In the News: Feb-02

Fed: Banks still tightening loan standards - 2 Feb 2009 at 2:56pm - WASHINGTON -- Many banks have made it harder for borrowers to obtain all kinds of loans over the last three months despite a $700 billion federal bailout program and a flurry of other bold moves to stem the worst financial crisis to hit the country since the 1930s.

US to send badminton team to Iran - 2 Feb 2009 at 1:59pm - WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is sending a women's badminton team to Iran this week as part of a broad bid to engage the Iranian people through educational and cultural exchanges.

Commission gets grim report on wartime spending - 2 Feb 2009 at 7:21am - WASHINGTON -- A new commission examining waste and corruption in wartime contracts is getting a grim report from government watchdogs who say poor planning, weak oversight and greed combined to soak U.S. taxpayers and undermine American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thought for the day:
Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws. -Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"