In the News: May-30

U.S. emissions bill a "first step": U.N. climate chief - 30 May 2008 at 2:16pm - OSLO (Reuters) - A bill going to the U.S. Senate next week seeking deep cuts in U.S. greenhouse gases by 2050 is a "first step" but not enough to avert damaging climate change, the head of the U.N. Climate Panel said on Friday.

Court: Voting Rights Act provision deemed constitutional - 30 May 2008 at 12:40pm - WASHINGTON -- A federal court says a key component of the Voting Rights Act is constitutional. Under the landmark law, states with a history of racial discrimination must get Justice Department approval before making any changes in the way elections are conducted. A city utility board in Austin, Texas challenged that requirement as unconstitutional. But a three-judge panel of district and appellate judges in Washington unanimously rejected that stance Friday. They said racial discrimination in voting persists and it was constitutional when lawmakers in 2006 extended the act for another 25 years. Civil rights groups opposed the challenge, saying the law was necessary to prevent voters from being denied access to the polls.

U.S. troop deaths in May near lowest level of war - 30 May 2008 at 10:36am - May has been one of the least violent months in Iraq, and the number of U.S. servicemembers killed is near its lowest level of ...

Rice denies rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay - 30 May 2008 at 9:38am - REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday rejected allegations that terror detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are being abused.

Sadr Supporters Protest Iraq-U.S. Military Alliance - 30 May 2008 at 8:31am - Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr staged a big march in Baghdad on Friday to voice their opposition to any long-term military agreement between Iraq and the United States.

Under Fire, White House Releases Report About Global Warming - May 29, 2008 - Today, the White House finally released an overdue report on the comprehensive impact of global warming on the United States. It is the first such report from the Bush administration since it took office more than seven years ago. Starting to catch up with the understanding long agreed on by the world's climate scientists, the report says, "It is likely that there has been a substantial human contribution to surface temperature increases in North America."

Thought for the day:
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!', but 'That's funny ...' -Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)