A competitive challenge: energy, environment, and jobs

January 29, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Shale gas from hydraulic fracturing is controversial.

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Egypt’s state news agency says the second trial of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi over charges related to 2011 prison breaks has been adjourned for nearly a month. The agency says the judges decided to postpone the trial until Feb. 22 to allow the lawyers time to review the case’s files. Morsi and 130 other defendants are accused of organizing prison breaks during the height of the 18-day uprising against his predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

The Japanese government announced Tuesday it is revising official teaching manuals to emphasize Japan’s territorial rights to islands that are also claimed by China and South Korea. The Education Ministry said the decision was made to reflect the government’s official view on the territorial claims.

Businesses cut back sharply on their orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in December with a key category that signals business investment plans falling by the largest amount in five months. Orders for durable goods fell 4.3 per-cent in December compared with November, when orders had risen 2.6 percent, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

US cities rolled out snow plows that hardly ever leave the garage, a hardware store sold feed scoops for use as snow shovels, and alligators in the Okefenokee Swamp burrowed into mud to stay warm Tuesday as a winter storm brought snow, ice, and brutal cold to the Deep South. Shortly after snow began falling in Atlanta, the business hub of the Southeast, traffic came to halt.

Banjo-picking troubadour Pete Seeger, a folk musician who sang for migrant workers, college students, and star-struck presidents in a career that introduced generations of Americans to their folk music heritage, died Monday in New York City. He lent his voice against Hitler, the Vietnam War, and nuclear power, while advocating for civil rights and the cleanup of the Hudson River. He performed with Woody Guthrie in his younger days and wrote or co-wrote “If I Had a Hammer,” ‘’Turn, Turn, Turn,” ‘’and Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”

American Airlines reported a $2 billion loss for the fourth quarter because of $2.4 billion in special charges, mostly related to its bankruptcy reorganization and merger with US Airways. The company said Tuesday that excluding those one-time charges, American and US Airways would have earned a combined profit of $436 million, or 59 cents per share.

Thailand’s government announced Tuesday it will go ahead with an election this weekend despite an opposition boycott, months of street protests and the likelihood of more violence in the country’s political crisis. The government made the announcement after a meeting between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the Election Commission, which had sought a delay in the polls.

A French court has barred the return to France of a Roma family including the teenage girl whose expulsion to Kosovo became a cause célèbre. Leonarda Dibrani was detained in October as she got off a bus from a school trip, sparking rowdy protests in Paris and other cities. In June, the regional administration had ordered the family to leave France and return to their father’s native Kosovo.

US Secretary of State John Kerry met Tuesday with relatives of an American held by North Korea and is calling for him to be pardoned and immediately freed. US officials say the detainee, Kenneth Bae, is in poor health. He was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for unspecified antigovernment activity.

President Obama’s choice to become US ambassador to China embraced several criticisms of that country Tuesday, agreeing that China wants to dominate Asia and is a regular violator of human rights. Speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Max Baucus said he wants to help the US build a more equitable economic relationship with China while encouraging the Asian giant to act responsibly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the European Union on Tuesday for sending high-level delegations to Ukraine during its antigovernment protests, saying that could be interpreted as political interference. Putin shared his opinion at the conclusion of an EU-Russia summit in Brussels.

An international journalism watchdog group on Tuesday criticized Russian authorities for restricting news coverage of preparations for the Sochi Olympics. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists detailed in a report how Russian and international journalists have been harassed and prevented from covering sensitive stories in Sochi such as the abuse of migrant workers and environmental issues.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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