Pope: Rich Countries "Plundered" Third World

Iraq's Sadr group fires two deputies over U.S. talks:

Two lawmakers from the movement of anti-American Shi'ite Iraqi cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, were dismissed on Wednesday for meeting U.S. officials, an official in the group said.

Pope says rich nations "plundered" Third World:

Rich countries bent on power and profit have mercilessly "plundered and sacked" Africa and other poor regions and exported to them the "cynicism of a world without God," Pope Benedict writes in his first book.

Microsoft patches Windows vulnerability:

Microsoft Corp. released an emergency security patch Tuesday to plug a hole in several versions of Windows including Vista, which the software maker has touted as its most secure operating system ever.

Bush Splits With Congress and States on Emissions

States are already using the Supreme Court’s decision to speed their own efforts to regulate gas emissions.

New Jersey Diverts Billions and Endangers Pension Fund

New Jersey has been diverting billions of dollars from its pension fund for state and local workers into other government purposes.

No Longer Waiting for Rain, Arid West Takes Action:

A Western drought that began in 1999 has continued after the respite of a couple of wet years that now feel like a cruel tease. But this time people in the driest states are not just scanning the skies and hoping for rescue.

Tax firm fraud cost feds $70 million, lawsuit says:

The government said Tuesday it is trying to shut down more than 125 Jackson Hewitt tax-preparation stores in four states for systematic "tax-fraud schemes."

The Justice Department accuses the franchises of bilking the government out of more than $70 million through fraudulent practices such as using phony W-2 forms, bogus deductions and fuel tax credits and false claims regarding the earned income tax credit.

Sheriff: Sex in 5th-grade class:

Five fifth-grade students face criminal charges after authorities said four of them had sex in front of other students in an unsupervised classroom and kept a classmate posted as a lookout for teachers.

Jailed Journalist To Be Freed

A freelance videographer who served the longest prison term for a journalist in U.S. history for refusing to testify before a grand jury is expected to be freed, his attorneys said Tuesday.

Air-Terror 'Chiller'

Rep. Peter King lashed out at a member of the city's Human Rights Commission yesterday for representing six Muslim imams who want to sue USAirways passengers for reporting that the clerics were acting suspicious on a flight last fall.

LOUSY LANDLORDS GET FAULTY-FIX TAX BREAKS:

The city handed out numerous tax breaks to landlords who didn't deserve them - and, in one instance, to an owner who installed 1,695 windows that auditors found to be defective, according to Comptroller William Thompson.

3 Israelis accused of training hitmen:

Interpol issued an international arrest warrant Tuesday for three Israelis accused of training private armies of Colombian drug cartels and right-wing death squads, authorities said.