Labor Day Surge For Republicans In Bellwether Ohio
Voters in Ohio are angry. Unemployment is 9th worst in the nation and has hovered over 10% all year. Labor argues that in this 2010 midterm election the anger is best directed at the Bush administration for what the left calls "failed GOP policies of the past." Polls in Ohio and nationwide however suggest the anger is being aimed at Democrats. The governorship of Ohio is a highly prized political office and both parties pour millions into controlling it - particularly in advance of presidential campaigns. Incumbent governors routinely have their states strongest political machines and that is the case with Ohio Democrat Ted Strickland. Fox News
VOA VIEW: Voters are not going to believe Obama, Democrats and labor.

Tea Party Seeks Another Upset In Delaware's Senate Primary
Thanks to the tea party, Rep. Mike Castle's once smooth path to Delaware's Republican Senate nomination suddenly has become less predictable - and is providing a fresh reason for already staggering moderate Republicans everywhere to be frightened. Castle has been a Delaware favorite for decades. A former governor and, more recently, a veteran congressman, his common-sense, independent approach to politics was expected to give him an easy path to nomination and perhaps victory this fall for the Senate seat held for 36 years by Vice President Joe Biden. Instead, the tea party, which has shocked the political establishment with the defeat of a Republican incumbent - Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski - and earlier successes in Nevada, Utah and Kentucky, has turned its attention to Delaware. Kansas City Star

Top US Commander: Burning Quran Endangers Troops
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned Tuesday an American church's threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book could endanger U.S. troops in the country and Americans worldwide. Meanwhile, NATO reported the death of an American service member in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday. The comments from Gen. David Petraeus followed a protest Monday by hundreds of Afghans over the plans by Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center — a small, evangelical Christian church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy — to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States that provoked the Afghan war. SF Gate
VOA VIEW: The evangelical Christian church and its members are just as radical and fanatical as the Muslims they are protesting against.

Hurricane Watch Issued For Texas, Mexico Ahead Of Hermine
A hurricane watch was issued Monday for portions of the Texas and Mexico coasts ahead of Tropical Storm Hermine, which forecasters said could approach hurricane strength before making landfall late Monday or early Tuesday. However, tracking maps show Hermine remaining a tropical storm as it makes landfall early Tuesday near the Texas and Mexico border. A hurricane watch stretches from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, northward to Baffin Bay, Texas, the National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning was in effect for La Cruz, Mexico, northward to Port O'Connor, Texas. CNN

New U.S. Tactical Missile Is Tested
Two aerospace giants teamed up to test a tactical missile, hoping to land a $5 billion contract to build it for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines, officials said. Raytheon Missile Systems and Boeing Co. recently completed a second government-sponsored test of a tactical missile that someday could be launched by a half-dozen different aircraft, The Arizona Republic reported Monday. The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, or JAGM, is expected to replace Hellfire, Maverick and TOW missiles in the U.S. military's arsenal, the newspaper said. UPI

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Israel PM Sees Deal Possible In Year
Netanyahu told the visiting delegation that he "believes it possible, through such direct and contiguous negotiations, held without breaks or delays, to achieve a peace agreement within a year," spokesman Nir Hefez said on Monday. Netanyahu said he thought a goal of the Quartet of Middle East power brokers -- the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia -- to agree on the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, was attainable, Hefez added. The next round of Israeli, Palestinian negotiations was scheduled for September 14 in Egypt, followed by a session expected on the following day, possibly in Jerusalem and in the attendance of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Reuters

Obama Getting Fewer Judges Seated Than Nixon
A determined Republican stall campaign in the Senate has sidetracked so many of the men and women nominated by President Barack Obama for judgeships that he has put fewer people on the bench than any president since Richard Nixon at a similar point in his first term 40 years ago. The delaying tactics have proved so successful, despite the Democrats' substantial Senate majority, that fewer than half of Obama's nominees have been confirmed and 102 out of 854 judgeships are vacant. Forty-seven of those vacancies have been labeled emergencies by the judiciary because of heavy caseloads. Even some Republican senators have complained. Sen. Lamar Alexander took to the Senate floor in July to plead with his own leaders for a vote on an appeals court judge supported by Alexander and fellow Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker. MSNBC

