http://www.newsmeat.com/NEWSMEAT publishes daily news and Americas most popular campaign donor search engine.Copyright 2007 Polity Mediaen-ushttp://www.newsmeat.com/images/nmlogo.gifhttp://www.newsmeat.com/Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:45:52 -0400HeadlinesSandstorms whipping across China shrouded cities in an unhealthy cloud of sand and grit Monday, with winds carrying the pollution outside the mainland as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72210026&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Anita ChangMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:43 GMTAP Featureshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72210026&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 An Australian diplomat says a Rio Tinto executive has "acknowledged the truth" to some bribery charges he faces in a Shanghai court.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209997&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:40 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209997&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Iranian authorities detained the grandson of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the most powerful opposition supporter inside the country’s clerical leadership, a news agency reported Monday.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209979&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Nasser KarimiMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:39 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209979&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 French President Nicolas Sarkozy plotted strategy Monday with his prime minister after their conservative party’s crushing defeat in regional elections, with a Cabinet shuffle said to be in the offing.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209921&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Jamey KeatenMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:29 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209921&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 British Airways and the union representing its cabin crew are no closer to resolving a dispute over pay and conditions as a strike enters its third — and busiest — day.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209919&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:28 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209919&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 A former British Cabinet minister says he has referred himself to Parliament’s standards watchdog over allegations he touted his access to government for cash.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209920&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:28 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209920&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 EDITOR’S NOTE — Already the mother of twin girls, a teenager who has no job and no home of her own discovers she’s pregnant again. "What are you going to do?" asks her own mother, who’s helped raise her twins. There are no easy answers — but there is a compromise that this young woman believes will help keep her family together, eventually. The first of three installments.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209918&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:27 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209918&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 About 10 judges have been killed in the last four years because of violence in Somalia or as a direct result of their jobs, the country’s chief justice said.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209917&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Malkhadir M. MuhumedMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:17 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209917&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is vowing that the Obama administration will not accept a nuclear armed Iran and is working on sanctions "that will bite" to press it to come clean about its suspect atomic program.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209915&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Matthew LeeMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:15 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209915&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Iraqi police and hospital officials say gunmen riding a motorcycle shot dead two municipal officials in Baghdad.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209913&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Bushra JuhiMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:15 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209913&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 A U.N. conservation meeting has rejected a proposal by Tanzania to weaken an ivory ban so it can sell its ivory stocks, over criticism from conservationists that they are not doing enough to crackdown on poaching.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209914&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:15 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209914&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 A transformative health care bill is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature as Congress takes the final steps in Democrats' improbable and history-making push for near-universal medical coverage.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209912&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Erica WernerMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:15 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209912&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is to assure Israel on Monday that the Obama administration’s commitment to its security and future is "rock solid" despite a severe diplomatic dispute that emerged this month.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209911&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Matthew LeeMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:15 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209911&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu and a Chinese fellow employee will plead guilty to bribe-taking at politically charged trial which opened Monday, a defence lawyer was quoted as saying.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209874&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:10 GMTAFP Global Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209874&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 The US Congress narrowly passed an historic health overhaul, taking the United States closer to universal medical care and handing Barack Obama the biggest triumph of his presidency.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209873&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:10 GMTAFP Global Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209873&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 A surprise rate hike from the Reserve Bank of India triggered fears that other central banks in Asia may step up inflation-fighting efforts, leading shares lower across the region Monday.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209871&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:10 GMTAFP Global Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209871&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Oil prices dipped to near 80 dollars a barrel in Asian trade Monday, extending last week’s losses caused by gains in the US dollar.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209870&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:10 GMTAFP Global Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209870&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Soham murderer Ian Huntley was back in jail on Monday after receiving hospital treatment following an attack by a fellow prisoner.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209868&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:10 GMTAFP European Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209868&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Thai red-shirts vow to continue their protest in Bangkok calling for fresh elections, although their numbers have dwindled.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209829&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Reuters VideoMon, 22 Mar 2010 10:01 GMTReuters News Videohttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209829&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Authorities say they have arrested a fifth suspect in this month’s brazen raid on a poker tournament in Berlin — a man they believe organized the heist.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209673&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:58 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209673&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Australian envoy says Rio Tinto official admits to some bribery charges in Shanghai court.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209218&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:54 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209218&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 The Regensburg diocese in the pope’s native Bavaria says six people there face sexual abuse allegations, many of them dating back decades.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209097&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:45 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209097&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Italy’s national carrier Alitalia said it had canceled or delayed flights across the country because of a four-hour strike Monday by pilots, flight attendants and baggage handlers.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209064&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:41 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209064&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 South African police officers are being forced to get fit so they can better chase criminals.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209011&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:36 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72209011&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 After getting a top Palestinian official suspended over an embarrassing sex tape, self-styled anti-corruption campaigner Fahmi Shabaneh feels unstoppable.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208950&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Karin Laub and Dalia NammariMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:26 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208950&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Eight Marines were charged in the biggest criminal case against U.S. troops to arise from the Iraq war. Six have had charges dismissed, and one was acquitted.