Bank Bailouts The Treasury may have made some silly paper “profit” on its bailout of Citigroup (C) but the taxpayer may not get much of anything. The Washington Post reports that as part of the bank’s TARP payback agreement, it’s quietly been given a $38 billion tax break by the IRS. Seriously. The Internal Revenue Service on Friday issued an exception... 

A Crucifix in an Italian school Liberal senators led by Silvio Berlusconi have placed on the agenda of the last meeting of the Italian Senate passed a bill to protect the Holy Cross sign ‘as a universal sign of culture and Christian civilization’ reported ‘Radio Liberty’ – Moldova. According to the definitions set out in the document, the... 

A mosque could rise at 9/11 Ground Zero A mysterous Muslim group with unknown sponsors has purchased a building steps away from Ground Zero. Hudson New York reported: An identified group with unknown sponsors has purchased building steps away from where the WorldTrade Center once stood — to turn it into potentially one of the largest New York City mosques. At the moment... 

Sex researchers who tracked teenage girls in Indianapolis found that half of those studied had at least one sexually transmitted infection within two years of first having sex. The Indiana University School of Medicine researchers followed 381 girls who mostly lived in lower-income neighborhoods and ranged in age from 14 to 17 when the study began. IU professor J. Dennis... 

Inside the Russian Orthodox Church When the congregation at St. Nicolay church in this northern Israeli town gathered on that quiet Friday morning of May 29, they never expected to be showered with stones. The Russian Orthodox worshipers, including many women, children and the elderly, had filled the small building to overflow with several outside when they were stunned... 

"Death to Christians" written in Hebrew on a Christian Church Jerusalem, December 14, Interfax – The Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem was vandalized early on December 11. ‘Death’ and ‘Death to Christians’ were written in Hebrew in large red letters near the cathedral altar and ante-church,... 

Believe it or not, but these were German money that became completely useless in the Weimar. Hitler came and saved Germany but where is he now? (Germany's first Hyperinflation) The German cabinet approved next year’s budget proposals on Wednesday, envisaging record debt for 2010, government sources told German Press Agency dpa. The budget, drawn up by Finance... 

Only 10 percent of French youths read a newspaper daily. This may be the era of Twitter and blogs, but the French government won’t give up on the printed press. In fact, it is stepping in to bail out the print-news industry in an unusual way. In an attempt to get young people to read the printed stuff again, the Sarkozy government this fall started giving every 18-to-24-year-old... 

Israeli former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, pictured on December 3. A British court issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s former foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, on war crimes charges but withdrew the order when she cancelled a previously scheduled trip to the country. Israel is warning that the move will harm relations between the two nations. Former Foreign Minister,... 

Cold comfort: Charles steps from jet into snow in Copenhagen Prince Charles and Gordon Brown were accused last night of ‘green hypocrisy’ after jetting into Copenhagen to lecture the world about global warming. Charles used the £1,019-an-hour Queen’s Flight so he could deliver a keynote speech to the climate change conference, flying back after less than three... 

Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, at a meeting in April, introduced an immigration bill Tuesday. The on-again, off-again drive to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws moved back to Congress on Tuesday with the introduction of legislation that would open a path to legal status for millions of illegal immigrants. The bill, introduced by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez,... 

Obama, depicted as a Communist Kremlin position papers presented to Prime Minister Putin today on his upcoming meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen state that the European-US military alliance has authorized an ‘emergency request’ from President Obama to utilize American and Canadian NATO troops to put down what is expected to be a “rebellion”... 

Russian victims of the Israeli "negligence" Israeli co-owner of club in which blast killed 117 Friday night to be charged along with three others. Russia’s Prosecutor General filed Monday an indictment against four people suspected of causing a giant explosion that killed 117 people in a nightclub late Friday night. One of the suspects possesses an Israeli... 

A Maxham Elementary student was suspended from school for drawing what he says depicts Jesus on the cross. His name was removed from the drawing based on the family's wish to protect the boy. A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of... 

Japanese Whaling Australia’s prime minister threatened legal action against Japan on Friday if it does not stop its research whaling program that kills up to 1,000 whales a year. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s comments came as the Australian Broadcasting Corp. quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada as saying in an interview that Japan has no plans to...