International News
BP Halts Oil Flow in Gulf of Mexico
Oil has stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since April.
A top BP executive says the company’s success in halting the flow of oil is a “great sight,” but not cause for celebration. Doug Suttles, the company’s chief operating officer, told reporters that the effort to permanently stop the flow is [...]
831 scientists to author report on global warming
The U.N. science body on climate change has released a list of 831 scientists who will write its fifth report on global warming. The Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said Wednesday it received 3,000 nominations and the authors were drawn from fields including meteorology, physics, oceanography, statistics, engineering and economics. The report will be [...]
Space shuttle Atlantis retires after 32 years
Gliding into retirement after 32 missions covering 120 million miles, the shuttle Atlantis dropped out of orbit and returned to Earth, wrapping up a 25-year career with a near-flawless space station assembly mission. Atlantis also flew 11 missions to the International Space Station and visited the Hubble Space Telescope last year for a final overhaul.
Information [...]
Pakistan to block access to Facebook on May 20
In international news, the country of Pakistan has blocked access to Facebook…at least for tomorrow. This comes after a new Facebook group was created that has dubbed May 20, “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” in reference to the Muslim prophet who, famously, cannot be displayed as an image according to Islamic law. This group already has [...]
Trouble worsens in Thailand
Bangkok turned into a war zone today as Thai military forces cracked down on anti-government protesters, ending a tense standoff that has troubled the capital for weeks. The government imposed a strict curfew that barred people from going outside between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. The chaotic day left at least five people dead but [...]
No link found between cell phones and brain cancer
A ten-year study by the World Health Organization has produced no clear link between cell phone use and brain cancer. Experts studied about 13,000 cell phone users in the study and couldn’t determine any risk of tumors.
General Motors could be profitable again soon
General Motors could be on the road for its first full year of profitability since 2004.
The automaker posted first-quarter profits of $865 million. By contrast, last year they posted a $5.9 billion loss. The U.S. government owns a 61 percent stake in GM, which received $50 billion from the government in restructuring money.
Pakistan faces heat post the failed NY bombing
American drone aircraft fired 18 missiles at militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region today, killing at least 14 fighters and wounding 4. The missiles struck a region on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border where Taliban and Qaeda fighters prepare for operations against United States and NATO troops in Afghanistan. The unusually intense drone attack was the [...]
Great Britain has a new Prime Minister
Conservative Party leader David Cameron is now Great Britain’s prime minister. Cameron’s elevation to the post comes after Gordon Brown announced his resignation from the post earlier today. Gordon’s Labour Party placed second in last week’s parliamentary election.
Information taken from MetroSource.
U.N. representatives criticize Arizona’s immigration law
Human rights experts at the United Nations say Arizona’s law
on illegal immigration could violate international standards.
The regulations on basic human rights, accepted by the U.S.
and many other nations, oppose discrimination and specify
the terms under which people can be detained. U.N. experts
say the Arizona law, which allows the police to question
anyone they suspect of illegally being [...]
