President Bush's job approval ratings have hit the lowest point of his tenure and the number of Americans with an unfavorable opinion of him has reached 50% for the first time, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

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The poll also puts Bush's unfavorable rating among Americans at the highest level of his presidency — 50%. Forty-eight percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of the president, marking the first time in Bush's tenure that his unfavorable rating is higher than his favorable rating. In contrast, a Gallup poll in late November of 2001, less than three months after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, put Bush's favorable rating at 87% and his unfavorable rating at 11%.

Source: USA Today

Pirated copies of the new Harry Potter book have hit the streets of Mumbai (Bombay) barely two days since its worldwide release.

Hawkers and street book stalls are offering JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for $6, compared to the legitimate stores' $20.

Source: BBC News

An Indian Muslim organisation has declared that it owns the world's most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal.

The Sunni Waqf Board says it owns over 100,000 properties in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the spectacular marble mausoleum is located.

It says since the Taj Mahal houses several Muslim graves it falls under its jurisdiction.

Source: BBC

The federal government can provide only limited help to states and local governments to protect transit systems from terror attacks, and local officials must be largely responsible for the costs of improved subway, train and bus security, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday.

State and local officials are grappling with how to pay for upgrades to protect commuters and other mass transit riders in their communities. Technology to protect mass transit systems in the nation's 30 largest metropolitan areas could cost an estimated $6 billion, according to industry representatives.

Source: AP