Supreme Court: Arizona Law Requiring Citizenship Proof For Voters Is Illegal
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states cannot on their own require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier. The justices voted 7-2 to throw out Arizona's voter-approved requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal "Motor Voter" voter registration law. Federal law "precludes Arizona from requiring a federal form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself," Justice Antonia Scalia wrote for the court's majority. Fox News

Weather Disasters Cost $110 Billion In 2012
From Superstorm Sandy and last year's drought to tornadoes, wildfires and a hurricane, the weather and climate disasters of 2012 caused more than $110 billion in damages, making it one of the costliest years on record for weather events, national climate data show. There were 11 disaster events last year, each one causing more than $1 billion in damages, the National Climatic Data Center said. Since 1980, only 2005 had a higher damage total at $160 billion, according to the center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The two most expensive disasters were Sandy, which caused about $65 billion in losses, and the yearlong drought, which cost about $30 billion, the center said. The drought, which affected more than half the country for most of 2012, also led to several wildfires and a fatal heatwave, the center said. CNN

Rubio: ‘If I Was In Charge’ U.S. Would Have Intervened In Syria Earlier
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said if he were president, he would have intervened in Syria much sooner than President Obama did to identify the “reasonable” rebels opposed to the regime of President Basher Assad. “It behooved us to kind of identify whether there was any elements there within Syria fighting against Assad that we could work with--reasonable people that wouldn’t carry out human rights violations and could be part of building a new Syria. We failed to do that,” Rubio told Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ “This Week.” CNS News

Mayors Aim For Resilience To Weather, Energy Challenges
U.S. mayors pledged Monday to make their communities more resilient to increasingly severe floods, droughts, extreme storms and wildfires, which they said was more efficient and cost-effective than disaster clean-up afterwards. Four dozen elected officials, from localities as diverse as Washington D.C., Des Moines, Iowa and Santa Barbara County, California, released a one-page plan which laid out actions such as using more renewable energy and making buildings and infrastructure more energy-efficient. Reuters

Stocks Recover From Last Week's Battering
Stocks recovered from last week's drop to end higher across the board in another choppy session on Monday as investors continued to question when the Fed could begin to wind down its asset-purchase program. Stocks briefly took a leg lower as investors reacted to a Financial Times article, released around 2pm ET, which stated that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is likely to signal that the central bank is "close to tapering down" its $85 billion-a-month in asset purchases during the highly-anticipated press conference on Wednesday. Major averages had been up more than 1 percent for most of the day, boosted by a global rally and amid optimism that Bernanke would provide more clarity on the central bank's easy money policy. MSNBC

Nancy Pelosi Proves Last Straw For Hollywood Actor Who Wants Obama Gone
A Hollywood actor raised with what he described as blue-collar values that included working hard for one’s own money has remained largely quiet about his conservative principles — until the day he heard Rep. Nancy Pelosi speak of the need to pass “Obamacare.” “That day when Nancy Pelosi said, ‘Let’s pass this bill and then we’ll find out what’s in it,’ I actually choked on [my coffee],” actor Ken Wahl said on The Blaze. “But what was even more astonishing after that was that there was no push-back in the mediaabout that. I was Godsmacked.” He said he had never involved himself in politics, but then “something just clicked and I thought, something’s going terribly wrong in America now if this is what it comes to. That moment flipped the switch for me,” The Blaze reported. Washington Times

McCain Demands Answers From Obama On "Secret" Email Accounts
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has fired off a letter to President Obama questioning some of his political appointees' use of alternate government email accounts to conduct official business. McCain sent a list of questions Monday to Mr. Obama and accused the president of turning his back on his campaign promise of ushering in "a new era of government transparency." Since being elected, McCain wrote to Mr. Obama, "[Y]our administration has habitually circumvented congressional oversight. Congress cannot perform its constitutionally-mandated duty to report to the people what their government is doing while your administration creates secret alternate communications networks. If your administration continues to undermine congressional oversight, the political accountability of the executive branch will be severely weakened." CBS

