Osama Bin Laden Killed

On Monday, the terrorist Osama bin Laden was killed during a raid carried out by the American Navy Seal. He was shot in the head while firing shots at the Seals who stormed his compound. He was then swiftly buried at sea. Three other adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons and a woman who was used as a human shield by a male combatant. Two other women were also injured. Remaining detainees were turned over to Pakistani authorities. Administration used DNA testing to help confirm that it was in fact bin Laden who had been killed.

China's Deadliest Infectious Disease is Now AIDS

For the first time last year, AIDS has become the most infectious disease in China. 6,897 of its citizens died within the first nine months of 2008 due to the disease. The Chinese government has improved the reporting of HIV/AIDS statistics and is acknowledging its presence in the country. China has denied that AIDS is a problem in the country for a long time, partly due to the low amount of reported deaths.

In recent years, leaders of China have more open about the disease, offered free treatment for the poor, anonymous testing, and have banned discrimination against people who have the disease. The government of China and UNAIDS estimate that the number of citizens in China living with HIV is estimated at 700,000 and 85,000 of these people have full blown AIDS. About 34,864 people have died from aids since its first reported death in 1985. The main causes of HIV infections are due to sex, drug abuse, unsanitary blood plasma, and tainted transfusions in hospitals.

Watch President Barack Obama's Inauguration

Watch the coverage of President Obama's Inauguration.

Use This Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/national/inauguration09/main503703.shtml

Barack Obama Officially Elected President

Major news companies are reporting that Barack Obama has defeated John McCain to become the first African American president of the United States. Obama had announced his presidential candidacy two years ago and now he will become the next president of the USA.

Rapper Beenie Man Cleared in Tax Evasion Charges

The rapper and singer Beenie Man has been cleared of tax-evasion charges because the government hadn't informed him of his legal rights when auditors issued their assessment last year. He had owed nearly $1 million in overdue taxes but a Jamaican judge threw out the case on Tuesday.

Rapper Busta Rhymes allowed to Enter Britain

The rapper Busta Rhymes has won the right to enter Britain to perform at a charity concert. A High Court judge ruled that he could play at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday, even though he is challenging the British government’s decision to keep him out of the country. The concert is for charity, where people who completed four hours of volunteer work were rewarded with a concert ticket.

Register to Vote Online

The presidential election is coming soon. Use the website Rock the Vote to register to vote online if have not registered yet. Please Visit: http://rockthevote.com/

Judge Orders Wesley Snipes to Reimburse Government

Last week, the U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges ruled for the actor Wesley Snipes to reimburse the government $217,000 in prosecution costs for his recent tax conviction. Wesley Snipes is objecting to the cost. He was convicted in February of three counts of willfully failing to file his income taxes. He has appealed the convictions and a three year prison sentence.

Evacuation Warnings in China

It is possible that more than one million people might have to evacuate dozens of villages in a Sichuan province if the lake bursts and floods the area due to the recent earthquake. The lake has a wall of debris that is clogging a river. On Saturday, officials will start a three-day drill that will test the government communications systems to make sure that residents in the valley can hear future evacuation orders.

So far, it is estimated that 68,858 people were killed in the earthquake and there are 18,618 people that are missing. The earthquake left 5 million people homeless and many people were separated from their families.

Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy has Cancerous Brain Tumor

The senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor on Tuesday. It is expected that he has less than a year to live. Doctors discovered the tumor while doing tests after he had a seizure this past weekend and had to be hospitalized. Doctors say that he has a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe, which is the part of the brain that controls sensation, movement, and language.

Doctors say that he will stay in the hospital for a couple more days while they consider chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The possibility of surgery was not mentioned. Experts say that he will have three years to live at the most but it is very likely at his age of 76 that he has less than a year to live. He didn’t have any more seizures while in the hospital and was released from the hospital today.

Wesley Snipes Sentenced to Prison

The actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday for not filing income taxes that he claimed he never had to pay. He gave the federal government three checks for $5 million that was delivered while in court. Prosecutors didn’t want to accept the checks at first but by the end of the day they did. After that he was still sentenced to three years in prison to made an example out of to warn other people what could happen if they don’t file their taxes.

Actor Wesley Snipes Faces Sentencing For Tax Crime

The actor Wesley Snipes is soon going to find out what his punishment is for three misdemeanor tax convictions. A jury found him guilty this past February of willfully not filing taxes for three years. The government states that he owes $2.7 million in taxes. Snipes has already been acquitted of three identical counts and two felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

The prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of three years in prison. They feel that Snipes should be made an example of to warn other people who don’t pay their taxes as they should. The attorneys for Snipes feel that he deserves only probation for the misdemeanors.

