The latest news on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Cabinet Budget Cuts, Torture, Lobbyist Rules, GM Layoffs, Cuba, Iran, Gaza, Iraq, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Select Op-eds.

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Holocaust Remembrance Day. Holocaust Remembrance Day marked "The wail of sirens brought Israel to a standstill this morning for a two minute silence to remember the victims of the Holocaust." Israel mourns the 6 million murdered "The siren was followed by an official wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem as well as a Knesset ceremony during which lawmakers read out the names of family members who perished in the Holocaust."

Cabinet budget cuts. At His First Official Cabinet Meeting, Obama Orders Cuts "The brickbats were flying even before President Obama convened his first official Cabinet meeting yesterday. At the session, Obama ordered his agency heads to identify and shave a collective $100 million in administrative costs from federal programs in a budget of well over $3 trillion." Obama orders Cabinet to slice spending by $100M, acknowledges 'confidence gap' on deficit "President Barack Obama on Monday ordered his Cabinet to find ways to slice spending by $100 million, but acknowledged it's a 'drop in the bucket' and said there's a 'confidence gap' that he needs to overcome."

Torture. Pressure Grows to Investigate Interrogations "Pressure mounted on President Obama on Monday for more thorough investigation into harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration, even as he tried to reassure the Central Intelligence Agency that it would not be blamed for following legal advice." Cheney: show torture 'success' "Cheney said that, according to secret documents he has seen, the interrogation techniques, which the Obama administration now accepts amounted to torture, delivered 'good' intelligence."

Lobbyist rules. Nonprofit Groups to Push for Exceptions to Lobby Rule "Mr. Obama's anti-lobbyist rules do not distinguish between those who advocate for moneyed interests and those who advocate for public interests."

GM layoffs. GM Set To Trim 1,600 More Jobs "General Motors plans to lay off about 1,600 white-collar workers over the next few days, as the auto giant speeds its cost cutting to qualify for additional federal loans."

Cuba. Cuban-Americans Are Ready for New Era in Relations, Poll Finds "A poll released Monday found that 67 percent of Cuban-Americans now support the removal of all restrictions for travel to Cuba, an 18-point increase from three years ago."

Iran. Ahmadinejad prompts fury with Israel attack "The U.N.'s second conference on racism descended into farce yesterday when President Ahmadinejad of Iran used his address to single out Israel as the 'most cruel and racist regime.'" Iranian Calls Israel Racist at Meeting in Geneva "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran on Monday used the platform of a United Nations conference in Geneva on combating racism to disparage Israel as a 'cruel and repressive racist regime,' prompting delegates from European nations to desert the hall and earning a rare harsh rebuke from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon."

Gaza. Tragedy moves Gazan toward peace "Despite his trauma, the Palestinian doctor, who for 15 years has delivered babies and helped infertile couples in Israel and his native Gaza Strip, did something all too rare in the history of a conflict in which the three-week Israeli offensive was merely the latest chapter. He vowed to try to unite Israelis and Palestinians instead of seeking revenge."

Iraq. In Iraq, 'Everybody knows somebody killed by the war' "Amir Jabbar doesn't know how many of his friends have been murdered since the Iraq war started six years ago. He stopped counting sometime back in 2007. The numbers just got too high, he said."

Mexico. Drug cartels keep Catholic officials in fear "Father Manuel Corral, a spokesman for the Mexican Bishops Conference, said Monday that priests in eight Mexican states have been threatened with harm or death, presumably by drug traffickers."

Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka 'assault' deadline passes "The deadline set by the Sri Lankan government for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to surrender or face a 'final assault' has passed without the LTTE surrendering." Sri Lanka Gives Rebels 24 Hours to Surrender After Civilians Escape War Zone "The Sri Lankan government gave the Tamil Tiger rebels 24 hours to surrender Monday after as many as 35,000 civilians, allegedly being held by rebels as human shields, poured through a broken rebel barricade to flee the last Tiger stronghold, officials said."

Afghanistan. U.S. 'regrets' Afghan civilian deaths "The senior U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan has apologized for civilian casualties caused by international forces, saying there is not enough money in the world to replace the loss of an Afghan life."

Editorial. Immigration and the Unions (New York Times) "The very idea that unions would endorse legalizing illegal immigrants, as the country's two big labor federations did this month, strikes some as absurd. Americans have a hard enough time competing with cheap foreign labor. Why undercut them within our own borders? Especially with millions of citizens losing their jobs?"

Opinion. Children in Peril (Bob Herbert, New York Times) "Official statistics are not yet readily available, but there is little doubt that poverty and family homelessness are rising, that the quality of public education in many communities is deteriorating and that legions of children are losing access to health care as their parents join the vastly expanding ranks of the unemployed."