Profiles of three possible successors to Justice John Paul Stevens One, Diane Wood, has liberal appeal. The other two, Elena Kagan and Merrick Garland, could attract support across a wider spectrum. Three front-runners to fill the Supreme Court seat to be vacated by retiring John Paul Stevens are distinguished not just by their legal credentials but by qualities designed to appeal to particular political constituencies. One of them, Diane Wood, has strong appeal for liberals. The other two, Elena Kagan and Merrick ...

Six contractors blacklisted by Education Ministry Six contractors responsible for abandoned projects amounting to RM180mil have been blacklisted by the Education Ministry. Deputy Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the errant contractors had failed to complete projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The projects included SMK Sri Putra in Bangi, SM Bayan Lepas in Penang, Regional Science and Mathematics Centre in Sarawak, the teachers’ quarters in Kuantan, SM Sains Gua Musang in Kelantan and SM Sains Batu Pahat. “Among their favourite excuses are shortage ...

43 countries issue travel warning for Thailand BANGKOK: Embassies of 43 countries in Bangkok have issued warnings to their citizens who are planning to visit Thailand, after the government declared a state of emergency in the capital and nearby provinces during the current political standoff. Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Prakit Piriyakiet said that the embassies of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Latvia and Spain had increased their security warning to the highest alert level, recommending their ...

Polish president and wife among '88 confirmed dead' as plane crashes in Russia Pilot error blamed as witnesses report three or four attempts to land in thick fog Poland in mourning as Prime Minister calls emergency meeting Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria have been killed after their plane crashed on approach to Smolensk airport in western Russia. There were conflicting reports today of the number of people on board the flight. Russian news agencies reported at least 88 people died in ...

Official: no survivors in Kaczynski plane crash The governor of a Russian region where a plane carrying Poland's president has crashed says there are no survivors. Smolensk governor Sergei Anufriev made the statement to state news channel Rossiya-24 about an hour after the Saturday crash. The Tu-154 plane crashed near the Smolensk airport, about 400 kilometers (275 miles) west of Moscow. Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife were aboard the plane, according to the Polish foreign ministry. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check ...

Polish President Lech Kaczynski dies in plane crash President Lech Kaczynski and other senior Polish figures are among scores killed in a plane crash in Russia. Polish and Russian officials said no-one survived after the plane apparently hit trees as it approached Smolensk airport in thick fog. Poland's army chief, central bank governor, MPs and leading historians were among more than 80 passengers. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the crash was the most tragic event of the country's post-World War II history. The Polish delegation ...

Soulless Empires and Nameless Massacres Mahatma Gandhi said that empires and states represented violence in a concentrated form, and that they were soulless and could never be weaned from violence to which they owed their very existence. His words came to mind when it was reported that a U.S.-led NATO air strike killed four civilians-including two women and a small child, and when Wikileaks released a 2007 video showing twelve Iraqi unarmed civilians being brutally massacred by an Army Apache helicopter ...

Half of U.S. pays no federal income tax Credits for low- and middle-income families exempt many Tax Day is a dreaded deadline for millions, but for nearly half of U.S. households it's simply somebody else's problem. About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. That's according to projections by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization. Most people still ...

Saved! ‘Idol’ judges prevent shocking cut Lowest vote-getter Michael Lynche stays after panel decides to keep him Ryan Seacrest promised a surprise at the beginning of Wednesday’s “American Idol” results show. Sometimes that’s a relative term and means, “We’re going to actually end the show on time this week,” or “We spent the extra couple of dollars to make sure all of the microphones work.” But give him credit — this time he meant what he said. Michael Lynche the lowest vote-getter? Really, America? ...

Homebuyers scramble as mortgage rates rise Higher payments could price many would-be buyers out of the market The era of record-low mortgage rates is over. The average rate on a 30-year loan has jumped from about 5 percent to more than 5.3 percent in just the past week. As mortgages get more expensive, more would-be homeowners are priced out of the market — a threat to the fragile recovery in the housing market. And if you wanted to refinance at a super-low rate, you ...