Health Care Wastefulness Is Detailed In Studies
In a snapshot of systemic waste, researchers have calculated that more than half of the 354 million doctor visits made each year for acute medical care, like for fevers, stomachaches and coughs, are not with a patient’s primary physician, and that more than a quarter take place in hospital emergency rooms. The authors of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, said it highlighted a significant question about the new federal health care law: can access to primary care be maintained, much less improved, when an already inadequate and inefficient system takes on an expected 32 million newly insured customers? The study is the first to quantify the problem, according to Dr. Stephen R. Pitts, the lead author and an associate professor of emergency medicine at Emory University. Examining records of acute care visits from 2001 to 2004, the researchers concluded that 28 percent took place in emergency rooms, including almost all of the visits made on weekends and after office hours. NY Times
VOA VIEW: Obamacare will cause many to suffer and die.

Election Spending Sets Records
Turns out politics, for all its focus on the gloomy economy, is a recession-proof industry. This year's volatile election is bursting with money, setting fundraising and spending records in a high-stakes struggle for control of Congress amid looser but still fuzzy campaign finance rules. Based on the latest financial reports, House and Senate candidates in this election cycle raised nearly $1.2 billion, well ahead of the pace for contests in 2008, 2006 and 2004. Races for governor in 37 states -- more than half of those for open seats -- are also setting fundraising records. Billionaire Republican Meg Whitman leads the way, pumping $104 million of her own money into her campaign for California governor. Indy Star

Abbas Asks US To Step Into Settlement Dispute
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he has asked the U.S. to settle a dispute with Israel over settlement expansion that is threatening to derail Mideast peace talks. Israel's 10-month partial freeze on new construction in West Bank settlements ends Sept. 26, and Israeli officials have indicated they will not extend the freeze as is. Abbas has said he'll quit peace talks with Israel unless the restrictions remain in place. Abbas said late Monday that he has asked the U.S. "to intervene in the settlement issue."  The Obama administration has promised an active role in the talks, Abbas told reporters accompanying him on his way back from Washington, where talks were launched last week after a hiatus of nearly two years.  San Diego Union

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Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Totals $58.9M
Despite the struggling economy, officials with the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon say contributions and pledges from this year’s Labor Day event totaled $58.9 million. While the amount was down from $60.5 million last year and a record $65 million in 2008, Lewis said he was pleased with the support to advance the research and service programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The 45th annual telethon originated for the fifth consecutive year from the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas and reached some 40 million viewers through 170 television stations. Boston Globe

Flight Data Recorder Found APS Wreckage
Investigators at the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane recovered the flight data recorder Tuesday as experts seek the cause of last week's crash, including a report of smoke in the cockpit. Teams from U.S. agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, have joined the probe into why the Boeing 747-400 went down Friday in the desert outside Dubai. Both crew members were killed. The data device - which monitors the plane's systems - will be sent to the United States for analysis along with the cockpit recorder, which was recovered six hours after the crash, said a statement from the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority. Seattle Times

Iran Says It Has The Right To Bar UN Inspectors
Iran's nuclear chief said Tehran has the right to bar some U.N. inspectors from monitoring its disputed nuclear program, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported. Ali Akbar Salehi's late Monday comments were apparently in response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, expressing alarm about Iran's decision to bar some of its inspectors. The report followed Iran's recent decision to strip two inspectors of the right to monitor its nuclear activities after they reported what they said were undeclared nuclear experiments. ISNA also quoted Salehi as saying Iran asked the agency to replace the two and that it has accepted the replacements.  Atlanta Journal
VOA VIEW: Iraq posed less of a danger to the world, prior to the war.

Armored Trucks Cut IED Deaths Among Allied Troops
The U.S. military's new armored trucks in Afghanistan are significantly reducing troop deaths in roadside attacks at a time when insurgent bombings are at record levels, according to statistics provided to USA TODAY. Deaths of U.S. and allied troops fell from 76 in July 2009 to 57 in July of this year, according to the military command in Afghanistan. Nearly 80% of roadside bomb attacks on Humvees from January 2009 through the end of July 2010 killed occupants, according to U.S. Air Force Maj. Michael Johnson, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, the top command in Afghanistan. That figure dropped to 15% for attacks on Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, and an all-terrain MRAP model tailor-made for Afghanistan's rugged terrain. The trucks are designed to shield people from roadside bomb blasts. USA Today

Ex-Soldier Seeking Medical Help Holds 3 Hostage
One-Hour Standoff at Fort Stewart Army Base in Georgia Ends Peacefully; Ex-Soldier Was Demanding Mental Health Treatment. The Army says a former soldier demanding behavioral treatment took three workers hostage at a Georgia military hospital before surrendering. Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson says no one was hurt during the short standoff early Monday at the post's Winn Army Community Hospital. Larson says the man was carrying four guns when he came into the hospital around 4 a.m. Monday and took the three workers hostage on the third floor. He says the gunman told them he wanted treatment for behavioral problems. CBS
VOA VIEW: The gunman certainly had issues.

