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1 Whistleblower hands Assange offshore bank secrets

by Robin Millard, AFP

1 hr 45 mins ago

LONDON (AFP) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange vowed to publish secret details of offshore accounts after a Swiss banking whistleblower handed over data Monday on 2,000 purportedly tax-dodging individuals and firms.

Former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer, who worked for eight years in the Cayman Islands, a renowned offshore tax haven in the Caribbean, personally gave Assange two CDs of data at a London press conference.

Elmer said he wanted the world to know the truth about money concealed in offshore accounts and the systems in place to keep it secret.

2 Duvalier holes up in Haiti hotel

by Clarens Renois, AFP

52 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – Ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier holed up Monday in a Port-au-Prince hotel, receiving a string of confidantes as speculation swirled about his shock return to Haiti during a time of great political uncertainty.

Human rights groups called for Duvalier, known as “Baby Doc,” to face trial, but the justice system is in tatters after last year’s earthquake and most Haitians are too young to remember his rapacious 1971-1986 rule.

“Duvalier’s return to Haiti should be for one purpose only: to face justice,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director of Human Rights Watch.

3 Ex-Haiti dictator ‘Baby Doc’ returns to homeland

by Clarens Renois, AFP

Mon Jan 17, 9:37 am ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – Former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier has made a surprise return to Haiti in the midst of a political vacuum left by disputed presidential elections.

Returning to his homeland Sunday for the first time after 25 years in the political wilderness, most of them spent in exile in France, Duvalier told reporters at the airport, simply: “I’ve come to help.”

The sudden re-emergence of Duvalier, 59, only added to the intrigue in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, as efforts to find a successor to President Rene Preval have fallen into disarray.

4 Lebanon in crisis as indictment filed for Hariri murder

by Mariette le Roux, AFP

1 hr 14 mins ago

THE HAGUE (AFP) – The prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon filed his indictment Monday for the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri as Beirut’s neighbours backed new mediation to calm rising tensions.

Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare submitted his long-awaited indictment under wraps, but speculation was rife that it names the Hezbollah militant group in connection with the massive car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on the Beirut seafront six years ago.

“The prosecutor of the tribunal has submitted an indictment and supporting materials to the pre-trial judge,” the UN-backed tribunal (STL) said in a statement from Leidschendam, near The Hague, where it is based for security reasons.

5 Tunisia government unveils new freedoms

by Dario Thuburn, AFP

1 hr 4 mins ago

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisia unveiled a new government Monday to prepare elections within six months, promising unprecedented freedoms in the once tightly-controlled country although the old regime held on to key posts.

“We have decided to free all the people imprisoned for their ideas, their beliefs or for having expressed dissenting opinions,” Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi told reporters in the capital Tunis, adding: “We announce total freedom of information.”

The new authority also put a cost to weeks of turmoil that forced president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee Friday after 23 years in power, saying 78 people had been killed and the economy had lost 1.6 billion euros (2.2 billion dollars).

6 Battles in Tunis as new government takes shape

by Dario Thuburn, AFP

Sun Jan 16, 5:50 pm ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisian soldiers on Sunday fought loyalists of ousted strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali near the presidential palace, a police source said, as the interim leadership prepared to unveil a new government.

“The army has launched an assault on the palace in Carthage, where elements of the presidential guard have taken refuge,” the senior source told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a witness reported heavy gunfire in the area.

Security forces also shot dead two gunmen who were hiding in a building near the interior ministry in the centre of Tunis and exchanged fire with some other gunmen near the headquarters of the main opposition party, the PDP.

7 Tunisia appoints national unity govt amid turmoil

by Dario Thuburn, AFP

Mon Jan 17, 12:20 pm ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisia unveiled Monday a transitional unity government which will prepare for elections after the ouster of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and immediately announced the release of political prisoners and new media freedoms.

The government, with Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi at its helm, also abolished the information ministry and lifted a ban on the country’s main human rights group, the Tunisian League for Human Rights.

