Oil Contracts Awarded in Iraq

Oil field contracts are currently being auctioned off in Iraq to international companies. 3 of the world’s largest oil fields are located in Iraq. This is the second auction since 2003 when the United States led an invasion to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, Al Jazeera.
Just prior to the first anniversary of his death, [...]

Somali Pirates Release Spanish Ship Amid Ransom Rumors

Somali pirates have released a Spanish ship after holding it for 6 weeks. There are 36 crewmembers aboard. The pirates told reporters that they were promised a ransom of $3.5 million but the Spanish government would not confirm that a ransom was paid, BBC News. A report from last May follows the trail of ransoms [...]

Officials, Police Arrested in Iraq Over Double Bombings

11 high ranking security officials and 50 police officers have been arrested in Iraq on suspected involvement in last Sunday’s devastating double bombings in Baghdad. Those arrested include guards at the 15 checkpoints the bombers had to pass to gain entrance to the high security zone where the bombings took place, Reuters.
U.S. President Barack Obama [...]

Reid Promises Public Option in Healthcare Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that the U.S. healthcare reform bill will include a public option. The option of a government-run health insurance plan seemed to be dead in the water months ago, but is gaining more momentum, Wall Street Journal.
The death toll from yesterday’s suicide bombing in Baghdad has risen to 160, [...]

Dow Jones Sees 53 Percent Gain This Year

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10015.86 today, reaching 10,000 for the first time since October of 2008. The boost was thanks to a better-than-expected profit from bank JP Morgan Chase. That marks a 53 percent gain in only seven months, Wall Street Journal.
Confusion has erupted over whether an agreement has been reached in [...]

Study Says 70,000 Die Yearly from Unsafe Abortions

A new survey from the Guttmacher Institute estimates that 70,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions and millions more are injured. The study found that official laws or regulations prohibiting abortion does not stop the practice from occurring but rather that it only makes the procedure more dangerous and unsafe. The abortion rate is [...]

Romania’s Government Collapses After PSD Resignation

A second major earthquake struck Indonesia yesterday, only a day after a 7.6 magnitude quake that killed at least 770 people. Yesterday’s earthquake, a magnitude 6.8, is reported to have caused damage, but no fatalities have been reported so far. Hundreds of people are still believed to be trapped in the rubble from the the [...]

Yale Grad Student Was Asphyxiated

New Haven authorities say that an animal research lab technician may have had a role in the death of Annie Le, a Yale grad student whose body was found stuffed in a crawl space inside a research lab. A source says Le was asphyxiated and that the murder was not random. No arrests have been [...]