Morning headlines brought to you by

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Top Story

North Korea says nuclear test successful
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Monday it had performed its first nuclear weapons test, an underground explosion that defied international warnings but was hailed by the communist nation as a "great leap forward" for its people.

MORE MORE MORE

Taking lessons from George Bush:
Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator

The World

U.S. Coalition Kills 30 Shiite Fighters
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The U.S.-led coalition said it killed 30 fighters in a battle Sunday with the country's most powerful Shiite militia amid growing American impatience with the Iraqi government's inability to stop militias responsible for escalating sectarian violence.

Hundreds of Iraq police sick from poison
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Hundreds of Iraqi policemen fell sick from poisoning Sunday at a base in southern Iraq after the evening meal breaking their daily Ramadan fast, and officials said they were investigating whether the poisoning was intentional.

Iran calls sanctions rusty weapon
Iran called the threat of international sanctions over its disputed nuclear program a rusty weapon and repeated Sunday that it would not abandon uranium enrichment.

Iran Arrests Outspoken Cleric Who Opposes Religious Rule
About 1,000 supporters of Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeni clashed with riot police in an effort to protect the cleric from arrest.

Haniyeh: Hamas won't recognize Israel
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Sunday his Hamas-led government will not recognize Israel and has problems with a widely touted Arab peace plan because it does.

Afghanistan At A Tipping Point
NATO's top commander in Afghanistan said Sunday the country was at a tipping point and warned Afghans would likely switch their allegiance to resurgent Taliban militants if there are no visible improvements in people's lives in the next six months.

N.Korea may face more sanctions after nuclear test
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - North Korea may face more sanctions after raising the nuclear ante in Asia with the announcement of an atomic test, though an outbreak of war appears unlikely now, officials and analysts said on Monday.

The Nation

Republicans hit by wave of political bad news
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A seamy Capitol Hill sex scandal is the latest bad news to deflate Republicans and leave them scrambling for political survival four weeks before elections that will decide whether they keep control of the U.S. Congress.

G.O.P.s Baker Hints Iraq Plan Needs Change
The Republican co-chairman of a bipartisan commission assessing Iraq said he expected to depart from calls to stay the course.

Allen failed to report stock options
RICHMOND, Va. - For the past five years, Sen. George Allen, has failed to tell Congress about stock options he got for his work as a director of a high-tech company. The Virginia Republican also asked the Army to help another business that gave him similar options.

Ex-Foley aide to testify at ethics panel
A former Capitol Hill aide who says he warned Republican leaders about Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct with teenage pages at least three years ago is scheduled to give sworn testimony to the House ethics committee this week.

Kolbe saw Foley messages in 2000
Another Republican congressman knew of disgraced former representative Mark Foley's inappropriate Internet exchanges as far back as 2000 and personally confronted Foley about his communications.

Convert seen winning disgraced U.S. congressman's seat
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - The Congressional cybersex scandal has transformed a recent Democratic convert with little chance of election into the candidate most likely to deliver one of the 15 seats his party needs to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Foley Fallout Reflected In Polls
More than half of Americans don't believe the House GOP leadership in the Mark Foley page scandal and an upstate N.Y. congressman, once engaged in a tight race for re-election, is now faced with a double-digit deficit, according to two polls.

GOP losing advantage with married moms
NEW ALBANY, Ind. - After winning over moms in back-to-back elections, Republicans have lost their advantage among married women with children this year.

Same-sex rite stalls judge nomination
WASHINGTON - A judge's elevation to the federal bench could be derailed because she helped preside over a commitment ceremony for a lesbian couple four years ago.

Haven’t the Republicans been telling us there should be no political litmus tests for being a judge? —Caro

Report: Thousands wrongly on terror list
WASHINGTON - Thousands of people have been mistakenly linked to names on terror watch lists when they crossed the border, boarded commercial airliners or were stopped for traffic violations, a government report said Friday.

Economy & Business

Oil rises above $60 amid OPEC reports
SINGAPORE - Oil prices rose Monday in Asian trading following reports the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was set to trim its daily production of crude by 1 million barrels.

Stocks slip after 3 days of gains after jobs data
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks slipped on Friday, snapping the Dow's three-day run to record highs, as employment data renewed concern about slower economic growth and stubborn inflation, while General Motors Corp. sank on fears a major shareholder may begin selling his stake.

Falling rates lift mortgage applications
NEW YORK - The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday that loan application volume increased strongly in the week ending Sept. 29, as did refinancings, as interest rates eased.

Media

At Reuters, a New Book and a Lost Job
On Tuesday, Joe Maguire, one of two editors in charge of markets coverage at Reuters, handed his bosses the galleys of his new book, “Brainless: The Lies and Lunacy of Ann Coulter.” On Wednesday, Mr. Maguire discovered he would have plenty of free time to promote his book, which comes out this week. Neither side in this dispute would say that he was fired.

Science & Technology

Quantum information teleported from light to matter
LONDON (Reuters) - Beaming people in Star Trek fashion is still in the realms of science fiction but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

T-Mobile USA to set up nationwide 3G network
T-Mobile USA, the fourth largest US mobile carrier, is expected to announce plans on Friday to deploy a nationwide 3G wireless network.

Best Buy, SanDisk, RealNetworks Unveil Player, Digital Music Store
Retailer Best Buy, music software maker RealNetworks and player manufacturer SanDisk unveiled on Thursday an online music store and portable device that would compete with Apple Computer and with Microsoft's upcoming Zune.

Wacky Ig Nobel prizes honor the unusual
Research into stinky feet, a study on the sound of fingernails on a blackboard and a device that repels teen-agers with an annoying high-pitched hum Thursday won IgNobel prizes the humorous counterpart to this week's Nobel prizes.