Iraq government: Iraqi president expects Saddam trial in 2 months + Iraq PM vows extra security as nine killed in air crashes

War prisons: Gitmo Detainees Say They Were Sold + Three trials, three whitewashes: US military ratifies murder of Iraq prisoners

AFGHANISTAN: Afghans raid desert 'drug bazaar' + Circus at last comes to Afghan capital

MIDDLE EAST: Saudi King Fahd is well and progressing - defense minister

Egyptian women demand apology from Mubarak

Israel, Palestine: Hamas boycott halts Gaza re-vote + Palestinian revote postponed, defusing Hamas boycott threat + Israel able to defend if they pull out of Golan + Israel, South Africa revive defense ties +  Israel's 'Mr. TV' Gets Political

RUSSIA: Russia's Khodorkovsky jailed for 9 years + Exiled in Israel, former oil tycoon denounces verdict in Russian trial + Pravad: Yukos case ends with 9 years for its former CEO + Details on the Guilty Verdict  + From Bottom to Top and Back Down Again, Khodorkovsky's Life an Allegory of Modern Russia

Russia and Syria sign deal on Syrian debt repayment

Russia agrees to pull troops from Georgia by 2008

EUROPE: Blair in battle for heart of Europe

France:  Chirac appeals for French unity + Analysis: France blows a fuse + Q&A: EU constitution - next steps + Profile: Dominique de Villepin + Chirac appoints Villepin as new prime minister after EU debacle + There may be no going back to 'old' Europe + France refuses to grow up + Is There Life After a Dutch No? + 'No' vote well ahead on last day of Dutch EU constitution campaign

Stardom:  AN FU TO THE EU

EU Trade Chief Says Negotiated Settlement to Textiles Dispute With China Is Possible

U.S. bringing trade case against EU over Airbus

Pope backs boycott of Italy's referendum on assisted fertility

Billionaire George Soros Downplays Role in Georgia's Rose Revolution

CENTRAL ASIA: Oil pipeline completed: a sign of rising great power rivalry in Central Asia

AFRICA: Sudan Conflict Leaves Millions of Refugees in Limbo

ASIA PACIFIC: No progress in China-Japan talks + China's farmers fear currency change + Modern China draws inspiration from its greatest explorer

Long fight back for Malaysia's invisible man

AMERICAS: Row over El Salvador Arafat park

Peru's poor -- waiting for water

Record seizure of ammunition in Colombia

Russia Buys Its Way Into Latin America

Norway's Statoil Temporarily Halts Drilling at Venezuela Oil Well

Blood for pork....

Cash is no longer king: Iraq launches credit card

LEAKGATES  Tom Flocco: Missile & remote control systems added to small jets at remote civilian airport before 9-11; same parts found at Pentagon

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Click. Greg Mitchell: Woodward & Bernstein confirm: Felt was "Deep Throat"

Click.  Who is W. Mark Felt? (Deep Throat)

Getting inside al-Zarqawi's message + US Confirms Zarqawi's Voice on New Tape

Terror Suspects Held Without Bail + NY terrorism case 'desperate prosecution' - lawyer

Police see al Qaeda link in Karachi mosque bombing

Al-Qaeda poised in Saudi Arabia

Musharraf indicates Pakistan Qaeda bigwig with U.S. + SPIEGEL Interview with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf: "Who Is Fighting al-Qaida other than Pakistan?"

C.I.A. Expanding Terror Battle Under Guise of Charter Flights

Ex-Shin Bet chief: Israeli assassination policy led to period of calm

New doubts about validity of Hicks charges

Intelligence teams track evolution of enemy bombs

London couple remanded in Israel's biggest industrial espionage case + Bank of Israel Governor Worries on Scandal+ The Bottom Line: Is spying on rivals a crime?+ Computer spy scandal rocks Israel's business community (CCT Reg) + Bezeq Int'l CEO under house arrest in spy case

Justice Dept. to indict two AIPAC staffers under U.S. Espionage Act + Pentagon Analyst In Israel Spy Case Is Called a 'Patriot'+ Franklin admits information disclosure

China Says Hong Kong Journalist It Holds Is a Spy + China: Detained Reporter Admits Spying

Legion of Amateurs: How China Spies

Book: Into al Qaeda's Lair

Her secret life was working with spies

Hans Jorgens Jensen, 79; 1948 Olympic Medalist, CIA Specialist

Security Official Robert H. Johnson Dies

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Supreme Court Overturns Arthur Andersen Conviction re: Destroying Enron documents

Supreme Court Sides With Inmates in Prison Religion Case

Golden years tarnished by abuse. Society begins to pay more attention to mistreatment of elderly

All is not lost in default on SBA loan, bankruptcy

Britons held in £225m drugs raid

Judge's Offer: Church Or Jail

The infuriating but ingenious world of voice recognition

Bullet database cracks '95 murder

Do Search Engines Compete with - or Simply Publicize -- Online News Outlets? Calculating Damages If Copyright Infringement Occurs

Department of Justice Joins Whistleblower Suit Against Caremark

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Students Imagine Design's Future

Intel installs processor plant in Sichuan

IRobot: from sci-fi to practical tools (SJM Reg)

Are we ready for robot cars?

Alex Ross on recording technology

AI Seduces Stanford Students

RSS Updates Moving Beyond Pings

Meet You at MySpace

Intel, AMD in Dual-Core Duel

The Best Mac Dashboard Widgets

How Apple Will Change Podcasting

Europe Home to Majority of Zombies

New way to open Aladdin's Cave

Google monster spreads web as rivals struggle for breath

Unveiling The High Energy Milky Way Reveals 'Dark Accelerators'

Lab Simulator Packs Teaching Power Of Electron Microscope At The Expense Of A Textbook

Harvard, Texas A&M Scientists Develop New Laser

Monster Super Star Cluster Discovered In Milky Way

Researchers Pursue Blast-resistant Steel Using New Tomograph

CONNECT THE DOTS....

The booming and bizarre business of embryo adoption + Catholics Split on Embryo Issue

Mayors from around the world, set to address environment at San Francisco conference

History is littered with lots of hoaxes

The vexed status of valedictorians

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

United Airlines' Mechanics Ratify Deal to avert strike

How to create a billion-dollar movie franchise

With Live8, Geldof urges G8 to stamp out poverty + World's 'biggest music event' in two decades to be unveiled in London + Full line-up

A Summer of Discontent for Labor Focuses on Its Leader's Fitness for His Job

Microsoft faces fines as EU deadline looms

Bank of China to sell 10 billion dollar stake to investors

Asia's exports slip on oil

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Brazil Orders Slaughter of 17,000 Chickens Suffering From Mystery Illness

How Bad is Bird Flu for Birds?

Treated Fabric Kills Anthrax Spores + Antibodies From Plants Protect Against Anthrax

MILITARY Willits: Missing Vietnam-era pilot's remains verified. DNA tests show bones kept by militiaman farmer are Lee Adams'

Injured soldier's treatment criticized (SB Reg)

Japan can't verify reports about WWII soldiers

New Twist In Cadet Sex Scandal

DOD's Isolationist Tactics + Tangle over US bases + US military in a twilight zone

Defense Transformation in Iraq and Afghanistan

Top brass not expected at Hackworth funeral 

Study calms fears over stem cells

Statins under prescribed

How drug companies keep tabs on physicians

Cruel disease turns sufferers into statues. UCSF starting world's 2nd center on rare disorder that causes crippling bone growth + Families dig deep for research funds

Hospitals use video technology to help patients

Kaiser's Prescription for Medicine is Digital (LAT Reg)

Hoping to Beat Valley Fever (LAT Reg)

Doctor: 'Mermaid' Baby Ready for Surgery

Surrogate Mom Delivers Eight Babies in Seven Years

'Complicated Grief' Goes Beyond Depression

Canada Red Cross used HIV blood

Indonesia starts anti-polio blitz

Fast-freeze 'boosts egg survival'

Llamas 'offer path to new drugs'

Evidence that psychopaths are born not made

Cancerous Or Harmless? Three Genes Might Tell The Tale

Researchers Trace Evolution To Relatively Simple Genetic Changes

Risky Surgery Not Always Necessary To Treat Cervical Disease

Neuroimaging Confirms The Greater Vulnerability Of Women's Brains To Alcohol

Inner Life Of Sea Squirts: Innovative Study Finds Way To 'Bio-synthesize' An Anti-cancer Compound

When Young People Get Parkinson's Disease

Weathering the Extremes of Bipolar Disorder

Beyond Lithium For Bipolar Disorder

Benefits Of Lung Cancer Screening With CT Questioned

RIT Takes Eye-tracking Research To Next Level

Don't Believe The Hype -- Mineral Oil Won't Give You Zits

New Insight Into People Who 'See' Colors In Letters And Numbers

Infant Vernier Acuity Is Comparable To That Of Adults

Scientists Identify New Model Of NK Cell Development

How Australia's ice age mega marsupial met its match

Deep-sea Tremors May Provide Early Warning System For Larger Earthquakes

Researchers Estimate Polluted O.C. Beaches Cost Public $3.3 Million Annually

Targeting Mutant B-Raf Protein Reduces Melanoma Development

New Research Indicates A 'Troubled' Greenhouse Is Brewing

What's Really Making You Sick? Plant Pathologists Offer The Science Behind Sick Building Syndrome

THE BUSHWORLD...

Cheney: Iraq War to End by 2009

Bush Tells Reporters: Yes, Iraq Is America's 'Golden Moment' + Bush denies losing clout, vows to press on + Calls Human Rights Report 'Absurd' + Is pleased with progress in Iraq

Bush faces GOP shift on stem cells

U.S. Official Urges Russia Investment Laws

The President's eyes, ears and dog-sitter

Iran: Iran 'tests new missile engine' + Buying time on Iran + Perle's statements re: bombing Iran

Syria, Lebanon: Senator Biden has a unique chance to encourage Lebanon's democratic process + Mr. Assad, take down our wall + Syria moves briskly toward stalemate

N. Korea: Bush says diplomatic options remain on North Korea + Cheney hits Kim for push on nukes

Other foreign: French vote is bad news for U.S - analysts + Washington protects anti-Castro Cuban terrorist from Venezuelan authorities

Domestic: Mississippi: Wilderness Site May See Oil Drilling + Washington: Federal buildings barely open to the public + States say $5.15 an hour too little + Parents sought as new political force, i.e. lobbyists

Social Security: $2,000 savings ends SSI eligibility + Robert Rubin Urges Dems To Hold Firm On Social Security

Congress: Judicial Compromise Leaves Bitterness + GOP Hid Wilderness Drilling Approval In War Supplemental + Congress Faces New Task: On the Subject of `Strategic Bankruptcy' + The "Charitable Choice" Bill That was Recently Passed by the House

Democrats: Math Doesn't Add Up for a Democrat-Run Senate (LAT Reg) + Expose: Bill White House a madhouse + The Democrats' Woman Problem

GOP: Florida: Waiting for Harris has GOP antsy + Spokane Mayor Goes on TV to Deny Newspaper's Charges

Washington election trial: Elections director biased, GOP suggests + Cross-examination resumes + Reporter's Notebook: 2 who've appeared before Judge Bridges call him "fair"

OPINIONS:

Is Bush using up "political capital" on early second-term battles?

Bushism of the Day

Palestinian president fawns on Bush

GOP vs. National Health Agency

Okrent vs. Krugman: The Latest (and Last) Round

Test Syndication of 'Huffington Post' Begins Monday

'Deep Throat ' Story Put Woodward on Spot, But He Sticks to His Guns

Was It Proper for 'WP' Reporter to Talk to Plame Prosecutor?

Frist Blew It

Laura Bush's happy face shtick falls flat in the Middle East

American mythology: Kansas is the Land of Oz

Jeffrey Steinberg: U.S. Nuclear First-Strike Doctrine Is Operational

State of the State Secrets: Justin Raimondo

Paul Wolfowitz, Trigger Man: Andrew Bacevich

Molly Ivins: Catapulting the propaganda

HP stakes bid to dominate ID market

FEC treads into sticky web of political blogs

Judge OKs Seize Of Minors' Records from Planned Parenthood

Terry Schiavo legal team joins religious fight over Napa school mural (CCT Reg)

Chico: New Marin recruitment center draws protests

The Proposal to Reauthorize and Expand Parts of the USA PATRIOT Act: Why It's Unnecessary and, In Some Respects, Dangerous

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond: Israel: One in four young homosexuals were physically attacked in 2004 + Texas lawmakers kill gay foster parent ban + Anglican Church of England Will Allow Gay Clergy to “Marry” + Gay Marriage in Native America + Group Launches Boycott Of Ford Over Gay Issues

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

Fox News Admits Bias!

Newspapers face up to new media

Random format comes to radio to please iPod generation

Confessional blogs

Hong Kong Reporter Being Held By China

Top 100 Speeches by Rank

Diane targets Tiara

Today's papers

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Lodi: New kid on the tourism block

Marin Profile: Broadcaster Barry Tompkins

Antioch: County fair set to open Thursday

Oakland: Tough past can't hold rapper back

Carmel: Growing up with artistic giants

Baseball reliquary (LAT Reg)

The Cutting and Pounding You Hear Is a Brachiosaurus in the Making (LAT Reg)

Cartoonists' Convention in Sacramento

Elaborate 4.5-acre Chinese garden planned

NYC Ballet premiers 4 new works

Mystery of the smiling Buddha that arrived as a gift from the tsunami

Feminism & Art : Louise Bourgeois

Happy 60th Birthday, Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Work begins on medieval siege catapult

Mack White: Plan 9 from Nellis Air Force base

It's Paris match for life

Rush & Molloy: New tower-power on the block: Ivana

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: An Ice-capade makes club definitely hot

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:  Gov, announces plan to train more teachers + Business helps fund state's math/science teacher initiative + Gov. speaks at UC Irvine (OC Reg) + Two measures take drastic aim at unions' clout + Unions rally to protest Schwarzenegger budget + Editorial: Beyond outrageous. Public pension unions back at pension trough (SB Reg) + Dan Walters: How many and who would turn out for a special election? (SB Reg) + Spending Plans Fall Victim to Politics + The buzz: Gov.'s ad called a commercial for donors (SB Reg) + Demonstrations against prison spending target Fresno, 3 other cities (FB Reg) + Trying times for teachers (RP Reg) + California screaming (at Gov.) + Dan Walters: Arnie, Jerry and Willie: Capitol's political theatrics get ever better (SB Reg) + California's 'Gov. Moonbeam' still stirring things up + Shelter plan has neighbors unhappy

Audit finds Dept General Services could cut prescription drug bills by being savvy about buying medications for other state agencies (SB Reg)

State a leader in curtailing flow of waste to landfills, incinerators

Forest Service May Sell Some Staff Facilities (LAT Reg)

Legislature: Some lawmakers feel uncomfortable about accepting raise + Lawmaker Torlakson wants 2 years of gym for students + Speier bill to require records encryption on state employees' laptops + Legislatures may fill gap left by expired piercing law

Indian tribes: Study blasts San Pablo bingo plan + [I. Nelson Rose] Study Blasts Bingo Plan. Electronic form of game becomes the center of battle for Casino San Pablo + Sweet spot for high rollers. Revenue play includes selling luxury to big money players + Tribal council: Casino still on. Council sees Schwarzenegger proclamation as no obstacle + JAMES MAY: Schwarzenegger Proclamation On Off-Reservation Gaming Issued

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

Inmate worker program faces test (SB Reg)

California winemakers seek state solution

Diabetic's road tragedy raises thorny questions (SJM Reg)

TV, Radio Give Legal Advice to Immigrants (LAT Reg)

Sex offender data base often outdated, incomplete (RP Reg)

Minority judgeships still rare (RP Reg)

Sacramento & north: Yuba City: Thieves target farm labor (SB Reg) + R.E. Graswich: City pursues program to pair social workers with police on patrols (SB Reg) + San Mateo home prices No.1 in U.S. + Stockton family supporting Nedow's Pledge suit leaves town

San Francisco, San Mateo: Crackdown nets hundreds of DUI arrests + Redwood City: Coroner releases name of man on Caltrain tracks + Estranged son returns to rip off mother

Alameda: Romanowski pays $415,000 to Williams + Program designed to ease court process for elderly + Juvenile hall rape may have roots in budget + Transient found dead after Oakland stabbing + Police search at tower for caped crusader fruitless + Oakland police rookies shot at

Santa Clara: Police reforms lag in East P.A. (SJM Reg) + Drunken driving arrests up (SJM Reg) + 1 dead, 3 hurt in shooting (SJM Reg)

Sonoma: Sebastopol police seeking missing man

Napa: Long weekend for suspect in '96 murder

Solano: Still no suspect in Grant murder + Vallejo Police Calls + Benicia Police Calls

Monterey: Five arrested in Lake San Antonio brawl + Fugitive won their hearts -- and wallets

Central Valley: Prosecutors in Peterson case kept close tabs on media + Police tight-lipped about girl's death + Law & Order

Southern California: OC: secret data on priests' treatment released (CCT Reg) + Suspect in Thousand Oaks double slaying allegedly wounds deputy + Bakersfield: Ex-vice principal's hearing to begin re: murdering his family + Lynwood: Spate of Violence Leaves 6 Dead, 8 Hurt (LAT Reg) + San Bernardino Mountains: Skull, Bones May Be Those of Missing Elsinore Boy (LAT Reg) + Orange County: Jury awards $1.6 million to fired whistleblower employee who says county investigator harassed him at home (OC Reg)

Michael Jackson: Alcohol charge against Michael Jackson is reduced + Jackson 'may never befriend another child' + Jackson's father says family devastated + Trial has Left Jacko 'A Nervous Wreck'

LOCAL NEWS:   Separation of church, state contested in fight to preserve California's Missions (CCT Reg)

Vallejo: Wild horses, burros up for adoption

Hospital giant Sutter Health plays hardball on many fronts + Sutter Health CEO to move on

Editorial: Calling all tree huggers (SB Reg)

Toxin causing illness, death among California's sea lions

Sacramento & north: Six drown over holiday (SB Reg) + Take note: New CDs hit library (SB Reg) + Editorial: Delta diplomacy (SB Reg) + News in brief from Northern California + Washington Market condemned + Chico: Bidwell Park, the park that never was

San Francisco, San Mateo: SF General and Alameda County Hospital to share interpreters (CCT Reg) + SF could go ‘green' with purchasing + Muni budget heads toward final hurdles + SF: Hotel owners ready to make contract pitch + P.J. Corkery: North Beach, N.Y.C. and Cannes capers + + Menlo Park: Driver killed after slamming into SUV + Strike threats loom over United Airlines + + Burlingame: Reality TV bounty hunter comes to town + + San Mateo County brush fires could be first of many

Alameda: Parcel taxes on ballot in 3 cities next week. Palo Alto, Alameda, Piedmont will vote on school funding + Exercise is God's Gym commandment (CCT Reg) + Castro Valley farmers market opens (CCT Reg) + Union City bans July 4 block parties + Uncertain future for union of Fox and Paramount theaters + Oakland Port's budget outlook is good + Oakland: New academic leader is hired for city schools + Livermore seeks Vulcan gravel plan studies + Grove pays tribute to war's casualties + Mirassou wine family to bid adieu to San Jose and move to Livermore + Alameda gossip + Moral Values Come to the Bay Area

Santa Clara: End of San Jose's oldest winery + New S.J. centers to strain resources (SJM Reg) + Teenagers showcase talents in S.J. show (SJM Reg) + Tech should work here of all places (SJM Reg) + Ways to burn less gasoline and spend fewer dollars (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Concord's base plans accelerate (CCT Reg)+ Three-car accident on Highway 4 snarls traffic (CCT Reg) + Danville dedicates All Wars Memorial

Marin: Changes ahead for schools in Mill Valley + New MV school chief excited

Sonoma: Global warming tackled on county level + 'Deep Throat' mystery points to SR man + Safe holiday weekend on North Coast + Sebastiani joins push to restrict teen abortions + Adobe soil holds this former drifter + If you park there, you'll be watched + Windsor sees pool dreams evaporate + One last Mondavi vintage + 'Incubator' envisioned for former Agilent site

Napa: School safety program at the crossroads + Bicyclist dies in accident + Controversy over mural grows + Still feeling ripples from Measure P + Competing measures in Congress on immigrant labor + Napa's has a new rolling pet-mobile

Solano: Free CDs aren't a big thrill to county libraries, schools + Vallejo school budget to be unveiled + Vallejo council calls off meeting + County prepares for massive computer switch + A family affair--Grandparents provide nest for several generations

Monterey: Occupancy condition for purchase of home + Your town + Carmel: Growing up with artistic giants

Central Valley: School books may go on diet + Aging Latinos' future clouded + A year later, slain teen's family still feeling pain + Tenet says Doctors center to stay open + Picnic an Assyrian family reunion + Credit cards are the real threat with student debt + Outdoor education + Paramedic students learn ropes + Blogger in Senegal has roots in valley + Former Turlock publisher, 71, dies + Owners not digging costs to clean up Jamestown pit + News & Notes + Stanislaus: Affordable apartments show the possibilities + Walls going up around older homes, newer Modestans

Central Coast: Back to Basics: Physicians take tools, supplies, skills to Peru’s wilderness + Sacrifice remembered, honored at historic Santa Cruz cemetery + Longtime colleagues at Gateway School leaving a way of life + Woof to Woof hopes to fetch donations for visually impaired + Arts Commission honors students for poetry entries + Coast Lines + News briefs from California's Central Coast

Southern California: Roads shut as Glendale awaits storm funds + News briefs from San Diego County + Villaraigosa's Big Team (LAT Reg) + Sudanese Refugees Reunite to Plan Future (LAT Reg) + News briefs from Southern California + San Diego: No turning back once City employee opts for DROP

School days: On-campus housing studied as way to retain faculty + McClatchy High students trying to educate others about Darfur (SB Reg) + Changes ahead for schools in Mill Valley + New MV school chief excited + Fremont schools receive once-over + Oakland: New academic leader is hired for city schools + Tracy: Trustees get first look at Kimball + For class of 2006, exit test for keeps + The day the music died in Redwood City schools (SJM Reg) + San Francisco: Summer school cuts challenge parents + Vallejo cool budget to be unveiled + Alumni Go to the Head of the Class as Teachers (LAT Reg) + Stockton districts fight dropout rates

Iraq government: Iraqis wary of new prime minister's strategy + Schools enjoy rejuvenation, but they're still vulnerable + Kurds Still Without Govt: Mhd. Abdulqadir + Sunni elite moves toward an accommodation with US occupation of Iraq

War prisons: Probe finds Quran was not flushed. Military inquiry cites mishandling of Muslim holy book + U.S. SEAL innocent of abusing Iraqi suspect lawyer+ U.S. general assails 'shrill' Guantanamo criticism + No Accountability for Bagram

MIDDLE EAST: Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Is Taken to Riyadh Hospital, Saudi Press Reports + Saudi King Fahd doing well in hospital

EUROPE: "Yes" camp campaigns furiously in France ahead of EU treaty vote + Turmoil as Chirac Plans to Disregard 'No' Vote

Germany ratifies EU constitution, hopes to boost French 'yes' lobby

Blair wins Italy's support for G8 plan but challenges remain

Stardom: PORTUGAL: A COUNTRY IN CRISIS

Belfast sees hope for unity in Titanic project

Turnabout for Turkey

AFRICA: Annan Meets With Sudanese Officials on Darfur as Women Say War Crimes Suspects Should Be Tried at Home

SUDAN: Europe Will Equip African Union Peacekeepers

ASIA PACIFIC: Former President Clinton Says Enough Money Is Available for Tsunami Recovery Rebuilding

Islamabad Bombing Kills 50, Injures 200 at Shrine, Ambulance Service Says

India digs deep for commerce and security

AMERICAS: Bolivia gas protesters cut capital's airport road, clash with police + Permanent unrest splits Bolivia

Thousands of People March Against Disappearance, Killings in Mexican Border City

Russian Trials: What Justice?

