johnhanblog

Taliban Offers Korean Hostage Swap

A purported Taliban spokesman said 23 South Korean Christians held in
Afghanistan would be freed in exchange for jailed Taliban fighters.
Earlier, South Koreans called for troop withdrawls from the country to
win the hostages' release. 

# posted by John @ 7/21/2007 04:15:00 PM 0 comments

President Bush signed an executive order governing interrogation of
terrorism suspects, prohibiting cruel and inhumane treatment,
humiliation or denigration of religious beliefs. The order was the
result of legislation Mr. Bush signed last year. 

# posted by John @ 7/20/2007 06:34:00 PM 0 comments

President Bush has signed an executive order governing interrogation
techniques for terrorist suspects, barring cruel and inhumane
treatment.

# posted by John @ 7/20/2007 03:43:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS

Senate passes bill to boost student aid
---------------------------------------------
The Senate passed a bill early Friday to increase aid to college
students. The
bill would give more money to Pell grant recipients, who are among the
poorest. They get a maximum award of $4,310 annually now, but that would
be
bumped up to $5,400 by 2011.

Plame's lawsuit against Cheney dismissed
---------------------------------------------
Former CIA operative Valerie Plame lost a lawsuit Thursday that demanded
money from Bush administration officials whom she blamed for leaking her
agency identity.

N. Korea nuke talks end without deadline
---------------------------------------------
Arms negotiators failed Friday to set a firm deadline for North Korea to
disable its nuclear facilities following the shutdown of its reactor,
only agreeing to more consultations on Pyongyang's disarmament.

MONEY

Dow stampedes past 14,000 point
---------------------------------------------
Wall Street added 14,000 to the record books Thursday as the Dow busted
its
second 1,000-point milestone in less than three months, showing the kind
of
strength that can quiet the most passionate pessimists.

Toyota slips behind GM in global sales for quarter
---------------------------------------------
General Motors said strong growth in Latin America, Asia and other
emerging
markets lifted global sales in the second quarter, according to
preliminary
sales figures released Thursday.

# posted by John @ 7/20/2007 09:27:00 AM 0 comments

Israel has released 250 Palestinian prisoners in an effort to strengthen
the hand of Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas among the Palestinian people and
marginalize Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But with 9,000 still held by
Israel, some Palestinians are not impressed. 

# posted by John @ 7/20/2007 09:22:00 AM 0 comments

House Panel Probing Toxic FEMA Trailers

Lawyers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency discouraged
officials from pursuing reports of dangerous levels of formaldehyde in
trailers housing thousands of hurricane victims, according to documents
released today.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 07:54:00 PM 0 comments

NEW YORK - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 14,000 Thursday
and the Standard & Poor's 500 index also set a record as investors,
having gotten over a bout of economic jitters in the previous session,
focused on mostly upbeat earnings reports.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 07:50:00 PM 0 comments

July 19, 2007

Gov. Spitzer on Congestion Pricing

Gov. Spitzer holds a news conference on the plan that the state will
pass on Congestion Pricing.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 02:57:00 PM 0 comments

July 19, 2007

State to approve Congestion Pricing plan

Eyewitness News has learned the state will approve some form of the
Congestion Pricing plan.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 02:23:00 PM 0 comments

Midtown Blast: No asbestos found in air, some in debris

A giant crater marks the spot of a major steampipe blast in Midttown
Manhattan. Crews have been working around the clock, but the area
remains locked down.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 12:29:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

or go to

http://sinoam.blogspot.com

see LINKS and click 'John's Journal'

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 09:38:00 AM 0 comments

July 19, 2007

Recall Alert: Easy Bake Ovens

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary
recall of one million Easy-Bake ovens.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 09:13:00 AM 0 comments

Suicide attacks, bombings, shootings and a siege in Islamabad's Red
Mosque have killed more than 240 in Pakistan so far this month, stirring
doubts about the country's stability. Two attacks today in southern
Pakistan left at least 38 people dead. 