The government includes three members of the opposition and several key ministers from the cabinet of disgraced Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia Friday after 23 years of iron-fisted rule, including Foreign Minister Kamal Morjane.

8 Tunisia in turmoil amid power vacuum

by Dario Thuburn, AFP

Mon Jan 17, 9:03 am ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisian protesters called for the abolition of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s ruling party on Monday amid a chaotic power vacuum as politicians prepared a government of national unity.

Hundreds of people rallied in Tunis and there were similar protests in Sidi Bouzid and Regueb in central Tunisia — two towns at the heart of the movement that forced Ben Ali to resign and flee on Friday after 23 years in power.

“With our blood and our soul we are ready to sacrifice ourselves for the martyrs,” the protesters in Tunis chanted, referring to the dozens of people reported killed in the protests against Ben Ali.

9 Ban Ki-moon urges clean energy revolution

by Ali Khalil, AFP

Mon Jan 17, 10:38 am ET

ABU DHABI (AFP) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Monday for a clean energy revolution that would reduce climate risks, cut poverty and improve global health.

“Our challenge is transformation. We need a global clean energy revolution — a revolution that makes energy available and affordable for all,” he told participants in the fourth edition of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

“This is essential for minimising climate risks, for reducing poverty and improving global health, for empowering women and meeting the Millennium Development Goals, for global economic growth, peace and security, and the health of the planet,” he said in his keynote speech.

10 Apple’s Jobs taking another medical leave

AFP

1 hr 33 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Apple co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs announced he was taking another medical leave of absence on Monday, reviving questions about the future of the global technology powerhouse.

Jobs, 55, who underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and a liver transplant in 2009, said he would continue as chief executive “and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.”

Wall Street was closed for a holiday but the surprise announcement that the iconic technology executive was facing renewed health issues sent Apple shares tumbling in Frankfurt, where they lost 6.57 percent to 243.10 euros.

11 Divided Europe debates crisis fund boost

by Laurent Thomet, AFP

Mon Jan 17, 11:53 am ET

BRUSSELS (AFP) – A divided Europe began tough talks Monday on whether to add muscle to its eurozone debt rescue fund in order to soothe market fears that more vulnerable nations could need a bailout.

Eurozone finance ministers entered a two-day monthly meeting in Brussels under pressure to find common ground on the timing, size and scope of an eventual overhaul of the 750-billion-euro ($1.0 trillion) financial safety net.

But Germany, the fund’s main guarantor, went into the talks insisting there was no reason to rush, despite calls from European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso for EU leaders to act by their next summit on February 4.

12 Researchers aim to resurrect mammoth in five years

by Shingo Ito, AFP

Mon Jan 17, 5:44 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese researchers will launch a project this year to resurrect the long-extinct mammoth by using cloning technology to bring the ancient pachyderm back to life in around five years time.

The researchers will try to revive the species by obtaining tissue this summer from the carcass of a mammoth preserved in a Russian research laboratory, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

“Preparations to realise this goal have been made,” Akira Iritani, leader of the team and a professor emeritus of Kyoto University, told the mass-circulation daily.

13 PM names unity government to quell Tunisia unrest

By Tarek Amara and Christian Lowe, Reuters

6 mins ago

TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s prime minister appointed opposition figures to a new unity government on Monday in the hope of restoring stability after violent street protests brought down the president last week.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi also said the government was committed to releasing all political prisoners and would investigate anyone with great wealth or suspected of corruption.

Interior Minister Ahmed Friaa told state television at least 78 people had been killed in the unrest, and the cost so far in damage and lost business was 3 billion dinars ($2 billion).

14 Analysis: French race to adapt to new Maghreb mood

By Catherine Bremer, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 1:20 pm ET

PARIS (Reuters) – An embarrassed France is scrambling to protect its position as the dominant Western influence in the Maghreb after a last-minute ditching of the iron-fisted Tunisian ruler it backed for 23 years.

Paris was caught off guard by the speed with which a build-up of protests brought down Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, an ally for economic reasons and because his repression of Islamist militants created what France believed was a bulwark against fundamentalism.

