The latest news on Super Tuesday, Budget, Military budget, Veterans, Immigrants, EITC, Climate change, Canada, Israel, Afghanistan, Chad, Christians in Pakistan, and Colombia protest.

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Super Tuesday. As 24 States Vote, a Grab for Delegates, and an Edge"There will be plenty of trends to track in Tuesday's free-for-all, as 43 contests in 24 states allocate 3,156 delegates on what could be the most significant day of the race to date." Two Races, One Big Day "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made a raspy appeal for support in her race against Sen. Barack Obama, even as her aides warned that the Democratic presidential contest will probably drag on for months … Republican Mitt Romney, meanwhile, predicted he would "surprise" those who were expecting Sen. John McCain to be anointed as the GOP nominee." Presidential hopefuls make their California Super Tuesday push "On the final day before the presidential campaign's biggest prize thus far, today's delegate-rich California primary, the candidates called on influential friends and legions of volunteers to rally their faithful one last time before the polls open." Super Tuesday, state by state Democrat "Barack Obama heads into Super Tuesday's voting with apparent momentum in several big states where Hillary Clinton's been the longtime leader. Republican John McCain, meanwhile, maintains solid leads in the Northeast, but faces scattered threats from Mitt Romney in the South, Midwest and particularly in California."

Budget. Bush's Budget Projects Deficits "President Bush yesterday unveiled a $3.1 trillion budget plan for fiscal 2009 that will leave deficits of more than $400 billion this year and next, forcing his successor to grapple with a range of unpalatable choices to close the gap, according to lawmakers and budget experts." Bush presents $3 trillion budget "President Bush, facing his final go-around on spending with a Democratic-run Congress during this presidential election year, unveiled a $3.1 trillion budget for 2009 that boosts defense spending and pares Medicare costs while leaving a near-record deficit." Bush's budget swells deficit "President Bush submitted a $3.1-trillion budget for the next fiscal year that reflected his strategy for dealing with a costly war and a troubled economy: substantially boost military expenditures, rein in domestic spending -- including for Medicare -- and more than double the deficit." Federal deficits soaring higher, menacing the future "President Bush took office in 2001 with a budget surplus, but his final budget proposal envisions federal deficits of more than $400 billion a year for the next two years."

Military budget. White House Requests $515 Billion for the Pentagon "President Bush requested $515.4 billion for the fiscal 2009 Pentagon budget, a 7.5 percent increase from last year's spending request that is aimed at expanding the Army and Marine Corps, boosting force readiness and future combat capabilities, and improving the quality of life of service." Pentagon asks for biggest budget hike since World War II "Besides its $515 billion request, the Defense Department wants another $70 billion to cover some of next year's war operations."

Veterans. Vets often denied academic credits for military experience, special skills"Many of the thousands of veterans who attend college after tours of duty are denied credit for military courses and specialized skills despite an accreditation system set up to award it, veterans' advocates and students say."

Immigrants. Issues Start Rush to Citizenship by Hispanics "Spurred by the widespread crackdown on illegal immigration and by the contentious tone of the national immigration debate, Latinos are gearing up for Tuesday's voting with an eye toward making Hispanics a decisive voting bloc nationwide in November."

EITC. Boost in tax credit sought for childless poor "As income tax-filing season hits full stride, millions of taxpayers are counting on an obscure government program to help pull their families out of poverty. Under the Earned Income Tax Credit, the nation's largest cash-assistance program for the working poor, some low-wage workers who file tax returns will pocket up to $4,716 apiece this year."

Climate change. Climate scientists list world's at risk regions "Now a team of climate experts has ranked the most fragile and vulnerable regions on the planet, and warned they are in danger of sudden and catastrophic collapse before the end of the century."

Canada. Show the world, Canadians tell country "Canadians are highly engaged with the world beyond their borders, proud of their country's international role and eager to do more as global citizens, a new opinion poll finds."

Israel. Bomber kills 1, injures 9 in Israel "Israeli security officials were investigating whether a suicide bombing in Israel -- the first such attack in a year -- was carried out by Palestinian militants who might have infiltrated from Egypt after its border with the Gaza Strip was breached last month." Suicide bomber strikes in Israeli desert town "The attacker and a woman die. Police shoot another bomber as he reaches for explosives." Israeli suicide strike may have originated in Gaza border chaos "When Hamas militants toppled the imposing iron and concrete walls separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip in a predawn attack two weeks ago, Israel's military went on high alert." Hamas takes responsibility for attack, says bombers came from Hebron "Hamas officially claimed responsibility for the attack and alleged that the bombers came to Dimona from Hebron."

Afghanistan. Afghan civilian casualties rising "The number of civilians inadvertently killed by U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan doubled in 2007 from the previous year as coalition forces dropped about a million pounds of bombs on the country," Civilians killed in Afghan raids "A total of 1,977 civilians were killed in 2007 in fighting in Afghanistan, including nearly 240 who lost their lives in air strikes by foreign troops,"

Chad. Reprieve in Chad Gives Thousands a Chance to Flee "Thousands of residents poured out of N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, on Monday as clashes between rebel and government forces cooled after two days of combat, according to reports from the besieged city." U.N. Urges Outside Help for Chad "The Security Council adopted a statement on Monday condemning attacks by rebels seeking to overthrow the government of Chad and urging other countries to help stop the violence." France threatens Chad action "France today threatened to take military action against rebels in Chad after the UN security council called on all member-states to support the Chadian government."

Christians in Pakistan. Minority Christians keep faith in Pakistan "In this overwhelmingly Muslim country, other religions are often relegated to second-class status; their believers are barred from equal pay, educational opportunities and housing."

Colombia protest. Colombians in huge Farc protest "Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have poured onto the streets of Bogota to protest against Marxist Farc rebels." Marches Show Disgust With a Colombian Rebel Group "Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities around Colombia on Monday to protest the abductions and killings carried out by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia."