The Top 10 Stories of January 25, 2012
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Quote of the day.
“This is the first time I’ve ever spoken to one of these. All my life, all I ever did was work. Work and hunt. I’m glad that they’ve let us speak on our beliefs.” - Derwayne Buffalo, a Cree father of eight from central Alberta, who testified at a Canadian hearing that a proposed oil pipeline would interrupt animal migration and put the environment at risk.
(Toronto Globe & Mail)
1. IJM calls on Obama to help end worldwide slavery.
"International Justice Mission has launched a petition encouraging Americans to sign their name in an effort to get President Barack Obama to help end modern-day slavery, which affects millions of men, women and children globally."
(Christian Post)
2. Obama frames his election-year vision in State of the Union address.
"President Barack Obama used an election-year State of the Union address Tuesday night to frame the national debate not as a referendum on him but as a pivotal decision on how to save the American dream." Full text of the State of the Union speech.
(McClatchy Newspapers)
3. Analysis: Obama delivers a confrontational address.
"By using his State of the Union speech to draw sharp contrasts with Republicans on such high-profile issues as taxes and the housing market, President Obama opened an election-year debate on the role of government that could be more intense than any in decades."
(Los Angeles Times)
4. In Florida, Romney plays down immigration.
"Mr. Romney, who takes a hard line on illegal immigration, was also banking on the likelihood that the Hispanic voters — a pivotal bloc in a pivotal state — care more about jobs and the distressed economy than green cards and the Dream Act."
(New York Times)
5. Indiana Democrats again prevent quorum.
"Democrats again boycotted the Indiana House on Tuesday, blocking a vote on the contentious 'right to work' bill."
(Indianapolis Star)
6. U.S. military raid in Somalia frees American, Dane.
"The same U.S. Navy SEAL that killed Osama bin Laden parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness early Wednesday and crept up to an outdoor camp where an American woman and Danish man were being held hostage. Soon, nine kidnappers were dead and both hostages were freed."
(AP/Chicago Sun-Times)
7. Sanctions against Iran grow tighter, what’s the next step?
"As the Obama administration and its European allies toughened economic sanctions against Iran on Monday — blocking its access to the world financial system and undermining its critical oil and gas industry — officials on both sides of the Atlantic acknowledge that their last-ditch effort has only a limited chance of persuading Tehran to abandon what the West fears is its pursuit of nuclear weapons."
(New York Times)
8. Egyptians mass in Tahrir to honour uprising.
"Protesters have begun a sit-in in Cairo''s Tahrir Square to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution that toppled their long-time ruler, Hosni Mubarak."
(Al Jazeera)
9. West seeks support for UN resolution against Assad.
"Britain, the US and France are seeking Russian support for a new United Nations security council resolution to endorse Arab demands that Syria''s president, Bashar al-Assad, step down."
(Guardian)
10. UN condemns refugee camp air raid.
"The UN has denounced the bombing of a camp housing some 5,000 refugees in South Sudan near the border with Sudan."
(BBC)
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.
