National & World News Archive

Recent National & World News Articles  

Unemployment Hits 10.2 Percent, Highest Since 1983
Unemployment spiked to numbers higher than even the most grim projections, despite the end of the recession and some subtle signs of hope.

Fort Hood Shooting Brings Tragedy to the U.S. Military at Home
A terrible shooting incident in Fort Hood, Texas yesterday left 12 dead and 31 wounded and officials still trying to figure out exactly what happened and why.

World's First Arabic Speaking Robot Constructed in Gulf
Do you know Muslims are very particular about the use of language and they follow certain etiquettes to show respect to others while speaking. They greet each other by saying "As-Salamu Alaykum" which is always responded by "Wa-Alaikum-Salaam". With technology adapting the Arabic language, here's some significant news.

UN Relocating Staff in Afghanistan Following Attacks
After five foreign UN staff members were killed in suicide attacks in Afghanistan, the organization has decided to pull back staff and relocate them.

Senate Moves to Extend Unemployment Benefits, Homebuyer Credit
The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to extend jobless benefits and to extend the first-time homebuyer’s tax credit.

Iran and Syria Deny Israel Claims
Iran and Syria have denied all allegations made by the Israelis on the arms and ammunition contained in an Antigua-flagged Francop vessel intercepted at the port of Ashdod yesterday. Here are the details on the story.

GOP Makes Gains in Virginia and New Jersey
The GOP’s big wins in Virginia and New Jersey, despite the president’s campaigning for the Democratic candidates, is an indication that Obama is on very shaky political ground.

Gay Marriage Defeated Again in Maine
Losing once again in a popular vote on the state level, gay-marriage advocates are left to ponder a new approach to swaying voters.

Warren Buffett Acquires Major Railroad
Warren Buffett's investment group, Berkshire Hathaway, has acquired the Burlington Northern Railroad for $34 Billion.

The Shine is Definitively Off of Obamamania
Just one year after the start of an historic term as president, Barack Obama has found that the ebullience that surrounded his campaign and election has died down significantly.

Ford Posts 1 Billion Dollar Profit, Predicts More Profit in 2011
Ford Motor Company beat analysts predictions and appears to be regaining a foothold as the only U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy and federal bailout.

Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney Visit White House
Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, lobbyists and influential donors have been among the first to visit the White House, according to a report issued late last week.

Apple To Fight Nokia Suit
Apple Inc. has finally responded to the suit filed by Nokia saying that they would not give up the case without a fight...

Death Toll Rises as Typhoon Mirinae Moves West
This year, Philippines has been buffeted by more than 10 cyclones. The most recent one to strike the country is typhoon Mirinae, that has caused the deaths of at least 12 people.

Madonna Snubbed by Yoga Guru
Multi-millionaire yoga guru Bikram Choudhary is said to have snubbed Madonna, something she isn't too pleased about.

Clinton Addresses Kashmir Issue
A thorn in the sides of both, India and Pakistan, the Kashmir issue has come under the limelight yet again...

Stimulus Jobs Grossly Overstated in Report Lauded by White House
The number of jobs created under the stimulus programs put forth by President Obama has been overstated by nearly 17%, which gets a "good enough for government work" stamp of approval from some in the administration.

Coast Guard Plane and Marine Helicopter Collide off California
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing for at least nine people believed to have been aboard a Coast Guard plane and a Marine helicopter that collided in mid-air off the coast of California.

H-1B Visa Program Spirals Downwards
Applications for H-1B visas were at an all time low, this year, leading to an uncertainty about the end of the worst recession that has ever hit the U.S.

Pakistani Elders Advise Clinton
US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton had a meeting with the tribal leaders from north-west Pakistan to discuss the current state of affairs in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

US Economy Grows
The US economy has grown at a rate of 3.5%. Does this signal the end of the recession?

Large American Companies Denigrating Insurance Public Option
Some of the largest companies in America have come out squarely against a public option in upcoming health care legislation.

Home Depot Fires Florida Man Over God Pin
A Home Depot employee was fired in Florida for wearing a button that says One Nation Under God, Indvisible, and now that man is going to sue.

UN Investigator Deported
Zimbabwe deports UN rights expert, Manfred Nowak.

$3.4 Billion Smart Power Grid on Obama’s Agenda
Obama urges support for initiatives to revamp the U.S. energy grid, arrives in motorcade of gas-guzzling SUVs.

