The State Department is tightening its oversight of private security contractors operating in Iraq after an official panel found significant shortcomings in the department's operations of the security program. The panel, led by Patrick Kennedy, a senior State Department official, made 19 recommendations to improve the operations and monitoring of security convoys in the wake of the deadly incident last month in which guards working for Blackwater USA under a State Department contract were involved in a deadly shooting in downtown Baghdad, killing 17 Iraqi civilians.
Adding to U.S. News's Diseases & Conditions health coverage, usnews.com has a new section on tuberculosis, an infectious disease that can be deadly but is less common in the United States now that effective antibiotics have been introduced. Our health coverage includes everything you need to know about symptoms, prevention, and treatment of tuberculosis.
AP - Faced with unrelenting winds whipping wildfires into a frenzy across Southern California, firefighters all but conceded defeat Tuesday to an unstoppable force that has chased an estimated 1 million people away.
AP - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday ordered new measures to improve government oversight of private guards who protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq, including tighter rules of engagement and a board to investigate any future killings.
AP - President Bush said Tuesday that plans for a U.S.-led missile defense system in Europe are urgently needed to counter an emerging threat of attack by Iran.
The home to the San Diego Chargers was transformed overnight into the home for up to 10,000 people seeking shelter from wildfires that have swept through the region.
While the military is lending assistance to battle wildfires in Southern California, it's also keeping an eye on the horizon in case it has to evacuate bases there.