Florida Gun Licensing: Off Target?
Carry a gun into a courthouse or airport in Florida, and you’ll get off with a misdemeanor if you have concealed-weapon permit. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that such loose regulations and a four-person licensing office for over 410,000 gun owners have enabled hundreds of convicted criminals to retain their gun permits.
Guns or Butter for Turkey, Kurds
A secret meeting by the Turkish parliament has sparked fears of possible border-crossing military action against Kurdish rebels based in Northern Iraq. But experts say it’s election-season bluster at a time when trade between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey is reaching highs of $3 billion annually, Al Jazeera reports.
Pakistan Party Seeks U.S. Troops Disclosure
Pakistan denies that there are U.S. troops on its bases, but says “select” air bases have been opened for anti-terrorist operations. A parliamentary committee wants access to revenue and financial records from the operations, including undisclosed real estate projects around bases by developers using military names.
Sources:
“Errors, weak laws keep concealed weapons in questionable hands around Florida”
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, January 29, 2007
“Turkey mulls ‘invading’ Iraq”
Al Jazeera, January 26, 2007
“Pakistani lawmakers demand details of U.S. military presence”
Indo Asian News Service, January 29, 2007