In the News: Apr-09

CIA says shuttering detention "black sites" - 9 Apr 2009 at 2:44pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA will decommission the infamous "black sites" where terrorism suspects were interrogated with harsh techniques that included waterboarding, agency director Leon Panetta said on Thursday.

Obama to seek $83.4 billion for Iraq, Afghan wars - 9 Apr 2009 at 2:31pm - WASHINGTON -- Congressional aides say President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into the fall.

Obama announces new record system for vets - 9 Apr 2009 at 12:28pm - WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Thursday promised a more efficient record system to ease delays in health care for wounded veterans, as the government copes with more than 33,000 military personnel injured in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Returning troops getting tested for brain injuries - 9 Apr 2009 at 10:43am - FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Every soldier who's gone to war in the past year paused before leaving to take a brain test - basic math, matching numbers and symbols and identifying patterns to measure response time and accuracy. Now that some of these troops have returned, they're taking a fresh round of tests, all part of a broad effort by the military to better treat head injuries.

U.S. jobless claims ease in latest week - 9 Apr 2009 at 9:40am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless aid fell last week, but the number of people on unemployment rolls surged to a record in March, data showed on Thursday, suggesting the labor market's decline has not yet hit bottom.

Jobless rate climbs to 7-year high of 8% - 9 Apr 2009 at 8:10am - Canada's employment situation continued to deteriorate in March, as 61,000 jobs were lost - with all the cuts coming in full-time work.

Shia rally marks anniversary of fall of Baghdad - 9 Apr 2009 at 6:35am - Tens of thousands of supporters of an anti-U.S. Shia cleric rallied Thursday at a main downtown square in Baghdad to protest the U.S. military presence and mark the sixth anniversary of the fall of the Iraqi capital to American forces.

Thought for the day:
Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. -Woody Allen (1935 - )