World: NATO says there’s no sign that Russia has pulled its troops back from the Ukraine border as promised. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, “Unfortunately, we have not seen any evidence at all that Russia has started withdrawal.” Western governments say a pullback of Russia’s 40,000 troops posted in a position to invade would be a big step to defuse the Ukraine crisis.

>The Thai military has declared martial law “to preserve law and order” while its government is in flux. A Thai court recently removed Prime Minister Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office. Soldiers have blocked roads and taken over television and radio stations. The Thai military last declared martial law in 2006.

>China has expressed extreme irritation about the US indictment of five Chinese army officers accused of cyber-theft of American trade secrets. A government statement pointed out the revelation of NSA spying by the US and said, “For a long time, the US has possessed the technology and essential infrastructure needed to conduct large-scale systematic cyber thefts and surveillance on foreign government leaders, businesses and individuals.” China might be in a mood to retaliate.

Nation: British Imam Abu Hamza was found guilty of 11 terrorism-related charges yesterday in a Manhattan federal court. He had been accused of planning the 1998 kidnappings in Yemen of 16 American, British and Australian tourists as well as trying to create a terrorist training camp in Bly, Ore. Four hostages died during a rescue operation in the Yemen incident. Hamza had already served time in England before being extradited to the US. His lawyers claimed Hamza was prosecuted because he had called Osama bin Laden a hero and praised the attacks on the World Trade Center. Hamza, who is missing his right hand, faces life in prison.

>Credit Suisse pleaded guilty yesterday to charges that it helped clients evade taxes. The bank will have to pay up to $2.6 billion in fines. The US suspected the bank of helping thousands of clients evade taxes, but in the end Credit Suisse pleaded guilty to only one count, and, following Swiss law, refused to hand over the names of the American clients. No one is going to jail.

The Wedding Party: It’s getting hard to keep up with the states where the ban on same-sex marriage is falling. Yesterday a federal judge in Oregon struck down that state’s ban writing, “Because Oregon’s marriage laws discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without a rational relationship to any legitimate government interest the laws violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.” Oregon officials are expected to issue marriage licenses almost immediately.

Fact from Fiction: Actor Michael Jace, who played a gay cop on the FX series “The Shield”, is in custody after the shooting death of his wife at home in Los Angeles yesterday. Jace,51, called the police himself and the first officers found April Jace, 40, dead in the family home.

Breathe Easy: The NY Racing Association has ruled that California Chrome can wear his nasal strips when he runs in the Belmont Stakes next month. The horse’s owners had said Chrome might not run if he couldn’t wear the adhesive strips that open his nasal passages.

The Obit Page: The 1950s romantic crooner Jerry Vale, who filled the airwaves with the Italian songs “Volare,” ”Innamorata” and “Al Di La”, has died at age 83. Vale’s voice put the Italian in Italian-American. His biggest hit was “You Don’t Know Me.”

Vale’s recording of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was a staple at sports events for years. He also appeared as himself in the movies “Goodfellas,” ”Casino,” and the HBO series, “The Sopranos.” He had a stirring tenor voice and a great head of hair.

Defective: The federal investigation of General Motors’ cover-up of its ignition switch problem revealed a list of 69 “judgment words” GM employees were not to use in internal documents. Among them: crippling, dangerous, deathtrap, defect, defective, evil, failed, failure, flawed, life-threatening, maiming, mutilating, never, potentially-disfiguring, problem, serious, startling, terrifying, Titanic, tomblike, and unstable.

They must be really baaaaad. But what about “tits”? Tits isn’t even on the list!

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