UK lawmakers slammed over expenses secrecy
(CNN) — Anti-secrecy campaigners have criticized a decision by UK lawmakers to censor a report on their expenses claims, some of which was leaked earlier amid huge public outcry.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been rocked by numerous resignations recently.
The online publication on Thursday is the result of a newspaper filing a freedom of information [...]
Masses mourn protesters in Iran
(BBC)
More than 100,000 people have attended a “day of mourning” rally in Tehran to remember eight people killed while opposing Iran’s election result.
The rally was called by presidential challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Iran’s most influential body has said it is investigating 646 complaints from the three defeated candidates.
They say there was widespread fraud in the 12 [...]
Pilot dies flying plane to the US
(BBC)
Nearly 250 airline passengers landed safely at their destination after the captain of the plane died mid-flight.
The Continental Airlines Boeing 777 from Brussels to New York landed as scheduled at Newark airport shortly before 1200 (1600 GMT).
Two co-pilots took control and landed the plane, authorities said.
The 247 passengers knew someone on board had been taken [...]
China preps 1st guidelines for sex change surgery
(AP) — China’s first medical guidelines on sex change surgery could require patients to gain police approval before the procedure, according to a posting on the Health Ministry’s Web site.
The proposed guidelines, posted Tuesday, say candidates for surgery must show an agreement from police to change their sex on their identification cards once the procedure [...]
China sets out new quarantine regulations for flu
(Reuters) – China plans to restrict movement in residential areas and shut down entertainment centres to prevent the H1N1 flu strain from spreading, under worst case contingency plans released by the health ministry on Wednesday.
The ministry says stringent quarantine measures on incoming travellers have prevented the disease from spreading among the general population.
With 264 cases [...]
Expansion of benefits for same-sex couples doesn’t quiet Obama critics
(SF Gate)President Obama’s first official overture to the gay and lesbian community, granting a handful of benefits to partners of same-sex federal employees today, did little to quiet gay rights activists who want him to push for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Obama reiterated at a White House ceremony his “long-standing commitment” to try [...]
Call for day of mourning in Iran
(BBC) More mass protests are expected in the Iranian capital after presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi urged followers to observe a day of mourning.
Mr Mousavi called on supporters to stage peaceful protests or gather in mosques in memory of eight people killed after a Tehran rally on Monday.
The BBC’s Jon Leyne, in Tehran, says the [...]
Racist violence drives Romanians from homes in Northern Ireland
By Henry Chu
June 18, 2009
（Latimes）Reporting from London — More than 100 Romanians in Northern Ireland were left scrounging for shelter Wednesday after being driven from their homes in a spate of racist violence that has shocked a region still nursing the wounds of decades of sectarian conflict.
Officials and community leaders in Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital, [...]
