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Obama officially begins his second term with oath - Washington Post

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 08:59 AM PST

Barack Hussein Obama officially began his second term as the nation's 44th president Sunday, taking the oath of office in a low-key ceremony at the White House.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts administered the oath, and the two will repeat the process again Monday in a public celebration at the Capitol. The Constitution mandates that presidential terms begin on Jan. 20, and it is traditional when the day falls on a Sunday that the public ceremony take place the next day.

Obama took the oath in the Blue Room of the White House, with his family looking on.

The ceremony followed a morning where the president took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and worshipped at a historic African-American church.

Vice President Biden got a jump on the president by taking his oath at an early-morning ceremony at his residence at the Naval Observatory. Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered the oath, becoming the fourth woman and the first Hispanic to administer the oath to the president or vice president.

Biden was sworn in before a crowd of 120 people, surrounded by his family on a makeshift stage in an alcove.

After the oath was completed, Biden kissed Sotomayor and then hugged and kissed his wife, Jill Biden, who held a massive Biden family Bible.

"Madame Justice, these are some of my friends, and family," Biden said, grasping Sotomayor's hand.

The 8:21 a.m. event apparently was prompted by Sotomayor's need to be at a Barnes and Noble in New York for an afternoon address and signing event for her new memoir, "My Beloved World."

Biden didn't get into specifics, but told the crowd: "I want to explain to you what a wonderful honor it was, and how much out of her way the justice had to go. She is due in New York. She has to leave right now. . .so she can catch a train — I hope I haven't caused her to miss."

Biden's ceremony led to speculation about his political future--a wide range of Democratic officials, early primary state officeholders and party strategists were on hand. Among the invited were former White House chief of staff William Daley, Obama's longtime political strategist David Axelrod, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"Of course we can always start the political calculations in terms of the number of delegates needed to secure a nomination," said longtime Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who was also in the crowd. "But let's just say I see a number of superdelegates here as well."

The Obamas sat at the front of the District's historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church-- known as the "national cathedral of African Methodism"--where the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Michelle Obama and the sermon featured the slogan of the president's reelection campaign--"forward."

The Obamas have worshipped there before in advance of Martin Luther King Day, and the church has hosted inaugural prayer services for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

10 inaugural moments that mattered - CNN

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 08:38 AM PST

Barack Obama is sworn in as the first African-American president of the United States on January 20, 2009.

HIDE CAPTION

Presidential inaugurations and oaths

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

2009: "(It was) as if the whole history of our country was coming full circle"
FDR and Reagan disagreed on the role of government, but believed America could do great things
JFK's address promised action and a new energy in Washington
Lincoln: "With malice toward none and charity toward all"

Watch CNN's comprehensive coverage of President Barack Obama's second inauguration this weekend on CNN TV and follow online at CNN.com or via CNN's apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. Then, on Monday, follow our real-time Inauguration Day live blog at cnn.com/conversation. Need other reasons to watch inauguration coverage on CNN's platforms? Click here for our list.

Washington (CNN) -- Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin notes each inauguration is moving in its own way, but only a few produce moments that are truly memorable.

"It depends upon the person and the occasion to really produce a historic inaugural speech," Goodwin said. "But the ceremony itself ... is a real tribute to the country, that a person who was the president can go out and become a private citizen (while) a new private citizen is becoming the president."

"It's peaceful," she says, and "that's an extraordinary thing in the history of our world."

Here are 10 inaugural moments that Goodwin says have stood the test of time:

2009: Obama makes history

There was a magic to the inaugural day for President Barack Obama. ... (It was) as if the whole history of our country was coming full circle -- the ending of slavery and now the first African-American president. So the crowds were reveling in that spirit -- 1.8 million (people), more than had ever been there before.

The great reset: Will Obama's second inauguration let America turn the page?

Just the idea that we had come this far as a nation. There was a sense of unity and a sense of pride, I think, in our country that this was finally happening.

1981: Reagan's optimistic first inaugural speech

What was so impressive about Ronald Reagan's inaugural speech, I think, was the optimism that it suggested after a period when America was feeling like we might have been in decline. Even though he had the exact opposite message as Franklin Roosevelt, where he was talking about government as the problem rather than the solution, both Reagan and FDR shared that American sense that we can do things.