Afghans Protest Fla. Church's Plans To Burn Quran
Hundreds of Afghans railed against the United States and called for President Obama's death at a rally in the capital Monday to denounce a Florida church's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on Sept. 11. The crowd in Kabul, numbering as many as 500, chanted "Long live Islam" and "Death to America" as they listened to fiery speeches from members of parliament, provincial council deputies and Islamic clerics who criticized the United States and demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. Some threw rocks when a U.S. military convoy passed, but speakers shouted at them to stop and told police to arrest anyone who disobeyed. Washington Times

Tropical Storm Hermine Crosses Into Texas
Tropical Storm Hermine rolled into south Texas early Tuesday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to an area battered by Hurricane Alex earlier this summer.
Hermine made landfall in northeastern Mexico late Monday and crossed into Texas within hours, bringing with it winds of up to 65 mph (100 kph). It moved on a path similar to the one Hurricane Alex took in late June, and like that Category 1 storm, threatened to dump up to a foot of rain in some areas and cause flash flooding. Hermine was no Alex in terms of strength. But Hermine wasn't taken lightly: Mexican emergency officials in Tamaulipas worked to evacuate 3,500 people around Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, and schools on both sides of the border canceled classes Tuesday. Tampa Tribune

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Sour Economy Favors Republicans In Governor Races
Never before have so many U.S. governorships been up for grabs — and with so much at stake. The races for state executives come just ahead of once-in-a-decade congressional and legislative redistricting to reflect the U.S. population of the 2010 census, a process in which governors will play a central role. Of the 37 governorships on the ballot in November, more than half are open seats. And many of the contests are in prime 2012 presidential battleground states. Democrats control 26 of the country's 50 state governorships and must defend 19 in November. Sheer math, the sour economy and historical trends favoring the out-of-power party in November elections suggest big Republican statehouse gains. MSNBC

New Jobs Of Future May Leave Many Behind
Whenever companies start hiring freely again, job-seekers with specialized skills and education will have plenty of good opportunities. Others will face a choice: Take a job with low pay - or none at all. Job creation will likely remain weak for months or even years. But once employers do step up hiring, some economists expect job openings to fall mainly into two categories of roughly equal numbers: - Professional fields with higher pay. Think lawyers, research scientists and software engineers. - Lower-skill and lower-paying jobs, like home health care aides and store clerks. And those in between? Their outlook is bleaker. Economists foresee fewer moderately paid factory supervisors, postal workers and office administrators. CBS

Fired Up Obama Pushes $50 Billion Infrastructure Plan To Create Jobs
President Obama has for months said that rebuilding the economy and creating jobs is his "most urgent task." And, today, despite sagging public confidence in his abilities, he told a spirited crowd of union supporters in Milwaukee that he'll "keep fighting every single day to turn this economy around." Obama used the Labor Day event to unveil a new six-year, $50 billion plan to create jobs by improving and expanding 150,000 miles of the nation's roads, 4,000 miles of railways and 150 miles of runways. ABC
VOA VIEW: Full recovery won't come until after Obama is gone.

Hundreds Flee Fast-Moving Colorado Wildfire
A wind-whipped wildfire has sent flames roaring through a rugged canyon in the Colorado foothills, forcing hundreds of people to flee and destroying an unknown number of homes , some that belonged to the firefighters themselves. The blaze broke out Monday morning northwest of Boulder and rapidly spread across 5 1/2 square miles or 3,500 acres. Erratic 45-mph gusts sometimes sent the fire in two directions at once. Despite the fire's quick and destructive advance, no injuries had been reported, although some residents told of narrow escapes. Fire managers said 1,000 homes had to be evacuated from the canyon and surrounding areas, but they didn't know how many were destroyed, other than four belonging to firefighters. Philadelphia Inquirer

