Clinton Global Initiative by Claudia Sonea

It's amazing how problems and sorrows can bring people together. This year Clinton Global Initiative conference succeeded to reunite people from everywhere, no matter their political views (liberal, conservative), if they are famous or not, therefore world leaders, celebrities and scholars attended it. This is a foundation established by Bill Clinton, former US President, in 2005 approaching issues like: health security; economic empowerment; leadership development and citizen service; racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation. The purpose is not only to debate them, but also to implement innovative solutions and the participants must make a commitment for one of the pressuring issue and CGI staff will then monitories his progress throughout the year. They also have to pay a $15,000 registration fee and are expected to dedicate time or money to the problems discussed. As a proof that politics differences can be overcome by more important problems, Gore and Clinton had a nice encounter and both tries to be as friendly as possible; the first one congratulated Bill for his life-story book, while the latter one praised the environmental activism of the other. Gore had appealed to world leaders at the United Nations conference on Monday to take immediate actions to the long list of global warming's impacts. Moreover on Wednesday he said that there are needed new laws, new policies and a new treaty. The first two conferences brought a 10 billion fond for the world's causes. This year new commitments were made, Brad Pitt announced that 150 affordable green homes in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, will be built by the end of the year, while his partner, actress Angelina Jolie, who co-chairs Education Partnership for Children of Conflict too a commitment in helping to educate more than 1 million children around the world. The other good news come from the Florida Power & Light that usually creates plants very polutting for the environment, as a $2.4 billion clean energy program (a $150 million promise from CARE, a humanitarian organization, and $271 million from BRAC, a Bangladesh nonprofit) a solar power plant will be built. This year former Prime Minister Tony Blair, tennis star Andre Agassi and media mogul Rupert Murdoch participated among other 50 current and former leaders of the world and were on the conference guest list. Despite the fortunate cases there were five people whose registration fees were refused due to the fact they did not fulfill their promises, according to Clinton spokesman Ben Yarrow. So it's not only a simple talk that takes place at the conference, people are willing to make a difference and who knows they might even change the world. Let's support them in any way we can, sometimes a pray can do miracles. Enjoy!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070926/ap_on_re_us/clinton_global_initiative;_ylt=AmVVDbb1zL7kDU9jM58CtGWs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Woman's 9/11 survival story questioned by Delia Cruceru

A woman that claimed to be a survivor of the 9/11 attacks is alleged of fabricating its story. Tania Head said that she escaped badly burned on the 78th floor of the south tower, the flames from her clothes being doused by Welles Remy Crowther who died trying to save others and that another dying man handed her his inscribed wedding ring, which she later returned to his widow. "I was in the tower," Head said. "I lost my fiancé that day." Head was removed as president from the board of the World Trade Centre Survivors' Network on Sunday in response to a story in The New York Times. Reporters from The New York Times said that her story couldn't be verified, because no records of her working for Merrill Lynch, or attending Harvard, or Stanford were found. "Tania Head is no longer associated with the World Trade Center Survivors' Network," the group said in a statement on their website. "Our organization was created so that those affected by the terrorist attacks could help each other through crisis and its aftermath." The family of her so called fiancé, who is a confirmed victim of the terror attacks, said that they never heard of her and the details of her story. Stephanie Furgang Adwar, Tania Head's lawyer, said in an email for The New York Times "With regard to the veracity of my client's story, neither my client, nor I, have any comment."