Inauguration viewer's guide

In a certain sense, the optimism of the speech was symbolized by (Reagan's) transferring the inaugural to the West Front of the Capitol, which made a much grander spectacle.

More people could watch it, so it was a big occasion.

1977: Carter's long walk

Jimmy Carter made the decision evidently just three weeks before the inauguration that he would walk after his inauguration back to the White House. And it really was an extraordinary moment. ... There was a feeling with Carter that he was being a people's president, as opposed to the imperial guard that had surrounded Nixon. And so he's walking, (and first daughter) Amy is running around next to him. There's a sense of exuberance, and a sense that something special is happening.

Why Sunday? Obama's dual inauguration ceremonies honor tradition and law

1961: JFK's stirring address

What is so memorable about John F. Kennedy saying that the torch is being passed to a new generation is that he himself represented a new generation. (He was) 22 years younger than Dwight Eisenhower, and what the speech promised was action, movement, (and) a new energy coming into the government and into the country.

When we think of those famous words -- "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for the country" -- it was followed up by thousands of people wanting to join the Peace Corps, and the Civil Rights movement was already out there. There was a sense of working on poverty, so the words projected action, and that's what makes them memorable.

iReport: I hope Obama will...

What always strikes me about JFK's inaugural (address), however, is that he said in the course of it ... that all this would not be accomplished in 1,000 days, meaning the programs that he had outlined. Originally in the draft of it, he had said all of this would not be accomplished in 100 days, but he slashed it out because he did not want to be compared to FDR's 100 days. But little would he ever imagine that 1,000 days would mark the end of his life, and that that would be his presidency.

1945: FDR's abbreviated wartime ceremony

Roosevelt decided in 1945, when the war was still ongoing, to dispense with the traditional parade. Who is there to parade, he said, and so he made it a very simple ceremony (at the White House).

Atlanta pastor, Evers' widow named to speak at inauguration

He himself was suffering from heart failure at that time, so it was a five-minute speech and he needed to fortify himself with whiskey in order to get through the pain that he was feeling. So sadly, the physical state of FDR matched the mood at that time.

1933: FDR's dramatic first inaugural speech

We all remember the phrase "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," but even more important than the phrase was the attitude that FDR had. He projected optimism, he projected forward movement, and people felt -- that's the mystery of leadership -- that somehow the (Great) Depression they were suffering (through), they weren't going to be in it alone anymore. ... They had a leader who was going to take care of it.

Hoover, however, was very upset during the transition about what FDR did not do. He was hoping some action would be taking place while he was still president, but FDR wanted to wait (and) have a clean slate while he was president. ... Hoover was very angry about that, and there was lots of tension between the two.

1905: TR's eclectic parade

What's interesting about Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade is that it symbolized the many-sided character that TR was.

So there you have Harvard alums marching side by side with Indians, marching side by side with cowboys, with Rough Riders. ... And Chief Geronimo was there. There was a sense in which TR had so many interests.

There were different sides of him, and the parade symbolized that. It just seemed like this incredibly eclectic parade.

Ryan: 'my obligation' to attend the inauguration

1865: Lincoln strives to unite North and South

What's so extraordinary about Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural is that here the North is finally on the eve of winning this long Civil War, but no triumphal message does he deliver. ... He talks about the fact that the sin of slavery was shared by both sides. Both sides read the same Bible. Both prayed to same God.

Of course the words we remember -- with malice toward none and charity for all. Lincoln knew that inaugural spoke words that would be remembered. He wasn't as sure about some of his other speeches, but he knew that.

A-listers sign up for inaugural celebrations

When he went into the party after the inaugural, the one person who he wanted to know and get his approval from was Frederick Douglas, the abolitionist. And Douglas came over to him and said, 'Mr. President, it's a sacred effort.'

1841: The tragedy of William Henry Harrison

It's so sad that what we remember William Henry Harrison for is not (his) military service before the presidency, but the fact that he gave the longest inaugural (speech) and had the shortest presidency.

He insisted on not wearing a coat (during the ceremony). It was freezing out, he developed pneumonia, and he died. That is the memory of William Henry Harrison. I'm sure it's not the way he would hope to be remembered.

They finally learned from Harrison's inaugural. ... When it was freezing weather during Ronald Reagan's (second) inaugural they moved it inside and canceled the parade. It's one of the dangers of having these inaugurations in January or even in March in the old days.

Sword by his side, George Washington takes his inaugural oath as the first President of the United States in 1788.

1789: Washington sets the tone

The thing that's so interesting (about) Washington's inaugural is that it set so many precedents. Even in that week before his inaugural, they were debating what to call him.

Some people like John Adams wanted the president to be called his Mightiness or his Highness. Thomas Jefferson said, 'No, it must simply be "Mr. President." ' Adams said, 'That's nothing. He could be president of a garden club. It won't be dignified for the world at large.' But of course (Washington) becomes Mr. President.

Everything was setting a pattern. It was an extraordinary moment.

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Sabtu, 19 Januari 2013

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Algeria hostage situation reportedly comes to violent end, as Panetta says much ... - Fox News

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:41 AM PST

The U.S. and British defense chiefs said the hostage crisis in Algeria ended with more deaths, but that details remained unclear. They blamed the militants who seized the natural gas complex in the Sahara, and not Algeria's government for its rescue operation.

According to Algeria's state news agency, special forces natural stormed the complex Saturday in a "final assault" to end the four-day-old hostage crisis. The report didn't say whether any hostages or militants remained alive, and it didn't give the nationalities of the dead.

A senior U.S. official tells Fox News that it is premature to say the standoff is over, as they continue to press Algeria for more details.

At a joint news conference in London, British Defense Minister Philip Hammond called the loss of life appalling and unacceptable.

"It is the terrorists that bear the sole responsibility," he told reporters.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said much remains "sketchy" about what happened at the remote Ain Amenas gas field.

"We know that lives have been lost," he said.

Asked how many Americans were in danger and what happened to them, Panetta said he knew Americans were still being held hostage earlier Saturday. On what happened to them, he said, "we need to get better information."

Algeria's state news agency said the army was forced to intervene after a fire broke out in the plant and said the militants killed the hostages. It wasn't immediately possible to verify who killed the captives.

Seven hostages and 11 militants were killed in Saturday's operation, adding to the previous tally of 12 captives and 18 kidnappers.

The Ain Amenas plant is jointly run by BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's state-owned oil company. The governments of Norway and Britain said they received confirmation the siege was over.

The entire refinery was mined with explosives and set to blow up, the Algerian state oil company Sonatrach said in a statement, adding that the process of clearing the explosives had begun. The Algerian media reported that the militants had planned to blow up the complex.

The siege transfixed the world after radical Islamists linked to Al Qaeda stormed the complex, which contained hundreds of plant workers from all over the world.

Algeria's response to the crisis was typical of the country's history in confronting terrorists -- military action over negotiation -- and caused an international outcry from countries worried about their citizens. Algerian military forces twice assaulted the areas where the hostages were being held with minimal apparent negotiation -- first on Thursday and then on Saturday.

The latest deaths bring the official Algerian tally of dead to 19 hostages and 29 militants, although reports on the number of dead, injured and freed have been contradictory throughout the crisis. Militants originally said they had seized 41 foreign hostages.

The Al Qaeda-linked militants attacked the plant Wednesday morning. They crept across the border from Libya, 60 miles away, and fell on a pair of buses taking foreign workers to the airport. The buses' military escort drove off the attackers in a blaze of gunfire that sent bullets zinging over the heads of crouching workers. A Briton and an Algerian -- probably a security guard -- were killed.

Frustrated, the militants turned to the vast gas complex, divided between the workers' living quarters and the refinery itself, and seized hostages, the Algerian government said. The gas flowing to the site was cut off.

On Thursday, Algerian helicopters opened fire on a convoy carrying both kidnappers and their hostages, resulting in many deaths, according to witnesses.

In their final communications, the militants said they were holding seven hostages: three Belgian, two Americans, a Japanese and a Briton. They had threatened to kill them if the Algerian army attacked.

Algerian authorities estimated that about 30 militants occupied the Ain Amenas site Wednesday and with 18 already reported dead, it appeared Saturday that the hostage crisis was finally over.

The standoff has put the spotlight on Al Qaeda-linked groups that roam remote areas of the Sahara, threatening vital infrastructure and energy interests. The militants initially said their operation was intended to stop a French attack on Islamist militants in neighboring Mali -- though they later said it was two months in the planning, long before the French intervention.

The accounts of hostages who escaped the complex highlight the cavalier attitude toward their lives taken by both kidnappers and the military.

Ruben Andrada, 49, a Filipino civil engineer who works as one of the project management staff for the Japanese company JGC Corp., described how Algerian helicopter gunships had earlier opened fire on vehicles carrying hostages and the gunmen who used them as shields.

On Thursday, about 35 hostages guarded by 15 militants were loaded into seven SUVs in a convoy to move them from the housing complex to the refinery, Andrada said. The militants placed "an explosive cord" around their necks and were told it would detonate if they tried to run away, he said.

"When we left the compound, there was shooting all around," Andrada said, describing the helicopters' attack. "I closed my eyes. We were going around in the desert. To me, I left it all to fate."

Andrada said when the vehicle he was in overturned, some of the passengers were able to escape. He sustained cuts and bruises and was grazed by a bullet on his right elbow. He later saw the blasted remains of other vehicles, and the severed leg of one of the gunmen.

The site of the gas plant spreads out over several hectares (acres) and includes a housing complex and the processing site, about a mile apart, making it especially complicated for the Algerians to secure the site and likely contributed to the lengthy standoff.

"It's a big and complex site. It's a huge place with a lot of people there and a lot of hiding places for hostages and terrorists," said Col. Richard Kemp, a retired commander of British forces who had dealt with hostage rescues in Iraq and Afghanistan. "These are experienced terrorists holding the hostages."

Casualty figures varied widely. The Algerian government now says 19 hostages and 29 militants have died since Thursday. Before the final assault, the militants claimed through the Mauritanian website ANI that the helicopter attack alone killed 35 hostages and 15 militants.

One American, from Texas, is among the dead, and the militants offered to trade two other American hostages for two terrorists behind bars in the U.S., an offer firmly rejected by Washington. At least one Briton, a Frenchman and Algerians have also died in the standoff. Escaped Algerian workers describe seeing people of many nationalities, including Japanese, shot down.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday that there are believed to be no more French hostages in the gas complex. He said the Frenchman killed, Yann Desjeux, was a former member of the French Special Forces and part of the security team. The remaining three French nationals who were at the plant are now free, the Foreign Ministry said.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed that as of Saturday, there were "fewer than 10" British nationals still at risk or unaccounted for and "the majority of" Britons at the plant were now safe, he said.

Statoil CEO Helge Lund said Saturday that there were only six Norwegians unaccounted for, from the 17 at the plant at the time of the attack.

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Saturday one Romanian hostage was killed in the course of the siege, while four escaped unharmed.

The attack by the Mali-based Masked Brigade had been in the works for two months, a member of the brigade told the online Mauritanian news outlet. He said militants targeted Algeria because they expected the country to support the international effort to root out extremists in neighboring Mali and it was carried out by a special commando unit, "Those Who Signed in Blood," tasked with attacking nations supporting intervention in Mali.

The kidnappers focused on the foreign workers, largely leaving alone the hundreds of Algerian workers who were briefly held hostage before being released or escaping.

Several of them arrived haggard-looking on a late-night flight into Algiers on Friday and described how the militants stormed the living quarters and immediately separated out the foreigners.

Mohamed, a 37-year-old nurse who like the others wouldn't allow his last names to be used for fear of trouble for himself or his family, said at least five people were shot to death, their bodies still in front of the infirmary when he left Thursday night.

Chabane, who worked in food services, said he bolted out the window and was hiding when he heard the militants speaking among themselves with Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian accents. At one point, he said, they caught a Briton.

"They threatened him until he called out in English to his friends, telling them, `Come out, come out. They're not going to kill you. They're looking for the Americans,"' Chabane said.

"A few minutes later, they blew him away."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Obama seeks American support to pressure Congress on gun control - The Guardian

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:45 AM PST

Matt Williams in New York

Barack Obama speaks on proposals to reduce gun violence last week as Joe Biden looks on. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

President Barack Obama called on Americans to pressure Congress into backing his gun control proposals Saturday, as the pro-gun lobby prepared for a "high noon" protest over the proposed measures.

