Daily News Digest

the latest reports on gay marriage, Iraq funding, Bush in Israel, Farm bill, Food, China, Burma, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Editorials

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Gay marriage. California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban "In a 4-3 decision, the justices rule that people have a fundamental 'right to marry' the person of their choice and that gender restrictions violate the state Constitution's equal protection guarantee." California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban"The California Supreme Court, striking down two state laws that had limited marriages to unions between a man and a woman, ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry." News Analysis: Ruling Could Revive Gay Marriage Issue in Campaign "Gay marriage is an issue on which the three major presidential candidates - John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton - are pretty much in agreement. All oppose it, while saying at the same time that same-sex couples should generally be entitled to the legal protections afforded married couples."

Iraq funding. War Funding Bill Stalls in House "An odd coalition of angry Republicans and antiwar Democrats torpedoed a $162.5 billion proposal to continue funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving the House to pass a measure that demands troop withdrawals, bans torture and expands education benefits for returning veterans." House defeats war-funding provision "Democratic leaders divided the emergency war-funding measure into three parts. The part that President Bush most wants -- money for the troops -- went down to defeat after most of his fellow Republicans, in a protest against Democrats, refused to support it." House Approves Tax on Rich to Aid G.I.'s "Congressional Democrats began to put into practice their philosophy of asking the wealthy to shoulder more of the cost of government programs as the House approved an expansive new veterans education benefit that would be paid for by a tax on affluent Americans."

Iraq war. John McCain and Barack Obama tilt toward the center on Iraq plans "McCain has bowed to the political reality that American impatience with the war is growing, and Obama to the fact that a poorly executed exit would risk damage to other vital U.S. interests." McCain Sees U.S. Troops Leaving Iraq by 2013 "Sen. John McCain offered for the first time what he hopes will be an end date for the war in Iraq, part of a vision he presented in which his policies lead to peace and prosperity at home and abroad by 2013, the end of what would be his first term as president."

Farm bill. Senate passes farm bill, setting up veto override "the Senate, by a comfortably veto-proof 81-15 margin, approved a farm bill that now faces a resistant White House." Farm Bill, Facing Veto, Goes to Bush "Mr. Bush has promised to veto the bill because he says it would not do enough to limit subsidies at a time of record grain prices." Republicans abandon Bush on food, energy issues "Congress responded speedily to voters' angst over rising grocery prices and $4-a-gallon gasoline, bucking President Bush's veto threats with lopsided votes to boost food stamps and farm subsidies -- after ordering Bush to quit pouring oil into the nation's emergency reserves."

Food. Food stamp use hits record "The number of Illinois households receiving food stamps has reached a record level, with almost 1.3 million people relying on the program to pay for daily staples such as milk, bread and eggs." As food prices shoot up, so do backyard gardens "Think of it as a modern-day Victory Garden. With gasoline prices soaring and food costs not far behind, the number of Americans planning to grow their own backyard vegetables this year is up sharply."

Bush in Israel. Bush Assails 'Appeasement,' Touching Off Storm "President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament to liken those who would negotiate with "terrorists and radicals" to appeasers of the Nazis - a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria." Bush speech sparks verbal war "Addressing the Israeli Knesset, Bush said: "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along." Bush's Comments In Israel Fuel Anger "On an emotional visit to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, President Bush compared people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups to the Nazis' appeasers, provoking a political storm at home and accusations that he was politicizing the celebration.Burma. UN plans new plea on Burma aid"Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, plans to dispatch his humanitarian chief to meet Burma's top generals to press the intransigent regime to permit free entry to international aid workers to help survivors of the cyclone disaster." Foreign envoys to see Burma delta "But the international community remains frustrated at the slow progress of aid to the region hit by Cyclone Nargis. A BBC reporter visiting the area said there was little sign of official help, and foreign aid workers were banned." Myanmar Farmers May Miss Harvest "The storm's timing could not have been worse. Tens of thousands of farm families lost their draft animals, their rice stocks and their planting seeds. Now the harvest is in doubt as well."

Pakistan. Pakistan Defies U.S. on Halting Afghanistan Raids "Pakistani officials are making it increasingly clear that they have no interest in stopping cross-border attacks by militants into Aghanistan, prompting a new level of frustration from Americans who see the infiltration as a crucial strategic priority in the war in Afghanistan." Pakistan says it has no knowledge of missile strike "Pakistani leaders disavowed any knowledge of a missile strike in a volatile border area where the United States has previously targeted Al Qaeda figures -- the first attack of its kind since the new government took office six weeks ago."

Afghanistan. U.N. Official Raises Alarms Over Killings in Afghanistan "A special investigator for the United Nations accused foreign intelligence agencies of conducting nighttime raids and killing civilians in Afghanistan with impunity.