Obama says Boy Scouts should allow gays as members

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2013 file photo, Boy Scouts recite the Scout Oath during the annual Boy Scouts Parade and Report to State in the House Chambers at the Texas capitol, in Austin, Texas. President Barack Obama said Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013 that gays should be allowed in the Boy Scouts and women should be allowed in military combat roles. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2013 file photo, Boy Scouts recite the Scout Oath during the annual Boy Scouts Parade and Report to State in the House Chambers at the Texas capitol, in Austin, Texas. President Barack Obama said Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013 that gays should be allowed in the Boy Scouts and women should be allowed in military combat roles. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama said Sunday that gays should be allowed in the Boy Scouts and women should be allowed in military combat roles, weighing in on two storied American institutions facing proposals to end long-held exclusions.

The president's comments in a pre-Super Bowl interview on CBS come ahead of this week's meeting of the Boy Scouts' national executive board. A proposal to open up the Scouts' membership to gays is expected to be discussed and possibly voted on at the gathering in Texas.

The Boy Scouts emphatically reaffirmed the no-gays policy just seven months ago, but announced last week they were considering changing the stance. Instead of mandatory exclusion of gays, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue ? either maintaining the exclusion or opening up their membership.

The White House said in a statement last August that Obama opposed the gay ban. Obama, like presidents for the last century, serves as honorary president of the group. The president's comment Sunday was his first since the group announced it was considering a policy change.

"My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does in every institution and walk of life," Obama said. "The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives. And I think nobody should be barred from that."

Obama also had previously issued a statement supporting the Pentagon's decision last month to open up front-line combat jobs to women, but the interview with CBS' Scott Pelley included his first publicly spoken comments on the matter since the announcement. He said women are already serving in combat "as a practical matter."

"When they're in theater in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they are vulnerable," he said. "They are wounded, and they've been killed. And they have carried out their jobs with extraordinary patriotism and distinction."

The policy change overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units, and is expected to open up more than 230,000 combat positions that have been off limits to women.

Obama said he meets "extraordinary women in uniform who can do everything that a man can and more." He gave the example of one of his military aides, who he estimated is only about 5 feet tall and 100 pounds.

"You put a 50-pound pack on her, and she can do things that you or me would keel over doing. And so the truth is that women are serving. They are taking great risks. What we should not do is somehow prevent them from advancing in an institution that we all revere."

On the economy, Obama said although more revenue has to be raised to reduce the deficit, it can be done without raising income tax rates again. He said the answer is "smart spending cuts," reducing waste in the health care system and closing loopholes and deductions like offshore tax havens that benefit a few high income earners but not most Americans.

"There's no doubt we need additional revenue coupled with smart spending reductions in order to bring down our deficit," he said. "We can do it in a gradual way so it doesn't have a huge impact."

Coming before the Super Bowl, Obama had to expect he'd be asked about his recent comment that if he had a son, he would have to think long and hard about letting him play football because of safety concerns. Obama said he feel differently about the NFL, where the players are well-compensated adults who know the risks, but the threat of concussions has to give parents pause about letting youth and children play.

"I want to make sure we are doing everything we can to make the sport safer, and that means the game's probably going to evolve a little bit," Obama said. "For those of us who like to see a big hit and enjoy the rock 'em, sock 'em elements of the game, we're probably going to be occasionally frustrated.

"But I do think we want to make sure that after people have played the game, that they're going to be OK," he said.

The Obamas were hosting their own Super Bowl party for friends and family at the White House. In honor of the two teams, the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, they were serving Chesapeake crabcakes and San Francisco cioppino stew with sourdough toast. Also on the menu are Clipper City and Anchor Steam beers from the competing cities.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-03-Obama-Interview/id-aec244d91c87486983342a02a17c21be

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Burger King Admits to Horse Meat; UK Beef Supply May Be Tainted

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Knicks to host Sandy Hook kids, families Saturday

NEW YORK (AP) ? The New York Knicks will host 150 children, their families and teachers from Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday when they play the Sacramento Kings.

Twenty or more children from the Newtown (Conn.) Choir from Sabrinas Encore Products will sing the national anthem before the game, the second time this week the Knicks and children from the devastated community about 90 minutes away will be together.

The Knicks organization on Tuesday visited Newtown, where 20 children and six adults were shot and killed at the school in December.

