News 30/01/2010

1. Bernanke Survives Senate Vote, Will Get Second Term
   After hours of debate, the Senate voted 70-30 to confirm Bernanke as Fed chairman for a second term.
   Read original story in The Wall Street Journal | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

2. Will Taliban Join Peace Talks? Decision Coming Soon
   President Karzai has called for elders and influential Afghans to begin a "peace council as part of efforts to end years of fighting" and he wants the Taliban leadership to participate.
   Read original story in Reuters | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

3. Ex-Edwards Aid Confirms Existence of Sex Tape
   Andrew Young found a tape of Hunter and Edwards made "a couple of months before the Iowa caucuses;" Hunter filed for a restraining order to keep the tape private.
   Read original story in ABC News | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

4. Gunfight Breaks Out in Southern Afghanistan
   Insurgents armed with suicide vests and machine guns attacked the United Nations office in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the volatile Helmand province.
   Read original story in The Associated Press | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

5. Two Kids Charged With Felonies For Sexting
   For sending nude pictures of themselves to each other, a 12- and 13-year-old in Indiana have been charged with felonies and, if convicted, will be forced to register as sex offenders.
   Read original story in The Chicago Tribune | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

6. Senate: United States Can Carry $14.3 Trillion in Debt
   Legislation would allow the United States to carry $14.3 trillion in debt but also institutes pay-as-you-go spending rules.
   Read original story in The Washington Post | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

7. Democracy Activist Jailed in Vietnam
   Pham Thanh Nghien, a writer and activist, has been found guilty of spreading propaganda against the state and jailed for four years.
   Read original story in BBC | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

8. Harsh Winter Storm Slams Midwest
   Snow and sleet shut down power to tens of thousands and caused dozens of accidents yesterday. The storm is expected to continue through today.
   Read original story in CNN | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

9. Hillary Clinton Done With Politics in 2013
   Clinton says she's a one-term secretary of state and looks forward to reading, writing, and traveling without an entourage.
   Read original story in The Telegraph | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

10. Woman Hit By Fire Hose Dies
    Gertrude King, who was struck in the face by a fire hose nozzle that trailed behind a truck, died yesterday.
    Read original story in CNN | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

11. "Pants on the Ground" Goes to the Grammy Awards
    Larry Platt, a 62-year-old veteran of the civil rights movement, will perform his original song on the red carpet.
    Read original story in TMZ | Friday, Jan. 29, 2010