April 6, 2007 by Tim McDowell.

http://www.ransac.org/

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April 6, 2007 by Tim McDowell.

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Tuesday it reached its limit for 2008 H-1B visa petitions in a single day and will not accept any more, to the dismay of technology companies that rely on the visas to hire skilled foreign workers,” reports the Associated Press. “The agency began accepting petitions Monday for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 and said it received about 150,000 applications by mid-afternoon. The temporary visas are for foreign workers with high-tech skills or in specialty occupations. Congress has mandated that the immigration agency limit the visas granted to 65,000, although the cap does not apply to petitions made on behalf of current H-1B holders, and an additional 20,000 visas can be granted to applicants who hold advanced degrees from U.S. academic institutions.” [View article]

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April 6, 2007 by Tim McDowell.

“Suspected gang members who are in the country illegally and are arrested for even minor crimes could face quicker deportation under new policies unveiled Wednesday by the top two prosecutors in Los Angeles,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “… immigrants appear to make up a significant portion of the gang population.… All suspected gang members charged with breaking gang injunctions as well as other offenses such as graffiti vandalism, and loitering are being checked for immigration violations … Those whose criminal records show illegal status are turned over to federal authorities.” [View article]

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April 6, 2007 by Tim McDowell.

“A New York City jazz musician and martial arts instructor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to pledging allegiance to al Qaeda and offering to train would-be terrorists in hand-to-hand combat,” reports Reuters. “The prosecution’s case against Tariq Ibn Osman Shah was based largely on taped conversations between him, an undercover FBI agent posing as an al Qaeda recruiter and an FBI informant, Mohamed Alanssi.” [View article]

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April 6, 2007 by Tim McDowell.

“Broadcast radio and television, cable operators, and satellite radio operators … appear generally prepared to participate” in the Emergency Alert System, but there is an “unreliable method for relaying” the “messages to the public,” according to the Government Accountability Office. “GAO found a lack of ongoing testing” and “problems with equipment and software.” However, developing a better system faces obstacles, such as “achieving cooperation among federal, state, and local emergency management organizations on the use of a standardized technology for disseminating alerts.” [View abstract]

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April 6, 2007 by Tim McDowell.

“The House Armed Services Committee is banishing the” phrase global war on terror “from the 2008 defense budget,” reports the Military Times. “… A memo for the committee staff, circulated March 27, says the 2008 bill and its accompanying explanatory report that will set defense policy should be specific about military operations and ‘avoid using colloquialisms.’ … Also banned is the phrase the ‘long war,’ which military officials began using last year.” In December, the British Foreign Office told cabinet ministers to drop the phrase “war on terror” (see the Dec. 15 newsletter). [View article]