In his weekly radio address, Obama pledged do everything in his power to push through a broad package of legislation, which includes bans on the sale of assault rifles and high-capacity clips alongside improved background checks for owners.

And in a swipe at the National Rifle Association (NRA), the president accused special-interest lobbyists and gun-loving pundits of attempting to derail the debate by framing the proposals as an "all-out assault on liberty". This, he claimed, was aimed more at getting them more air time and money than contributing to the national dialogue. "Behind the scenes, they are doing everything they can to protect the status quo," he said.

To counter the power of the NRA and the influence it wields in the corridors of the Capitol, Obama called on the public to harass pro-gun members of Congress who refuse to budge on the issue of guns despite an apparent surge of support for further controls following the deaths of 20 children and six adults in a school shooting in Connecticut in December.

"Ask them why an A-grade from the gun lobby is more important than keeping his kids safe in a first-grade classroom," Obama said Saturday.

His comments came ahead of a day of activism from those determined to keep America's notoriously lax gun controls in place.

Pro-gun enthusiasts plan to hold demonstrations in 49 states at "high noon" in support to what they say is their second amendment right to arm themselves with assault rifles and other guns.

The rallies, most of which are planned to be staged at state capitals, were being organised by Guns Across America, an organisation launched by Texas airline pilot Eric Reed.

As of Friday afternoon, a Facebook page for Guns Across America listed more than 18,000 people who say they plan to attend events, and Reed said Alaska was the only state with no organiser for a rally.

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Jumaat, 18 Januari 2013

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Dow, S&P 500 at five-year highs

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 03:28 PM PST

NEW YORK: The Dow and S&P 500 closed at five-year highs on Friday as the market registered a third straight week of gains on a solid start to the quarterly earnings season.

Morgan Stanley was the latest Wall Street bank to report strong results. Its better-than-expected earnings followed similar report cards from Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase earlier in the week.

Shares of Morgan Stanley shot up 7.9 percent to US$22.38. It reported a fourth-quarter profit after a year-earlier loss, helped by higher revenue at the bank's institutional securities business.

But Friday's rise was held back by shares of Intel Corp, which slumped 6.3 percent to US$21.25 a day after it forecast quarterly revenue below analysts' estimates and announced plans for increased capital spending amid slow demand for personal computers.

Another factor that has been weighing on the market before a three-day weekend is uncertainty about the federal debt limit and spending cuts that could hamper US growth. US markets will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 53.68 points, or 0.39 percent, at 13,649.70. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 5.04 points, or 0.34 percent, at 1,485.98. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 1.30 points, or 0.04 percent, at 3,134.71.

The Dow and S&P 500 ended at their highest levels since December 2007. For the week, the Dow ended up 1.2 percent, the S&P 500 ended up 0.9 percent and the Nasdaq ended up 0.3 percent. -- Reuters

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Report: Algerian militants demand US free 2 terrorists - USA TODAY

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 09:18 AM PST

The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group that took over a natural gas facility in Algeria is offering to free American hostages in exchange for two convicted terrorists being held in U.S. jails, Mauritania's ANI news agency reported Friday.

The militants say they want the release of Egyptian Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui and plan to release a video outlining the offer, according to the news agency, which often reports news from North African extremists.

The 74-year-old Abdel-Rahman, also known as the "Blind Sheikh," is serving a life sentence in North Carolina as the mastermind of the1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

Siddiqui, a 40-year-old scientist, was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in U.S. prison for assault with intent to murder for shooting at two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan during her detention in 2008.

About 60 foreign workers taken hostage by Islamists remain missing Friday following a raid by Algerian forces that freed hundreds of Algerians, according to the Algeria military.

The state Algeria Press Service says the military freed 573 Algerians and nearly 100 of the 132 non-Algerians in Thursday's raid at the natural gas facility in the remote desert.

It remains unclear how many foreign workers died in the raid or of what nationality, and how many escaped the In Amenas facility.

LIVE COVERAGE: Freed Algerian hostages debriefed

The Algerian special forces who carried out the raid killed up to 20 hostage-takers, members of an Islamic group known as Qatiba, which translates as Signers in Blood. The forces have surrounded a portion of the facility where more terrorists and some hostages remain, provincial administration sources told APS.