Once it saw Tunisia’s army and institutions siding with the people against Ben Ali, France cut him off abruptly, mindful of its economic interests in its ex-colony and worried about a backlash by Tunisians in France if it offered refuge.

15 Tunisian economy to be purged-economist

By Paul Taylor, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 1:12 pm ET

PARIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s economy will be purged legally of the grip of overthrown president Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali’s extended family, and is well placed to flourish, a leading Tunisian economist said on Monday.

Moncef Cheikhrouhou, forced to sell his shares in a family press group to a relative of the president and go into exile in 2000, said a commission created by the Justice Ministry would unravel assets acquired through nepotism and corruption.

“They behaved like a mafia that reaped money from all sectors of the Tunisian economy,” Cheikhrouhou told Reuters in an interview in Paris, where he teaches international finance at the HEC business school.

16 Tunisia copycat burnings in 3 North African countries

By Marwa Awad and Lamine Chikhi, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 8:08 am ET

CAIRO/ALGIERS (Reuters) – The self-immolation that set off the protest wave which toppled Tunisia’s leader has led to apparent copycat protests in other north African states, with four men setting themselves on fire in Algeria and one each in Egypt and Mauritania.

In Cairo, a man set himself ablaze on Monday near parliament in a protest against poor living conditions.

In Algeria, where riots over the last few weeks have broken out in parallel to the unrest in Tunisia, newspapers gave their first reports on Sunday and Monday of at least four men who set themselves on fire in provincial towns in the last five days.

17 Analysis: Arab leaders to grapple with new order post-Tunisia

By Edmund Blair, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 2:03 am ET

CAIRO (Reuters) – Tunisia’s political earthquake has shattered the cozy world of entrenched Arab rulers and destroyed the image of their military-backed regimes as immune to popular discontent and grievances.

From Atlantic coast to Gulf shores, live images on Arab satellite channels of a popular uprising unseating President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali after 25 years in power must have rattled Arab leaders, many with similarly repressive records.

Analysts, opposition figures and ordinary people say the Tunisian revolt may prove contagious. Like Tunisians, many Arabs are frustrated by soaring prices, poverty, high unemployment, a bulging population and systems of rule that ignore their voices.

18 China’s Hu upbeat, resists U.S. pressure on yuan

By Susan Cornwell, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 10:58 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Chinese President Hu Jintao urged an end to a “zero sum” Cold War relationship with the United States and proposed new cooperation, but resisted U.S. arguments about why China should let its currency strengthen.

Indeed, in a sign that the future of the U.S. currency continues to concern the most senior levels of the Chinese government, he said the dollar-based international currency system is a “product of the past”.

Overall though, the president, who will visit Washington this week, struck an upbeat tone about ties with the United States in a rare written interview with two U.S. newspapers, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

19 Goldman to exclude U.S. from Facebook placement

By Ilaina Jonas, Reuters

49 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs said it will limit its private placement of shares of social networking site Facebook to investors outside the United States, citing “intense media coverage,” according to the investment bank.

Goldman expects to raise $1.5 billion for Facebook, the wildly popular site used as a message board and for online social networking. The chance to buy a slice of Facebook ahead of any future public listing attracted widespread commentary and news coverage, which potentially could bring it under regulatory scrutiny.

“In light of this intense media coverage, Goldman Sachs has decided to proceed only with the offer to investors outside the U.S.,” the company said in a statement provided to Reuters.

20 Apple’s Jobs takes 3rd medical leave, stock slumps

By Gabriel Madway and Georgina Prodhan, Reuters

40 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON (Reuters) – Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs is taking medical leave for the third time since 2004, sending its shares tumbling more than 8 percent as the surprise revived concerns over the long-term future of the iPhone- and iPad-maker.

The company disclosed the news early on a U.S. holiday when U.S. markets were closed and did not specify why or for how long its visionary leader would be absent. Jobs’ latest leave comes nearly two years to the date after he took a six-month break to undergo a liver transplant.