Intelligence vital to stable democracy

Senate Intel Committee Considers PATRIOT Act Expansion Bill in Secret

Marine tank's biblical name draws hefty criticism

Drama students learn tough lesson: Dubya's no joke

Congressman wants anti-Semitic rhetoric banned from Arab textbooks

A motorcycle Mecca stirs up questions of race

Vampire bat debate: To kill or not to kill

Photographing the 60's Revolution

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev claims responsibility for Moscow's blackout

Regents vote to make a bid for Los Alamos. Northrop Grumman drops out, leaving field to UC and Texas + UC faces just one challenger in fight for lab

Homeland Security Deports Member of Terror Group Linked to Al-Qaida

Xymphora: Who are the insurgents?

INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS: JSTARS Roams the Wild West

FBI has OKC bomb documents it is reluctant to give up

Pentagon Analyst In Israel Spy Case Is Called a 'Patriot' + Franklin Affidavit

Executive charged with corporate espionage against rival firm

KCIA Chief Ordered Predecessor’s Killing

Russia: 'Names That Should Have No Place On The Map Of Russia'

Think before you sing `Hatikva'

Russian Trials: What Justice?

Intelligence vital to stable democracy

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Amerindo's Alberto Vilar Is Charged With Stealing $5 Million From a Client

British doctors offer blunt tip on knives

U.S. funds fraud case costs Mayo Clinic $6.5 million (SB Reg)

U.S. Indicts 4 Tennessee Lawmakers in Corruption Case + Tenn. Lawmaker Placed Under House Arrest

Ohio Official Resigns Amid Coin Scandal

California turns toward rehabilitating juveniles

Pacific Northwest salmon plan violates species act, judge says

Suspect in Stabbing of Two Children in Nevada Enters Surprise Guilty Plea

Cayman Islands, U.S. Exchange US$2 Million Recovered in Fraud Prosecutions

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Intel Launches Dual-Core Chips for PCs

Google CEO hunts in Microsoft's back yard

Microsoft: Netscape 8 Breaks IE

Mighty Morphing Power Processors

Physicists Control The Flip Of Electron Spin In New Study

NCAR Researcher Sheds Light On Solar Storms

Solid-state Lighting Sources Getting More Energy Efficient And Smart

Rice Unveils 'Green' Microcapsule Production Method

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Astronaut a big booster for careers at NASA. Ex-space station chief reaches out to Asian Americans

Jesuits in the Sciences 1540 - 1995

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Krugman: What happens when housing goes flat?

US economy strong, but relies on 'unprecedented borrowing': IMF

U.S. softens stance on China's Yuan

As TV Moves to the Web, Marketers Follow

SEC gets a taste of its own medicine (SJM Reg)

General Electric sees $5 bln revenues from India by 2010

MILITARY Yuba City church's Vietnam drama helps soldiers put war's trauma behind (SB Reg)

For the Wounded, No Miracle Is Small

Japan Probes WWII Soldiers in Philippines

Anencephaly case tests military's rule on abortion

From tiny Pacific islands comes outsized sacrifice

Tillmans Not Alone Fighting War Secrecy

ARMORED WARFARE: The Need for Speed

Air Force tells commanders to ensure 'religious respect'

C-130J still taking figurative heavy flak

Gold Star Mothers Bar Noncitizen + Incoming President Says Gold Star Organization Could Change Citizenship Rule After Mother Rejected

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Bioscientists: Gods or Monsters?

Click. China says 2 epidemics spreading among livestock and birds.

What Does the Bird Flu Mean For the Birds?

Indonesian pigs have avian flu virus; bird cases double in China

Pfizer Says FDA May Require Viagra Label Warning After Links to Blindness + Blindness reported in some taking impotence pills

Recreational Use Of An Erectile Dysfunction Drug Can Be Risky For Some

Studies link chemicals to genital, breast development

British Medical Experts Campaign for Long, Pointy Knife Control

From Us to Science -- Three Embryos (LAT Reg)

Stem cells as tools to test cardiac drugs (LAT Reg)

The House Call Redux

Ovarian cancer?

Gene therapy could change sports world

Tax May Drain World's Top Sperm Bank

At Long Last, Scientists Figure Out How Plants Grow

Infants With Rare Genetic Disease Saved By Cord Blood Stem Cells

Scientists Inhibit Cancer Gene: Potential Therapy For Up To 30 Percent Of Human Tumors

New Haptics Systems Challenge Stroke Patients To Grasp, Pinch, Squeeze Their Way To Recovery

The Lopsided Brain: Attention Bias Is Shared By Humans And Birds

Duke Engineers Develop New 3-D Cardiac Imaging Probe

Nitric Oxide Finding May Yield Better Cancer Treatments And Blood Substitutes

Patients' Favorite Music During Surgery Lessens Need For Sedative

Grasping Metaphors: UC San Diego Research Ties Brain Area To Figures Of Speech

Home Care Patients Suffering High Rate Of Pneumonia, Complications

Difference In Talking Louder, Talking Over Noise Depends On Verbal Cues, Internal Targets

Increase In Heart Surgery Mortality From SSRIs Or Depression?

Boston University Psychologists Find Neurological Mechanism For Subliminal Learning

Defender Potato Makes Fabulous Fries, Foils Late Blight

Acoustic 3-D Imaging Unveils Swimming Behavior Of Microscopic Ocean Plankton

Drink Less Rather Than Shower Less To Save Water

Largest Red Tide Outbreak In 12 Years In Massachusetts Bay Monitored

Discovery Returns To Vehicle Assembly Building For New Tank

THE BUSHWORLD...

Bush tells USNA grads US winning war on terror

Bush endorses plan to close military bases at Navy graduation + Bush: Money Being Wasted on Unneeded Bases

CBS Poll: Bush increasingly out of touch with American public

U.S. rejects Venezuelan move to extradite Cuban

What Bush is saying when he's talking

After Lashing U.S. Inquiry, Galloway Plans Antiwar Tour

Time is short for a deal with Israel, Abbas tells Bush in symbolic meeting + U.S.: Our position towards Israel is unchanged + Bush: End expansion of settlements

Bolton: Rice Says Bolton Has "rough Edges" but Deserves Confirmation

Iran: U.S. relents on Iranian membership in world trade group. Nuclear activities on hold, Tehran says + Khamenei's Muscle (LAT Reg) + The one-man Rafsanjani show

Syria, Lebanon: Candidates worry about apathy with Lebanon elections set to begin + In Syria, Weighing Risks

Other foreign: Nuclear arms conference collapses without deal

Domestic: Wyoming Opal Find Causes Headaches for Federal Land Managers + Summary Box: Precious Opal Highly Valued Gemstone

Social Security: Social Security card plan aims to curb fraud + NEW PLAN WOULD PUT PICTURES ON SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS

Congress: GOP senators promise new immigrant worker bill + Senators can't agree on expanding FBI power. Intelligence Committee must meet after recess + Offshore drilling bill makes way to Senate floor + Court rules against DeLay PAC official. Critics say decision bolsters other cases tied to GOP leader + Trade bill delayed in Congress (SJM Reg) + 'Pork barrel' projects: A battle of will, wallet + Work on nominees could return Lott to ranks of GOP leadership

Democrats: Former Clinton aide acquitted + Tourists Making 'Billgrimage' Help Put Clinton's Birthplace Back in the Black

GOP: The Frist Problem (LAT Reg) + Gonzales, GOP court Hispanics

Washington election trial: Judge Refuses to Dismiss Challenge to Washington Governor's Election + Clark County admits ballot-reconciliation problems + Cannonfire analyzes vote fraud

OPINIONS:

Why the Bible Belongs in America's Public Schools (LAT Reg)

What Do We Owe the Rest of the World? (LAT Reg)

The Irresistible 'Nazi' Taboo (LAT Reg)

Ahmed Amr: Illegally financing the WMD hoax

The Pipeline From Hell: Justin Raimondo

Afghanistan: An Imperial Dilemma: Alan Bock

America's Uncivil War

Robin Cook: America's broken nuclear promises endanger us all

Gitmo: Just Shut It Down

Biggest US crisis since Second World War. Well, almost

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:   NY's High Court Says Small-Town Mayor Who Tried to Marry Gay Couples Should Face Trial + Microsoft Severs Ties With Ralph Reed

The Pen Is Mightier....

Daniel Schorr: Standing up for news leaks

NBC clashes with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay

Thomas Friedman Urges a Reading of Foreign Press, Then 'Shut Down' Guantanamo

Gonzo in Space: Hunter S. Thompson to be Shot from Cannon

Today's papers

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Annual dinner will celebrate Oakland's resident scoundrel

Annual wind festival blows into San Ramon

Irish roots run deep in Cinnabar's 'Playboy'

San Francisco family's light, dark times

For Sladky, it's a dog's life

China under spell of mighty 'Super Girl'

A Priest Against Hitler

Alex Ross on Peter Sellars and Bill Viola

Hairy problems in creating lemurs

Joshua Redman

New Book Alleges Charles Lindbergh Had Illegitimate Children by Three European Women

Rush & Molloy: Is Jessica ducking 'Dukes' rumors?

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: PMK clients Dart to axed publicist

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:  Gov. dismisses protesters, poll results + Gov. digs fixing potholes. San Jose crews tear up part of road for staged event + Gov. nets more than $2 million in out-of-state trip + Gov. raises $2 million out of state + Unions rally to protest Gov.'s budget + Dan Walters: As state population grows, will we have the energy we'll need? (SB Reg) + Judge will likely undo Gov.'s nurse rules (SB Reg) + Judge backs rule on nurse-patient ratios + Bush aide Mindy Fletcher joins Gov. (SB Reg) + Say 'Not Now' to Raises (LAT Reg) + Warren, Was Your Talk Just an Act? (LAT Reg) + Bill to curb Arnold's fundraising + Gov. Suspects Stallone of Nazi Smear

Locals would have no say in sites of LNG terminals

U.S. treasurer visits capital to push Social Security plan (SB Reg)

Legislature: Assembly says shorter books would help kids (SB Reg) + Campaign funds limit advances for ballot-measure committees (SB Reg) + Exit exam delay out of bill (SB Reg) + Mexican reparation bill passes Senate + Poor grade for lawmakers on child care (OC Reg)

Stem cell panel: California Senate panel passes stem cell controls + Senate panel OKs changes to state's stem cell program. Politicians say they're closing Prop. 71 loopholes + State stem cell sunshine law moves forward (CCT Reg) + Key parts of stem-cell oversight bill axed (SJM Reg)

Indian tribes: Tracks drop lawsuit over gaming pacts + Sonoma County persists in seeking fire inspections at casino + Barstow: Local casino initiative proposed

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

Supreme Court reviews same-sex discrimination case. Country club denied family membership to lesbian couple

High court grants Oakland killer new trial. Burglar shot victim as he beat man who helped steal speaker

Sacramento & north: Ex-Yuba judge files petition for bankruptcy (SB Reg) + Charges doubled, trial delayed for defense attorney Richard Hamlin (SB Reg) + Double speed fines on Hwy. 1 get OK + Sacramento: Prostitution sting nets 45 arrests (SB Reg) + 4 at UCD sued for downloads (SB Reg) + Ceres vintner loses case for 'Napa' label (SB Reg) + Sutter Health data sought by Senator (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: Sureño gang's threat growing in Bay Area. Widow's apartment is at heart of group's Mission District turf + SF: Alleged gang leader indicted in death of federal witness. Six others also accused in three killings, crack ring + Pittsburg man held in killing of doctor. Parolee is son of physician's personal assistant + SF: Federal police officer convicted of falsifying records + SF: Suspect in ramming of police cycle shot + Redwood City: Deal offered to alleged Wells Fargo getaway driver

Alameda: W. Oakland: + Market worker killed in apparent holdup + Shop clerk shot, killed in robbery + Alameda County Juvenile Hall: 3-year- old detainee reports he was raped + Brown wants to criminalize ' sideshow ' spectating + Top state court orders new trial in '99 slaying + Authorities finally put to rest Altamont killing (CCT Reg) + Police: Hells Angel acted alone in infamous concert stabbing + Potential copycat robbers on the prowl + Suspected carjacker arraigned + Pleasanton battles cut-through traffic + Hayward pot dispensary robbed at gunpoint

Santa Clara: SJ: Officer kills man after Taser fails, police say + SJ: Chili finger suspect getting hate mail + DUI suspect held after cyclist, 72, hit (SJM Reg) + Reward doubles in '03 slaying (SJM Reg) + Chili suspect gets hate mail (SJM Reg) + Officer shoots, kills S.J. resident (SJM Reg) + Owner of low-flying aircraft identified (SJM Reg) + East San Jose school leader reduces gang tensions (SJM Reg)+ Police Blotter (SJM Reg) + Saratoga man faces 11 years in prison in scam on elderly (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Plan would limit ex-cons' ownership of certain dogs. Pet's weight, breed or history might determine legality + Aunt brings missing Richmond girl to police (CCT Reg) + Judge OKs church's library room use (CCT Reg) + Pittsburg man held in S.F. death (CCT Reg) + San Ramon woman pleads not guilty to stealing school funds (CCT Reg)

Sonoma: Arguments heard in 1998 Monte Rio killings + Fight sends 3 Petaluma teens to hospital with stab wounds + Police seek RP bank robber

Napa: Off-road driver gets year for vandalism + The unsolved case of Francine Rose. Was it murder or suicide?

Solano: Personal beef or rap war? + Long-time court executive to step down + Two detained in shooting

Monterey: Monterey: Quarry lawsuit hits the wall

Central Valley: Sabatino gets his old attorney back + Caseworker sentencing put off again + Law & Order

Central Coast: Cops and Courts

Southern California: Jury finds Clinton's ex-aide not guilty in fundraising case (LAT Reg) + LA: Another Brawl at Jefferson High (LAT Reg) + Court Refuses to Drop Political Money Laundering Charges (LAT Reg) + Riverside: Zoning Changes Prompt Lawsuit (LAT Reg) + Charges Filed in 1994 O.C. Slaying (LAT Reg) + Fountain Valley: Suspected Drag Racer Is Arrested (LAT Reg) + Man Is Accused of Threatening Judge (LAT Reg) + 2 Agents Say L.A. Police Abused Them (LAT Reg) + Carona's Badge Is Slightly Tarnished (LAT Reg) + 6 arrests at Minuteman rally

Michael Jackson: Both sides rest in Michael Jackson trial + Defense suddenly rests after Jackson accuser appears on video + Rev. Jesse Jackson on Michael Jackson's life after the trial

Annual dinner will celebrate Oakland's resident scoundrel

Annual wind festival blows into San Ramon

Irish roots run deep in Cinnabar's 'Playboy'

San Francisco family's light, dark times

For Sladky, it's a dog's life

LOCAL NEWS:    Yosemite falls and rivers awash with spring runoff. Huge snowpack feeds best show in 10 years

Sacramento & north: Citrus Heights seeks own policing (SB Reg) + Capital roads among worst in U.S., study says (SB Reg) + Happy homecoming: Stranded 14 years, patient arrives on free mercy flight (SB Reg) + Metro Fire board votes for audit of helicopter costs (SB Reg) + Incumbent wins bid to run SEIU local (SB Reg) + R.E. Graswich: Communications breakdown at 911 center will soon be fixed, chief vows (SB Reg) + River cat roundup proceeding well (SB Reg) + Fire district aims to avert deadly weekend on river (SB Reg)+ Sacramento has 8 new police sergeants (SB Reg) + Antelope: Morning marchers to rally for fired coach (SB Reg) + Jefferson Boulevard work to be at night (SB Reg) + Chimes to ring again at auditorium (SB Reg) + El Dorado: Snowmelt to shut part of recreation area (SB Reg) + News in brief from California's North Coast

San Francisco, San Mateo: Transbay project halted + BART OKs fare hike, parking fees. Surcharge of at least 10 cents added per trip; seniors, youth, disabled also must pay more + Bomb found in apartment (SB Reg) + Planning Commission issues compromise + SF: Advocates urge expansion of health insurance program + SF: Clear report on water quality + Russia hangs up its shingle for business in S.F. + Out of control on Lombard Street's curves + Tourist flips SUV on Lombard Street + Oozing corpses raising eyebrows. Health department awaits results of tests on exhibition's bodies + Daly for mayor, no #[email protected]$!* kidding + Millbrae: Police union proposal still being negotiated + South City will ‘stay the course' + Burlingame: Woman hit near Blockbuster suffers broken legs, hip + Baton passes in San Mateo finance office

Alameda: Peace in Berkeley + Claremont resort workers vote to authorize strike + Oakland: New AMTRAK train station caters to sports fans + Groups unite to save Sunol from getting 'dumped' on (CCT Reg) + Uncertain future for union of Fox and Paramount theaters + Oakland: Youths' voices ring through center art + Newark fire chief to take Livermore-Pleasanton helm (CCT Reg) + Public deserves access to waterfront + Pleasanton: Shadow Cliffs slides open on Saturday + We'll always have our own 'City of Light' + Pleasanton: Arkins campaign leads funding race

Santa Clara:  After delay, school named for Chavez (SJM Reg) + Roadshow: Spotless record, clothing-wise (SJM Reg) + Don't stop to smell this flower (SJM Reg) + Making a stink (SJM Reg) + Chung: Bridge leaper inspires barrier drive (SJM Reg)+ Bay Area Extra (SJM Reg) + It's a shortcut if it saves traffic angst (SJM Reg)+ Action Line: Going public gets response, finally (SJM Reg) + Candidate in District 7 has spent $85,000 (SJM Reg) + Palo Alto: Budget cuts to affect residents + Palo Alto: The last cut is the deepest

Contra Costa: Martinez man dies in crash on I-80. Family was planning to camp in Tahoe -- wife, kids hurt + Mail carrier, 83, makes last delivery (CCT Reg)

Marin: Richmond bridge retrofit project continues all summer + After complaints, Sausalito slashes parking meter fees + Property owners force delay on sewer vote + Larkspur kids see future in 3-D + Housing authority told to return federal funds + Beth Ashley: Empty nests, empty pools

Sonoma: Cold, swift Russian river prompts swimming warnings + Memorial Day Events + SRJC chief defends garage in annual talk + County persists in seeking fire inspections at casino + Irish roots run deep in Cinnabar's 'Playboy' + 55 new hangars could attract cash + Merchants enjoy business surge after theater opening + Streets, parks still budget concerns + Window's past inspires quest for vets monument + Call honored for service to SRJC

Napa: Browns Valley boy raises $2,000 to aid family of severely injured woman + Flood control cost rising with price of real estate + Vintners prevail again in battle with Bronco + Calvary Christian graduates take divergent paths + Napa vintners win another round in court on labeling + Napa merchants bolt downtown association

Solano: Benicia: Is recall try entangled with teacher involvement? + Man killed in I-80 crash + Dredging plan comes to forefront of city's plans + Beloved school to get fitting farewell + Benicia schools need more than $900,000 + Travis board debates cuts + Applications for beginning farmers and ranchers advisory committee sought

Monterey: Hoteliers see holiday influx + Runaway girls found in Santa Cruz + Carmel avoids cutbacks + Spelling champ heads to nationals + Moss Landing: Drowning appears to be accidental

Central Valley: Tracy, Manteca to hold events to celebrate military heroes + $1M homes are more common + Sonora Pass open + Official defends sizable pay hike + West Nile risk rising + Increase in water available to farms + Bids for peace forged from painful losses + Services planned for civic leaders + Turlock school to get new contractor + Community will miss Patterson couple + No Missed Demeanor + Celebration of the Arts + News & Notes + Around the Region + Community Briefing + Memorial Day Events + Payouts by state no substitute for good flood policy + Fresno Mayor calls for halt of illegals + Stockton may get ship

Central Coast: Pajaro Valley school trustees defend school-name vote + Around the world and back + Reporter goes from queasy to crazy about flying + Local beaches shine during summer; water quality dives in winter + Another strike hits UCSC campus + ‘State screw-up’ shuts rehab center + Excess rain means lots of grass ... and fire + Gas-line break snarls traffic, empties homes in Live Oak + Local News Digest + Coast Lines + UK company buys up Oliver Design + Watsonville school named for labor leader Cesar Chavez

Southern California: And Now the Coast Is Here (LAT Reg) + New LA Mayor Names Team (LAT Reg)+ Irvine: Big Swath Gets a Big Gift (LAT Reg) + Irvine: 2 Teens Die in Crash on Way to Prom (LAT Reg)+ LA: Chamber Has a Strategy for Easing the Struggle (LAT Reg) + Was It Booze or a Big Belly That Left Bus Rider With the Blues? (LAT Reg) + Fighters Escort Plane to Landing (LAT Reg) + After Minuteman Melee, Protesters Have New Beef (LAT Reg) + LA Will Use Gift to Create 3 Parks (LAT Reg) + LAFD death prompts nationwide safety call + Nonprofit might gain windfall after failure of project + L.A. roads deemed nation's 4th-worst + Hertzberg top mover, shaker + Firms offer signing bonus to provide water, fruit drinks + The LAX challenge

School days: Prom -- a costly rite of passage. Once-in-a-lifetime event often leaves huge hole in pocket + El Cerrito: Teachers fight scripted curriculum + UC regents choose veteran administrator as Irvine chancellor. Board postpones decision on raising fees at some schools + W. Contra Costa School Board hails its Hercules schools + Newark school leader named + Fremont Board denies demoted principal's appeal + Oakland school district adult education gets 1 year reprieve + Diverse schools united in tunes (SB Reg) + School Law Spurs Efforts to End the Minority Gap + East San Jose school leader reduces gang tensions (SJM Reg) + Purrfect mascot for UC Merced + Stan State commences drum roll of excitement + La Mesa: Students run the show in his class + Daly City: Fresh look at English language learning + Getting acquainted with the job interview + Benicia schools need more than $900,000 + UC Administrator Is Chosen as UCI's Fifth Chancellor (LAT Reg) + UC Researchers Strike for Better Pay (LAT Reg)

Iraq government: Iraqi court imposes death penalty on 3 killer rapists. Government hopes tough stand will help quash insurgency + Iraq's Prime Minister: "You Can't Fix in Six Months What It Took 35 Years to Destroy"

War prisons: Guards desecrated Quran, prisoners told FBI. Allegations in 2002, 2003 at Guantanamo Bay about Muslim holy book have not been verified + US terror laws 'creating a new generation of the disappeared'

MIDDLE EAST: Egyptian police clashes with the opposition on referendum day

Israel, Palestine: Hezbollah chief rejects calls to disarm + Hizbullah confirms owning thousands of missiles

RUSSIA: Russia and EU became top sponsors of the international fight against poverty + Preliminary damage of Moscow blackout evaluated at $1 billion + Moscow's energy crisis leads to significant political consequences in Russia

EUROPE: William Pfaff: It's about Germany

Will France let Blair off the hook?