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070927/ap_on_re_us/sept11_story_questioned;_ylt=Apsx0ie37n61.sVJj3H7l1Ws0NUE

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Little Rock Nine mark 50th anniversary by Delia Cruceru

Fifty years ago, nine black students had the courage to attend the all white Central High School from Little Rock Arkansas. Later the group was called "Little Rock Nine" and now they returned in their home town to mark the 50 anniversary of the event. Back then, the black students were blocked from entering the school by a member of the Arkansas National Guard, stationed there by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus as part of a campaign of "massive resistance" to a 1954 Supreme Court ruling that segregated classrooms were unconstitutional. But Eisenhower who was President back then, sent in troops from the 101st Airborne division to escort the group to class on 25 September 1957, dealing a crushing blow to opponents of the black civil rights movement. Former president Bill Clinton was there to hold open the school's doors in a symbolic gesture. "I am grateful we had a Supreme Court that saw 'separate but equal' and 'states' rights' for the shams they were, hiding our desire to preserve the oppression of African-Americans," he said. "I am grateful more than I can say that we had a president who was determined to enforce the order of the court." The first graduate from the group of nine, Ernest Green Jr., now a successful director of public finance for Wall Street stalwart Lehman Brothers, remembers how he was tripped on the stairs, attacked in the halls or pushed out of lunchroom lines. "A lot of people don't realize," he said, "that there is still racial injustice in this country."

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070925/ap_on_re_us/integration_anniversary;_ylt=AhkSITTiV5tRdISccULPWvWs0NUE

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Bush and the budget don't see eye to eye by Corina Ciubotaru

The budget is giving U.S. lawmakers even bigger headaches than the war in Iraq. A Democrat-led Congress has to approve 2008's budget by October 1st and it's becoming obvious they have no chance and no intention to do that. Bush asked for $933 billion for next year and he seems determined not to cut anything out of his initial plans and so the Congress hasn't sent him any of the 12 bills necessary to approve the entire budget. They are concerned that major cuts have been made in the money for medical care and they proposed a different version for the budget that would cost $22 billion more, but the president will have none of that. The Democrats want more money for things like education, law enforcement and homeland security and will try their best to get them, even though many Republicans will veto 9 of the 12 bills along with Bush. The Senate has only passed 4 of those 12 already cleared by the House and now Mr. Bush says he will not be rushed into signing anything that involves all of them compacted into one. He advised Congress to pass a resolution keeping the government running at current funding levels until they can sort things out. The last time they failed this badly in passing the budget was in 2002. President Bush, as all American lawmakers, is now increasingly unpopular. And it wouldn't be surprising if his decision to cut funds for children insurance would literally sink his popularity.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070924/ap_on_go_co/spending_fight;_ylt=AiWQWeLf8H3aIsxkj1wVv8as0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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2 years on, Rita's effects linger in La. by Delia Cruceru

Two years passed since Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana and Texas. On Sept. 24 authorities and victims of the powerful Category 3 storm marked the second anniversary of the hurricane. In Cameron, Louisiana courthouse remained intact and nothing else. Everybody lives now in temporary homes as in trailers and even the post office and the bank work in a trailer. Little has changed since the hurricane, but Governor Kathleen Blanco tries to ensure everybody that they were not being overlooked in favor of New Orleans and its struggles after Hurricane Katrina. Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico, causing $11.3 billion in damage on the Gulf Coast and still Hurricane Katrina got the nation's and world media attention. It's true that there were no victims in Louisiana and about 100 in Texas compared to Katrina's death toll. State Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans said "In New Orleans proper, most of the buildings are still there, so they can be renovated or rebuilt. Here, the buildings aren't there. People couldn't even identify their own lots," observing the differences between Katrina and Rita in a tour on Crescent City. Residents that want to move back in Cameron are now battling with property insurers and paperwork from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. New reasons for hope of Cameron's population rise because a new rebuilt hospital with 20 beds of $23 million will be reopened this fall.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070924/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_rita_anniversary;_ylt=Ak4LnjX05PbSG14h68dPRYas0NUE

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Global warming is the hottest topic for world leaders by Corina Ciubotaru

