Obama administration fails Sunshine test
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration more often than ever censored government files or outright denied access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.
The administration cited more legal exceptions it said justified withholding materials and refused a record number of times to turn over files quickly that might be especially newsworthy. Most agencies also took longer to answer records requests, the analysis found.
The government’s own figures from 99 federal agencies covering six years show half way through its second term, the administration has made few meaningful improvements in the way it releases records – despite its promises from Day 1 to become the most transparent administration in history.
Sunday was the start of Sunshine Week, when news organizations promote open government and freedom of information.
Syrian army ousts rebels from stronghold
BEIRUT – With rebels fleeing into neighboring Lebanon, Syrian government troops and Hezbollah fighters captured a strategic town near the frontier Sunday, ousting opposition fighters from their last stronghold in the vital border area.
Yabroud was a major smuggling hub for the rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad. The town’s fall is the latest in a string of strategic gains by Assad’s forces that have consolidated authority in the past months in Syria’s major cities, including its capital, Damascus.
Militants from Lebanon’s Shiite group Hezbollah have been instrumental to Assad’s success on the battlefield, and support from the Iranian-backed fighters appears to have tipped the balance into the government’s favor in Yabroud. However, the fact opposition fighters fled into Lebanon, where Hezbollah is a major force, suggests the conflict could bleed further into Syria’s neighbor. The civil war already has ignited polarizing sectarian tensions between Lebanon’s Sunnis and Shiites.
Snow still falling across the country
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Spring is just days away, but winter is not leaving quietly.
Just as the trees started blooming and the birds started chirping, another round of snow and ice was bearing down Sunday on the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic. Snow was expected this afternoon from the Central Appalachians to the Jersey Shore, making the morning commute treacherous for motorists.
Parts of eastern West Virginia, central and west-central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could see up to 10 inches of snow. Smaller accumulations were expected in Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Parts of Southern Virginia and North Carolina braced for a slippery mix of rain, sleet and snow.
16 killed in stampedes for jobs in Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria – Officials and activists say at least 16 people died in stampedes when a half million people were invited to apply for fewer than 5,000 Nigerian government jobs.
The official News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday quoted Interior Minister Abba Moro as saying the 16 died in five locations around the country on Saturday. He said they “lost their lives through their impatience.”
The Education Rights Campaign blamed his ministry for inviting more applicants than centers could accommodate.
It said 65,000 people were invited to the Abuja National Stadium that has a capacity for 60,000. Seven people died there.
The campaign said some 500,000 applicants were invited to apply for 4,556 vacancies at the Nigeria Immigration Service.
Official statistics put the number of unemployed at about 40 million.
Associated Press
