Truthout - News

Thousands Protest in Iran, Defying Crackdown Vow

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:06:41 -0400

Tehran -Thousands of protesters streamed down avenues of the capital Thursday, chanting "death to the dictator" and defying security forces who fired tear gas and charged with batons, witnesses said. The first opposition foray into the streets in 11 days aimed to revive mass demonstrations that were crushed in Iran's postelection turmoil.

Iranian authorities had promised tough action to prevent the marches, which supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi have been planning for days in Internet messages.

Growing Numbers of Poor People Swamp Legal Aid Offices

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:02:41 -0400

Washington - After years of funding shortfalls, legal aid societies across the country are being overwhelmed by growing numbers of poor and unemployed Americans who face eviction, foreclosure, bankruptcy and other legal problems tied to the recession.

The crush of new clients comes as the cash-strapped agencies cut staff and services.

Rite Aid Facility Symbolic of Unions' Legislation Push

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:00:53 -0400

Labor movement sees the Lancaster site as a symbol of why Congress should pass the Employee Free Choice Act. The firm agreed last month to rehire dozens of workers let go after a unionizing drive.

A chilly, high desert dawn was breaking as the workers trickled onto the sprawling grounds of Rite Aid Corp.'s distribution warehouse, a behemoth box at the edge of the Mojave.

Peace and Prosperity for the West Bank?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:35:33 -0400

Can a breakthrough experiment finally bring peace to the West Bank? Next on "NOW."

Pharmacists Can't Refuse Plan B Pill, Appeals Court Says

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:20:04 -0400

A pharmacy owner and workers had sued Washington state to block a requirement that they stock and sell the "morning after" contraceptive.

Pharmacists are obliged to dispense the Plan B pill, even if they are personally opposed to the "morning after" contraceptive on religious grounds, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Police Arrest 26 AIDS Activists at Capitol Protest

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:22:27 -0400

Washington - A group of AIDS activists was arrested Thursday for unlawfully demonstrating in the Capitol rotunda, a Capitol Police spokeswoman said.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said 11 men and 15 women each face a charge of unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and loud and boisterous behavior. Their names and ages were not immediately released.

Schneider said the group entered the rotunda, located beneath the Capitol dome, and linked themselves together with a white chain at about 10 a.m.

US Agrees to Landmark Pledge to Slash Emissions

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:34:43 -0400

G8 commits to cutting carbon output by 80 per cent - and tells China and India to follow suit.

L'Aquila - The world's richest nations agreed last night to cut their carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 in a dramatic attempt to secure a new global deal to combat climate change.

Murdoch Papers Paid £1 Million to Gag Phone-Hacking Victims

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:37:14 -0400

Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers has paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of his journalists' repeated involvement in the use of criminal methods to get stories.

The payments secured secrecy over out-of-court settlements in three cases that threatened to expose evidence of Murdoch journalists using private investigators who illegally hacked into the mobile phone messages of numerous public figures and to gain unlawful access to confidential personal data including ta

Double Suicide Bombing Kills 34 in Iraq

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:41:11 -0400

Mosul - Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in northern Iraq, killing at least 34 people in the deadliest attack since US forces pulled out of towns and cities nationwide just over a week ago.

The bombers targeted two brothers working for Iraqi security forces in Tal Afar in an attack against a building used as a court annexe to interrogate suspects in "terrorist attacks," police colonel Khaled Omar told AFP.

House Intel Chair: CIA Has Misled Us for Years

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:55:55 -0400

Democrats are accusing senior CIA officials of repeatedly misleading Congress, but Republicans say the allegations are just political maneuvering to protect House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The accusations come as lawmakers prepare to debate intelligence legislation - a bill President Barack Obama has threatened to veto.