Nobody knows how long it will take, but scientists are now sure that ocean levels will rise and water will cover many waterfront areas. Arctic ice is melting and this will have an important effect on all the oceans' levels. Contrary to popular belief, there isn't even anything we can do about it, as the phenomenon is due to something called the ice-albedo feedback: the sun heats some water which in turn warms the ice that melts and can not reflect the sun's heat any longer. Less ice is formed in warmer waters and less radiation gets reflected so the cycle is continued. Scientists fear that this process is beyond our control and that water levels will increasingly rise regardless of our attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over 80 world leaders have gathered on September 24th at the United Nations to advance the agenda on preventing climate change, in the biggest summit ever on environmental issues. They figured out that if we started changing our habits now, slowing global warming might be done at a smaller price, but it's important that we all chip in. The European Union has come up with a program to reduce emissions by 20 percent before 2020 and it challenged developed countries to do the same but the biggest challenge would be to reduce emissions in the United States, currently the biggest polluter. Some states have already taken action, a law being recently enforced in California to reduce industrial pollution by 25 percent by 2020.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070923/ap_on_sc/rising_seas;_ylt=AtldQ1MBLyxOvt8R2iw5Yoes0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Democrats' laws aren't to the liking of the Senate by Corina Ciubotaru

Despite slim chances of it passing Senate, American Democrats insisted on proposing drastic legislation concerning the war in Iraq. The law by Sen. Jim Webb, who wanted troops to spend more time home, has been blocked along with a proposal by Majority Leader John Reid and Sen. Russ Feingold, attempting to cut funding for the war in June 2008. Nobody wants to put specific dates and numbers on this war, but Democrats are determined not to back down even if they know it will be very difficult to get all the votes they need. The ones who opposed the law weren't even all Republicans, which is a testament of the country not being ready for such a big change just yet. Many people are also angry about the latest move by liberal organization MoveOn.org, who released a campaign against Gen. David Petraeus, the top military leader in Iraq, naming him General Betray Us. This has created a wave of protest ranging from President Bush to all the Republicans, as it was seen like a distasteful act targeting one of the country's top military men. The organization was blamed for releasing it in the New York Times, and the Democrats were blamed for not thinking it was out of line. For now, it looks like there won't be changes soon in regard to America's stand on Iraq. Some troops might come home next year, most Republicans are still backing President Bush and nobody wants to set a schedule for this war. And maybe it's a good idea not to, since initial goals haven't really been met so far.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq;_ylt=AuTarizciHwm8ynxC7MoM7Cs0NUE

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Civil rights protesters converge on Jena by Delia Cruceru

Thousand of black Americans demonstrated Thursday on the street of Jena, a little town of 3000 person in Louisiana bout 230 miles northwest of New Orleans. The state police estimated that the demonstrators were 15,000 to 20,000 that marched from courthouse to Jena High-School. They protested against injustice made against six black teenagers charged of beating a white classmate. "This is a march for justice," the Reverend Al Sharpton said "This is not a march against whites or against Jena." Five of the teenagers involved in the beating were charged with attempted murder, the charges for the sixth were not disclosed as he was a juvenile. The protesters gathered there, came from parts like New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles or New Orleans and wore black T-shirts on which it could be read "Free the Jena 6". "I came because enough is enough. I am tired of the way the courts have been treating African Americans historically," said Doug Martin, a computer analyst from New Orleans. In August last year three nooses were hung from a tree in the school-yard, a gathering place for white students, but a day before the incident some black students had met there. The six defendants were alleged of attempted murder against Justin Barker, age 17 that is supposed to have a link with the noose incident. One of the students, Mychal Bell, was convicted for second-degree battery by all white jury, but this month the conviction was changed because he should not have been tried as an adult.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070920/ts_nm/usa_race_town_dc;_ylt=AtWAxyENeLmGFSvF.fz.xvms0NUE

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Bush will bring troops home after all by Corina Ciubotaru