The team, the Knicks City Dancers and Madison Square Garden's Garden of Dreams Foundation hosted 400 children from Sandy Hook Elementary (now Chalk Hill Elementary) and their families at the Newtown Youth Academy in what was called a "Knicks Family Fun Day" event.

"It was fun," Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said. "We went out there (and) it was just good to see a lot of people smile all over again. Just to be doing the things that we were doing ? playing the games, playing basketball with them, just making people smile and feel happy about themselves."

There were basketball drills and contests, along with other activities such as a magician, face painters and balloon makers in a carnival-type setting.

"That was great," Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "We were there pretty much just wanting to put smiles and hope back in the families faces. It was an awesome event. Great for us to interact with the families there. That was great for them."

A month after the killings, children from the choir who will perform recorded "Sandy Hook: Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Proceeds from the sale of the song will benefit the Newtown Youth Academy and the United Way of Western Connecticut.

_____

AP freelance writer Adriano Torres contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-02-Knicks-Sandy%20Hook/id-18c2d48fa08641e98635beee82099f06

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Sheriff thanks suspect for taking care of boy

Police and emergency personnel remain on site at the property of Jimmy Lee Sykes, a suspect accused of holding a 5-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker on Saturday Feb. 2, 2013 in Midland City, Ala. Negotiators were still trying to persuade Jimmy Lee Dykes to surrender. Police have said they believe the Lee Dykes, a Vietnam-era veteran, fatally shot a school bus driver Tuesday, and then abducted the boy from the bus and disappeared into the home-made bunker. (AP Photo/al.com, Joe Songer)

Police and emergency personnel remain on site at the property of Jimmy Lee Sykes, a suspect accused of holding a 5-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker on Saturday Feb. 2, 2013 in Midland City, Ala. Negotiators were still trying to persuade Jimmy Lee Dykes to surrender. Police have said they believe the Lee Dykes, a Vietnam-era veteran, fatally shot a school bus driver Tuesday, and then abducted the boy from the bus and disappeared into the home-made bunker. (AP Photo/al.com, Joe Songer)

Cade Smith, 6, watches the flame of his candle burn as his mother, Brandi, looks on during a candle light vigil for the families involved in the ongoing hostage crisis Friday night, Feb. 1, 2013 in Midland City, Ala. The Smith family feels a connection to the autistic boy named Ethan being held hostage because their son, Cade, also has autism. (AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

Law enforcement officials remove the bus Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, that Charles Poland was driving when he was fatally shot in Midland City, Ala. Suspect Jimmy Lee Dykes has been holed up in a bunker on his property with the 5-year-old child he took from the bus since the late afternoon shooting on Tuesday, Jan. 29. (AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

This photograph released by the Alabama Department of Public Safety shows Jimmy Lee Dykes, a 65-year-old retired truck driver officials identify as the suspect in a fatal shooting and hostage standoff in Midland City, Ala. (AP Photo/Alabama Department of Public Safety)

In this undated photo released by the Dale County Board of Education, bus driver Charles Albert Poland, Jr., is shown. A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting Poland, the driver dead. Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. (AP Photo/ Dale County Board of Education)

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) ? Authorities said Saturday that they still have an open line of communication with an Alabama man accused of abducting a 5-year-old boy and holding him hostage in a bunker, and they thanked the suspect for taking care of the child as the standoff marked its fifth day.

Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said in a briefing with reporters that Jimmy Lee Dykes has told them he has blankets and an electric heater in the bunker. Olson said Dykes has allowed authorities to deliver coloring books, medication and toys for the boy.

"I want to thank him for taking care of our boy," Olson said. "That's very important."

Authorities say Dykes shot a school bus driver Tuesday and took the boy to the bunker on his property in rural Midland City.

Olson would not say whether Dykes has made any demands. Olson added that he is limited in the details he can release.

FBI spokesman Jason Pack said Saturday that officials were working to establish a command center near the bunker.

Negotiators were still trying Saturday to persuade Dykes to surrender. Police have said they believe the Vietnam-era veteran fatally shot a school bus driver Tuesday, and then abducted the boy from the bus and disappeared into the home-made bunker.

While police were mostly staying mum about the delicate negotiations, it fell to neighbors to fill in the blanks about Dykes, described by some as a menacing figure with anti-government views.

