The Daily Tension for Sat. 3 June

TENSION NEWSMAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Veiled supporters of some of the suspects in a terrorist plot leave the courthouse in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. Canada foiled a homegrown terrorist plot and arrested 17 Canadians who were allegedly planning major attacks inspired by Al-Qaeda in the province of Ontario, officials said.
LIFE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Online Laws of Love
(www.washingtonpost.com) -- They are widows and married millionaires and Yalies . They are Christian nonsmokers and truckers and Republicans . And they all want to date you. Well, maybe not you. But someone you could pretend to be, with a little imagination and a working laptop.

Swedes Protest Police Shutdown of Web Site
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Hundreds of people waving signs and skull-and-crossbones pirate flags demonstrated in Stockholm on Saturday against a police crackdown on a popular file-sharing Web site with millions of users worldwide.

ILLEGAL ALIENS
Busby on defense, says she misspoke
(www.signonsandiego.com) -- If an election can turn on a sentence, this could be the one: “You don't need papers for voting.”

COUNTER TERRORISM
Canada Nabs 17 Terror Suspects in Toronto
TORONTO (AP) -- Canadian police foiled a homegrown terrorist attack by arresting 17 suspects, apparently inspired by al-Qaida, who obtained three times the amount of an explosive ingredient used in the Oklahoma City bombing, officials said Saturday. The FBI said the Canadian suspects may have had...

IRAQ
Zarqawi Calls For Civil War In Iraq
(CBS/AP) -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq urged Sunnis to confront Shiites and ignore calls for reconciliation in a new audiotape posted on the Web on Friday, saying Shiite militias are killing and raping the Sunni Arab minority.

Suicide Bomber Kills 28, Wounds 62 in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A suicide car bomber blew himself up in a crowded market in oil-rich southern Basra on Saturday, killing 28 people and wounding 62. In Baghdad, a Russian diplomat was killed and four diplomatic employees were kidnapped. Meanwhile, Iraq's prime minister was poised to appoint...

IRAN
Iran says awaiting nuclear proposal, but won't halt enrichment
TEHRAN (AFP) -- Iran said it was awaiting a new international proposal to end the crisis over its disputed nuclear program but stuck by its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment work.

Ahmadinejad says Iran will consider atomic proposals
TEHRAN (Reuters) -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday Iran would consider incentives from six world powers to persuade it to abandon plans to make nuclear fuel, but insisted the crux of the package was still unacceptable.

MIDDLE EAST
Lebanon PM says tension with Syria must end
BEIRUT (AFP) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said a solution had to be found to the current tension between Beirut and Damascus.

AFRICA
Dissident Darfur rebels rebuff AU peace accord, call for fresh UN mediation
NAIROBI (AFP) -- A dissident faction of the main Darfur rebel group said the African Union (AU) had failed in its efforts to broker an end to a devastating conflict in the western Sudan region and called on the United Nations to take over mediation efforts.

ASIA
Mustafa Koc: Let's not Pull the Carpet from Under our Feet
(zaman.com) -- The Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) also joined the discussions that started with the escalation of political tension in Turkey.

East Timor camps face fresh wave of violence
IN DILI, EAST TIMOR (scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com) -- THE UN has warned that violence could spill into squalid camps where tens of thousands of East Timorese are seeking refuge from chaos in the capital.

East Timor Refugee Camps Face New Threats
DILI, East Timor Jun 3, 2006 (AP) -- A U.N. official warned Saturday that violence could spill into squalid camps where tens of thousands of East Timorese have sought refuge from fighting between military factions and rival gangs.

UN must commit more to East Timor: Downer
(www.smh.com.au) -- FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer yesterday called for greater UN involvement in the reconstruction of East Timor following weeks of ethnic gang violence and a crippling row within the Government.

Tags: Daily, terrorism, Middle East, Iran, IAEA, nuclear, Arab, Islam, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, United States, Iraq, War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition, border wall, Immigration, Mexico, illegal, Aliens, Asia, East Timor, Europe, Jamaica, Russia, Darfur, Sudan, Web, Technology, Sweden
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

The Daily Tension for Fri. 2 June

TENSION NEWSMAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Confiscated fake and blank identification documents are displayed at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Los Angeles May 23, 2006. No matter what the federal government does, sellers of fake documents vow to keep providing authentic-looking IDs for as little as $150, to anyone who wants them. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

ILLEGAL ALIENS
Fake ID Sellers Dismiss Tamperproof Push
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Luis Hernandez just laughs as he sells fake driver's licenses and Social Security cards to illegal immigrants near a park known for shady deals. The joke - to him and others in his line of work - is the government's promise to put people like him out of business with a...