Matthew Hoh Resignation Letter Puts Pressure on Obama
The resignation letter of Matthew Hoh is the most clearly presented case for why America can't win in Afghanistan and it comes at a crucial time for President Obama.

Market Bomb Welcomes Hillary Clinton in Pakistan
As Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan to initiate talks with the falling government, a severe bomb blast killed about 86 people, injuring several others in Peshawar.

Radovan Karadzic Conspicuously Absent from Own War Crimes Trial
The Bosnian Serb leader who was alleged responsible for most of the deaths during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war was a no-show at his own trial yesterday.

Somali Pirates Capture Private British Yacht with Couple Aboard
It is believed that Somali pirates captured a British yacht of the coast of the Seychelles and are now holding the couple hostage.

Castro's Sister a CIA Spy
Juanita Castro, Fidel and Raul Castro's younger sister has revealed in her memoir that she worked for the CIA.

Pilot of Plane that Overshot Airport Denies that Crew was Napping
The pilots who flew their plane 150 past their destination denied that they were napping or arguing during the flight, but didn’t say how the mishap occurred.

Two Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan Kill at Least 14 Americans
Hostile fire is not believed to be involved in the crashes that killed at least 14 Americans, including civilians working for the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Karadzic Trial Begins
The trial of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader starts at The Hague.

Mother and Baby Born on Plane Given Free Flights for Life
AirAsia rewarded Liew Siaw Hsia, a woman who gave birth on a recent flight, free flights for life for her and her new baby.

Mexican Cartels Targeted in Recent Drug Raid, Over 300 Arrested
U.S. officials arrested over 300 members of the Mexican drug cartel "La Familia" yesterday, in such places as Boston, Minneapolis and Seattle.

Suicide Bomber Targets Pakistan Military Complex
Two bombings, in different cities, in a span of a few hours shakes Pakistan.

Nokia Sues Apple for Infringement
Finnish giant Nokia, the world's largest cell phone manufacturer, has joined the ranks of people suing Apple. The suit filed against Apple, the makers of the hugely popular iPhone, is regarding patent infringement.

ASEAN Human Rights Body Launched
ASEAN sets up a much criticized human rights body in the region.

Earthquake Rocks Afghanistan
A strong earthquake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, rocked Afghanistan just after midnight on Friday, causing panic and sending people into the streets.

Sri Lanka Frees Detainees
Sri Lanka releases more than 4000 Tamil detainees from their camps.

Maharashtra Election Results - A Slap in the Face of Provocative Regionalism
The Oct 2009 election results in Maharashtra, India, have proved that the divisive policies of self-centered politicians like Raj Thakerey are NOT welcome by the people of India. The win of the secularly inclined Congress party is nothing but a slap in the face of the party whose leaders openly propagate divisiveness based on region and religion.

Somalia Hit by Insurgents
Fierce fighting between peacekeepers and insurgents kills people in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Poll Runoff in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is going to have a poll runoff between Hamid Karzai and chief rival, Abdullah Abdullah.

UN Cuts Food Aid for Bhutanese Refugees
The UN WFP cuts food aid for the 90,000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.

Pakistan Under Attack
A spate of militant attacks in Pakistan, threatens to destabilize the security facilities in the country.

Iranian Negotiators Show Support for Uranium Deal
A group consisting of Iranian, Russian, American and French negotiators has been meeting in Vienna, Austria for several days, and appears to have reached a breakthrough plan regarding Iranian uranium enrichment.

Some in GOP Fear Glenn Beck, Other Polarizing Figures
While it may be a good move for ratings and advertising dollars to have a loud-mouthed and controversial talking head ranting about politics, moderate Americans seem to be drifting away from both traditional parties.

Democrats Targeting Insurance Industry's Antitrust Protection
The insurance industry is largely exempt from antitrust legislation that applies to many other industries. Now Congressional democrats would like to change that.

Chancellor from the University of Illinois Resigns After Scandal
Richard Herman, chancellor of the University of Illinois, stepped down yesterday over his clear involvement in a scandal that saw politically-connect applicants receive special consideration for admission to the school.

Text Messages Released by Police in Steve McNair Shooting Death
Investigators have released text messages that they say support the theory that Steve McNair was killed in a murder-suicide by Sahel Kazemi.

Senator Dodd Offers Legislation to Protect Against Bank Fees
New legislation proposed by Senator Christopher Dodd would place limits on banks’ practice of collecting overdraft fees.