One of Dykes' next-door neighbors said the suspect spent two or three months constructing the bunker, digging several feet into the ground and then building a structure of lumber and plywood, which he covered with sand and dirt.

Neighbor Michael Creel said Dykes put the plastic pipe underground from the bunker to the end of his driveway so he could hear if anyone drove up to his gate. When Dykes finished the shelter a year or so ago, he invited Creel to see it ? and he did.

"He was bragging about it. He said, 'Come check it out," Creel said.

He said he believes Dykes' goal with the standoff is to publicize his political beliefs.

"I believe he wants to rant and rave about politics and government," Creel said. "He's very concerned about his property. He doesn't want his stuff messed with."

Police have used a ventilation pipe to the bunker to talk to the man and deliver the boy medication for his emotional disorders, but they have not revealed how often they are in touch or what the conversations have been about. Authorities waited until Friday to confirm the suspect's identity.

While much of what is going on inside the bunker remains a mystery, local officials who have spoken to police or the boy's family have described a small room with food, electricity and a TV. And while the boy has his medication, an official also said he has been crying for his parents.

Meanwhile, Midland City residents held out hope that the standoff would end safely and mourned for the slain bus driver and his family. Candlelight vigils have been held nightly at a gazebo in front of City Hall. Residents prayed, sang songs such as "Amazing Grace" and nailed homemade wooden crosses on the gazebo's railings alongside signs that read: "We are praying for you."

"We're doing any little thing that helps show support for him," said 15-year-old Taylor Edwards said.

Former hostage negotiators said authorities must be cautious and patient as long as they are confident that the boy is unharmed. Ex-FBI hostage negotiator Clint Van Zandt advised against any drastic measures such as cutting the electricity or putting sleeping gas inside the bunker because it could agitate Dykes.

The negotiator should try to ease Dykes' anxieties over what will happen when the standoff ends, and refer to both the boy and Dykes by their first names, he said.

"I want to give him a reason to come out," Van Zandt said.

State Rep. Mike Ball of Huntsville, who spent 15 years as a hostage negotiator with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, said Saturday that the key is patiently building a relationship with Dykes.

"They want to build a relationship with him and calm down the feeling of hopelessness he has," he said. "Any day that goes by with the child alive is a victory. If you string enough of those days together, he will come out."

At a brief news conference Friday to release a photo of Dykes, police brushed off any questions about possible charges.

"It's way too early for that," said Kevin Cook, a spokesman for the Alabama state troopers.

Police have described the bunker as about 4 feet underground, with about 6-by-8 feet of floor space and the PVC pipe that negotiators were speaking through.

State Rep. Steve Clouse, who represents the Midland City area, said he visited the boy's mother and she is "hanging on by a thread." Clouse said the mother told him that the boy has Asperger's syndrome as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

Dr. Nadine Kaslow, a family therapist and psychiatry professor at Emory University in Atlanta, said the boy's emotional troubles might make things even more difficult for him.

"They have less way to make sense of things," she said of children with Asperger's and ADHD.

The normally quiet red-clay road leading to the bunker was busy Friday with more than a dozen police cars and trucks, a fire truck, a helicopter, officers from multiple agencies and news media near Midland City. The town, population 2,300, is about 100 miles southeast of Montgomery.

Police vehicles have come and gone for hours from the command post, a small church nearby.

Neighbors said Dykes was easily angered and once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a firearm.

He was in the Navy from 1964 to 1969, serving some time in Japan, according to military records.

Authorities said Dykes boarded a stopped school bus filled with 21 children on Tuesday afternoon and demanded two boys between 6 and 8 years old. When the driver tried to block his way, the gunman shot him several times and took the 5-year-old boy.

The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by local residents as a hero who gave his life to protect the pupils on his bus.

Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to answer charges he shot at his neighbors in a dispute last month over a speed bump. Neighbor Claudia Davis said he yelled and fired shots at her and her family over damage Dykes claimed their pickup truck did to a makeshift speed bump in the dirt road. No one was hurt.

Creel said his father and Dykes are friends. Creel said that after Dykes' arrest, Dykes wrote a 2- to 3-page letter that at least in part addressed the menacing case.

Michael Creel said he hasn't seen the letter but that his father, Greg Creel, has. Dykes reportedly told the elder Creel he had sent the letter to the local media, politicians and Alabama's governor.

