Employers Slash the Most Jobs in 5 Years

Employers slashed 63,000 jobs in February, the most in five years and the starkest sign yet that the country is heading dangerously toward recession or is in one already.

The Labor Department's report, released Friday, also indicated that the nation's unemployment rate dipped from 4.9 percent in January to 4.8 percent last month as hundreds of thousands of people _ perhaps discouraged by their prospects _ left the civilian labor force.

Job losses were widespread, with hefty cuts coming from construction, manufacturing, retailing, financial services and a variety of professional and business services. Those losses swamped gains elsewhere, including education …

Israeli offensive builds as Bethlehem invaded Palestinian security HQ near Ramallah is attacked; 700 suspected militants arrested by Israel since Friday

RAMALLAH, West Bank--Israeli forces attacked the Palestiniansecurity headquarters near Ramallah early today and headed intoBethlehem, signaling further intensification of Israel's offensive.

Israeli forces attacked the headquarters of Palestinian PreventiveSecurity outside Ramallah, firing tank shells and machineguns,Palestinian officials said.

They said Palestinian security chief Jibril Rajoub had givenorders to the 400 men inside to resist.

Palestinian officials said Israeli soldiers used 60 Palestiniancivilians as a human shield in front of the tanks before the assault.

Israeli Army spokesman Olivier Rafowicz "categorically denied" …

Spin Unspun: July 2003 ; It's a case of he said, he said

"Our board of directors rejected the Oracle bid citing a wide range of reasons, including the concern of the likelihood of antitrust scrutiny." - PeopleSoft CEO Craig Conway on a June 12 conference call.

"The PeopleSoft board says they have serious antitrust concerns ... I find this very curious." - Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, on the company's fourth-quarter conference call 90 minutes after the PeopleSoft call.

Conway says the consolidation of integrated enterprise suites would raise antitrust concerns. The U.S. Department of Justice is "looking at the transaction and the investigation is continuing," says DOJ spokeswoman Gina Talamona.

By focusing on …

Cuba blames Hurricane Ike for 4 deaths on island

The Cuba government is blaming Hurricane Ike for the first four deaths of the 2008 hurricane season. State television reported Monday that two men have been killed removing an antenna before Ike's arrival. Another man died when a tree fell on his house and knocked down a wall, and a woman perished when …

Ivory Coast reopens jail after political violence

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — An Ivory Coast official says the main prison in the West African country's largest city has reopened after it was closed months ago because of postelection violence and a mass prison break.

Minister of the Interior Hamed Bakayoko says the prison's reopening on Tuesday is a step toward security and normalcy after six months of postelection violence earlier …

City

Avondale: Rockwell is a cleaner, drier, brighter, safer streetbetween Belmont and Elston, thanks to work done this summer. At therequest of industries along that stretch of Rockwell, the citywidened the street, installed diagonal parking to increase the numberof parking spaces, and turned it from a one-way into a two-waystreet, for ease of truck movement. Street lighting was upgraded,and storm sewers were rebuilt to improve drainage.

Edgewater: The city has issued demolition permits "for twoEdgewater buildings that have been vacant and fire-damaged for fartoo long," Ald. Patrick J. O'Connor (40th) said last week. Thebuildings at 6308 and 6312 N. Broadway were once …

Gaza Strip hosts its first marathon

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — More than 1,000 runners participated Thursday in the Gaza Strip's first official marathon, a landmark recreational event in a territory far more accustomed to war and violence.

The tiny Mediterranean territory is some 26 miles, or 42 kilometers, from top to bottom — just the right length for an official marathon.

"There is the New York Marathon, the London Marathon, the Tel Aviv Marathon, and now there is also the Gaza Marathon," said Chris Gunness, spokesman for UNRWA, the U.N. body that organized the event.

About 50 runners bolted from the starting line at dawn Thursday, setting out on a course that stretched from the northern border town of …