US National Guard troops deploying on Mexican border
MEXICO CITY (AFP) -- The United States has begun to roll out the first of up to 6,000 National Guard troops on the Mexican border in a bid to reduce illegal immigration, the US Border Patrol chief said.

ECONOMICS
Tension in Ecuador No Concern for These Shareholders
TORONTO (CP) -- Aurelian Resources [TSXv:AUR] is the second TSX-traded company in two days to benefit from findings in a region that's making investors nervous by putting restrictions on foreign firms.

Pulte Homes, the largest US housebuilder by sales, on Friday cut its full-year earnings’ forecast by a quarter
(www.indiadaily.com) -- Pulte Homes, the largest US housebuilder by sales, on Friday cut its full-year earnings’ forecast by a quarter in a move which will heighten tension over the cooling of the country’s housing market.

Dow Closes Down 12, Nasdaq Finishes Flat
NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street struggled to the finish Friday, closing out the week barely changed after a steep dip in monthly job growth left investors confused about the economy's health. The major indexes were narrowly mixed for the week

EU watchdog conditionally approves Mittal bid for Arcelor
BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The European Union's competition watchdog conditionally approved a hostile bid by Mittal Steel, the world's leading steel maker, to take over Luxembourg-based rival Arcelor.

NATIONAL
Roberts: 'The hard part is coming up'
Supreme Court shows signs of split as key issues await rulings
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has shown a surprising degree of unanimity and harmony since Chief Justice John Roberts took over last fall.

Tensions ease at Vista High after stabbings
VISTA (www.nctimes.com) -- Things have more or less returned to normal at Vista High School after an off-campus fight involving a knife last month and fears of increased racial tension, administrators said Thursday.

IRAQ CONFLICT
Troops cleared in Ishaqi deaths
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A U.S. military probe on Friday cleared U.S. troops of wrongdoing in a March raid in the Iraqi town of Ishaqi in which Iraqi civilians died, while Iraq's government sought U.S. files on civilian deaths in Haditha in November.

IRAN'S REGIONAL AMBITIONS
Iran nuke standoff: four years of rising tension
LONDON, June 3 (IranMania) -- A timeline of the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme, according to an AFP report.

Iran Urged to Respond Quickly to Offer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- The United States warned Iran it will not have much time to respond once offered an international package of rewards designed to encourage Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment, suggesting that the window could close and be replaced by penalties if it doesn't act quickly. "It...

WORLD
Putin Challenges U.S. on Human Rights
NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged the United States on Friday over human rights and NATO expansion but said the two nations are more partners than opponents. In some of his warmest comments about the United States in months of sliding relations, Putin...

Smith urges Phillips to stem police tension
(www.jamaica-gleaner.com) -- OPPOSITION SPOKESPER-SON on National Security, Derrick Smith, is insisting that National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, urgently take steps to stem the growing tension between the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

EUROPE
Tensions and Concern
Greece (news.ert.gr) -- There was tension on Friday outside the Ministry of Education, as medical students protested over the establishment of private universities, as well as over the changes promoted by the Ministry of Education.

AFRICA
Crime 'not a shame anymore'
Bloemfontein (www.news24.com) -- Free State farmers on Friday said violent crimes in rural areas were racially motivated and that in every farm attack the criminals were black.

ASIA
Putin removes chief prosecutor in Kremlin turf war
(FT.com) -- President Vladimir Putin on Friday revealed growing tension within the Kremlin inner circle ahead of Russia’s presidential elections in 2008 when he unexpectedly removed the country’s hardline chief prosecutor.

Prejudices Fuel Conflict in East Timor
DILI, East Timor (AP) -- The violence that swept East Timor in 1999 was a clear-cut conflict between mostly unarmed civilians eager for independence and vengeful militias backed by Indonesia, the former occupier.

