Daily News Digest | Sojourners

Daily News Digest

The latest news on Campaign, Capital punishment, Faith & politics, Southern Baptists, Iraq, Iran, Africa-global warming, and South Korea.

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Campaign. 2 New-Style Candidates Hit Old Notes on Economy "For all the efforts of Senators John McCain and Barack Obama to portray themselves as willing to break with party orthodoxy to get things done, the economic debate that opened their general election campaign this week previews a classic clash." McCain, Obama offer vastly different health care plans "the presidential race sharpens its focus on the policy differences that define and separate Obama and McCain. Nowhere are those differences more striking than in health care."


Child poverty. Study Shows Colorado Has Largest Rise in Child Poverty "Colorado experienced the nation's largest rate of growth in impoverished children from 2000 to 2006, according to a study released Tuesday."


Capital punishment. Judge Orders Ohio to Alter Its Method of Execution "Ohio must stop using a common combination of three chemicals to execute condemned inmates because they may produce excruciating pain, a state court judge there ruled Tuesday." Judge: Ohio must change lethal injection drugs "Ohio must stop using its three-drug combination and instead use a single, anesthetic drug to execute its condemned prisoners, because the current lethal injection process doesn't provide the quick and painless death required by Ohio law,"


Faith & politics. Christian leaders meet privately with Obama "Barack Obama discussed Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and other issues Tuesday with Christian leaders, including conservatives who have been criticized for praising the Democratic presidential candidate."


Southern Baptists. New Southern Baptist president pledges to unite "Within an hour of being elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Rev. Johnny Hunt was talking about "turning the tide," acknowledging the reality that a denomination that cares so much about winning souls is losing too many."


Iraq. Iraqis Condemn American Demands "High-level negotiations over the future role of the U.S. military in Iraq have turned into an increasingly acrimonious public debate, with Iraqi politicians denouncing what they say are U.S. demands to maintain nearly 60 bases in their country indefinitely." Iraq officials question need for U.S. troop presence "Officials in Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's ruling coalition are questioning whether Iraq needs a U.S. military presence even as the two countries press forward with high-pressure negotiations to determine how long American forces will remain."


Iran. Bush warns Iran again over nuclear plans "The US president, George Bush, raised the possibility today of military action against Iran, saying his first choice was for a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Tehran's nuclear programme, but that "all options are on the table". Bush doesn't rule out military strike in Iran "President Bush raised unprompted the possibility of a military strike against Tehran's presumed nuclear weapons ambitions, speaking bullishly on Iran even as he admitted having been unwise to do so previously about Iraq." Merkel Backs Bush on New Sanctions Against Iran "Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany joined President Bush in calling for further sanctions against Iran if it does not suspend its uranium enrichment program." Iran Dismisses Talk of Sanctions "As President Bush pressed European leaders to adopt a tougher posture toward Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brushed aside pressure to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions, saying the West "cannot do anything" and "all their plans have failed."


Africa-global warming. Africa most vulnerable to global warming effects, U.N. says "Africa produces a tiny fraction of the world's greenhouse gases but is particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, U.N. environmental experts said Tuesday at a conference of African environment ministers."


Darfur. U.N. Reducing Aid Flights In Darfur for Lack of Funds "Humanitarian flights that deliver doctors, aid workers and supplies to remote areas of Sudan's western Darfur region are being cut back because of lack of funding, the U.N. World Food Program said Tuesday."


South Korea. Fury at South Korean President Grows "As tens of thousands of people waved candles in central Seoul and other South Korean cities, a month of street demonstrations against the purported danger of U.S. beef broadened into a populist backlash against the country's fledgling president, Lee Myung-bak." South Koreans Assail U.S. Pact, Shaking Leader "President Lee Myung-bak pledged a "new beginning" on Wednesday as he contemplated reorganizing his unpopular government which has been shaken by the biggest anti-government demonstrations in two decades."

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