Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62I37920100321

Bills and resolutions have been introduced in at least 36 state legislatures seeking to limit or oppose various aspects of the reform plan through laws or state constitutional amendments, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/21/sarkozy-france-regional-elections-2010

France is expected to deal a bloody nose to Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling rightwing party today in regional elections viewed as a key indication of the president's unpopularity more than halfway through his time in office.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/03/2010320162053153537.html

Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian teenager during violent clashes in the occupied West Bank, medics have said.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/03/201032111812857542.html

As Iranians across the world prepare to celebrate the Iranian new year, many Iranian-Americans have criticised the West's approach to confronting the government in Tehran.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/03/201032102119638717.html

Thousands of anti-war protesters have marched through the US capital to call for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, on the seventh anniversary of the US-led invasion.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/03/20103202051760420.html

Barack Obama, the US president, has made his final push among members of the US House of Representatives to rally support for his healthcare bill ahead of a key vote on the measure.

Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7069622.ece

In Barack Obama’s agonising, year-long effort to pass universal health insurance, the latest bump in the road may seem trivial, and the president must surely hope the Indonesians don’t take it personally.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8998174

The U.S. needs major changes to its financial system so consumers are better protected, banks fortified and the economy safeguarded from sliding into another Depression, President Barack Obama said Saturday.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/21/binyamin-netanyahu-palestinians-israel

Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has bowed to American demands to suspend the construction of settlement homes in east Jerusalem ahead of his departure today for a visit to Washington DC, it was reported last night.

Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/21/2851676.htm?section=world

A national "Day of Anger" in Russia has brought out thousands of demonstrators and a tough government response. Demonstrations against the government of Vladimir Putin attracted more than 1,000 people in several cities, but in many places rallies were banned.

Link: http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/330.php

Peter Kent recently returned from a three day trip (February 17-20) to Honduras, proudly declaring the mission a success. As Canada's Minister of State for the Americas, Kent is the Tory government's point person for Canada's growing political and economic interests in the region. Honduras has become an important focus of those interests, since the military coup last June against the moderately left-leaning president, Manuel Zelaya, swung the country sharply back to the right.

Link: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/03/large-us-builder-pre-wires-homes-for-electric-cars/1

As the availability of electric cars expands, one of the largest U.S. home builders has begun offering to pre-wire homes for charging stations. Los Angeles-based KB Home has announced that it will offer the feature on custom-built homes so consumers won't have to add a high-voltage box later.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8997240

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — A shootout erupted in the streets of a northeastern Mexican city Friday, killing two suspected drug cartel gunmen and wounding a soldier

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8997230

A pro-democracy activist jailed for months in Myanmar after trying to visit his sick mother in prison arrived home in the United States on Friday, capping weeks of discussions between the ruling military junta and the U.S. State Department.