It looks like a decision on Iraq has finally been made. President Bush has finally agreed to send some troops home and up to 5,700 military could be home by Christmas, but he stated that only further progress could get more troops back. It appears he had decided to follow the advice of his general, David Petraeus, who suggested that up to 30,000 soldiers should be brought back before July. Contrary to statements from White House officials before the speech, Bush's conditions for the return of some troops aren't that harsh, partly due to Democrats' ever louder disapproval. Even though troops will return, the Democrats still seem unwilling to give up the fight until the very last soldier returns to American ground. The first step would be to force a decision for the timeline of such a return. They can't get 60 votes in Congress to pass a law overriding the President's decision, but they can try to put pressure on him and win battle after battle. To some, it has become obvious that Mr. Bush's decision to lower the troop numbers to the pre-surge level is just a way to quiet things down as the offensive moves forward. Today, the administration is expected to bring forward a report on the status of democracy in Iraq, which will probably have a negative sound to it. Currently, Iraq has the highest number of foreign troops since the war began four years ago, but reports show that after the surge in the beginning of 2007, the number of terrorist attacks in the country has decreased.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070913/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq;_ylt=AvoY2PlXk7tuJOOgGCcOavCs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Humberto dumps rain in Texas, Louisiana by Delia Cruceru

The first hurricane that hit U.S. since 2005 grew from a tropical depression to full-scale hurricane landfall in just sixteen hours. Hurricane Humberto landed in Texas Louisiana coast with winds of 85 mph and heavy rain. Until Wednesday afternoon, Humberto wasn't even a tropical storm then it strengthened with winds of 35 mph and soon became a hurricane with 85 mph. "Before Humberto developed, you looked at the satellite imagery the day before, and there was virtually nothing there. This really spun up out of thin air, very, very quickly," said National Hurricane Center specialist James Franklin in Miami. "We've never had any tropical cyclone go from where Humberto was to where Humberto got." At least one person was killed when his house collapsed on him and at least 100.000 customers Beaumont and Port Arthur were without power and in Louisiana at least 13.000 houses were flooded. The Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco declared state of emergency: "I also want our people to be prepared, as this storm serves as another reminder of how quickly storms can form." The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry declared three southeast Texas counties disaster areas: "Texans in Jefferson, Orange and Galveston Counties can rest assured that we have deployed the necessary resources to help them recover from the devastation resulting from this storm," he said.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070913/ap_on_re_us/tropical_weather;_ylt=AgAVbYdxR1DSp.NO7xr36Uqs0NUE

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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The Democrats are trying to get troops home by Corina Ciubotaru

The war in Iraq is on everyone's minds these days. After sending 30,000 more troops this year to the country, American leaders now stopped to think that maybe the decision wasn't quite the right one. General Petraeus, the top troop leader in Iraq, made a series of statements on September 11th and 12th along with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, in an attempt to give an inside view on the situation. Troop retreats were recommended, President Bush seems unwilling to call them home without seeing results first, and now the Democrats appear to have had enough. They intend to pass a law by which the soldiers would be brought home and let Iraqis deal with their own problems. It's a good plan, but it has a major problem: the Democrats don't agree on how strongly they should make themselves heard. Should they urge the President to call some troops? Or should all soldiers come home at once? Should they spend as much time in combat zones as they do at home? All of these possibilities have a number of supporters among Democrats, but they still need to fight together to make sure they receive the 60 votes necessary to pass the anti-war law as soon as possible. President Bush is expected to give a speech on Thursday evening in regard to the state of the war, but even though he will most likely agree with his general that some troops need to come home, he will impose strict rules to their return.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070912/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq;_ylt=Avsu705YtciDFqPjFp5ByT2s0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Remembering 9/11 by Claudia Sonea