SANDAG Knows Where You've Been
San Diegans unsettled by revelations that the federal government has collected vast troves of information about them might also look in their own rearview mirrors, as local governments are amassing data on their comings and goings for the purpose of fighting crime. Police vehicles equipped with cameras pointing every direction canvass parking lots and streets, gathering data about the time, date and place individual license plates are spotted. The information gets fed into a database maintained by the San Diego Association of Governments, a transportation and planning organization, cross-referenced with information on stolen vehicles and used to track down the bad guys. San Deigo Union

Chrysler Expected To Formally Refuse Jeep Recall
In one of the biggest-ever showdowns between an automaker and the government, Chrysler on Tuesday is expected to file papers explaining its refusal to recall 2.7 million older Jeep SUVs that are at risk of catching fire in rear-end collisions. The government says 51 people have suffered fiery deaths in Jeep Grand Cherokees and Libertys with gas tanks mounted behind the rear axles. But Chrysler is expected to stick to its contention that the SUVs are as safe as similar vehicles on the road. The Jeeps, it says, met all federal safety standards when they were built, some more than two decades ago. Car companies rarely spar publicly with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency that monitors auto safety. The last time an automaker denied a NHTSA recall request was early in 2011, when Ford said calling back 1.2 million pickup trucks for defective air bags wasn't justified. Indy Star

Tropical Depression Heading Toward Southern Mexico
Forecasters say a tropical depression is expected to bring at least three to five inches of rain to parts of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and southern Mexico. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the Atlantic season's second tropical depression formed Monday off Belize and was moving early Tuesday over parts of Belize and northern Guatemala. At 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday, it was about 30 miles (50 kms) east-northeast of Tikal, Guatemala. The depression has maximum sustained winds of 30 mph (45 kph) and is traveling west-northwest at 8 mph (13 kilometers per hour). The center said the depression, once it crosses land in southern Mexico, could strengthen Wednesday nearing Mexico's Bay of Campeche. Miami Herald

Slowdown In Health Care Costs To Continue
There's good news for most companies that provide health benefits for their employees: America's slowdown in medical costs may be turning into a trend, rather than a mere pause. A report Tuesday from accounting and consulting giant PwC projects lower overall growth in medical costs for next year, even as the economy gains strength and millions of uninsured people receive coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law. If the calculations are correct, cost spikes because of the new health care law should be contained within a relatively narrow market segment. That would come as a relief for Democrats in an election year during which Republicans plan to use criticism of "Obamacare" as one of their main political weapons. SF Gate

THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR WEB PORTAL.  PLEASE TELL A FRIEND.

Senator Wants Answers About Alleged CIA Payments
Senator Bob Corker says he's holding up $75 million in U.S. assistance to Afghanistan until he gets answers from the Obama administration about alleged cash payments from the CIA to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says in a letter sent Monday to Secretary of State John Kerry and Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, that he's made repeated requests for information about the alleged payments. But he's received no response. Las Vegas Sun

Ahead Of The Bell: US Consumer Prices
A measure of U.S. consumer prices likely ticked up in May after two months of declines caused by lower gas prices. The small increase would add to evidence that inflation remains tame. Economists forecast that the consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent last month from April, according to a survey by FactSet. Small increases in the cost of gas, food and rent likely pushed the index higher. The Labor Department will release the May report at 8:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Consumer prices fell 0.4 percent in April — the largest monthly decline in four years — and 0.2 percent in March. Both declines were mostly because gas prices plummeted during those months. Houston Chronicle

Americans Throw Away 90 Billion Pounds Of Food A Year
Fresno BeeRotting food is seen in the piles of garbage at the American Avenue Landfill which is owned and operated by Fresno County. Americans typically throw out 21% of their food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "It's not something many people think about, but it takes a huge amount of resources to get food to our plates," says Dana Gunders, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Uneaten food means that the water and land used to grow the food are wasted, too. "That's just a terrible use of those resources," she says. About 24% of all water used to grow crops goes toward food that will be wasted, whether on the farm or in the kitchen, according to the NRDC. The land used to grow this wasted food is roughly the size of Mexico. Charlotte Observer

Obama: If You Are A US Citizen, NSA Cannot Listen To Calls, Target Emails
President Obama defended the NSA today in an interview that will air Monday on Charlie Rose. For the first time, Obama fully explained his argument in favor of the NSA programs as they undergo harsh criticism. "We don't have to sacrifice our freedom in order to achieve security," Obama said. "That's a false choice. That doesn't mean that there are not tradeoffs involved... To say there’s a tradeoff doesn’t mean somehow that we’ve abandoned freedom." Obama cited airport security and measures to curb drunk driving as tradeoffs that succeed in keeping Americans safe. He said the goal is to protect the American way of life, including privacy. There is a balance between protection and privacy, however. UPI

First Family Explores O’Bama’s Irish Roots In Dublin
While President Obama is busy at the G8 Summit, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha are off exploring their family’s Irish roots. Visiting Trinity College in Dublin this afternoon, the first family viewed archives documenting the president’s Irish family tree. “The girls had a chance to… trace their Irish lineage, which was a very powerful thing to find out that these girls that were born on the South Side of Chicago can trace their roots back here to Ireland, way back to the 1600s,” the first lady said. “That was very powerful for me, as their mother, and hopefully it will be something that they cherish for the rest of their lives.” ABC

IRS Couldn’t Handle Political Cases Quickly
Internal Revenue Service employees tried to treat politically oriented groups the same way as other clusters of non-profits seeking tax-exempt status. That didn’t work, an IRS manager told congressional investigators. According to the transcript of her interview last month, Holly Paz said the IRS identified a pattern of groups’ tax-exempt applications and then transferred some cases to Washington so agency lawyers could set clear, consistent rules. That’s what the IRS had done with credit counselors and foreclosure-assistance groups, for example. “I was a little frustrated with our progress,” she said of the political cases. We had “not been able to develop a template because we were finding that the cases, you know, had a good deal of variety.” Bloomberg

Obamacare Rollout Seen Slowed By Confusion Over Benefits
Judith Mayer Lynn, uninsured and battling breast cancer, should be a fan of the Affordable Care Act. Instead, she barely knows about it. The 56-year-old Nevada woman was unaware of subsidies in the law that will help people like her buy coverage in 2014, she said in an interview. Lynn didn’t know the act requires insurers to pay for prescription drugs, hospital stays and other services she’s spent the last two years scrimping to afford. Nor did she realize she can no longer be denied a policy due to her illness. Bloomberg

Lawyers Can't Get Personal Information From Driver Records
The Supreme Court says lawyers may not obtain personal information from state driver license records to recruit clients for lawsuits. The justices voted 5-4 Monday in favor of South Carolina residents who objected to solicitations from lawyers to join a lawsuit against car dealers. Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his majority opinions that a lawyer’s solicitation of clients is prohibited by a federal privacy law intended to shield motor vehicle records. The court left it to lower courts to determine whether letters sent by the lawyers were predominantly efforts to recruit clients. Detroit News

Does It Matter The Government Knows Who I'm Calling?
THE FLURRY of revelations over the past few weeks by whistle-blower Edward Snowden about massive spying by the National Security Agency on American phone calls and some email traffic has done something many thought impossible - it exploded the partisan divide in U.S. politics. It's an issue that unites the likes of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and right-tilting libertarian Rand Paul as critics of the government, but joins conservative House Speaker John Boehner and liberal Dianne Feinstein as defenders of the established order, who believe that Snowden should be returned from Hong Kong and tried as "a traitor." Philadelphia Inquirer

‘It Should Not Be A Secret’: Ray Kelly Rips Feds Phone & Web Snooping
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly launched a stinging rebuke to the federal government’s secret phone- and Internet-monitoring campaign — and suggested leaker Edward Snowden was right about privacy “abuse.” “I don’t think it ever should have been made secret,” Kelly said yesterday, breaking ranks with other US law-enforcement officials. His blast came days after the Obama administration and US Attorney General Eric Holder outraged New York authorities by endorsing a federal monitor for the NYPD. Kelly appeared to firmly reject Holder’s claim that disclosure of the monitoring campaign seriously damaged efforts to fight terrorism. NY Post