Chirac plays last card with television appeal for referendum yes + Constitution foes fear for France's soul

CENTRAL ASIA: The new Transcaucasian pipeline to transport "color revolutions" further eastward + Remaking Central Asia

Uzbek massacre troops used Land Rovers + Overthrow could leave vacuum to be filled by Islamic extremists + China opens arms to Uzbek chief

AFRICA: World must race against time to save Darfur - Annan

AMERICAS: Dispatch From Bolivia

Mexican Official Meets With Migrant Community in Chicago, Offers Business Help

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

Salon's Balancing Act

Uh Oh. Rummy's Pissed at the Press

U.S. military's new challenge, the media

Wave of Future? Why Paper Decided to Add Tab Edition

Deans and Directors Unveil Plan to Improve J-School

Cover-up Surrounding Tillman's Death Doesn't Sway Rall Critics

New Desk in the Newsroom: The Citizen Editor's

Blogcasting and the future of advertising

Today's papers

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:  Federal appeals courts increasingly the final stop in legal battles + Pro-Gay Newspaper Column Costs W. Va. Minister His Pulpit

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

U.S. missions closed in Indonesia after threat

Panel Backs Restriction on Intelligence Chief

CIA's Internet War Exercise Wraps Up Today

Fake goods fund militant groups, experts tell panel. Up to $30 million sent from U.S. yearly

The cost of UC's bidding war

For Security, the Eyes Have It

Do Governments Take Checks? How U.S. gives foreign aid

IBM honey pot of security privacy anonymity

Honeynet traps the unwary

KCIA Chief Ordered Predecessor’s Killing

American Lawmaker Banks On Ivanovo

Moscow Times probes business dealings of North Carolina congressman

Pollard's persistent peeve prolongs prison

NATO intensifies Karadzic hunt

U.N. Members Debate Best Way to Sustain Peace in Societies Once Conflict Ends

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Missing Idaho children's blood not found in home

Back door to the child porn black list

Jumble of biotech laws confusing (SJM Reg)

Scrushy Jurors Deadlocked on Key Charge

Michigan inmates sue over being held naked

U.S. Jacks Torrent Site

Rapist Found Serving As NY Foster Parent

NY authorities sue AIG and former execs

Why Police and the FBI Should Be Wary to Use the "Person of Interest" Designation: The Label Destroys Lives, Yet Provides Little Benefit

Japan cracking down on human trafficking in sex industry

As Corruption Trials Continue, Philadelphia Council Passes New Contract Rules

Judge Defers Ruling on Union's Strike Bid at United Airlines

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

MSN Enters Chinese Market

Yahoo Testing E-Mail Service for Photos

Remembering the RAMAC (SJM Reg)

Stanford studies computer breach (SJM Reg)

Netcraft launches anti-phishing toolbar

Does Nokia Have a Prayer Without a Phone

New Hope for the Troubled Hubble

A diagram of microlensing observations that resulted in the discovery of a planet 15,000 light years away

Objective -- Moon

New Method For Imaging Dec. 26 Indian Ocean Earthquake Yields Unprecedented Results

Researchers Discover Underwater Volcano -- Unique Hydrothermal Community Of Hundreds Of Eels Uncovered

Odd Spot On Titan Baffles Scientists

Jefferson Lab Builds First Single Crystal Single Cell Accelerating Cavity

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Guerrilla Warfare in feminist art organization

Time's Up, Einstein

Stardom: Refuting An Indian Site's Article on Video Game Addiction

Children Develop Cynicism At An Early Age

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Currency questions intensify between US and China

Congressional Investigators Say SEC Lacks Effective Control Over Reporting

Price dollars in oil, not oil in dollars

WTO confirms France's Lamy as new leader + With US block lifted, WTO to start membership talks with Iran

Friendster CEO steps down; networking site trims staff

Product Designers With a Clue

Keep your (made-in-China) shirt on + Europe's knickers in a twist

MILITARY  Iris Scans at U.S. Checkpoints

GOP drops bid to limit women. Pentagon to tell Congress of female deployment in combat zones

Realities vs. policy: Women face growing combat roles in Iraq

New next-of-kin policy in works to stop custody fights post mortem (SJM Reg)

Marine Can't Wear Uniform at Graduation (LAT Reg)

The Spanish Civil War 1936-39 Diary

Englin Officer made honest mistake in war booty case

Camp Humphreys in Korea to triple in size

All charges dropped against Marine in killing of two Iraqis

Soldier Says He Doesn't Regret Shooting Unarmed Iraqi

Germans plan biometric hooligan clampdown

ID cards technology is ready, says UK minister

Judge: Parents can't teach Pagan beliefs

Kern County Judge upholds school's ban on publishing stories about gays

Real ID Act: Congress takes another step toward a police state

Bill seeks restitution for interned Italians

Shock Mom and Dad: Become a Neo-Nazi

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

U.S. unprepared against new flu - experts

Emergency room visits reach record high

Study Locates Brain's 'Decision Point'

Drug Companies Influence Medical Research

New Meningitis Shot Ready for Children

Computers No Cure for Dumb Docs

Online Designer Drugs Trade

Edible Bivalves As A Source Of Human Pathogens: Signals Between Vibrios And The Bivalve Host

New Understanding Of DNA Repair May Pave Way To Cancer Treatments

Vampires Beware: Scripps Scientists Describe Molecular Basis Of Raw Garlic's Pungency

Learning Through Laughter: New Study Supports Use Of Humor In Online Courses

Researchers Closer To Learning The Underlying Logic Of The Olfactory System

Midday Sun Holds The Key To Good Health

New Computing Cluster To Help Scientists Reconstruct The Tree Of Life

NIH Researchers Discover How Insulin Allows Entry Of Glucose Into Cells

Study Finds Research Participants Concerned About Genetic Discrimination

Chromosome Deletion Predicts Aggressive Neuroblastoma

Scientists Journey To Southern Africa To Unravel The Secret World Of Elephant Communication

Finding The Source Of Campylobacter

New 'Waxy' Wheat Being Tested For Public Release

Is Robotic Technology Reducing Health Care Costs For Cardiac Patients?

THE BUSHWORLD...

Bush pledges $50 million in aid for Palestinians + Bush Embraces Abbas As Courageous Reformer

Bush likely to appoint judge recommended by Durbin, Obama

Iraq needs political, economic, military approach, Zoellick says

Democrats win crucial Bolton vote

Massive review of voting laws under way

Iran: Material may solve Iran nuke mystery + Iran agrees to keep nuclear work on hold. European powers pledge to craft plan on moving forward + Youths force Iranian reform + Iran backtracks on pledge to restart nuclear enrichment activities in days + Pledge of West's aid keeps cork in Iran nuclear program

Syria, Lebanon: Syria's Voices of Change

N. Korea: Our Secret Negotiations With North Korea + Bush to meet South Korean leader

Other foreign: Bush Backs Continuing Military Ties With Indonesia

Social Security: Partisan clash stalls progress on Social Security

Congress: Stem cell bill sponsors prepare for Bush veto + Senate panel votes to double mandate on ethanol use + House bill would reduce athletes' steroid penalties. Panel chairs agree to half-season ban on the first offense + Senate panel OKs bill shielding asbestos makers, insurers + DeLay PAC violated law, judge rules + Senator presents graphic safe-sex slide show + Judiciary Committee Recommends Two Blocked Michigan Nominees + Senate Advances Energy Bill, Including Federal Authority Over LNG Sites

Democrats: Joe Trippi launches "Change America" + Reid: GOP Bends to "whispered Wishes' of Right Wing

GOP: Pressure increases on Spokane mayor to resign + Republicans' fabled unity gets jolt from within + McCain in 2008? + McCain Stirs the Pot...Again

Washington election trial: Election Trial: Democrats attack GOP data analyst's testimony + Judge allows statistical analysis — for now + Numbers speak for themselves, GOP says

OPINIONS:

Molly Ivins: Irony overflowing

Bob Herbert: With the gloves off

Novak: Army's recruitment crisis deepens

WSWS: Bush pledges to veto stem cell bill

Pravda: Insecure democracy in Iraq takes a further turn for the worse

Pravda: Noiseless diplomacy": USA is quietly building a corridor from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea

Bush's new 'history' demeans our past

Gay or Female, Uncle Sam Should Want You

Sputnik Scare, Updated

A sitting duck over Washington

Beyond the stem-cell showdown

Huffington: Next Dem battlefront: Iraq

I used to be a neocon

Chris Floyd: Tatoo nation

Blood for pork....

Boeing, Airbus in dogfight over India

War on terror brings brisk business to Washington

Boeing sees rosy Asian prospects, signs four billion dollar Indonesian deal

Boeing lags in bid to revamp Army radios

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Civil War Days at Ardenwood, Fremont (CCT Reg)

Former S.F. comic soaks up success under the sea

Alameda's car buffs have three shows to attend

Livermore to showcase rare bombers

East Side/West Side: Artist goes against grain (SJM Reg)

Historic Agnews Hospital (SJM Reg)

The Santa Cruz Blues Festival roars into its 13th year

Your guide to summer festivals

Monterey: Veterans to remember sacrifices, victories

Archaeological Investigations of Blackbeard's Flagship

100 Pieces - Clay sculpture fragments on the Nova Scotia coastline

Internet Sacred Text Archive Home

Secrets of the Maya ... unlocked

Walker Percy - Literature, Fiction, Philosophy

Edith Wharton and "Mrs. Manstey"

An American Barbecue Pilgrimage

Robert De Niro to Film Scenes From "The Good Shepherd" in Dominican Republic

Tate in race to save masterpiece

Seventeenth-century Islamic brassmakers were far ahead of European peers, engineers say

Rush & Molloy: Run-in with Burt smacks of the past

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:   Governor directs state agency to eliminate drugs to sex offenders

Westly's $10 million donation signals plan to run for governor

10,000 protest governor. Sharp words from public workers he has called 'special interests' + Gov. rips legislators over their pay raise (SB Reg) + Teachers lead raucous rally lambasting Gov.'s plans (CCT Reg) + Thousands protest Gov.'s plans (SB Reg) + Protesters blast Gov., who fires back on pay raises (CCT Reg) + Schwarzenegger hits rough patch + Gov. appears in San Jose to tout budget + Protests Follow Gov. to San Jose + Gov. lacks support for special election, poll finds. Voters would rather see his initiatives on '06 primary ballot + Poll finds voters cool to Gov.'s reform push + The facts about Gov.'s school funding deal + Energy revamp plan draws doubts (SB Reg) + Governors seek control of natural gas terminals + Pay raises are political payoff + Public mood sours as Gov.'s political capital spoil (LAT Reg) + Touting initiatives, eschewing principles (LAT Reg) + Daniel Weintraub: Testy voters are unhappy with Gov. (SB Reg) + Groups see opportunity in Bush aiding Calif. redistricting plan

Coalition to fight to keep gay rights (SJM Reg) + Groups dig in to fight California antimarriage amendment

Interior chief pans Hetch Hetchy plan (CCT Reg) + In S.F., interior chief says Bush policies working

Capital DMV protest assails singling out illegal immigrants

Ad campaign touts state parks (SB Reg)

Racetracks drop case that blocks state bond

Stem cell institute: Stem cell institute awaits D.C. news. House vote seen as show of support

Legislature: Assisted-suicide bill heads to Assembly vote. Oregon is now only state to have a law on the books + Fireworks bill quietly fizzles (SB Reg) + Dog-ear clipping survives (SB Reg) + Taser sales curbs zapped (SB Reg) + Vietnam Flag Measure Backed + Democrats craft budget (OC Reg)

Indian tribes: Suit against casino deal put on shelf (CCT Reg) + Study: Tribal bingo no better than slots + Hundreds oppose Cloverdale casino + Tribes honor 106 graduates + Racetracks drop suit blocking bond sale. Compromise sought over slot machines + Study: Tribal bingo no better than slots + Senate committee considers formal U.S. apology to Indian peoples + Seattle attorney warns tribes to make wise economic choices

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

Sacramento & north: Feud in sheriff's unit goes to trial (SB Reg) + Woman sentenced in Auburn arsons (SB Reg)+ Suspect named in fatal N. Highlands crash (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: Elder abuse case handled properly, agency chief says. Support services worker 'in there all the time' + Bonds ball co-owner loses his court case + Court upholds teens' murder convictions + Julie Lee returns to court + Redwood City: Man accused of elder fraud reaches deal

Alameda: Altamont 'cold case' is being closed. Theory of second stabber debunked by Sheriff's Dept. + Berkeley: Diocese clears pastor of sex-abuse charges + Livermore death not overdose (CCT Reg) + Family of man hit by truck sues driver, firm + Cameras to keep tabs on red-light runners + Jury finds NFL star not liable in civil suit + Beer shower for Giambi brings battery charge + Man gets life term for killing his family + Two murder convictions upheld + Former Black Panther captain granted parole

Santa Clara: Ex-officer sentenced for scam + San Jose police prepare for layoffs + Burned body investigated (SJM Reg) + S.J. officer kills would-be intruder (SJM Reg) + Gang violence surges up (SJM Reg) + Three get prison sentence for fraud (SJM Reg) + Officer pepper spray case (SJM Reg) + Police Blotter (SJM Reg) + Roadshow: Tortoise? Hare? Depends on safety (SJM Reg) + Judge dismisses lawsuit to block El Camino hospital construction (SJM Reg) + Man arrested for allegedly stealing millions

Contra Costa: Castro Valley bank robbery suspect arrested (CCT Reg) + Lafayette man charged in Oakland Coliseum beer throwing incident (CCT Reg) + Three in telemarketing scam are sent to prison (CCT Reg) +

Marin: Friends urge DA to act in bike accident + Legal luminaries honor Tam team

Sonoma: Cloverdale resident strangled to death + Lockyer puts elder abuse on front burner

Solano: Vallejo: Man linked to local rapper's death slain. But police not sure killing is part of feud in Mac Dre shooting + Armed robberies at Glen Cove eateries Wednesday night + Teen shooting victim airlifted from Fairfield mall + Vallejo Police Calls

Monterey: Carmel man accused of $8 million in swindles + Woman cleared of charges in homicide + Police briefs + Possible drug role in killing

Central Valley: Local braceros still fighting for their pay + Turlock police rethink alarm policy + Detective says man sought aid for child + Law & Order

Central Coast: Officials identify owner of plane that buzzed Santa Cruz beaches (SJM Reg) + Contractor sting yields 14 violators + Convicted rapist sent back to mental ward + Probe of low-flying pilot to take weeks + Cops and Courts

Southern California: Hahn Backer Is Charged (LAT Reg)+ Children in Trunk Driven 70 Miles (LAT Reg) + Ex-Raider Marinovich Is Jailed Again, Accused of Violating Probation in O.C. (LAT Reg) + Jury Awards $6.5 Million in Frame-Up by Public Defender (LAT Reg) + Rosen Shifting Blame, U.S. Prosecutor (LAT Reg) + Actor Tom Sizemore Ordered Back Into Court (LAT Reg) + One Injured, One Jailed After Freeway Argument (LAT Reg) + Boy, 13, to Be Tried in Slaying at Ballgame (LAT Reg) + Hahn fundraiser Abrams faces felony counts + Latinos falling victim to predatory lenders + Gay couple sue Golf Club over rules

Michael Jackson: Jury spared graphic Michael Jackson photos + Jackson Jury to See Video Accusation (LAT Reg)

LOCAL NEWS:  Pescadero lighthouse becomes state's newest park

Arrest In SF Stabbing of Radiologist

Colma cop chases, shoots woman in SF + SJ cop shoots, kills suspect + 4 robberies near Lake Merritt

BART Hikes Its Fares

Lulu the Cat one of their own at The Tamalpais

Sacramento & north: El Dorado to tighten asbestos controls (SB Reg) + Point Arena bans biotech agriculture (SB Reg) + Dust peril shuts off-road park (SB Reg) + Firing of coach is defended (SB Reg) + Cache Creek accord reported (SB Reg) + San Juan to restore top salaries (SB Reg) + Out of crisis, a new focus is born (SB Reg) + Hayes in capital to back literacy (SB Reg) + Yolo's top exec quits suddenly (SB Reg) + Light-rail route changes planned by RT June 19 (SB Reg) + Blue Shield funds go to local groups (SB Reg) + West Sacramento offering free Wi-Fi (SB Reg) + Snow keeps some campgrounds closed (SB Reg) + San Francisco taking action to alleviate its kid crisis

San Francisco, San Mateo: Students design 3 barriers. UC ideas for ending suicides from bridge + Caltrain relents, will run weekends at Atherton, Broadway. Shuttle service to operate weekdays at both stations + Redwood City Courthouse will be restored to its original 1910 look + Mayor puts millions more into homeless + Fire panelist quits, parts with a shot. He says medical service revamping was rushed through + S.F. hotel talks to resume (SJM Reg) + Local beaches get failing grade + S.F. serious about Environment Day + Around City Hall + Mayor rolls out $20 million plan for homelessness + San Mateo Commissioners warm to park plans + Small-business owner declares candidacy for Burlingame council + 5 Bay Area beaches' water rated polluted

Alameda: Berkeley suit against university over growth. Payments for fire protection, sewer to rise -- joint planning on development OKd + Peace puppets will join Livermore parade (CCT Reg) + Berkeley reconciles with university + Amtrak set to roll into Coliseum stop + College to drop evening classes + County event urges contractors to boost recycling + Fremont: BART site eyed for housing plan + It' s a bird, it' s a plane, it' s a festival Charity hopes for a windy day + Biker's left leg severed in chase + Fremont names new fire chief

Santa Clara: Artist live-work plan gets airing (SJM Reg) + Band plays on at Music Center (SJM Reg) + Herhold: In Evergreen, follow those dollar signs (SJM Reg) + Weimers: Light parking issue heavily handled (SJM Reg) + School's new drop-off site worries San Jose parent (SJM Reg) + Bonfante park sells 32.9 acres as part of debt restructuring (SJM Reg) + Strapped Calpine cuts back (SB Reg)

Contra Costa: Concord: She's 83 -- and still can deliver. Carrier called 'mom' along route in Four Corners + RODEO / Man found dead after leap into canal + San Ramon offers deal to ousted official (CCT Reg) + Bay-Delta Authority head exits (CCT Reg) + Danville residents fight to keep preschool out (CCT Reg)

Marin: Point Reyes Station: Marin trust preserves 2,112 farmland acres + San Rafael panel approves new Best Buy store + Bridge models provide chance to encourage use of suicide barriers + San Rafael fire chief quits after 16 months + Beaches grade high in state report + Sausalito postpones vote to put utility wires underground

Sonoma: Playing in the streets + Hundreds oppose Cloverdale casino + Campbell Cove near top in pollutants + When you're 82 and fall two stories + State rules rare flower at site a transplant + County teachers rally in Capitol against cuts

Napa: Napa educators join major budget protest + Top doctor sounds alarm over Medicare + More cops, less noise, a lively downtown + New park named for 'father of wine tourism' + NVUSD to keep electronic eye on buses + Diverted by the first lady? + Chris Caen: Napa people aren't Tahoe people

Solano: Rosy job picture in Solano, East Bay (CCT Reg) + Thousands protest Arnold + Bridging the generation gap + Vallejo unable to afford raises for employees + Residents review ideas for fairgrounds, respond favorably to arts center + Chemical spill in Fairfield causes schools, businesses to lockdown all morning + Body of motorcyclist killed in accident is identified + Local News Briefs + Deaf student signs address at '05 SCC commencement

Monterey: Salinas preparing to halt recreation services + Salinas: Deal averts mass teacher layoffs + Boat caught in Orca attack on gray whales + Farr wants Army's water + Your Town

