downward trend, immunization rates are now at their highest ever and vaccine development worldwide is booming, according to a new assessment released today by the World Health Organizati...
Barely nine months into office, President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, substantially boosting his prestige and standing in the United States and internationally.
The Nobel Committee said the President won the award for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diploma...
More than 400 of the nation's most respected health care leaders issued a joint Open Letter to Congress declaring that the health care system is in crisis and is unsustainable and calling on Congress to act now on meaningful reforms. They state that Congress has a moral and ethical obligation to imp...
Speaking to a joint session of Congress last night, President Obama gave a clear, inspiring and unusually detailed explanation of our nationīs health care crisis and his plan to address it.
The President outlined the two key goals of health care reform: safety and security for those already insu...
Stay in school and take personal responsibility are two messages President Barack Obama delivered to U.S. school children.
Obama's speech to the nation's school children Tuesday encouraged them to do the best they can.
"(At) the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most...
The number of people hit by deadly floods across West Africa has now topped 600,000, and the heavy rains have also destroyed crops and infrastructure in a region already hard hit by poverty, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today.
The rains that began in June have claimed nearly 160 l...
GENEVA -- Monitoring of outbreaks from different parts of the world provides sufficient information to make some tentative conclusions about how the influenza pandemic might evolve in the coming months.
WHO is advising countries in the northern hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic ...
A strong earthquake struck Indonesia Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, injuring 18 others and damaging several older buildings, witnesses said.
The earthquake, centered about 150 miles from Jakarta, initially was categorized at 7.4 magnitude before being downgraded to 7 by geological official...
By William M. Welch
LOS ANGELES -- Two firefighters died in a wildfire Sunday in the San Gabriel Mountains that threatened more than 10,000 homes and the century-old Mount Wilson Observatory.
Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bryant said the two firefighters died in the Angeles Nationa...
Praise for the long political career of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., began coming in early Wednesday as word of his death was reported.
The Kennedy family released a brief statement announcing the death and thanking those who cared for the senator in his last months.
"He loved this count...
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told assembled bankers and policymakers in Wyoming Friday to expect the U.S. economy to grow soon.
"Fears of financial collapse have receded substantially," Bernanke said at the Fed's annual retreat in Jackson Hole.
"After contracting sharply over the...
A tropical storm warning was issued Sunday for Florida and Alabama as a tropical depression organized off the Gulf Coast, meteorologists said.
The depression, on the brink of becoming Tropical Storm Claudette, was located about 125 miles south-southeast of Apalachicola and moving toward the Florid...
By Karen Jeffrey, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.
HYANNIS -- Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 88, an internationally acclaimed advocate for people with physical and development disabilities, died early this morning at Cape Cod Hospital, according to a statement from the family.
Born into the privilege...
Former Democratic President achieves diplomatic coup.
By Matt Williams
Two American reporters were freed from North Korea's notorious labour camps after former President Bill Clinton flew in for talks. Clinton met Kim Jong-il yesterday during a surprise visit to the secretive Asian state.
...
Inspectors General fault Bush-Era surveillance tactics for questionable effectiveness and circumvention of legal safeguards.
Top federal investigators from the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, CIA, Directorate of National Intelligence, and the National Security Agency issued a detai...
AVE MARIAH FOR MICHAEL; STARS FLOCK TO MEMORIAL AS 17,000 FANS FIND OUT OF THEY'VE GOT A TICKET
By Keith McLeod
Mariah Carey will sing the Jackson Five's classic I'll Be There as Tinseltown pays tribute to the King of Pop today.
Maria, who had a hit with the haunting ballad in 1992, is o...
Protesters hit the streets of Tehran again Tuesday to express anger over election results they say were manipulated to keep Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
The government has begun cracking down harder on the demonstrations that have turned deadly, while reaction from world leaders remains subdued, ...
By Marie McCullough, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The tobacco-control movement celebrated another milestone yesterday as the U.S. Senate easily passed a bill giving the government unprecedented power over the making and marketing of tobacco products.
Supporters say the law will enable the Food ...
By PAUL KANE; JOBY WARRICK
FORMER US vice-president Dick Cheney personally oversaw at least four briefings with senior members of Congress about controversial interrogation programmes, part of a secretive and forceful defence he mounted throughout 2005 in an effort to maintain support for the hars...
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York for the U.S. Supreme Court positioning the longtime federal jurist to become the first Hispanic member of the nation's high court.
Sotomayor, a former federal prosecutor who first was appointed to the fed...
North Korea claimed Monday it had "successfully" conducted a nuclear test, its second since October 2006, to "bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defense."
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported the testing comes in the wake of the Communist country's warning last month about its nuclear pla...
Poor weather conditions prevented the the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis from landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said Friday.
The landing was rescheduled for Saturday.