“At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health,” Jobs, 55, wrote in an email to staff published on a regulatory newswire. “I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can.”

21 Haiti urged to arrest "Baby Doc" amid unrest fears

By Joseph Guyler Delva and Allyn Gaestel, Reuters

2 hrs 28 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Rights groups on Monday demanded Haiti arrest former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier for crimes against humanity after his surprise return from 25 years in exile, which strained an edgy political atmosphere in the volatile Caribbean state.

Analysts said the unexpected arrival in Port-au-Prince on Sunday of “Baby Doc” Duvalier, who had fled his homeland in 1986 to escape a popular revolt, could only complicate the climate of nervous uncertainty in earthquake-battered Haiti.

Tensions in the impoverished nation are running high following chaotic and inconclusive November 28 elections.

22 Euro zone finance ministers discuss changes to rescue fund

By Jan Strupczewski and Ilona Wissenbach, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 1:52 pm ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone finance ministers called on Monday for an increase in the effective lending capacity of the currency bloc’s rescue fund, but EU paymaster Germany said there was no urgency and it would be March before a firm plan was in place.

Growing realization that a deal to widen the bailout fund was not imminent caused the euro to retreat on Monday from a one-month high reached after successful debt auctions by Portugal and Spain last week.

Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said it was vital that euro zone governments under pressure forge ahead with structural economic reforms and deficit-cutting to make debt levels sustainable.

23 Observers approve south Sudan independence vote

By Andrew Heavens, Reuters

6 mins ago

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – International observers gave south Sudan’s independence referendum their seal of approval on Monday and said a vote for secession was now “virtually certain” in their first official judgment on the poll.

Early results from last week’s plebiscite suggest people from Sudan’s oil-producing south voted overwhelmingly to split away from the north after decades of civil war.

Observers from the Carter Center and the European Union both said the vote had been credible, an endorsement that moved the region a step closer to independence.

24 Australia grants exploration permits to BP, Woodside

By Rob Taylor, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 12:02 am ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) – Australia granted offshore petroleum exploration permits to BP on Monday in a vote of confidence after last year’s catastrophic Deep Water Horizon oil spill, but with strict safety and environmental safeguards attached to the deal.

The four permits, the first to be issued since 2000 in the environmentally sensitive Great Australian Bight off South Australia state, cleared the way for BP to explore waters up to 4,600 meters deep in some areas.

“If BP had not have accepted those conditions, then I would not be doing this media conference and they would not have been given the permits,” Resources Minister Martin Ferguson told journalists at parliament in Canberra.

25 Senators threaten currency bill ahead of Hu visit

By Doug Palmer, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 1:58 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group of senators, on the eve of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s arrival in the United States, said it was vital Congress pass legislation to get tough with China over its currency practices.

“There’s no bigger step we can take to preserve the American dream and promote job creation, particularly in the manufacturing sector … than to confront China’s manipulation of its currency,” Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said.

The message to Hu is “we are fed up with your government’s intransigence on currency manipulation. If you refuse to play by the same rules, we will force you to do so,” Schumer said in a conference call on a proposed bill to prod China to raise the value of its yuan currency.

26 BP shares up on Rosneft share swap, arctic deal

By Tom Bergin, Reuters

Mon Jan 17, 3:33 am ET

LONDON (Reuters) – Shares in BP rose 2.0 percent on Monday following the share swap and arctic exploration deal that the London-based oil major signed with Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft late on Friday.

Analysts said the deal with state-controlled Rosneft opened up massive reserves in the arctic, a region they said was believed to contain one fifth of the world’s undiscovered oil.

It also showed that BP’s talent for cutting innovative deals survives after last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill raised questions about the company’s tolerance of risk.

27 Irish PM calls confidence motion on leadership

By Yara Bayoumy and Carmel Crimmins, Reuters

Sun Jan 16, 5:10 pm ET

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen defied calls to resign as head of the ruling Fianna Fail party on Sunday and instead offered colleagues the chance to vote on his leadership in a secret ballot this week.

His Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said he would not support Cowen in the Tuesday poll in a last-ditch effort to force him out before an election that is expected to go badly wrong for Fianna Fail.

Analysts said Cowen, who knew Martin would go public with his dissent, likely had enough support within the parliamentary party to secure his tenure until the election, which is expected to take place in March.

28 Violence-scarred Tunisia announces new government

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA and ELAINE GANLEY, Associated Press

5 mins ago

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia took a step toward democracy and reconciliation Monday, promising to free political prisoners and opening its government to opposition forces long shut out of power – but the old guard held onto the key posts, angering protesters.

Demonstrators carrying signs reading “GET OUT! demanded that the former ruling party be banished altogether – a sign more troubles lie ahead for the new unity government as security forces struggle to contain violent reprisals, shootings and lootings three days after the country’s longtime president fled under pressure from the streets.

“We’re afraid that the president has left, but the powers-that-be remain,” said Hylel Belhassen, a 51-year-old insurance salesman. Even before the new government was announced Monday, security forces fired tear gas to repel demonstrators who see the change of power as Tunisia’s first real chance at democracy.

29 ‘Baby Doc’ adds new twist to Haiti latest woes

By JACOB KUSHNER and JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press

21 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier ensconced himself Monday in a high-end hotel following his surprise return to a country deep in crisis, leaving many to wonder if the once-feared strongman will prompt renewed conflict in the midst of a political stalemate.

Duvalier met with allies inside the hotel in the hills above downtown Port-au-Prince and spoke publicly only through emissaries, who gave vague explanations for his sudden and mysterious appearance – nearly 25 years after he was forced into exile by a popular uprising against his brutal regime.

Henry Robert Sterlin, a former ambassador who said he was speaking on behalf of Duvalier, portrayed the 59-year-old former “president for life,” as merely a concerned elder statesmen who wanted to see the effects of the devastating Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake on his homeland.

30 King’s peace legacy praised after Ariz. shootings

By ERRIN HAINES, Associated Press

1 hr 57 mins ago

ATLANTA – The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy as a preacher of peace and tolerance was lauded Monday as Americans marked his memorial day just over a week after the shootings in Arizona that killed 6 people and seriously wounded a congresswoman.

Attorney General Eric Holder, speaking at King’s former church in Atlanta, praised him as “our nation’s greatest drum major of peace” and said the Jan. 8 bloodshed was a call to recommit to King’s values of nonviolence, tolerance, compassion and justice.

“Last week a senseless rampage in Tucson reminded us that more than 40 years after Dr. King’s own tragic death, our struggle to eradicate violence and to promote peace goes on,” Holder said.

31 Swiss bank UBS to change much-mocked dress code

By FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press

Mon Jan 17, 12:36 pm ET

GENEVA – Good news for Swiss bankers: They may soon be allowed to wear red underwear, black nail polish – and even eat garlic.

Swiss banking giant UBS AG said Monday it is revising its 44-page dress code telling its Swiss staff how to present themselves, which generated worldwide ridicule for its micromanagement of their dressing and dining habits.

The code instructs employees on everything from their breath – no garlic or onions, please – to their underwear, which should be skin-colored.

32 NFL playoffs: Give me a 2, give me a 6

By BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer

Mon Jan 17, 7:20 am ET

Picture this: a pair of No. 6 seeds in the Super Bowl.

The New York Jets and Green Bay Packers sure like that scenario, and it’s impossible to ignore them after this weekend’s divisional playoff games.

The Jets (13-5), who have never won more games in their half-century of existence, went into New England and handed the league’s top regular-season team a 28-21 defeat Sunday. They now have knocked off Peyton Manning’s Colts and Tom Brady’s Patriots in successive weeks.

33 US, China clash on energy, environment

By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer

Mon Jan 17, 7:41 am ET

BEIJING – In late 2009, President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao announced an ambitious array of joint clean energy research projects touted as a mark of a maturing relationship and an alliance to fight climate change.

