BILLION DOLLAR 2012 POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. Most Expensive Presidential Race Ever
President Obama and his GOP rival Mitt Romney are on an unprecedented fundraising binge that shows no sign of ending.

CHANGE IN PLAN NOW IN PLACE. For Future Oil Flow.
A detour from an Emirati port on the Indian Ocean may become a new exit route for Arabian crude oil to world markets, circumventing any kind of chokehold Iran may decide to implement.

PHILIPPINES LEADER. White House Visitor.

AT SECURITY COUNCIL’S REQUEST, BAN EXPLORES A ‘VARIETY OF OPTIONS’ FOR SYRIA

At the request of the Security Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will soon put forward a range of options for resolving the crisis in Syria.

“No one can predict how the situation in Syria will evolve. We must be prepared for any eventuality; we must be ready to respond to many possible scenarios,” Mr. Ban told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday afternoon. “At the request of the Security Council, I will soon present a variety of options for the way ahead.”

As it turns out, no crime ever occurred, but NYPD Captain Russel Green arrived late at tonight's 45th precinct community council meeting because of an unfortunate accident.

NYC Council Members James Vacca and Dan Garodnick, along with other elected officials, are joining afterschool program advocates and parents in calling on the City to restore funding to seven Beacon programs that have been cut in the Mayor’s budget. The officials delivered hundreds of letters written by children from Beacons across the City to Mayor Bloomberg.

The President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser has expressed his disappointment over the lack of progress in ending the violence in Syria.

“To tell you frankly, I’m very disappointed,” Mr. Al-Nasser said in an interview. “The UN, the General Assembly, [and] the Security Council try very hard to convince the Syrian Government to stop the violence and start listening to their own people and reach out to them and try to come up with a plan.”

ASSAD HAS TO GO NOW. Must Leave Syria With His Brutality and Duplicity.
Against the backdrop of a new massacre in Syria, UN envoy Kofi Annan will propose global and key regional players develop a strategy to end the 15-month conflict.

ASSESSING THE DRAW-DOWN. Panetta in Afghanistan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Afghanistan reviewing plans for military draw-down, as violence incidents increase. This is his fourth trip to that war zone.

REOPENING TALKS. Reconsidering New Route.