In The News

President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.  [MORE]

Senior British police officials are talking to the FBI about an international database to hunt for major criminals and terrorists....There will also be concern over security, particularly after embarrassing data losses within the UK, and accuracy: in one case, an arrest for a terror offence by US investigators used what turned out to be misidentified fingerprint matches.  [MORE]

"...bosses at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency were not so impressed with the lifesaver's actions because he ignored health and safety rules by not using safety equipment and following correct procedures."   [MORE]

"A whopping $3,014,170,389,176,410 is the dollar figure so far sought from some of the largest claims filed against the federal government over damage from the failure of levees and flood walls following the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane. Of roughly 489,000 total claims, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it has received 247 for at least $1 billion apiece, including the one for $3 quadrillion."  [MORE]

The head of the Portuguese agency responsible for enforcing a new ban on smoking in public was seen lighting up at a New Year party, breaking the law on the first day it came into effect.  [MORE]

By more than 2-to-1 margins, [Americans] give the president, congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans unfavorable ratings in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll released Monday. While Bush's ratings have been poor for most of the past two years, the two parties in Congress hit new lows.

"The American people just decided that Washington is either incompetent or irrelevant," said Frank Luntz, who has conducted polls for Republicans.   [MORE]

Some people could view as “ridiculous” the state’s requirement for hair braiders to get a cosmetology license in order to serve customers, a state senator acknowledges.

But Sen. Steve Faris, D-Central, said there must be a good, legitimate reason for licensing braiders. He mentioned stopping the transmittal of head lice from one customer to another as a possibility.   [MORE]

A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing a liter (two pints) of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new carry-on rules, police said Wednesday.   [MORE]

"A WEST Australian medical expert wants families to pay a $5000-plus "baby levy" at birth and an annual carbon tax of up to $800 a child... Australian Family Association spokeswoman Angela Conway said it was ridiculous to blame babies for global warming."   [MORE]

"Donnell Williams had just gotten out of the bath tub, wearing only a towel around his waist, when he turned the corner to see guns pointing right at him...it appeared Williams was refusing to obey their commands to show his hands.  That's when they shot him with a Taser."  [MORE]