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Treasury Futures Are Near Lowest In A Month On Recovery Signs
Treasury 10-year futures were near the weakest in almost a month as gains in stocks reduced demand for the safety of fixed-income assets amid optimism the U.S. economy will avoid another recession. Ten-year contracts fell earlier, extending losses from last week when a report showed U.S. company payrolls increased by more than economists had forecast. Data this week will show initial jobless claims dropped, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. The Treasury will sell a total of $67 billion in 3-, 10- and 30-year debt this week. Bloomberg

Most Accurate Gold Forecaster, UniCredit's Hitzfeld, Raises 2011 Estimate
UniCredit SpA’s Jochen Hitzfeld, the most accurate gold forecaster tracked by Bloomberg in the last three quarters, raised his estimate for the metal’s average price next year by 12 percent to $1,400 an ounce. Bullion will average $1,600 an ounce in 2012, Munich-based Hitzfeld said today in a report. He increased next year’s forecast from $1,250. Gold for immediate delivery traded at $1,249.75 at 3:45 p.m. in London, 1.2 percent below a record $1,265.30 reached on June 21. The metal is headed for a 10th annual climb in a row this year, helped by concern about the effect of government economic- stimulus plans and speculation about increased demand in China, the world’s second-largest buyer after India. The Federal Reserve last month decided to restart Treasury purchases, its first attempt to bolster growth since March 2009 to keep the U.S. economy from relapsing into recession. Bloomberg

UK Regulators Want Avandia Diabetes Pill Pulled
GlaxoSmithKline's controversial diabetes pill Avandia should be pulled from the U.K. market because of concerns that the drug can increase the risk of heart attacks, British drug regulators said Monday. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said an independent panel of experts had advised it that the risks of Avandia outweigh its benefits, and that the drug should no longer be sold in Britain. The body said it had sent a letter to doctors in July advising them to consider alternative treatments. The British Medical Journal also called for the immediate withdrawal of the drug, saying it should never have been licensed in the first place. Las Vegas Sun

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US Tells Turkey – Cool It With Iran
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen has told Turkey it must join the international coalition seeking to contain Iran. Speaking in Ankara over the weekend Mullen said  Turkey is also under significant economic pressure from the US - a  Treasury delegation was in Ankara two weeks ago,  warning key banks and private companies not to do business with Iran. Many Iranian banks turned to Turkey when the UN, EU and US imposed fresh economic sanctions in June and froze many of Iran's foreign assets. Following the US Treasury delegation's visit, many Turkish banks have reportedly ceased doing business with Iran. Fox News

Creditors Turn To Facebook For Payments
Social media websites like Facebook are offering creditors a new way to find a person who is behind on payments. "I've been late on my car payment before," says Valisa Valdois. She says she gets "harassing" phone calls from collectors. "They will call, and call, and call until you do actually answer." Attorney Regina McConnell represents collection agencies in court. She tells 8 News Now, finding people on Facebook is the latest trend. It begins by companies posing as an attractive person. "That's false and misleading," McConnell said. "And, that can make the person say, 'oh yeah, I want to become friends with them.'" "It's a good trick by creditors," said consumer Attorney Jeffrey Cogan. "If you accept that friend request, you've opened up a whole bag of information to that collection agent." CNN

U.S. Commander Seeks 2,000 New Troops For Afghanistan
The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan has requested another 2,000 troops for the foreign force fighting the Taliban insurgency, despite waning support for the war in troop-contributing nations, NATO officials said. NATO officials said the request by General David Petraeus to bolster the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was made last week and included a call for about 750 more personnel to train the Afghan security forces. "It has been determined that around 2,000 forces will be required," a NATO official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Reuters

Employees Pay More And Get Less From Medical Coverage
Workers are paying 14 percent more for their employer-sponsored plans than they did last year as a bigger chunk of healthcare costs shifted from employers to employees, according to a new survey. Workers paid nearly $3,997 this year toward the cost of family healthcare coverage -- up $482 from the average employee share in 2009 and a jump of 47 percent from the average employee share for family coverage in 2005. Meanwhile, employers are paying an average of $9,773, down $87 from what they paid last year. Moreover, 30 percent of companies surveyed said they reduced the scope of benefits at the same time that they increased the amount their employees must pay for health insurance in the past year. ABC