Apple Details Government Requests For Data
Apple says it received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests from U.S. law enforcement for customer data for the six months ended in May. The company, like some other businesses, had asked the U.S government to be able to share how many requests it received related to national security and how it handled them. Those requests were made as part of Prism, the recently revealed highly classified National Security Agency program that seizes records from Internet companies. Prism appears to do what its name suggests. Like a triangular piece of glass, Prism takes large beams of data and helps the government find discrete, manageable strands of information. Seattle Times

Afghan President's Forces Taking Security Lead
Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced at a ceremony on Tuesday that his country’s armed forces are taking over the lead for security nationwide from the U.S.-led NATO coalition. The handover of responsibility is a significant milestone in the nearly 12-year war and marks a turning point for American and NATO military forces, which will now move entirely into a supporting role. It also opens the way for their full withdrawal in 18 months. ‘‘This is a historic moment for our country and from tomorrow all of the security operations will be in the hands of the Afghan security forces,’’ Karzai said at the ceremony, held at the new National Defense University built to train Afghanistan’s future military officers. Karzai said that in the coming months, coalition forces will gradually withdraw from Afghanistan’s provinces as the country’s security forces replace them. Boston Globe

Controversial ICE Director Morton Steps Down - With Praise From Napolitano
John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since he was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, announced he would be stepping down from the post next month. "I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together during that time and look with awe on the incredible progress ICE has made as an agency," Morton wrote in a memo to employees on Monday, according to USA Today and other media. "ICE has truly come of age and become an innovative, leading force in federal law enforcement." His boss, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, praised Morton in a statement released after his resignation was announced. CNS News

Will Mayor Bloomberg Stop Attacking Democrats In Gun-Control Battle?
Ever since the failed Senate vote on a background check compromise two months ago, Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun violence group has spent millions eviscerating Republican senators including Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Jeff Flake of Arizona for voting against it. But in recent weeks, the wealthy New York mayor has signaled a greater willingness to expand the attacks across the aisle by taking on the Senate Democrats who also rejected the bi-partisan deal. Although his tactics are increasingly drawing criticism from senior Democrats, Bloomberg has shown no signs of backing down. In May, Bloomberg's group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, unveiled a television ad campaign against one of those senators, Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and last week Bloomberg told hundreds of big-money Democratic donors not to open their wallets for Pryor or for the three other Democrats (Montana's Max Baucus, Alaska's Mark Begich and North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp) who voted against the background check compromise. ABC

Immigration Splits GOP’s National, House Interests
The Republican establishment hopes an overhaul of immigration laws will help the party run stronger presidential races. But that goal is about to hit big hurdles in the form of House Republicans. Many House Republicans are hostile to the bipartisan immigration bill before the Senate. Even substantial changes to it may do little to placate those who demand strict crackdowns on unlawful border crossings and no "amnesty" for people here illegally. These Republicans don't deny that weak support from Hispanic voters is hurting GOP presidential nominees. But they worry much more about their own constituents' opposition to the proposed changes. Las Vegas Sun

Luncheon Meat, Hamburger, Steak, Pork Increase Diabetes Risk
There is more evidence luncheon meat, hot dogs, hamburger, steak and pork increase the risk of type 2 diabetes over the long-term, U.S. researchers say. Dr. Frank B. Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues tracked 26,357 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986-2006, 48,709 women in the Nurses' Health Study from 1986-2006 and 74,077 women in the Nurses' Health Study II from 1991-2007 for about 12-16 years. Study participants filled out questionnaires on what they ate that were updated every four years. Factored in were adjustments for age, family history, race, marital status, initial red meat consumption and smoking. Other lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, alcohol intake, total caloric intake and diet quality, were also factored in, the study said. UPI

 WE ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK ALL OUR SOURCES FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS IN MAKING US AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE NEWS & INFORMATION PORTAL.