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208939&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:25 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208939&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Sandstorms whipping across China shrouded cities in an unhealthy cloud of sand and grit Monday, with winds carrying the pollution outside the mainland as far as the island of Taiwan.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208935&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Anita ChangMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:18 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208935&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Egypt has freed an Israeli journalist arrested last week as he tried to smuggle himself across the Israeli-Egyptian border with a group of African migrants he was documenting.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208934&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:17 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208934&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet and deliver speeches here Monday in a test of whether the worst US-Israeli crisis in years has been defused.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208929&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:10 GMTAFP Global Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208929&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Leading shares opened lower on Monday as investors worried about the global economic recovery following India’s surprise interest rate hike.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208924&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:10 GMTAFP European Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208924&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 An Indonesian man was killed when a rare Sumatran tiger dragged him from a forest hut, broke his neck and shattered his skull before his friends could save him, a conservation official said Monday.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208922&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:10 GMTAFP Asian Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208922&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Alex Ferguson believes Park Ji-sung is fast becoming Manchester United’s man for the big occasion after the South Korean scored the decisive goal in the 2-1 win over Liverpool.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208923&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:10 GMTAFP European Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208923&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Global stock markets fell Monday as worries about Greece’s debt crisis and India’s sudden interest rate hike rattled investors.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208917&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Jeremiah MarquezMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:07 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208917&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Economic recovery in Britain will be sluggish through the middle of next year as lending remains tight and both the government and the private sector look to pay off debt, the Confederation of British Industry forecast Monday.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208844&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:00 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208844&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Gloomy weather conditions were forecast across the eastern third of the nation Monday, though temperatures were expected to remain on the mild side.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208843&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Weather UndergroundMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:59 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208843&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 One of Peter Jackson’s frequent collaborators says the "Lord of the Rings" director passed the torch to Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to give the trilogy’s two-part prequel, "The Hobbit," a fresh look.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208605&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Min LeeMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:55 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208605&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Alice remains the queen of the box office.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208571&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281David GermainMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:54 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208571&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are traveling to Haiti’s rubble-filled capital Monday as part of their effort to raise aid and investment for a country still reeling from a devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208378&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Jonathan M. Katz and Mike MeliaMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:46 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208378&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Congressional Democrats released a final version of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul bill in advance of passage Sunday by the House. Some features of the legislation, which makes changes to the bill the Senate passed on Christmas Eve:http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208352&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281The Associated PressMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:44 GMTAP Featureshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208352&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 The 220-211 roll call Sunday by which the House passed the Reconciliation Act of 2010, including key changes to the Senate health care bill.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208350&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281The Associated PressMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:43 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208350&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Wolfgang Wagner, the grandson of composer Richard Wagner and the leader of the Bayreuth opera festival for more than half a century, has died, the festival said. He was 90.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208323&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Melissa EddyMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:42 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208323&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Pivotal moments in American health care history capped by the House vote Sunday night passing President Barack Obama’s comprehensive plan:http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208200&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281The Associated PressMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:37 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208200&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 President Barack Obama’s remarks on health care overhaul, delivered Sunday after the House passed the legislation:http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208178&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281The Associated PressMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:33 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208178&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Tanzania and Zambia on Monday requested a U.N. conservation meeting to weaken the ban on African ivory so they can sell off their own stocks, despite criticism that they are failing to crack down on rising incidents of poaching.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208126&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Michael CaseyMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:30 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208126&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Oil prices dropped to near $80 a barrel Monday in Asia, extending losses from Friday as a monthlong rally fizzled out.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208123&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Alex KennedyMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:30 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208123&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 The German government plans to introduce a levy on banks to ensure that they pay for the costs of any future crises.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208122&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281StaffMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:30 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208122&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Capping a long day and a consuming political journey, President Barack Obama celebrated the passage of health care legislation with hugs, high fives and an emboldened attitude. Said the president to the nation, "Tonight, we answered the call of history."http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208121&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Ben FellerMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:30 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208121&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 The initial blush of President Barack Obama’s health care triumph immediately gives way to a sober political reality — he must sell the landmark legislation to an angry and unpredictable electorate, still reeling from the recession.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208100&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Liz SidotiMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:30 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208100&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Rarely does the government, that big, clumsy, poorly regarded oaf, pull off anything short of war that touches all lives with one act, one stroke of a president’s pen. Such a moment has come.http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208091&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281Calvin WoodwardMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:15 GMTAP Newshttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208091&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281 Actress Nancy Kwan walks into Hong Kong’s Luk Kwok Hotel, the first time she has ever visited the backdrop to her classic 1960 film "The World of Suzie Wong".http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208055&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281AfpMon, 22 Mar 2010 08:10 GMTAFP Global Editionhttp://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=72208055&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281