October 05, 2006
Lost in the Flotsam...
Lost in the flotsam of the Mark Foley debacle are some newsworthy items at home and across the globe we need to take note of:
The Bush administration can continue its warrantless surveillance program while it appeals a judge's ruling that the program is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday.
The president has said the program is needed in the war on terrorism; opponents argue that it oversteps constitutional boundaries on free speech, privacy and executive powers.
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Radical Muslims in France's housing estates are waging an undeclared "intifada" against the police, with violent clashes injuring an average of 14 officers each day.
Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy was warned of an 'intifada'
As the interior ministry said that nearly 2,500 officers had been wounded this year, a police union declared that its members were "in a state of civil war" with Muslims in the most depressed "banlieue" estates which are heavily populated by unemployed youths of north African origin.
It said the situation was so grave that it had asked the government to provide police with armoured cars to protect officers in the estates, which are becoming no-go zones.
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Swiss authorities have informed the United Nations of a "possible terrorist attack" against its European headquarters in Geneva, its biggest premises outside of New York, the world body said in a letter to staff on Thursday.
The attack could take place between October 5 and October 10., the letter said, without giving further details.
Finally,
Shoppers, encouraged by cooler temperatures and falling gasoline prices, went on a shopping spree in September, giving many retailers better-than-expected gains and lifting the industry's spirits two months before the holiday season. A notable exception was Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)
As retailers reported their results Thursday, the winners crossed many categories, with department stores and teen merchants including Bebe Stores Inc. (BEBE), J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) Inc. and Federated Department Stores (FD) Inc. among the leaders.
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