The worst day in American history is at its sixth anniversary, bringing under the spot light again the tragedy that left children without a father or a mother, mothers without their children. Two thirds of Americans in a USA Today poll confessed that it is the most memorable news event of their lifetime and despite the fear of showing that the terrorists win, they also admitted it changed their lives. No one can forget the mass murder, the collage of people that lost their lives and that are now remembered by reading their names out loud and marching with buttons bearing their faces. myGoodDeed.org was launched as the micro memorial, a vehicle for people to use the day to do something for someone else and so far there are 284,185 people who made a good deed, donated blood, took clothes to the Goodwill, knited socks for soldiers. Furthermore, there are people that don't need to be remembered because for them everyday bears the burden of the tragically event. 2000 New York City fire fighters still need treatment and the area where everything happened has become a perfect place for political speeches. But the strange thing is that although they should have been united by these attacks, they are more and more divided by the way they should respond to it. Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton used this anniversary of 9/11 to remind people that the security has a lot of faults: most air cargo is still not screened, the high-tech bomb detectors are indefinitely delayed, and Congress demands tighter standards for drivers' licenses but won't fund them. It is not to be surprised by the eternal problem of the politicians, too much talking and no action. All in all, no matter how they react in front of the tragedy and the way they remember 9/11, we all should bend our heads in front of it and draw the proper conclusions on how far terrorists go. There is not anymore only their problem, but something that concerns everyone. Let's keep a moment of silence in the memory of those who are no longer among us.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20070911/us_time/howtoremember911;_ylt=AgOlwY1PZ8D.Gqx5BrzDRMus0NUE

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It's been six years since 9/11 and things are starting to change by Corina Ciubotaru

It's been six years since the 9/11 attacks. As every year, family and friends of the victims gathered to remember them in the first ceremony that wasn't held at Ground Zero. They said the park used for most of the ceremony couldn't compare to being at the actual crash site and that former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani shouldn't have come to the ceremony. It was a rainy day and the first time the eleventh was on a Tuesday; this may mean the end of a cycle. Fewer people showed up than last year but they still performed the usual ceremony: read the names of all 2,750 victims, laid flowers at the WTC site and held four moments of silence to mark the times when the two planes crashed into the towers and when the towers collapsed. Ceremonies were also held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and at the main US airbase in Afghanistan, while the victims of the plane crash in Shanksville were honored as citizen soldiers. Defense Secretary Robert Gates hosted another one at the Pentagon, the fourth target hit by planes that day, for the families of the people killed in that attack. Another tradition was also held as a video believed to have been made by al-Qaeda featuring Osama Bin Laden was released yesterday. In it, he is heard praising one of the 19 hijackers and he looks the same as the last video the terrorist group released last week. That video is the first one in three years that shows Bin Laden.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_re_us/sept11_anniversary;_ylt=Ahrw3xB_GZdXGTZpjC5Zj2ys0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Tomorrow night, President Bush will adress the nation by Corina Ciubotaru

President Bush is expected to make a speech these days about whether or not he is going to order the return of some troops from Iraq. Following statements by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker on Tuesday, the President is expected to make a decision and some suggest that although he agrees with the troop leader that some soldiers should be sent home, the conditions for this return will be strict. It will depend on future results achieved by Iraq and may not even happen at some point. It's also unclear how many troops will come home in each wave suggested by Petraeus, but the general himself insisted there should be no hasty decisions in regard to their return. Mr. Bush will also underline the progress made in the Anbar province in the TV speech that will be held at 2100 local time on Thursday. The Democrats are already disappointed by the ever more likely decision to keep soldiers stationed in Iraq, but the number of attacks has decreased since the 30,000 additional troops arrived in the last surge. This is the major reason for keeping the soldiers there and it will probably be the strongest argument in favor of this decision. Tomorrow night we will find out if these speculations turn out to reflect the President's view completely. He still wants to give the impression that he is in control and this speech is meant to do just that, even though most of America's targets for Iraq haven't been met during the four-year war.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq;_ylt=Aj4efo1WQYD7zpuAQk9N1Eas0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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U.S. remembers Sept 11 attacks in silence by Delia Cruceru

A day marked with grief, sorrow, grey clouds and light rain. It marked the sixth commemoration of the attacks from September 11 2001 when almost 3000 people died. Families, authorities and dignitaries gathered at Ground Zero, where once the World Trade Center towers were and now a busy construction zone. "Six years have passed, and our place is still by your side," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said to the crowds. "We come together again as New Yorkers and as Americans to share a loss that can't be measured." He said that the long list with names of the victims will be read by volunteers who helped in the rescue and recovery and whose thoughts were: "Those are my neighbours. Let me help." The mayor at the time of the attacks, Rudy Giuliani was present too, as well as Democrat Senator Hillary Clinton. At the White House, President Bush and his wife Laura, Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife held a moment of silence on the lawn at 8:46 a.m. when the first plane struck in the New York tower. Others have gathered at Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought al Qaeda hijackers in the cockpit. On the steps of the U.S. Capitol almost 200 Democrats and Republicans gathered to sing "God Bless America" on Monday night as they did on the night of the attacks.