Tags: Daily, terrorism, Middle East, Iran, IAEA, nuclear, Arab, Islam, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, United States, Iraq, War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition, border wall, Immigration, Mexico, illegal, Aliens, Asia, East Timor, Europe, Jamaica, Russia, Greece, economy, California
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

Images: Combat Camera, Fri. 2 June

MARINE HELICOPTER SQUADRON 268

U.S. Marines from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) walk off the flightline at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, after their flight May 12, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Trenton E. Harris

U.S. Marine hospital corpsmen from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) prepare for casualty evacuations at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, May 12, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Trenton E. Harris

Two CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters launch from Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, May 12, 2006. The helicopters belong to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward). U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Trenton E. Harris

A Marine crew chief looks out the window of a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter during a casualty evacuation at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, May 12, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Trenton E. Harris

A bell used to alert for casualty evacuations is hung within close reach at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, May 11, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Trenton E. Harris

Crewmembers from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Foward, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, run to their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter during a casualty evacuation at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, May 13, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Trenton E. Harris

NOTES: Click for enlargements. Images by U.S. Military; used with permission.

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

Counterbalance: Fri. 2 June

THE BUZZ OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA


COMMENTLINES
Presented here, because such ideas need repeating, are some of the alternative newslines being echoed around the world.

On the mass media:
Economist Thomas Sowell says it's too soon to cheer the fall of the mainstream media, who still tote enormous resources and clout.

Michael Miner reports that when it comes to bad journalism, we don't know the half of it.

On illegal aliens:
From Technovelgy.com, a report on a proposal to implant RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers.

The race for a San Diego House seat may be a bellweather on immigration as an election issue.

On Iraq and the Haiditha incident:
Daniel Henninger says, "The Iraq Syndrome has finally arrived."

Ben Stein shares his thoughts.

On Iran:
Dissension in the Iranian rank and file has been largely ignored in the mass media.

On US politics:
Democrat New York Comptroller Alan Hevesi apologizes for remarking about a fellow party member, "putting a bullet between the president's eyes." The mainstream media rushes to report that Hevesi was only kidding. However, as much as Hevesi apologizes, he stop had to stop and think for a moment about how he was going to be funny dissing the president in front of his peers.

NEWSBYTES

MASS MEDIA
Preserving a vision: Part II
By Thomas Sowell
(www.townhall.com) -- Conservatives who point out the declining audience for the big television network newscasts, and declining public trust of the media in general, often underestimate how much clout the liberal media still have.

A Self-Policing Press
A Medill survey concludes that journalists don't do enough to stop unethical behavior in their own newsrooms. But what would "enough" be?
By Michael Miner
(www.chicagoreader.com) -- The press is forever telling major institutions—city hall, big business, the church—to clean up their acts. What about the press’s own act? Last month Medill’s journalism school issued a report that concluded the level of self-criticism in the nation’s newsrooms is too low, though it didn’t say what the right level is.

ILLEGAL ALIENS
Proposal to Implant Tracking Chips in Immigrants
By Bill Christensen
(www.technovelgy.com) -- Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has proposed implanting the company's RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers. He made the statement on national television on May 16.

Immigration Figures at Polls
SAN DIEGO (WSJ) -- To Brian Bilbray, the "greatest ethics scandal in America" isn't about Washington lobbyists or the bribery conviction of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, formerly this area's unbeatable congressman.

IRAQ CONFLICT
Haditha
The indictment of U.S. troops was inevitable.
By Daniel Henninger
(WSJ) -- You knew it had to happen. Haditha, an "incident" involving American troops in Iraq, is now part of the erosion of support for the war in Iraq. The Iraq Syndrome has finally arrived.

Keeping the Faith
By Ben Stein
Now for a few thoughts about the war in Iraq and historic context.

IRAN'S REGIONAL ASPERATIONS
Iranian Students And Minorities Opposed to Ahmadi Nezhad
Tehran, 29 May (IPS) -- In a major uprising against the policies of the new fundamentalist President, Iranian students renewed with their protest movement, dealing Mahmoud Ahmadi Nezhad his major blow.

US POLITICS
N.Y.'s Hevesi Apologizes for Bush Remark
NEW YORK (AP) -- State Comptroller Alan Hevesi publicly apologized Thursday for a "beyond dumb" remark about a fellow Democrat "putting a bullet between the president's eyes."

Tags: Counterbalance, Media, Journalism, Daily, terrorism, Middle East, Iran, IAEA, nuclear, Arab, Islam, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, United States, Iraq, War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition, border wall, Immigration, Mexico, illegal, Aliens
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

Google Disses Memorial Day

COMMENTLINES
Google smartly changes its Web logo to commemorate just about anything ... birthdays, holidays, events, etc. But when it comes to Memorial Day, Google gets stupid and fails to mark the holiday.

