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Obama, Calderon pledge action against drug cartels
MEXICO CITY – President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon set out an ambitious bilateral agenda Thursday April 16, that includes immigration reform, but focused their immediate aims on concrete actions to weaken drug cartels.
At a break during their meetings in Mexico City, the two presidents said their four years in office together will be marked by a new era of cooperation, not just on the drug crackdown but on trade ties and even working together toward better U.S.-Cuba relations and clean energy.
Speaking about a controversial assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, Obama said he has not backed off his campaign promise to seek its reinstatement but added that now is not the time to do so.
Cuba to take center stage at Summit of the Americas
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The one country in the hemisphere that’s not a member of the Organization of American States, Cuba promises to take center stage here, as more and more Latin American nations insist that the days of the communist country’s isolation should be numbered.
And the Fifth Summit of the Americas appears to be just the forum hemispheric leaders have chosen to raise the contentious issue. The summit was first held in Miami 15 years ago, but this is the first time that pressure has been so strong to bring Cuba back into the regional alliance.
National
Obama: No prosecution for CIA operatives in interrogations
WASHINGTON – President Obama said Thursday, April 16, that the United States will not prosecute CIA officials who participated in controversial terrorism interrogation techniques, including waterboarding and slapping and sleep deprivation, that were secretly authorized under President Bush and have since been rescinded.
“This is a time for reflection, not retribution,” Obama said in a written statement issued as the Justice Department prepared to turn over by a court deadline Bush-era memos that authorized various legally questionable techniques.
Local/BSU
Boise State Alumni Association honors Top Ten Scholars
The Boise State University Alumni Association will honor 10 of the university’s best and brightest graduating students at the annual Top Ten Scholars awards banquet.
The event is April 21 in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom; doors open at 6 p.m. and the dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. The banquet is open to the public. Tickets are available for $20 per person by calling the Alumni Association at 426?1698. Parking is available on the fifth floor of the Lincoln parking structure.
The keynote speaker for this year’s event is David M. Cooper, a 1971 Boise State alumnus. Cooper is managing partner for the regional accounting firm Cooper Norman.
Top Ten Scholars are chosen from among the top 10 percent of Boise State’s graduating class of more than 3,000 students for 2008-09.
They are selected based on academic performance, recommendation from college deans, and extracurricular and
research activities.
Suspicious package prompts store evacuation
BOISE – Boise Police evacuated a busy JCPenney store Saturday, April 18, afternoon at the Boise Towne Square mall while bomb squad officials investigated a suspicious package.
A bomb robot was eventually used to destroy and disrupt the package.
About 2:45 p.m., Boise police received reports of the package outside the JCPenney’s door.
Officials are unsure as to the contents of the package or why it appeared in front of the entrance to the store.
What the?
Yes, that’s right, officer, a monkey
A man visiting the zoo in Fuzhou, China, had his cell phone stolen by a monkey. The man was trying to photograph a troop of Assamese macaques, and, when he reached it inside their cage, one of the animals snatched it and would not give it back.
Ka-bang! Care to change your story?
A man in Shanghai swore to God that he doesn’t owe his neighbor any money. Then he was struck by lightning.
COMPILED BY ARBITER STAFF