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 09:12:00 AM 0 comments

Blair debuts at meeting of Mideast Quartet
---------------------------------------------
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed Tony Blair as a historic and
passionate leader on Thursday, saying his debut as Mideast envoy could
breath
new life into long-stalled talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Brazilians point fingers as all 186 on jet confirmed dead
---------------------------------------------
Critics condemned the government for failing to invest in safety
measures
adopted by other urban airports, as officials confirmed that a plane
crash
killed all 186 people onboard, the nation's second major air disaster in
less
than a year.

2 U.S. GIs charged with murder, officer relieved
---------------------------------------------
Two U.S. Army soldiers have been charged with the premeditated murder of
an Iraqi and a lieutenant colonel has been relieved of command in
connection with the case, the U.S. military announced Thursday.

MONEY

China's economy surges 12%, sets sights on Germany
---------------------------------------------
China's annual economic growth surged in the second quarter to an
11-year high of 11.9%, cementing expectations of tighter policy to keep
the world's fastest-growing major economy from overheating.

# posted by John @ 7/19/2007 08:34:00 AM 0 comments

July 18, 2007

OEM urges New Yorkers to avoid pipe explosion area

The New York City Office of Emergency Management is asking all city
residents to avoid the area of the steam pipe explosion because of the
possibility of toxic air.

# posted by John @ 7/18/2007 07:48:00 PM 0 comments

No Survivors In Brazilian Plane Crash

All 186 aboard a TAM airlines flight that crashed at Sao Paulo's airport
died in the fiery accident, as did at least three people on the ground.
Emergency workers have recovered 117 badly charred bodies, along with
the plane's flight data recorder. More...

# posted by John @ 7/18/2007 06:42:00 PM 0 comments

July 18, 2007

Transformer explodes in Manhattan

The fire department confirms that a large transformer has exploded at
41st Street between Third and Lexington avenues.

# posted by John @ 7/18/2007 06:35:00 PM 0 comments

A Brazilian airliner skidded off a slick runway in Sao Paulo, crossed a
busy road and plowed into a gas station and cargo building. All 180
people aboard are feared dead and more than a dozen people on the ground
were killed. 

# posted by John @ 7/18/2007 01:05:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 7/18/2007 01:02:00 PM 0 comments

Breaking News
AFTER AN ALL-NIGHT DEBATE, SENATE REPUBLICANS HAVE BLOCKED A DEMOCRATIC
EFFORT TO REMOVE AMERICAN COMBAT TROOPS FROM IRAQ BY THE END OF APRIL
2008 BY A VOTE OF 52 TO 47

# posted by John @ 7/18/2007 12:18:00 PM 0 comments

A suicide blast rocked the capital city of Pakistan, killing at least 13
people, including the bomber, and wounding dozens more. The attack
targeted a large group gathered in Islamabad for a rally in support of a
chief judge fired from his post. 

# posted by John @ 7/17/2007 04:59:00 PM 0 comments

The Dow Jones Industrial Average momentarily passed a new milestone,
aided by a mild inflation report and good profit reports from a couple
of blue-chip stocks. It took the Dow less than two months to go from
13,000 to 14,000.

# posted by John @ 7/17/2007 01:42:00 PM 0 comments

A new report says the U.S. will face an increasing terror threat in the
coming years. At the heart of the threat is a resurgent al Qaeda in
northern Pakistan near the Afghan border, where the Pakistani government
appears to be powerless to stop them. 

# posted by John @ 7/17/2007 09:03:00 AM 0 comments

President Bush is proposing new Mideast talks that include Israel, the
Palestinians and some of the other countries in the region. Earlier in
the day, Israel announced it will release 250 Palestinian prisoners —
none of them Hamas members.

# posted by John @ 7/16/2007 05:34:00 PM 0 comments

Recall Alert: Gerber recalls baby food due to choking risk

Gerber is voluntarily recalling all packages of Gerber Organic Rice and
Organic Oatmeal Cereals due to a potential choking risk.

# posted by John @ 7/16/2007 12:27:00 PM 0 comments

Officials in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk say two car bombings
within 20 minutes have killed at least 80 people at the headquarters of
a Kurdish political party and an outdoor market. The market is
frequented by Kurds. 

# posted by John @ 7/16/2007 09:04:00 AM 0 comments