The Top 10 Stories of January 23, 2012
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Quote of the day.
"I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week. I''m getting better every day. My spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country." - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, severely wounded by a gunshot a year ago, announcing her resignation from Congress.
(Arizona Republic)
1. Prayers over Nigeria attacks.
"Both Muslim and Christian residents of Kano, the northern Nigerian city where at least 160 people were killed in a series of attacks on Friday, have been urged to heed a day of prayer."
(BBC)
2. Birth control insurance rule.
"Most church-affiliated organizations will be required to offer their workers coverage of birth control as part of their health plans, the Obama administration announced Friday, but they can get more time than other employers to comply."
(Washington Post)
3. Republicans' 'head vs. heart' battle moves to Florida.
"Gingrich routed Mitt Romney in South Carolina by both channeling and stoking the emotions of angry, economically stressed conservatives … Romney, his campaign back on its heels, is trying to convince Republicans that his cooler establishment mien is the surer path to victory in November."
(Los Angeles Times)
4. Senate GOP's next move awaited in nominations fight.
"President Barack Obama''s appointments to two key agencies during the Senate''s year-end break ensures that GOP senators will return to work Monday in an angry and fighting mood."
(AP/Huffington Post)
5. More lockouts as companies battle unions.
"America’s unionized workers, buffeted by layoffs and stagnating wages, face another phenomenon that is increasingly throwing them on the defensive: lockouts."
(New York Times)
6. EU bans Iranian oil.
"The European Union banned imports of oil from Iran on Monday and imposed a number of other economic sanctions, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at deflecting Tehran''s nuclear development program."
(Reuters)
7. Signs of accord in Egypt between Military Council and Islamists.
"The two most powerful players — the military council that took power after Mr. Mubarak’s downfall and the Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood who dominated the parliamentary elections — appear to have settled on the broad outlines of Egypt’s next charter."
(New York Times)
8. Death by drone in Somalia and Pakistan.
"An alleged al-Qaida member from London is reported to have been killed in a missile attack from a US drone while fighting alongside Islamist insurgents in Somalia."
(Guardian)
"A drone attack in a volatile tribal region of north-west Pakistan has killed at least five suspected militants."
(BBC)
9. Iraq's government is coming apart.
"Faster than anyone expected, barely a month after the last U.S. troops left, Iraq''s government appears to be coming apart, prompting fears that the country is headed for another round of sectarian strife."
(McClatchy Newspapers)
10. Syria rejects Arab League transition plan.
"Syria has condemned a new Arab League initiative that calls on President Bashar al-Assad to cede power by holding early elections and forming a 'unity government.'"
(Al Jazeera)
Sojourners' Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.
