Sarkozy Wins the Chance to Prove His Critics Wrong  —  Arrogant, brutal, an authoritarian demagogue, a "perfect Iago": the president-elect of France has been called a lot of unpleasant things in recent months and now has five years to prove his critics wrong.

Newspaper Suicide: The Star Tribune Kills Lileks' Column  —  Let's see.  Your circulation is crashing.  The value of your paper has plummeted.  Everyone in the industry recognizes that the the future is online, and most realize that the byline has become the brand and that writers …

California Gains Clout With Earlier Primary  —  When Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, finished a speech on foreign policy recently in Northern California, he was surrounded by reporters who wanted to ask about another topic: global warming and how it was contributing to the state's water shortage.

Bring them home  —  Iraqis need political reconciliation, not occupation; and U.S. troops shouldn't referee a civil war.  —  WHATEVER THE future holds, the United States has not "lost" and cannot "lose" Iraq.  It was never ours in the first place.  And however history will judge the war …

Iraq War Hampers Kansas Cleanup  —  GREENSBURG, Kan. (AP) — The rebuilding effort in tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas, likely will be hampered because some much-needed equipment is in Iraq, said that state's governor.  —  Governor Kathleen Sebelius said much of the National Guard equipment …

CBS's Late Bloomer  —  NEW YORK—Byron Pitts was chatting with students at a Harlem charter school the day before a recent visit by President Bush when the CBS correspondent had a realization: They viewed him as just another empty suit who couldn't possibly understand their problems.  Little did they know.

Congress considers broadening Justice Department inquiry  —  WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators are beginning to focus on accusations that a top civil rights official at the Justice Department illegally hired lawyers based on their political affiliations, especially for sensitive voting rights jobs.

Having large families 'is an eco-crime'  —  HAVING large families should be frowned upon as an environmental misdemeanour in the same way as frequent long-haul flights, driving a 4x4 car and failing to reuse plastic bags, according to a report to be published tomorrow by a green think tank.

Panel to Find That Wolfowitz Broke Rules, Officials Say  —  The World Bank committee investigating misconduct charges against Paul D. Wolfowitz, the bank president, failed to complete its review on schedule this weekend, but bank officials said the panel would eventually find that he violated bank rules barring conflicts of interest.

Flavoring Suspected in Illness  —  Calif. Considers Banning Chemical Used in Microwave Popcorn  —  SOUTH GATE, Calif. — She was once in constant motion; her co-workers compared her to a roadrunner because of the way she darted around the workplace.  But now Irma Ortiz sits at the edge of her couch …

Bots on The Ground  —  In the Field of Battle (Or Even Above It), Robots Are a Soldier's Best Friend  —  The most effective way to find and destroy a land mine is to step on it.  —  This has bad results, of course, if you're a human.  But not so much if you're a robot and have as many legs …

Methods Used by Insurers Are Questioned  —  Insurance companies have used improper hard-sell tactics to persuade Medicare recipients to sign up for private health plans that cost the government far more than the traditional Medicare program, federal and state officials and consumer advocates say.