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20070911/tpl-uk-sept11-20b2d2f_4.html

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Gabrielle has little impact on NC coast by Delia Cruceru

The tropical storm Gabrielle wasn't a big deal after all for the people living on the South Coast of Northern Carolina. Friday, Gabrielle developed in a subtropical storm, but Saturday it turned to be a full tropical system. William Babcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's station in Taunton, said "The only effects the region will see is perhaps more rain and some thunderstorms." The maximum winds were of 35 mph (55kph) as the centre of the storm was at 5 a.m. at 140 miles north-northeast of Cape Hatteras. The storm's small centre made landfall along the Cape Lookout National Seashore as a Tropical Storm at around 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, and after 12 hours it moved towards the Atlantic with speed increased to 12 mph from 10 mph. "If you think of what might have been as it approached us, I would say that we're in very good shape," said Dorothy Toolan, a spokeswoman for Dare County Emergency Management. The state is affected by drought so the rain would be as blessings for the residents, they were hoping that the rain will bring some relief. "We're glad we didn't have any flooding or wind damage, but the rain would have been nice," said Julia Jarema, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070909/ap_on_re_us/tropical_weather_gabrielle;_ylt=Ahzqq_y4kSqcFFxdNxllL9Ws0NUE

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Gen. Petraeus' statement is not convincing by Corina Ciubotaru

As expected, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker's statements today sparked a major controversy in American political circles. Were they influenced by the government? Should the troops stay longer in Iraq? Why aren't all the soldiers being sent home if the goals haven't been achieved? Between the Republicans wanting them to stay and the Democrats wishing they were home, 160,000 military are currently stationed in Iraq, with only 30,000 of them expected to return by July 2008. Gen. Petraeus intends to send home 2,000 Marines this month, the same people that were sent there this January by President Bush, this being the biggest cut in troop numbers since 2003. The next batch is expected back in mid-December but the general advises that no other decisions regarding Iraq's security should be made before March 2008. With over 3,700 American troops dead in this war in four years, this problem must be addressed with utmost care and responsibility. President Bush is expected to give a public speech in the next days on the state of Iraq, in a time when most people think the war is a failure and the pressure is high to get the soldiers home. More and more people believe the attack in 2003 was a mistake and that progress towards peace in the region is far from what was initially expected, regardless of several reports and Gen. Petraeus' himself declaring the Iraqi national army is getting stronger and more capable of keeping peace even with political leaders making little effort to improve the country's laws.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070910/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq;_ylt=ApCNVEGKk3nLVkLdHor_4OKs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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A B52 loaded with six nuclear warheads flew right across America by Corina Ciubotaru

A B52 bomber loaded with several nuclear warheads has flown over some U.S. states last week, leading to an investigation by Air Force officials and the firing of a munitions squadron commander. Apparently, it is very hard for nuclear warheads to be detonated, and the people below were in no danger, but U.S. officials found the mistake was inexcusable. The missiles are only detonated after a series of strict procedures and shouldn't explode even in the case of a plane crash. They were to be decommissioned and were being transported between bases in Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and Barksdale Air Force Base, La. This awkward moment in Pentagon history comes after the Bush administration always made sure they knew all about other countries' nuclear weapons and that those weapons are kept away from terrorist hands. The team in charge with handling those warheads was banned from working with munitions for the duration of the investigations which will try to determine how exactly the Air Force handles its weapons. All operations were halted by the Air Combat Command until September 15th. But it's unlikely that we'll hear anything about how this operation is going, as the Pentagon doesn't discuss this kind of affairs with the public. Since it was a matter of national safety, we can rest assured that the investigation will bring results and find someone to blame in the end. We just have to watch the media for the next several months, as such investigations take time, to find out who it is that took the fall.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070905/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bomber_warheads;_ylt=AhXsAgls3DFEMPE.jxUu73Ws0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Bush-Anbar Is a Success by Delia Cruceru