Central Valley: Tire shop refunds $300,000 to buyers + No Quit in Her + Protests target Gov.'s agenda + Yosemite packing a punch + Locked gate is key to prayers + Events will honor nation's war dead + Proposal would tax 'dirty' trucks + $72,484 bid for pope's card a hoax + News & Notes + Around the Region + Community Briefing + Memorial Day Events + Modesto Council setting itself up for water funds shortfall

Central Coast: Pajaro Valley school board names middle school after Chavez + Farr amendment would change Army’s next-of-kin policy + City voters get say on tax + Body washes up on Moss Landing beach + Ready, set, summer in Santa Cruz + ‘Look out Arnold, here we come’ + A twist on the traditional big top + UC Berkeley settlement pleases S.C. mayor + New chief for Mountain Community Resources + Education board will vote on cuts in June +For the record + Coast Lines + Girls cut class, run away

Southern California: O.C. Sheriff Made Donors His Deputies (LAT Reg) + Will This Time Be Different Downtown? (LAT Reg) + LAX Braces for Summer Travelers (LAT Reg) + Big Fault Under L.A. Could Be Devastating (LAT Reg) + S.B. County DNA Link Is Possible in 1986 Slaying (LAT Reg)+ O.C. Community Feels Forgotten (LAT Reg) + Violence Erupts at O.C. Minutemen Protest (LAT Reg) + Thousands Protest Budget Cuts (LAT Reg) + O.C. Open Spaces Will Be Closed for Fire Season (LAT Reg) + Getty House Not Quite a Home (LAT Reg) + Here's the Straight Scoop on Incident That's Not Plain Vanilla (LAT Reg) + Huizar to Seek Seat on Council (LAT Reg) + Port and Shipper End Fight (LAT Reg) + Beaches Recover in Time for Summer (LAT Reg) + Olvera Street leases in question + BFI pact to be urged on city + 2 beaches tie for dirtiest in state in annual report

School days: Berkeley teachers, district OK tentative labor deal + $4.5 million boost for broadcast journalism. UC Berkeley leads 5-university effort to improve the field + Albany school district eyes budget cuts (CCT Reg) + Livermore district OKs charter school (CCT Reg) + Students lose war of words over Los Alamos + Regents set stage for lab showdown + Fremont: Board hits snooze on later start time + Garamendi Jr. garners position at UC Merced + SR schools OK $6 million plan to raise test scores + Solano County Office of Education superintendent wins administrator award + Touro to offer teaching credential program

Iraq government: Proposal to divide Iraq into semi-autonomous states debated + U.S., Iraq may release members of Saddam's former government

War prisons: U.S. citizens claim torture by Pakistanis. 2 brothers tied to radical group say FBI agents ignored abuses + CIA Operative Testifies He Saw SEAL Beating Iraqi Prisoner (LAT Reg) + Declassified FBI report shows desecration of Koran + Amnesty Takes Aim at 'Gulag' in Guantanamo

MIDDLE EAST: Egypt votes on poll reform as police crack down on critics

Israel, Palestine: Abbas seeks 'clear' US commitment to Palestinian state

RUSSIA: Massive blackout paralyzes Moscow + Russia closes borders with former Soviet Union republics + Court reaches halfway point in Khodorkovsky verdict: lawyers + In blackout and swelter, Moscow plays it cool + Russian Prosecutors to Appeal Soldiers' Acquittal Over Chechen Civilian Deaths

EUROPE: EU cuts off China talks and moves to WTO

Giant Caspian oil pipeline opens

France Puts on Business-Friendly Face

Tribes of the left gather to celebrate a vote against hated EU constitution

CENTRAL ASIA: China Backs Uzbek Crackdown + Uzbek leader seeks China support + Uzbekistan: Local Activists Say 3,000 Missing, Over 1,000 Dead After Andijan Killings

AFRICA: Ethiopia monitors criticize count

Burundi army to relaunch attacks

ASIA PACIFIC: Snub by Chinese official stuns Japan

Fortune Global Forum celebrates corporate profiteering in China

Thai mining conflict feared fatal

AMERICAS: Venezuela Accuses US of Neglecting Treaties Requiring Washington to Extradite Cuban Exile

Brazil's 'Anti-Lula' a Paragon of Political Incorrectness (LAT Reg)

Woman quits race to lead Chile

World Bank exposes corruption in grant to Indonesia

Ecuador President Declares State of Emergency to Quell Amazon Oil Protest

Thousands of Teachers March Against Disappearance, Killings in Mexican Border City

Mexico Says Anti-Castro Terror Suspect Wasn't Legally in Country, Vows to Hand Him Over to Venezuela

Businesses Shut Down Across Jamaica's Capital to Protest Soaring Crime

MILITARY  Complaints aside, U.S. troops express pride in the job they do

Pentagon Suddenly Suspends Effort to Recover U.S. Soldiers' Remains in North Korea

The myth of peacekeeping + CONGO: Peacekeepers Apply More Violence to the Problem

Old soldiers sue Rumsfeld over cuts in medical benefits

Old submarines to go on sale for a song

INDIA-PAKISTAN: Al Qaeda Under Heavy Attack

CHINA: Old Tactics, New Weapons

IRAQ: Examining Al Qaeda's Wounds

ARMORED WARFARE: TUSK for M-1 Tanks

ATTRITION: Losing Lots of Lieutenants

NAVAL AVIATION: American Carrier Sinks Under Fire

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Rumsfeld Gave Military OK to Down Cessna + Pentagon denies Rumsfeld authorized downing plane + Only a Few to Fly Private Planes to Reagan National

UC regents recommend bidding for Los Alamos contract

FBI outlines new IT system + Mueller: Cost of FBI Cyber Upgrade Unknown

Pravda: Myths about nuclear terrorism destroyed

FBI: Georgian prime minister was assassinated

Eyeballing Rumsfeld's mystery operations

Madsen: Neocon power grab at NSA

Defense Worker Franklin Charged Again in Secrecy Case

Former NSA Employee Kenneth Ford Charged With Illegally Possessing Defense Information

Russian Supreme Court to handle spy case of researcher Valentin Danilov

Spy Case Link to Leung Case Alleged

Sinn Fein auctions 'MI5 spy bug'

Lebanese FM insists Syrian intelligence units are gone

AIPAC flies the flag for American values+ AIPAC turns on political star power for show of strength

US spyware bills win large vote

World counterterrorism spending to reach 191 billion in 2005: study

The birth of modern Israel: A scrap of paper that changed history

Fears of terrorism by sea in Southeast Asia

INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS: Getting Sneaky With Stealth

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Abduction of two children in Idaho baffles investigators

Malvo transferred to Maryland to face charges

Runaway bride faces six years in prison

Law must protect your data

Online movie network shut down

PGP use ruled relevant in child abuse case

Pets, new bone of contention in US courts

Dale Earnhardt's Car Owner Pursues Life Insurance Claim for Widow

N.Y. Woman Released After Two Decades in Prison; Prosecutors Agree She Was Battered Wife

Investing in Atrocity: The Cost of Doing Business with Khartoum

The Thorny Question of How to Define Copyright for New Media

The Testimony of Michael Jackson's Former Attorney, Mark Geragos: Why It Was Allowed to Happen, Why the Judge Was Irritated By It, and How It Undermined the DA's Conspiracy Case

In Vino Veritas? The Supreme Court's Decision on Interstate Wine Shipment Creates Some Odd Bedfellows Among the Justices

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Astronaut Wants Asteroid Mission

Trojan holds PC files for ransom

Computer system hacked at Stanford (SJM Reg)

A front runner at Microsoft, but there's no race yet

Nokia unveils handheld Internet tablet

FTC Would Kill the Messenger

Scientists Baffled by Bright Spot on Saturn Moon

Voyager One about to exit Solar System

FTC plans to kill spam zombies internationally

Marine Sponge Yields Nanoscale Secrets and Hi-Tech Applications

Bugs in Termite Guts May Offer Future Fuel Source

Early Solar System May Have Been Chaotic

Spirit reveals Mars' violent past

Abel prize for mathematics awarded to Peter Lax

The Inverse Doppler Effect: ECE Researchers Add To The Bylaws Of Physics

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Morford: May The Force Please Go Away

It Can Take a Village to Help the Mentally Il (LAT Reg)

Breaching the Great Wall of Malibu (LAT Reg)

'Clout' now a dirty word in Chicago politics

White buffalo born in northeastern British Columbia

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Danger ahead for the world economy: OECD

Offshoring breeds perpetual global work day (CCT Reg)

The real oil crisis

Why those fancy tomatoes cost so much

PalmOne to go back to its old name

Get to know the competition when looking into new ventures

Union claims Safeway board conflict (CCT Reg)

Probably made in China -- by someone else (SJM Reg)

Russia to resume Vostok drilling

Seeds of Trade

Wife of Mexican Peasant Ecologist Recounts Attack on Family

What the Left Got Wrong About Iraq

Founder of "Critical Mass"

EU biometric visa trial opts for the tinfoil sleeve

Europe struggles to understand the British dislike of ID cards

Gunning for Stem-Cell Naysayers

ID Cards Are Back and 'More Popular'

CS Lewis film saves Disney from Christians

Australia rallies to the defense of its humpbacks in the face of Japanese cull

Judge Orders Italian Author to Stand Trial on Charges of Public Defamation Against Islam

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

Helen Thomas Rides White House Press Sec: 'Were we invited into Iraq?'

Fox Ends Season as No. 1 in TV's Key Demographic

NYT Co. to Axe 190 Jobs, Including Journos, at 'Times' and 'Globe'

Judge Won't Order Publication of Calif. H.S. Stories on Gay Students

Off the record, newspapers have a problem

Mergers of two alternative newspapers chains?

Hamming It Up at Radio Meets

Wall Street Journal alibis for Nazi-style crimes in Iraq

Need a Lift? Try a Godcast

Blogs Moving Mainstream?

Holy Toledo! 'Blade' Series Uncovers Rare-Coin Scam

Gannett Appoints Craig Dubow New President and CEO

Lie Detector show

Today's papers

Cure For Common Cold Will Need To Wiggle To Work, Scientists Say

Robotic Arm Holds Promise For Stroke Survivors

Tiny Bundles Seek And Destroy Breast Cancer Cells

Scientists Observe Infectious Prion Proteins Invade And Move Within Brain Cells

Study Links Brain Fatty Acid Levels To Depression

Deep sea weapon against superbug MRSA

Exercising to Fight Off Breast Cancer

Lafayette, CA: A child's return from autism. Couple eager to share their conviction that mercury poisoning was the culprit + Hopes for autistic child lie in controversial treatment (CCT Reg)

Contra Costa: Lower species thought extinct found blooming on Mt. Diablo, CA. Grad student spots type of buckwheat last seen in 1936

Prostate cancer drug trial hope

SA HIV home test kits withdrawn

Korea: Cold Cash for Stem-Cell Studies

Tailored treatments take aim at cancer

Teen girls with ADHD at higher risk of mental illness

The Pill may cause permanent loss of sex drive

Protein Essential For Hearing Also Vital For Pain Perception

Bioelectronic 'Signatures' Hold Key To DNA Mutations

Prejudice Is Hard-wired Into The Human Brain, Says ASU Study

One Gene Links Newborn Neurons With Those That Die In Diseases Such As Alzheimer's

Penn Study: How COX-2 Inhibitors Can Eventually Lead To Heart Disease

Protein Helps Regulate The Genes Of Embryonic Stem Cells

Facial Trauma May Cause Significant Social And Behavioral Problems

The Bladder Does Not Shrink As You Get Older

Laughter-induced Asthma: It's No Joke

Can Compost Teas Help Flowers Battle Blight?

Breastfeeding As Good For Children's Blood Pressure As Exercise And Salt Restriction

New Playground Equipment Safer

SOS call for ancient blue iguana

Nuclear Approach May Help Climate Researchers Pinpoint Volcanic Eruptions

Horseradish, Peroxide Mixture Dampens Swine Farm Odors

THE BUSHWORLD...

Amnesty blames US for 'gulag'

Bush Expected to Call for Direct Aid to Palestinian Authority as Abbas Visits Washington + Abbas arrives in Washington expecting U.S. support + Abbas expected to ask Bush for aid to bolster Palestinian Authority

Shays blasts Bush on threats to veto stem cell research bill

Bush under pressure to get tougher with U.N.

Congressional setbacks, low ratings could limit Bush's effectiveness

Protesters of overhaul dog Bush

Treasury Assistant Secretary Takes White House Job

Iran: EU and Iran avert deadlock in nuclear standoff + Iran in new nuclear arms pledge + Iran's elections cast a shadow on nuclear talks

Syria, Lebanon: Lebanese FM insists Syrian intelligence units are gone + Syria's Voices of Change

Rice:  AFP INTERVIEW: Rice cool to reports of nuclear compromise with Iran + Rice Tells Mullahs That Democracy On the Way to Iran

Domestic: SBA seeks input on size rules (SB Reg)

Bolton: Bolton UN Confirmation Vote May Be Stalled by Senate Democrats, Dodd Says + Senate Debate Focuses on Diplomatic Nominee's Temperament + Ohio Republican joins Dems trying to dump Bolton for U.N. Moderate's letter unlikely to stop nomination bid + GOP Confident Bolton Will Get U.N. Post + Laura Rozen blogging on Bolton developments

Social Security: Social Security analyst issues warning + Some wary of drug-subsidy forms

Congress: Senate Truce Faces Test of Bush's Next Nominations + After 4 Years, Senate Votes to Confirm Owen for Federal Bench + The Senate's Real Leader, McCain? + So much for any era of good feeling in the Senate. A day later, it's back to partisan bickering

House Republicans abandon women in combat limits

House Defies the President on Stem Cells + Reid Wants Swift Vote on Stem Cell Bill

House Approves Spyware Penalties + House Panel OKs $45 Billion More for Iraq + Investigations say ship container scrutiny poor + Democrats Use the Internet for Unofficial Hearings + House Committee Approves Bill Strengthening Oversight of Top Mortgage Companies

Democrats: Brand Hillary

GOP: Filibuster deal is called a blow to Frist's ambitions. Senator's presidential hopes, his standing as a leader are hurt, political analysts say + New allegations against Spokane mayor + Republican party shows cracks after moderates' show of force

Voting: Supervisor says she raised concerns about mail ballots in 2004 Wash. governor's race + Leadoff witness key for GOP in election trial? + Missing signatures addressed by Democrats

OPINIONS:

Herbert: Rumsfeld finds no way out

Saleton: Bush's hypocrisy on stem cells, death penalty

Bushism of the Day

A Snail-Like WHO Needs a Shakeup (LAT Reg)

The Berlin-Baghdad Connection (LAT Reg)

In the End It Was a Power Struggle

Filibuster Deal Could be a Problem for Dubya

Who Won? Who Lost?

Missed Opportunity for Karen Hughes

The metrics of losing

A Spreading Treason: Justin Raimondo

Iraq Started the Iran/Iraq War?: Jude Wanniski

Just Another Pig at the Trough: Chris Reed

Molly Ivins: Duck and Cover Time

The lure of Beijing

The world in the palm of their hands: Bilderberg 2005

Drug Deal

Cannonfire: More on Ken Blackwell and vote fraud

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Renewed warning over flu pandemic + Time running out to stop bird flu experts

Blood for pork....

Rumsfeld's mystery contractor gets bigger

Defense Bill Could Boost Boeing's Tanker Odds

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:  California Supreme Court considers parental rights in same-sex cases. Former partners seek child support, visitation orders + Judge Won't Order Publication of Calif. H.S. Stories on Gay Students

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

ALMOST LIKE BEING IN THE WATER

Exploratorium chief takes post in England. Delacôte intends to create network of science museums

Stone Soul Picnic promises music, wedding vows

Historic lighthouse handed to state

Group brings Arab arts to Bay Area

Experience Livermore wine, please

Where the wild things are + Duck, duck, fox + Electric lady band

Upton Sinclair's California

African films scoop awards but audience elusive

Bombay closes book on street 'library'

Women take center stage in Brazil's funk world

Filmmaker Ismail Merchant Dies

Enthralling Art Leaps Out of Labs

Digital filmmaking by Spielberg

Fine Arts in Hungary

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Here 'Today' gone tomorrow for NBC exec?

Rush & Molloy: Madonna film 'Truth or Who Cares'?

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:   Gov. blasts legislators' pay raise + Analysis: Gov. put self in bind in school funding dispute (SB Reg) + Gov. Racks Up Frequent Flyer Miles and Criticism + Californians get no relief from political ads + Gov. accuses teachers of lying about funding promise + Teachers are right to insist on state funds + Why Gov. pushes special election + Peter Schrag: The Gov.'s reform agenda: Is it class warfare? (SB Reg) + Torrico joins rally against Gov. + GOP spokeswoman rips on unions (CCT Reg) + Gov. draws fire over vigilantes + Current political war takes long-running conflict to new level (SB Reg) + Beatty takes on the terminator + Colorful Arnie starting to look Gray

Recall leader eyes voter districts

CalPERS, UC fund cata sought by media, watchdog groups re: big hedge fund losses (LAT Reg)

Cancer label for foods is considered. State could require warnings in markets

Firefighting planes fly despite possible problems

Prop. 46 boosts affordable housing (SJM Reg)

California's dairy dominance as Dreyers expands (LAT Reg)

Feinstein pushed plan for truck toll (FB Reg)

Sacramento, San Joaquin Delta levees need major work, experts say. Breaks could pose threat to state water supply, scientists fear

Bart to adopt unbalanced budget for first time

Survey: California's Beaches in 'Great Condition' for Summer (LAT Reg) + Two SoCal beaches cited for worst water quality in state

California Farming: Wine industry at war with tiny bug

Stem cell institute: California’s stem cell institute takes aim at state senator

Legislature: Our well-paid legislators + State lawmakers to get 12 percent raise + Assembly Bill Targets Forced Labor (LAT Reg) + California lawmakers should learn from summer of 2002

Indian tribes: Editorial: What's the secret? Bill to let state gaming regulators conduct more business in private (SB Reg) + Bill goes too far in hiking secrecy of gambling talks + New group joins battle over Cloverdale casino + Casino Is Again Urged on Garden Grove (LAT Reg) + United Auburn tribe looking to invest its money (SB Reg) + Momentum May Be Slowing for Indian Casinos + License foes object to legal letter + Calif. tribe sues Harrah's, Caesars over merger + Seattle attorney warns tribes to make wise economic choices

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

Report slams Chaderjian facility (CCT Reg)

Report blasts Stockton CYA facility (SB Reg)

Court considers parental rights in same-sex cases. Former partners seek child support, visitation orders + Defining parent is at heart of case

Reports Show Failure of Therapy for Priests (LAT Reg)

Online extortions uncovered

Case to set criteria for retaliation at work (CCT Reg)

Sacramento & north: Shasta Lake: When the Neighbor Is a Rapist + Marysville: White Power Claimed in White Man's Beating (LAT Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: S.F. to probe abuse of woman, 84. NEIGHBORS: Friendly widow became fearful, let people in + PLEAS FOR HELP. Caregivers say complaints went nowhere + Complaints about elderly woman ignored as home turned into drug den + SF: Figure in fatal stabbing of doctor is criminal, mentally ill. Son of slain doctor's aide long troubled + Gay inmates' complaints of abuse at San Bruno jail being investigated + SF: 2 officers sue city and chief re: Fagan case + San Mateo: Deacon with guns barred from grounds of church + Pescadero: Open space organization works to eradicate invasive grass + Potential sits for county homeless shelters trimmed + San Mateo: Former deacon with guns transferred to health facility + San Mateo County awards new DUI blood test contract + Cheaper real estate lures police officers east

Alameda: Oakland: Truck driver sued in pedestrian's death + Hayward: Boy, 15, sentenced in fatality. Girl's train death called manslaughter + Teen in train death case will go to group home + Berkeley: Cameras, big fines for red-light runners + Oakland: Account set up for fire-damaged school + 'Riders' trial verdict brings us back where we started + Rockridge murder case goes to the jury today + Prosecutor blasts defendant in college student's slaying (CCT Reg) + Electrical fire leads to Oakland pot find + Pot bust comes in traffic stop + Man injured tried to stop theft in Fremont + Widely praised Oakland police captain preparing to take reins of city's embattled law enforcement team (SJM Reg) + First woman named chief public defender (SJM Reg)

Santa Clara: Conspiracy charge for finger case spouse + Federal Injunction for church to meet at library + San Jose police prepare for layoffs + Husband charged in chili case (SJM Reg) + DA seeks school records in probe (SJM Reg) + Police Blotter (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Richmond: City worker indicted on drug charges + Reasons elusive in football star Kelly's death (CCT Reg) + Concord fire district to probe crash into pole and DUI (CCT Reg)

Sonoma: Road rage victim's mother details terror + Apparent suicide try leads to murder charge + Around the Empire. Lost! + Marine's father pleads case

Solano: Officials review gun incident at Benicia school + Judge says Wal-Mart can make 'temporary' AmCan construction changes + Man charged in Fairfield murder appears in court + Vacaville police ID dead man, say incident was murder-suicide

Monterey: Salinas: Arrest made in slaying + LAPD officer faces charges in boating crash

Central Valley: Frey says book, movie finally give her a voice + Early response to child neglect + Today set aside as reminder of those still missing + Doctor: Death story of toddler dubious + Lawyer’s aide pleads not guilty to practicing law without a license

Central Coast: Alert officer helps halt spread of P.V. wildfire, saves family’s horses + State sues Watsonville firm, says workers were underpaid + Cops and Courts

Southern California: Trial set for boy in death of teen with baseball bat + OC: Opinion Mixed on Idaho Bishop's Role in Abuse + Riverside County OKs Limits for Sex Offenders (LAT Reg) + Ex-Aide to Sen. Clinton Denies Ordering That Costs of Fundraiser Be Concealed (LAT Reg) + San Bernardino County Wins More Damages (LAT Reg) + Whoa! O.C. Puts a 12-Horse Cap at Orange Park Acres (LAT Reg) + LA: Man Freed After DNA Tests in Series of Rapes (LAT Reg) + Compton: 7 Gang Members Held in Beating of 2 Men + LA: Man Killed in Noontime Accident on 405 Freeway + Suntan oil helps California woman escape attacker in park

Michael Jackson:  Jackson accuser 'was cunning child' + Terry Eagleton: The ultimate postmodern spectacle + Highlights of Michael Jackson's Defense Case

