USA
US Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty resigned Monday, citing family financial reasons. As No. 2 under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, McNulty was embroiled in the ongoing investigation over the firing of eight US attorneys in 2006. He said the controversy hadn't influenced his decision.
Eight US attorneys general requested Monday that MySpace hand over information about thousands of sex offenders whom it found registered on the site in an internal investigation. In a letter, they also asked MySpace to explain what steps it is taking to warn users about sex offenders and to remove their profiles. MySpace is in the process of cross-referencing its members with a database of registered sex offenders, a representative said. Young people are the most avid users of the social networking website. Users must be at least 14, but ages are self-reported.
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz was set to defend himself before the bank's board late Tuesday. The meeting comes one day after a special bank panel reported that he had indeed broken rules in his handling of girlfriend Shaha Riza's pay package.
A federal court hearing began in San Francisco Monday for states and environmental groups suing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for making a "trivial" increase in auto mileage standards. Later that day, in Washington, President Bush signed an executive order directing government agencies to start writing regulations to cut gasoline consumption and emissions that contribute to global warming.
More evacuations may be necessary, a Florida official said Monday, as firefighting efforts continued along the Florida-Georgia border. Firefighting aircraft resumed operations after being grounded over the weekend due to poor visibility. The blaze, ignited by lightning about one week ago, has burned 380 square miles and caused about $3.7 million in damage.
A growing number of criminal offenders appears to be younger, andtheir crimes more violent, according to a prepared speech by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and a Justice Department fact sheet, made public by The Associated Press Tuesday. Gangs and gun violence are partly to blame for the rise in crime in 2006, the second consecutive year there has been an increase, the speech said.
Space shuttle Atlantis made its way back to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, after almost three months of repairs to its external fuel tank. NASA hopes to send Atlantis to the international space station in early June.