NEWSLINES
The conservative blogosphere caught fire when they saw Memorial Day, a national holiday set aside in remembrance of soldiers who had died in combat, was passed over a seventh time by everyone's favorite search engine. They took it as an insult to injury Google's recognition of obscure holidays and figures like the Persian New Year, Korean Liberation Day, and the birthday of Percival Lowell (who?).

NEWSBYTES
Google Forgetful About Memorial Day
(Searchnews) -- Google has been known to commemorate darn near anything by changing its logo on holidays, famous birthdays, and designated awareness days. But when Memorial Day rolled around this year, many noticed a definite lack of commemoration - again. Read more.

Tags: Google, Memorial Day, Web
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

The Daily Tension for Thu. 1 June

TENSION NEWSMAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran demonstrate in Parliament Square, in London against Iran's nuclear development and over terror attacks on Iranians in Iraq.

MEDIA
Is a story worth a life?
(BBC) -- Jonathan Baker, who has just ended five years as the BBC's world news editor, explains how trying to keep correspondents safe has become an overwhelming preoccupation of the support teams back at base who deal with the logistics behind each foreign assignment.

ILLEGAL ALIENS
Senate Bill Would Add 20 Million Legal Immigrants, Report Says
(www.washingtonpost.com) -- The nation's population of legal immigrants would increase by nearly 20 million over the next decade if the recently passed Senate immigration bill becomes law, and taxpayers would spend more than $50 billion to operate a new guest-worker program and pay for extra welfare, Social Security and public health-care costs, according to a Congressional Budget Office report.

IRAQ CONFLICT
Zarqawi urges Iraqi Sunnis to shun Shi'ites: Web
DUBAI (Reuters) -- Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi called on fellow Sunnis to reject any reconciliation with "infidel" Shi'ites, according to an audio tape posted on the Internet on Thursday.

IRAN NUCLEAR CRISIS
US offer no new solution, says Mottaki
(IRNA) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here Thursday US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's latest remarks presented no "new and rational solution" to Iran's nuclear case.

6 World Powers Agree on Iran Incentives
VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Six world powers agreed Thursday to offer Iran a new choice of rewards if it gives up suspect nuclear activities or punishment if it refuses, a gambit that could either defuse a global confrontation with the Islamic regime or hasten one. "There are two paths ahead," British...

Iran Calls U.S. Talks Offer 'Propaganda'
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States said Wednesday it would join in face-to-face talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear program once Tehran puts its atomic activities on hold, a shift in tactics meant to offer the Iranians a last chance to avoid punishing sanctions.

EUROPE
French Police Secure Poor Paris Suburb
MONTFERMEIL, France (AP) -- Police combed the rooftops in a troubled Paris suburb Wednesday in search of objects that could be hurled at them while others patrolled the streets after two nights of violence.

MIDDLE EAST
Shiite Muslims Protest Over Comedy Show
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Thousands of Shiite Muslims enraged by a TV comedy that mocked the leader of Hezbollah took to the streets of southern Beirut on Thursday night, burning car tires and blocking roads, police and witneses said.

Hizbollah loyalists riot in Beirut over TV satire
BEIRUT, June 1 (Reuters) -- Thousands of Lebanese Shi'ite Muslims burned tyres and blocked roads in Beirut on Thursday to protest against a satirical television show that mocked Hizbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Palestinian views on travel curbs
(BBC) -- The UN says travel restrictions in the West Bank have increased dramatically in the last year, with the de facto division of the territory into three main sections and several enclaves. Click on the map to find out how four Palestinians living there have been affected.

AFRICA
Nigeria: Runsewe Urges Politicians To Shun Thuggery
LAGOS (Daily Champion) -- Executive Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has advised politicians in the country to shun acts capable of heating up the polity and thereby creating palpable tension in the political landscape.

Khadafi urges Sudan and Chad to make peace
TRIPOLI (AFP) -- Libyan leader Moamer Khadafi urged Sudan and Chad to settle their differences in the name of African unity as he opened a summit of African leaders in Tripoli.

Mali leader visits Libya
TRIPOLI, June 01 (Reuters) -- Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday to attend a gathering of African leaders amid tension between his central government in Bamako and Tuaregs in northern Mali.

