Daily News Digest

The latest news on Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela, Economy, Global warming, Presidential campaign, Death penalty, Darfur Israel, Mideast diplomacy, Iran, India, North Korea, Latin America, Human Rights, Anglicans, Pope in Australia, Interfaith conference, Passing-Tony Snow, and Opinion.

+ Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »

Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela. On his birthday, Madiba remembers the poor "Nelson Mandela celebrated his 90th birthday on Friday by urging the wealthy to share their prosperity with the less fortunate, and by saying he wished he had been able to spend more time with his family during the anti-apartheid struggle." Mandela at 90 issues call for poor "On Friday, appearing before reporters, he said: "There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty". SA awash with good wishes for Mandela "Awash with good wishes, South Africa's media highlighted the love and awe the country felt for Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday."

Economy. New Stimulus Plan on Tap "Senate Democrats plan to unveil a second fiscal stimulus plan next week, this one worth at least $50 billion, arguing that soaring energy prices and the crisis in the housing market require a major jobs program to kick-start a faltering economy." As economy sours and oil rises, Washington postures "During a week of economic turmoil and wildly fluctuating energy prices, Washington lawmakers did little to calm consumers, opting instead to spent a lot of time trying to land political punches."

Global warming. Elderly, poor, kids to suffer most health harm from global warming "Global warming will affect the health and welfare of every American, but the poor, elderly, and children will suffer the most, according to a new White House science report" Warming Is Major Threat To Humans, EPA Warns "Climate change will pose "substantial" threats to human health in the coming decades, the Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday."

Presidential campaign. Evangelicals quietly worry about McCain, may not drive voter turnout like they did for Bush "In the ongoing AP-Yahoo News Poll, only 10 percent of white evangelical Christians say they are excited by this election, compared with 20 percent of Americans overall. A third of these evangelicals said they were interested in the election, but half said they were frustrated by it."

Death penalty. Texas Turns Aside Pressure on Execution of 5 Mexicans "Despite pleas from the White House and the State Department, as well as an international court order to review their cases, Texas will execute five Mexicans on death row."

Darfur. ICC probes Darfur rebel leaders "Rebel leaders from Sudan's Darfur region are being investigated for war crimes, says International Criminal Court's prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo." International prosecutor look at attacks by rebels on peacekeepers in Darfur "With an arrest warrant pending against Sudan's president, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Thursday he was focusing on another war crime case in Darfur involving two suspected rebel commanders allegedly directing attacks against peacekeepers."

Israel. A somber Israel buries 2 returned Israeli soldiers "Thousands of Israelis prayed and cried at funerals Thursday for two soldiers whose return from Lebanon in black coffins touched off a nationwide wave of anguish." Israelis bury dead from '06 war as Olmert trial proceeds "They came by the thousands to say goodbye: those who loved them, those who fought with them and those who knew them only after they became unexpected symbols of Israel's volatile place in modern Middle East history." In Israel, a nation mourns with the families of slain soldiers "But even in their return - which transpired a day earlier as part of a swap with Hezbollah, who traded the men's bodies for the remains of some 200 Lebanese plus five Lebanese prisoners - there is still unease about the lopsided trade-off and questions about balancing the interests of affected families against those of the state."

Mideast diplomacy. Talks Signal Mideast Shift "After years of escalating tensions and bloodshed, the talk in the Middle East is suddenly about talking. The shift is still relatively subtle, but hints of a new approach in the waning months of the Bush administration are fueling hopes of at least short-term stability for the first time since the invasion of Iraq in 2003."

North Korea. Rice to meet North Korean counterpart "Further progress on North Korea's nuclear disarmament programme could be made when the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the North Korean foreign minister, Pak Ui Chun, meet next week for talks - the highest level of contact between the countries for four years."

Latin America. Oil prices threaten Latin America's economic gains "But the same forces behind that prosperity are now, paradoxically, creating misery in the midst of bounty. Surging fuel prices have ignited inflation throughout the region, driving up the cost of food, whose prices were already on the upswing thanks in part to ravenous global demand for Latin America's farm products."

Human Rights. South African to be next U.N. human rights commissioner "The secretary-general will name South African Judge Navanethem Pillay as the next U.N. human rights commissioner as early as today, diplomats and U.N. officials said."

Anglicans. Anglican leader grieves bishop boycott of church summit, resolves to rebuild split fellowship "The spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans said he feels "great grief" that more than 200 bishops are boycotting the Lambeth Conference, calling it a wound to the once-a-decade meeting of the Anglican fellowship."

Pope in Australia. Pope urges unity against terror "Pope Benedict XVI has called for all religions to unite against terrorism and resolve conflicts peacefully. The Pope was speaking after meeting leaders from other religions, including rabbis and Muslim clerics, in Australia." Pope urges all faiths to unite against indiscriminate violence in the name of religion "Pope Benedict XVI on Friday urged religious leaders of all kinds to unite against those who use faith to divide communities - an apparent reference to terrorism in the name of religion."

Interfaith conference. Interfaith meet signals thaw in in Saudi hostility toward Israel "In an apparent easing of traditional Saudi hostility toward Israel, King Abdullah has urged followers of all the world's leading religions to embrace reconciliation."

Passing-Tony Snow. Tony Snow: Farewell To the Light Heart "Yesterday's funeral for Tony Snow was a grand send-off: a Mass, a tribute by President Bush, and more than 1,000 mourners, including an all-star lineup of Washington's political and media elite. "Bush honors 'cherished friend' Snow" Tony Snow's death was 'hard to make sense of,' President Bush told more than a thousand mourners at his former press secretary's funeral, calling him a 'cherished friend' who was a man of 'uncommon decency and compassion.'

Opinion. Using Bombs to Stave Off War (BENNY MORRIS, New York Times) "Israel will almost surely attack Iran's nuclear sites in the next four to seven months - and the leaders in Washington and even Tehran should hope that the attack will be successful enough to cause at least a significant delay in the Iranian production schedule, if not complete destruction, of that country's nuclear program."