Earthquake, Tsunami Strikes Solomon Islands -- North Korea Shows US In Flames -- Gay Marriage in UK -- Obama Pushes On Congress -- AL Kidnapper Killed In Shootout -- Obama Administration Drone Powers -- Americans Buying Guns -- 2nd Grader Suspended
TSUNAMI DAMAGES HOMES ON SOLOMON ISLANDS
SYDNEY (AP) — A powerful earthquake off the Solomon Islands generated a tsunami of up to 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) that damaged dozens of homes and likely killed several people in the South Pacific island chain on Wednesday.
Authorities canceled warnings for tsunamis on more distant coasts.
Solomons officials reported two 1.5-meter (4 foot, 11-inch) waves hit the western side of Santa Cruz Island, damaging around 50 homes and properties, said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. Many villagers had headed to higher ground as a precaution, Herming said.
NORTH KOREA VIDEO SHOWS US CITY IN FLAMES
It begins benignly enough, with an image of a sleeping young North Korean man, and a genteel piano version of the US feel-good pop anthem We Are the World providing the musical backdrop.
But the YouTube video recently posted by Uriminzokkiri, North Korea's official website, quickly takes a more sinister turn as the man's dream continues into the realms of Stalinist fantasy.
Within seconds he is aboard a space shuttle, launched into orbit by the same type of rocket the North successfully launched in December. The shuttle orbits Earth, at one point passing over a jubilant and reunified Korean peninsula, before the focus switches to an unidentified city draped in the Stars and Stripes.
What appear to be missiles rain down on the city, setting fire to high-rise buildings in scenes reminiscent of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York.
"Somewhere in the United States, black clouds of smoke are billowing," the Korean-language caption says. "It seems that the nest of wickedness is ablaze."
GAY MARRIAGE: PARTY LEADERS HAIL VOTE
Party leaders at Westminster have hailed the significance of the backing for same-sex marriage in England and Wales in a key Commons vote.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday's vote had been "an important step forward" and Labour leader Ed Miliband called it a "proud day".
But 136 Tory MPs opposed the bill and have continued to voice their concerns.
MPs were given a free vote on the bill, meaning they were not ordered to vote a particular way by party whips.
OBAMA URGES CONGRESS TO STOP CUTS
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| New York Times |
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday called on Congress to quickly pass a new package of limited spending cuts and tax increases to head off substantial across-the-board reductions to domestic and military spending set to begin on March 1, but his appeal for more revenue was dismissed by Republicans.
Trying to gain the upper hand in the latest fiscal clash, Mr. Obama said Congress should delay the reductions for at least a few months to give lawmakers a chance to negotiate a full deficit reduction package that permanently resolves the threat of a so-called sequester.
“They should at least pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms that would delay the economically damaging effects of the sequester for a few more months,” Mr. Obama said Tuesday afternoon in the White House briefing room. He said there was no reason to put at risk “the jobs of thousands of Americans.”
FBI SAYS ALABAMA KIDNAPPER WAS KILLED IN SHOOTOUT
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| AP |
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. -- The Alabama man who held a 5-year-old boy captive for nearly a week engaged in a firefight with SWAT agents storming his underground bunker before he was killed during the rescue, the FBI said Tuesday night.
Bomb technicians scouring his rural property also found two explosive devices, one in the bunker and one in a plastic pipe that negotiators used to communicate with the man.
Officers killed 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes on Monday, said an official in Midland City, speaking on condition of anonymity. The bunker raid came six days after Dykes boarded a school bus, fatally shot the driver and abducted the boy, identified by only his first name, Ethan. By all accounts, the boy was unharmed.
MEMO GIVES U.S. BROAD POWER TO KILL AL QAEDA TARGETS
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| Associated Press |
WASHINGTON — In a newly revealed memo, the Obama administration claims authority to target and kill overseas Al Qaeda members, even American citizens, in broad terms that go beyond previous statements by the president and his top aides.
The administration's position has brought objections from some longtime critics. However, the response from Congress has been muted, reflecting the degree to which once-controversial practices in drone warfare have become mainstream after more than a decade of conflict.
The administration's legal justification for drone strikes, outlined in a Justice Departmentpaper that became public Monday night, states that an "informed, high-level official" can approve a strike against an Al Qaeda official, including an American citizen, even without evidence that the targeted person is planning a specific operation."
FBI SHOWS RECORD NUMBER OF AMERICANS BUYING GUNS
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| AP |
Americans are lining up to buy guns in unprecedented numbers in the wake of the Newtown school shooting and the debate around tightening gun controls, with federal background checks on prospective buyers running at record levels.
New figures released by the FBI show that 2,495,440 gun background checks were initiated in January. That is the second highest number since records began in 1998, and is exceeded only by the entry for December 2012, which reached a peak of 2,783,765.
The Newtown shooting, in which 20 young children and six of their school carers were killed in Connecticut, took place on 14 December.
Since 1998, anyone wanting to buy a firearm from a licensed dealer such as a gun shop must undergo a federal background check to ensure that they are not a criminal, mentally ill or otherwise disqualified from ownership. The check is carried out in reference to a national database, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, operated by the FBI.
7 YEAR OLD PLAYING IMAGINARY GAME GETS SUSPENDED
LOVELAND, Colo. — A 2nd grader has been suspended from school in Loveland for a make believe game he was playing.
The 7-year-old says he was trying to save the world. But school administrators say he broke a key rule during his pretend play.
“I was trying to save people and I just can’t believe I got dispended,” says Alex Evans, who doesn’t understand his suspension any better than he can pronounce it.
“It’s called ‘rescue the world,’” he says.
He was playing a game during recess at Loveland’s Mary Blair Elementary School and threw an imaginary grenade into a box with pretend evil forces inside.
“I pretended the box, there’s something shaking in it, and I go ‘pshhh.’”
The boy didn’t throw anything real or make any threats against anyone. He explains he was pretending to be the hero. “So nothing can get out and destroy the world.”