STORY: 'Signers in Blood' shares same goal as al-Qaeda

The military is still trying to reach a "peaceful settlement" before "neutralizing" the terrorist group, security sources told APS.

Workers at the facility include citizens of Britain, Ireland, Japan, Netehrlands and the United States British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday during an address to members of parliament that efforts to free the hostages without violence are continuing.

The exact fate, and number, of hostages kidnapped by Islamic militants remains unclear.

A U.S. official said late Thursday that while some Americans escaped, other Americans remained either held or unaccounted for, the Associated Press reported. The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Earlier Friday, the Reuters news agency, citing local sources, reported that a U.S. plane has landed in Algeria to pick up Americans caught up in the crisis. Reuters also reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking to security specialists in London on Friday, said "Terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary, no refuge, not in Algeria, not in North Africa, not anywhere."

Cameron and others complained that Algeria went ahead with its raid without alerting Western leaders they were planning an attack.

Reuters, citing an Algerian security source, is reporting that 30 hostages were killed in the assault, including several Westerners. The source also says 11 militants died, including the group's leader, Tahar Ben Cheneb, described as a "prominent commander in the region."

A British official told CNN there was a "significant" number of British victims.

Members of the hostage-takers Qatiba have been in contact with the a news agency in neighboring Mauritania called ANI and told the agency that the raid by Algerian forces killed the leader of their group, Abou El Baraa. At least 14 other terrorists were killed, ANI said.

Qatiba was created in December by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who broke off from the terror group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to form his own operation. The kidnappers come from Algeria, Canada, Mali, Egypt, Niger and Mauritania, ANI said.

AQIM is operates out of nearby Mali, where it is fighting the Mali army and French forces to take over that country and impose an Islamic state.

Stephen McFaul, an Irish engineer who escaped, reported seeing Algerian forces attack Jeeps containing hostages who were being moved inside the complex, his brother told Reuters. Four vehicles blew up, and McFaul's vehicle crashed, allowing him to flee.

McFaul said the terrorsts hung explosives around the hostages' necks.

A French hostage tells Europe 1 radio that he hid under his bed for 40 hours before he was rescued by Algerian soldiers.

Alexandre Berceraux, an employee of CIS Catering at the desert gas complex, said the initial attack by militants caught everyone by surprise.

"I heard an enormous amount of gunfire. The alarm telling us to stay where we were was going off. I didn't know if it was a drill or if it was real," he told Europe 1. "Nobody expected this. The site was protected. There were soldiers in place."

The plant is jointly operated with British company BP and the Algerian state energy firm. British oil giant BP's Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley released a statement saying that "Sadly, there have been some reports of casualties, but we are still lacking any confirmed or reliable information."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Thursday that U.S. officials were still gathering details. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ordered a security review for diplomats, civilians and business across North Africa.

The Algerian military's handling of the hostage situation fits their overall approach to terrorists, says Geoff Porter of North Africa Risk Consulting, a political risk consultancy that specializes in North Africa.

"They don't negotiate with terrorists, and they don't pay ransoms," Porter said.

One of the reasons oil installations have never been attacked before is any attack would be a suicide mission, Porter said. The oil facilities are so remote and in such barren terrain, that attacks are doable, "but the Algerians would deploy helicopters and kill everybody," he said.

Escape would be impossible, but a suicide mission "becomes more feasible, which is what we saw today," Porter said.

In recent months, the United States has been courting Algeria; Clinton has twice visited Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Algerian leaders, however, have repeatedly warned against Western intervention in the region. Algeria warned that the NATO operation in Libya, which defeated former leader Moammar Gadhafi, would destabilize the region, and that the French intervention in Mali would do the same, Porter said.

"They (Algerians) are likely to feel vindicated, and to reject any criticism for their reaction to a domestic crisis they feel were brought about by Western actions they advised against," Porter said.

Algeria's priority is "to restore stability and deter future incidents," Porter said.

A Qatiba spokesman, pictured in a black turban and an automatic weapon in front of a jihadist flag, told Mauritanian news website Sahara Media Agency that the attack on the gas facility was in retaliation for Algeria's decision to allow French aircraft to use its airspace in its intervention in Mali. Experts doubted that, saying the attack must have been planned for a while, well before the French air assault that began only six days ago.