Police on Friday took a copy of the letter from the Creels' home, according to Michael Creel. Reached for comment, Greg Creel confirmed the existence of the letter but declined further comment and said he was cooperating with police.

A neighbor directly across the street, Brock Parrish, said Dykes usually wore overalls and glasses and his posture was hunched-over. He said Dykes usually drove a run-down "creeper" van with some of the windows covered in aluminum foil.

Parrish often saw him digging in his yard, as if he were preparing to lay down a driveway or building foundation. He lived in a small camping trailer and patrolled his lawn at night, walking from corner to corner with a flashlight and a long gun. Authorities have not disclosed what firearms Dykes might have in his possession.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington; Tamara Lush and Phillip Rawls in Midland City; Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala., and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-02-School%20Bus%20Driver%20Shot/id-b52a968bff2c42268a529f6c7a6166a5

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Florida Morning: Scott unveils budget priorities - China hacks the New York Times - House files campaign finance bill

If you have suggestions, tips or comments, make sure they find?Matt.Dixon@jacksonville.com. And?for up todate, but not football-free, Tweets about?Florida politics?follow @Mdixon55.?

Most importantly, if you want Florida?s finest morning tip sheet delivered to your inbox free of charge,?subscribe here.??

Today?s sections?

Florida: Scott wants $1.2 billion for education, bonuses, and lower taxes on manufacturers.

Not Florida: Immigration bill could be coming fast, China hacked the New York Times, and White House not saying much about skeet shooting.

Video: Teacher evaluations flawed

Florida

Local pension bill filed; leaders support change

Local governments with underfunded?pension plans?would not be able to look to the state for a bail out, under a bill filed Wednesday that is expected to become a template for legislation in the months ahead, via Michael Peltier of the News Service of Florida: http://tinyurl.com/9w8tk9x?

Weatherford suggest change could be coming for controversial on nuclear cost recovery law

House Speaker Will Weatherford told reporters on Wednesday that he is open to revising the the 2006 law that allowed Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy of Florida to collect money for nuclear power plants before building ?Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/by2agzh

Gov. Rick Scott wants $1.2 billion more for schools, bonuses for state workers

Gov. Rick Scott will send the Legislature a $74 billion budget today that he says would boost spending in schools by $1.25 billion, but some of that money will never reach students. As Scott touted the figure on Wednesday, a closer look shows that more than one-third of the money, $480 million, would pay for a $2,500 teacher pay raise that must be approved by county school boards and negotiated in union contracts, if it survives a skeptical Legislature. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/bacxmf5

Gov. Scott to offer $1,200 bonuses to state's civil service employees

School teachers aren?t the only ones Gov.?Rick Scott?wants to pay more. When Scott unveils his $74 billion budget on Thursday ? the highest dollar figure in state history ? it will include?bonuses?of $1,200 for each of the state?s civil service employees in non-supervisory roles. It's been six years since state workers have received a pay increase. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/aa3kucm

Enterprise Florida to unveil first-ever Florida business brand

Enterprise Florida, the state?s lead economic development entity will unveil Florida?s first-ever business brand following its board of directors meeting today. SaintPetersBlog http://tinyurl.com/an2t65x

Lots of finger-pointing over Florida election woes

A look at Florida's troubled election this past fall prompted some finger-pointing and back-tracking Wednesday. Top party officials, two election supervisors and two legislators had a confrontational discussion about the 2012 election at the Associated Press' annual legislative planning meeting. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/am7tgwn

House files campaign finance reform plan: $10,000 limits and no more CCEs

Florida House leaders unveiled what they believe will be behavior-changing campaign finance reform Wednesday, phasing out candidate-controlled political committees and ushering in stricter reporting deadlines, more contribution accountability and campaign contribution caps of $10,000 per election. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/aqatlml

Republican and Democratic legislators cross swords over whether controversial elections law caused Election Day meltdown

Leaders of the state Republican and Democratic parties crossed swords Wednesday over whether a controversial elections law caused the Election Day meltdown in some Florida counties ? and whether the measure was a partisan attempt to deny President Barack Obama the state?s 29 electoral votes in his re-election campaign. SaintPetersBlog http://tinyurl.com/bjky7sl

