Obama: Focus on women’s equality

Obama: Focus on women’s equality

WASHINGTON

Father of two girls, President Barack Obama says he wants to improve the status of women in the United States.

Women are more likely than men to graduate from college today yet earn less on average, face a greater chance of living in poverty and are outnumbered in critical subjects such as math and science, he said in his weekly radio and online address Saturday.

Obama noted that one of his first acts as president was to sign legislation allowing women who’ve been discriminated against in their salaries to have their day in court. Obama said he was disappointed when the Senate blocked action on a proposal that would treat gender discrimination involving pay the same as race, disability and age discrimination. The Senate in November fell just short of the votes needed to overcome GOP opposition and move ahead on the bill.

US man sentenced to 15 years in Cuba

HAVANA

A Cuban court on Saturday found U.S. contractor Alan Gross guilty of crimes against the state and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, a verdict that brought a swift and strongly worded condemnation from Washington. The court said prosecutors had proved that Gross, 61, was working on a “subversive” program paid for by the United States that aimed to bring down Cuba’s revolutionary system. Prosecutors had sought a 20-year jail term.

Pope John Paul II gets Facebook page

VATICAN CITY

The Vatican will unveil the latest installment in its social media transformation next week — a Facebook page dedicated to the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II, officials said.

The site, which will link to video highlights of John Paul’s 27-year papacy, is designed to promote the May 1 beatification. But it may well continue beyond, given the global and enduring interest in the late pontiff, Vatican officials told The Associated Press.

East Coast keeps eye on flooded rivers

TRENTON, N.J.

Hundreds of flood-weary East Coast residents were returning home Saturday, as rain-swollen rivers and other waterways slowly were receding to normal levels. But officials say it might be a few more days before some people — especially those in hard-hit areas of northern New Jersey — will be able to get back home. And others may need to be evacuated if some major regional waterways crest as expected today.

Egypt to lift limits on political parties

CAIRO

Egypt’s military rulers plan to scrap a law that has severely restricted the formation of political parties, a government official said Saturday, the latest liberalization of the strict regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

The official said that the restrictions that gave Mubarak a virtual veto over establishment of political parties would be lifted after a referendum next week on constitutional changes to allow for fair parliamentary and presidential elections.

Md. Dems to try again for gay unions

ANNAPOLIS, Md.

The speaker of Maryland’s House vowed that Democrats would try again next year to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage, but the intense lobbying by faith groups against the measure in recent weeks shows that it won’t be easy, even in a state known for its liberal politics.

A loose coalition of Democratic legislators failed to cobble together enough votes to overcome opposition from Republicans and religious groups, including the Catholic church and many black congregations, to make Maryland the sixth state to legalize gay marriage.

Associated Press