A year after Obama’s visit to China, the envisioned partnership has largely evaporated. The U.S. has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization against China’s policies favoring its producers of wind and solar equipment. Cooperation in climate change talks has been rare.

On the eve of Hu’s U.S. visit, the conflict is emblematic of a range of areas, from climate to technology to reducing strains in the the global economy, where Beijing sees its interests as very different from Washington even as they pledge cooperation.

34 Cancer survivor aims to raze barriers with app

By MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 4:54 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – In the late 1990s, Marty Tenenbaum was a hotshot e-commerce entrepreneur riding high on the dot-com boom when he noticed a lump on his body.

His doctor told him it was nothing, but when he finally had it removed, he learned he had melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

He beat the disease, but he never got over the sense of frustration he felt as he clawed his way through the maze of treatment options, clinical trials and research in search of a way to survive.

35 Gunbattles, food shortages temper Tunisians’ joy

By ELAINE GANLEY and BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 7:46 pm ET

TUNIS, Tunisia – Major gunbattles erupted outside the palace of Tunisia’s deposed president, in the center of the capital, in front of the main opposition party headquarters and elsewhere on Sunday as authorities struggled to restore order and the world waited to see if the North African nation would continue its first steps away from autocratic rule.

Police arrested dozens of people, including the top presidential security chief, as tensions appeared to mount between Tunisians buoyant over Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s departure and loyalists in danger of losing major perks.

There were cheers and smiles in much of Tunis, the capital, as residents tore down the massive portraits of Ben Ali, some of them several stories high, that hung from lampposts and billboards and were omnipresent during his 23-year reign.

36 Question looms on WTC health act: Who is covered?

By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 4:08 pm ET

NEW YORK – There is no doubt that Richard Volpe is sick, and no doubt that the former police detective spent 9/11 breathing in clouds of soot at the World Trade Center.

Yet that is no guarantee that the ex-cop, or many others like him, will qualify for a substantial share of the $2.78 billion Congress has set to compensate people who fell ill after being exposed to ground zero toxins.

Like thousands of other rescue and recovery workers, Volpe suffers from an ailment that is not expressly covered by the law. Only a few diseases were singled out by name in the act, including asthma, certain types of lung disease and a handful of other respiratory ailments. They were included because research has suggested there is a link between those illnesses and the tons of caustic dust that blanketed lower Manhattan after the twin towers collapsed.

37 Young King inspired by time in Conn., work on farm

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press

43 mins ago

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Martin Luther King Jr. could hardly believe his eyes when he left the segregated South as a teenage college student to work on a tobacco farm in Connecticut.

“On our way here we saw some things I had never anticipated to see,” he wrote his father in June 1944. “After we passed Washington there was no discrimination at all. The white people here are very nice. We go to any place we want to and sit any where we want to.”

The slain civil rights leader, whose birthday is observed Monday as a federal holiday, spent that summer working in a tobacco field in the Hartford suburb of Simsbury. That experience would influence his decision to become a minister and heighten his resentment of segregation.

38 Egyptian, Algerian, Mauritanian set selves alight

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press

45 mins ago

CAIRO – Protesters set themselves on fire in Egypt, Mauritania and Algeria on Monday in apparent copycat self-immolation attempts inspired by the act that helped trigger a popular uprising in Tunisia.

The incidents, while isolated, reflect the growing despair among the public of many Arab regimes resisting reform. They are deeply symbolic means of protest in a region that has little or no tolerance for dissent.

It was the self-immolation of a 26-year-old unemployed man in Tunisia last month that sparked the tidal wave of protests that toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali last week.

39 Obama to honor China’s president with state dinner

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

Mon Jan 17, 3:07 pm ET

WASHINGTON – When Hu Jintao makes what is likely his final trip to Washington as China’s president, he will get an honor he desperately wanted but was denied during his first visit nearly five years ago: a White House state dinner.

Symbolism and protocol are very important to the Chinese and the opulence of Wednesday’s black-tie affair with President Barack Obama should be plenty satisfying for Hu, a 67-year-old hydroelectric engineer who has ruled the country since 2002. That could help relations between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.

