Daily News Digest

the latest news on Economy, Education, HUD, Congressional office search, Child safety, Weapons, Depression?, Global hunger, Iraq, UK troops, NATO, Israel-Palestine, and Tibet.

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Economy. Proposed Revamp Taps Fed As Uber Cop "It's a Herculean task: revamping a financial regulatory system dating back to the Civil War to deal with 21st century crises imperiling the country." Doubts Greet Treasury Plan Regulation As Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. laid out an ambitious plan to overhaul the regulatory apparatus that oversees the nation's financial system, lawmakers and lobbyists from an array of industries opposed to the plan predicted that most of it would be dead on arrival." Opposition To Treasury's Blueprint Gains Steam "Senior Treasury officials identified three immediate targets yesterday for their plan to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory structure, including streamlining the approval process for securities that contributed to the crisis now roiling Wall Street."

Education. Report: Low Grad Rates in US Cities "Seventeen of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland,"

HUD. HUD chief steps down amid 'cloud' "Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso R. Jackson, who suddenly resigned yesterday effective April 18, is the subject of separate federal investigations into suspected cronyism involving his friends in multimillion-dollar HUD projects in New Orleans and Philadelphia." HUD secretary resigns amid favoritism charges " Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson announced his resignation amid allegations that he displayed political favoritism in the awarding of federal contracts."

Congressional office search. Administration Rebuffed on House Office Search "The Bush administration Monday to persuade the Supreme Court to hear its argument that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's highly unusual search of a Louisiana congressman's office nearly two years ago was carried out properly."

Child safety. Washington State Debates Strict Bill on Child Products 'Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington is expected to sign a measure on Tuesday that would give the state some of the toughest rules in the nation restricting toxic materials used in children's products,"

Weapons. GAO Blasts Weapons Budget "Government auditors issued a scathing review of dozens of the Pentagon's biggest weapons systems, saying ships, aircraft and satellites are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule."

Depression? USA 2008: The Great Depression "Food stamps are the symbol of poverty in the US. In the era of the credit crunch, a record 28 million Americans are now relying on them to survive - a sure sign the world's richest country faces economic crisis."

Global hunger. A 'perfect storm' of hunger "Meteoric food and fuel prices, a slumping dollar, the demand for biofuels and a string of poor harvests have combined to abruptly multiply WFP's operating costs, even as needs increase. Hunger spells violence "Anger over high food and fuel costs has spawned a rash of violent unrest across the globe in the past six months."

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's rivals neck and neck "Almost two-thirds of Zimbabwe's parliamentary results have been declared, with the ruling party and opposition very close." Secret Mugabe meeting ponders military move or fixed result - but not an admission of defeat "A crisis meeting of Robert Mugabe's security cabinet decided to block the opposition from taking power after what appears to have been a comprehensive victory in Zimbabwe's elections but was divided between using a military takeover to annul the vote and falsifying the results."

Iraq. Calm returns to Iraqi cities "The Iraqi capital Baghdad and the southern city of Basra have been relatively calm overnight as fighters loyal to a Shia leader remained off the streets after clashes with government forces." With calm restored in Basra, Iraqis ask 'Who won?' "International analysts and Basra residents alike say they think the outcome of the fighting showed that the Mahdi Army is stronger than Iraq's U.S.-trained security forces." Iraq showdown made Sadr stronger, backers say "The resilience of the Mahdi Army militia appears to have surprised Maliki, who said his offensive was meant to crush lawless elements in Basra. Top Iraqi commanders acknowledged Monday that they had been taken aback."

UK troops. Iraq UK troop reduction delayed "There are no current plans to reduce the number of British troops based in Iraq, Defence Secretary Des Browne is expected to tell MPs. Hopes to reduce the number of soldiers from the current total of 4,100 may have been dashed by recent fighting in Basra,"

NATO. This week's NATO summit will shape Bush legacy "Bush will seek to persuade NATO allies at a summit in Bucharest, Romania, to maintain their commitment to the war in Afghanistan and to expand the alliance further into territory of the former Soviet Union." Bush backs Ukraine and Georgia "George Bush this morning said he "strongly supported" Ukraine's attempt to join Nato, and warned he would not allow Russia to veto its membership bid."

Israel-Palestine. In Gaza, Hamas's Fiery Insults to Jews Complicate Peace Effort "Its videos praise fighters and rocket-launching teams; its broadcasts insult the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, for talking to Israel and the United States; its children's programs praise "martyrdom," teach what it calls the perfidy of the Jews and the need to end Israeli occupation over Palestinian land, meaning any part of the state of Israel."

Tibet. Young Tibetans question path of nonviolence "The unrest in Tibet has revealed a generational fault line within the Tibetan community - one that is likely to sharpen as the Olympics draw closer. While they affirm their respect for the Dalai Lama as a religious figure, many Tibetans say they have lost faith in his "Middle Way" of coexistence to achieve political autonomy."