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A 35-year-old Lebanese Jew who immigrated to Israel ten years ago was charged today in a Tel Aviv court with providing Hizbullah maps of Tel Aviv, pinpointing the locations of fuel depots and electrical power stations, with the intent of harming Israel's security. Yesterday, a Lebanese newspaper reported on "positive developments" in negotiations between Israel and Hizbullah towards a possible prisoner exchange...(more) Click here for more

<p>05:06 PDT RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) --  Students attending North Carolina's most violent schools will be allowed to transfer to safer schools under new state and federal policies.</p> <p>Starting in 2004, schools with five or more violent crimes per 1,000 students for two straight years could be designated "persistently dangerous" under a policy adopted this month by the State Board of Education.</p>

They have called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ''Uncle Thomas'' and ''lawn jockey for the far right.'' They hope out loud that ''his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early, like many black men do, of heart disease.'' They called Newt Gingrich ''stupid.'' Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush are just said to be ''dumb.'' Linda Tripp, Paula Jones and Katherine Harris were pronounced ''ugly.'' And, of course, Christian conservatives are always dubbed ''right-wing extremists,'' ''ayatollahs'' or simply ''the religious right.'' ''Racist''... ''bigot''... ''fascist''... ''homophobe''... and, of course, the always popular, ''Nazi'' -- these are...

E.D. and Steve Doocy just interviewed Dr. Newdow. E.D. was all over him about using his daughter just to bring the suit. He admitted this, and, upon her pressing him, admitted that his daughter includes "under God" when she recites the pledge. E.D. was relentless!

BEIJING, June 27 (Reuters) - Software giant Microsoft Corp (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people) announced by far the biggest Sino-foreign software tie-up on Thursday, saying it would invest $750 million in China over the next three years. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft signed a memorandum of understanding with China's powerful State Development Planning Commission (SDPC) during a two-day visit by chief executive Steve Ballmer to a market which has often confounded his firm. No further details on the $750 million investment were immediately available. But Microsoft also announced a separate 200 million yuan ($24.15 million) three-year investment in Chinese educational and...

<p>WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The fight over voting districts in North Carolina made its way to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The state wants the federal courts to end the dispute.</p> <p>On Wednesday, members of the State Board of Elections and Democratic leaders from the state House and Senate went to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. They asked a three-judge panel to look at redistricting maps created last month by Superior Court judge Knox Jenkins. They claim those maps are unconstitutional and do not adequately protect the rights of minority voters.</p>

A man in Australia who broke his arm when he slipped on a greasy bar floor caused by a patron who wore pork chops as shoes has won more than £20,000 in compensation.Troy Michael Bowron sued the Jannali Inn in southern Sydney, its owner Kelly Wells and patron Ross Lucock for negligence over the incident on November 30, 1997.Judge Anthony Puckeridge found the bar and its owner breached their duty of care by failing to clean up the greasy trail left by Mr Lucock.Mr Bowron had told the New South Wales state District Court that he had been playing in...

Not so humourous.

NOW is the time that President Bush should go on the attack and FORCE the Senate Democratic obstructionists, Sens. Daschle and Leahy, to bring his judicial nominees to the floor for a vote. How dare they say that the President's nominees are "out of the mainstream?" Isn't the 9th Circuit Court the mainstream by their standards? Come on Mr. President, the country's behind you, the Congress is behind you, and morality is on your side. This issue was one of your main campaign issues. Put the pressure on your political enemies to have to run for re-election against the Pledge...

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) --  County supervisors voted to close 11 of 18 public health clinics and eliminate 5,000 jobs in what could become the largest cuts ever made to Los Angeles County's health care system.</p> <p>Wednesday's vote came a week after county Health Director Dr. Thomas Garthwaite recommended shuttering the health clinics to help the county pull itself out of a $800 million deficit.</p>

John Thune for South Dakota INSIDER UPDATE Once again, out-of-state environmental extremists have come to South Dakota to distort John Thune’s record on the environment. The Sierra Club is attacking John’s votes on arsenic levels. Like the League of Conservation Voters, this group doesn’t mention that John voted for the stricter arsenic standard just as Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson did. These extreme environmental groups continue to attack John’s fair, balanced approach to the environment and the needs of rural South Dakotans. Like with the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club is an out-of-state group that promotes policies, which...

<p>A joint investigation by Metro police and two federal agencies resulted in the arrest of five people - four men and one woman - who were in the country illegally and selling counterfeit identification documents to other undocumented workers, authorities said.</p>

Do this now. No delay. Call Speaker of the House Hastert now - 202-224-3121 MESSAGE: Speaker Hastert, make the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag under God part of the US Constitution. Introduce a Pledge of Allegiance under God amendment now.

<p>Schaumburg, Illinois, June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Motorola Inc. plans to reduce its workforce by about 7,000 more jobs worldwide.</p> <p>Including the job cuts, Motorola expects to record $3.5 billion in restructuring charges, the company said in a statement.</p> <p>Motorola said it ``paid a significant escrow deposit'' for Iridium-related litigation and other measures that is estimated to be more than $500 million. The company expects a ``slightly positive operating cash flow'' in the second quarter. It wasn't more specific.</p>

Ian McKellen says the title of the second Lord Of The Rings film will not be changed. An online petition is urging director Peter Jackson to abandon plans to call the sequel The Two Towers. Some fans wanted it to be renamed following the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. But McKellen says: "The notion that the title should be changed in respect to New York City's sensibilities has rightly been resisted." Writing in his online journal at www.mckellen.com, he says the film's US premiere will be in Manhattan and the first European showing will be...

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - House and Senate co-sponsors of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act said Wednesday they will move to abolish the Federal Election Commission in response to the commission's implementation of the BCRA. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) and Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) say they will introduce legislation to overturn the regulations, introduce legislation to abolish the FEC, and sue or support outside groups suing to overturn the regulations. The centerpiece of the BCRA is a ban on so-called "soft money," political contributions not subject to the prohibitions, limitations, and reporting requirements...

Is Naomi dating Bill Clinton?by James Langton in New YorkSpeculation is growing in New York about the depth of a relationship between Naomi Campbell and former US president, Bill Clinton. The British supermodel was seen lunching with Mr Clinton during a trip to Europe earlier this year. At the time it was claimed that the pair were just friends. Reports in the US this week linked Miss Campbell with Doug Band, a lawyer and close friend of President Clinton who formerly worked as a White House aide. The two have been seen together at several Manhattan restaurants. But the New...

<p>BILL STEBER / STAFF House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh makes a surprise visit outside the Capitol to shake hands with tax reform supporters, teasing a dancing Shannon Houska yesterday.</p> <p>Pro-tax protesters partied the day away yesterday as they celebrated beating the anti-tax protesters out of the prime spots at War Memorial Plaza.</p>

Peace process tensions ... PM Tony Blair looking increasingly edgy next to President Bush yesterdayBy GEORGE PASCOE-WATSONDeputy Political Editor, in CalgaryTONY Blair and George Bush had their first public row yesterday as they tussled in a gym over the Middle East conflict. The PM refused to support President Bush’s call for Yasser Arafat to be toppled. They slugged it out for 30 minutes on running machines alone in a hotel gym at the G8 summit of world leaders in Canada. They then confirmed the rift as they sat side by side on live television with the President insisting: “I meant...

Poll Taker: Do you think the U.S. government is doing enough to protect the rights of people who've been investigated for suspected involvement in terrorism?