A grand soiree is in the works, but big questions remain. Will a celebrity chef do the cooking? Will first lady Michelle Obama’s gown have an Oriental flair? Will the Obamas try to turn Hu on to American pop culture with the entertainment? The White House has yet to release any details.

40 After tragedy, Ariz. lawmakers eye more gun rights

By PAUL DAVENPORT, Associated Press

Mon Jan 17, 11:04 am ET

PHOENIX – Arizona has become a national leader in the gun rights movement in recent years as the state enacted law after law to protect the people’s right to bear arms nearly anywhere, at anytime.

The shooting rampage that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a former legislative colleague, has done nothing to slow down the Legislature.

Gun rights bills were introduced in the days after the shootings last week, and more proposals are to come.

41 New US lawmakers want action on China currency

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON, Associated Press

Mon Jan 17, 10:57 am ET

WASHINGTON – Chinese President Hu Jintao’s high-profile visit to Washington this week comes as newly elected Republican lawmakers are itching to act against what they see as an undervalued Chinese currency that is costing American jobs.

But they could run into resistance from leaders of their own party. Congress may be less likely to pass legislation on the issue than it had been last year, when both chambers were under Democratic control. A bill to give U.S. companies a means of challenging what they view as an unfair export subsidy sailed through the House, but died in the Senate.

Three Democratic senators – Charles Schumer of New York, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania – plan to introduce legislation this week to address the currency issue.

42 Tea partiers keeping an eye on those they backed

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

Mon Jan 17, 3:36 am ET

WASHINGTON – Welcome to Washington, tea partiers.

Now that they’re freshmen in a GOP-run House, the political movement’s candidates are running smack into the traditions, partisan divisions and powerful competing interests that make it so hard to redirect the government.

Some tea party activists – part of a loose-knit, libertarian-tinged network advocating small government and less federal spending – already are dismayed to see their new lawmakers plunge into familiar patterns of raising political cash, hiring former lobbyists and stopping short of the often-heard vow to “change the way Washington works.”

43 Federal government spends millions on hoop houses

By STEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press

Mon Jan 17, 3:08 am ET

MINNEAPOLIS – The federal government has spent millions of dollars to help farmers nationwide buy greenhouse-like structures called high tunnels that can add valuable weeks and even months to their growing seasons by protecting produce from chilly temperatures.

About $13 million has gone to more than 2,400 farmers in 43 states to help pay for the low-tech tunnels that look like a cross between Quonset huts and conventional greenhouses. The structures, also known as hoop houses, have been particularly beneficial in the north, where they allow farmers to plant as much as four weeks early and keep growing later in the fall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture touts the tunnels as environmentally friendly and a way to help meet the demand for local and sustainable produce. Experts say high tunnels employ efficient drip irrigation systems and reduce pest problems, diseases and fertilizer costs.

44 House panel wants Homeland Security documents

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 8:45 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A House committee has asked the Homeland Security Department to provide documents about an agency policy that required political appointees to review many Freedom of Information Act requests, according to a letter obtained Sunday by The Associated Press.

The letter to Homeland Security was sent late Friday by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It represents an early move by House Republicans who have vowed to launch numerous probes of President Barack Obama’s administration, ranging from its implementation of the new health care law to rules curbing air pollution to spending in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Associated Press reported in July that for at least a year, Homeland Security had sidetracked hundreds of requests for federal records to top political advisers to the department’s secretary, Janet Napolitano. The political appointees wanted information about those requesting the materials, and in some cases the release of documents considered politically sensitive was delayed, according to numerous e-mails that were obtained by the AP.

45 Indianapolis officer charged again in fatal crash

By CHARLES WILSON, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 5:25 pm ET

INDIANAPOLIS – On his way to help serve a warrant last August, Officer David Bisard’s police cruiser smashed into two motorcycles, leaving one rider dead and two others seriously injured.

