Entries

Citigroup Ex-VP Arrested For Fraud

The Associated Press reports : A former Citigroup vice president embezzled $19.2 million from the bank in a one-man "inside job" involving a series of secret money transfers, federal prosecutors said Monday. Gary Foster, 35, of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., surrendered Sunday at John F. …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Bashar al-Assad Sets Date For 'National Dialogue'

The Guardian reports : Syrian authorities have set a date for a "national dialogue" with goverment opponents beginning on 10 July, but activists dismissed the prospect as pointless while a crackdown continues. The move came as scores of opposition members met in Damascus, apparently with …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

250,000 Afghans Displaced

USA Today reports : More than 250,000 Afghans have fled their villages during the past two years of fighting, Refugees International says, in a report critical of U.S. Special Forces and other international and Afghan military operations for exacerbating the displacement of civilians. …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Blago Convicted On Corruption Charges

ABC News reports : A federal jury in Chicago this afternoon convicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich of attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated when President Obama was elected in 2008. The jurors told the judge this morning they had agreed on 18 of 20 counts, of which …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Former Russian Spy Chief Convicted Of Treason

The LA Times 0, 4257673.story"> reports : A Russian military court sentenced a former spymaster to 25 years in prison Monday for betraying an espionage ring operating in the United States, a revelation last year that briefly strained relations between the two nations and turned one of the …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

GOP Primary Strategy: "Get Mitt"

The Daily Telegraph reports: I’ve just arrived in Iowa, the Midwestern farm state that Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum will be visiting in the next 48 hours. Iowa may be bland and sparsely popuated but it hosts the Republican caucuses, the first …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Debt-Panel: Make $2T Down Payment, Then Final Deal

The Hill reports : Congress and the White House should agree to a $2 trillion down payment on the federal deficit in a deal to raise the debt ceiling but leave more significant reforms for later, according to the chairmen of President Obama's fiscal commission. But broader fiscal reforms …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Iran Unveils Underground Missile Silos

USA Today reports : Iran on Monday unveiled underground missile silos for the first time as it kicked off 10 days of large-scale war games, the country's latest show of military force amid a standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear program. State TV broadcast footage of deep …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Israel Rescinds Threat To Flotilla Reporters

The New York Times reports : Israel on Monday set aside its warning of a day earlier that any foreign journalists aboard a flotilla planning to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza risked being barred from Israel for up to a decade and having their equipment impounded. In …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Here's How To Get To A Debt Ceiling

Here’s the dirty little secret of the endlessly protracted debt ceiling negotiations —it actually isn’t that hard to meet the targets set out by either side. The theatrics of the past two weeks aside, the wink and the nod seem to be already communicated as the President, the Speaker of the …

Written by Steve Bell on Monday June 27, 2011

Supreme Court Throws Out AZ Campaign Spending Law

CNN reports : The Supreme Court has tossed out an Arizona law that provides extra taxpayer-funded support for office seekers who have been outspent by privately funded opponents or by independent political groups. A conservative 5-4 majority of justices on Monday said the law violated free …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

China, U.K. Announce $2.2B Business Deals

The Wall Street Journal reports : U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday announced business deals between the two countries valued at £1.4 billion ($2.2 billion), as they discussed ways to increase trade. The men said they were aiming for bilateral trade to …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Turning A Crisis Into A Greek Tragedy

The political management of the Greek financial crisis is akin to the generalship exhibited in World War One and could have similar catastrophic consequences for Europe. Looking back at historic events, say the protracted tragedy of World War One, one is frequently puzzled by the inability of the …

Written by Napoleon Linardatos on Monday June 27, 2011

I Was Wrong About Same-Sex Marriage

The case against same-sex marriage has been tested against reality. The case has not passed its test. As I discuss in my CNN column, New York's just-passed same-sex marriage law has been received with equanimity by the same conservatives who just a decade or so ago would have ardently opposed such …

Written by David Frum on Monday June 27, 2011

Blago Jury Reaches Verdicts On 18 Counts

Yahoo! News reports : Jurors deliberating in the corruption trial of ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich told a judge on Monday that they have reached a verdict on 18 of the 20 counts against him, and attorneys in the case have agreed that the verdict should be read. Judge James Zagel …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

U.S., India To Hold Economic Talks

The Associated Press reports : Top U.S. and Indian officials are discussing economic cooperation and financial sector reforms that could promote American investment in the fast-growing Asian country. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is hosting Indian Finance Minister Pranab …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Supreme Court Rejects Detainees' Abuse Claims

The Huffington Post reports : The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from former detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq who wanted to sue defense contractors over claims of abuse. The justices turned aside the appeal Monday from Iraqis who said they or their relatives were abused by …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Supreme Court Rules Against CA Violent Games Ban

Yahoo! News reports : The Supreme Court says California cannot ban the rental or sale of violent video games to children. The high court agreed Monday with a federal court's decision to throw out California's ban on the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. The 9th U.S. Circuit …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Japan PM Adds Cabinet Jobs on Tsunami, Nuke Crisis

The Associated Press reports : Japan's prime minister on Monday created two Cabinet posts to oversee the nuclear crisis and tsunami reconstruction efforts as he hopes to shore up his administration against criticism of its handling of the crises. Prime Minister Naoto Kan named Ryu Matsumoto …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011

Russia: Iran's Nuclear Plant to Start Up in August

The Associated Press reports : A top Russian diplomat reportedly says Iran's first nuclear power plant will finally start up in August. Moscow and Tehran signed a US$1 billion contract to build the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr plant in 1995, but delays — the latest caused by the replacement of …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 27, 2011