Coalition troops have made it clear that they will leave the country if asked by the new Iraqi government when power is transferred in June. For now though, they continue to come into confrontation with the supporters of Moqtada al Sadr. Random violence continues, with the shelling of an Iraqi marketplace and a reported shell explosion containing the nerve gas serin. Senators are becoming increasingly upset about the new $25 billion package the President put before them for Iraq and Afghanistan operations, stating that some of the bill is exceptionally vague in detailing what the money will be used for. The Economist posts an article on how the lack of peace is making reconstruction efforts exceptionally difficult and the Christian Science Monitor published a story on how the recent allegations of prisoner abuse will only further alienate Europe, and therefore NATO, from getting involved in Iraq.

Colin Powell is the latest Bush administration official to step forward and apologize for the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, which is interesting, because recent allegations point towards Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as the brain behind the interrogations, though the Pentagon has denied this accusation. The Guardian Observer has revealed the existence of dozens of videotapes reportedly showing American guards violently attacking prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay facility.

Sonia Gandhi has yet to form an official government in India with left wing parties holding their support, but has already promised a more secular ruling style than the Hindu fundamentalism of the BJP and continued effort towards peace with Pakistan. The stock market has already taken a plunge over the idea that communist parties could be actively involved in the government coalition. Both the Guardian and the New York Times provide a background into the Gandhi dynasty in Indian political life, which may explain why her family fears for her life.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court has rejected the last effort to prevent same-sex marriage from being illegal in the state, leading to an influx of out-of-state couples flying into the state to have the ceremony performed. The first couple was married at 12:01 this morning. The New York Times published an article about how those campaigning to ban same-sex marriage are disappointed with the lack of response from ordinary churchgoers.

Michael Moore is accusing the White House of using its influence to try and block his film from screening before the November election, which may be in part because it reportedly contains the first footage of Iraqi prisoner abuse, not to mention the effect that it could have on the electorate.

In brief:
- An article on how to test for parallel universes in the safety of your own home.
- There's no need to worry about the flipping of the Earth's magnetic field -- apparently the solar wind will protect us in the interim.
- Archaeologists may have found the ruins of the great library at Alexandria.
- There's a little more evidence that an asteroid impact led to the global extinction 250 million years ago. Some scientists are still concerned over our ability to prevent it from happening again.
- National Geographic posts a story about rust-eating bacteria used in environmental cleanups.
- If global warming proceeds at its current rate, Greenland's ice sheet will begin to melt, possibly swamping coastal cities.
- High gas prices have yet to effect people's driving habits.
- The UN reports that genetically modified crops may help the cause of world hunger.
- Popular Science looks at the future of technology in warfare.
- The Council on American Islamic Relations has issued a petition attempting to disassociate Islam from the violent acts committed in its name.
- Burma's opposition party has refused to take part in a constitutional convention hosted by the military government over the government's refusal to free its party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
- The pope has canonized six new saints, including a pro-life Italian woman who died after refusing treatment for cancer that would have terminated her pregnancy.
- The Iranian film that poked fun at the ruling religious establishment has been officially withdrawn by the producers under pressure from authorities.
- Turkey may pass a law allowing graduates of religious schools to enter university.
- Some in the Democratic party are still holding out for McCain as VP.
- The NRA has refused to endorse Bush until he non-renews the ban on assault weapons.
- More media outlets are floating the idea that this year's election might be a rout.
- How do you choose an actress to portray Helen, who's beauty launched 1000 ships?
- A die-hard liberal, based on the recent documentary 'Supersize Me,' decides to ingest nothing but right-wing media for a month.
- An overview of how different countries approach sex education.
- 10 underreported stories according to the United Nations.
- A French author has written a book with no verbs.
- A guide to making your PC quieter.
- Two videos: a new way to fold your t-shirts and a house getting eaten by a tornado.