The Rev. V. Gene Robinson became the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop. Now, he and his partner want to be among the first gay couples in New Hampshire to officially unite under a soon-to-be-signed civil unions law. New Hampshire is set to become the nation's fourth state to offer civil unions for gay couples after legislation approved by the state Senate on Thursday was sent to Gov. John Lynch, who has said he would sign it. ``My partner and I look forward to taking full advantage of the new law,'' Robinson told The Associated Press. Robinson, 59, was elected the ninth Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire four years ago, making him the church's first openly gay bishop. His elevation divided the Anglican community. ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk
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Editor - 08:49:00 04-27-07
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 China Urges End to Polluters' Tax Breaks |
The Chinese premier pledged Friday to phase out tax breaks and discounts on land and electricity for highly polluting industries, saying the country's environmental situation was grim and required urgent action. ``Our country is a major coal producer and consumer, and reducing polluting emissions is a responsibility we should bear,'' Premier Wen Jiabao said. China is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, which are blamed for damaging the ozone layer and contributing to global warming. The country had been forecast to surpass the U.S. as the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases in 2010, but its economic growth has pushed the date forward, according to the head of the International Energy Agency. The prediction has refocused attention on China's pollution policies and its contribution to global warming....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6591843,00.html
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Editor - 08:47:00 04-27-07
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| Putin steps up missiles warning |
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that US plans to build a missile defence system in eastern Europe would raise the risk of "mutual destruction". Poland and the Czech Republic are keen to allow the US to site missile bases and radars on their territory. Mr Putin spoke a day after threatening to halt involvement with a treaty limiting conventional arms in Europe. "The threat of causing mutual damage and even destruction increases many times," he told Russian media. "This is not just a defence system, this is part of the US nuclear weapons system," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying. Mr Putin was speaking after meeting Czech President Vaclav Klaus. Mr Putin has taken a tough line in recent months over the US plans for missile defence...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6599647.stm
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Editor - 08:28:00 04-27-07
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| West may adapt UN Kosovo plan: diplomats |
The United States and its allies raised the prospect on Friday of adapting a U.N. plan for the independence of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province to address criticism by Russia, which could block the move.Diplomats said it was discussed at NATO talks in Oslo. "The U.S. and others said they were ready to accommodate some concerns about the (Kosovo) Serb minority without compromising the broad principles of the Ahtisaari proposals," said one diplomat after the NATO foreign minister talks. Russia has backed Serbia in vehemently opposing the plan drafted by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, and there was wide recognition at a NATO meeting in Oslo that Serb concerns had to be addressed. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3087879
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Editor - 08:26:00 04-27-07
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| Not in society's interests to have more gay people, says Polish PM |
Poland's prime minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, rejected EU criticism of a ban on "homosexual propaganda" in schools yesterday, saying that it was not in society's interests to increase the number of gay people. Mr Kaczynski dismissed suggestions that homosexual people faced discrimination in Poland, in a blunt response to an EU parliament vote earlier in the day in which MEPs called for a fact-finding mission to the country to investigate recent anti-gay comments by senior officials. "Nobody is limiting gay rights in Poland," said Mr Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, which stresses Roman Catholic Values and governs with the small League of Polish Families, which is militantly anti-abortion and anti-gay rights. "However, if we're talking about not having homosexual propaganda in Polish schools, I fully agree with those who feel this way. Such propaganda should not be in schools; it definitely doesn't serve youth well. It's not in the ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,,2066792,00.html
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Editor - 08:24:00 04-27-07
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| Weak economic growth hits dollar |
The US economy grew at its weakest pace for four years during the first quarter of 2007, figures from the US Commerce Department show. The news pushed the dollar to record lows of $1.3667 against the euro. US gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of just 1.3% in the first three months of the year, down from 2.5% in the previous quarter. The Commerce Department blamed a slump in the housing market and America's widening trade gap for the slowdown. US exports declined at a rate of 1.2% in the January to March quarter, while imports rose 2.3%, helping to drag output figures lower. GDP - which measures the value of all goods and services produced in a country - is considered the best measure of the economic health of the US. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6599997.stm
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Editor - 08:07:00 04-27-07
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