L.A. Times: Number of Abortions Rising in Middle East, experts say, by Borzou Daragahi:BEIRUT — Unmarried and pregnant, Ranya gathered up her courage and confided to a friend that she was considering a drastic step: an illegal abortion. She
Beirut
Former State Department Official Pleads Guilty
By Ellen Podgor
A press release of the Department of Justice reports that a "former state department chief consular officer pleads guilty to receiving illegal benefits from foreign nationals." The release states "that Patricia Raikes, a former State Department employee and former Chief…