Singer Shakira: Latinos in US will have 'justice'

Singer Shakira: Latinos in US will have 'justice'

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Colombian singer Shakira was honored Saturday by Harvard University for her artistic and humanitarian work. She later said some U.S. states' proposed anti-immigrant legislation goes against her foundation's efforts to provide education to poor people around the world.

The Grammy Award-winning singer, however, said Latino immigrants in the U.S. facing various anti-immigrant bills will have "justice" as public awareness about their plight grows.

"Justice will come. I'm sure," Shakira told The Associated Press after the award ceremony. "Wherever there is ... a kid, who could be the son or the daughter of a Latino immigrant, who cannot attend a school in the United States of America, that kid should be a concern to all of us and our responsibility."

Shakira made the comments in an interview when asked about proposed measures in Arizona and elsewhere targeting illegal immigrants. A bill in Arizona, for example, would bar illegal immigrants from attending public schools, living in public housing or driving. Another bill seeks to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. if their parents are illegal immigrants.

"I believe we should never think less of the Latino community because it's a productive force in this country," Shakira told the AP.

The singer, born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, was awarded the "2011 Artist of the Year" from the Harvard Foundation, the university's center for intercultural arts and science initiatives.

Foundation director S. Allen Counter said Shakira, who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, was honored for her "distinguished history of creativity," as well as for her charitable contributions.

Previous winners of the Harvard award include Sharon Stone, Will Smith, Jackie Chan and Herbie Hancock.

Shakira said she was humbled by the award and the student performances at the ceremony. "As I entered the premises today, I had to call my mom and say, 'Hey mom. Guess what? I got into Harvard'," said Shakira, who took a history class in 2008 at UCLA.

After accepting the award, she challenged Harvard students to do more to improve education in developing countries. "Not everyone can study at Harvard University," she said. "But everyone, wherever they live, whatever their background, deserves a chance to make the most of his or her potential" through education.

She said that applied to poor children in Bangladesh or immigrants in the United States. "And as a child of the developing world, it is my duty to use this voice in every way I can to promote the message about the power of education to change lives," she said.

Shakira founded the Barefoot Foundation at the age of 18 to provide education and nutrition to children in impoverished areas of Colombia. She also is a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador.

Howard Buffett, 56, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and board member of the Barefoot Foundation, said he and Shakira have plans to work on educational projects in parts of the world ravaged by war and natural disasters.

"I think she brings credibility, particularly because of her background," Buffett said. "She's pretty focused on education."

Rallies in 50 states support Wis. protesters

Protesters gather in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, during a 'Rally to Save the American Dream.' (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Rallies in 50 states support Wis. protesters
Demonstrations against Gov. Walker's anti-labor bill spread as other states consider rolling back rights of union workers

(CBS News) Updated 5:00 p.m. EST

Protests kicked off around the country today as the group moveon.org organized noontime rallies in all 50 state capitals as a sign of solidarity for union workers in Wisconsin battling collective bargaining restriction measures.


Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recent legislation on public workers' rights has sparked a passionate debate nationwide over the rights of public sector unions and the need to balance unsteady budgets in all 50 states.

An estimated 1,000 union workers carrying signs and chanting "people power" gathered at the Colorado state Capitol in support of Wisconsin public employees who face the elimination of their bargaining rights.

Two raucous competing rallies over the union fight drew more than 2,000 people in freezing temperatures to Olympia, Wash., Saturday. The pro-union rally was the bigger of the two, with more than half a dozen unions sending members. They sang songs and held signs that said "Solidarity With Wisconsin" and "Unions Make Us Strong."

Tea party and conservative groups held a counter rally on the Capitol steps. Organizers estimated a few hundred people. Many of them filled petitions to "Stand with Walker."

Hundreds of Kansas labor union members and supporters rallied outside the Statehouse against what they see as political attacks on workers.

Participants in Vermont and New Hampshire labor rallies in support of Wisconsin workers said Saturday the existence of unions benefits the middle class.

Bill Townsend, a 66-year-old manager from Portsmouth, N.H., said a rally in his home city shows that not everyone agrees with Walker's effort to strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers.

"I feel the Wisconsin governor is totally wrong," said Townsend. "If we eliminate collective bargaining, we eliminate the major reason for unions to exist."

In Madison, Wisc., the political stalemate that has sparked these rallies continues.


After eleven days of protests, the Wisconsin state house began clearing out last night.


Three long nights of filibustering by House Democrats finally came to an end as the controversial bill to cut collective bargaining rights for most public workers passed the State Assembly in the early hours of Friday morning.


"What a terrible, terrible day for Wisconsin," said one Democratic Assemblyman. "What's started here goes way beyond tonight and goes way beyond this building."


And even outside its border. Protests have spread to Ohio, Indiana, and on Friday to New Jersey, where thousands came out in support of Wisconsin workers.