Mogadishu tense as battling factions re-group
MOGADISHU (AFP) -- Fighting between Islamic militia and a US-backed warlord alliance subsided in the lawless Somali capital, but tension remained high as the factions re-grouped after deadly clashes.

ASIA
Indian doctors resume work after quota strike ends
KOLKATA, India (Reuters) -- Thousands of Indian doctors and interns were back at work at state hospitals on Thursday, ending a nearly three-week strike against a government move to reserve more college seats for lower castes.

Rival of East Timor PM Says He Should Quit
MAUBISSE, East Timor (AP) -- A fired military officer and one-time rebel whose dismissal contributed to East Timor's descent into violence blamed the prime minister for ordering recent killings and called Thursday for him to resign.

Tags: Daily, terrorism, Middle East, Iran, IAEA, nuclear, Arab, Islam, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, United States, Iraq, War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition, Israel, Fatah, Hamas, border wall, Immigration, Mexico, illegal, Aliens, Asia, East Timor, Europe, Sri Lanka, France, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Somalia, Darfur, Sudan
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

Counterbalance: Thu. 1 June

THE BUZZ OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA


LOCAL NEWS
About 170 Washington Post staff take buyouts
WASHINGTON (www.signonsandiego.com) -- About 70 reporters, editors, photographers and newsroom administrators have taken early retirement offers from The Washington Post Co. amid declining circulation at its flagship newspaper.

ECONOMY
Strong growth of economy no coincidence
(www.heritage.org) -- Almost lost in the clamor over illegal immigration, Americans got some good economic news last week when President Bush signed legislation that will extend the 15 percent tax rate on dividends and capital gains through 2010.

US POLITICS
No good arguments for Jefferson
(www.townhall.com) -- Some members of Congress are now accusing the White House of overstepping their authority in searching the offices of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA).

Third Time
America may be ready for a new political party.
(WSJ) -- Something's happening. I have a feeling we're at some new beginning, that a big breakup's coming, and that though it isn't and will not be immediately apparent, we'll someday look back on this era as the time when a shift began.

GORE, HILLARY GO WHERE BUSH FEARS TO TREAD
May 31, 2006 (www.vote.com) -- Green isn’t what it used to be. It was once just the color of the trees and grass that the environmental movement tried to protect. But now it is also the color of the three dollar bills Americans must suddenly pay for a gallon of gas.

Time for some GOP obstructionism
(www.worldnetdaily.com) -- The prevailing mentality among Beltway Republicans is that passage of an imperfect immigration bill before the November elections is better than no bill at all. They might just find out how wrong they are when they experience the inevitable conservative backlash.

Blacking Out Speech
McCain-Feingold’s Assault on Freedom
(aei.org) -- In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson became president and swept his party into power due, in part, to the country’s overwhelming opposition to the Sedition Act of 1798. This act was a deliberate attempt by the Federalists in power to silence their political opponents.

IRAQ CONFLICT
The Truth About Haditha
(vdare.com) -- Democrat Rep. John "Cut and Run" Murtha thinks he knows the truth about Haditha—and he has been blabbing it to every last cable show host that will host him. The loose-lipped former Marine has accused troops of wantonly killing some two dozen civilians, including children, "in cold blood" in the terrorist stronghold in Iraq last November. There are two ongoing military investigations into the incident itself and the actions of higher-ups in the Haditha aftermath. Read more.

Haditha Allegations Aren't Typical of Our Military

The Haditha Story
(www.realclearpolitics.com) -- The accelerating media feeding frenzy over the alleged killings of twenty-four Iraqi civilians in Haditha by US Marines last November is about to overwhelm American politics. Propelled by their most irresponsible war critics, the left will try use Haditha as it used My Lai thirty years ago: as a political tool to take apart America's support for the war and to shatter the legitimacy of our cause and the morale of our troops.

Marine Captain: I'm a 'Political Casualty' of Haditha Killings Probe
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Marine captain who was relieved of command after members of his battalion were accused of killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq, denied any role in the slayings and complained that he had become a "political casualty."

ILLEGAL ALIENS
Immigration agency head slams Senate's alien bill
(www.washingtontimes.com) -- The Senate immigration bill makes the same mistake as the 1986 amnesty by restricting the ability of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to share information on illegal alien guest-worker applicants who are criminals and terrorists, the agency's director said yesterday.