Leno Brings Quips to the Jackson Trial + Michael Jackson Defense Leaves Lingering Questions + Reporter's log: Michael Jackson trial + Defense rests in Jackson trial

ALMOST LIKE BEING IN THE WATER

Exploratorium chief takes post in England. Delacôte intends to create network of science museums

Stone Soul Picnic promises music, wedding vows

Historic lighthouse handed to state

Group brings Arab arts to Bay Area

Experience Livermore wine, please

Where the wild things are + Duck, duck, fox + Electric lady band

Upton Sinclair's California

Berkeley, UC Reach Deal + Critical Mass Achieved + Little-known fault threatens big LA disaster-study + Gunning for Stem-Cell Naysayers

Little-known fault threatens big LA disaster-study

LOCAL NEWS:   Tejon preserve unveiled

Center flush with rescued foxes (SJM Reg)

Sacramento & north: County tries to avert conflicts of interest (SB Reg) + + Embracing the past: Expansion of Sacramento City Hall generates rave reviews (SB Reg) + Sacramento: Trustee to review coach's firing (SB Reg) + Development costs concern Yolo officials (SB Reg) + These vets earn special degree of recognition (SB Reg) + House OKs $50 million for area water projects (SB Reg) + Meningococcal disease diagnosed in Folsom student (SB Reg) + Elk Grove: Step toward truce in parks battle (SB Reg) + Vote adds vitality to ThermoGenesis (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: Union, hotels to talk in S.F. + SF: Designs for Flight 93 memorial. 5 competing plans are now on display in the Presidio + SF: Rowdy supes' meeting on Muni's big deficit + SF: Mayor adds $20 million to Rec and Park, but fees go up + SF: Gay community center holds job fair + SF: Grants not controlled properly, jury says + Treasure Island's need for speed + BART financial crisis threatens region + San Francisco taking action to alleviate its kid crisis + The Mayor's Quake Insurance Program + Between a rock and a hardwood + Why are mayor, school superintendent supporting right-wing operatives at SFSOS? + U.N. Plaza gets ready for its close-up + Owners' groups vow to fight back in eviction battle + Around City Hall + Supervisors vote to keep Muni fare hike + Daly, protesters halt hearing + Board seeks more control over Muni budget + Menlo Park Council keen on hotel proposal + Pillar Point project extended + Daly City inks agreement for senior housing

Alameda: Oakland: Jack London Square group hopes unity brings clout + Girl raped at Aquatic park in Berkeley + Builder yanks Laney plan amid protest + E. Oakland school gets help after fire + Psychiatrists at John George may lose jobs + Strange stabbing baffles police + County honors 2 cops for heroism + Necklace at Jane Doe's grave a mystery + Fest is music to Emery students' ears + Newark grad shows how times change + School officials work to connect with San Leandro + Oakland pastor takes message to D.C. + Experience Livermore wine, please + Longtime Fremont resident about to hit triple digits + Biotech firm to move to Fremont + Fremont budget: How do you spend $121.7 million? + Truckers block streets to protest port + Livermore Trails' reports disputed + No illegal drugs found in Moreira + Man found dead in Livermore motel + + Newark: Home Deport dispute + Lizzie fountain to make way for retail growth (CCT Reg) + Supervisors' vote delayed on cap for pot clubs + Yuppies in West Oakland + West Oakland's extreme makeover

Santa Clara: S.J. council offers budget alternatives (SJM Reg) + Center flush with rescued foxes (SJM Reg) + Mathematician lauded for (corrected) research (SJM Reg) + Open space fund lands prime parcel (SJM Reg) + Ruling expected on district taxation (SJM Reg) + Poll to test voters on sales tax hike (SJM Reg) + Palo Alto: 6 first-graders hurt when car hits bus + Residents unhurt in Sunnyvale fire (SJM Reg) + Historic affordable housing measure pays out in Santa Clara County (SJM Reg) + Weimers: The good old days of no parking (SJM Reg) + Consul to present awards (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Fire kills Brentwood family pets (CCT Reg) + Rodeo man jumps in canal, drowns (CCT Reg)+ Canciamilla name on ballot for assembly gain (CCT Reg) + Coast icon to pass into state's hands (CCT Reg) + Pardee report received, not backed (CCT Reg) + Concord policeman hits big rig, hospitalized with major injuries (CCT Reg) + Concord Housing project near BART passes muster

Marin: Scientists at Pt. Reyes study cloud pollutants + Novato teachers livid over lack of raises + Supervisors to provide regular reports on their discretionary accounts + Mill Valley schools pick new leader + San Rafael panel approves new Best Buy store + Survey of residents shows traffic is biggest headache + Tam schools offer early peek at budget + Sanitary District considers rate increase

Sonoma: Petaluma: Dress blues at graduation? Officials won't vote on letting student wear Marine uniform + Marine's father pleads case + No sign of missing teen + Mendocino supervisors rebuke chairman Delbar + Plant caper spreads dirt in all directions + Why Judy Lampee's work will live on + New group joins battle over Cloverdale casino + Railroad Square plan approved

Napa: A few local farmers dig in the dirt for something other than wine grapes + Napa looks at taxes to close city budget gap + Downtown Chefs Market returns, with some controversy + Land owner says he'll take county to court over parcel split

Solano: AmCan school dedication + Vallejo predicts five years of budget deficits + Large Scale faces ouster from Nasdaq National Market (SB Reg) + Vacaville man killed when he hits gas tanker + Fairfield: Council OKs package of public safety improvements + Fairfield: Spering will run for supervisor in 2006 + Fairfield: Council considers fee hikes, sales tax + Whether naughty or nice, new store does well in Vacaville + If you want a better job than Wal-Mart + Damelio, teachers at impasse; mediator will have to intervene + Local News Briefs... + Area school staff to rally at Capitol today + BUSD to hold a workshop Thursday on budget issues + Suisun mayor running for supervisor sea + Solano County still fixing procedural problems in Public Guardian office

Monterey: L.A. judge postpones trial challenging Salinas River proposal + Pattullo pool may be closed for remainder of year + Power line sparks brush fire + C.V. fire district split gains support + Your Town + Softer water rules urged + Carmel Lagoon's breach by the beach + Almost like being in the water + Priest loved tending to sick, pulling pranks + Marina set to OK bonds for library + Migrant mental health an obstacle

Central Valley: Affordable housing vanishes + Police, fire, parks cuts look probable + Livingston braces for a strike + Voluntary clinic fees urged + Hitler cartoon increases tension + Signs of a Good Time + Turlock ponders some peculiar pipes + Merced church gets $60,000 back + Merced County bans pot clubs + Report slams youth prison + Everest quest ends + Turlock hears bong-ban request + Valley groups lobbying D.C. + News & Notes + Around the Region + Community Briefing + Modesto deserves All-America City status Don't learn this trio of painful fiscal lessons the hard way

Southern California: LA: Hush vote costs public + LA waste strategy pledged + LA: Area programs face severe cuts + LA: Leadership vacuum + Beautiful, Bloomin' Mess, Jacarandas (LAT Reg) + Casino Is Again Urged on Garden Grove (LAT Reg) + O.C. Moves to Ease Its Data Overload (LAT Reg) + LA School Board Delays Vote to Put All Students on College Prep Track (LAT Reg) + LA: Plan to Ship Waste to Remote Sites Dropped (LAT Reg) + Long Beach Council Delays LNG Decision (LAT Reg) + LA: Supervisors Support D.A., Assessor in Term Limits Fight (LAT Reg) + LA: Trust Fund Is Created for Mayoral Transition (LAT Reg) + Imagining Downtown (LAT Reg) + Election Charges Hit Hahn Supporter (LAT Reg) + NFL and LA inch closer to stadium deal + Walking a Fine Line Along Our Coast (LAT Reg) + Screen Guild: Actors voice their dissent + OC: 138 Fire Stations Added to Infant Surrender Sites

School days: Charter schools get high marks + Petaluma: Dress blues at graduation? Officials won't vote on letting student wear Marine uniform + San Francisco: 3 school closings up in air. Decision delayed as parents, teachers fill the board chambers + UC regents to consider fee increases for fall. Tuition could also rise for some grad programs + LA: vote put off on college-prep rule for all + Novato teachers livid over lack of raises + Mill Valley schools pick new leader + Study: Foreign kids excel in U.S. homes + Fest is music to Emery students' ears + School officials work to connect with San Leandro + CSUEB students say yes to fees to keep services + I get lost just thinking about geography, but at least I don't care + Berkeley school district signs deal with teachers (CCT Reg) + Mt. Eden students play global CEOs + Sacramento: Trustee to review coach's firing (SB Reg) + R.E. Graswich: School episode teaches a TB lesson: Disease remains a threat (SB Reg) + Meningococcal disease diagnosed in Folsom student (SB Reg) + Oregon professor named dean of arts at CSUS (SB Reg) + Best of high school musical plays saluted (SJM Reg) + Eastwood digs into his role as Carmel students plant native plants + Expo Shows Advanced Degree of Sophistication (LAT Reg) + Colleges Test New Health Program (LAT Reg)

Iraq government: Election Choices Slashed in Iran + Shiite cleric Sadr urges halt to violence. At least 10 clerics killed in recent spate of attacks

War prisons: UN joins Karzai in calling for Bagram abuse inquiry

AFGHANISTAN: Battle spills over Pakistan border. 5 tribesmen dead after U.S. forces pursue insurgents

MIDDLE EAST: Saudi Arabia shelves plan to let women drive

Egypt Says Outside Monitors Can't Have Role in Presidential Election, but Observers OK

Israel, Palestine: PA presents Israel with troop plan during pullout + Karadi: 5,000 needed to defend Temple Mount + PM: I won't compromise on Jerusalem + Sharon sets Israeli terms before Abbas visits U.S.

U.N. Verifies Syrian Pullout From Lebanon but Can't Be Sure All Intelligence Apparatus Is Out

EUROPE:  Europe on a knife edge + The battle for Europe

Germany: Luke Harding in Berlin: Schröder's big gamble + Germany's Next Chancellor Angela Merkel + Chancellor Schroeder Writes His Living Will

CENTRAL ASIA: Uzbeks describe a popular uprising + AP Enterprise: Questions Remain About How Many, and Who, Died in May 13 Violence

ASIA PACIFIC:  Chinese envoy skips talks with Koizumi

No more naked lunch: China bans sushi dining ladies

Japan closer to permanent Security Council seat

AMERICAS:

Canada: Fueling America: Tribe's success at blocking natural gas delivery system threatens development of Canada's oil-sands mines + Anne McIlroy in Ottawa: Back from the brink + Queen Braves Chilling Rain to Greet Tens of Thousands on Canada's Victoria Day

Former Militants Reborn in Bogota

Mexico: Mexico's Central Bank Predicts Remittances Will Reach US$20 Billion for 2005 + Mexico: Tourist Town Mourns Its Slain Police Chief (LAT Reg) + Mexican President Declines to Apologize; Sharpton Says Anything Less Is Unacceptable + U.S. Migrants Ask Mexico to Help Reunite Families Separated by U.S. Deportations

CHAVEZ: VENEZUELA INTERESTED IN NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY + In Venezuela, Chavez Allies Prepare to Compete for Same Posts in Local Elections

Supreme Court Gives Police Go Ahead to Investigate Brazil's Social Security Minister

Blood for pork....

Arab business leaders seek to boost foreign investment

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Intel Analysts Knew Bush's Claims on Iraq Were Wrong

CIA Tied to Sudan Genocide Leader

ANOTHER PLANE SCARE IN D.C. + Senate Briefly Recesses After Plane Violates Restricted Airspace; May 11 Pilot Loses License

Pilot in D.C. security scare has license revoked

Pa. Man Accused of Trying to Sell Bomb to al Qaeda

Lobbyist in Espionage Inquiry Says That He Broke No Laws

One agent’s tortuous path throws light on VEVAK methods   

Former spy boss Dearlove goes on payroll of the firm with 'no names'

Arthur Walker denies giving important info to brother + The Walkers: a tale of espionage

Ex-KCIA Chief ‘Not Murdered in Paris’

Probe of former AIPAC staffers centers around Iraq

AIPAC turns on political star power for show of strength

Blair faces US probe over secret Iraq invasion plan

US turns blind eye to espionage

INDONESIA : SPY AGENCY LINKED TO MURDER

Report: Ex-AIPAC officials briefed Israel Embassy official

Analysis: CIA Unit Has Negroponte's Ear

Intelligence Czar Is Focus of Legislation

Why Exactly Do We Want to Hold the Saudis' Hand?

SA diplomats, spies to serve the cause of local business 

Enron Offers an Unlikely Boost to E-Mail Surveillance

Floyd L. Paseman, 64; Retired CIA Official Wrote 'A Spy's Journey' (LAT Reg)

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:  RIP: Newton 'Bud' Flounders -- gay novel collector + California Supreme Court to hear lesbian custody cases. Justices to decide parental status of former partners + Lesbians don't make prime time, because it's all about the money + San Bernardino Declines to Give Gay Center Funds (LAT Reg) + 'Love' meetings to clash on gays

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Justices Re-enter Abortion Debate With Case on Parental Consent

U.S. court bars chains, shackles

High court turns aside Mexican's appeal of death sentence in dispute involving foreigners' rights

Supreme Court Says Beef Producers Can Be Forced to Pay for Ads

Microsoft is facing June 1 deadline to comply in antitrust case

When fear creeps in

Vatican reportedly drops probe of Mexican cleric

Squad looks for lies day and night

Radiologists Play Key Role In Child Abuse Cases: Electronic Exhibit Outlines Signs Of Abuse

Sheriff: Dad Not a Suspect in Idaho Case

Girl Told Friend She Knew She'd Be Found

Defense Begins Case in Fresno, Calif., Trial of Man Accused of Killing Nine of His Children

Social worker bolsters Jackson defense + Accuser's Mom Accused of Fraud

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Microsoft to Add Aerial, Satellite Photos to Search Tool

Fusion - why the force is with Google

New lens may revolutionize photography

Next for BitTorrent: Search

The cockroach-controlled robot

Jump-starting hydrogen car dream (SJM Reg)

Laser Technique Used To Build Micro-Structures On A Human Hair Without Harming It

Like The Famous Doughboy, Nanotubes Give When You Poke 'Em

Scientists Coax Gold Particles To Emit Light Strong Enough To View Single Nanoparticles

Role Reversal: Planet Controls a Star

PIXEL PERFECT: Torrent of images is leaving film in the dust. Evolution of photos creating unforeseen effects on society + Photographers wooed for their print business + Shooting: Deciding which options work + Online ways to share, store photos

CONNECT THE DOTS....

The very moment he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge he knew he made a mistake

Baby Lift adoptees plan return to Vietnam

Stardom: Portuguese Futebol Win Kept Me Up All Night

Daniel Cohn-Bendit: 'No one has dared tell the French left that we live in a world of market forces'

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Steelworkers' tales of pension woe. Before United Airlines, cuts hit Bethlehem Steel

Insurance Option Has Workers Pay More

Attitudes, "Soft skills" top list of what area employers desire (SB Reg)

Sites check and rate reputations online (SJM Reg)

Workers in Coke bottling plants strike in two cities

PalmSource CEO steps down for undisclosed reasons

It's cash that counts in China, not plastic

MILITARY  Pat Tillman's parents rail at Army's 'lies'. They say probe into ex-NFL player's friendly fire death was a sham

An Iraqi Police Officer's Death, a Soldier's Varying Accounts

Naval Air Weapons Station in Mojave Desert awaits buildup (LAT Reg)

Army Honors Canadian Soldiers Killed by American Jets in Afghanistan

Guardsman Says He Shot Iraqi Police Officer in Self-Defense, Admits Shooting Himself

Click. Bobby Calvan: Base closure is Concord's dream.

Congressman: Maher's Remark "borders on Treason"

San Francisco: Kites on Marina Green soar for peace in Mideast. Members of 'living room dialogue' groups go outside

Why "intelligent design" is bad for science

Ill. Library Getting Fingerprint Scanners

Stardom: What You Enter In Search Can Be SEEN

Shane Hachey: Columbia's old elite a new ROTC enemy

Nazi leader's signet ring passed in at auction

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

All hands on deck as bird flu reappears in China + China rushes in 3m avian flu vaccines + Lack of bird-flu vaccine raises fear of pandemic (CCT Reg)

U.S. May Approve Anti-Depression Implant

Clone me, says British patient in S. Korea

Dr. Bill Elliott: Exercise, diet can treat 'Syndrome X'

Risks Outweigh Benefits Of Shark Cartilage As Anti-cancer Treatment

Birth Factors Associated With Risk For Autism

Expandable Electrodes Safe And Effective For Radiofrequency Ablation Of Liver Tumors

Physiotherapists Cure Incontinence

Women Rising To The Challenge Of Weightlessness

Report That Delayed Motherhood Decreases Life Expectancy Of Mouse Offspring

Obesity Is Risk Factor For Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Hydroxycitric Acid Slows Glucose Uptake, Cuts Insulin Peaks/Valleys A La South Beach Diet

UCLA Study Tackles Aging Issues Of Adults With Developmental Disabilities

Trading Shots for Drops: The New Approach to Allergies

Noise And Carbon Monoxide Exposure Increases Hearing Loss In Workers According To Université De Montréal Study

Biomarkers For Interstitial Cystitis Identified, Could Lead To The First Test

Chest CT Can Be First Step To Identifying If Patient Has Had A Heart Attack

Disabling Gene Defuses Rheumatoid Arthritis In Mice

St. John's Wort Only Minimally Effective In Relieving Major Depression, Review Confirms

Presence Of High-risk Prostate Cancer Can Be Predicted Without A Biopsy, New Study Says

Rice, Iowa State Biologists Search For 'Half-fusion'

Given Misleading Cues, Older Adults Are More Likely To 'Remember' That Misinformation

The age of autism: Goshen

Keyhole surgery studied for colon cancer

Three Organ Transplant Recipients Die From Virus Related to Rodents

Study: Crestor Side Effects Deemed Worse

Silenced Science: Arctic Ozone Loss By Jim Scanlon

First Ever Fossil Of Sleeping Dinosaur Found In China

THE BUSHWORLD...

US to build four new bases in Iraq + Bases move signals US pull-out of Iraq

Bush to press Abbas to crack down on terror

Sen. Richard Lugar silent on NSA intercepts re: Bolton nomination

Mexico Slams Proposal to Send U.S. Troops to Guard Border

Bush Holds Lighthearted Show-and-Tell With Photographers

Karzi visit: Bush Rebuffs Karzai's Request on Troops + Meet Amid Unrest + Do not ignore others' pain, Karzai says at BU + Bush, Karzai paper over differences on U.S. troops

Pravda: The Rise of Laura Bush + Laura feels Mideast rage + Laura Bush hails Mubarak's Egyptian reforms

Fueling America: Tribe's success at blocking natural gas delivery system threatens development of Canada's oil-sands mines

Iran: Britain presses Iran ahead of 'tough' nuclear talks + Changing the Islamic Republic's nuclear interests

Syria, Lebanon: Leaders of Palestinian factions in Syria hold talks on truce + Where are U.S. sanctions on Syria heading? + Assad should take his wife's advice and shed light on his murky regime + U.N. verifies Syrian military left Lebanon + U.N. Verifies Syrian Pullout From Lebanon but Can't Be Sure All Intelligence Apparatus Is Out

N. Korea: Secret N. Korean Footage Suggests Nascent Dissent + U.S. signals impatience on N Korea nuclear talks

Other foreign: Russia reacts coolly to "political games" of the U.S. Senators and the Baltic presidents

Rice: Rice to AIPAC: Bush to tell Abbas democracy is indisputable goal

Domestic: Feds try to deny Viagara to sex offenders + GOVERNMENT RUNNING OUT OF SURPLUS MILK POWDER

Congress: U.S. Senators Reach Agreement on Judicial Filibusters, Averting Shutdown + PDF of the deal + McCain's explanation of the deal + Congressmen dare Bush to veto expansion of stem cell study + Senate moderates forming power center

GOP: Spokane mayor again refuses to resign over gay sex scandal + Tough Westchester DA Pirro may take on Hillary in '06

Voting: Washington state election Trial: GOP seeks to oust governor, Dems defend election + Judge in vote trial highly regarded

OPINIONS:

Empire is burning as politicians fight in the sandbox, some say

Novak: Supreme Court lurks as real issue

Republicans launch power grab in US Senate

Pat Tillman as Prop

Oh God: Even Christians Question Dubya

GOP Turned to Lobbyist to Craft Plan to End Filibusters

Republicans Admit Senate Behaving 'Like We're in the Third Grade'

Paul Krugman: America wants security

PART 10: Nazism and the German economic miracle

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

Newsweek revamps policies on unnamed sources

On Fall TV, the Networks Are Planning Something Borrowed

Ben Bradlee Criticizes 'Newsweek' on Sourcing Debacle

Media Often Ignore Women as Sources, New Study Finds

New 'NYT' Public Editor Jumps the Gun with First Critique

AP Gets 2,000 Pages on Gitmo After FOIA Request

Columbia to Close National Arts Journalism Program

Here is the news - women aren't in it, American researchers discover

Metaphysics of a magazine

Media Madness at Wall Street Journal

STRIKE BRINGS BBC TO STANDSTILL

Scholarly Publishers Protest Google's Online Library Project

Amari to Step Down as Editor, Publisher of Arizona Daily Star

Today's papers

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Wavy Gravy wants the Wavy Gravy ice cream flavor back and help for his kids

Rodeo returns to Rowell Ranch

LA: It May Not Be Summer, but It's Time to Hit the Beach (LAT Reg)

San Ramon hosts classic car show

Field of Tri-City area cricketers' dreams

History buffs fight to save Ripon City Hall

Audubon Society courts Latinos (SJM Reg)

Dirigible crash off Big Sur detailed at Monterey museum

Computers are music to creative types' ears

Mongolian leader seen in new light

Sixties Bands and Artists We Loved

Belgian brothers win Palme d'Or for second time

Comic book collectors sift for gold at convention

Hilton Als on “Miss Julie”

Unpublished Kerouac play discovered

At The Theater With John Heilpern

Water music

Alex Ross on Peter Sellars and Bill Viola

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Tom to Brooke: Don't be woman of substance