A few days later, a blood test revealed a possible reason for the wreck: Bisard’s blood-alcohol level was still more than twice the legal limit hours after the crash. The local prosecutor filed charges, only to drop them a few weeks later, saying the blood test hadn’t been properly done and couldn’t be used in court.

Officers and emergency medical personnel at the scene said they had no reason to suspect Bisard had been drinking that morning, and no breath test had been done. The case, which rocked Indianapolis and led to emotional allegations of a cover-up, was revived Wednesday when a new prosecutor re-filed drunken driving charges. The question for families and victims now is whether the charges will stick despite what police admit was a bungled investigation.

46 Greeley school board member blasts MLK Day

By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 4:52 pm ET

GREELEY, Colo. – A local school board member and radio station owner has come under fire for airing an editorial denouncing the holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The broadcaster remains unrepentant and defiant in the wake of community outcry.

Brett Reese is airing the editorial four times daily – up from two – on his station KELS-FM 104.7. He is unapologetic that portions of the editorial that call King a “plastic god,” a “sexual degenerate,” and “an America hating communist” appear verbatim on a website with links to a white supremacist group.

“Facts are facts, truth is truth,” he said, adding that he might pre-empt other programing to air the editorial round the clock. The 40-year-old former carpenter claims he helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity in the Mississippi Delta and once dated an African American woman. He insists he’s not racist.

47 Record $14 trillion-plus debt weighs on Congress

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 1:50 am ET

WASHINGTON – The United States just passed a dubious milestone: Government debt surged to an all-time high, topping $14 trillion – $45,300 for each and everyone in the country.

That means Congress soon will have to lift the legal debt limit to give the nearly maxed-out government an even higher credit limit or dramatically cut spending to stay within the current cap. Either way, a fight is ahead on Capitol Hill, inflamed by the passions of tea party activists and deficit hawks.

Already, both sides are blaming each other for an approaching economic train wreck as Washington wrestles over how to keep the government in business and avoid default on global financial obligations.

48 Cleric: Muslims have role in relationship building

By COREY WILLIAMS, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 12:52 am ET

DETROIT – The cleric who became the public face of efforts to build an Islamic center near ground zero in New York began a national speaking tour Saturday night by urging Muslims to help “depoliticize” their faith and play a role in shaping relationships with America.

Feisal Abdul Rauf began his tour to inspire “interfaith understanding” in Detroit, saying Islam should be seen as an American religion “not an alien religion.” The Detroit area is home to the largest Muslim population in North America.

The imam told about 400 people at a diversity forum sponsored by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan and the Islamic Society of North America that the backlash against Islam that arose from the New York City mosque plan was “triggered by a mix of race, religion and politics in America.”

49 Obama’s education focus faces big hurdles

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press

Sun Jan 16, 12:26 am ET

WASHINGTON – Signs of trouble are arising for President Barack Obama’s plan to put education overhaul at the forefront of his agenda as he adjusts to the new reality of a divided government.

Giving students and teachers more flexibility is an idea with bipartisan support. Yet the debate about the overdue renewal of the nation’s chief education law, known as No Child Left Behind, is complicated by political pressures from the coming 2012 presidential campaign and disputes over timing, money and scope of the update.

While education might offer the best chance for the White House to work with newly empowered Republicans, any consensus could fade in the pitiless political crosscurrents, leaving the debate for another day, perhaps even another presidency.

50 MLK III: AZ shootings underscore father’s message

By RAY HENRY, Associated Press

Sat Jan 15, 11:57 pm ET

ATLANTA – One of the sons of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. said Saturday evening that the Arizona shootings that claimed six lives and left a congresswoman critically wounded show his father’s work must continue.

“Ugliness rears its head,” Martin Luther King III told a dinner gathering hosted by the King Center. “And that tragic incident in a real sense should say to us all that the work of Martin Luther King Jr. is nowhere near finished because he tried to teach us how to live in a nation and world without destroying either person or property.”

“And so the message of nonviolence resonates strongly, particularly this year after that great tragedy,” King said.

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