Israeli raids of the Gaza Strip and the West Banks resulted in the deaths of five Palestinians and an Israeli on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 25. Authorities are calling it one of the bloodiest days in more than two weeks, according to the New York Times.
Pa. lowers blood alcohol allowance
The Pennsylvania State Senate votes Thursday, Sept. 25, to lower the legal blood alcohol limit from 0.10 to 0.08. Supporters hope this will significantly cut down on the number of alcohol-related accidents and serve as a model for other states, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
National income decreased, poverty up
The U.S. called to action 10,000 additional reservists and put 5,000 more on alert Friday, Sept. 26, to formally start on Oct. 1 and Oct. 12. They will be going to Iraq where the U.S. already has 130,000 troops, according to the New York Times.
The Census Bureau reported that the national income has decreased 1.1 percent and the number of people living in poverty in the United States has increased my more than 1.7 million. This is the second year in a row for this kind of downward trend.
Russia continues nuclear plant production in Iran
President Vadimir Putin of Russia told President Bush that he would continue to build a nuclear reactor for Iran despite American influence. Russia’s services were contracted for $800 million, according to the New York Times.
Patriot Act to be be used in non-terror investigations
The Patriot Act, originally intended for use in investigations against terrorism, is now being used against other offenders. Investigations against “drug traffickers, white-collar criminals, blackmailers, child pornographers, money launderers, spies and even corrupt foreign leaders,” are subject to application as well, according to the New York Times.
Japanese tourists arrested in sex ring
Six Japanese tourists were arrested in Zhuhai, China on Monday, Sept. 29, after reports of hundreds of counts of prostitution and public promiscuity flooded the streets on the anniversary of an important Sino-Japanese event. Cities all along China’s Hong Kong border are known for attracting “sex tourists” from Japan and Europe, according to the New York Times.
Earthquake rocks Japanese island
An earthquake measuring more than 7.8 on the Richter scale rolled through the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early Friday, Sept. 26. This is one of the strongest earthquakes this island has ever seen, according to the Associated Press.
Congress passes ‘Do Not Call’ registry
Congress past the do not call registry to telemarketers, once again, after a Federal judge blocked it. It is scheduled to begin Oct. 1.
Posted to the web by Ryan Norris
