Assessing the real cost of drug use

January 02, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

In the United States, the states are laboratories for testing new laws.

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Negotiators from South Sudan’s two warring sides arrived Wednesday in Ethiopia for peace talks, and a UN official urged both forces to bring the world’s newest country “back from the brink.” Fighting continued in Bor, a gateway city to the capital of Juba and the center of ethnically based violence stemming from the political rivalry between President Salva Kiir and ousted Vice President Riek Machar, the rebel leader accused of mounting a failed coup attempt.

The recreational pot industry in the US opened in Colorado on Wednesday, kicking off an experiment that will be followed closely around the world and one that activists hope will prove that legalization is a better alternative than the costly American-led drug war. At least 24 pot shops in eight towns opened.

Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s former president and Army chief, failed to appear in court Wednesday for the second hearing in his high-profile treason case after authorities said they found an explosive device near his home. His lawyers, citing the bomb scare, said it was too dangerous for Musharraf to appear in court. It was the third time since the high treason proceedings began that explosives have been found along the path the former strongman is supposed to take to court.

Greece assumed the presidency of the European Union Wednesday, starting 2014 with a promise by the government to pull the country out of a six-year recession, keep a balanced budget, and effectively end a financial crisis that rattled the euro.

An upgraded GED test, the high school equivalency exam, and two new competing equivalency tests offered in several states will usher in a new era in adult education testing today. The GED (General Educational Development) exam was created in 1942 to help World War II veterans who dropped out of high school use college benefits offered under the GI Bill. This will be its first face-lift in more than a decade. The revamped test is intended to be more rigorous and better aligned with the skills needed for college and today’s workplaces.

The Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic died Wednesday in a blast that occurred when he opened an old safe that had been left untouched for more than 20 years, officials said. Ambassador Jamel al-Jamal was at home with his family at the time of the explosion. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said no foul play was suspected.

Latvia celebrated the new year as the 18th member of the eurozone, which for all its dents and bruises still represents stability and security to the Baltic country’s leaders. After joining NATO and the European Union in 2004, entering the eurozone was seen as a natural step for Latvia’s political leadership, deepening the Western integration they have sought since Latvia and its Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, broke away from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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