In one surprise visit at the Al-Asad air base from Anbar province, President Bush noted that progress where the insurgency level is kept away. He met there with politicians from Baghdad as well with Sunni Arab sheiks who have led a local movement opposing al-Qaida in Iraq. His suite was formed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other key advisers, including the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, and Gen. David Petraeus. "If progress can happen here in Anbar province, where the insurgency once held sway, it can happen anywhere, provided the surge strategy is given one more time. And U.S. troops could then begin heading home," said President Bush. He said that now Sunnis who once fought side by side with al-Qaida against coalition troops now fighting side by side with coalition troops against al-Qaida, being a dramatic difference as Iraq starts to be more secure as it was before. But the Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the progress in Anbar was initiated by the Iraqis themselves deciding to fight against al-Qaida and retake control of the region, many months before Bush sent 4.000 Marine troops as part of his troop buildup. "We have seen the fruit of that effort become more apparent in the last few months," Gates said. "The presence of the additional U.S. forces - the Marines that came in - that helped cement the gains they felt they had made but were at risk."

related story: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/03/ap4076962.html

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Va. Tech president defends himself by Delia Cruceru

Charles Steger, the president of Virginia Tech refused to resign despite the amount of criticism that came from the victims relatives. He said that the university did everything it could in response to the nation's deadliest school shooting. "I believe that based on what we knew at the time we did the right things, quite honestly," he said. A state panel concludes that lives could have been saved if alerts had been sent out earlier and classes canceled after two people were killed, but Charles Steger rejected that. He suggested that the death toll might have risen above 33 if police and school officials had done things differently on that deadly day of April 16. On that day, after the first two murders were committed, Cho had time to live the dorms, mail a videotaped confession and manifesto to NBC News, then return to campus and make his way to Norris Hall, because the administration of the university sent the e-mail alert after two hours. According to Steger during those two hours, the administrators considered how to deal with the first burst of gunfire. At that time only two administrators could have sent the e-mail alert, an the message had to be formulated by the by the Policy Group, a group of nine people chaired by Steger. The assembling of the group took almost half an hour. "The alert should have been issued and classes should have been closed," panel Chairman Gerald Massengill said Thursday.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070830/ap_on_re_us/virginia_tech_investigation;_ylt=ArJOH6H7yE4YnZ1IleAgWh.s0NUE

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Vials of poison found in UNMOVIC headquarters in Manhattan by Corina Ciubotaru

A lethal chemical called phosgene was found in a U.N. headquarters in Manhattan last Wednesday. The substance was used during World War I as a chemical weapon and it causes nausea, vomiting, lung collapse and even death when it is inhaled. It apparently has a nice smell of freshly cut hay when in low concentrations, but even though it's deadly, the amount contained in the two vials found last week didn't cause any health problems. Apparently, the substance had been stored in a filing cabinet in New York for 10 years by mistake, instead of being sent to a lab for analysis. UNMOVIC employees found it by accident, as they were clearing the building after their chemical warfare agency got shut down by the President. They weren't sure what the vials contained, so they followed procedure, put them in double zip-locked bags and eventually passed them along to the FBI after they realized what they were dealing with. The employees also did a quick check to see if there have any other forgotten materials they should do something about. Luckily, there wasn't anything else. The substance was carried in three containers to a base in Aberdeen, Md., to be disposed of soon. This gas was responsible for the majority of gas deaths during World War I and the vials which are the size of pens were removed from the al-Muthanna chemical weapons plant near Baghdad. They were meant to be destroyed after analysis and have posed no threat to the people of New York during transportation.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070830/ap_on_re_us/un_chemical_agents;_ylt=AmBPMlnYBkhliDCd0arLePqs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.