The latest news on Torture, Obama Job Approval, Autoworkers, Abortion, Obama at Notre Dame, Economic Crisis and Poverty, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iran, North Korea, U.S.-Russia Nuclear Talks, South Africa, and Kenya - Piracy Court.

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Torture. U.S. to reveal alleged prison abuse photos "The Obama administration agreed late Thursday to release dozens of photographs depicting alleged abuses at U.S. prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Bush White House." Obama Resisting Push for Interrogation Panel "The White House and the Democratic leadership in the Senate signaled on Thursday that they would block for now any effort to establish an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's approval of harsh interrogation techniques." In Obama's Inner Circle, Debate Over Memos' Release Was Intense "As President Obama met with top advisers on the evening of April 15, he faced one of the sharpest policy divides of his young administration." Fallout threatens to spread to Britain "The fallout from President Obama's decision to release the torture memos now threatens to embroil the British Government."

Obama job approval. Obama job approval rating above 60% "Despite ongoing economic problems and political fighting in Washington, nearly two-thirds of Americans approve of President Obama's performance as he approaches his 100th day in the White House." Public on Obama: A 'strong' opening "His opening months in the Oval Office have fortified Barack Obama's standing with the American public, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, giving him political capital for battles ahead."

Autoworkers. Auto Retirees Brace for Hardship "As the Obama administration prepares to send Chrysler into bankruptcy court, with General Motors possibly to follow, one of the biggest losers may be the automakers' current and future retirees, a group of nearly 1 million people who could see their pensions and health-care funds slashed by tens of billions of dollars."

Abortion. Kansas gov vetoes bill on late-term abortions as she awaits confirmation to U.S. Cabinet job "Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a bill Thursday that would have rewritten Kansas' restrictions on late-term abortions, questioning whether it was constitutional and suggesting it would cause 'intimidation' of doctors."

Obama at Notre Dame. Arlington bishop hits invite to Obama "Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde has become the 46th Catholic bishop in the U.S. to publicly castigate the University of Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to give this year's commencement speech and grant to him an honorary doctorate."

Economic crisis and poverty. World Bank: Financial meltdown is impeding efforts to attain U.N. goals to ease poverty "The global economic crisis has stymied the international community's effort to halve extreme poverty by 2015 and meet other goals to reduce hunger, fight disease and get young children to school, the World Bank warned on Friday."

Pakistan. Defiant Taliban Forces Advance To Within 60 Miles of Islamabad "Taliban forces consolidated control of two northwestern Pakistan districts and sent patrols into a third Thursday, stepping up their defiance of a government peace deal and raising fears of further advances by violent Islamists who are now within 60 miles of this capital city." U.S. Questions Pakistan's Will to Stop Taliban "As the Taliban tightened their hold over newly won territory, Pakistani politicians and American officials on Thursday sharply questioned the government's willingness to deal with the insurgents and the Pakistani military's decision to remain on the sidelines." Taliban Advance, Pakistan's Wavering Worry Obama Team "The Obama administration reacted with increasing alarm yesterday to ongoing Taliban advances in Pakistan, warning the Pakistani government that failure to take action against the extremists could endanger its partnership with the United States as well as American strategy in neighboring Afghanistan." Pentagon chief in Taliban warning "U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned Pakistan that relations with the U.S. will be threatened unless Islamabad combats the rise of the Taliban."

Iraq. Two Blasts Kill More Than 80 In Iraq "Two large suicide bombings Thursday renewed fears among Iraqis that Sunni insurgents are regaining strength and lethality as the U.S. military has started disassembling its massive wartime architecture." 80 Are Killed in 3 Suicide Bombings in Iraq "At least 80 people died and 120 others were injured Thursday in three bombings, one by a female suicide bomber in Baghdad who, Iraqi officials said, held a young child's hand as she set off her explosives among a group of women and children receiving emergency food aid." Official report, other data show more than 110,600 Iraqi deaths "The number is a minimum count. The official who provided the data to the AP, on condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity, estimated the actual number of deaths at 10 to 20 percent higher, because of thousands who are still missing and civilians who were buried without official records."

Afghanistan. Afghan veterans offer stories from 7-year US involvement "The veterans of the Afghan war testified yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about a seven-year conflict that has attracted little debate, even as President Obama sends reinforcements to take on the Taliban." Democrats Have Qualms Over War in Afghanistan "Congressional Democrats are voicing increased concern about the Obama administration's plans to escalate military involvement in Afghanistan and to try to stabilize the rapid deterioration in Pakistan, complicating the push by the White House for $83.4 billion in war spending and other aid." Gates tells Marines going to Afghanistan that more civilians needed there for nonbattle tasks "Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday told Marines being deployed to Afghanistan that a U.S. victory there would look similar to progress in Iraq, but he cautioned that more civilians with skills beyond the battlefield will be needed."

Mexico. Mexican president proposes expanding army's power in drug-plagued areas "A bill that would let Mexico declare temporary states of emergency and expand the army's power in a bloody fight against powerful drug gangs drew immediate fire from human rights activists who say soldiers should not be doing the job of police."

Iran. Iran preparing new proposals to restart stalled talks on nuclear program "Iran is preparing a set of new proposals aimed at restarting talks on the country's nuclear program, Belgium's foreign minister said Thursday." Challenger Mir Hossein Musavi promises change in dealing with Obama "The main challenger in Iran's looming presidential race yesterday sent a message of conciliation to President Obama and the West, setting out a starkly different approach to the provocative policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." Clinton: 'Israel may lose Arab support on Iran' "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Israel on Thursday that it risks losing Arab support for combating threats from Iran if it rejects peace negotiations with the Palestinians."

North Korea. North Korea 'is fully fledged nuclear power' "The world's intelligence agencies and defense experts are quietly acknowledging that North Korea has become a fully fledged nuclear power with the capacity to wipe out entire cities in Japan and South Korea."

U.S.-Russia nuclear talks. U.S. and Russia hold nuclear talks "The talks in Rome are the first step towards replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start I), signed in 1991, which runs out in December."

South Africa. ANC heads for two-thirds of vote "The African National Congress (ANC) is heading for a decisive victory in South Africa's general election, taking more than two-thirds of the vote so far." South Africa's ANC teeters on edge of supermajority "Partial election returns show the dominant party in South Africa running slightly behind its last showing. The question is whether it will continue being able to alter the constitution at will." ANC celebrates S Africa vote lead "Thousands of African National Congress (ANC) supporters have celebrated with Jacob Zuma, the ANC leader, in central Johannesburg as the ruling party took a commanding lead in South Africa's general election."

Kenya - piracy court. The West Turns to Kenya as Piracy Criminal Court "Kenya is emerging as the venue of choice for piracy cases and an important piece of the worldwide crackdown on piracy. The spate of recent hijackings off Somalia's coast has stiffened international resolve."