US Expects To Subsidize Afghan Training For Years
The United States expects to spend about $6 billion a year training and supporting Afghan troops and police after it begins pulling out its own combat troops in 2011, The Associated Press has learned. The previously undisclosed estimates of U.S. spending through 2015, detailed in a NATO training mission document, are an acknowledgment that Afghanistan will remain largely dependent on the United States for its security. That reality could become problematic for the Obama administration as it continues to seek money for Afghanistan from Congress at a time of increasingly tight budgets. In Brussels, a NATO official said Monday that alliance commander Gen. David Petraeus asked for 2,000 more soldiers, with nearly half to be trainers for the rapidly expanding Afghan security forces. Las Vegas Sun

Sex Ads Still Appearing On Craigslist
The Web site "Craigslist" has censored its "Adult Services" section, but ads seeking money for sexual services are still appearing, ABC News said. Craigslist censored the "Adult Services" section late Friday, but ads offering sexual encounters were still appearing on its "Casual Encounters" section, ABC reported. Ads alluding to exchanges of money for sexual services were found on Craigslist Web sites in New York, Las Vegas and other cities Sunday, the network said. The ads used terms such as "fun time$" or a massage by "attractive independent female," the report said. Craigslist had made no comment since the Web site's link to the adult services section was taken down. UPI

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N. Korea Prepares For Biggest Convention In 30 Years
Huge posters plastered across the North Korean capital hailed the nation's biggest political convention in 30 years as a historic event as the world watched Monday for signs that the country's next leader was making his public debut. Party delegates from all corners of North Korea were gathering in Pyongyang, state media said. Thousands practiced waving pink and red plastic flowers in a weekend rehearsal of celebrations at Kim Il-sung Square, China's Xinhua News Agency said. The capital was festooned with posters urging North Koreans to "make this a festive event that will shine in the history of our country and people." One North Korean professor told Associated Press Television News the party meeting marked a "turning point" for the communist nation. Washington Times

Iran's Uranium Stockpile Increased Despite Sanctions
Iran increased its uranium stockpile while failing to boost cooperation with United Nations inspectors probing whether the Persian Gulf country is trying to build nuclear weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report released on Monday. The country increased its supply of 20 percent enriched uranium to 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds) compared with 5.7 kilograms in May at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant in Natanz, the Vienna-based IAEA said in the report. Iran has produced 2,803 kilograms of uranium enriched to less than 5 percent compared with 2,427 kilograms reported in the IAEA’s May 31 report. Jerusalem Post

Egypt Concerned Over Defining Israel As Jewish State
Defining Israel as a Jewish state is something that arouses concern, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit who spoke to the Al Arabiya network on Monday. Aboul Gheit feared for the fate of Israeli Arabs in the case that the UN approves a decision to define Israel as a Jewish state. "Would they give them all the citizens rights that they deserve? Would they remain a minority or could it be that they would be deported?" Aboul Gheit said in the Al Arabiya report. Aboul Gheit said that Arabs make up 20% of the population of Israel. What would happen if that number would rise 30%, for example in another 25 years. Jerusalem Post

Latest Pakistan Floods Prompt Fresh Exodus From Towns
At least 350,000 people are on the move in Sindh, fleeing the new flood surge. Several hundred thousand more people have been forced to flee towns and villages in Pakistan's southern Sindh province amid fresh flooding. Water is gushing towards Dadu district after a breach in the Toori dam in the north of the already flood-hit region. In the past weeks all but four of Sindh's 23 districts have been deluged. Weeks after monsoon rains triggered devastating floods across Pakistan, aid agencies say more than eight million displaced people need food and water. The Toori dam was washed away in August, causing the waters of the River Indus to split in two. One side is continuing to flow to the Arabian sea, while the other is going parallel to the Indus' natural course, wreaking a path of destruction. BBC

West Bank Settlement Freeze Will End
The Israeli foreign minister says he will block any attempt by the coalition government to extend the partial freeze on settlements in the West Bank. Avigdor Lieberman said his hard-line Yisrael Beitenu party was powerful enough to defeat any such proposal. The Palestinian Authority has said it will not continue US-sponsored peace talks - the first in almost two years - if settlement building resumes. The partial freeze is due to expire later this month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet indicated how he intends to handle the 26 September deadline. BBC

