In The Days

Running out of luck into Gaza

John Higgins — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:44:45 +0000

For almost three years, since the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, senior defense officials and politicians have repeatedly threatened retaliation for the incessant rocket attacks on the western Negev. At the same time, the officials have acknowledged that a large-scale operation into Gaza would only happen after blood was spilled in Israel.
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Rocket wounds 15 in Ashkelon

John Higgins — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:42:01 +0000

Ashkelon shopping center after attack (Photo: Amir Cohen)

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California’s top court legalizes gay marriage

John Higgins — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:21:32 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California’s Supreme Court declared gay couples in the nation’s biggest state can marry - a monumental but perhaps short-lived victory for the gay rights movement Thursday that was greeted with tears, hugs, kisses and at least one instant proposal of matrimony.
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Vatican: It’s OK to believe in aliens

John Higgins — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:04:58 +0000

VATICAN CITY - Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.
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Bush: World won’t let Hezbollah win

John Higgins — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:43:36 +0000

The international community will not allow Hezbollah to assume control in Lebanon, President Bush said.
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BIGGEST GOVERNMENT EVER: Treasury revenue, spending at record highs in April…

John Higgins — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:28:22 +0000

US has April surplus but budget strained
The US government posted a $US159.3 billion ($A169.52 billion) surplus in April, helped by the mid-month deadline for individuals meeting 2007 tax obligations, but it was down from the prior year’s surplus, the Treasury Department reported on Monday.
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A triumph of life and hope

John Higgins — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:22:25 +0000

THE BIRTH of the state of Israel 60 years ago this week was an astonishment. It is not unheard of for a nation to vanish from the map and later reappear. Poland, for example, was partitioned out of existence in 1795 and regained its independence in 1918. But the restoration of Israel was unlike anything the world had ever seen.
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Why Israel is the world’s happiest country

John Higgins — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:16:40 +0000

Envy surrounds no country on Earth like the state of Israel, and with good reason: by objective measures, Israel is the happiest nation on Earth at the 60th anniversary of its founding. It is one of the wealthiest, freest and best-educated; and it enjoys a higher life expectancy than Germany or the Netherlands. But most remarkable is that Israelis appear to love life and hate death more than any other nation. If history is made not by rational design but by the demands of the human heart, as I argued last week , the light heart of the Israelis in face of continuous danger is a singularity worthy of a closer look.
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US victims of attacks in Israel sue Swiss bank

John Higgins — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:00:38 +0000

NEW YORK, May 12 (Reuters) - American victims of bombings and rocket attacks in Israel have sued Swiss bank UBS AG for more than $500 million, accusing the bank of helping fund the militants behind the attacks through dealings with Iran.
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From Lebanon to Hezbollahstan

John Higgins — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:06:20 +0000

Shiite gunmen patrol the streets in Chouweifat, south of Beirut, May 11.
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