The latest news on Immigration, Lobby regulations, Employee Free Choice Act, Church for Obamas, Homeless with cell phones, Pope in Africa, Mexico, G-20, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Israel-Gaza, Colombia, South Africa, and Select Op-Eds

Immigration. Cardinal Francis George: End immigration raids "Cardinal Francis George on Saturday called on the Obama administration to end Immigration raids across the country and pushed for passage this year of "comprehensive Immigration reform" that is "fair and compassionate." A Slippery Place in the US Work Force "The economic troubles are widening the gap between illegal immigrants and Americans as they navigate the job market. Many Americans who lost jobs are turning for help to the government's unemployment safety net, with job assistance and unemployment insurance. But immigrants without legal status, by law, do not have access to it."

Lobby regulations. Some Activists Barred From Government Work "Nonprofit and public interest groups are scrambling to adapt to President Obama's stringent new ethics guidelines, which are so sweeping that they have blocked the ability of many sympathetic activists to get hired by the new administration."

Employee Free Choice Act. Executives Detail Labor Bill Compromise "As business and labor gird for battle over legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize, the debate could be transformed by a "third way" proposed by three companies that like to project a progressive image: Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods."

Church for Obamas. Churches vie to be Obamas' spiritual home | Friends, aides quietly searching for right fit "Aides to President Obama are quietly checking out local churches to find his new spiritual home, a delicate, complex task that must balance Obama's public profile, security needs, and personal beliefs against a discreet but intense competition among ministers to bring the first family to their pews."

Homeless with cell phone. D.C. Homeless People Use Cellphones, Blogs and E-Mail to Stay on Top of Things "To the usual trappings that help many homeless people endure life on the streets -- woolen blankets, shopping carts or cardboard box shelters -- add the humble cellphone."

Pope in Africa. 1 million attend final Mass of pope's Africa pilgrimage "Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for the largest gathering of his African pilgrimage yesterday, telling a crowd on the outskirts of this seaside capital that reconciliation on the war-ravaged continent would come only with a "change of heart, a new way of thinking." Pope ends weeklong visit to Africa, urges Angola's leaders to work harder to help the poor "Pope Benedict XVI made one final appeal Monday at the close of his African pilgrimage, urging more solidarity among nations and continents so that the Earth's resources are more equally shared with the world's poor."

Mexico. Drug cartels raise the stakes on human smuggling "Mexican drug cartels and their vast network of associates have branched out from their traditional business of narcotics trafficking and are now playing a central role in the multibillion-dollar-a-year business of illegal immigrant smuggling, U.S. law enforcement officials and other experts say." Drug Cartel Violence Spills Into U.S. From Mexico "Tucson - This city, an hour's drive north of the Mexican border, is coping with a wave of drug crime the police suspect is tied to the bloody battles between Mexico's drug cartels and the efforts to stamp them out."

G-20. London ready for G-20 unrest "Police are poised to send thousands of riot officers into London's streets next week to protect President Obama and leaders of 19 other nations, amid stark warnings that masses of protesters plan to attack the Group of 20 summit in the British capital."

Darfur. Al-Bashir travels to Eritrea "Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, has travelled to Eritrea in his first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest." Aid Groups' Expulsion, Fears of More Misery "The expulsion of organizations that provided clean water, medical treatment, food and shelter for millions of Sudanese in the war-racked region of Darfur has thrown the world's largest aid operation into disarray, putting the lives of millions of displaced people at risk." In Darfur, fault lines intersect and inflame "The battle over Muhajeria in southern Darfur, which saw rebel rivalry, tribal tension as well as government intervention, points to the impunity in the region and the complexity of the conflict."

Sri Lanka. On the brink of a humanitarian crisis "More than 150,000 people are being shelled daily and are running short of water and medicine in a Sri Lankan-government declared "No Fire Zone", according to witness reports and United Nations briefing documents obtained by the Guardian."

Afghanistan. President: Military alone can't resolve Afghanistan, comprehensive strategy, exit plan needed "A comprehensive strategy in Afghanistan - including an exit plan - is key to America's "No. 1 mission" of preventing an attack on the U.S., its interests or its allies, President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast Sunday."U.S. missile strikes take heavy toll on Al Qaeda, officials say "Predator drone attacks in northwest Pakistan have increased sharply since Bush last year stopped seeking Pakistan's permission. Obama may keep pace as officials speak of confusion in Al Qaeda ranks." US will appoint Afghan 'prime minister' to bypass Karzai"The US and its European allies are ­preparing to plant a high-profile figure in the heart of the Kabul government in a direct challenge to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, the Guardian has learned."

Israel-Gaza. A Religious War in Israel's Army "The publication late last week of eyewitness accounts by Israeli soldiers alleging acute mistreatment of Palestinian civilians in the recent Gaza fighting highlights a debate here about the rules of war. But it also exposes something else: the clash between secular liberals and religious nationalists for control over the army and society." Israeli soldiers say army rabbis framed Gaza as religious war "Rabbis affiliated with the Israeli army urged troops heading into Gaza to reclaim what they said was God-given land and "get rid of the gentiles" - effectively turning the 22-day Israeli intervention into a religious war, according to the testimony of a soldier who fought in Gaza."

Colombia. Colombia Orders Return of Stolen Farmland "The displaced farmers, well aware that the hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by Colombia's long civil conflict rarely returned home, thought they would never see their land again. But in this case, the government recently ordered nine palm oil companies to return thousands of acres to the farmers, and the attorney general's office is investigating the firms' operators on accusations of homicide, land theft and forced displacement."

South Africa. Outrage at South Africa's ban on Dalai Lama "South Africa was plunged into a diplomatic row yesterday after the government barred the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, from entering the country to take part in a peace conference linked to the 2010 football World Cup." South Africa: Government Refuses to Bend in Uproar Over Dalai Lama "The government yesterday refused to bow to pressure to reverse its decision denying Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama entry into SA, saying it was in the country's best interest."

Opinion. Do women have a prayer? (Mary Zeiss Stange, USA Today) "Men have been the driving force behind the world's religions since the days of Adam and Eve. Yet an analysis of religious trends in America today finds that women are more active in their faith than men. So it follows that women would be given a lead role in these institutions, right? Not quite."

From Tehran to Tel Aviv (Roger Cohen, New York Times) "With his bold message to Iran's leaders, President Obama achieved four things essential to any rapprochement. He abandoned regime change as an American goal. He shelved the so-called military option. He buried a carrot-and-sticks approach viewed with contempt by Iranians as fit only for donkeys. And he placed Iran's nuclear program within "the full range of issues before us."

Financial Policy Despair (Paul Krugman, New York Times) "If the reports are correct, Tim Geithner, the Treasury secretary, has persuaded President Obama to recycle Bush administration policy - specifically, the "cash for trash" plan proposed, then abandoned, six months ago by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. This is more than disappointing. In fact, it fills me with a sense of despair."

The Wealth Gap Gets Wider (Meizhu Lui, Washington Post) The gap between the wealth of white Americans and African Americans has grown." According to the Fed, for every dollar of wealth held by the typical white family, the African American family has only one dime. In 2004, it had 12 cents."