Two landings were waved off at the center because weather conditions wouldn't permit a safe landing, the space agen...
Los Angeles - Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, sank six free throws in the final 30.5 seconds and came up with the game-sealing rebound in the final seconds, as the Lakers rallied to beat Denver, 105-103, in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
Bryant had 18 of his points in the fourth quarte...
By Tom Troy, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame University gave a thunderous welcome during Sunday's graduation ceremony to President Obama and cheered him throughout the program despite stark differences on abortion that prompted protests on the Catholic campus.
Mr. Obama w...
Pope Benedict XVI, in Israel on his Middle East tour, called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to a homeland for both sides.
The pontiff said, "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstandin...
By Bangor Daily News, Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday signed a gay marriage bill passed just hours before by the Maine Legislature.
Baldacci made his announcement within an hour of the Maine Senate giving its final approval to LD 1020. The Senate voted 21-13 in favor o...
Washington During a debate on hate crimes legislation taking place last week in the well of the United States House of Representatives, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) claimed that Matthew Shepard's murder and torture were "a hoax."
While Matthew's mother, Judy Shepard looked on from above in the H...
By DENIS STAUNTON
US SUPREME court justice David Souter is set to retire this summer, offering President Barack Obama his first opportunity to shape the court after almost a decade of conservative government.
Mr Obama yesterday declined to comment on Mr Souter's decision, which had yet to be m...
By ADAM THOMSON
Governments and health authorities worldwide went on the alert over the weekend for a possible influenza pandemic as the death toll from a new strain of swine flu in Mexico reached 81.
Janet Napolitano, US homeland security secretary, yesterday declared a "public health emergen...
By Sandy Bauers and John Shiffman, The Philadelphia Inquirer
WASHINGTON -- In a landmark move that countered eight years of inaction by the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency determined yesterday that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare because they contribu...
By Rachel Stassen-Berger, Pioneer Press
Democrat Al Franken won last year's U.S. Senate race, three judges decided Monday.
The decision comes after a tough and testy two-year campaign, a two-month statewide hand recount and a detailed seven-week trial.
In the cool spring evening Monday, F...
Pope Benedict XVI began the Easter Vigil late Saturday at St. Peter's in Rome, celebrating the mass that opens the holiest day of the Christian calendar.
The service began in darkness, the BBC reported. After Benedict lit a candle to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was joined by thousand...
Vote to override Governor's veto makes Vermont first state to recognize marriage for lesbian and gay couples through legislative process. Vermont becomes the fourth state to recognize gay marriage.
Momentum in favor of same-sex marriages increases following similar victory for marriage equality ...
By Rod Boshart, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
In a precedent-setting ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court Friday upheld a lower court decision legalizing same-sex marriages in Iowa.
The unanimous landmark decision is expected to carry national implications as Iowa becomes the first Midwest state...
By Erica Werner, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The House is poised to thrust tobacco companies under government control after years of attempts in legislatures and the courts to tame one of the country's signature industries.
"We cannot and we must not wait a moment longer to protect our...
Top Headlines
Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington admitted to illegal drug use during the 2009 season in an apology he released Wednesday.
Thousands of people marched in more than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades Wednesday in the Irish Republic and across the border in Northern Ireland.
Surprise, AZ (Sports Network) - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington reportedly tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season.
Mar. 17--Most Americans, Irish or not, are familiar with the remarkable (and mostly true) story of St. Patrick of Ireland.
RED-SHIRTED protesters hurled plastic bags filled with gallons of their own blood into the residential compound of the Thai prime minister today, hoping their shock tactics would bring down his government.
The rift in US-Israel relations deepened yesterday after American envoy George Mitchell cancelled a visit and Jerusalem insisted it would not back down over building plans at the heart of the row.
The U.S. Producer Price Index for finished goods declined 0.6 percent in February from January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
An $18 billion jobs bill is on its way to U.S. President Barack Obama's desk after the Senate passed the measure on a bipartisan vote.
Kissimmee, FL (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals have released outfielder Elijah Dukes.
Red-shirted protesters splattered blood at the gates of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's home as they kept up their call for elections, officials said.
WASHINGTON - Just when things couldn't get any worse in Congress, Democratic leaders yesterday were pushing a bizarre parliamentary tactic that would pass health-care legislation without actually requiring a vote.
Mar. 17--HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- The weather Monday was clear and cool on the tiny island at South Carolina's southern tip -- perfect for an early evening jog on the beach.
Mar. 17--The U.S. House faces a historic choice this week between a partial fix of the nation's sick health care system or its continuing decline.
Mar. 17--That was downright cruel.
Mar. 17--St. Patrick was a real person, but why there is so much St. Patrick's Day celebration in this country and elsewhere is apparently a question without an answer.
