Obama signs 3 deals

Obama signs 3 deals

washington

President Barack Obama signed off Friday on the first three — and possibly last — free-trade agreements of his administration, deals with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that could be worth billions to American exporters and create tens of thousands of jobs. The agreements will bring to 20 those countries that have free- trade relations with the U.S.

Feds: Gangs on rise

washington

The gang problem in the United States is growing and there are an estimated 1.4 million members in 33,000 gangs, the federal government said Friday.

Gangs are collaborating with transnational drug- trafficking organizations to make more money and are expanding the range of their illicit activities, engaging in mortgage fraud and counterfeiting as well as trafficking in guns and drugs, according to the national gang-threat assessment for 2011.

Murdoch to pay

london

Rupert Murdoch’s company said Friday it has agreed to pay $3.2 million to the family of a murdered schoolgirl whose phone was hacked by the tabloid News of the World. News International and the family of Milly Dowler confirmed the settlement in a joint statement.

No prior abuse signs

denver

Police had previously visited the home of a 14-year-old boy who reportedly was kept locked in a filthy room in a mice-infested trailer for most of three years, but authorities said Friday that they saw no prior signs of abuse.

The boy, described by his mother as “developmentally delayed,” was found hiding under a neighbor’s porch Sept. 27 in the Colorado town of Erie after his mother and her boyfriend left on a trip to New York.

The boy told police that his mother, Amanda Joliff, her boyfriend, Richard Smith, and the boy’s sister kept him locked in the room under Joliff’s orders since 2008.

Associated Press