Beyond the Hedges

2/10/11 6:00pm

National

Patriot Act extensions fail in HouseThe House of Representatives voted on extending three provisions of the Patriot Act on Tuesday but failed to pass the measure by seven votes. The provisions would have renewed important parts of the counter-terrorism law and needed a two-thirds majority to pass. However, 26 House Republicans - including eight newly elected officials and three initial members of the Tea Party Caucus - went against party lines and voted against the provision. This resistance, coupled with strong Democratic opposition, led to a final vote count of 277 in favor of extension and 148 opposed to it, a ratio not large enough to pass the extension. The Republicans in control of the House have blamed the Democrats for the measure's failure and want to vote on it again later in the month. However, this time, they plan to vote under different rules that would necessitate only a simple majority for passage.

Source: The Washington Post

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American alleged terrorist pleads guilty

Daniel Patrick Boyd, a U.S. man from North Carolina, pled guilty in a court in New Bern, N.C. to planning terrorist attacks. Boyd is a 40-year-old building contractor who became a Muslim at a young age and is alleged to have led and trained six other rural Muslim men - including his two sons - who were part of a home-grown terror cell. According to prosecutors, he also stored weapons in his home and used them to train his followers before planning an attack on a U.S. military base. Boyd and his men were arrested in July 2009, and he was charged with conspiring to support terrorists and murder, kidnap and injure people. After receiving his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a few other counts against him, though they say he faces up to life in prison. Boyd's sons will be tried in September and have denied the charges.

Source: BBC

International

Egyptian workers go on strike, contribute to unrest

Egyptian workers joined the street protests on Wednesday to express disapproval over low pay - an action that, according to some, has added a new dimension to the unrest in Egypt. Workers from companies in the cement, chemicals, textiles, transportation, telecommunication and tourism sectors went on strike in Cairo and other smaller cities throughout the country, blocking highways and shutting down factories. The decision to strike was made by companies individually, and an estimate of the total number of laborers involved ranges from 5,000 to more than 10,000 people. The workers mainly demanded that the Egyptian government increase the minimum wage from 35 pounds per month (about $6) and give them the ability to form independent unions. Officials predict that the workers involvement in the protests could inject experience into a movement largely led by young adults. According to experts, this increased support could revitalize the dissenters' efforts and help them gain large concessions from the Egyptian government.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Drought threatens Chinese wheat crop

The United Nations' food agency warned Tuesday that a severe drought in China was threatening its wheat crop and causing water shortages for its people and livestock. The state-run news agency in China said on Monday that this drought was the worst in 60 years. China is the world's largest wheat producer and has been, for the most part, self-sufficient in grain for years.

If China has to import grain as a result of the drought, it could drive global wheat prices even higher than the record levels recently achieved. Experts said these high prices have been one source of blame for the protests in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world and foresee even greater problems for such countries that depend on imported food if the drought continues.

Source: The New York Times

Protestors seek trial for Silvio Berlusconi

Italian prosecutors have requested that Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stand trial over accusations that he paid a 17-year-old Moroccan female dancer for sex and then used his influence to keep her from being detained by the police after she was arrested for alleged theft. Berlusconi denied the accusations and said that the prosecutors were trying to oust him from office.

The woman - who is named Karima El Mahroug, goes by the nickname "Ruby," and is now 18 - said she attended a few dinners and private parties at Berlusconi's house but never had sex with him. However, she said that she did receive thousands of euros in cash gifts from Berlusconi. Berlusconi's trial would include detailed testimony about all relations between Berlusconi and El Mahroug because it is illegal in Italy to pay a minor for sex.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Babies with spina bifida helped by surgery

According to a federally funded study conducted at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, Vanderbilt University and the University of California at San Francisco, performing surgery on babies with severe spina bifida while they are still in the womb doubles the chance that they will be able to walk later in life. The study involved 158 mothers carrying babies with spina bifida and found that sealing up the defective spinal cords before birth also reduced the chances that the babies would need a shunt - a special tube - surgically implanted to drain fluid from their brains. Researchers have said that expectant parents with babies who have spina bifida should consider the operation, which is available at the three centers that ran the study.

Source: The Washington Post

Pakistani teen suicide bomber kills dozens

A teenage suicide bomber blew himself up on Thursday on the parade ground of the Punjab Regiment Center, a major military training academy in Mardan, Pakistan during the morning lineup. The 15-year-old boy was dressed in the uniform of a civilian school that operates near the academy, and according to army officials, he chose this time of attack to inflict maximum damage, killing 27 cadets and injuring 40 more. The Punjab Regiment Center is one of the biggest Pakistani army training centers and this bombing is the second act of violence by militants against the school in the last 18 months.

Source: The New York Times

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