Terror Act Used to Block Climate Activist's Trip

Terrorism trumped health care over vacation, and there's more

(NEWSER) - President Obama is back at the White House after an 11-day vacation in Hawaii, and he has his work cut out for him. USA Today runs down the most pressing issues awaiting the president in 2010.

• Terrorism: The attempted bombing of Flight 253 returned security to the top of the list. Some heads may roll after the near-catastrophe.

Thirteen remain in custody; more protests planned today

(NEWSER) - Danish police today released hundreds of activists who were detained during a mass rally demanding strong action from the UN climate conference. Police said only 13 of the 968 people detained during and after the demonstration in Copenhagen remained in custody today. Of those, three—two Danes and a Frenchman—were set to be arraigned in court on preliminary charges of fighting with police, reports the AP . More»

Police detain about 600 youths when bricks are thrown

(NEWSER) - Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Copenhagen today to press world leaders for progress on global warming. Estimates ranged from 40,000 (from police) to 100,000 (from organizers). Police say they detained about 600 black-clad youths after bricks were thrown at officers, reports AP . Earlier, about 20 were detained for wearing masks or carrying pocketknives. Today's protest comes at the midway point of the two-week climate negotiations. More»

There's no real change from the Bush era, ex-VP complains

(NEWSER) - President Obama "has thus far failed to make the case for bold action on climate change," Al Gore complains in a massive op-ed for Rolling Stone . In the piece, Gore bemoans a political environment in which “what is true and what is false is being attacked relentlessly” and a media apparatus that has behaved like “an entertainer selling tickets to a phony wrestling match.” Politicians, he complains “fall into the same two categories: those who cheerlead for the deniers, and those who cower before them.” More»

User known only as 'El Shaheed' fueled protests

(NEWSER) - The protests rocking Egypt have been fueled in part by a man who died before they began: Khaled Said, who was reportedly killed by police last summer. That’s the name that heads a Facebook page that has been helping to organize the demonstrations—but the page’s creator, who goes by the name El Shaheed, or martyr, remains completely anonymous, Newsweek reports. “There is no name. There is no leader. It is purely about the thought,” says an activist. More»