Was gun inside a bag a threat to five officers?
By A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, Brendan McCarthy and Laura Maggi, Times-Picayune. First published in ProPublica.Matt McDonald left his native Connecticut and headed to New Orleans in the summer of 2005, shortly before Hurricane Katrina struck and floodwaters engulfed the city. McDonald was a troubled soul, a heavy drinker who...
New poll indicates Barack Obama's approval rating under 50%
A new survey released today suggests that US President Barack Obama's approval rating has fallen below 50% for the first time in his presidency.The poll, released by Quinnipiac University in the northeastern state of Connecticut, shows Obama's approval rating at 48% among registered voters, down two percent from last month.In...
WHO reports on Swine Flu vaccination progress
To date, WHO has received vaccination information from 16 of around 40 countries conducting national H1N1 pandemic vaccine campaigns.Based on information in these 16 countries, WHO estimates that around 80 million doses of pandemic vaccine have been distributed and around 65 million people have been vaccinated.National...
UN criticises Israel's latest settlement plan
United States and United Kingdom spokesmen have added to the criticism from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who claimed that Israel's decision to authorise a further 900 homes in east Jerusalem will "undermine efforts for peace and cast doubt on the viability of the two-state solution".This comes as another blow...
GM announces it will pay back government Loan…with government money
By Paul Kiel in ProPublicaGM will begin paying back the TARP money in December, the company announced this morning. It’s a statement in need of a little context. Basically, GM will be using a portion of the $50 billion in TARP bailout money. it received to in turn repay another portion of the TARP loans. The reason GM can do...
At least 32 dead after possibly-seeded snowstorms in China
Heavy snowstorms in northern China have killed at least 32 people today, according to officials. More than 15,000 buildings had collapsed due to large amounts of snow and 300,000 hectares of winter crops were destroyed, according to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs. The ministry estimated that 9.6 million people were...
COMMENT: Jumping the gunman
By Stephen Engelberg. Published in ProPublica.The recent reporting on Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who is accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, is a classic run-and-gun investigative story in which dozens of reporters badger officials to disclose a new fact (which gets you on page one) or two new facts (which is enough to...
China executes nine for ethnic riots
China has executed nine people for taking part in July's ethnic unrest in the western city of Ürümqi, according to a local state news agency.The official Xinhau news agency reported that the nine were the first of those convicted in the riots to be executed. It said the sentences were carried out with the approval of the...
Local community on Australian Sunshine Coast compromises with McDonald's
Residents of the suburb of Minyama, Australia have come to a compromise with restaurant chain McDonald's.A 24 hour store was planned for the suburb but the fast food giant backed down agreeing that the store will only open overnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Every other day it will be open from five in the morning to eleven...
Prospects for a space elevator rise
During a NASA competition, a group of researchers managed to create a robot, powered by a ground based laser, to climb a cable 1 kilometer high dangling from a helicopter.The contest winners will receive US$2 million for inventing a functioning robot which climbs to the set height in a reasonable amount of time.The competition...
