USA
A majority of Americans told pollsters they no longer think the war in Iraq was worth fighting, ABC News and The Washington Post reported. They said those opposed rose to 56 percent - seven points higher than the last time they sampled public opinion, in July. But the survey also found that 60 percent of respondents believe the Jan. 30 election in Iraq should be held regardless of the security situation and that 58 percent think US forces should remain there until order is restored. A new survey by USA Today, CNN, and the Gallup organization found just under 60 percent of respondents disapprove of the way the US is handling the situation in Iraq.
New allegations of questionable interrogation tactics used on detainees at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base are being investigated by the Pentagon, a spokesman said. Using e-mail messages obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the American Civil Liberties Union said FBI officials disapproved of military interrogators posing as agents of the bureau while questioning suspected terrorists. The White House, however, denied a suggestion in one such message that President Bush had OK'd interrogation techniques at Guantánamo described as "harsh."
Major League Baseball and the city of Washington, D.C., announced agreement on a financing deal to rescue the Nationals, the latter's new team. The plan calls for building a 41,000-seat stadium that is projected to cost at least $435 million, but no longer with a requirement by City Council that half the amount be provided by private lenders. Last week, the future of baseball in Washington appeared in jeopardy because the council balked at OK'ing financing the stadium via revenue bonds backed by a package of tax increases and rent paid by the team.
Another over-the-counter medication for pain elevates the risk of heart problems if used continuously for more than 10 days, federal officials warned. Naproxen, marketed under such brand names as Aleve, joins Vioxx and Celebrex, about which similar warnings were issued in recent weeks. The Food and Drug Administration said it was keeping "all regulatory options open" and would make "some determinations as quickly as possible" as its scientists review data from a National Institutes of Health study.
