Daily News Digest | Sojourners

Daily News Digest

the latest news on Air Force heads fired, Darfur, Unemployment, Foreclosures, On-the-job deaths, Budget, Faith in action, Torture, Zimbabwe, Israel-Gaza, Israel-Iran, Iraq, Food summit, and Editorials

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Air Force heads fired. Air Force's top leaders are fired "In an unprecedented action in a time of war, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates simultaneously fired the civilian and military leaders of the Air Force, saying that oversight standards for the U.S. nuclear arsenal had deteriorated on their watch." Air Force officials out over mishandling of nuclear weapons "In an extraordinary indication of concern about the handling of the nation's nuclear arsenal, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates forced the top civilian and military leaders of the Air Force to resign and appointed a former secretary of defense to devise new ways to better guard nuclear weapons." 2 Leaders Ousted From Air Force in Atomic Errors"The Air Force secretary, Michael W. Wynne, and the service's chief of staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, were forced to resign after the inquiry found that the latest in a series of incidents reflected "a pattern of poor performance" in securing sensitive military components,"


Iraq claims not true. Senate committee: Bush knew Iraq claims weren't true "President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other top officials promoted the invasion of Iraq with public statements that weren't supported by intelligence or that concealed differences among intelligence agencies," Bush Overstated Evidence on Iraq, Senators Report"A long-delayed Senate committee report endorsed by Democrats and some Republicans concluded that President Bush and his aides built the public case for war against Iraq by exaggerating available intelligence and by ignoring disagreements among spy agencies about Iraq's weapons programs and Saddam Hussein's links to Al Qaeda."


Unemployment. Jobless rate surges in May to 5.5 pct "U.S. employers shed jobs for a fifth straight month in May and the unemployment rate jumped to its highest in more than 3-1/2 years,"


Foreclosures. Mortgage trouble worst since 1979 "Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. homeowners faced foreclosure or fell behind in their mortgage payments in the first three months of the year," Foreclosures surge in Florida "Rapidly declining property values touched off a new wave of home-loan delinquencies in Florida during the first three months of the year and pushed 77,000 homeowners into foreclosure, a signal that turmoil in the housing market is far from over."


On-the-job deaths. Hispanics suffer more on-the-job deaths than other groups "More Hispanics die on the job than other U.S. workers, and the rate is highest among the foreign-born, according to a federal study released Thursday."


Budget. Congress Passes $3 Trillion Budget "Congress yesterday gave final approval to a $3 trillion spending plan that proposes modest increases for domestic programs such as education, energy and veterans benefits -- and marks the first time in eight years that lawmakers have managed to adopt a budget in an election year."


Faith in action. Faith put into action "Renee Colvin isn't too interested in orchestrating a Sunday-morning church service. No, this 20-year-old Ohio Wesleyan University senior has her eye on other things when it comes to serving God; things such as ending human trafficking, ensuring that people of all races and nationalities earn a fair wage, removing obstacles for the poor and getting the homeless out of shelters and back into life."


Torture. Churches unite against U.S. torture "Almost 300 congregations across the country have combined forces this month to try to shame the U.S. government about torture through black-and-white banners posted on church properties."


Darfur . World court prosecutor says Darfur a 'crime scene' "Sudan's actions in Darfur have helped turn the region into "a crime scene," the chief U.N. prosecutor charged, expanding on a scathing report this week that directly linked the government to a feared militia blamed for much of the killing." Security Council Members Push to Condemn Sudan "The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court presented a grim portrait of conditions in the Darfur region of Sudan to the Security Council, as a majority of Council members pushed for what would be the first statement in three years condemning the Sudanese government." Darfur's child refugees sold to militias "Thousands of child refugees from Darfur, some as young as nine, are being abducted and sold to warring militias as child soldiers, a British human rights group reports today."


Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe bars MDC rallies "Zimbabwean police today stopped the opposition candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, and his party from campaigning in the build-up to the presidential run-off election." U.S. diplomats say Zimbabwe police chased, threatened them "A high-speed car chase through the Zimbabwean countryside with police in hot pursuit of U.S. diplomats. A phalanx of armed riot police blocking the Americans' car. And threats by supporters of President Robert Mugabe to drag the diplomats from their vehicle at a roadblock, burn the car and kill them." Bishop finds flock tormented in Zimbabwe "Anglican worshipers in Zimbabwe are routinely being arrested and beaten, churches are being padlocked by police, diocesan bank accounts have been frozen, and clergy vehicles are being seized, Massachusetts Episcopal Bishop M. Thomas Shaw said after returning from a secret mission to the violence-torn southern African nation." Zimbabwe Tells All Aid Groups to Halt Efforts"Zimbabwe's government has ordered all humanitarian aid groups to suspend their operations in the deeply impoverished nation, a prohibition that relief agencies estimate will deprive two million people of food aid and other basic assistance."


Israel-Gaza. Israeli Man, Palestinian Child Killed In Attacks "An Israeli man and a Palestinian child were killed Thursday in separate attacks as Israel and Hamas traded fire in and around the Gaza Strip." Barak: Major operation in Gaza is closer than ever "The Israel Defense Forces may carry out a major ground operation in the Gaza Strip before an Egyptian-mediated truce with Hamas is concluded, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned yesterday."


Israel-Iran. Israeli attack on Iran 'unavoidable,' Olmert deputy says "An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks "unavoidable" given the apparent failure of sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential, one of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's deputies said on Friday."


Iraq . Iraq May Request Extension For U.S. "The Iraqi government may request an extension of the United Nations security mandate authorizing a U.S. military presence, due to expire in December, amid growing domestic criticism of new bilateral arrangements now being negotiated with the Bush administration,"


Food summit. Food summit ends with contentious resolution "Ultimately, the declaration was adopted, with about 180 countries pledging to work to eliminate hunger and secure access to food "for all, today and tomorrow" through urgent actions, including the easing of trade barriers and the supply of seeds and fertilizer to poor farmers." U.N. Food Meeting Ends With a Call for 'Urgent' Action The draft declaration largely sidestepped the issue of biofuels, which had emerged as the most contentious matter at the conference."


Editorial. The Truth About the War (New York Times) It has taken five years to finally come to a reckoning over how much the Bush administration knowingly twisted and hyped intelligence to justify that invasion. On Thursday - after years of Republican stonewalling - a report by the Senate Intelligence Committee gave us as good a set of answers as we're likely to get."

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