The United States military has a quick reaction force capable of deploying quickly to Algeria, according to a military official who declined to be named because they are not authorized to speak about the issue. The Pentagon also has "capabilities" to watch over the region, though officials would not specify whether that involves manned aircraft or drones.

Wednesday's attack began with the ambush of a bus carrying employees from the plant to the nearby airport but the attackers were driven off, according to the Algerian government, which said three vehicles of heavily armed men were involved.

"After their failed attempt, the terrorist group headed to the complex's living quarters and took a number of workers with foreign nationalities hostage," said the statement.

Al-Qaeda's influence in the poorly patrolled desert wastes of southern Algeria and northern Mali and Niger has grown. The group operates smuggling and kidnapping networks throughout the area. Militant groups that seized control of northern Mali already hold seven French hostages as well as four Algerian diplomats.

Algeria's security forces have struggled for years against Islamist extremists, and have in recent years managed to nearly snuff out violence by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (northwest Africa) around its home base in northern Algeria. In the meantime, AQIM moved its focus southward.

AQIM has made tens of millions of dollars off kidnapping in the region, abducting Algerian businessmen or political figures, and sometimes foreigners, for ransom.

Algerian leaders adopted an eradication policy against Islamist insurgents in a war that cost more than 100,000 lives. The insurgents eventually accepted amnesty and renounced violence. Remnants of the insurgency have been fighting for an Islamic state in northern Mali, Porter said.

All three AQIM factions in North Africa and the Sahara were "on a downward trend" until 2012, Porter said. The collapse of Libya, which allowed weapons from Gadhafi's vast arsenal to be seized by extremists, "helped them gain power in northern Mali and the group has transformed from 2011 and 2012," he said.

While not all the jihadi factions involved in violence across the region call themselves al-Qaeda or are officially affiliated with the group, their goals tend to be the same, Porter said.

"The goal is still spread radical Islam, attack the near enemy, attack the far enemy, create a sharia state — it's just no longer called al-Qaeda," he said.

Aaron Zelin, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that while al-Qaeda central is "probably the weakest it's ever been," the jihadist movement has adapted and has strengthened in North Africa.

"The central organization has been weakened, but the branches have gotten stronger because a lot of them are more embedded within the local milieu," he said.

In its new form, al-Qaeda and its jihadi affiliates and sympathizers are less able to launch attacks on the USA or Europe, where security is better than a decade ago, and more focused on "setting up little emirates" and threatening U.S. and Western interests in their own countries, Zelin said.

"They want to bleed the U.S. and its allies dry and exhaust them over a long period of time," he said.

Contributing: Jim Michaels; John Bacon; Michael Winter; Kim Hjelmgaard

Next on Oprah: More of the Same - New York Times

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST

By LYNN ZINSER

Published: January 18, 2013

So now that the Great Lance Confession has finally been broadcast, the big remaining question is not whether you will go back for a second helping of arrogance soufflé in Friday night's not-so-dramatic conclusion of Oprah Winfrey's two-night bonanza (here's betting you won't). No, the question is: What exactly did all of that accomplish? Do you know anything more Armstrong-related than you did before, even if you watched every disingenuous minute of it?

Yes, Armstrong doped, lied, doped some more, but not during his comeback years (uh, right), which means you are reasonably certain he is still lying. No revelations there. He ruined some lives he considered collateral damage to building his myth and he sort of said he was sorry about that, but he did a horrendous sales job on the remorse part. He started the night as an arrogant jerk buried in public scorn, legal woes and a bank account with its rubber stopper about to be pulled, and ended it as perhaps an even bigger jerk who made no headway on the other three.

The interview was like watching a slow-motion car crash that people told you was coming three days ago. We were rubbernecking for the details of just how the fender of Armstrong's ego would twist and fail in the collision but now realize it's an hour and a half of our lives we'll never get back.

Maybe it was worthwhile to see finally the true Armstrong on full display, as Bruce Arthur writes in The National Post, the gauzy myth all now stripped away. But even if you fully appreciated what a nasty person Armstrong is, it was possible to dislike him even more when he was finished, Christine Brennan writes in USA Today. It was, as Dan Wetzel writes on Yahoo.com, the full sociopathic spectacle, and if Armstrong thought this was part of some road to redemption, he quickly found himself on a road to nowhere, Robin Scott-Elliot writes in The Independent. That's because he was, in reflexive fashion, still trying to parse the story to his own benefit, writes Bonnie D. Ford on ESPN.com, even if that benefit could not be detected by a microscope.