Former IRS Boss Involved In Decision To Use Planted Question To Address Scandal
The IRS' upper management was behind the controversial decision to use a planted question to disclose the agency's practice of singling out conservative groups, according to transcripts of interviews reviewed by Fox News. Holly Paz, who had been a Washington supervisor in the agency's tax-exempt unit, told House oversight committee officials that Lois Lerner -- the director of that division -- told her ahead of time that she would be addressing the targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups. Fox News

FBI To Resume Hunt For Jimmy Hoffa's Body On Tuesday
FBI agents will resume searching an overgrown field in suburban Detroit on Tuesday for former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared nearly 38 years ago and is thought to have been murdered by members of organized crime. A backhoe was driven onto the property, not far from where Hoffa was last seen alive, on Monday and video recorded from a helicopter by Detroit television station WDIV showed FBI agents digging for the union leader's remains. By nightfall, there was no indication any remains had been found and the search was halted for the day. Sun Sentinel

Biden To Press Congress On Gun Issue
The White House says President Obama is close to completing a series of executive actions to address gun violence, but they are not a substitute for congressional legislation. In a report issued Tuesday, the administration has "completed or made significant progress" on 21 of 23 executive actions that Obama outlined Jan. 16 as part of a major gun control initiative. "But Congress must also act," the report says. "Passing common-sense gun safety legislation, including expanding background checks and making gun trafficking a federal crime, remains the single most important step we could take to reduce gun violence." USA Today

Obama And Putin Fail To Resolve Differences Over Syria
President Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladi­mir Putin, failed to resolve on Monday their significant differences over how to bring about an end to Syria’s civil war, as each leader steps up military support for opposite sides in the worsening conflict. Meeting for two hours on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit, Obama and Putin discussed shared economic interests, the recent Iranian elections and global security issues that have put the leaders at odds in the past. Syria’s civil war was chief among them. Sitting stiffly in side-by-side chairs, Obama and Putin each indicated that they still disagree over the preferred outcome of the war, including on the future of President Bashar al-Assad and the goals of the armed rebellion. Washington Post

Obama Numbers Plunge Into Generation Gap
It's a glaring number in a national poll that's making headlines. President Barack Obama's approval rating dropped 8 percentage points over the past month to 45%, the president's lowest rating in more than 18 months, according to a CNN/ORC International survey released on Monday. And Obama's disapproval rating soared 9 points to 54% since mid-May. Even more surprising: The overall decline in his approval rating was partially fueled by a plunge in support from younger Americans, a huge base of Obama's support. CNN

Clinton: Only 2 State-Solution Can Preserve Israel As Jewish, Democratic State
While strongly advocating a two-state solution for Israel and its Palestinian neighbors, former US president Bill Clinton stressed on Monday night that “preparing for the worst” in an uncertain Middle Eastern climate is a sensible attitude for the Jewish State. “But if all you do is prepare for the worst and you don’t work for the best then there is no possibility of ever seeing the triumph of creative cooperation,” Clinton said. acing a surging Palestinian population in the West Bank, the only choice for Israel to remain a Jewish and democratic nation will be to work toward a two-state solution, Clinton said at an event in Rehovot on Monday night.  The former US president was speaking about global cooperation and sustainability at a gala event of the Peres Academic Center, an event also held in the presence of President Shimon Peres in honor of his 90th birthday. Jerusalem Post

At G8, Obama And Putin Express Optimism After Iranian Election
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "cautious" optimism on Monday that the election of a moderate cleric in Iran's presidential poll would open up dialogue with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. The president runs the economy and wields important influence in day-to-day decision-making, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on major issues including national security and Iran's nuclear program. Washington and its Western allies accuse Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons and have imposed sanctions on Iran that have damaged its economy and triggered a rise in inflation and unemployment. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating power. Jerusalem Post

ATTENTION TALK SHOW HOSTS:We are honored that many radio talk show hosts use our Web Portal for their "show prep."  We would appreciate your occasional mention of our site to your audience.  Thanks!

