ECM WORLD WATCH: GLOBAL & NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES

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January 1, 2011—ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about the most important issues globally and nationally.

 

Top world and U.S. headlines the past two weeks include:

 

Slideshow: New Year’s celebrations around the globe (MSNBC)
• Travel chaos as blizzards hit eastern United States (BBC)
• Christmas terror plot suspects held in custody (ABC)
• More small businesses are offering health benefits to workers (L.A. Times)
• Taliban forces appear blunted in Afghanistan (N.Y. Times)
• EPA announces landmark greenhouse gas regulations for nation’s biggest polluters (Huffington Post)
• Strapped cities hit nonprofits with fees (Wall Street Journal)
• Secret GOP plan: Push cities to declare bankruptcy and smash unions (Reuters)

 

SLIDESHOW: NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE

January 1, 2011 (MSNBC)—From dragon-shaped fireworks to prayers, the world greets 2011.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40863162/ns/news-picture_stories/displaymode...

TRAVEL CHAOS AS BLIZZARDS HIT EASTERN UNITED STATES
 

December 27, 2010 (BBC News)--Blizzards are sweeping north along the eastern coast of the US and Canada, forcing the cancellation of flights and disrupting rail and road traffic.
The winter storm has closed airports, stranding thousands of people in the busy post-Christmas travel period.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12081749
 

CHRISTMAS TERROR PLOT’ SUSPECTS HELD IN CUSTODY

December 27, 2010 (ABC News)--Nine men accused of plotting terrorist attacks in London have been remanded in custody until mid-January.
…The prosecution told London's Westminster Magistrates Court the alleged targets to be attacked in the days before Christmas included the London Stock Exchange, the US embassy and political and religious leaders.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/28/3102477.htm?section=justin

MORE SMALL BUSINESSES ARE OFFERING HEALTH BENEFITS TO WORKERS
 

December 27, 2010 (Los Angeles Times)--The increase is partly attributed to a tax credit created by the nation's new healthcare law. Some insurers are aggressively marketing the break, which can offset up to 35% of a company's costs.
http://www.latimes.com/health/healthcare/la-fi-health-coverage-20101227,...

 

TALIBAN FIGHTERS APPEAR BLUNTED IN AFGHANISTAN

December 26, 2010 (New York Times)--The deadliest group of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan has not conducted a complex large-scale attack in the capital city of Kabul for seven months, its momentum stymied as elite American-led commandos have escalated raids against the militants’ bomb makers and logisticians.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/world/asia/27policy.html?_r=1&hpw


EPA ANNOUNCES LANDMARK GREENHOUSE GAS REGULATIONS PLAN FOR NATION’S BIGGEST POLLUTERS
 

December 23, 2010 (Huffington Post)--The Obama administration announced landmark plans Thursday to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Unites States. A press release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that new standards granted under the Clean Air Act will be implemented in 2012. The EPA also announced that it is taking unprecedented action to issue air permits to industries in Texas, due to the state's non-compliance with new regulations that are set to begin on January 2.

 

STRAPPED CITIES HIT NONPROFITS WITH FEES

December 27, 2010 (Wall Street Journal)--Facing budget gaps and an aversion to new debt and taxes, states and local governments are slapping residents with an array of new fees—and some are applying them to nonprofits.
That marks a sharp departure from long-standing tax exemptions mandated by state law or adopted on the theory that churches, schools and charitable organizations work alongside governments to provide services to the community.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870354860457603808072367820...

 

SECRET GOP PLAN: PUSH STATES TO DECLARE BANKRUPTCY AND SMASH UNIONS

December 13, 2010 (Reuters)-- Congressional Republicans appear to be quietly but methodically executing a plan that would a) avoid a federal bailout of spendthrift states and b) cripple public employee unions by pushing cash-strapped states such as California and Illinois to declare bankruptcy. This may be the biggest political battle in Washington, my Capitol Hill sources tell me, of 2011.
http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/12/07/secret-gop-plan-pu...

 

 


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