USA
The FBI said Thursday it interviewed an unidentified young adult from Milwaukee about what it believes were "noncredible" threats to set off radiological dirty bombs at NFL football stadiums. The individual, who has no known terrorist connections, came forward to provide information about the threats posted on a website last week. The NFL says its stadiums are well protected by comprehensive security measures that include bag searches and pat-downs.
The Conference Board said Thursday that its Index of Economic indicators edged up 0.1 percent to 137.7 in September, this after registering declines the two previous months. Meanwhile, the number of US workers filing for jobless ben-efits unexpectedly fell last week by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 299,000 workers, the Labor Department reported.
Following heated debate, local lawmakers Wednesday made Escondido, Calif., the latest US community to crack down on illegal immigrants – this time by prohibiting landlords from renting to them. Escondido is 50 miles north of the Mexican border and has a population more than a third Hispanic. Elsewhere, a coalition of New Jersey business owners, landlords, and civil rights activists sued Riverside township, challenging a law passed in July that bans businesses from hiring or renting to illegal immigrants.
A federal appeals court in New York upheld jury verdicts Wednesday that will award World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein $4.6 billion to rebuild the site, but not the $7 billion he asked for. The case hinged on whether insurance companies needed to pay replacement costs for one or two attacks.
AOL, the Time Warner Inc. online unit formerly known as America Online, will lay off 1,300 employees by closing call centers in Arizona and New Mexico, it said Wednesday. The cuts are part of a previously announced restructuring plan aimed at reducing costs by $1 billion.
A possible decline of pollinating bees, birds, and bats could spell trouble for farmers and ecosystems, the National Research Council reported Wednesday. The council recommended that the US join with Mexico and Canada in monitoring bees and other important pollinators. In North America, honeybees pollinate more than 90 percent of commercially grown crops.