Bram Stoker Descendant Brings Dracula Back from the Dead
A descendant of Bram Stoker, the author of the famous "Dracula" novel that spawned a host of spin-off vampire shows and movies even in the modern day, has written a follow-up novel to the original.

Boy in the Balloon Determined to be a Hoax, Charges Pending
Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi will likely face felony charges and possibly federal charges after orchestrating the run-away balloon stunt that captured the attention of the nation.

Barack Obama versus the Law of Sooner or Later
Everyone knows that in America we cannot honestly convict a person for a crime as long as there is a ‘reasonable doubt’ that they are innocent. It is a facet of our system of jurisprudence that is unique to America and was born out of repulsion for past tyrannies.

For First Time Since 1975, No Social Security COLA Increase
Social Security recipients typically receive a cost of living adjustment each year, but for the first time since 1975, declining consumer prices have caused the so-called COLAs to be put on hold for 2010.

Was the Balloon Boy Incident a Publicity Stunt?
After some incriminating behavior and comments from Falcon Heene and former associates of his father, investigators are looking closely at the possibility that the balloon flight was intentional.

Balloon Boy Found at Home
The saga of the boy who had supposedly gone missing aboard a helium balloon has come to a surprising end.

Rush Limbaugh Dropped from Group Bidding on NFL Team
After league owners and officials spoke publicly of their concerns, the group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams has dropped Rush Limbaugh.

GOP Senator Supports Healthcare Bill, Possible Public Option
A single Republican senator is supporting the current healthcare overhaul legislation, but has offered a unique solution to the hot topic issue of a "public option."

EU and America Race to the Top of the Prophetic Ladder
Thirty five years ago I watched people scratch their heads with a puzzled look on their faces when I told them that Europe would become a powerful nation around the turn of the century. When I addressed what would happen in the United States they listened but I may as well have been reciting verses of Shakespeare in Lithuanian.

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson Seek to Thwart Limbaugh
Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are fighting made at the prospect of Rush Limbaugh buying an NFL franchise, and are doing everything they can to keep him from his goal.

Jaycee Dugard and Family Re-Forming Immediate Bond
Jayce Dugard and her daughters have assimilated very easily back into her mother's family and all seem to be doing very well.

Michael Jackson: 5 American Music Awards Nominations
Michael Jackson has been nominated for 5 awards in this year's American Music Awards.

Democrats in Damage Control Mode After Health Insurance Report
The Obama administration and Congressional Democrats are scrambling to counteract the effects of a recent insurance industry report that has indicated rising premiums for those already insured if healthcare reform legislation is passed.

Recession Declared Officially Over, Unemployment Still Rising
The National Association for Business Economics declared the recession over, but lagging spending and rising unemployment are hindering recovery.

"Tea Partiers" Turn Out to be Surprisingly Independent
While many originally thought that "tea party" groups were staunch Republicans, it turns out they groups are directly at odds with the national party in support of several candidates.

Taliban Steps Up Attacks in Pakistan, 41 Killed in Monday Attack
Taliban forces have expanded their offensive in Pakistan, with four major attacks over the last week.

Money and Celebrity the New Substitute for Justice in America
Is leftism rising to the defense of evil even as it sinks to the depths of hell? Perhaps this question would have made a better title for this article but why scare readers away with what may only be construed as preachers pious platitudes.

Golf - Teeing off at Olympics
Golf has staged a come back of sorts, after more than 100 years, as it is included in the Rio Olympics in 2016. Rugby has also clawed its way in the Olympic sport list. Here is more...

YouTube Turns Three
Happy anniversary YouTube!

'This Is It' - New Michael Jackson Single to Premier Online on 12th October
Michael Jackson's new single, titled 'This Is It', will debut on the Internet on Monday, October 12.

Pakistan Army Plans to Take Down Taliban
In the wake of another militant attack, Pakistan, wages a "government v/s militants" war. Here is the latest update.

NASA's Quest For Water on Moon
The NASA mission of bombarding the moon with two rockets, in search of water ice was completed successfully on Friday.

Obama Hit with Criticism for Nobel Peace Prize Win
After being shockingly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama is now facing criticism from the left and the right.

Retailers See Good News, Sales Up in September
Retailers saw an increase in sales for the first time in 14 months in September, but some analysts still see light spending in the retail markets for the foreseeable future.