SPB News for Monday.

Chavez Says U.S. Must Make First Move On Diplomacy

No insurance for 90% of laid-off workers

Hartmarx Files for Bankruptcy Amid Sales Decline
(Bloomberg) -- Hartmarx Corp., the Chicago-based clothier that made the suit President Barack Obama wore to his inauguration, filed for bankruptcy ...

US seizing of Iranian ship 'a covert op' The interception of an Iranian arms ship by the US Navy in the Red Sea last week likely was conducted as a covert operation and is being played down by the US military due to the lack of a clear legal framework for such operations, an American expert on Iran told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday evening.

Army investigator said Green Beret's death was 'negligent homicide' by KBR An Army criminal investigator told the family of a Green Beret who was electrocuted while taking a shower at his base in Baghdad that the soldier's death was a case of "negligent homicide" by military contractor KBR and two of its supervisors. The report last month to the family of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth said Houston-based KBR failed to make certain that qualified electricians and plumbers were working on the barracks where Maseth was killed a year ago, according to a U.S. government official who has seen the correspondence.

Bird flu confirmed in W Canada An apparently low pathogenic strain of the bird flu has been detected on a turkey farm in western Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Saturday. The agency confirmed "the presence of H5 avian influenza (AI) virus" in the farm located in Fraser Valley of British Columbia province, where avian flu has been discovered in recent years.

Last week's poll had asked:

Israel and Hamas have both announced unilateral ceasefires to the military action in the Gaza Strip. Can this ceasefire pave the way to peace? Majority of readers answered no. This week's poll is up.