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FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 file photo, the U.S. embassy building is seen in Damascus, Syria. The Obama administration has closed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus and pulled all American diplomats out of Syria Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi, File)AP - Britain has recalled its ambassador from Syria for consultations on the escalating violence in the country, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday. The decision was announced after the U.S. said it has closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled all American diplomats out of Syria.



The smoldering remains of a house, left, where an explosion killed Josh Powell and his two sons, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, is shown from the air in Graham, Wash. The explosion occurred moments after a Child Protective Services worker brought the two boys to the home for a supervised visit. Powell's wife Susan went reportedly missing from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)AP - Josh Powell's note was simple and short, a farewell to the world after two years of being scrutinized in the media, hammered by police and questioned by judges, prosecutors and social workers, living his life under a microscope since the day his wife vanished.



AP - Lawmakers who came to Washington demanding budget cuts face a tough test now that President Barack Obama and military leaders want to shrink the force, shut down bases and cancel weapons to achieve them.

Anders Behring Breivik, right, a right-wing extremist who confessed to a bombing and mass shooting that killed 77 people on July 22, 2011, gestures as he arrives for a detention hearing at a court in Oslo, Norway, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About 100 survivors and relatives of the victims of the July 22 massacre attended the hearing in Oslo's district court - expected to decide to keep Breivik in jail until his trial begins in April. (AP Photo/Heiko Junge, Scanpix Norway) NORWAY OUTAP - The right-wing extremist who has admitted killing 77 people in the worst peacetime massacre that Norway has ever seen told a court Monday that he deserves a medal of honor for the bloodshed and demanded to be set free.



In this photo provided by by the Palestinian President's office, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, and Khaled Mashal, chief of the Islamic militant group Hamas, right, confer with Qatar's crown prince Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, center, during a reconciliation meeting in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. The main Palestinian political rivals took a major step Monday toward healing their bitter rift, agreeing that Abbas would head an interim unity government to prepare for general elections in the West Bank and Gaza. (AP Photo/Thaer Ghanaim, Palestinian President's Office)AP - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday took a decisive step toward reconciliation with the Islamic militant Hamas, agreeing to head an interim unity government that would prepare for elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.



AP - Georgia's top court struck down a state law that restricted assisted suicides, siding on Monday with four members of a suicide group who said the law violated their free speech rights.

Nicki Minaj, left, and M.I.A. perform during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)AP - British hip-hop artist M.I.A.'s obscene gesture in the Super Bowl halftime show is prompting apologies from NBC and the NFL. But it isn't immediately registering as a moment that viewers latched on to.



FILE- In this April, 9, 2007, file photo Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaks at a ceremony in Iran's nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, 300 kms 186 (miles) south of capital Tehran, Iran. For the first time in nearly two decades of escalating tensions over the Iranian nuclear program, it appears that world leaders are genuinely concerned that an Israeli military attack on the Islamic Republic could be imminent, an action that many fear might trigger war, terrorism and global economic havoc. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian, File)AP - President Barack Obama said the U.S. has a "very good estimate" of when Iran could complete work on a nuclear weapon, but cautioned that there are still many unanswered questions about Tehran's inner workings.



FILE - In this Oct. 15, 1992, file photo President George H.W. Bush looks at his watch during the 1992 presidential campaign debate with other candidates, Independent Ross Perot, top, and Democrat Bill Clinton, not shown, at the University of Richmond, Va. The most telling moment in a three-way debate between Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot in 1992, wasn't conveyed in words. It was Bush's glance at his watch. The president already was battling perceptions that he was out of touch and out of ideas in a time of economic distress. When the TV cameras caught him stealing a glance at his watch, it reinforced the impression that Bush wasn't up for the job. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)AP - Mitt Romney's remark that he's not worried about the very poor, the latest gaffe in a campaign rich with blunders, joins a long list of wait-let-me-explain episodes in presidential election history.



In this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, attendees check out the unveiling of 4G devices at the Verizon booth during the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. Challenging Netflix, Verizon said Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, it will start a video streaming service later this year in cooperation with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)AP - Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks.



Prime Minister Lucas Papademos arrives at his office in Athens for a meeting with Greek political leaders February 5, 2012. REUTERS/Yiorgos KarahalisReuters - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Greece on Monday to make up its mind fast on accepting the painful terms for a new EU/IMF bailout, but the country's political leaders responded by delaying their decision for yet another day.



U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney shakes hands with supporters while giving a speech at his Nevada caucus night rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 4, 2012. REUTERS/Brian SnyderReuters - Republican Newt Gingrich vowed on Sunday to press ahead with his struggling presidential bid after a big loss in Nevada, saying he will focus on drawing a contrast with "timid" rival Mitt Romney.



Demonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Hula near the city of Homs February 3, 2012. REUTERS/HandoutReuters - Syrian forces bombarded Homs on Monday, killing 50 people in a sustained assault on several districts of the city which has become a centre of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian National Council opposition group said.



Reuters - bolstered by a stronger economic outlook and recent job growth - would win in a match-up against the two leading Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, a poll on Monday showed.

Reuters - The mad rush to move client money out of MF Global Inc. after its collapse left two firms with the bulk of customer accounts, while other brokerages emerged with only minor gains from the chaos of carving up a multibillion-dollar business.

People walk on a promenade during a foggy day in Thessaloniki about 500 km (310 miles) north of Athens February 5, 2012. REUTERS/John KolesidisReuters - To get an idea of the economic mountain euro zone strugglers Greece and Portugal have to climb, consider this: per million inhabitants, they each filed fewer than eight applications with the European Patent Office in 2010.



Reuters - The United States announced on Monday it was closing its embassy in Syria due to the worsening security situation, further isolating Damascus over its bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.

Passers-by walk in front of a stock quotation board in Tokyo December 9, 2011. REUTERS/Issei KatoReuters - Fears that Greece might not accept the terms of a proposed new bailout deal brought a rally in global shares and the euro to a halt on Monday, undermining the positive effect of better global economic data.



The Christian Science Monitor - Michigan Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He was the guest speaker at the Jan. 26 Monitor breakfast in Washington.

The Christian Science Monitor - Friday’s good news on the economy – an unemployment rate that dropped to 8.3 percent in January as the economy added 243,000 jobs – might have caused the White House staff to do cartwheels. If you’re going to get blamed when things are rough, why not celebrate when they go well?