NY Manufacturing Growth Picks Up In June, Details Weak
Growth in the New York state manufacturing sector picked back up in June, but the details were less encouraging as new orders and employment fell to their lowest levels in five months, a report from the New York Federal Reserve showed on Monday. The New York Fed's "Empire State" general business conditions index rose to 7.84 from minus 1.43 in May, topping expectations for zero. A reading above zero indicates expansion. But the forward-looking new orders index fell to the lowest level since January at minus 6.69 from minus 1.17, while inventories tumbled to minus 11.29 from minus 7.95. Reuters

American Dream? US Lags In Creating Rich Entrepreneurs
The creation myth of American wealth is almost always rooted in the entrepreneur. It's the two kids who start a computer company in their garage or dorm room. Or the former standup comic who creates form-shaping undergarments, or the South African immigrant who creates a new electric car and private space program. But despite the high-profile examples, America may actually be falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to creating entrepreneurial wealth. A new study from Barclays, "Origins and Legacy: the Changing Order of Wealth Creation," finds developing countries now lead the U.S. when it comes to wealth creation by entrepreneurs. MSNBC

First Lady Michelle Obama Claims Ritzy Digs During Irish Visit
First lady Michelle Obama is sparing no expense on her trip to Ireland, staying at a $3,300-per-night hotel suite in Dublin. Irish press reports Monday said Mrs. Obama and her entourage have booked 30 rooms in the five-star Shelbourne hotel. The first lady is said to be staying in the Princess Grace Suite, named for the Hollywood film star and princess who had an attachment to the room. The suite has two guest bedrooms, a living room and a dining area, according to the hotel’s website. There are four phones, three large televisions, bedding of 100 percent Egyptian cotton, a Nespresso machine and butler service. Washington Times

Pentagon To Begin Training Women For Combat Roles By 2015
Women may be able to start training as Army Rangers by mid-2015 and as Navy SEALs a year later under plans set to be announced by the Pentagon that would slowly bring women into thousands of combat jobs, including those in elite special operations forces. etails of the plans were obtained by The Associated Press. They call for requiring women and men to meet the same physical and mental standards to qualify for certain infantry, armor, commando and other front-line positions across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reviewed the plans and has ordered the services to move ahead. CBS

Oil Prices Fall Toward $97 Before US Fed Meeting
The price of U.S. benchmark oil fell slightly Tuesday, a day after briefly touching a nine-month high, as traders awaited the start of a Federal Reserve policy meeting. Benchmark oil for July delivery dropped 19 cents to $97.58 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Monday, the contract fell slightly after it climbed to $98.74, its highest level since mid-September, as stock and commodity markets wait for Fed policymakers to meet this week. To help support the U.S. economic recovery, the Fed buys $85 billion in bonds every month, which pumps money into the financial system and makes loans more available and affordable by lowering interest rates. Atlanta Journal

Iran Vote: Rouhani Vows Transparency On Nuclear Issue
Iran is ready to show more transparency on its nuclear programme, says President-elect Hassan Rouhani. In his first news conference since Friday's election, Mr Rouhani described as "unfair" sanctions imposed on his country. He also said Tehran would not suspend uranium enrichment activities. The West suspects Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its programme is entirely peaceful. The US and Russia both expressed hope of progress on resolving the issue. Speaking after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, US President Barack Obama said they had "expressed cautious optimism" that following last Friday's elections "we may be able to move forward on a dialogue that allows us to resolve the problems with Iran's nuclear programme". BBC

Alcohol In Pregnancy Confusion Warning From Public Health Wales
Confusing messages about how much alcohol is safe to drink in pregnancy is making it difficult for the NHS to tackle substance misuse, experts warn. Public Health Wales said drinking too much while expecting a baby can lead to miscarriage, low birth weight, learning disabilities and hyperactivity. But it said a lack of clear guidance about how much was too much meant some women did not trust or follow advice. It said midwives needed training to help pregnant women moderate drinking. The UK government advises that women who are pregnant or who are trying to conceive should avoid alcohol entirely. BBC