Armstrong did not pull himself out of any legal hot water, Michael McCann writes on SI.com, and he did not impress the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, John Fahey, who still calls him a total fraud. And his collateral damage victims, like the masseuse Emma O'Reilly and Betsy Andreu, were not the least bit mollified.

If there was one notable development it might have been Oprah's rising far above her marshmallow reputation with her tough questioning, as Richard Deitsch writes on SI.com, although you did want to hand her a few graham crackers and a chocolate bar when she failed to skewer him for his more significant evasions.

The funny thing is, Thursday was supposed to be a double feature of revelatory interviews on the lying-in-sports beat, but the spectacle of Notre Dame's Manti Te'o explaining his nonexistent dead girlfriend never materialized. This left the day open for everyone to speculate just what this was all about, a delay that is not helping Te'o's cause one bit, Greg Couch writes on Foxsports.com. Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel took the time to try to explain how his initial article on the relationship helped get this whole myth rolling on its disastrous trajectory. No one, however, has tried to explain how Notre Dame can express so much emotion for poor, duped Te'o and not a drop for Lizzy Seeberg, who killed herself after accusing an Irish player of rape, Melinda Henneberger writes in The Washington Post.

The rest of the day's news was rolled under by all the spectacle, but if you looked carefully, you could discover that Arizona finally filled the last vacant N.F.L. coaching job with Bruce Arians, and Dan Bickley writes in The Arizona Republic that the Cards did awfully well despite their being last in that line. CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman bemoans the lack of any minority hires in that batch, calling it a setback for the league's hopes of inclusiveness.

You had to dig even deeper to find the news that Jonathan Vilma's defamation suit against N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell had been dismissed, which means the whole Bountygate fiasco may finally have extinguished its last ember.

The Australian Open is still going strong, with the younger generation taking a few lumps in the losses of Madison Keys and Heather Watson, as Richard Evans writes on Foxsports.com, and a member of the older generation, Venus Williams, bowing out quickly against Maria Sharapova.

The N.B.A. threw a little bash in London — a decidedly unthrilling Knicks victory over the Pistons — which served to overshadow the revealing of an investigation of the players union head Billy Hunter, which revealed plenty of questionable activity but apparently nothing illegal. Still, Ken Berger writes on CBSSports.com, it's clear Hunter's tenure has to come to an end.

And so, eventually, will Oprah's interview with Armstrong. And it will serve to make us wish it had never started.

Follow Leading Off on Twitter: twitter.com/zinsernyt

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Kenanga cuts Bina Puri target price

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:08 PM PST

Kenanga Research cut its target price for Malaysian builder Bina Puri Holdings Bhd to RM0.40 from RM0.48, citing potential dilution from an upcoming private placement by the company.

Kenanga said the private placement was "inevitable" due to Bina Puri's worsening cash flows, which were the result of a year-long delay on an infrastructure project.

"The delay has negatively impacted the company's cash position, because of the mismatch between the project's revenue recognition and its recurring fixed cost," said Kenanga.

The brokerage maintained an 'underperform' call for the stock, which was down 0.66 per cent at RM0.75, its lowest since April 2010, at 0923 am (0123 GMT). -- Reuters

Affin raises KL Kepong target price

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:09 PM PST

Affin Investment Bank raised the target price of Malaysia's third biggest oil palm planter KL Kepong Bhd (KLK) to RM19.62 per share from RM18.64 as productivity improves in the firm's Indonesian estates.

KLK is likely to post above average growth for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) output as more estates in Indonesia reach maturity and new acquisitions raise the firm's landbank close to 300,000 hectares, Affin said in a note.

Higher yields from KLK's estates are likely to lower production costs to RM1,290 per tonne this year from RM1,303 last year, the investment bank said.

Affin kept a "reduce" call on the stock as the price outlook is not so bright for crude palm oil extracted from the FBB on account of high stocks of the edible oil in Southeast Asia and sluggish demand.

KLK shares were up 0.4 per cent at RM21.94 as of 9.42 am (0142 GMT). -- Reuters

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