Rush & Molloy: Ahnuld thinks Nazi talk was a Sly plot

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:  Gov. plans reform offensive + Budget analyst questions Gov.'s assumptions + Items in Gov.'s budget questioned + Dan Walters: Word-twisters are proliferating as Capitol's power struggle escalates (SB Reg) + Calling for a rematch on workers' comp reform + Beatty: 'I could run California better + Warren Beatty Blisters Governator + Schwarzenegger School-Funding Deal Eyed

Editorial: LA is the de facto capitol of California (LAT Reg)

A State Border Patrol Wouldn't Be Out of Bounds (LAT Reg)

Federal highway aid tie-ups delay cures for California traffic congestion

State officials fight to keep offshore drilling at bay

Calpine's California Delta power unit back

Stem cell institute: California's Stem Cell Bid Stuck in Neutral

Legislature: Bill to give kids reprieve at bottom 375 schools until they get adequate education + Assembly must deliver + Dems try to change exit exam penalties. Bills would exempt some schools from denying diplomas + Senator seeks delay in graduation exam at some schools + The Buzz: Intimations of '06 as rivals Speier, Garamendi duel at hearing (SB Reg) + Cedillo pushes new driver's license law for aliens + Evans-backed bill looks to fund centers for abuse victims

Indian tribes: Fueling American: Tribe's success at blocking natural gas delivery system threatens development of Canada's oil-sands mines + San Diego: Jamal Tribe's casino lobbyists well-connected + San Manuel band tries to block another tribe from building casino in Hesperia + OP/ED: Gov.'s guidelines for casinos welcome + San Benito casino highlighted desperate need for jobs

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

California Supreme Court to hear lesbian custody cases. Justices to decide parental status of former partners

Battle lines drawn over species act (SB Reg)

Prison health care in state of crisis (FB Reg)

Group wants inmate labor union (RP Reg)

Citizen's lawsuits return as an issue (LAT Reg)

Sacramento & north: Backseat driver: A confident driver might not be a competent one (SB Reg) + Editorial: Road School scams (LAT Reg) + Lodi: CHP officer apparent suicide victim

San Francisco, San Mateo: Drunken drivers may have to pay city for collisions + Suspected bordello allowed to remain open + Burlingame: Lack of funds disbands Criminal Justice Council + Redwood City: Closing arguments begin in 2002 fatal bank robbery case + Redwood City courthouse restoration to begin + Redwood City: Baseball bat beater gets 13 years + Redwood City: Quadruple homicide sentencing set for July

Alameda: Oakland police have many watchdogs + Blaze destroys high school facilities at East Oakland School of Arts + Arson probed in blaze at school + Oakland: Riders get off again -- no surprise + Oakland: Jury will inspect scene of slaying + Livermore: Citizens get look at local police + Fremont trial in molestation case will begin today + Hayward police chief brings 'renewed confidence'

Santa Clara: Mountain View: 2 men wounded in knife fight + Supervisors to OK fencing ranch for young offenders (SJM Reg) + Action Line: Gear replaced, rebates paid (SJM Reg) + Roadshow: Is message getting through? (SJM Reg) + Close encounters with the angry kind (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: El Sobrante: Man found dead had been shot + El Sobrante victim identified (CCT Reg)

Marin: County, D.A. to offer more aid to 'isolated' Marin City residents

Sonoma: Cloverdale man arrested in slaying of girlfriend

Napa: Cigarette sting finds fewer stores selling to teenagers + Feds send in police to seize Berryessa resort + California police still searching for clues to former SC beauty + Friend helps keep memory of former beauty queen alive

Solano: Teacher, grandson use art to fight drugs + Prosecutors lend expertise to narcotics squad + Keeping area's seniors safe + Vallejo Police Calls + Two cigarette sellers fail police ID check + Benicia Police Calls

Central Valley: Review: Few revelations in Amber Frey movie)

Central Coast: Women Lawyers celebrate three decades

Southern California: What Happened to Tom and Jackie Hawks? (LAT Reg) + Victim's organs awaits harvesting following shooting in LA

Michael Jackson: Maid testifies about entry alarm for Jackson's bedroom suite + Michael Jackson's defense nears end + Welcome to Neverland, a well-watched 'happiest place on Earth' + Decade-old album could be Jackson's best defense + Neverland: Paradise or Trap? (LAT Reg)

LOCAL NEWS:   Workers at 10 hospitals vote to strike

Beat takes pause at pool

Lost Wyoming House Cat Turns Up In California

Sacramento & north: Boaters stay away from surging rivers (SB Reg) + A pause to protect Tahoe + Politics, asbestos mix in foothills (SB Reg) + Hmong group's leader honored (SB Reg) + R.E. Graswich: Firefighter witnesses the pain of a child in his first day on the job (SB Reg) + Bob Shallit: Approval issue trips planned restaurant on Sacramento River (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: Atheists rally the faithless in S.F. + Finally, a home fit for a king in San Francisco + Around City Hall + Protesters target TIC open house + Half Moon Bay artist dies in crash + San Mateo County prepares for Hetch Hetchy impact + + Burlingame: Hillside school faces closure + San Mateo County phlebotomy contract draws bad blood + Peninsula in Brief (SJM Reg)

Alameda: Prop. 42 restoration may help area roads + Oakland: Uncertain future for union of Fox and Paramount theaters + Centers offer hope for Oakland teens (SB Reg) + Niles Canyon mosque draws critics + Livermore: Lizzie fountain up for discussion + Newark West Point Cadet's life unfolds in Time (SJM Reg)

Santa Clara: Weimers: Montalvo artistry gets talked about (SJM Reg) + Religious right's rise alarms area atheists (SJM Reg)+ P.A. school tax boosters lead aggressive campaign (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Contra Costa leaders must agree on urban limit line (CCT Reg) + Makeover tempest gathers in corner of Walnut Creek (CCT Reg) + Hercules schools' effort to secede hits a snag (CCT Reg)

Marin: West Marin: Conflict over dunes. RV campsite at Tomales Bay fights for survival + Marin Profile: Ballet instructor Jody White + 'Oklahoma!' comes alive on Mount Tam + Las Gallinas ewer district to sell $8 million bond + Principal retiring after 27 years at Kent Middle School + Underground utility project causes friction in Sausalito + Marin Work Force Housing Trust launches campaign for affordable housing

Sonoma: Guerneville: Teen feared dead in Russian River + Teaching water safety + Reminder of river's dangers + West Sonoma school districts' parcel taxes get second chance + State clamps down on water users at Russian River + Housing plan earns Sierra Club support

Napa: Old World art helps New Tech high + Officials focus on Salvador Creek

Solano: Women's group to give big donation for stem cells + American Canyon to dedicate newest school

Monterey: Salinas: When safety gets crowded out + Salinas Head Start is a family thing + Towing company sues Salinas + Man seriously hurt in boating accident + New MPUSD administrator will oversee renovations + A classmate remembered + Your Town + Anyone's guess if Potter will keep coastal panel seat

Central Valley: Stanislaus: Riverbank Army weapons plant will fight to stay open + Fight of his young life + Deaths confirm dangers of work + Leaping into the Victory Circle + Rivers' strong flows a danger + Middle East mothers urge peace at last + Interim Iraq official will speak + History buffs fighting to save Ripon City Hall + Atwater woman dies in house fire + Past, Present Honor Wilson + Stanislaus: Move toward recycling right choice at landfill

Central Coast: Supporters climb aboard on Rail and Trail Day + Chisel surgery gets wave riders back in water in weeks + Supervisor wants info on crop trend + Spring gets a visit from summer + Riding bike to work was a good idea after all + Coast Lines + Beware of prize-money scams + Pig eradication plan out of control on Island off Santa Barbara + Morro Bay (San Luis Opisbo) sewage keeps worries afloat (CCT Reg)

Southern California: LA: Now they all love Antonio + LA: Sweet disarray at City Hall + LA: Hahn gets a final dig in by delaying concession to rival + LA: Mayor Picked by a Shrinking Electorate (LAT Reg) + As We See It: Fresh start in Los Angeles + Plans for houses near Santa Susana lab a concern + Building spurt hits Glendale + LA: King/Drew Has a Void at the Top (LAT Reg) + San Bernardino Declines to Give Gay Center Funds (LAT Reg) + OC: Testing the Limits of an Open Mike (LAT Reg) + Pension fund scandal biting into city services, reputation of San Diego + News briefs from San Diego County

School days: Studio City: Parents taking fundraising into their own hands + Benicia H.S. staff worker quits after unknowingly escorting teenager packing a pistol. No warning given +Dems try to change exit exam penalties. Bills would exempt some schools from denying diplomas + Hercules schools' effort to secede hits a snag + Bill to give kids reprieve at bottom 375 schools until they get adequate education + After-school plans balance fun, safety (CCT Reg) + Berkeley ranks Malcolm X with the greats (CCT Reg) + Knightsen: Beneath tough exterior lies tender administrator (CCT Reg) + West Sac 'combat pay' fight (SB Reg) + Job Transfers Put South Pasadena Schools Chief's Post in Jeopardy (LAT Reg) + Senator seeks delay in graduation exam at some schools + Numbering the Crush: Colleges Cull Applicants (LAT Reg) + Schools Aid Transition to U.S. (LAT Reg) + UC seeks to boost fund-raising efforts + UC Regents will consider new fee hike + Alameda island students have fun with physics + Newark's Ohlone on the way - finally + Cal State East Bay: Look alive, Pioneer Pete your future's on the line + Wells students make a difference + St. Marys grads urged to serve + Home - schooling now closer to home + School dilemma: Should child be held back or left to struggle? (SJM Reg) + Stanford's sylvan splendor revealed (SJM Reg)

War prisons: Two Australian academics openly advocate torture

AFGHANISTAN: Rebels kill 7 in Afghan aid group

ISRAEL, PALESTINE: New Gaza violence threatens truce + Weissglas to Erekat: Stop Gaza attacks immediately + Ex-Shin Bet chief: Temple Mount attack would trigger 'total war' + Hamas leader says group rejects ruling on Gaza election results

EUROPE: Leaders call for French 'Yes'

CENTRAL ASIA: Tales of Uzbek Violence Suggest Larger Tragedy + Nato calls for Andijan inquiry + Click. Pravda: Uzbekistasn carefully conceals traces of the uprising from foreign diplomats and reporters + 'If the troops return, we will fight them'

ASIA PACIFIC: China stands firm in textiles row

Domestic threats to China's rise

Own family puts Arroyo on the spot

AMERICAS: Canada set for confidence vote

Pinochet 'has suspected stroke'

Venezuela's Chavez Says Immigration Charge Against Cuban Exile Shows U.S. Hypocrisy

MILITARY 

War beyond Earth is not inevitable

(Txt file) Global strike task force to Guam base

States other than Illinois overpay vets: report

Garfield volunteers for military recruiting battle

Click. Children from military families are twice as likely to die from severe abuse as other children are.

Plan would bypass judges in FBI probes. Investigators could demand business records in terror-related cases without judicial OK

Project to save rare deer wins China conservation award, Government open to better relations with activists

Campaigners quiz Google on China play

FBI: ENVIRONMENTALISTS, ANIMAL RIGHTS BIGGEST DOMESTIC TERROR THREAT

Give Your DVD Player the Finger

Krassner: Feet of clay, house of cards

LIBRARIAN'S BRUSH WITH FBI

Blood for pork....

New Boeing will have a folding tail and its nose will be made in Russia

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Bush makes clear Negroponte to conduct spy revamp

FBI: Domestic activists Step Up Terrorist Acts

Tommies' Spoof Crashes Defence Ministry Computers

In From the Cold, to a Cold Shoulder

Judge Gives Another 10 Days for Oil-for-Food Probe and Congress to Settle Fate of Secret Documents

Click. Gamma Shine 2: English Nuclear Accident Plans

Raytheon’s Grimes emerges as Defense CIO candidate

Israeli spy to stay in jail, U.S. says

Report: Ex-AIPAC officials briefed Israel Embassy official

Former KGB Operative Reveals Secrets of Global War for Germs and Viruses + Alberta lab was Russian target, book says

Australia spy chief urges extension of special powers

Bulgarian Counterintelligence Chief to Act as Secretary of Interior + WHO'S WHO: Major-General Ivan Tchobanov

When the Communist East Was Still American

Spy agency linked to activist's death

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:   Military's gay policy is absurd + Redondo Beach: Anti-Gay Strategy Backfired (LAT Reg) + Principal Pulls H.S. Paper's Stories on Gay Students; Editors Seek ACLU Help + Gay suicide rates higher + Peter Tatchell: The hidden gay past of Malcolm X

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Detectives rule out 'person of interest' in Idaho missing-kids case

Flemmi alleges more FBI payoffs

Florida agency ordered to pay $26m in child's abuse

Survey shows little progress in effort to halt pirated software + Pirated Sith Making the Rounds

Chicago: Duff gets nearly 10 years in prison

The Long and Difficult Road to Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse: A Tale of Three States, and How They Revised Their Statutes

Federal Agents Conduct Searches in LexisNexis Hacking Probe

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Internet Carriers Must Serve 911

Shuttle Engineers Expect Smooth Tank Swap

India races into space

Seattle launches test of free Wi-Fi service

Joe Public cools to eGov projects

University Of Manchester Develops Vision Chip For New Generation Of 'Human' Robots

Study Explains Mystery Of Mars Icecaps

One Mars Orbiter Takes First Photos Of Other Orbiters

Robotic Telescope Discovery Sheds New Light On Gamma-ray Bursts

Scientists Develop Novel Multi-color Light-emitting Diodes

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Puzzled Brits Clamor for Su Doku

Reason: Rock and Roll Entrepreneur: Frank Zappa's true legacy

A Field Guide to Genetic Engineering and Bodily Enhancement

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

Wendy's to focus on irreverence in new ad campaign

Greenspan builds case for limiting Fannie, Freddie holdings

Randolph T. Holhut: Companies replace pensions with broken promises and lies Click.

Long-secret salaries at risk in Germany

Md. Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Have Forced Wal-Mart to Spend More on Health Benefits

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

HOMELAND SECURITY DEPT. WANTS TAPES, NOTES FROM NY TIMES REPORTER

Guild Chief Under Fire for Comments About Attacks on Journalists in Iraq

Red Cross Reports Abuse of Koran -- But Says It Has Since Stopped

Newspaper Ads Help Lead to Prostitution Bust

Calif. Judge Temporarily Restrained Paper's Coverage of Open Hearing

McClellan to Press: You're Out of (My) Control

It's Out With the Old as CBS Cancels 4 Shows

Ready or Not, China Gets Blogged

Pit bull fans protest exclusion from column

Carlson: The Buck Doesn't Stop With Newsweek

Today's papers

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Former KGB Operative Reveals Secrets of Global War for Germs and Viruses + Alberta lab was Russian target, book says

Fear of a global bird flu epidemic. WHO scientists urge careful monitoring

Revolutionary New Treatment to Unclog Arteries

Korea Study Could Shift Cloning Debate

Implant puts hope in sight (CCT Reg)

Study Finds Prostate Cancer In 25% Of High-risk Men With 'Normal' PSA Levels

Recycling drugs may be a panacea as costs rise (CCT Reg)

Fla. Hospital Gets Medical Simulator Baby

Scientists learn the taste of words

Fibromyalgia Patients May Benefit From Cough Remedy, UF Study Finds

CAD System Makes Breast MRI More Effective, Efficient

Virtual Reality Therapy May Ease Fear Of Public Speaking

As Morphine Turns 200, Drug That Blocks Its Side Effects Reveals New Secrets

Dye To Pinpoint Diseases And Pathogens

Sonic Flashlight Puts Ultrasound Images In Physician's Line Of Sight For Catheter Placement

New Stomach Cancer Therapy Potentially More Convenient And Better Tolerated

Study Shows Erbitux May Fight Colorectal Cancer After Other Therapies Fail

WHO Centre Calls For Global Action On Cleft Palate

Nature As Important As Nurture In Developing Ability For Flexible Self-control

New Monkey Species With Goose-Like Call Discovered

Sumatra Quake Shook Earth's Total Surface

Same Fold In Viral Shells Point To Common Ancestry

Lava Lamp-Like Process Caused World's Largest Zinc Deposit

Alarm Pheromone Causes Aphids To Sprout Wings

Whooping Cranes Stabilize Vision To Find Food

Researchers Find Gene That May Be At Root Of Potato Blight

THE BUSHWORLD...

U.S. Seeks New Action to Stop Iran, North Korea From Making Nuclear Arms

The rising economic cost of the Iraq war

Exit from Iraq could take 'many years', U.S. military chiefs cite lack of progress in training of police

Top US General Says Iraqi Police Force Developing Slower Than Hoped

Bush: Not Enough US Bureaucrats in Iraq

Bush Touts Al-Libbi Capture—But Where in the World Is Osama?

Cuban Exile's Journey From Hero to Outcast

Iran: Iran Attack Policy Committee

Syria, Lebanon: Lebanon and its message

S. Korea: US, North Korea met on nuclear program

Rice: Rice Calls Kuwait's Move to Women's Suffrage 'courageous' + Rice Says Iran Is Out of Step With Change in Mideast

Domestic: U.S. weighs consolidating nuclear bomb materials in Idaho

Medicaid, Social Security: Technological fix for Medicaid

Congress: Base-closing fight ducked as gender issue rises + Hearings point to steroids standard. League chiefs tell lawmakers a single policy is extreme + Congress: NBA drug testing 'a joke' + Stem cell debate splits House GOP

GOP: Rudy & the class of 9/11 + Despite Some Recent Setbacks, Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush Compiles an Impressive Record in Fla.

OPINIONS:

Editorial: China syndromes (SB Reg)

Why Islam is disrespected

PETER SCHRAG: Piecemeal approach will never fix immigration problems

Nukes ultimate al-Qaida danger

Bolton Lied About Punishing Dissenter

Republicans Ramp Up Patriot Act to Appease Bush

Novak: Dean vs. Russert: It'll be a scream

Helen Thomas proposes platform for Cheney in '08

As early as 2002, Red Cross told U.S. of Koran incidents at Gitmo Madsen: American jingoism is creeping into every facet of our daily life

The religious right: Pushing a deadly addiction

Cannonfire: Democracy gets the boot

Max Boot: Mubarak, Let Your People Go

A Fire Bell for the West? Michael Scheuer

GOP offensively invokes Nazis...again

US Stumbles Over Uzbekistan: Jim Lobe

The Orange Revolution Turns Red

Escobar: The US and Its 'Special' Dictator

U.S. on Uzbek Terror: A Familiar Rendition

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Former local part of Big Sur folk revival

Orangevale/Fair Oaks: Pow Wow Days revs up (SB Reg)

S.F. socialite is unlikely to see glory in memoir (CCT Reg)

Stanford enters desert robot car race

Chris Caen: Nobody does races like San Francisco

Rapids transit (SB Reg)

Old school photographers

Gardens of the past: UCSC Arboretum hosts plant historian

A Tree Grows in Manhattan

Couture of Chanel, now at the Met + Chanel

New fiction by Jonathan Franzen

'Pleistocene Park' experiment

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology

Searching For The Queen Of Sheba

England's oldest altarpiece unveiled

Marshes Tell Story Of Medieval Drought, Little Ice Age, And European Settlers Near NYC

A Wales of a time

Safety First at Cannes Film Fest

The Hermitary

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: A new Lindsay in politics?

Rush & Molloy: Who's playing guest role with Sheen?

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:   Gov. says special election would return power 'to the people' + Gov. opposes casinos, attacks special interests on radio + Gov. formally opposes urban casinos. But Gov. still supports gambling plan for San Pablo + Gov. launches reform of California Youth Authority + Clerics rip Gov. on immigration + Local Officials: Gov. moving in right direction + CVUSD official unimpressed with Gov.’s revised budget + GOP maps budget tactics (SB Reg) + Budget rests on $4.5 billion impasse + Not enough for public schools? + Daniel Weintraub: The Gov.'s adviser says he's not worried (SB Reg) + Gov. Is Digging Himself Deeper With Denial of School Funding Deal (LAT Reg) + Panel: State's No. 1 for dumb planning decisions (MB Reg)

Controller: California loses $6.5B to tax cheats

CalPERS cuts state payment

Initiatives: Prop. 54's big-money backers revealed. Measure sought to prevent gathering of racial, ethnic data + Stem cell research conflict bill moves a step closer to ballot (CCT Reg) + Border police initiative might face roadblocks.