Business
BURLINGTON, ON, March 17 /CNW/ - Silver Shield Resources (SSR- TSXV) announces that it has signed the final Option and Joint Venture Agreement, whereby The Company and a private company, Mhakari Gold, will each acquire 50% of four groups of mining claims strategically located in the West Timmins Mining Camp.
In the news release, "Maxim Group LLC Announces Completion of $30.2 Million Secondary Offering for The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund," issued earlier today by Maxim Group, we are advised by the company that the headline should read "Maxim Group LLC Announces Completion of 4,000,000 Share Secondary Offering for The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund" rather than "Maxim Group LLC Announces Completion of $30.2 Million Secondary Offering for The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund" as originally issued.
VANCOUVER, March 17 /CNW/ -
Mar. 17--A 25-year-old man is scheduled to be sentenced today in federal court for his role in a dogfighting venture in Huron and Lenawee counties.
The Greater China Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE: GCH) announced today that its registration statement for its rights offering has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
Symbol: AZM.TSX Venture
AES Corporation, a company which is engaged in power generation and distribution businesses, has closed its equity sale with a wholly owned investment subsidiary of the China Investment Corporation.
gold was awaiting export for sale in South Africa, which will be
DALLAS, March 17, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BeaconEquity.com announces an investment report featuring Cell Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:CTIC).
Intellectual Property law firm Novak Druce + Quigg LLP has announced the addition of five attorneys, including four Ph.D.s.
CALGARY, March 17 /CNW/ - Goldnev Resources Inc. ("Goldnev" or the "Corporation") (TSX Venture Exchange - "GNZ"), announced today that it has completed its previously announced non-brokered private placement of 9,343,750 Units at a price of $0.08 per Unit for gross proceeds of $743,500.
Shares Issued: 92,527,679
VANCOUVER, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - New Gold Inc. ("New Gold") (TSX and NYSE AMEX: NGD) announces that the restrictions to the Cerro San Pedro mine's explosives permits have been removed which allows full operations to resume.
The World Gold Council (WGC) has today reaffirmed its commitment to the Middle East and Turkey, through the appointment of a new regional head, Ajay Mitra, replacing Anan Fakhreddin who has stepped down from his position for personal reasons.
Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd. (HGS-V)
Citadel Capital, the private equity firm in the Middle East and Africa, announced today its financial results for the fiscal year 2009, reporting a total net asset value per share (TNAVPS) of $2.83 (EGP15.50) as of 31 December 2009.
ZEELAND, Mich., March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Herman Miller, Inc., today announced results for its third quarter ended February 27, 2010.
Sports
Mar. 16--EDMOND -- After a two-year absence the Oklahoma Christian University women's basketball team is back in the national spotlight.
Jeff Foote never saw this coming.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - While the Tampa Bay Rays got their first look at closer Rafael Soriano in Wednesday's 5-2 exhibition victory, the Minnesota Twins maintained some hope they might get to see their own closer, Joe Nathan, at some point.
Mar. 16--DECATUR -- Stephanie WilÃÂbanks hoped her Calhoun softball team would get off to a good start this spring.
Mar. 17--RICHMOND -- Almost immediately after a first-round loss in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Eastern Kentucky University coach Jeff Neubauer started preparing his team for a possible postseason appearance.
Chris McElroy is looking forward to spring.
Mar. 17--The local prep basketball scene was blessed with a nice balance of young, budding talent combined with capable, veteran leadership in the recently-concluded girls' season.
New York, NY (Sports Network) - The NBA Board of Governors made it official on Wednesday by unanimously approving Michael Jordan's acquisition of a controlling interest of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Mar. 17--No mystery about when and how Warren Central broke away to win Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA _ The standard of excellence for modern Temple basketball is John Chaney's wonderful 1987-88 team, one of only two Big 5 teams to be ranked No.
Mar. 17--DANVILLE -- It's national tournament time, with teams from 12 different states descending upon Danville this year for five days of basketball action.
Mar. 17--SNOW HILL -- A six-run first inning paved the way for Beddingfield's 12-2 victory at Greene Central in the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference varsity softball opener for both teams Tuesday.
Mar. 17--March Madness has descended upon the Cedar Valley in a big way.
Mar. 17--Seniors Kirsty Stearns, guard Kate Harrison and guard Jessica Foran of the Moravian College women's basketball team have been named to the 2010 ECAC Division III South All-Star Teams.
Coach Randy Bennett was asked before the West Coast Conference tournament what was the main thing the Saint Mary's College basketball team had to do to be successful in its semifinal game.
Mar. 17--For Shikellamy and Greenwood, it's one down and as many as four to go.
Mar. 17--Indiana (Pa.) men's basketball coach Joe Lombardi looked at the clock, which read 2:25 remaining and showed No.