Scott Seeks Business Sales Tax Exemptions

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You can gauge the start of spring in Tallahassee by the blooming of the azaleas and dogwoods. You can gauge the financial health of state government by the growing abundance of tax-break legislation. With state finances perking up, Gov. Rick Scott wants to continue his incremental campaign to abolish the corporateincome tax. He also wants to exempt Florida manufacturers from paying the sales tax on their equipment purchases. Lakeland Ledger http://tinyurl.com/bky2ej8

Not Florida

Immigration reform bill could pass in six months, Obama says

President Obama?said that the bipartisan group of senators working on immigration legislation was following a ?reasonable timeline? and suggested he would push to get a bill passed in the first half of the year. In a pair of interviews the day after kicking off his public campaign for immigration reform, Obama told the Spanish-language networks?Univision?and?Telemundo?that he would put the weight of his office ? and his bully pulpit ? behind the effort. Los Angeles Times http://tinyurl.com/ba4khsh

The White House?s curious silence about Obama?s claim of skeet shooting

A number of readers have raised questions about the president?s statement that he goes skeet shooting ?all the time? while at Camp David. In these suspicious times, they would like to see some evidence. But the White House has been oddly silent about the matter. Washington Post http://tinyurl.com/bktszbm

N.Y. Times: China hacked us for past four months

The New York Times says Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated its computer networks over the past four months, stealing reporters' passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of one of China's leaders. In a report released late Wednesday, the Times said security experts hired to plug the breach tracked the attacks to China, in some cases computers identified with the Chinese military. CBS News http://tinyurl.com/alnqtka

Menendez denies he was with Dominican prostitutes

Sen. Robert Menendez's office said Wednesday night that he reimbursed a prominent Florida political donor $58,500 for the full cost of two of three trips on the donor's plane to the Dominican Republic in 2010. At the same time, Menendez's office said unsubstantiated allegations that he engaged in sex with prostitutes there are false. Associated Press http://tinyurl.com/ajkxpyw

No sense of crisis in Congress as automatic cuts loom again

Big automatic cuts in federal spending are fast approaching again, alarming the defense sector but generating little activity in Congress to avoid them. The cuts, known as a "sequestration," were postponed for two months as part of the legislation that ended the standoff over the "fiscal cliff" on January 1. Reuters http://tinyurl.com/az4g4wn

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14 dead, at least 100 hurt in Mexico oil co. blast

Firefighters belonging to the Tacubaya sector and workers dig for survivors after an explosion at an adjacent building to the executive tower of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX, in Mexico City, Thursday Jan. 31, 2013. A large explosion occurred in the lower floors of the building and dozens have been reported injured so far. (AP Photo/Guillermo Gutierrez)

Firefighters belonging to the Tacubaya sector and workers dig for survivors after an explosion at an adjacent building to the executive tower of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX, in Mexico City, Thursday Jan. 31, 2013. A large explosion occurred in the lower floors of the building and dozens have been reported injured so far. (AP Photo/Guillermo Gutierrez)

An emergency responder carries a piece of concrete as emergency workers and firefighter dig for survivor at the site on an explosion at an adjacent building to the executive tower of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX, in Mexico City, Thursday Jan. 31, 2013. The explosion killed more than 10 people and injured some 80 as it heavily damaged three floors of the building, sending hundreds into the streets and a large plume of smoke over the skyline. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

An emergency worker treats an injured worker of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX after an explosion at an adjacent building to the executive tower of PEMEX in Mexico City, Thursday Jan. 31, 2013. A large explosion occurred in the lower floors of the building and dozens have been reported injured so far. (AP Photo/Guillermo Gutierrez)

Firefighters belonging to the Tacubaya sector and emergency responders pull out a survivor after an explosion at an adjacent building to the executive tower of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX, in Mexico City, Thursday Jan. 31, 2013. A large explosion occurred in the lower floors of the building and dozens have been reported injured so far. (AP Photo/Guillermo Gutierrez)

Firefighters belonging to the Tacubaya sector and workers dig for survivors after an explosion at a building adjacent to the executive tower of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX, in Mexico City, Thursday Jan. 31, 2013. A large explosion occurred in the lower floors of the building and dozens have been reported injured so far. (AP Photo/Guillermo Gutierrez)

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? An explosion at the office headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company killed 14 people and injured 100 on Thursday as it heavily damaged three floors of a building, sending hundreds into the streets and a large plume of smoke over Mexico City's skyline.

