On Oct. 18, Philadelphia police began seeking some 50 people potentially victimized by Linda Ann Weston, the woman who recently held four mentally handicapped adults captive in an apartment basement. The prisoners and two small dogs were shut in a 15-by-15 foot boiler room behind a steel door, in which one victim was chained to [...]

Five thousand Los Angeles residents will receive health care at the LA Sports Arena CareNow’s massive free clinic this Thursday through Sunday. Patients lined up early Monday morning to receive wristbands that serve as a ticket to the clinic later in the week – only 5,000 were available and all were quickly snatched up. Each [...]

Israli soldier Gilad Shilat was released Tuesday after more than five years in captivity, in exchange for the freedom of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Shilat had been held by Palestinian group Hamas after being captured during a cross-border raid in 2006. The 25-year-old soldier met with Israel Prime Minister Ben Netanyahu and his family. [...]

The state of Alabama recently passed a new law further restricting illegal immigration. Although the Federal court blocked parts of the immigration law, Alabama’s law is still stricter than that of any other state. Among portions blocked by the federal court were requirements for public schools to check students’ immigration status. Provisions of the law [...]

In the latest development of the Occupy Wall Street protests sweeping the nation, 4,000 protestors in New York City’s Zuccotti Park claimed a small victory when policemen decided to cancel plans to clear-up the park Friday morning. The cancellation possibly prevented a standoff between policemen and protestors, where 14 people were arrested after the word broke [...]

Prominent private investigator Bill Stanton, recently hired by family of missing 11-month-old Lisa Irwin, announced yesterday to media that some facts in the case have ben “twisted,” causing the family to halt further communication with the press. This Friday marks the 11th day in the search for 11-month old Lisa Irwin of Kansas City, Missouri. [...]

Health insurance provider Blue Shield of California will return $295 million in profits to its customers, fulfilling a pledge it made in June to cap all its profits at 2 percent of revenue. Policyholders will receive the money mostly in credits on future insurance bills. Blue Shield executives say the move is an effort to [...]

The city of Pasadena is making progress in the world of eco-friendly consumerism with a ban that will require grocers, convenience stores and other vendors to stop offering plastic bags and instead charge 10 cents for every paper bag. There will be no charge to customers who bring their own reusable bags or for those [...]

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law Sunday the state’s DREAM Act, which would allow illegal immigrants to gain access to financial aid for college, while at the same time rejecting the bill allowing schools to reintroduce affirmative action. High-achieving students who are accepted to any of the state’s universities — including the University [...]

In India, several Christian parishes in the state of Kerala are offering monetary incentives to couples who produce more children. The number of Christians in India has been on a steady decline, while the number of Muslims is increasing. As in the rest of India (except the province of Malappuram, which has a Muslim majority), Hindus are [...]