This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream
media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously
biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in
each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Source: Reuters
Feb 7, 2011
Top British archaeologists are urging the government to rethink a law requiring human remains be reburied, warning it risks undermining years of research into the island's ancient peoples and study of their DNA.
The row stems from the reinterpretation of a law introduced in 2008 by the Ministry of Justice. The rule states human bones discovered in England and Wales since that time, regardless of their age, must be re-interred after two years.
In a letter to Justice Secr
Source: BBC
Feb 7, 2011
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency has named former military ruler Pervez Musharraf as "an accused" in an interim criminal charge-sheet.
He is said to have appointed two senior police suspected of not giving adequate protection to opposition leader Benazir Bhutto at the time of her murder.
Mr Musharraf is accused of giving the pair their orders.
Legal experts say the mention of Mr Musharraf's name in a prosecution report does not mean he is i
Source: BBC
Feb 7, 2011
The previous UK government did "all it could" to help facilitate the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, a report on the case says.
Sir Gus O'Donnell, the country's most senior civil servant, said there was an "underlying desire" to see Megrahi released before he died.
But his report concluded that it was made clear to Libya that the final decision was up to Scottish ministers.
And there was no evidence of Labour press
Source: AP
Feb 7, 2011
The mud-hut town of Juba has earned a promotion to world capital later this year. Only Southern Sudan needs far more than its own currency and a national anthem: Most of the roads here are dirt and even aid workers live in shipping containers.
In a little more than five months, Southern Sudan is slated to become the world's newest country. Final results from last month's independence referendum announced on Monday show that 98.8 percent of the ballots cast were for secession from Su
Source: AP
Feb 7, 2011
People can buy alcohol in one Ohio town for the first time since Prohibition took effect in 1920.
Russell Township voters in northeast Ohio's Geauga County said no to going "wet" several times since Prohibition's repeal in 1933. The most recent rejection at the ballot box came in 2000.
But last fall voters approved a measuring allowing one convenience store to sell alcohol. The Circle K store began offering beer and wine last week.
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Feb 7, 2011
One of only two statues of Charles Dickens in the world has been returned to public display in Australia after being lost for almost 40 years only to be discovered in a garden outside Sydney.
The marble statue, which depicts a pensive Dickens holding a quill and a scroll of paper, went missing in 1972 after it was removed from Centennial Park in Sydney because of vandalism.
The only other known statue of Dickens is in Philadelphia, USA as the author stated in his will t
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Feb 7, 2011
The crumbling stone temple at the centre of Thai-Cambodian fighting, has fueled nationalist sentiment on both sides of the disputed frontier for decades.
Both countries accused each other of instigating the clashes over the weekend, which continued across the darkened mountainous border for more than three hours Sunday. The extent of the damage to the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was not immediately clear.
The temple, which sits several hundred fe
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Feb 7, 2011
The crumbling stone temple at the centre of Thai-Cambodian fighting, has fueled nationalist sentiment on both sides of the disputed frontier for decades.
Both countries accused each other of instigating the clashes over the weekend, which continued across the darkened mountainous border for more than three hours Sunday. The extent of the damage to the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was not immediately clear.
The temple, which sits several hundred fe
Source: Secrecy News
Feb 7, 2011
Americans who have accessed the WikiLeaks web site may have violated the Espionage Act, under an extreme interpretation of the law advanced by Air Force officials last week.
Many government agencies have instructed their employees not to download classified materials from the WikiLeaks web site onto unclassified computer systems. The government’s position is that although the material is in the public domain, its classification status is unaffected. Therefore, to preserve the inte
Source: NYT
Feb 7, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. — If Vang Pao had died a simple farmer like so many other Hmong here, his funeral would have been an elaborate affair.
For three days, as Hmong custom has it, his family and friends would have mourned in high-pitched chants, feasted on freshly slaughtered beef and burned a giant pile of paper money to buy his soul into the spirit world.
