The world - Jan. 21, 2010

THURSDAY

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announces the city will ask voters in May for a $241 million property tax measure to replace the city’s waterfront seawall.

U.S. foreclosures shattered all records in 2009, according to real estate watchers RealtyTrac. A record 2.8 million properties with a mortgage received a foreclosure notice last year, jumping 21 percent from 2008 and 120 percent from 2007.

Citing a more “hopeful state of world affairs” in relation to the twin threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists pushed the minute hand of its famous Doomsday Clock back one minute. The clock now reads six minutes to midnight.

Koreans Ha Mok-Min and Bae Yeong Ho won the LG Mobile Worldcup World Championship of texting in New York.

FRIDAY

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether names of people who signed petitions for the state’s Referendum 71, which extended marital benefits to same sex and elderly unmarried couples, should be made public.

Johnson & Johnson recalled more than 53 million bottles of Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids after reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that was associated with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Jack in the Box officials named the fast food chain’s franchise on 4th and Holgate in Seattle as the “worst in the country.” The fast food joint, located next to a rehab center and the city’s Beacon Hill “Jungle,” is a favorite hangout of drug dealers and a variety of scoundrels.

WEEKEND

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest warship Independence on Saturday, a 379-feet aluminum three-hulled vessel built by General Dynamics Corp. The ship is one of two designs vying for billions of dollars of follow-up orders. It could be used immediately to move supplies from the U.S. military base at Guantanamo, Cuba, to Haiti

Attorneys for National Broadcasting Company and Conan O’Brien finalized a reported $40 million settlement that ends O’Brien’s seven-month stint as host of the “Tonight Show.” O’Brien is expected to tape his last episode Friday. Long-time host Jay Leno, who bombed in the 10 p.m. time slot, will return to the “Tonight” desk March 1. Rumors had O’Brien heading to the Fox network to host a late-night show.

The Pantex nuclear weapons plant near Amarillo, Texas, was locked down after officials spotted a pair of duck hunters roaming neighboring property. The hunters, who were setting out decoys and building a blind, were searched, checked and released.

MONDAY

Mehmet Ali Agca, who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, was released from a Turkish prison. The 52-year-old served 19 years in an Italian prison for the attack, before being pardoned by the pope in 2000.

Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade said he would propose to the 53-nation African Union the creation for Haitians of “their own state on African territory, the land of their ancestors.” Wade argued that Haitians are the descendants of slaves and so had the right to repatriation on the African continent. Senegal has also pledged $1 million emergency aid and begun preparations for televised fund-raising event.

Somali pirates freed a Greek-flagged tanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil for a ransom believed to be between $5.5 million and $7 million. The release of the ship came one day after the ransom was dropped from an aircraft onto the deck of the Maran Centaurus.

TUESDAY

The U.S. Supreme Court set aside a ruling that invalidated the death sentence of black political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer. His case has been a prominent cause for many death penalty opponents.

A mysterious visitor who each year leaves roses and cognac on Edgar Allen Poe’s tomb in Baltimore for the poet’s birthday missed his rendezvous for the first time in 61 years. Around 50 people from across the U.S. sat in vigil over the poet’s grave for the 201st anniversary of Poe’s birth.

Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal had 16 points in the Cavaliers’ 108-100 victory over Toronto to become the fifth player in NBA history to surpass 28,000 career points.

WEDNESDAY

More than 150 Nigerians have been killed and dozens injured in three days of clashes between Muslim and Christian gangs in the central city of Jos. The fighting is unlikely to have a big impact on the nation’s prosperous oil industry.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake shook Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the early morning hours, creating panic among survivors of last week’s devastating quake, but causing no more serious damage.

Compiled by staff from a varieyt of sources.