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Two important comments from Paul Bremer today in Iraq: First, he solidly stated that the June 30 transition deadline is still in effect. No change. But perhaps a more interesting comment was this: An Iraqi woman asked a hypothetical question that was apparently about the Presidential election. (Wasn't translated to English). Bremer responded, "But in this case, I don't expect President Bush to lose the election, nor do I expect there to be any change in the American policy. The American people understand the importance of what we have done here - liberating 25 million people from a vicious tyranny,...

France's Assemblée nationale (Parliament) has voted to ban headscarves from schools. Announcer noted that it passed by a wide margin. After all the talk and debate, it's official now.

<p>SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) - Citibank and HSBC Holdings PLC, the world's second-biggest bank by market value, have become the first foreign banks to win approval to issue credit cards in China, state media said Thursday.</p> <p>Bank executives were not immediately available for comment, nor were officials at the China Banking Regulatory Commission.</p>

Reports that main portions of McCain-Feingold are now being upheld! People currently wading through a decision of over 300 pages.

Read more on American celebrations here: St. Nick's Day can be a nice little surprise Like many ancient traditions, the history of St. Nick's is debated. Some say St. Nick's Day is a decidedly German observance. Others say it is Spanish or Dutch. What is known is that St. Nicholas lived in the fourth century. He was a Christian prelate and the patron saint of Russia. Nicholas was a native of Patara, in the ancient district of Lycia in Asia Minor (now Turkey). He became archbishop of the metropolitan church in Myra, Lycia. How he came to be so...

Prosecutor didn't show up for the 4th day of a trial involving rap artists dealing drugs from their studio.

Is there an item you'd recommend instead of or in addition to this one? Let the world know! Enter the item's ASIN (what's an ASIN?) in the box below, select advice type, then click Submit. I recommend: in addition to this productinstead of this product ***Use the buttons below to tell us if these recommendations are inappropriate.*** Top customer recommendations in addition to Number Ones Recommendations 1. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things 5 Is this an appropriate recommendation? 2. Thank Heaven for Little Boys - 6 Piece Gift Set 4 Is this an appropriate recommendation? 3....

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man was shot on Friday outside a Los Angeles courthouse where a hearing was being held in the murder trial of actor Robert Blake, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department said.

In the area of the Red Cross building.

A controversy has erupted in Italy over a court ruling ordering a state kindergarten to remove crucifixes from its classrooms. A judge in the central town of L'Aquila upheld a complaint by an Italian Muslim leader, Adel Smith. The ruling has re-opened a bitter debate about religious symbols. A law dating back to the fascist period requiring crucifixes to be hung in classrooms has never been fully repealed. The BBC's Frances Kennedy in Rome says the case is set to have far-reaching implications. It centres on a nursery and primary school near L'Aquila, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Rome....

Waukesha - A private plane flying through restricted air space during President Bush's visit to Milwaukee on Friday was diverted to Crites Field after authorities could not identify who was flying the aircraft. The Cessna 172 was at 2,900 feet when it ventured into restricted air space near Kenosha at 10:25 a.m., said Tony Molinaro, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Des Plaines, Ill. At that time, Air Force One was on the ground and Bush was on his way into the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee for a speech. Because the air space was restricted for a 30-mile radius...

President Bush expressed support of beleaguered radio star Rush Limbaugh in conversations with senior staff on Thursday, a senior administration source told the DRUDGE REPORT. "Rush is a great American," the president said of the host, who has championed the conservative movement for decades... MORE

This is only on their ticker at the moment. Don't know if it's just a minor event or if there are casualties.

On now.

<p>CNN's top war correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, says that the press muzzled itself during the Iraq war. And, she says CNN "was intimidated" by the Bush administration and Fox News, which "put a climate of fear and self-censorship."</p> <p>As criticism of the war and its aftermath intensifies, Amanpour joins a chorus of journalists and pundits who charge that the media largely toed the Bush administration line in covering the war and, by doing so, failed to aggressively question the motives behind the invasion.</p>

Deep down, even the most fanatical supporters of the euro must now recognise that it isn't going to happen. Their two main contentions - that the euro is inevitable, and that Britain is too small to go it alone - have been blown away by Sweden's "nej". Goran Persson, Sweden's Social Democrat prime minister, launched his campaign in the most propitious circumstances imaginable. When he announced the referendum 10 months ago, opinion polls gave the "yes" side a 15-point lead. The big battalions of Swedish society were quick to rally to his banner. All the political parties except the extreme...

0543 GMT (1:43 a.m. EDT)--- T+plus 7 minutes, 50 seconds. SECO 1. The second stage engine has shut down as planned. The Delta 2 rocket with SIRTF has arrived in a preliminary orbit around Earth following launch tonight. The next big step comes 30 minutes from now when the rocket reignites to take the telescope to final orbit. So far, so good!

Per Reuters, there has been an explosion in Jerusalem.

German Gen. Holger Kammerhoff, head of the five-nation Eurocorps (standing in the command car at front), leads the traditional Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris Monday, July 14, 2003. (Photo/Michel Euler) AP