Reuters - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency over the state's finances on Wednesday, raising pressure on lawmakers to negotiate a state budget that is more than a month overdue and will need to close a $19 billion shortfall.
The Week - Neither Chelsea Clinton nor her fiancé, Marc Mezvinsky, are speaking publicly about their plans to wed this weekend, and Chelsea's tabloid-savvy parents have offered few clues. Yet, America being America, the internet has been abuzz with questions and rumors about Chelsea's upcoming nuptials — and the first glimpse of her "sizable" engagement ring on April 25 (not to mention reports that Bill's dieting) have only fueled the speculation. Here's what's been reported to date:
The Week - While the public has demonstrated a voracious appetite for details about Chelsea Clinton's wedding, to be held this Saturday, no factor has gotten more attention than its projected cost. Between the $15,000 deluxe portable toilets, several hundred thousand dollars worth of flowers, glass-walled tents, and premium security (President Obama won't be attending, but Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand reportedly will be), the bill for the nuptials is being estimated at between $2 and $5 million. Should we expect no less for the daughter of political royalty (who earned a reported $109 million between 2000 and 2007)? Reaction to the hefty price projections is mixed:
Reuters - Actor Mark Wahlberg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday as part of the promotion for "The Other Guys."
Reuters - Three months after the catastrophic oil rig explosion that sent millions of gallons of crude spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. House of Representatives was poised on Friday to debate legislation clamping down on the industry's offshore drilling practices.
Reuters - The U.S. government has shut indefinitely its consulate in Mexico's most violent drug war city Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, to evaluate security conditions.
Reuters - Arizona on Thursday appealed a judge's decision to block key parts of the state's crackdown on illegal immigrants and police in Phoenix arrested scores of activists protesting the remaining measures in the law.
AFP - London launched a major cycle hire scheme Friday which aims to make transport in the city greener ahead of the 2012 Olympics, following in the tracks of cities like Paris and Shanghai.
AFP - Ordinary calcium supplements taken by the elderly to strengthen bones may boost the risk of heart attacks, according to a study released Friday.
Reuters - Two employees of the U.S. Embassy in Paris were examined for possible poisoning Friday after handling a suspicious envelope, but preliminary results indicated it was not harmful, the embassy said.
Reuters - Three employees of the U.S. embassy in Paris were being treated for poisoning on Friday after opening mail, a police source told Reuters.
AFP - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday faced a parliamentary crisis after splitting with his one-time ally, lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini, citing "obvious divisions".
Reuters - William Shatner confesses he has problems with the digital age. At 79 years old, he doesn't use Twitter and can't remember computer passwords.
AFP - A French mother who killed eight of her newborn babies is relieved her deadly secret is finally out, her lawyer said Friday.
Reuters - Exxon Mobil's quarterly profit jumped 85 percent on surging oil prices and a big rise in refining margins, while Royal Dutch Shell Plc's (RDSa.L) profits rose 34 percent.
AFP - The proportion of Spaniards who say they are Roman Catholic has fallen to 73 percent from around 80 percent eight years ago, according to a survey released Thursday by the CIS research centre.
U.S. News & World Report - You won't hear any politicians talking about "counterfactuals" when they campaign this fall. Yet the biggest factor in the midterm elections will be what didn't happen over the last two years.
U.S. News & World Report - Imagine that it's finally the last day of your full time career. You've worked hard all these years and you are finally calling it quits. The morning went smooth while you said all your goodbyes. The farewell lunch was filled with laughter. Now it's 3:30pm, almost time to make the drive back home one last time.
Reuters - South American foreign ministers failed to mend broken ties between Venezuela and Colombia at a meeting on Thursday but the countries agreed that irregular armed groups were hurting peace in the region.
Reuters - Republicans and some moderate Democrats in the Senate on Wednesday began picking apart a new energy bill that they complained goes too far in holding oil companies responsible for accidents like the massive Gulf of Mexico spill.
