Daily News Digest

The latest news on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Minorities increase, Immigration, Food prices, Environment, Payday lending-Ohio, L.A. gangs, Rich & poor in Canada, India, Zimbabwe, Al Qaeda-Pakistan, Al Qaeda-Afghanistan, Iraq-Iran, Tibet, and Op-Ed.

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Holocaust Remembrance Day. Sirens wail as Israel remembers victims of Holocaust "Sirens pierced the air in a mournful two-minute wail throughout Israel on Thursday in a tribute to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis as the country marked Holocaust remembrance day."

Minorities increase. Rise in Minorities Is Led by Children, Census Finds"Since 2000, members of racial and ethnic minorities have become a majority of youngsters under 15 in two of the nation's fastest-growing states, Florida and Nevada, with Georgia, Maryland and New York poised to follow," Nearly 25 Percent of Children Younger Than 5 Are Latino, Census Says "Hispanics, the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group, now account for about one in four children younger than 5 in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates." Latinos still the largest, fastest-growing minority, census shows "The United States grew steadily more diverse last year, with Latinos holding on to their rank as the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group, a trend with far-reaching implications for American politics and immigration policies."

Immigration. Fewer Latino Immigrants Sending Money Home"In a sign that the economic downturn is hitting hard among Latino immigrants, more than three million of them stopped sending money to families in their home countries during the last two years," Latino activists reach out to blacks with invitation to join immigration march "As another Immigration march is scheduled to wend through Chicago on Thursday - now an annual rite of political passion for some and traffic frustrations for others - such pleas to African-Americans represent a new experiment in the fight for immigrant rights."

Food prices. Clipping, Scrimping, Saving "Since March 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of eggs has jumped 35 percent. A gallon of milk is up 23 percent. A loaf of white bread has climbed 16 percent. And a pound of ground chuck is up 8 percent. Overall, U.S. food prices in 2008 are expected to rise 4 to 5 percent, about double the increases of recent years."

Environment. Saving 'God's creation' unites scientist, evangelical leader "But this is a true story, and Dr. Eric Chivian and the Rev. Richard Cizik have come up with a zinger no one could expect. They went to lunch together to agree on something - the need to curb negative human impact on the Earth."

Payday lending-Ohio. Payday-lending bill advances "A bill that consumer advocates say would become a national model for payday-lending regulation passed a divided Ohio House yesterday, despite industry warnings that it would drive their 1,600 stores out of business."

L.A. gangs. L.A. police aggressively target hard-core gangs "The mayor's office and the LAPD are promising to consolidate thinly scattered anti-gang resources and pour them into 12 beleaguered neighborhoods -- gang reduction zones -- where intense suppression would be coupled with gang intervention and prevention programs."

Rich & poor in Canada. The rich, poor, and chasm between "The earnings gap between the rich and the poor is widening in Canada, with incomes among recent immigrants showing especially dramatic declines in recent years, according to sweeping new census data."

India. A Dynastic Scion Meets the People "Rahul Gandhi, 37, general secretary of India's ruling Congress party, is used to such frenzied welcomes when he shows up at far-flung, impoverished villages across India. He is, after all, the newest heir apparent of a political dynasty that ranks as India's most powerful -- one that has produced three generations of prime ministers, including Indira Gandhi, his late grandmother."

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe braced for run-off "Zimbabweans are bracing for a bloody second round of elections after government sources yesterday said a recount of the presidential vote held a month ago showed that President Robert Mugabe lost to Morgan Tsvangirai but that neither won an outright majority." Zimbabwe vote results may not help either side "Zimbabwe's ruling party was in turmoil Wednesday, debating its next step amid reports that final results would show President Robert Mugabe had failed to win reelection and faced another round of balloting."

Al Qaeda-Pakistan. U.S. terrorism report finds Al Qaeda attacks rose in Pakistan "Al Qaeda used a haven in Pakistan's tribal areas to double the number of attacks in that country and kill four times as many people there in 2007, says a State Department report to Congress." Pakistan military started peace talks with Islamists "Pakistan's newly elected government is clashing with the country's powerful military over peace deals that the military has secretly initiated with Islamic militants allied with al Qaida along the country's border with Afghanistan."

Al Qaeda-Afghanistan. Afghans See Link to Qaeda in Plot to Shoot Karzai "The attempt to kill President Hamid Karzai on Sunday was the work of militants who had infiltrated Afghanistan's security forces and had ties to groups linked to Al Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas," Raid on Taliban House in Kabul Kills 7 "Hundreds of Afghan intelligence agents raided the hideout of fighters with suspected links to a recent assassination attempt on President Hamid Karzai, as the war against the Taliban intensified in the Afghan capital."

Iraq-Iran. Iraqi delegation to confront Iran "The Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has sent a delegation of senior officials to confront Iran over claims it is arming and financing Shia fighters in Iraq," Iraq Team to Discuss Militias With Iran "Iraqi officials including Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have previously traveled to Iran, but this appears to be the first time that an elite delegation has been dispatched by Mr. Maliki to take up reports of Iranian intervention in Iraq."

Tibet. Activists: Tibet crackdown intensifying "China has stepped up persecution of Buddhist monks with mass detentions, Tibet activists said Wednesday, as China prepares to take the Olympic torch to the top of Mt. Everest."

Op-Ed. A commitment problem (Norman Ornstein, Los Angeles Times) "Put yourself into the mind and mood of an uncommitted Democratic superdelegate. You are getting inducements and pressure from both the Clinton and Obama campaigns -- including direct appeals from the candidates themselves that range from the intellectual ("I will be the better candidate in the fall") to the seductive ("You will be a player in my administration") to the vindictive ("Get on the train now or there won't be a seat for you later"). But you are also juggling a set of other intense pressures:"