Indian tribes: Gov. formally opposes urban casinos. But Gov. still supports gambling plan for San Pablo + Gov., Contra Costa supervisors attack casino proposal (CCT Reg) + Orangevale/Fair Oaks: Pow Wow Days revs up (SB Reg) + Ruling restores leaders at D-Q (SB Reg) + No more urban Indian casinos, Gov. vows (SB Reg) + Gov. proclaims opposition to casinos + Gov. opposes urban casinos + Gov.  Issues Proclamation on Tribal Gaming Policy + Foreman family still fighting disenrollment. Group to attend tribal meeting of others denied membership + Trifecta for pro-Indian legislation / Key measures take steps forward + Abramoff, Indian-Tribe Money Reached Deep Inside U.S. Congress

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

A holy outrage

RIP: Peter Rowland -- charismatic playboy, convicted swindler

Connerly to pay $95,000 in campaign law violation suit (CCT Reg) + Deal in lawsuit reveals donors (SB Reg)

2 power firms connected to Enron sued by state (SB Reg)  

A look at California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown

Sacramento & north: Sacramento: Another prisoner hangs self in jail (SB Reg) + Man accepts deal on gun charge related to shooting at Arden Fair (SB Reg) + Lawsuit contests rules on turbans in Yuba jail (SB Reg) + Citrus Heights handyman arraigned in molestations (SB Reg) + Elk Grove school's parents, students warned of trespasser (SB Reg) + Elk Grove: Teen runaway, infant girl sought (SB Reg) + Sacramento: Man found shot dead in home's driveway (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: SF: Boy, 14, held after girl, 13, reports rape + Summer is coming -- so are the pickpockets. Muni warns riders to watch their valuables + Federal grand jury indicts alleged gang members + Panhandle residents stung by mail theft + So. City shelves parcel tax  + Redwood City: Auto shop owner slapped with fines for fraud  + Redwood City: Defendant testifies in robbery case  + Foster City: Police searching for bank robbery suspect

Alameda: Oakland: Police tell judge they'll deal with misconduct / Commanders say changes have already been made + Union City: Students' settlement limits questioning on gang activity. Police must focus on conduct, not race, clothing or friends + U.S. judge praises Oakland police department (CCT Reg) + Pleasanton: Delay granted in cat hanging case (CCT Reg) + Judge: OPD has 'turned a corner' + Accused cop shooter also held in robbery + ACLU wins settlement for Union City students + Fremont: Victim details brother's attack + Man who killed cat is ill, wife says + Fremont woman gets year for theft

Santa Clara:  Finger allegedly bought to try scam. Husband paid $50 to 'create a lawsuit,' court records say + Officials seek identity of dead pedestrian (SJM Reg) + Report questions inmate health costs (SJM Reg) + Roadshow: Comments on bicycling rules (SJM Reg) + Turban object of Sikh's lawsuit (SJM Reg) + Big rig strikes CHP officer (SJM Reg) + Document: Finger scam was planned all along + Chili finger suspect faces new charge

Contra Costa: Martinez: Defendant admits to shooting deputy (CCT Reg) + Lafayette: Hearing probes 1978 murder (CCT Reg)

Marin: Audit rips Superior Court management. Findings point to possible abuses tied to departed chief executive + Serial rapist Ghilotti to remain under close watch

Sonoma: Former symphony official sentenced in embezzlement + 15 years for role in home-invasion robbery that led to death of Petaluma restaurant owner + RP rugby coach admits punching rival at game, police say

Napa: Mom faces prison in custody case

Solano: Vallejo: Police kill suspect in botched robbery. 2 alleged accomplices face murder charge in cohort's death during Toys 'R' Us heist + Cops nab Benicia burglary suspects (CCT Reg) + Teen suspect admits role in store robbery foiled by cops + Giuliani files suit for $1M + Search ends in capture of 2nd burglary suspect + Three women arrested on prostitution charges + Ghilotti ruling has Vacaville riled + Authorities: Meth use is pervasive

Monterey: Monterey: Disability lawsuit settled + Gang member convicted in murder

Central Valley: Stanislaus pays final Peterson bill + Chief: Police must be priority + Memorial to fallen officers + Law & Order

Central Coast: Santa Cruz: Truck hits CHP officer at accident scene + Big-rig trailer hits, injures CHP officer + Lawsuit snaps at loose dogs at Its Beach, Lighthouse Field + Home invasion suspect nabbed trying to cross border + Lawyers prepare for June 6 clash over Felton water + Cops And Courts + Lawsuit snaps at loose dogs at Its Beach, Lighthouse Field

Southern California: Man arrested after couple says gun pulled on LA-area freeway + Redondo Beach: Anti-Gay Strategy Backfired (LAT Reg) + Riverside Care Home Cited for Death, Injury (LAT Reg) + Unions' Campaign Toppled LAX Police Plan (LAT Reg) + Ex-judge Bradley chokes to death + Many Want Disclosures in O.C. Diocese Emulated (LAT Reg) + Ex-Aide to Senator Clinton Implicated in Trial (LAT Reg) + Koran Ordered Online Contains Hate Slogans (LAT Reg) + Ruling Aids Day Laborers (LAT Reg) + Cyber-Prankster Entangles the Internet in a Web of Deception (LAT Reg) + Class-Action Suit Seeks Call Boxes Equipped for Deaf (LAT Reg) + Files on Some Accused Priests May Remain Sealed (LAT Reg) + Mother convicted of disappearing from California with daughter + California Truck Driver Convicted on Federal Drug Charges + Southern California nun could face hit-and-run charges

Michael Jackson: Exclusive: Michael Jackson Will Not Testify, Sources Say + Witness: Accuser's Mom Complained of Being Kept Away From Jackson

Jackson judge won't allow Larry King to testify + Jackson Defense May Wrap Soon + Celebs to Testify in Jackson's Defense + Cousin Tells of Boys' Actions at Neverland (LAT Reg)

LOCAL NEWS:    Border vigil planned for California

Online quake maps ready

Sutter Hospital workers vote to OK strike

BART, AC Transit budget considerations lead to demonstrations (CCT Reg) + Riders: Bus fare plan unfair

Fishing for solutions: Hatcheries in jeopardy (SB Reg)

Weather, fuel dampen salmon season

Sacramento & north: $47 million for flood victims in Yuba County + Arden/Carmichael: Neighbors huddle to stop Rio games (SB Reg) + Sacramento: Public helping to shape river site (SB Reg) + Elk Grove: Vendors get used to pulling up stakes (SB Reg) + El Dorado: Water main upgrade set; fears persist (SB Reg) + Antelope/North Sacramento: Amenities on park's horizon (SB Reg) + Placer: Thinking green (SB Reg) + Rivers high, cold, experts warn (SB Reg) + Natural gas cuts districts' fuel costs (SB Reg)+ Ball field for disabled to have dream surface (SB Reg) + Sacramento City schools set to chop the budget (SB Reg) + Editorial: A vote for Yo-SMUD (SB Reg) + Editorial: Not so lazy river (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo: Fabled bike messengers seem to have hit the wall. On Bike to Work Day, a dying breed laments a dwindling business + Day of awareness for Asians with AIDS + Sf: New fee urged for Rincon Hill builders -- $3 per square foot for impact on city. Fire in high-rises, traffic congestion among concerns + SF: Teachers’ union chief Kelly wins 2nd term + SF: Muni schedules meetings on deficit + Saudis in S.F. to cement U.S. ties + City considers ‘policy framework' for bicycle friendly planning+ SF: 'No brownout' firehouse measure in works for ballot + Bus budgets braking + Peninsula in Brief (SJM Reg)

Alameda: PG&E power outage halts all BART trains + Oakland: Televised meeting to discuss budget + Housing, shops OKd for old W. Oakland neighborhood + Tennis request to Pleasanton parks panel (CCT Reg) + Oakland: One-stop youth center offers hope (CCT Reg) + Health care goes where kids are + Packs face new tragedy as fetuses unlikely to live + City stamps W. Oakland depot plan + A's say stadium vision is unique + UC union planning for one - day strike + Dental 'matriarch' leaves loyal patients + Newark schools chief to get raise + Newark trustees save some services from ax - for now + East Bay hillsides OK'd for park space + Pleasanton: Freeway study may exclude projects + Pleasanton Council candidate demands apology + Local fishermen stuck at docks

Santa Clara: SJ: Bowling for charities scores $1.2 million + Treed mountain lion escapes near Morgan Hill (SJM Reg) + Action Line: Coyote crossbreeding unlikely here (SJM Reg) + Weimers: Plea uncovers events calendars (SJM Reg) + Herhold: One vote against mail elections (SJM Reg) + Prom night safety under scrutiny (SJM Reg) + High-end home store to close (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Richmond: Amtrak train kills woman on tracks + Gov., supervisors attack casino proposal (CCT Reg) + San Ramon split over Crow Canyon (CCT Reg) + Richmond delays rental-check vote (CCT Reg) + Valley Trails homeowners win flood-zone fight (CCT Reg) + San Pablo city leader criticized for poem (CCT Reg) + Packs fear they may lose twins (CCT Reg) + Danville: Alternative school gets new digs + Danville: District running out of names for numerous new campuses

Marin: Audit rips Superior Court management + Marin City pleads for help + Parking fee furor gets results + Pension board to respond to pasting

Sonoma:  Gov. opposes urban casinos + Blackouts, mudslides, plague North Coast; SR nears wettest May ever + Windsor home, retail project approved + Record rain drenches SR + Private Fort Bragg coastline to open up + Battle over River Rock alcohol sales resumes + Rail group set to buy land for service between Sonoma, Marin + Petaluma: Can Marin wear uniform at graduation ceremony? (LAT Reg)

Napa: Napa County 2004 Agriculture Report released

Solano: Next Vallejo budget dodges big cutbacks + Sutter staff votes to authorize strike + 24 non-teaching positions to be axed in Vallejo + Suisun City welcomes Wal-Mart + Invasive species of snail creeping into Lake Berryessa canal + A hard lesson for nonprofits

Monterey: The brighter side of Alisal + Filmmakers tell story of CSUMB's birth, growth + Candle blamed for Prunedale house fire + Your Town

Central Valley: Jedis, bounty hunters, gather for Fan-tastic opening of last 'Star Wars' saga + Water project funding is closer (SB Reg) + Foster Farms gathers workers + UC Merced luring more freshmen than expected + Annual fund-raiser nets $65K + 3rd-oldest city school celebrates today + Gustine cheese plant gets 2nd chance + Turlock youth aspire to sing + Panel: State's No. 1 for dumb planning decisions + New name, new digs + Kids go nuts for the Nuts + Kids with foreign-born parents rising + UC Merced leader joins new council + News & Notes + Around the Region + Community Briefing + SF's water project merits close attention (MB Reg)

Central Coast:  City Council considers police department hires + Chavez, Huerta make cut for new school names in Pajaro Valley + S.C. volunteer paints the town + Strawberry pickers experience work drought + County eyes boost in spending

Southern California: Villaraigosa's Support Goes Beyond Latinos + New era for L.A. + Killing Valley cityhood, firing Parks hurt Hahn + Big Numbers That Finally Add Up (LAT Reg) + Hahn looks back on 'best job in the world' + • Victory came in 13 of 15 districts + A Bridge to the Past and Future for L.A. Latinos (LAT Reg) + Villaraigosa's Victory Tour Is Marred by Violence at School (LAT Reg) + After 'No-Lose' Election, Bratton Promises to Stay (LAT Reg) + To Many, the Rookie Made One Gutsy Play (LAT Reg) + Fate of Cross in San Diego Goes to Voters Again (LAT Reg) + Spirited Contest Is Expected for Villaraigosa's Council Seat (LAT Reg) + As California Goes, So Goes the Nation?

School days:  LA: Schools' shrinking rolls putting funds in danger + LA: Summertime classes back after big cuts + UC Merced Campus signups near 1,000 + Walnut Creek: Summit seeks ways to reduce expulsions + Union City: Students' settlement limits questioning on gang activity. Police must focus on conduct, not race, clothing or friends + Where UC struggles, CSU succeeds. Family-friendly style helps attract female faculty, experts say + Female NASA engineer tells students to chase their dreams + Education award panel visits San Francisco + Award founder backs mayors appointing school board members + UC frat booze ban debated (SB Reg) + Ruling restores leaders at D-Q (SB Reg) + Sacramento City schools set to chop the budget (SB Reg) + Sacramento: College-prep program wins summer school fund (SB Reg) + Students to compete in Nature Bowl (SB Reg) + New SAT no match for two Fremont students + Newark trustees save some services from ax - for now + Livermore teacher uses the Force wisely + Danville: Alternative school gets new digs + Danville: District running out of names for numerous new campuses + Jesuit editor who resigned to spend a year at SCU (SJM Reg) + UC Merced leader joins new council

Former local part of Big Sur folk revival

Orangevale/Fair Oaks: Pow Wow Days revs up (SB Reg)

S.F. socialite is unlikely to see glory in memoir (CCT Reg)

Stanford enters desert robot car race

Chris Caen: Nobody does races like San Francisco

Rapids transit (SB Reg)

Old school photographers

Gardens of the past: UCSC Arboretum hosts plant historian

Iraq government: Iraqi premier expected in Turkey for security talks + Iraq's Sunnis accuse Shiite militia of killings + Shiite, Sunni leaders in Iraq trade terrorism charges on TV

War prisons: Iraqis to seek fresh Basra abuse inquiry + U.S. Army records reveal mock executions in Iraq

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban militants kill five Afghans + Canada sending more troops to Afghanistan

MIDDLE EAST: Egyptian judges agree to supervise referendum

Japan bets on Middle East peace

Israel, Palestine: Israel vow to crush 'Jewish terrorism' + Israeli air strike strains truce + Israel attacks 'Hamas mortars team' + Israel threatens PA it will resume Gaza incursions + Gaza flare-up puts truce in jeopardy + New Palestinian electoral law passed + US security envoy lauds PA reforms

RUSSIA:  Victims of Beslan hostage crisis demand death penalty to the only arrested terrorist + Chaos as Beslan siege trial begins + Oligarch's prosecution cock-up + Khodorkovsky verdict stretches to fourth day + Russia's President Putinocchio

EUROPE: Kurd violence rises in Turkey, raising fears of renewed war

News Analysis: Berlusconi 'miracle' turns into mirage

Spain Ratifies EU Constitution With Strong Senate Vote

Britain: Galloway faces fresh inquiry + Are we heading for a fall? + Heading for a fall? The evidence

CENTRAL ASIA: Uzbek rebel hopes to establish Islamic state + Under Pressure, Uzbek President Raises Death Toll From Clashes + Toll soars in new tales of Uzbekistan violence : Government admits 169 dead; rebels say hundreds

AFRICA: Zimbabwe: Simon Mann, coup leader, faces extradition to prison hell

Improving Sudanese-Eritrean ties bode well for peace

Broken region of Darfur facing 'inevitable' famine

ASIA PACIFIC: A horrific account of Myanmar suppression

Part 3: Foreign money pours into Shanghai

Rising to India's defense

AMERICAS: Mexican president's legacy at stake as U.S. resists migration + Fox Promises to Work With U.S. Civil Rights Leader After Controversial Comment

Brazil Covets Outsourced Jobs

Webber: Bolivia Erupts

Amazon Deforestation in 2004 Was the Second Worst Ever

Nicaragua Government Asks Legislature to Approve Destruction of 651 SAM Missiles

Ex-President Fujimori Causes Furor in Peru With Renewal of Identity Card

Venezuela Presses Demand for U.S. to Hand Over Cuban Exile, Reviving 1976 Bombing Case

Thousands March in Haiti's Capital to Demand Return of Aristide From Exile

Blood for pork....

Millions in arms deals as Polish minister visits Israel

LEAKGATES 

Vanunu Deserves Our Thanks: Daniel Ellsberg

What's American About AIPAC?: Michael Flynn

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

AIPAC Indictments Imminent: Probe Predates 9/11

Homeland Security Is Late With Plan to Check Passengers Before Planes Take Off

Britain’s spy agency protected top Nazi war criminal

Networking with a not-so-secret spy

Pollard accuses PM of exploiting his case to advance pullout

100 Israeli terror victims to testify at Florida trial

Tracking tool could identify bioterror attack (SJM Reg)

Insurgents Post Sniper Training Exercises Online

FBI sez grenade thrown at Bush speech was live ammo

Security Incidents Involving U.S. Presidents in the Last 30 Years

Spain indicts 13 suspected al-Qaida members

Police in northern Italy arrest terror suspects

U.S. says al Qaeda hurting for funds

What to Do About a Country That Has a Nuclear Threat and No Use for Rules

Greece Probes Suspected Industrial Espionage in Aircraft Deals

German intelligence says neo-Nazis gain ground

A Sudden Taste for Openness

Are Terrorists Worse Than Neo-Nazis?

Spy agency passes on county, will move to Virginia

Margaret J. Barnhart Foreign Service Officer

Paul W. Hodges Career CIA Officer

Gen. Andrew Goodpaster, Presidential Adviser, Dies

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Person of Interest in Idaho Deaths Located

Lefkow rips attacks on judges + Details

Technology, legal gaps leave embryos in limbo

Abused Florida girl awarded $26 million

Violent gangs loom large at California prison

When You Refuse to Consent to a Police Search, Can Your Spouse Override That Refusal?

Judges Think Children More Honest But Less Reliable Than Adults, Says Queen's Study

Politically Connected Businessman Gets 10 Years in Prison for Fraud

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

Click to view, state and local

THE GOVERNOR and LOCAL and SCHOOL NEWS Click

Chinese astronauts prepare for mission

NASA to retest shuttle's fuel tank

Google moves to expand its search empire

VOIP in Public-Safety Showdown

Shoes Decide Whether Workout Is Done

More Than a Third of PC Software Pirated

PalmOne all-in-one gadget could rival iPod

The cryptography guru

A Miniature Star on Earth

Flow of future volcano experts running low

Young stars' violent flares protect new planets

SDSS Uses 200,000 Quasars to Confirm Einstein's Prediction of Cosmic Magnification

Supersolids -- Can Atoms Unify And Flow Without Resistance?

CONNECT THE DOTS....

Panel weighs in on costs, benefits of salmon farming (SB Reg)

Well-known Google chef stepping down (SJM Reg)

Nobel laureates in Petra to chart course for 'critical' planet

Trump: World Trade Center design is 'crap'

Curious incident of the piano man

Cash Cow Karl Marx

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK....

S Korea rules out further currency intervention

Hong Kong limits dollar to deter speculators

US market rally on China talk puzzles strategists

Snow Says China May Make Move Toward Floating Yuan Within a `Few Months'

Banks try to transfer the blame

Otellini succeeding Barrett as Intel's CEO; Barrett becomes chairman

HP's quarterly profit up 9% under new CEO

Dream of opening cafe, wine bar could be nightmare

United judge orders 2-day recess to negotiate concessions

Study finds pensions are healthy but underfunded

Rafique: World Bank Immunity

FBI memos show agents conducting 'pretext interviews'. Critics say dissent is being treated as potential terrorism

ACLU Demands Denver Police Comply With No-Spying Rule or Quit FBI Counterterrorism Group

FBI Sued Over Monitoring of Activist Groups

Mark Morford: They Really Are Watching You

Personal Data for the Taking

Banned pregnant graduate walks anyway

MILITARY  Combat support ban weighed for women

State might challenge Guard unit's move

Adrift 500 Feet Under the Sea, a Minute Was an Eternity

BERKELEY : No summer fun for ROTC grads : For many, it's a quick step from college classroom to Iraq duty

Rust Threatens Historic Ship

Extreme beachcombing on the weapons range

Columnist comes to the aid of military wives with book

Young turn their backs on life in US military

New Pains for Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

You be the judge. Is a clinical trial for you?

Type 2 Diabetics Battle Blood Sugar Woes + Diabetes out of control in U.S., survey finds

Deaths prompt end to breast cancer study

What's New in Biotech

Colonoscopy Beats Sigmoidoscopy in Women

Foods rich in vitamin E may help to prevent Parkinson's disease

Language Cues Provide 'Glue' For Visual Learning In Children

Researchers Find First Gene For Inherited Testicular Cancer In Mice

Nutrition Gene Key In Regulating Immune System

New Method Of Administering Anti-cancer Drug May Be More Effective, Safer

To Stop Evolution: New Way Of Fighting Antibiotic Resistance Demonstrated By Scripps Scientists

Social Amoeba Sheds Light On Communication In Human Brain

Mayo Researchers Seek Methods To Make New Cancer Therapies Available More Quickly

Epilepsy By The Numbers: New Brain Monitoring Method Would Pinpoint Babies At Risk For Seizures

Bee Mites Suppress Bee Immunity, Open Door For Viruses And Bacteria

Teen's Ability To Multi-task Develops Late In Adolescence

Combo Drug Controls Hypertension In Hard-to-treat Patients

Jefferson Researcher's Results Show Promise For Metastatic Eye Melanoma

Yoga Takes A Bite Out Of Eating Disorders

Newly Discovered 'Branding' Process Helps Immune System Cells Pick Their Fights

Over-feeding In Infancy Might Set The Stage For Childhood Obesity

Women With Heart Attacks Benefit From Stenting

Latest Generation Lineal Accelerator For Radiotherapy

Too Stressed To Think?

Sugar Beet Virus Mutation Requires Texas Touch

Mother Birds Increase Progesterone To Hatch Females

Satellites used to aid vanishing Guatemala jaguars

New Collision Looks Imminent For B-15A Iceberg

THE BUSHWORLD...

Bush Proposes Creating Federal Worker Corps to Support Emerging Democracies

U.S. expands curbs on clothing from China

Sept. 11 commission to assess progress this summer

Focus shifts from Quran to role of media. Republicans chide Newsweek; Dem says issue deflects notice of White House lies + U.S. General Disputes White House Claims That Newsweek Error Cost Lives

To Cuba, a Terrorist; to the U.S., a Quandary + Arrest of Cuban ex-CIA figure puts Bush in tough political spot

Iran: Iran foreign minister visits Iraq. Timing -- just after secretary of state's trip -- intentional + Iran won't reverse nuclear plan, but may delay + Iran wants significant incentives for a deal + Iran Says It Will Endure U.N. Sanctions Rather Than Give Up Nuclear Fuel Program

Syria, Lebanon: Syria touts tentative steps toward democracy. Proposed moves would open up politics, economy + Aoun foresees 'flawed' Lebanon vote

Other foreign: Washington drags its feet over U.S.- Egypt free-trade agreement + U.S. to IRA: Lay down your arms now + US criticizes Saudi reformer jailings

Rice: Rice Apparently Rejects German Bid for Security Council Seat

Domestic: Report faults FEMA on aid + Ending alternative minimum tax could be costly, panel leaders warn

Bolton: Dems Say Bolton Sought to Punish Dissenter

Congress: Talks to Head Off Filibuster Showdown Fail + McCain tries to KO GOP 'nuclear option' + Heated Senate showdown opens on judges + A Likely Script for The 'Nuclear Option' + Activists Pressure Both Sides in Judge Debate + 2 women at the heart of debate + House Passes Bill to Scale Back Nationwide Color-Coded Terror Threat Alert System + House Panel Boosts Spending for Soldiers, Veterans Health Care + Senate Passes Road Bill + Senate passes highway bill, but Bush threatens first veto : Costly legislation must be reconciled with House version + Telecom Bill Stalled in House + Major League Baseball Players' Union Opposes Drug Bill in U.S. Congress

Democrats: Jackson Jr. wants to know scandals' cost

GOP: Bush helps Republicans raise $15 million

OPINIONS:

Is the U.S. retarding Arab reform?

Can the Iraq beast be tamed?

Pentagon: Maybe detainees tore the Qur'ans themselves

He's our sonofabitch

Mojitos in Miami

Now Hamas must come into its own

Tearing Up The Rule Book

John Nichols: Seymour Hersh sees democracy in peril in U.S. Click.