BP, Battered But Still Standing
BP is still standing, but the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has changed the company forever. It could have been far worse. In June, some City analysts doubted whether BP could survive the crisis. Shares had plunged by more than half. Within the space of a few weeks, the official estimate of the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf had increased from 5,000 barrels to anywhere between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels per day. The company's repeated attempts to stop the flow had failed and August – the earliest the first relief well could be drilled – seemed a lifetime away. The chief executive, Tony Hayward – who has since resigned – and BP's chairman were summoned to meet Barack Obama at the White House. They were forced to scrap plans to pay shareholders a dividend and instead to set aside $20bn to pay damages to those affected. Guardian

White House Says Oil Has Gone
High tide, and the remains of a late summer storm, and it is hard to tell on this strip of land between the Mississippi and the marsh where land ends and water begins. It was here – in the most southerly reaches of Louisiana on terrain that is slowly sliding into the sea – that oil from BP's Macondo well first started coming ashore, about a week after the 20 April explosion on the Deepwater Horizon. Eleven men were killed when the drilling platform blew up. And it is here where local people will take the most convincing that the worst of the oil spill is behind them and that recovery is under way. Barack Obama's point man on the spill, the US Coast Guard's former commander, Thad Allen, said at the weekend that the well no longer posed any threat to the Gulf. Crews will begin the last few remaining operations needed to abandon the well this week. Guardian

Tony Blair Cncels Book Signing Amid Protest Threat
Tony Blair today cancelled a high-profile signing session of his new memoir in central London amid concerns over planned protests. The former prime minister was due to attend the flagship Waterstone's store in Piccadilly on Wednesday - where anti-war campaigners had promised a hostile reception. But he said he did not want to subject the public to the "inevitable hassle" protests would cause or use up police resources keeping order at the event. Eggs and shoes were hurled by protesters and one attempted to make a citizen's arrest when Mr Blair signed copies of the book - A Journey - in Dublin. Independent

Pope Chooses Rap Song As Soundtrack For His UK Visit
He is a liturgical traditionalist who is known to favour the Latin mass with all its ancient trimmings. But when it comes to finding a song that will appeal to young worshippers, the Pope has opted for rap. The committee overseeing Pope Benedict’s itinerary in Britain next week announced today that they have chosen a hip-hop track to be the official “youth anthem” for his three day visit. “Heart’s Cry”, by Catholic trio Ooberfuse, is a world away from the type of soaring hymnals usually associated with Catholic services. The band, who all live in London, sent their track to Father Andrew Headon, a member of the Papal Visit Organising Committee which chose the song to represent young worshippers. It will almost certainly be played to the faithful during the Pope’s prayer vigil in Hyde Park, an event which is specifically aimed at appealing to younger Catholics. Independent

New Powers To Block Britons From Extradition
An independent review of agreements with the US and European nations is to be announced by Theresa May, the Home Secretary. It follows widespread concern that the current system is biased against Britain and follows cases including that of Gary McKinnon, the alleged hacker wanted by the American authorities. Home Office warned six years ago about unfair extradition treatyUnder the review, which could be announced as soon as tomorrow, the Home Secretary’s hand could be strengthened and foreign authorities could be required to provide more evidence before British courts grant a request. A panel of lawyers and international relations experts, led by a judge, will also examine whether suspects accused of crimes that took place mostly in this country but affected foreign citizens should be tried at home. Telegraph

NKorea Frees 7 Detained SKorean, Chinese Fishermen
North Korea freed the crew Tuesday of a South Korean fishing boat seized a month ago, a sign the rivals may be talking behind the scenes to improve relations that have plummeted to their lowest point in years since the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship. In another indication ties may be strengthening, the North asked the South for aid. North Korea seized the South Korean fishing boat with a crew of seven - four South Koreans and three Chinese - off the east coast on Aug. 8. The North accused the crew of fishing illegally in its exclusive economic zone but on Monday announced it would free the crew as a "humanitarian" gesture. Detroit News

Tube Workers Walk Out In Jobs Strike
London Underground workers started a fresh wave of 24-hour strikes tonight, threatening travel chaos for days and costing the economy almost £50 million. Thousands of members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association walked out at 5pm, with another wave at 9pm, in protest at plans to axe 800 jobs. The action, to be followed by further stoppages in October and November, will disrupt Tube services, used by millions of passengers every day. Mayor Boris Johnson criticised the industrial action as a ''trumped-up and politically motivated'' attempt to attack the coalition Government. The strikes followed a 24-hour stoppage from 7pm last night by up to 200 maintenance staff at depots on the Jubilee and Northern lines in a separate row over pay and conditions, which the RMT said was ''solidly'' supported. Telegraph

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