Daily News Digest

Saving the Everglades, Midwest floods, Dobson-Obama, Climate change, Immigration, Housing crisis, Education Religion and military, Biofuel & poverty, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Darfur, Israel-politics, Gaza, Iraq, and India.

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Saving the Everglades. U.S. Sugar sale called turning point in Glades cleanup "The state of Florida and the nation's biggest sugar grower unveiled the details of what would become the largest environmental acquisition in state history, a $1.7 billion buyout of 187,000 acres of farmland that Gov. Charlie Crist called the ''missing link'' in the stalled effort to restore the Everglades." Florida Moves to Restore Wetlands "In an ambitious maneuver to help restore the Everglades, the state of Florida has struck a tentative deal to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. for $1.75 billion and turn many of its 187,000 acres of farmland into reservoirs." Deal could restore the Everglades "It was a strategy so bold no environmentalist or state bureaucrat dared dream it could happen: Buy out Big Sugar's polluted fields, railroad and refinery within the Everglades so the wounded "river of grass" could heal after more than a century of man's industrial intrusions."

Midwest floods. Waterlogged levee under pressure from Mississippi "In eastern Missouri's Lincoln County, the only thing that stands between the swollen Mississippi River and a small community is giving flood fighters a mighty challenge." Flood recovery: Lawmakers debate dip into emergency reserve "Debate is kicking into high gear as to whether Iowa should deplete its $620 million in reserves for flood recovery."

Dobson-Obama. Obama dismisses Dobson criticism about Bible "Barack Obama said Tuesday that evangelical leader James Dobson was "making stuff up" when he accused the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible." Evangelical Leader Attacks Obama on Religious Views "Just days after Senator Barack Obama met quietly with religious leaders, including the son of the Rev. Billy Graham, another of the evangelical movement's most prominent names, James C. Dobson, has sharply attacked Mr. Obama, accusing him of having "a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution" and twisting the meaning of both the Old and New Testaments."

Climate change. Climate change threatens two-thirds of California's unique plants, study says "Two-thirds of California's unique plants, some 2,300 species that grow nowhere else in the world, could be wiped out across much of their current geographic ranges by the end of the century because of rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns,"

Immigration. Citizens sue after being detained in workplace "Immigration officials, charged with enforcing the law against the estimated 12 million undocumented foreigners in the USA, are mounting more raids at slaughterhouses, restaurants and factories. Increasingly, U.S. citizens and legal residents who work alongside illegal immigrants are being detained and interrogated, too."

Housing crisis. Approval Is Near for Bill to Help U.S. Homeowners "With sinking home values continuing to drag down the economy, Congress is poised to approve a huge package of housing legislation, including a refinancing program aimed at rescuing hundreds of thousands of homeowners in danger of foreclosure and the most sweeping government overhaul of mortgage financing since the New Deal."

Education. Across U.S., schools feel budget pinch"In districts across the United States, budget shortfalls are resulting in locked-up schools, flurries of pink slips, and empty shelves where new books and computers should be. In cities from Los Angeles to Detroit, and in rural towns from Louisiana to New Hampshire, schools, like other sectors, are caught between skyrocketing prices and dried-up funding streams."

Religion and military. Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service Academies "Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen."

Detainees. Bipartisan Group to Speak Out on Detainees "A bipartisan group of 200 former government officials, retired generals and religious leaders plans to issue a statement on Wednesday calling for a presidential order to outlaw some interrogation and detention practices used by the Bush administration over the last six years."

Biofuel & poverty. Biofuel use 'increasing poverty' "The replacement of traditional fuels with biofuels has dragged more than 30 million people worldwide into poverty, an aid agency report says."

Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai urges negotiated deal "Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai calls for a "negotiated political settlement" to help the country out of crisis." African Leaders Press Mugabe "Influential leaders in South Africa and Senegal joined the global condemnation of Zimbabwe's lethal political violence and called on President Robert Mugabe to cancel Friday's election on grounds it would not reflect the free will of voters." Mugabe backers threaten voters "At meetings across the nation, officials of Zimbabwe's ruling party have warned voters how they will know who casts ballots against longtime President Robert Mugabe in Friday's scheduled runoff election: serial numbers."

Afghanistan. Afghanistan attacks up 40% in east, Pentagon says "Insurgent activity is increasing sharply in Afghanistan and has spread into once stable areas, with attacks up almost 40% in the eastern provinces alone, according to new American military data that have prompted alarm among senior Pentagon officials."

Darfur. Envoy sees little Darfur hope now "When Jan Eliasson agreed to be a U.N. envoy to Darfur, he believed peace for the beleaguered region of Sudan was within reach. But after 18 months of shuttle diplomacy, rebel groups are more fractured and violent than ever and the Sudanese government is again engaged in brutal attacks on villages, he told the Security Council."

Israel-politics. Israeli PM clings to power ... for now"The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, appeared to have negotiated a last-minute deal to head off a parliamentary vote that might have unseated his government from within." Olmert, Barak in last-ditch effort to prevent MKs dissolving Knesset "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak were engaged in all-night mediation efforts to postpone a vote on the preliminary reading of a bill to disperse the Knesset, which is scheduled for today."

Gaza. Gazan Rockets Threaten Truce "Palestinian fighters lobbed rockets into southern Israel on Tuesday, jeopardizing a six-day-old truce in and around the Gaza Strip." Gaza rockets strain Israel-Hamas truce "Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad fired rockets on Israel Tuesday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its members in the West Bank."

Iraq. Baghdad Blast Kills Four Americans "American soldiers and civilians had a surprise for the Sadr City District Council, and gathered in the office of its acting chairman to make the presentation just before the weekly meeting. Sadr City blast reveals new dangers for U.S. "While the US military has so far said little about how the explosives were planted inside the building, the few details that have emerged reveal that the strike, which killed at least four Americans and six Iraqis, was well coordinated and timed."

India. Left parties block nuclear deal with U.S. "The stalled U.S.-India nuclear cooperation deal faces a make-or-break hurdle Wednesday as warring factions within India's coalition government meet to decide whether to push ahead with the ambitious pact."