Another 30 people were reported trapped in the debris late Thursday, as soldiers with rescue dogs, trucks with mounted lights and a Pemex crane were brought in to extract victims. The Interior Ministry said it was uncertain of the exact number of people trapped because many were outside having lunch when the explosion occurred about 3:45 p.m. local time in a basement parking garage next to the iconic, 51-story tower of Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, one of the tallest buildings in Mexico City.

"It was an explosion, a shock, the lights went out and suddenly there was a lot of debris," employee Cristian Obele told Milenio television, adding that he had been injured in the leg. "Co-workers helped us get out of the building."

President Enrique Pena Nieto said authorities have not yet found what caused the blast in the 14-story building in a busy commercial and residential area. Pemex first said it had evacuated the building because of a problem with the electrical system. The company later tweeted that the Attorney General's Office was investigating the explosion and any reports of a cause were speculation.

Ana Vargas Palacio was distraught as she searched for her missing husband, Daniel Garcia Garcia, 36, who works in the building where the explosion occurred. She said she last talked to him a couple hours earlier.

"I called his phone many times, but a young man answered and told me he found the phone in the debris," Vargas said. The two have an 11-year-old daughter. His mother, Gloria Garcia Castaneda, collapsed on a friend's arm, crying "My son. My son."

The tower, where several thousand people work, was evacuated following the blast but not damaged, according to Gabriela Espinoza, 50, a Pemex secretary for 29 years who was on the second floor when the explosion next door occurred.

"There was a very loud roar. It was very ugly," she said.

Espinoza's co-worker, Tomas Rivera, 32, worked on the ground floor and was knocked to floor, fracturing his wrist and jaw.

Hundreds of firefighters, military in camouflage and Red Cross workers hauled large chunks of concrete and looked for victims late into the night, with at least four bodies pulled out of the rubble, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

The exploded building was intact on the outside but filled inside with debris.

Television images showed people being evacuated in office chairs, and on gurneys. Most of them had injuries likely caused by falling debris.

"We were talking and all of sudden we heard an explosion with white smoke and glass falling from the windows," said Maria Concepcion Andrade, 42, who lives on the same block as the Pemex building. "People started running from the building covered in dust. A lot of pieces were flying."

Police landed four rescue helicopters to remove the dead and injured. About a dozen tow trucks were furiously moving cars to make more landing room for the helicopters.

"I profoundly lament the death of our fellow workers at Pemex. My condolences to their families," Pena Nieto said via Twitter. He later toured the scene.

Streets surrounding the building were closed as evacuees wandered around, and rescue crews loaded the injured into ambulances.

The injured were taken to Pemex's hospital in the capital's northwest delegation of Azcapotzalco and the Red Cross hospital in the Polanco neighborhood near the oil company's office headquarters, where relatives huddled in the waiting room for news of their loved ones. Some walked out of meetings with the hospital social worker joyous, while others came out crying.

Pemex, created as a state-owned company in 1938, has nearly 150,000 employees and in 2011 produced about 2.5 million barrels of crude oil a day, according to its website, with $111 billion in sales.

Shortly before the explosion, Operations Director Carlos Murrieta reported via Twitter that the company had reduced its accident rate in recent years. Most Pemex accidents have occurred at pipeline and refinery installations.

A fire at a pipeline metering center in northeast Mexico near the Texas border killed 30 workers in September, the largest-single toll in at least a decade for the company.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-31-Mexico-Pemex%20Fire/id-c3658e8caa98447ab46f45c8eb30be8b

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Mozambique floods: Death toll rises to 55

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) ? The United Nations says the death toll from the flooding in Mozambique has risen by seven to at least 55 people.

The U.N. said Thursday that heavy rains in northern and central Mozambique have displaced 19,000 more people, raising the total number of displaced by floods the past two weeks to nearly 170,000.

The Mozambican government said there is a shortage of food for flood victims in southern Mozambique. Luis Nhala, a health official, said that residents are eating food that has mixed with contaminated flood water, which is resulting in cases of diarrhea and vomiting.

Mozambican state television showed children in need of food and water. One man held an empty plate and told the camera: "Look, we are starving. The government must do something."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mozambique-floods-death-toll-rises-55-145721186.html

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