Friday, April 8, 2011
Agreement Reached on US Government Interim Budget
Ron Paul | South Carolina Republican Presidential Debate
Former Republican presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul is expected to participate in a primary debate in South Carolina on May 5, the state party announced Friday.
“We are thrilled by the overwhelming interest we have seen so far in this debate,” said South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd. “The road to the White House travels through South Carolina, as our Republican electorate has selected every eventual nominee since our primary’s inception in 1980. We are looking forward to our debate as the official kickoff for the presidential primary season.”
Paul has filled out the paperwork for a presidential exploratory committee, a spokesman for Paul’s PAC Campaign for Liberty told The Daily Caller, although he has not official announced his candidacy. PAC spokesman Jesse Benton said they have all the forms prepared so that Paul can “flip the switch” as soon as he decides to run.
“I’d say this is a sign that he’s giving a really strong consideration to [running],” Benton said of the debate. “The money’s been great, the enthusiasm’s been great. … The polling in New Hampshire’s really strong so we’re feeling good.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/08/hint-hint-ron-paul-to-join-presidential-debate/#ixzz1IzTrHUst
17 arrested storming governor's office in Olympia, Wash.
By Katie Schmidt | The Olympian
Seventeen people were arrested after trying to storm the governor’s office in a third day of protests over state budget cuts Thursday.
In a prelude to what unions say will be a bigger rally today, a protest organized by the Service Employees International Union brought about 500 people to Olympia to call on lawmakers to end corporate tax exemptions before cutting state services.
Most protesters rallied in the Rotunda of the Legislative Building Thursday afternoon. Several were eventually arrested when they tried to push past Washington State Patrol officers guarding the governor’s office and refused to leave.
Protesters pushed against troopers stationed at the governor’s door shouting “let us in” and “we want the governor.”
“They (legislators) need to listen to us,” said Sharon Kitchel-Perdue, a home-care worker from Olympia and one of the protesters arrested.
Sgt. John Sager, one of the troopers on the scene, said that some of the protesters said they wanted to be arrested, and eventually, their actions gave troopers no choice.
“It was getting pretty hairy in here,” Sager said.
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/04/08/111867/17-arrested-storming-governors.html#ixzz1IzIyRVYq
Communitarian Planning Neighbourhood plan pilots announced
People in these communities - a mix of cities, urban and rural areas - will be able to decide the types of development given automatic planning permission through a Neighbourhood Development Order.
If approved by a local referendum, a council will need to adopt a neighbourhood plan providing it is line with wider ambitions for growth in their area.
Greg Clark said:" Planning has increasingly become one of the most contentious issues in Britain, with communities becoming pitted against development. By giving local people a greater say together with new incentives to share in the benefits of growth, our reforms will help to create the conditions where communities begin to welcome development rather than resist it at all costs."
Top Afghan Official Confirms Talks With the Taliban
By ROD NORDLAND
Published: April 6, 2011
KABUL, Afghanistan — A top Afghan official confirmed on Wednesday that the country’s government had been in peace talks with the Taliban.
S. Sabawoon/European Pressphoto Agency
“We're in touch, we talk all the time, we've done a lot,” said Mohammad Massoom Stanekzai of the High Peace Council.
The official, Mohammad Massoom Stanekzai, secretary of the High Peace Council and an adviser to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, said reconciliation talks had been under way with insurgents for some time.
“We’re in touch, we talk all the time, we’ve done a lot, we’ve sent representatives to their sides and they’ve sent representatives to our side,” said Mr. Stanekzai, who advises Mr. Karzai on reconciliation issues.
Salt Lake City goes wallet-free with Isis
Operator consortium Isis has selected Salt Lake City as its flagship deployment to show the rest of the USA what NFC can do for them.
The plan will see Salt Lake City's public transport system accepting pay-by-wave from a mobile phone by the middle of next year. Retailers have also been encouraged to adopt Near Field Communications technology at the point of sale, as Salt Lake City strives to become The Place You Can Leave Your Wallet At Home.
Interpol chief calls for global electronic identity card system
Speaking at the fourth Annual EMEA ID WORLD summit, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said that regulating migration levels and managing borders presented security challenges for countries and for the world that INTERPOL was ideally-placed to help address.
"At a time when global migration is reaching record levels, there is a need for governments to put in place systems at the national level that would permit the identity of migrants and their documents to be verified internationally via INTERPOL," said Secretary General Noble.

