The latest news on Immigration, Torture, Midwest floods, Off-shore drilling, Truck stop chapel, Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Pakistan, US-India nuclear deal, Burma, and Commentary.

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Immigration. Federal prosecution of illegal immigrants soars "The Bush administration has sharply ratcheted up prosecutions of illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in the last year, with increases so dramatic that immigration offenses now account for as much as half the nation's federal criminal caseload." More Illegal Crossings Are Criminal Cases, Group Says "Criminal prosecutions of immigrants by federal authorities surged to a record high in March, as immigration cases accounted for the majority - 57 percent - of all new federal criminal cases brought nationwide that month, according to a report published Tuesday by a nonpartisan research group."

Torture. CIA Played Larger Role In Advising Pentagon "A senior CIA lawyer advised Pentagon officials about the use of harsh interrogation techniques on detainees at Guantanamo Bay in a meeting in late 2002, defending waterboarding and other methods as permissible despite U.S. and international laws banning torture," Probe: Pentagon lawyers sought harsh interrogation "The Pentagon in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks pursued abusive interrogation techniques once used by North Korea and Vietnam on American POWs despite stern warnings by several military lawyers that the methods were cruel and even illegal," Report: Exams prove abuse, torture in Iraq, Gitmo "Medical examinations of former terrorism suspects held by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, found evidence of torture and other abuse that resulted in serious injuries and mental disorders, according to a human rights group."

Midwest floods. Midwest flood woes head south "With floodwaters receding in much of Iowa, the destruction moved downstream Tuesday as emergency crews and residents raced to bolster the levees that protect dozens of Mississippi River towns." Ill. levee breach forces small town's evacuation "Floodwaters breached another levee in Illinois on Wednesday and threatened more Mississippi River towns in Missouri after inundating much of Iowa for the past week."

Off-shore drilling. Bush Will Seek to Drop a Drilling Ban "President Bush, reversing a longstanding position, will call on Congress to end a federal ban on offshore oil drilling, according to White House officials who say Mr. Bush now wants to work with states to determine where drilling should occur."

Truck stop chapel. In Hard Times, the Truck Stop Offers a Place to Pray "To the Rev. Shannon Rust, a diesel-soaked lot alongside a truck stop in Pennsylvania is a parish ideal for preaching to the traveling masses about life's ultimate arrival."

Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza truce "After trying for a year to seal off the Gaza Strip and bring down its Hamas rulers, Israel agreed to permit a limited flow of goods to and from the Palestinian enclave in exchange for a prolonged halt in rocket fire against Israeli border communities." Israel, Hamas Agree on Gaza Strip Truce "Israel and the armed Islamist group Hamas agreed in principle to a truce in and around the Gaza Strip, officials on both sides said, capping months of indirect talks brokered by Egypt." Israel agrees to Gaza ceasefire "Israel has approved a ceasefire to end months of bitter clashes with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, Israeli officials have confirmed."

Iraq. At Least 51 Are Killed in Blast at Baghdad Market"Explosives stowed in a minibus obliterated part of a bustling marketplace and set ablaze a crowded apartment building in the heavily Shiite Huriya district of northwest Baghdad, killing at least 51 people and wounding 75," Blast in Baghdad Market Kills Dozens "Dozens of people were killed Tuesday evening when a car loaded with explosives blew up at a crowded market in northwestern Baghdad, the deadliest attack in the capital since March." Rogue Iraq militia 'ordered bomb' "The US military has blamed a rogue Shia Muslim militia for Tuesday's deadly car bombing in the mainly Shia Hurriya neighbourhood of Baghdad."

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe voters told: Choose Mugabe or you face a bullet "A campaign that began with the tested tactic of beatings has evolved into a full-blown military strategy of abductions and murders of opposition MDC activists and supporters."

Afghanistan . Troops begin move against Taliban "Canadian and Afghan forces moved into a series of villages outside of southern Afghanistan's largest city Wednesday to root out any Taliban militants there, while an explosion elsewhere killed four British soldiers," Afghan and NATO Troops Battle Taliban Forces "At least 23 Taliban fighters were killed - 20 of them in a NATO air strike - as Afghan and NATO forces launched an offensive Wednesday against militants who infiltrated villages controlling the strategic approaches to the southern city of Kandahar,"

Pakistan. Pakistani Fury Over Airstrikes Imperils Training "The Pakistani military is so angry over the American airstrikes here last week that it is threatening to postpone or cancel an American program to train a paramilitary force in counterinsurgency for combating Islamist militants"

US-India nuclear deal. US-India nuclear deal appears to be in trouble "The future of a landmark nuclear energy accord between India and the United States looked deeply uncertain Wednesday after India's government put off talks with powerful communist opponents of the pact."

Burma. Burmese Endure in Spite of Junta, Aid Workers Say"Now doctors and aid workers returning from remote areas of the delta are offering a less pessimistic picture of the human cost of the delay in reaching survivors."

Commentary.

Iraq: Still Inscrutable (Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times) "Iraq has become one of those subjects that so many people now come to with so much emotional scar tissue that it is very hard to have a sober discussion about the actual situation there today. So much is colored by how you feel about George Bush or whether you were for or against the war. As a result, what we do next in Iraq - how and why - is barely getting discussed in the presidential campaign."