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September 28, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--ECM World Watch highlights top U.S. and world news stories, published in other media. This week's top headlines include:
WORLD
· Saudi king gives women right to vote (Reuters)
· Saudi woman driver’s lashing ‘overturned by king’(BBC)
· NATO strikes Gaddafi stronghold(BBC)
· Gamers crack AIDS puzzle(Medical News Today)
U.S.
· Mass. man accused of plotting to hit Pentagon and Capitol with drone aircraft (Washington Post)
· Air Force and Navy turn to biofuels (NPR)
· Obama’s healthcare law appealed to Supreme Court (Reuters)
· 80 arrested as ‘occupy Wall Street’ protest of bank bailouts, mortgage crisis marches in NYC (Washington Post)
· Hot truck problems getting worse (WTHR-TV)
· U.S. Internet rules to take effect Nov. 20 (Reuters)
· Net Neutrality rules are coming. Here’s why they matter (Christian Science Monitor)
· Guantanamo tribunal for USS Cole suspect (BBC)
WORLD
SAUDI KING GIVES WOMEN RIGHT TO VOTE
September 25, 2011 (Reuters) -- Saudi Arabia's king announced on Sunday women would be given the right to vote and stand in elections, a bold shift in the ultra-conservative absolute monarchy as pressure for social and democratic reform sweeps the Middle East. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/25/us-saudi-king-women-idUSTRE78O10Y20110925
SAUDI WOMAN DRIVER'S LASHING OVERTURNED BY KING
September 28, 2011 (BBC) -- Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has overturned a court ruling sentencing a woman to 10 lashes for breaking a ban on female drivers, reports say.The ruling, although not officially confirmed, was tweeted by a Saudi princess and reported by AP news agency citing an unnamed official. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15102190
NATO STRIKES GADDAFI STRONGHOLD
September 28, 2011 (BBC) -- Nato planes have bombed targets in one of the last pro-Gaddafi strongholds, Sirte, as government forces continue their assault on the city.Soldiers of the National Transitional Council (NTC) have been facing fierce resistance and deployed tanks to fend off sniper fire by Gaddafi loyalists. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15095594
GAMERS CRACK AIDS PUZZLE
September 20, 2011 (Medical News Today) -- In what might be a significant breakthrough in HIV/AIDS research, online gamers playing a game called Foldit have cracked a key protein structure problem that has had scientists scratching their heads for years. And the gamers did it in three weeks. You can read a scientific account of how researchers recruited Foldit players to work on the modeling problem and ultimately solve the crystal structure of M-PMV retroviral protease in a paper published online this week in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/234664.php
U.S.
MASS. MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TO HIT PENTAGON AND CAPITOL WITH DRONE AIRCRAFT
September 28m 2011 (Washington Post) -- A 26-year-old physics graduate and model hobbyist from Massachusetts was arrested Wednesday in an FBI undercover operation and accused of planning to build small, explosive-laden drones to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol, according to an FBI affidavitand law enforcement officials. Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S.-born citizen of South Asian background, traveled to Washington last May to conduct surveillance and intended to launch three small GPS-guided aircraft from East Potomac Park — two against the Pentagon and one against the Capitol, according to a detailed plan he gave to the FBI. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/mass-man-accused-of-plotting-to-hit-pentagon-and-capitol-with-drone-aircraft/2011/09/28/gIQAWdpk5K_story.html?hpid=z2
AIR FORCE AND NAVY TURN TO BIOFUELS
September 26, 2011 (NPR)The Pentagon's hunt for an alternative to petroleum has turned a lowly weed and animal fat into something indistinguishable from jet fuel, and now the military is trying to kick-start a new biofuel industry."To flip the line from Field of Dreams, if the Navy comes, they will build it," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a recent speech.
The Air Force and the Navy have been busy testing their aircraft — everything from fighter jets to unmanned spy planes — on jet biofuel. Together with the Departments of Energy and Agriculture, the Navy has launched a project to invest up to half a billion dollars in biofuel refineries. http://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140702387/air-force-and-navy-turn-to-bio-fuels?ft=1&f=1003
OBAMA'S HEALTHCARE LAW APPEALED TO SUPREME COURT
September 28, 2011 (Reuters) -- The Obama administration on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to back the centerpiece of Barack Obama's sweeping healthcare overhaul -- the requirement that all Americans have health insurance.
The appeal was largely expected as a high court ruling against the law could be a fatal blow to the president's signature domestic policy achievement and could have major implications for his re-election bid. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/28/us-usa-healthcare-court-idUSTRE78R31520110928
80 ARRESTED AS "OCCUPY WALL STREET" PROTEST OF BANK BAILOUTS, MORTGAGE CRISIS MARCHES IN NYC
September 24, 2011 (Washington Post) -- About 80 people were arrested Saturday as demonstrators who were camped out near the New York Stock Exchange marched through lower Manhattan, police said.
The “Occupy Wall Street” protest is entering its second week. Demonstrators said Saturday they were protesting against bank bailouts and the mortgage crisis; some also held signs decrying Georgia’s execution of Troy Davis, who was put to death Wednesday for the 1989 slaying of an off-duty Savannah police officer. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/markets/80-arrested-as-occupy-wall-street-protest-of-bank-bailouts-mortgage-crisis-marches-in-nyc/2011/09/24/gIQACCKWuK_story.html?hpid=z4
HOT TRUCK PROBLEMS GETTING WORST
September 23, 2011 (WHTR) -- "If it's happening here in Indiana," it's happening in Texas and North Carolina and California," said Capt. Wayne Andrews, who oversees Indiana State Police's Motor Carrier Enforcement Division. "This is not just an Indiana problem and we need to do more to address it."
The problem is commercial food trucks carrying perishable food at dangerous temperatures. Beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk, and produce –13 Investigates found all of it being transported in hot trucks that do not have proper refrigeration. http://www.wthr.com/story/15520564/hot-trucks-problem-getting-worse
U.S. RULES TO TAKE EFFECT NOV 20
September 23, 2011 (Reuters) -- Long-delayed U.S. Internet rules that tackle the controversial issue of balancing consumer and content provider interests against those who sell access to the Web will take effect November 20.
The Federal Communications Commission's "open Internet" order was published in the Federal Register on Friday, and immediately drew threats of court and congressional challenges.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/23/us-fcc-netneutrality-idUSTRE78M4AS20110923?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Technology%29
NET NEUTRALITY RULES ARE COMING. HERE'S WHY THEY MATTER
September 23, 2011 (Christian Science Monitor) -- Net neutrality is finally real, or at least will be in a few months. The new rules for Internet companies will be put into place on November 20 – unless they get derailed by lawsuits. The guidelines, written by the US Federal Communications Commission, say essentially this: Internet providers can’t deliberately block or slow speeds for “heavy” Internet users, such as people who stream movies or play online games, nor throttle traffic from a certain source, such as from competitors or peer-to-peer downloads. http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2011/0923/Net-neutrality-rules-are-coming.-Here-s-why-they-matter?utm_source=feedburner&
GUANTANAMO TRIBUNAL FOR USS COLE SUSPECT
September 28, 2011 (BBC) -- The prime suspect in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole will face a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, US defence officials have said. Abd al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent, could face the death penalty if he is convicted. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15101631
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