NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The October al-Qaida video shows a light-skinned man handing out food to families displaced by famine in Somalia. But the masked man is not Somali, or even African — he’s a Wisconsin native who grew up in San Diego. A handful of young Muslims from the U.S. are taking high-visibility propaganda and operational roles inside an al-Qaida-linked insurgent force in Somalia known as al-Shabab. While most are from Minnesota, which has the largest Somali population in... Read more

TONGI, Bangladesh (AP) — One of the world’s largest Muslim gatherings has ended outside the Bangladeshi capital with a call for peace and the revival of Islamic tenets. The three-day gathering on the sandy banks of River Turag, just outside Dhaka, ended Sunday. It was not immediately clear how many devotees joined the final afternoon prayer but organizers had said they expected nearly 4 million devotees. Local police chief Abdul Baten says the event has ended peacefully. The gathering is... Read more

Today is Sunday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2012. There are 344 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date: 1517 – Ottoman troops take Cairo, Egypt. 1528 – England and France declare war on Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. 1655 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves Britain’s Parliament. 1760 – French are defeated by British under Eyre Coote at Wandiwash near Pondicherry, ending French presence in India. 1771 – Spain agrees to cede Falkland Islands to Britain.... Read more

Survivors tell of chaotic escapes after cruise ship runs aground off Italy; 3 known dead PORTO SANTO STEFANO, Italy (AP) — The first course had just been served in the Costa Concordia’s dining room when the wine glasses, forks and plates of cuttlefish and mushrooms smashed to the ground. At the magic show in the theater, the trash cans tipped over and the theater curtains turned on their side. Then the hallways turned upside down, and passengers crawled on bruised... Read more

Survivors tell of chaotic escapes after cruise ship runs aground off Italy; 3 known dead PORTO SANTO STEFANO, Italy (AP) — The first course had just been served in the Costa Concordia’s dining room when the wine glasses, forks and plates of cuttlefish and mushrooms smashed to the ground. At the magic show in the theater, the trash cans tipped over and the theater curtains turned on their side. Then the hallways turned upside down, and passengers crawled on bruised... Read more

Survivors tell of chaotic escapes after cruise ship runs aground off Italy; 3 known dead PORTO SANTO STEFANO, Italy (AP) — The first course had just been served in the Costa Concordia’s dining room when the wine glasses, forks and plates of cuttlefish and mushrooms smashed to the ground. At the magic show in the theater, the trash cans tipped over and the theater curtains turned on their side. Then the hallways turned upside down, and passengers crawled on bruised... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Protesters unhappy about the Vatican’s wealth clashed with police in St. Peter’s Square, with one of the demonstrators scaling the towering Christmas tree. A few dozen “indignados” protesters, from Spain, France and Italy, tried to pitch two small tents in the square and shouted slogans Saturday afternoon. After police detained three protesters, including the tree-climber, to identify them in a space behind the square’s giant Nativity scene, a clash erupted, with officers swinging clubs and dragging... Read more

TAMPA, Florida (AP) — The Kosovo-born American citizen accused of plotting bomb attacks around Tampa was a loner who had grown increasingly radical in his Muslim faith and publicly railed against Jews and Christians in videos he posted on the Internet, according to relatives and friends. Sami Osmakac’s life in the U.S. began about a dozen years ago, when he was 13 and his family immigrated to the U.S., according to a video he posted on YouTube. Those who know... Read more

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Kosovo-born American citizen accused of plotting bomb attacks around Tampa was a loner who had grown increasingly radical in his Muslim faith and publicly railed against Jews and Christians in videos he posted on the Internet, according to relatives and friends. Sami Osmakac’s life in the U.S. began about a dozen years ago, when he was 13 and his family immigrated to the U.S., according to a video he posted on YouTube. Those who know... Read more

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Rick Santorum’s quest to emerge as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney received a boost Saturday from a group of evangelicals and others who voted to back his candidacy in a last-ditch effort to stop the front-runner’s march to the nomination. About 150 social conservatives meeting in Texas sided with Santorum over a home-state favorite, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The gathering reflected their dissatisfaction with Romney over abortion rights and... Read more