Daily News Digest

the latest news on Sen. Kennedy, Democratic primaries, GI Bill, Farm bill, Ohio-payday lending, Immigration, Burma, China, Iraq, Israel-Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »

Sen. Kennedy. Kennedy has malignant tumor;prognosis is uncertain at best " US Senator Edward M. Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, his doctors said yesterday, and the prognosis appears uncertain at best for the last surviving brother of the famed Kennedy clan, who has been an enormous force in American politics for nearly half a century." Kennedy Has Malignant Brain Tumor "Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the liberal icon who has spent more than four decades at the forefront of social-change efforts in Congress, has a cancerous brain tumor," In D.C., a moment of anguished silence "The man who has enraged, impressed, frustrated, and inspired his colleagues in both parties for more than 45 years in the Senate drew but one bipartisan reaction yesterday as the news emerged that he is fighting a brain tumor: stunned silence, followed by tears."

Democratic primaries. Obama: Victory within reach "After months of exhaustive campaigning, rallies that drew thousands, dozens of debates and countless miles traveled, the Illinois senator on a glorious spring night in Iowa declared that his party's nod is finally "within reach." Obama Takes Delegate Majority "Sen. Barack Obama crossed another threshold last night in his march toward the Democratic presidential nomination, splitting a pair of primaries with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and claiming a majority of the pledged delegates at stake in the long nomination battle." Obama's strategy now faces a bigger test "Barack Obama declared that he has now secured a majority of the elected delegates in his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination. But just as important as reaching that landmark is the symbolism of where he chose to celebrate it -- in Iowa -- and where he will campaign today -- in Florida." Clinton Sees Many Reasons to Stay In "Rebuffing associates who have suggested that she end her candidacy, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has made it clear to her camp in recent days that she will stay in the race until June because she believes she can still be the nominee - and, barring that, so she can depart with some final goals accomplished."

GI Bill. House approves financial relief for military personnel "Setting aside differences over the war in Iraq, the House voted unanimously to provide financial and tax relief to military personnel. The action came as the Senate debated a major expansion in college education benefits for veterans." What's behind the battle over the new G.I. Bill? "The GI Bill touted by recruiting posters and the Pentagon often falls short for more than a million troops returning from war, paying just over half the national average cost of a public college education."

Farm bill. Farm Bill's Subsidy Costs May Rise "A major new program in the recently enacted farm bill could increase taxpayer-financed payments to farmers by billions of dollars if high commodity prices decline to more typical levels,"

Ohio-payday lending. House passes payday-lending bill 70-24 "The House approved a final version of the bill by a 70-24 vote. The measure would slash payday-lending interest rates from the current 391 annual percentage rate ($15 per $100 on a two-week loan) to 28 percent ($1.08 per $100)."

Immigration. Homeland Security Stands by Its Fence "As the Department of Homeland Security pushes to complete 670 miles of fencing along the Mexican border by the end of this year, it is confronting the sharpest resistance yet while conceding that physical barriers alone do not stop illegal crossings." ICE defends workplace raids "An Immigration and Customs Enforcement official on Tuesday defended escalating workplace raids to arrest undocumented workers - operations that Democratic congressional critics say leave immigrants' children in the lurch."

Burma . UN chief heads for Myanmar "The secretary general of the United Nations is heading to Myanmar in an effort to step up relief efforts for survivors of Cyclone Nargis." UN chief to meet Burma leader "The meeting with the reclusive regime's leader is a step forward for the international community that has raged against Burma's failure to allow relief to get to those in desperate need."

China . Rescues Continue in China, but Focus Is Shifting to the 5 Million Left Homeless "Eight days after a massive earthquake struck southwest China, the government began to grapple with what may be its biggest quandary: what to do with what it says are the five million people left homeless by the disaster."

Iraq . Swift Push by Iraqis in Sadr City "Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City as the Iraqi government sought to establish control over the district, a densely populated Shiite enclave in the Iraqi capital." Iraq Sends Troops Into Sadr City "Thousands of Iraqi soldiers entered the volatile Sadr City district of eastern Baghdad, meeting virtually no resistance from Shiite militiamen who in recent weeks have clashed heavily with U.S. and Iraqi troops," Operation in Sadr City Is an Iraqi Success, So Far "Iraqi forces rolled unopposed through the huge Shiite enclave of Sadr City on Tuesday, a dramatic turnaround from the bitter fighting that has plagued the Baghdad neighborhood for two months, and a qualified success for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki."

Israel-Syria. Israel and Syria confirm talks "Israel and Syria are holding indirect peace talks, with Turkey acting as a mediator, both countries confirmed officially for the first time today." Syria, Israel announce search for 'comprehensive peace' "With Turkey serving as a mediator, Israeli and Syrian negotiators have spent more than 15 months quietly laying the groundwork for the new negotiations."

Lebanon . Lebanese rivals agree to power-sharing deal "Lebanon's political factions today signed a temporary power-sharing agreement that pulled the country back from the brink of civil conflict but failed to address the Shiite militia Hezbollah's formidable arsenal of heavy weapons, leaving aside the most contentious issue roiling Lebanon and threatening U.S. plans for the region." Rival Lebanon leaders clinch deal "Arab League mediators headed by Qatar have formally announced a deal between rival Lebanese leaders after five days of talks in Doha, the Qatari capital."

Iran . Middle East in nuclear race to match Iran "Almost every country in the Middle East has announced nuclear energy plans in the space of less than a year, in response to Iran's dramatic progress towards atomic power," Olmert to U.S.: Impose naval blockade on Iran "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has proposed in discussions with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, that a naval blockade be imposed on Iran as one of several ways to pressure Iran into stopping its uranium enrichment program." Bush Team Criticizes New Report About Iran The White House sharply criticized a news organization on Tuesday for the second time in two days over reports about administration policy toward Iran,"

Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe: Group Warns of Coup, Calls for Coalition "There is a growing risk of a military coup in Zimbabwe to prevent opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai from taking power, says the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG)."

South Africa. South Africa attacks reach Durban "Violence against foreigners in South Africa has spread outside Johannesburg to the port city of Durban." SA to Deploy Special Units to Address Violence "Government is to deploy specialised units to those areas in Johannesburg where attacks on foreign nationals have erupted,"

Ethiopia. Six million Ethiopian children at risk of malnutrition as crops fail and prices rise "Up to 6 million children under the age of five are at risk of malnutrition in Ethiopia because of rising cereal prices and the failure of rains, the UN's children agency, Unicef, has warned."