The latest news on Torture Prosecutions, Torture Methods, Education, Volunteer Service Bill, Immigration, Earth Day, Bailout Lobbying, World Recession, Racism Summit, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Israel-Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Colombia.

Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »

Torture prosecutions? Obama Says Bush Officials Behind Interrogation Policy Could Be Prosecuted "President Obama yesterday declined to rule out legal consequences for Bush administration officials who authorized the harsh interrogation techniques applied to 'high-value' terrorism suspects, saying the attorney general should determine whether they broke the law." Obama open to inquiry on CIA tactics "President Obama said Tuesday that he would not rule out prosecuting senior Bush administration officials who provided the legal rationale for harsh interrogation techniques used against detainees in the war on terrorism." Barack Obama hints that George Bush 'torture lawyers' may be prosecuted "President Obama acknowledged yesterday that lawyers from the Bush Administration who drafted memos authorizing the use of harsh interrogation methods on terror suspects could potentially face prosecution."

Torture methods. Senate panel: Military agency had hand in developing CIA interrogation methods "A U.S. military agency that trains troops to resist and survive torture offered critical help in developing harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA." In Adopting Harsh Tactics, No Inquiry Into Their Past Use"The program began with Central Intelligence Agency leaders in the grip of an alluring idea: They could get tough in terrorist interrogations without risking legal trouble by adopting a set of methods used on Americans during military training. How could that be torture?"

Education. Large Urban-Suburban Gap Seen in Graduation Rates "It is no surprise that more students drop out of high school in big cities than elsewhere. Now, however, a nationwide study shows the magnitude of the gap: the average high school graduation rate in the nation's 50 largest cities was 53 percent, compared with 71 percent in the suburbs."

Volunteer service bill. Obama Signs Volunteer Bill With Nod to Kennedy Era "President Obama on Tuesday became the latest Democratic president to emulate John F. Kennedy's call for national service as he signed legislation to triple the size of the Americorps program and called on Americans to volunteer time to improve their communities." Obama signs bill expanding national service programs "The legislation, which had broad bipartisan support, authorizes an expansion of AmeriCorps and other national service programs."

Immigration. Colleges Push Tuition Aid for Illegal Immigrants "Wading into the politically charged immigration debate, a group of colleges and universities is urging Congress to give illegal immigrants tuition aid and a path to citizenship in light of efforts in several states to block them." College Board steps into the immigration debate "The College Board is supporting legislation that would offer some undocumented youths a path to citizenship through college or the military."

Earth Day. On Earth Day, Obama pushes ambitious climate agenda "President Bill Clinton marked Earth Day in 1994 by promising to 'green' the White House from its landscaping to its copy machines. But President Barack Obama and his supporters pledged themselves to a far more ambitious goal on Tuesday - combating climate change all over the world."

Bailout lobbying. Firms Infused With Rescue Cash Find Money to Fund Lobbying "Top recipients of federal bailout money spent more than $10 million on political lobbying in the first three months of this year, including aggressive efforts aimed at blocking executive pay limits and tougher financial regulations."

World recession. IMF says world facing recession "The IMF says this represents 'by far the deepest post-World War II recession' with an actual decline in output in countries making up 75% of the world economy."

Racism summit. U.N. seeks to salvage racism summit "Delegates at a United Nations conference on racism have agreed on a final declaration calling on the global community to combat intolerance." U.N. conference: Economic crisis could fuel hatred "The world racism conference looked beyond the Middle East on Wednesday to concerns over the economic crisis, with speakers warning that increased joblessness could lead to greater intolerance of foreigners if governments fail to act."

Sri Lanka. Hundreds killed in Sri Lanka violence "Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured as the Sri Lankan army attempts to wipe out the remaining Tamil Tiger fighters cornered in the narrow strip of coastline still held by the rebels, the Red Cross said today." Bloodbath fear as army pushes to Tamil enclave "The Red Cross warned of a humanitarian catastrophe yesterday as the Sri Lankan Army prepared for a final assault on the last pocket of rebel-held territory where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped." Sri Lankans flee 'hellish' war zone "Sri Lankan refugees escaping the last remaining stronghold of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have described to Al Jazeera the hellish conditions they have endured."

South Africa. Predicted ANC Win Has Some Asking: Is South Africa Becoming a One-Party State? "As many as 23 million South Africans will cast ballots Wednesday in an election featuring a new opposition party that has sought to attract disenchanted ANC voters." South Africans Vote, Expecting Few Big Changes "Disappointment was running deep among South Africans as they voted Wednesday. In one recent poll, fewer than half of them thought they were better off now than they were under apartheid." Desmond Tutu casts 'heart-searching' vote in South African elections "The former archbishop Desmond Tutu said today that casting his vote in the fourth South African democratic elections required 'more heart-searching' than in previous years."

Israel-Palestine. Obama invites Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian leaders for talks "Declaring a need to defeat growing cynicism about the prospects for Mideast peace, President Obama has invited the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian territories to the White House for separate talks over the next six weeks." Obama invites Middle East heads "U.S. officials say the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians have been invited for talks in Washington in a new push for Middle East peace." Israel Puts Iran Issue Ahead of Palestinians "The new Israeli government will not move ahead on the core issues of peace talks with the Palestinians until it sees progress in U.S. efforts to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and limit Tehran's rising influence in the region." Poll: 80% of both peoples want 2 states "The poll was commissioned by the One Voice organization, an NGO of Israelis and Palestinians which seeks to promote the voices of moderates on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian conflict."

Afghanistan. Military situation in Afghanistan will get worse, Petraeus says "General David Petraeus, architect of the U.S. military surge credited with dramatically reducing violence in Iraq, told a forum at the John F. Kennedy School of Government yesterday that the military situation in Afghanistan will probably deteriorate in the near term."

Pakistan. Pakistani Taliban who dominate Swat Valley tighten their grip on neighboring district "Taliban militants in Pakistan's Swat Valley have extended their grip to a neighboring northwest district, officials said Wednesday, patrolling roads and broadcasting radio sermons in the latest sign that a government-backed peace deal has actually emboldened the extremists."

Iran. 'Evolved' firebrand faces Ahmadinejad "Chances of dislodging Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may rest with a former hard-line prime minister who lacks charisma but vows to soften Iran's extremist image."

Colombia. Wider Drug War Threatens Colombian Indians "As Colombia's war for control of the drug trade intensifies in frontiers like this one, with new combatants vying for smuggling routes and coca-growing areas where Indians eke out a meager existence, it is adding to the already grave toll on the nation's indigenous groups."