Politics

The confirmation of John Bolton as the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations is in doubt as Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee joins Democrats in opposing his nomination. John Bolton was first nominated to the position by President Bush in March 2005, but his appointment was opposed at that time when the Democrats on the Senate appointments committee, along with Republican Senator George Voinovich. He was then appointed by the President during congressional recess in August. This recess appointment must now be confirmed by the Senat

Microsoft Corporation announced on Wednesday it has finished all work on its long-delayed Windows Vista operating system (OS) and plans to release it to consumers January 30 2007. The announcement means Microsoft is on track to meet its revised release schedule. Jim Allchin, co-president of the Microsoft division that includes Windows, said that Windows Vista's code was released to begin manufacturing copies early on Wednesday. "This is a good day," Allchin declared. Microsoft previously announced that it would release Windows Vista to la

__TOC__ As of 10:00 p.m EST November 8, 2006, the Democratic Party is projected to have gained control of both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate in the 2006 United States general elections. MSNBC projects that the Democrats now control 234 seats in the House of Representatives, 16 more seats than the 218 needed to control the House of Representatives as all 435 seats were up for election. In the Senate, where the balance of power is closer, one-third of all seats were up for grab. As of 10:00 p.m. EST, AP a

New Zealand police are asking when they will be able to get their hands on the new gun in the arsenal of police weapons, the taser stun gun. This call comes after the police Commissioner, Howard Broad, at a parliamentary select committee today, said: "Frontline police report that Taser stun guns have been a valuable addition to their crime fighting arsenal and officers are keen to see them widely deployed." However Mr Broad said that tasers are not going to lead to police being fully armed all the time, "I do not believe at this point that the

A suicide bomber killed at least 42 Pakistani soldiers at an army training centre today in the North West Frontier Province, according to Pakistani government soldiers. The attack took place in the town of Dargai, 100 km north of Peshawar at 8:40 a.m. local time (0310 UTC) today. 20 people were injured in the attack. Some of them are in a critical condition. The injured were admitted to hospitals in Mardan and Peshawar. Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, Pakistani Federal Minister of Interior, said that the attack was carried out by a man who got down fro

The Associated Press is reporting that U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is about to resign. President George W. Bush announced that he will nominate Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, as a replacement for Rumsfeld, speaking at a White House press conference at 1 p.m. today. Rumsfeld is the second longest serving defense secretary, serving in the post from 1975 to 1977 under President Ford and under President Bush from the beginning of 2001. "It'll be a different Congress, a different environment, moving toward a presidential elect

Wal-Mart Canada's first three supercenters opened in Ancaster, London and Stouffville, Ontario. The idea originally started in the United States in late 2005 and was announced that it would be arriving in Canada. Flat screen TVs suspended from the ceiling will feature a television network, featuring fashion shows of Wal-Mart's clothing lines, TV commercials featuring brands the retailer carries, and corporate messages. With an expanded selection of electronics, hardware, home and housewares, the Wal-Mart supercentre could be compared to Futu

Bülent Ecevit, former prime minister of Turkey and poet, has died at 81. Ecevit was in a coma for nearly six months following a stroke. Ecevit was the prime minister of the government ordering a military intervention on July 20, 1974, to prevent a coup in Cyprus by Greek forces, dividing the island and setting the stage for the foundation of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Following the September 12, 1980, military coup led by General Kenan Evren, Ecevit was incarcerated and was suspended from active politics for life. A r

Ministers are considering a new stadium for Auckland's waterfront instead of an enlargement to the existing Eden Park. Trevor Mallard, Minister for the Rugby World Cup, said: "Today a Cabinet committee has discussed the options and I hope to be able to announce a decision later this week or next." He declined to comment any further. According to the New Zealand Herald, the new stadium will cost around NZ$700 million compared to a $320 million upgrade of Eden Park. The Herald said that Mr Mallard, the Auckland City Council and Helen Clark, Pri

__NOTOC__ An updated version of this story including results and projected results is available as 2006 U.S. Congressional Elections With the polls now open throughout most of the United States (US), voters are reporting long lines as US citizens line up to vote in the 2006 United States general elections, frequently referred to informally in the US as the "2006 midterm election". Predictions of an unusually high level of voter turnout seem to be coming to fruition as voters throughout the country report longer than expected lines. One voter

Polling places opened at 13:00 UTC (8:00 AM EST) this morning in Palm Beach County, Florida for the United States midterm elections. Early voters wreaked havoc on the city streets, causing backups near polling locations and interrupting traffic flows to area elementary and senior high schools. Due to the increase in traffic, some area school administrations asked teachers to accept late students without reprimand. Florida will elect a Federal senator, all of its House membership, a Governor, various other officers and vote on various question

Taiwan's president Chen Shui-bian has said that he had not made any money illegally and apologized for a corruption scandal involving him and the first lady, Wu Shu-chen. Speaking in an hour-long televised speech on Sunday night, he added that he would resign from the post if his wife is convicted of the charges filed against her. President Chen's wife and three ex-aides were indicted on embezzlement, forgery and perjury charges on Friday. They were accused of skimming 14.8 million New Taiwan dollars (US$450,000) in corruption scandal in June,