But Gen. Vang Pao was no plain Hmong elder, and his death last month at age 81 has brought forth no ordinary grief. He
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Feb 7, 2011
The bee crisis has been treated as a niche concern until now, but as the UN's index of food prices hits an all time-high, it is becoming urgent to know whether the plight of the honey bee risks further exhausting our food security.
Almost a third of global farm output depends on animal pollination, largely by honey bees.
These foods provide 35pc of our calories, most of our minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants, and the foundations of gastronomy. Yet the bees are dying
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Feb 7, 2011
The former Labour Government did "all it could" to help Libya secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Britain's most senior civil servant said today.
David Cameron will this afternoon publish a dossier of 150 pages of letters, memos and minutes related to the case after he promised Barack Obama, the US President, to review all the paperwork and see what could be made public.
In an accompanying report, Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, concludes: &q
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Feb 7, 2011
One of only two statues of Charles Dickens in the world has been returned to public display in Australia after being lost for almost 40 years only to be discovered in a garden outside Sydney.
The marble statue, which depicts a pensive Dickens holding a quill and a scroll of paper, went missing in 1972 after it was removed from Centennial Park in Sydney because of vandalism.
The only other known statue of Dickens is in Philadelphia, USA as the author stated in his will t
Source: FoxNews
Feb 7, 2011
From acting with the "The Gipper," to walking through a recreation of Berlin Wall, the newly renovated Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is giving visitors an interactive approach to learning about America's 40th President.
As part of the celebration of the 100th birthday of Reagan, the museum in Simi Valley, Calif. underwent a $15 million, one-year renovation. Starting Monday, the public can view the 17 new galleries.
"I think what we wanted
Source: BBC News
Feb 7, 2011
Japan and Russia have exchanged heated comments over the disputed southern Kuril islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan's PM Naoto Kan called a visit by Russia's president to the islands last year an "unforgivable outrage".
Mr Kan was speaking during a rally in Tokyo held to demand the return of the islands, which were occupied by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.
Russian FM Sergei Lavrov responded by saying that Mr Kan's remarks were "c
Source: Southcoast Today
Feb 6, 2011
Right now it's just a small cemetery surrounded by a whitewashed fence with a few overgrown spots where the ruins of former houses once stood.
But the archeological site at "Parting Ways" on the town line of Plymouth and Kingston is arguably every bit as important as the Plimoth Plantation historical site across town.
Parting Ways is the name for a settlement that was home to four African-Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War.
The men — Pl
Source: CNN.com
Feb 6, 2011
Fighting flared for a third straight day Sunday along the Thai-Cambodian border over a disputed ancient temple despite a reported ceasefire and international efforts to soothe tensions.
At least seven people -- two villagers and five soldiers -- were wounded after a new gunfight broke out shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday evening, Thai Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told his nation's state-run MCOT media outlet.
The skirmish came a day after the two sides agreed to
Source: AP
Feb 6, 2011
This is a town taken over by neo-Nazis.
Wooden signposts by the main road point to Vienna, Paris, and Braunau am Inn — the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. A far-right leader runs his demolition company from home, its logo featuring a man smashing a Star of David with a sledgehammer.
Every few months, townsfolk host outdoor parties where guests sing "Hitler is my Fuehrer" to chants of "Heil" around a massive bonfire....
Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Feb 6, 2011
The Civil War may have started 150 years ago, but the battles over it continue.
In Montgomery, the "birthplace of the Confederacy," residents still cannot even agree on what caused the fight, let alone whether it is an event worthy of honor or shame.
It was Feb. 9, 1861, when the Confederate States of America was formed in Montgomery with Jefferson Davis as president.
William T. Myrick of Wetumpka, said the 150th anniversary of the Civil War is
Source: WaPo
Feb 6, 2011
The Reagan Centennial celebration started just before 2 p.m. ET Sunday, with musical performances by popular Christian singer Michael W. Smith and pop singer Amy Grant.
Former first lady Nancy Reagan laid a wreath in honor of her husband, former president Ronald Reagan. A wreath must be laid at the tomb of every former president on the anniversary of their birth. The wreath-laying was followed by a 21-gun salute and the playing of "America the beautiful" by the Marine Corp