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Summoned To Criminal Court
Iran's outgoing president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been summoned to a criminal court in Tehran to answer unspecified charges following the victory of the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani in Friday's presidential election. Local news agencies on Monday published a copy of the summons issued by judicial authorities demanding that Ahmadinejad appear before the court in November, a few months after he has handed over the Iranian presidency to Rouhani. It revealed little except that a lawsuit had been lodged by the parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani. The news, initially announced by the government website dolat.ir, was the latest in a series of bruising setbacks for Ahmadinejad, who has fallen foul of his erstwhile patrons and lost a great deal of influence in Iranian politics. Guardian

US Government Identifies Men On Guantánamo 'Indefinite Detainee' List
The US government has finally released the names of 46 men being held in Guantánamo under the classification of "indefinite detainees" – terror suspects deemed too dangerous to release or move yet impossible to try in a civilian or even military court for reasons of inadequate or tainted evidence. The list of the 46 detainees was released to the Miami Herald and New York Times following a freedom of information requests from the papers as part of the list of the 166 current captives in Guantánamo that has been released for the first time. The Obama administration had indicated the existence of the men in January 2010 but has until now refused to divulge their identities, leaving the detainees in a form of prolonged and secret legal limbo. Guardain

Clinton: Only 2 State-Solution Can Preserve Israel As Jewish, Democratic State
While strongly advocating a two-state solution for Israel and its Palestinian neighbors, former US president Bill Clinton stressed on Monday night that “preparing for the worst” in an uncertain Middle Eastern climate is a sensible attitude for the Jewish State. “But if all you do is prepare for the worst and you don’t work for the best then there is no possibility of ever seeing the triumph of creative cooperation,” Clinton said. Facing a surging Palestinian population in the West Bank, the only choice for Israel to remain a Jewish and democratic nation will be to work toward a two-state solution, Clinton said at an event in Rehovot on Monday night.  The former US president was speaking about global cooperation and sustainability at a gala event of the Peres Academic Center, an event also held in the presence of President Shimon Peres in honor of his 90th birthday. Jerusalem Post

'Iran's Nuclear Aims Advancing Despite Sanctions'
Iran is making "steady progress" in expanding its nuclear program despite international sanctions that do not seem to be slowing it down, the UN nuclear agency chief told Reuters on Monday. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said he remained committed to dialogue with Iran to address concerns of possible military dimensions to its nuclear activity. But no new meeting had yet been set after 10 rounds of talks since early 2012, he said. "There is a steady increase of capacity and production" in Iran's nuclear program, Amano said in an interview. Asked if tightening sanctions - imposed by Western powers to make the Islamic Republic curb its atomic activity - were slowing down Iran's nuclear work, he said: "I don't think so ... I don't see any impact." Jerusalem Post

Terror Tactics Making Children More Vulnerable During Conflict – UN Officials
The evolving nature and tactics of conflict are creating unprecedented threats for children, United Nations officials told the Security Council today, stressing that despite progress in protecting youngsters during war, dangerous new trends are making them even more vulnerable. “As new conflicts emerged or deepened in the course of the past 18 months, children continued to pay a heavy toll, perhaps the heaviest,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui said in her presentation to the Council of the Secretary-General’s 12th annual report on the subject. “The absence of clear frontlines and identifiable opponents and the increasing use of terror tactics have made children more vulnerable.” UN News

UN Chief Renews Call For Entry Into Force Of Treaty Banning Nuclear Tests
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today renewed his call for the earliest entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits all nuclear tests across the world. “Now it is time for the international community to exercise political will and act,” Mr. Ban said in his message to the CTBT: Science and Technology 2013 Conference in Vienna, Austria. The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the General Assembly in September 1996 but has not yet entered into force. The Conference was organized by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which is tasked with building up the treaty’s verification regime so that it is fully operational when the treaty enters into force, and with promoting signatures and ratifications. UN News

ABC Online  Canada National Post  Daily Telegraph  The Observer Wired News Xinhua News