France Steps Up Citizen Surveillance

The president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, has decided to increase the amount of surveillance in public places in an effort to keep citizens safer by installing more police video cameras on city streets and sidewalks. There are already 300,000 of cameras set up in public places but Sarkozy wants to triple that number in the next few years.

The French government also has granted itself access to information every citizen’s bank cards, Internet searches, subway cards, electronic tollbooth passes, and more. Most citizens in France don’t know about the secret tracking devices and people have even been refused loans and lost their jobs due to errors that they have caused.

iPod Defects Being Investigated

Japan is investigating a possible defect in Apple Inc.’s iPod after one of the digital music players shot out sparks while recharging. The problem is assumed to be with the lithium-ion battery in the iPod Nano, model number MA099J/A. The problem was first found in January in Tokyo and Apple reported the problem to the ministry in March. Luckily, no one was injured when the defect happened.

The ministry has instructed that Apple Japan has to find out the cause of the problem and report it back to the government. The iPod was assembled in China but it is not sure where the battery was made. Lithium-ion batteries have already been the problem for some laptops by causing fires.

Cuba Announces New Leader

Cuba’s parliament has named 76 year old Raul Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, as president. Officials overlooked younger candidates to give a 77 year old man name Jose Ramon Machado the number 2 spot. This officially marks the end of Fidel’s 49 year rule.

Raul Castro says that he plans to consult with Fidel on all major decisions of the state. Raul plans to implement economic reforms that could improve the lives of many Cubans. He has plans of a revaluation of the Cuban peso, which citizens use to pay for government services, such as utilities, public transportation, and the amount charged for food rations.

Cuba’s parliament chose a new 31 member ruling body that is called the Council of State to lead the country. The president of the council serves as the head of the state and government.

Fidel Castro Resigns as Cuba’s President

Fidel Castro has resigned as Cuba’s president and has decided not to accept a new term as president. This will allow Fidel’s brother, Raul, to implement reforms that he wanted to implement since he took over as acting president when Fidel had gotten sick in 2006.

The National Assembly is going to meet to pick the governing Council of Sate, which includes who will be the next president. It is most likely that Raul, Fidel’s brother, will be the next president of Cuba. Fidel had ruled Cuba for almost 50 years before he resigned.

How to Get Coupons to Get Digital Converters

There will be millions of $40 government coupons available stating this Tuesday to help people that own older TVs that might not work after the switch to digital broadcasting that starts on February 18, 2009. After that date, anybody who doesn’t have a digital converter will not get a picture on their TV and the television industry will complete its transition from traditional analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. The converter boxes will cost between $50 and $70 and will be available at many major electronic retail stores.

Beginning on Tuesday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will start accepting requests for two $40 coupons per household to be used towards buying the converter boxes. People who have satellite or cable service will not need the converter boxes. A person can request a coupon at www.dtv2009.gov.

Visit This Site to Request a Coupon: http://www.dtv2009.gov

Best Buy No Longer Sells Analog TVs

Best Buy has decided to take all of their analog televisions off the shelves and sell only flat panel and high-definition television sets. In February 2009, broadcasters will stop transmitting analog signals and people with older televisions will have to get service through converter boxes, set-top boxes, or direct satellite.

Currently, more than 60 million people in the U.S. use antennas and analog cable. In the beginning of the next year, the government will have coupons available for buying converter boxes. Also early next year, Best Buy will sell coupon-eligible converter boxes.

Inmate Sues Mike Vick for $63 Billion Dollars and Accuses Him of Buying Missiles

Mike Vick, a NFL quarterback who is facing charges related to dogfighting, has been hit with a $63 billion dollar lawsuit from a South Carolina inmate, named Jonathan Lee Riches, who claims that Vick stole his pit bulls and sold them on Ebay to buy missiles from Iran.

Riches said that Vick stole two white mixed pit bulls from his home in Florida and used them for his dogfights in Virginia. He also said that Vick sold the dogs on Ebay and used the money from that to buy missiles from the Iran government. He said that Vick needed those missiles because he pledged alliance to Al Qaeda earlier this year.

Riches wants $63 billion dollars delivered to the Williamsburg Federal Correctional facility in South Carolina where he is an inmate due to a wire fraud conviction.