The latest news on Catholics and Abortion, Financial Crisis, Main Street Crisis, Mental Health Parity, Jucidial Nominees, African Governance, Afghanistan, Women in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Nuclear Warheads, Mammals Face Extinction, Nation-building, and Se

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Catholics and abortion. A Fight Among Catholics Over Which Party Best Reflects Church Teachings "As the Roman Catholic Church observes its annual 'respect life' in this heated presidential election season, the unusually pitched competition for Catholic voters is setting off a round of skirmishes over how to apply the church's teachings not only on abortion but also on the war in Iraq, immigration, and racism."

Financial crisis. Wall Street tumbles amid global sell-off "Financial markets took a bleak view of the future Monday, seeing contagion in a credit crisis that threatens to cascade through economies globally despite government efforts to provide relief. The Dow Jones industrials skidded around 600 points and fell below 10,000 for the first time in four years." Global panic on markets over credit crisis "A global tsunami of panic wiped nearly 8 per cent off the value of the FTSE 100 index today and hit other markets equally hard as investors decided that Friday's $700 billion bank bailout would not be enough to ease the credit crisis." Germany Agrees on New Rescue Package for HRE "The German government and financial sector agreed a second rescue package for mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate in Sunday night talks. The government also took the surprise step of guaranteeing private deposits, a move which could up pressure on other European nations." Pope says world financial system 'built on sand' "Pope Benedict XVI today said that the global credit crisis shows that the world's financial systems are 'built on sand' and that only the works of God have 'solid reality.'"

Main Street crisis. 159,000 Jobs Lost in September, the Worst Month in Five Years "The American economy lost 159,000 jobs in September, the worst month of retrenchment in five years, the government reported on Friday, amplifying fears that an already painful downturn had entered a more severe stage that could persist well into next year." Food Stamp Participation Increases as Economy Lags "Almost a million more people participated in the federal government's food stamp program for the needy between April and July, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program." Economy forcing many seniors to cut on health care "As the economy founders, Chicago's seniors are cutting back wherever they can, and health care is high on the list of items being sacrificed. It's a dangerous choice for older people, who are vulnerable to illness by virtue of their age. Add anxiety about depleted savings or declining home values, and it's emotionally destabilizing as well." How much foreclosure relief will homeowners get from bailout plan? "The $700-billion rescue package for the financial system includes measures designed to stem the rising tide of foreclosures. Here's a look at the specifics."

Mental health parity. Bailout Provides More Mental Health Coverage "More than one-third of all Americans will soon receive better insurance coverage for mental health treatments because of a new law that, for the first time, requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses."

Judicial nominees. Seeking to Shift Attention to Judicial Nominees "At a time when job losses, home foreclosures and the war in Iraq are paramount in voters' minds, the politics of the Supreme Court seem, at first blush, abstract and unlikely to emerge as a concern before the election. Yet both presidential campaigns are gearing up for the possibility that court-related issues will become an X factor in some swing states, in what political analysts see as intensifying unpredictability." Supreme Court's Direction Hinges on Who Wins '08 Race "'A President Obama or a President McCain will likely be handed an opportunity to affect the makeup of the Supreme Court that is unprecedented in our history,' said Wendy Long, chief counsel for the Judicial Confirmation Network, which was active in generating public support for the confirmations of Roberts and Alito."

African governance. African governance 'is improving' "Nearly two-thirds of sub-Saharan African countries have improved their governance, according to a new index." Africa: Women's Rights Linked to Good Governance "In an interview marking the publication of the 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Mary Robinson, a board member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, discussed with AllAfrica's Katy Gabel the correlation between women's rights and good governance."

Afghanistan. We can't defeat Taliban, says British commander "The departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan says he believes the Taliban will never be defeated.