Galloway: Xymphora on Galloway + Galloway and the mother of all invective + British MP Galloway says 'blew away' US committee + Oil-for-food probes expose cultural gulfs + Is George Galloway Beyond the Pale?

Iraq looking more like Vietnam every day

Karimov’s American Fan Club: Justin Raimondo

US United the 'Insurgency' It Now Fights in Iraq

Cannonfire: When in doubt, lie.

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Marburg virus toll in Angola crosses 300 mark

Ebola outbreak spreads to Congo

Use of Foster Kids in Experiments Varies

Push to rid Africa of polio marches onward

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond:  What's love got to do with it? + Acts of Commission + DeGeneres: I was molested as teen (SJM Reg)

The Pen Is Mightier.... 

Venezuela backing international news channel

'USA Today' Drastically Reduces Its Use of Anonymous Sources

Chris Simcox Is Editor, Publisher, Reporter -- and Border Patroller

Reporters Challenge McClellan on Sources, 'Newsweek'

'Mercury News' Exec Explains Big Circ Drop

Tick, tick, tick: Dan Rather loses another perch at CBS

Anatomy of a FUBAR*

Hello! victory over Zeta Jones photos

Rioting is not about bad journalism

Studios Release Movies for Portable Device

UK Press Under Blair's Thumb: John Pilger

Today's papers

Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on his Way to Work Enlarge  

Daily picture from the Metropolitan

Scenes of life -- and soul -- in L.A.

The Occidental tourist finds its mature countercultural spirit

Seltzer Sisters keep age-old Jewish tradition alive

Rare birds getting 'terned' on near Hayward shore

Learning the 'knightly' arts

Chinatown Time Capsule (LAT Reg)

Disneyland: From orange groves to Magic Kingdom (LAT Reg)

Nature programs poltergeist into every human being

Frank Gorshin, The Riddler on 'Batman,' dies at 72

Mark Hamill: The original Luke Skywalker answers your questions

The Virtual Absinthe Museum

Photographs by Lisa Law 1965-71

Rush & Molloy

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown

Page Six

Liz Smith

Cindy Adams

Your daily braindrop

Word of the day

The Governor:   Gov and Democrats trade charges of lying: At issue are alleged vows on education funds, ballot issue + Protesters Picket Gov.'s Rocklin School Visit + Gov.: No school fund pledge (SB Reg) + Budget drops special savings + Dan Walters: $4.5 billion (or so) at stake as Gov., Democrats joust over budget + Budget doesn't look as gloomy as feared + Editorial: Budget honesty. Arnold's got it. Dem's don't except Perata + Gov. distances himself from union dues limit issue + Schwarzenegger on union dues measure: Never mind + Re-drawn districts may not happen before 2008, 2010 + GOP official disagrees with Gov., Secretary of state sees too little time to do redistricting + McPherson: Forget 2006 remap (SB Reg) + Gov. receives bad news on election reforms + Abortion Alert Rule Makes Ballot (LAT Reg) + Gov. Backs State Authority Over LNG Sites (LAT Reg) + Is the California Wholesale Energy Market Slowly Deregulating? + Energy power play shows Gov. doesn’t get it + Nuñez, Gov. Tune Up for Special Election Fight (LAT Reg) + Gov. vows schools open to all, including illegal immigrants (OC Reg)

Youth Authority's Extreme Makeover

Online state database allows pesticide users to identify wildlife habitat (CCT Reg)

Phthalates (found in most personal hygiene products) chemical toxicity debated (SJM Reg) + Facts about phthalates (SJM Reg)

Editorial: Bases saved by Beale (SB Reg)

Peter Schrag: Fixing the border: The Minutemen at the dike (SB Reg)

Deeper cuts proposed on workers comp rates + Workers' Comp Rules Could Cut Benefits 58%, Study Finds (LAT Reg)

Sen. Feinstein targets legalization of agriculture workers (OC Reg)

Opponents of Minutemen develop their own web site (RP Reg)

California Conference for Democratic Change in Iran

California Announces Major Boost in Food Stamp Accuracy Rate

Venture proposes California LNG terminal

Legislature: Assisted suicide bill touted by supporters (SJM Reg) + Lawmakers vow to shut down makers of drug-test trickery

Stem cell institute: Troubles with Institute + Critics: Stem-cell board too close to industry + Give patients a chance + California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Press Release

Indian tribes: Yolo tribe to help acquire ranch + SURVEY: 94 Percent Of Alamedans Oppose [Indian] Casino + Butte Indian gaming fund distributes $1.2 million + Tribal expulsions focus of family forum

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS...

Species act leads to suits, not help

Gov. Appoints Eichert to Succeed Yent as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge + Governor appoints La Verne man to bench + Attorney named to San Joaquin bench

Sacramento & north: (SFC) Charges ruled out in road rage death + No charges in road-rage death (SB Reg) + Marcos Bretón: Vida Blue's Hall of Fame career wrecked by abuse (SB Reg) + 4 arrested in Arden-area shooting death (SB Reg) + Five SUVs are vandalized in Fair Oaks (SB Reg)

San Francisco, San Mateo:  Glitches handcuff SF's move to open new jail + Redwood City: Peterson trial costs nearly paid back + SF: Colleagues recall clashes with man held in slaying : Staffers were told to call 911 if they saw dismissed co-worker + SF: Police ask public's help to find attacker + Redwood City: Inmate who hanged himself in cell dies + San Mateo: Man faces charges in killing of cat + Services to be held for slain Bayview man + Arraignment for S.F. homicide suspect delayed

Alameda: Badge may have saved cop in shooting + Berkeley: Felon shoots, wounds officer during chase + Pleasanton Three escape arrest in hijack (CCT Reg) + Oakland: Mugging suspects' sketches released + Oakland: Letter carriers' harrowing tales part of Dog Bite Prevention Week + Suspect in BART attack surrenders + Robbery suspects sketches released + Prison smoking ban effective July 1 + Officer shot twice during scuffle + Accused father dies in hospital + Man's death might make beating a murder case + 775 Complaints About Oakland Police Weren't Probed (LAT Reg)

Santa Clara:  Worker gave his finger to settle $50 debt : Mother says laborer who provided digit unaware of alleged plot against Wendy's + Dad surprised son is source of finger (SJM Reg) + Surgeon sues Stanford (SJM Reg) + Herhold: Hope new DA can dodge politics (SJM Reg) + Officer strikes deal before trial for DUI begins (SJM Reg) + E. Palo Alto: Chief's job lures Oakland captain + One-handed cyclist citation torn up (SJM Reg) + Herrera's e-mail response to cycling advocates (SJM Reg) + Police Blotter (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa:  San Pablo pot clubs halted (CCT Reg)

Marin: Novato cops get more life-saving help +  Missing girl found in San Rafael + Contractor sued over damage at San Rafael school

Sonoma: Spike strip ends Highway 101 pursuit; 3 other cars get flats

Solano: Vallejo police kill armed robber (CCT Reg) + Police shoot suspect in attempted armed robbery at Toys R Us, eatery

Monterey:  Police identify officers in chase, shooting

Central Valley: Nesler case: Victim made plea to alleged attacker before falling unconscious (CCT Reg) + Investigators take stand in Nesler trial + DA's call to judge questioned at murder trial + Lawmakers vow to shut down makers of drug-test trickery + Most Wanted + Law & Order

Central Coast: Convict admits to 1986 slaying + Motive sought in Watsonville teen’s slaying +  Cops and Courts

Southern California:  Monitor: LAPD discipline weak + LA: Ex-actor pleads guilty to murder at nightclub + Files: O.C. diocese knew about allegations for years + Sylmar: $5 million in cocaine is seized + Glendale: Day-laborer ordinance is struck down by judge + San Diego pension trustees will face criminal charges + Orange Diocese Gives Details on Sex Abuse (LAT Reg) + First Charges Filed in San Diego Pension Case (LAT Reg) + Slain Girl's Story Advances a Cause (LAT Reg) + County to Pay Woman Shot by Deputies (LAT Reg) + 2 Held in Fatal Stabbing of Corona Teen (LAT Reg) + FBI Arrests Inglewood Man in Connection With Bomb Threat (LAT Reg) + Anaheim Teacher Accused of Molestation (LAT Reg) + San Bernardino: probation Monitoring by GPS Is Approved (LAT Reg) + Ontario: Fetus Is Discovered in Sewage Processing Bin (LAT Reg) + Reichert to Succeed Yent as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge + Court interpreters stage protest + Gov. appoints La Verne man to bench

Michael Jackson: Jackson's cousin says saw accuser masturbating + Young Jackson Cousin Testifies in Trial + Michael Jackson's cousin says boys stole wine + The day Michael Jackson told me he could save Hitler + Accuser Praised Jackson, Social Workers Say (LAT Reg)

Scenes of life -- and soul -- in L.A.

The Occidental tourist finds its mature countercultural spirit

Seltzer Sisters keep age-old Jewish tradition alive

Rare birds getting 'terned' on near Hayward shore

Learning the 'knightly' arts

Chinatown Time Capsule (LAT Reg)

Disneyland: From orange groves to Magic Kingdom (LAT Reg)

LOCAL NEWS:  San Francisco Area Students Who Were Rounded Up and Searched Settle Civil Rights Case Against School and Police + Wendy's finger suspect loses bid for lower bail

Northern California: Snowmelt, spring rain raise concerns of river flooding

Floods recede; Yosemite Valley reopens

Plan to drain tainted farm water triggers worries

Disneys give $10 million for cancer center

Pivotal role predicted for kids of immigrants (SB Reg)

Sacramento & north: Hefty raises for Sacramento police + SMUD nears Yolo annexation decision (SB Reg) + Kubota puts Lodi on tractor map (SB Reg) + Sacramento bioterrorism drill (SB Reg) + Jubilee will drop Cal Expo (SB Reg) + R.E. Graswich: Sacramento Council members display rare show of unity - to show off new digs (SB Reg) + RT tests Folsom light-rail line (SB Reg) + Officials issue warning about American River (SB Reg) + Fire damages shuttered Sacramento nightclub + News in brief from Northern California + Northern California Caregivers at 10 Sutter Hospitals Vote re: strike

San Francisco, San Mateo: Gov.'s wife visits Glide school + SF School Board gets an earful on school assignment + SF: Pot club moratorium extended : Supervisors to use the time to devise new regulations + SF: Thin staffing hampers Ethics Commission, report says. Civil grand jury finds agency falls far short of duties + Peninsula in Brief (SJM Reg) + Focus on housing leads to closure of senior center + Verdict still out on United labor agreements + San Francisco superintendent's pay may face legal challenges + Muni draws fire over plan to ease parking fees, fines + County finally reimbursed for Peterson trial  + Federal transit bill provides millions for GG Bridge retrofit+ Ban proposed on bus stop smoking+ Cleanup planned for smelly ditch, aged park+ Proposed San Carlos hospital generates regional concerns + More Peninsula + Corkery: Minerva in SoMa; Hearst heirs untangled

Alameda:  Children's Hospital cuts plans, most psychiatric, development disability services gone June 1st (CCT Reg) + Berkeley: Physicist to lead UC's effort to hold onto Los Alamos lab + Plummer's County Medical Center's board nomination pulled (CCT Reg) + Med center drops sheriff + Pleasanton: Candidate demands apology from rival (CCT Reg) + Oakland students, teachers protest school closures with walkout + Oakland picks ex-aide to fill boss' council seat + Kernighan wins seat on council + A's to build new ballpark - for the kids + Students flock to education rally + Council listens to pleas for Oakland city jail + Skepticism delays N. Oakland land plan + LaTonda Simmons appointed Oakland city clerk + Island schools get interim chief + Fremont sees bottom line; it isn't pretty + Boy faces sentencing in girl's train death + Group honors county official as role model, 'Woman Warrior' + Tri-Valley cities not meeting housing demand + Danville's hillsides approved for park + Get fit: Bishop Ranch to host health event + County report highlights health disparities + Rare birds getting 'terned' on near Hayward shore + Oakland: Catholic official named new bishop of Honolulu

Santa Clara: Council OKs Evergreen task force (SJM Reg) + Herhold: Hope new DA can dodge politics (SJM Reg) + Hospital will drop some health plans (SJM Reg) + Astronomical idea for S.J. public art (SJM Reg) + Council vote affirms flag of old Vietnam + Morro Bay mystery: sea otters dying (SJM Reg) + Commuter logs 70,000 miles in 20 years of biking to work (SJM Reg)

Contra Costa: Trails to open in Sycamore Valley (CCT Reg) + Tri-Valley lags in low-income housing (CCT Reg) + Postgame Sacramento Kings fight not criminal, D.A. says (CCT Reg) + UC taps Livermore head for N.M. lab (CCT Reg) + Walnut Creek: Hearing on fuel blast set : State Senate panel to focus on cause, preventive measures

Marin: Fuel spill at Bolinas Point + Marin makes impact at E3 + Medical pot clubs on hold in Sausalito + Marin gets $2.4 million lift from state + Ross School supporter to fill council opening + Fairfax argues over title of new town chief

Sonoma: Permission to pierce + SR moves to cut sports complex noise + Around the Empire + Fire department's possible overhaul causes dissent + New children's home dedicated + Critics say Windsor's plan to grant $300,000 to fire district falls short + Seven stars of Petaluma

Napa: Napa school district seeks volunteers to look at boundaries + Wal-mart foes to post bond, halt project today + Flood control heads worry state won't pay its share + Glaser talks about AmCan High, Memorial Stadium upgrades for 2006 school bond measure + County puts projects back on track after years-long slowdown + Up to 10 city workers could get pink slips

Solano: Hazardous duty ahead for local National Guard unit + Survey: Employers planning for more hires very soon + Council tours housing, aims to help more Vallejoans with renting, buying + Looking for compromise in Benicia + Benicia school board to discuss joint-use agreement Thursday + Nomination by Mayor Messina for Planning Commission shot down + Vacaville plaza renamed for deceased civic leader

Monterey: Cal Am decision postponed + Cal Am lobbying under scrutiny + City helps Salinas coalition pushing for library tax + Donated time for fair manager battling cancer + Carmel City Council wants more tourism + BILL TO CONTINUE ALL-MAIL ELECTIONS ENDORSED + Your Town + County OKs new project studies + Stevenson student wins at science fair + Marina project wins praise + Local aspiring Lances get their chance + Close encounter with cougar

Central Valley: Rumbles of strike at Foster Farms + Born to Love + Tree cuts way to prune budget + Senate approves $295B highway bill + County limiting fireworks to week + Flooded Yosemite roads open, sun shines on surging falls + Oakdale fire district hopes riding on by-mail ballot vote + Developers plan around championed oak tree + DA's call to judge questioned at murder trial + Species act draws Pombo, Cardoza fire + News & Notes + Community Briefing +  Around the Region + News from the San Joaquin Valley + Stockton drug abuse agency cut

Central Coast:  County bans roadside spraying + Bike to work: Four wheels barely beat one in Watsonville commute race + New Starbucks on Freedom Blvd. offers coffee junkies another choice + UCSC lab shines light on stars  + County guidelines try to define coastal neighborhoods + UCSC faces another strike; tech workers plan walkout + Coast Lines

Southern California: Villaraigosa first Latino mayor since 1872 + People's choice will face a multitude of challenges + 11th District seat runoff vote going down to the wire + Villaraigosa Landslide (LAT Reg) + Big Win, but Little Time to Deliver (LAT Reg) + Villaraigosa Will Finally Get His National Presence (LAT Reg) + Hahn Was Unable to Connect With City (LAT Reg) + Few Problems Reported in Counting the Ballots (LAT Reg) + Rosendahl Wins Westside Seat; LAX Police Plan Fails (LAT Reg) + From the 19th Century, a Look at City's Past Latino Mayors (LAT Reg) + LA Accepts $5.7 Million to Settle PR Billing Suit (LAT Reg) + LA Council Backs Plan to Prepare Kids for College (LAT Reg) + Light suddenly turns green for slighted transit projects + LA: Pacts staying with training contractors + Driving middle class out of LA + LA: Fire chief says discipline lax + News briefs from San Diego County + Denial Urged for San Onofre Plan (LAT Reg) + Broker Will Get No O.C. Business (LAT Reg) + O.C.: Rolling Dinosaurs Still Roam the Earth (LAT Reg)

School days:  Study finds UC lags in women on faculty. Hiring levels lower than in mid-'90s + LA: Kindergarten growing up to full-time classes + Phony LA Community College transcripts surface + San Francisco: Culinary academy cuts teaching staff. 23 associate chefs were responsible for hands-on training + Oakland students, teachers protest school closures with walkout + San Francisco School Board gets an earful on school assignment + Students educated on Iran's struggles + Sac State still accepting applications (SB Reg) + Union City: Dream was his ticket up + Cal State East Bay names new business dean + Hirsch Elementary students honored for 'environmentality' + Napa school district seeks volunteers to look at boundaries + UCSC lab shines light on stars + Glaser talks about AmCan High, Memorial Stadium upgrades for 2006 school bond measure + UCSC faces another strike; tech workers plan walkout + San Francisco superintendent's pay may face legal challenges + Looking for compromise in Benicia + Benicia school board to discuss joint-use agreement Thursday + Downsizing a Trio of Campus Master Plans at Moorepark, Oxnard, Ventura (LAT Reg) + Colleges Suspect Forged Grades (LAT Reg) + A Degree of Disquiet When These Trojans Horse Around (LAT Reg)

Iraq government: Iraq draws up plan to privatize state-owned firms + Old enemies Iran-Iraq talk border security + Baghdad and Tehran seek to turn the page on 25 years of bitter enmity

War prisons: Harman Apologizes for Abu Ghraib Abuse + Detainees' lawsuits also allege desecration + Torture is 'Morally Justifiable,' Say Aussie Law Profs

MIDDLE EAST: Kuwait Grants Political Rights to Its Women

Egypt defends its electoral process

Israel, Palestine: Right-wing protests over Gaza pullout block Israeli roads. Demonstrators, many barely in their teens, snarl commuters + Israel releases Jewish extremists who plotted Al-Aqsa attack + Right-Wing Protests Jam Highways Across Israel (LAT Reg)

RUSSIA: Khodorkovsky found guilty of fraud as court drags out epic trial + In Moscow, a Proud Display of Spoils of War + Khodorkovsky Is Guilty ... But What Next?

Moscow holds harsh line on Yukos + Oil reserves at Russian seas to bring $5 billion to the budget

BRITAIN: What Blair Won + Blair, on weaker footing, presses ahead with controversial ID cards + Churchill didn't know when to quit. Will Blair be any better?

CENTRAL ASIA: Poverty, crime, and oppression seen as fueling Uzbeks' anger + Uzbek leader rejects claims of civilian killings + Mass Uzbekistan Arrests Reported (LAT Reg) + Pravda: The uprising in Uzbekistan takes national scale, 745 reportedly killed + Balance of terror + Drunken convoy opened fire

ASIA PACIFIC: Aceh's state of emergency lifted but army to remain

AMERICAS: With Liberals losing control, will Canada shift to right?

Fox: Comment about blacks misinterpreted + Lawmakers Forgive Fox Remark, Want More Enforcement + U.S. Government Says Fox Addresses Comment on Blacks by Expressing Regret

Chile court studies claims against Pinochet made by his former chief of spies

Mexico to charge former president in 1968 massacre

"Plan Colombia" collapse

Bolivian President Controversial Energy Bill to Become Law Despite Massive of Protests

MILITARY Base commission wary of closure plan. Rumsfeld defends Pentagon choices, warns of changes + Pentagon to realign domestic US military bases

War Games: Bush Strategic Policy Creates a Conundrum for Military;>

An Army That Learns From Its Mistakes (LAT Reg)

Trigger happy U.S. troops will keep us in Iraq for years

War, in words of warriors. Book is collection of letters from each major U.S. conflict

Deserter Jenkins to visit his mother in the US

Air Force Arms Lab Reports (Front Matter)

LEAKGATES  FBI starts questioning 4 reporters in AIPAC affair

BIOWARFARE  WATCH....

Polio film reminds public of threat

Tracking outbreaks in San Jose, CA

INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AT WORK AND AT PLAY....

Oil for food scandal: Putin advisers implicated in oil-for-food inquiry + Galloway slams US justice as he rejects charges + British Lawmaker Lashes Out at Senators + REPORT: U.S. BACKED ILLEGAL IRAQI OIL DEALS

Pollard says 'disgusted' by meeting with Ayalon + Israelis 'hopeful' on release for U.S. spy Pollard

Ellsberg: Vanunu

Diskin: Murder of another Israeli PM would be strategic shockwave

Sydney terrorist suspect claims torture

Judge: British terror suspect can be extradited to U.S.

Federal Prosecutor in Detroit Terrorism Case Resigns (LAT Reg)

Security’s Weakest Links

France jails men over role in Masood assassination

Answer Man: The Better to Hear You With

Australia's top spy bound for Washington as ambassador

Numbers Stations May Be Spy Related Madsen: Galloway hounded by AIPAC cell within U.S. Congress; Bolton tied to same cell

Legal bid to seize Saudi assets in UK

Police Chiefs: Federal Officials Ignore Their Homeland Security Expertise

Paul W. Hodges Career CIA Officer

Gen. Andrew Goodpaster, Presidential Adviser, Dies

San Francisco gay marriage and beyond: In Massachusetts, gay weddings are now routine. Growing acceptance of same-sex nuptials on first anniversary + More Backlash Than Bliss 1 Year After Marriage Law + The gay marriage risk + Communion denied to 100 gay Catholics, supporters + The One-Year Anniversary of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: Some Thoughts on Recent Developments, and on the Future

HOW LOW
THE LAW GOES....

Bill proposed: Killing law enforcement officer, fleeing to Mexico would be federal crime, making extradition to U.S. easier

High court lets wine flow more freely. The ruling: Out-of-state vintners gain equal access to consumers + The Winners: Small wineries are 'popping corks and celebrating' + Ruling: Granholm v. Heald (.pdf)

Two Children Missing in Idaho

Mobile Phones Can Now Receive Amber Alerts

FBI finds missing transcript of Till murder trial

Religious Halfway Houses Tested

The Merlot Split Between Justices (LAT Reg)

Oldfellas

CALIFORNIA BREAKING LAW NEWS....

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