Mayra Aguilar

International
Castro calls Clinton-obama ticket "invincible"
Castro has made it clear to everyone that he does not agree with Cuba becoming a Democratic country. Obama, senator of Illinois wants to give the Cuban-Americans the "unrestrictive rights to visit family and send remittances to the island." However, The New York's junior senator, Clinton doesn't want any U.S. policy changes until Castro passes from the scene and a new government demonstrates its intentions. Castro, on the other hand, was not too happy about the praise for the 2000 Democratic nominee, concending, "When he was a candidate, he of course committed the error of yearning for 'a democratic Cuba.'" Castro is now 81 years old and he has not appeared in public for over a year now, making him hand over the power on the island to his brother named Raul, during July, 2006.
Opinion
I am glad that that the senator wants to give the Cuban-Americans the right to visit families and send them stuff to the island without them getting in trouble. I think that Cuban-Americans should have this right granted to them especially if they are half Americans. I don't think that Castro, now that he is not in power of Cuba, should have any right to take these people's rights to visit their family in Cuba or not wanting Cuba to be a democracy.


Curfew, gun ban imposed after fighting disrupts pilglrimage in Iraq
A curfew time on weapons has been put in southern Iraqi city of Karbala, where fighting killed more than 50 people and wounded about 247. There was also a ban put on motorbikes, bicycles, even pushcarts. According to a ministry official the police exchanged gunfired for over 2 hours and it appeared as if the fighting was between 2 Shiite militias. The fighting spread to Baghdad right after the Karbala clashes. People living in Karbala were evacuated and curfew was right away imposed. Curfew on weapons was also put in Najaf, a Shiite holy city, where many pilgrims fled after the Karbala fighting broke out. The Badr Organization, which is part of the Supreme Islamic council of Iraq, incorporated the Iraqi security forces throughout the country inorder to protect it. Authorities have tried to ban people from carrying guns into Karbala but the al-Sadr loyalists refused to give up th eir weapons, which resulted a gunbattle between the securities forces protecting the Karbala shrines and the Mehdi militia members.
opinion
I think that it was a good idea to put a curfew on weapons especially in Iraq where right now there is alot of danger. But eventhough there is a curfew in Iraq that doesn't mean that fighting is not going to still occur, especially since the al-Sadr refused to give up their weapons. I think there should be more protection in Iraq more than ever before because of the war.

National
A Return to the Bad Old Days?
The number of crimes have now risen in small and large cities around the countries. The FBI statistics have shown an increase of 1.3 in 2006 which is a 2.3 % jump the year before. It is the first increase since the early 90s. The recent surge urges the cops that if nothing is done quickly, the bad old days of high crime might return. Murders have risen a .3% since last year. Robberies, nationally, have also risen a 6 percent in 2006. But the good news is that rapes, auto thefts, and burglaries have decreased in the fall of 2006.
Opinion
Eventhough the percents rape and autothefts have decreased there is always the chance of those percents increasing. I think we should hve more protection around our neighborhoods and around the cities because i think this is why most crimes because there is not enough protection. I also think that murders should be put in prison longer and if they murder a second time after they got out of prison then they should stay in prison for lifetime.