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WORLD UPDATES

Haiti PM says could take 10 years to rebuild homes

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Four weeks after an earthquake shattered the capital, Haiti is still in a precarious situation with no clear idea of how to house 1 million people living in the streets, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said on Tuesday.

Obama, Republicans find common ground on jobs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama found common ground with Republicans on Tuesday over his top priorities of job creation and deficit reduction but drew a rebuke on healthcare reform.

U.S. climate envoy says China tepid on climate deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official on Tuesday criticized China and other leading developing countries for trying to weaken the Copenhagen Accord to fight global warming and raised the prospect that a fuller international pact may be not be struck by year's end.

U.S. wants Iran sanctions in weeks; Russia gets tough

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the international community was "moving along fairly quickly" toward imposing fresh sanctions on Iran, as the Islamic Republic further expanded its nuclear program.

North Korea nuclear envoy visits China, talks closer

SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea's top nuclear envoy arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as Pyongyang said it was willing to step up talks with China on resuming stalled disarmament-for-aid talks.

Obama hopes to see jobs package in coming weeks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, reaching out to lawmakers in both U.S. political parties, said on Tuesday he hoped Congress would soon deliver a package of measures to boost U.S. employment and economic growth.

Accused NY bomb plotter's father pleads not guilty

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The father of an Afghan-born airport shuttle driver accused of plotting an al Qaeda-inspired bomb attack on New York City pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of conspiring to alter, destroy and conceal evidence.

Moscow says U.S. missile shield aimed at Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's top general said on Tuesday that differences over U.S. missile defence plans were directed against his country and were holding up an arms treaty with Washington, Russian news agencies reported.

FEATURE - How the poor can get poorer, and be OK about that

VILNIUS/RIGA (Reuters) - Moody's upgraded the outlook for Lithuania's debt rating recently, but that means nothing to people like Lijandra Garniene.

Clinton to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia next week for talks that a U.S. official said on Tuesday would likely focus on Iran, Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Obama signals willingness to compromise

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama gave his strongest signal yet that he is willing to compromise on key priorities in a step toward the center that raised pressure on Republicans to meet him halfway.

Obamas take on problem of obese children

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alarmed that nearly a third of U.S. children are obese or overweight -- and likely to stay that way all their lives -- President Barack Obama launched an initiative on Tuesday to roll back the numbers and put his wife in charge of promoting it.

UK's Brown faces bumpy ride with vote reform plan

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown won a parliamentary vote on Tuesday on a proposal to change Britain's electoral system, but the plan will do little to boost his Labour Party's chances of staying in power.

For extra cautious Toyota driver, a high-speed death

FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) - Guadalupe Alberto knew the route from her house on a residential street to the tiny grocery store she ran with her husband so well that her family jokes she could have driven it with her eyes closed.

Sri Lanka parliament dissolved before April 8 poll

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's president has dissolved parliament before legislative elections on April 8, a senior government official said on Tuesday, a day after a leading opposition figure was arrested on military offences.

Obama courts Republican support on jobs, deficit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama sought common ground with Republicans on Tuesday on his top policy priorities of job creation and deficit reduction, winning hints of support in both areas but a rebuke on healthcare reform.

U.S. denies missile defense plan obstacle to new START

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House denied on Tuesday that its missile defense plans were an obstacle to reaching agreement on a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

Q+A - How dangerous is Iran's uranium enrichment plan?

VIENNA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Iran says it has begun work to enrich uranium to a higher level, adding to concerns that it wants to stockpile potential material for nuclear weapons.

Obama says working on new sanctions against Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday a new push toward international sanctions against Iran is moving along fairly quickly and should be completed in the next few weeks.

Actress Angelina Jolie visits quake-hit Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited earthquake victims in Haiti on Tuesday in her latest trip to help survivors of conflict and natural disaster as a goodwill envoy for a United Nations agency.

Second big snowstorm bears down on U.S. East Coast

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Not again! Residents from Virginia to New York prepared for a major snowstorm that could bring 12 inches (30.5 cm) of snow just days after a blizzard dumped as much as 3 feet (90 cm) in some areas.

China PLA officers urge economic punch against U.S.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Senior Chinese military officers have proposed that their country boost defence spending, adjust PLA deployments, and possibly sell some U.S. bonds to punish Washington for its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan.

Somali pirates free Panama ship after ransom

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates said they received a $3.1 million ransom on Tuesday and had freed a Panama-flagged ship, the MV Al Khaliq, which they hijacked in October.

Iran jails senior reformer for five years - report

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian court has confirmed a jail sentence of five years for a reformist former industries minister over his role in unrest that erupted after last year's disputed election, ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Target pulls Valentine's toys over lead concerns

OAKLAND, California (AP): Target Corp. said Tuesday it was pulling its Valentine's Day "Message Bears" from store shelves after California's attorney general raised concerns that the toys have illegal levels of lead.

Man who taught boy to drive arrested after crash

PORTERVILLE, California (AP): Authorities have arrested a California man who they say was teaching an 11-year-old boy how to drive when his car crashed into another vehicle, killing the boy, his mother and younger sister.

Evacuations under way for LA-area foothills

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, California (AP): Homeowners in mud-ravaged foothill towns north of Los Angeles packed their cars and fled Tuesday as evacuation orders took hold and a new winter storm approached.

Snow keeps US government closed; more predicted

WASHINGTON (AP): A paralyzed US capital braced for a second winter storm to hit in less than a week, closing down Congress, keeping federal workers home and even rescheduling a White House concert.

Google's e-mail gets social in Facebook face-off

SAN FRANCISCO (AP): Google Inc. opened a new social hub in its e-mail service on Tuesday, leaving little doubt that the Internet search leader is girding for a face-off with Facebook.

Japan machinery orders jump 20 percent in December

TOKYO (AP): Japanese machinery orders, a closely watched indicator of future business investment, rose in December for the first time in three months, the government said Wednesday.

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