SE PUEDE GET TWO YEARS TAX-FREE!
(www.anncoulter.com) -- If Congress adopts the Bush plan and gives amnesty to illegal aliens, Senate Republicans will be asking President Cheney for a pardon.

Between a Rock and 'Reform'
No Immigration Bill Would Be No Tragedy
(www.washingtonpost.com) -- "Why should we bother to reply to Kautsky?" Lenin asked. "He would reply to us, and we would have to reply to his reply. There is no end to that. It will be quite enough for us to announce that Kautsky is a traitor to the working class, and everyone will understand everything." The immigration debate, which is mostly among, and dangerous primarily to, Republicans, is becoming like that.

IRAN NUCLEAR CRISIS
Condi's Iran Gambit
(WSJ) -- When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly released a long, insulting letter seeking direct talks with the U.S. last month, President Bush dismissed it as unworthy of reply. But yesterday Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered the real U.S. answer: Yes.

ENTERTAINMENT
Review: An Inconvenient Truth
(www.spectator.org) -- It's true that I am a natural skeptic about prophecies of doom from scientists and other experts. And if the media buy into these prophecies and make them the subject of endless scare stories -- as they did about "the population explosion" some years ago, before it became clear that it would be population implosion we had to worry about -- I am even more likely to set my face against them. But the real clincher, I don't mind telling you, and the thing that is sure to persuade me there is nothing to worry about, is the presence of Al Gore as the pitchman for the apocalypse. Al has supposedly come out in a new and improved edition in his new film, directed by Davis Guggenheim, An Inconvenient Truth, and he naturally has the international media and even the beautiful people at Cannes cooing over him and it. Some are saying that he deserves another shot at the presidency in 2008 and citing the example of Richard Nixon, another two-term vice president who narrowly lost an election to succeed to the presidency and who then came back eight years later to win it. But, to me, Nixon never looked anywhere near as phony as Al Gore looks in An Inconvenient Truth.

Tags: Daily, terrorism, Middle East, Iran, IAEA, nuclear, Arab, Islam, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, United States, Iraq, War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition, border wall, Immigration, Mexico, illegal, Aliens, Asia, economics, environment, Global Warming
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

Images: Combat Camera, Thu. 1 June

A U.S. Army Soldier from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team secures a street corner during a patrol in Mosul, Iraq, May 29, 2006. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Iraqi army soldiers move into position during close-quarter combat training at the Iraqi army's Forward Operating Base Khameis in Diyala province, Iraq, May 26, 2006. The soldiers are from Scout Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Ken Bergmann, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Military Transition Team 4 stand guard duty on a rooftop in Yusufiyah, Iraq, May 26, 2006. The Soldiers are from the 101st Airborne Division. DoD photo by Senior Airman Richard Rose, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team return to base after patrolling streets and conducting cordon searches in Mosul, Iraq, May 29, 2006. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Tension

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The Daily Tension for Tue. 30 May

TENSION NEWSMAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

A French and a European Union, right, flag are seen through a broken window from Montfermeil city hall, north of Paris, Tuesday, May 30, 2006, after police clashed overnight with about 100 youths who tossed Molotov cocktails at public buildings, in an incident that revived memories of the riots that shook the nation last year. The youths, many masked and wielding baseball bats, hurled projectiles at police and lobbed Molotov cocktails at public buildings.
HEALTH
Three Reasons Why We Are All So Stressed at Work: Matthew Lynn
May 31 (Bloomberg) -- If your screen freezes, try ignoring it. As that report you've spent a week working on gets chewed up by the hard drive, shrug and forget about it.

Don't lose your head over a headache
(news.independent.co.uk) -- Headaches drive millions of us to despair, and according to Harvard scientists half of us have at least one a month. Yet the majority are not caused by any disease. So what triggers them? And how are they best treated? Roger Dobson investigates

ECONOMY
Oil and gas
(business.scotsman.com) -- OIL prices rose above $72 a barrel yesterday, boosted by a jump in demand from energy-hungry China and continued tension between Iran and the west over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Oil rises above $72 on China demand
LONDON (www.dailytimes.com.pk) -- Oil rose above $72 a barrel on Tuesday, boosted by a jump in demand in energy-hungry China and continued tension between Iran and the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Oil Prices Rise Before OPEC Meeting
(CBS/AP) -- Oil prices rose above $72 a barrel Tuesday ahead of an OPEC meeting in Venezuela and the start of the Atlantic hurricane season later this week.

