USA
Citigroup Inc. will cut 53,000 more jobs, the struggling banking giant said Monday. The layoffs add to the 22,000 job losses announced in October. Citigroup had 375,000 employees worldwide at its peak at the end of 2007, before suffering massive losses from deteriorating debt.
Looking to intercept contaminated Chinese products, the US Food and Drug Administration said it will open three offices in China this week, the first the FDA has located overseas. The offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou will enhance the speed and effectiveness of regulatory cooperation and efforts to protect consumers in both countries, according to US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.
Astronauts were poised Monday to begin unpacking a 21-foot- long container from the Endea-vour space shuttle after it successfully docked with the International Space Station Sunday. The shuttle's crew will spend almost two weeks setting up equipment to make the station larger and more livable.
A major offensive on southern California wildfires by air tankers on Sunday gave firefighters much-needed momentum by early Monday. Overall, three burning areas outside Los Angeles have been roughly 20 percent contained, according to officials, who said the fires have destroyed more than 800 homes. The smell of smoke pervades the metropolitan area. Above, a San Bernardino County firefighter aims his hose at a blaze in Chino Hills.
Federal immigration officials released roughly 75 percent of about 3,500 inmates from the Harris County jail in Texas over an eight-month period starting in June 2007, even though they were in the country illegally, The Houston Chronicle has reported. Most were accused of minor crimes.Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they are doing the best they can with limited resources.
Enrollment of Chinese students at US universities jumped 20 percent last year, according to Institute of International Education figures released Monday. Aggressive recruiting and a growing Chinese middle class were cited as factors in the growth.
