Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya faces her second trial for first-degree murder starting on Thursday.

It is 10 a.m. on a Friday, and the scene in Penn's Office of International Programs has all the trappings of business as usual. Students and staff walk briskly to and fro, telephones ring shrilly, and the hum of jovial voices pervades the air. Amid this sea of activity, a small red sign perched on a desk attracts a few glances here and there.

Striking graduate students at New York University have placed their soapboxes back on the shelf - temporarily. NYU graduate student leaders say the campaign is "alive and well" despite the hiatus and they will continue their protests in other ways. And Penn graduate students are still vocal in their support for their NYU brethren.

Hate Webmail crashes? Uneven bricks on Locust Walk? Student-government leaders sure do, and they've got a host of other items on their plate as well. The Undergraduate Assembly met for the first time Sunday night, outlining new projects and announcing the new committee heads.

College senior Nicholas Miccarelli, a native of Ridley Park, Pa., recently returned to Penn after completing a tour of duty in Iraq in which he helped train and lead the new Iraqi military forces. Prior to transferring to Penn from Temple in 2003, Miccarelli had spent nine months in Kosovo conducting peacekeeping operations.

Philadelphia just got a major wake-up call: It was ranked the most impoverished of the nation's 10 largest cities.

Penn students may be excited to be upgrading from Webmail, but experts say the companies battling to replace it have just as much to gain.

By Samuel Dangremond The Daily Pennsylvanian The back-to-school crunch will result in at least $36.6 billion spent by college students, but forget long lines at Target as you put the finishing touches on your dorm room. College students are spending their money online.

Penn Medicine alumna Dana Beyer could make history tomorrow by becoming the first openly transgender person to run on a party ticket for state legislature. However, Beyer, 54, faces tough competition as one of eight Democrats campaigning for three seats in the 18th district of the Maryland House of Delegates in the primary tomorrow.

School of Medicine students are about to get hands-on experience helping patients who can't bleed or die but can yell back. A grant from the Measey Foundation has lead to the creation of an 800-square-foot simulation center that includes two interactive mannequins that can take the place of patients during advanced training.

A sea of red marched up and down Columbus Boulevard yesterday flashing signs and sounding off on local politicians. And all that the protestors want is some peace and quiet in their neighborhood. In an effort to halt the proposed construction of a casino located on the waterfront between Tasker Avenue and Reed Street, over 100 Southeast Philadelphia residents lined Columbus Boulevard yesterday, protesting the traffic congestion, crime and other quality-of-life issues that they feel a casino may bring to the area.

Simply being relevant to students tops the to-do list for this year's Undergraduate Assembly. With its first meeting yesterday, the UA rolled out an ambitious plan to revamp both its tasks and direction for the year. Its members are looking to increase the number of tangible projects they work on this year.

Hindus, Christians, Jews and Muslims left their places of worship last night to remember together the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But they did more than remember. They sang, prayed, performed poetry and reflected, on this fifth anniversary of a day few Penn students will forget.

By Leanne Ta The Daily Pennsylvanian High schools and small laboratories can now access a piece of world-class equipment they once could only dream of, thanks to graduate student Brian Edwards. That device is a pair of tweezers. Well, sort of. Edwards, an Electrical and Systems Engineering doctoral candidate, has created "electric tweezers" that allow researchers to manipulate microscopic particles simply by moving a joystick.

Week of affordable dining in Center City This fall's Center City Restaurant Week began yesterday, but hurry to make your reservations - it only runs through Friday. The event, which occurs annually, allows patrons to dine for $30 at some of the city's most expensive restaurants.

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with University President Amy Gutmann about Scott Ward's time as a Wharton Marketing professor. DP: Why was Ward allowed to remain on the faculty after two arrests? AG: The most important fact is that Mr. Ward is no longer at Penn.

By Leanne Ta The Daily Pennsylvanian Hundreds of protest groups, numerous online petitions, a public demonstration and an organized boycott: not the way Facebook.com officials expected users to respond to the site's recent makeover. "We really messed this one up," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerburg wrote in an open letter to Facebook users Friday morning.