COMMODITIES-Gold climbs 2 pct on weak dollar, oil jumps
LONDON, May 30 (Reuters) -- Gold gained just over two percent on Tuesday in Europe, buoyed by dollar weakness, while oil rose above $72 a barrel following a jump in Chinese demand and continued tension over Iran's nuclear programme.

US stocks fall on worries about consumer spending
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- U.S stocks tumbled on Tuesday as higher crude oil prices and a disappointing sales report from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N) stirred worries about a potential slowdown in consumer spending.

IRAQ CONFLICT
CBS Reporter Critical But Stable
(CBS/AP) -- CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier -- critically wounded Monday by a bomb that killed cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan -- arrived Tuesday at the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, for treatment at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital.

Relentless Violence Kills 54 in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Car bombs targeting Shiite areas devastated a bustling outdoor market and an auto dealership Tuesday, part of a relentless onslaught that killed 54 people and prompted the United States to deploy more troops to combat insurgents in western Iraq. The bombs also wounded 120...

IRAN NUCLEAR CRISIS
"We Are Determined"
(SPIEGEL) -- In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discusses the Holocaust, the future of the state of Israel, mistakes made by the United States in Iraq and Tehran's nuclear conflict with the West.

ILLEGAL ALIENS
Outlook -- Fluid Borders Pose Security Challenge

INTERNATIONAL
Sensitive issues are out
KUALA LUMPUR (thestar.com.my) -- The Malaysian media has, by agreement, decided to stay away from contentious issues of racial and religious sensitivities in order not to create unnecessary tension and even hatred among the people, Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said yesterday.

Kia ora, shout East Timor children
(stuff) -- Their city may be burning, but that doesn't stop a cluster of smiling East Timorese kids from running alongside our New Zealand army re-supply column yelling "mister, mister, hello mister".

EUROPE
French youths fight police and attack mayor's house
(news.independent.co.uk) -- Two incidents in the past few days have raised fears of a renewed spiral of urban violence and racial tension in the greater Paris area.
In the first incident, 100youths fought

Renewed riots force extra police into Paris suburbs
(www.timesonline.co.uk) -- POLICE sent reinforcements to the troubled suburbs of northern Paris yesterday after a night of rioting revived fear of a return to the violence that raged through France’s immigrant housing estates last year.

Violence breaks out anew in still-smoldering French suburbs
MONTFERMEIL, France (AP) -- An arrest reignited violence in a tough suburb of Paris, with youths taking to streets with baseball bats, hurling gasoline bombs at public buildings, and attacking police, authorities said Tuesday.

Arrest Prompts More Violence in Paris
MONTFERMEIL, France (AP) -- Riot police deployed in force to a troubled Paris suburb Tuesday night after youths hurled gasoline bombs at public buildings and pelted police with rocks, a stark reminder of last year's more widespread violence.

MIDDLE EAST
Gazans play down tensions, focus on Israel shelling
GAZA (Reuters) -- Rival gunmen on the streets and recent deadly clashes may have raised fears of civil war in the Gaza Strip, but residents dismiss such an outcome as Israeli shelling reminds them of the common enemy nearby.

Dim Future in Palestine as Tension Escalates
(www.yobserver.com) -- Solution Lies in Political Dialogue between Hamas and Fatah, Issa.

AFRICA
Nigeria: In Garden City, an American, 4 Cops Killed in Cold Blood
(Vanguard) -- PORT HARCOURT literally caught fire recently. The incidents that generated tension occurred while the governor Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, was out of the country for a round table talk on the future of the state and the Niger-Delta region

Nigeria sacks top security chiefs
(BBC) -- Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has announced a major shake-up of his country's military.

Zimbabwe: President Blocks Annan Visit
(Zimbabwe Independent) -- IN a move that could heighten tension between the United Nations and Zimbabwe, President Mugabe has blocked the UN secretary-general Kofi Annan from visiting the country to tackle the current crisis.

Somalia: Fighting Intensifies in Jalaqsi District of Somalia Hiran Region
(Shabelle Media Network) -- War tension has been reported is engulfing Jalalaqsi district of Hiran Region where local Clan militiamen fought for the last days.

ASIA
Two killed in renewed violence in Aligarh
(Indo-Asian News Service) -- Tension persisted in Aligarh on Tuesday with two people being killed in renewed violence despite curfew and authorities ordering the closure of all educational institutions.

Sri Lanka: A flashpoint peninsula

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