In Providence, Rhode Island - where the school committee is currently facing a $40 million budget deficit - the school board voted in favor of sending termination letters to the city's nearly 2,000 city teachers. The mayor insists not every teacher will lose their job.


"I feel numb. I almost feel like I need to mourn the death of an innocence. It's just surreal," said Providence teacher Mary Bush.


Wisconsin Gov. Walker is hoping to avoid the "dire consequences" of potentially laying off 1,500 state workers, which he says will be necessary if the legislature doesn't approve his budget plan as-is.


On Friday, he repeatedly called for the 14 Democratic State Senators who have been MIA for ten days to come back to Madison.


"Come back to the state capitol," Walker said. "If you want to participate in democracy. democracy happens when you are in the arena. The arena is not in Rockford, Illinois. It's not in Freeport, Illinois. It's not in Chicago."


Illinois might be the safe house for Democratic politicians in neighboring states, but the state budget is considerably worse in Illinois with a $15 billion shortfall.


The top House Democrat here in Illinois hinted recently that he was open to discussions about scaling back state worker's pensions - a move that is sure to be a talking point at today's rally.

Wisconsin Budget Plan: Some Governors Call It Political Payback

Wisconsin Budget Plan: Some Governors Call It Political Payback

As governors convened at a conference in the nation's capital this weekend, one was noticeably missing -- Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, whose state is embroiled in a political war over a budget proposal that threatens collective bargaining.

The political turmoil in Wisconsin and sweeping budget cuts across the country were a hot topic among the governors attending the National Governors Association's Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

For some of the governors, what Walker is doing with his budget proposal is putting political payback ahead of what is really good for the state economy, but others say he should be praised for taking serious steps to slash spending.


Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, said Walker isn't the only governor turning state budget decisions into an ideological battle.

"What's going on in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states is an ideological detour that does nothing to help us create jobs and move our economy forward," O'Malley told ABC News. "I think it's a shame when some governors decide to sharpen their ideological acts in order to go after unions just because they didn't endorse them in the last election."

But several Republican governors, including Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Jan Brewer of Arizona, praised Walker's governing style in Wisconsin, saying he should be commended for his actions.

"Governor Walker, after all, is only doing something he promised to do and he ought to be commended, I think, for trying to keep his commitments," Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels told ABC News.

Some quake victims may never be identified

Search and rescue workers sift through the rubble of the CTV building in Christchurch. (Getty: Hannah Johnston)

Some quake victims may never be identified

Police in New Zealand say it is possible some of the victims of the Christchurch earthquake will never be formally identified.

The Canterbury Television (CTV) building in downtown Christchurch was engulfed in flames after collapsing in Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude quake, presenting a major challenge in identifying victims, police said.

New Zealand Police Superintendent Dave Cliff said DNA testing could put names to some of the bodies recovered from the building, which housed an English language school, but it was possible some would never be identified.

"Where there is intense fire, like there was at the CTV site, it presents real difficulties," he told reporters.

"I don't want to pre-empt what will happen, but we need to brace ourselves that that possibility does exist. We're not at that point yet, but it presents a risk."

The confirmed death toll from the quake stands at 147 with over 50 people "unaccounted for", police announced today, saying a previous figure of around 200 missing included confirmed fatalities.

A morgue has been set up at an army base near Christchurch and 166 specialists are examining the dead.

More disaster victim identification teams are flying in from Thailand and Britain, so far the names of only six victims have been released.

Superintendent Cliff says he understands that for the families, not knowing is agonising.

At the Pine Gould building, rescue workers are having to take extra care because of asbestos.

New Zealand Fire Service's Paul Baxter says it is a heavy and complex operation.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker says he is hoping for a miracle that more would be found alive, even as aftershocks brought down masonry and sent rescue teams scrambling for safety.

"I will not stop hoping that we will find people alive in the damaged structures of our city - until I am told by the police and the urban search and rescue teams that no such optimism can exist any longer," Mr Parker told reporters.

Prime minister John Key has called for a two-minute national silence on March 1 as a sign of unity for the people of Christchurch, and to grieve for people killed in the country's worst natural disaster for 80 years.

"For now we must do all we can to show its people that all of New Zealand grieves with them," Mr Key said.

Meanwhile, Australian police officers have been patrolling the streets of Christchurch and arresting looters in the city centre.

They made eight arrests while patrolling the city overnight.

The head of the 300-strong Australian police contingent, NSW Police Superintendent Max Mitchell, says they may be needed beyond the two weeks originally anticipated and their mission may be extended.

"Look we're here initially for 14 days, that was our original deployment, there is now discussion in regards to a further deployment from Australia," he said.

- ABC/wires

Black Swan wins best picture at Spirit Awards

Natalie Portman accepts the best actress award for Black Swan at the Spirit Awards on Saturday in Santa Monica, Calif. (Chris Pizzello/Associated Press)

Black Swan wins best picture at Spirit Awards

The ballet thriller Black Swan has won best picture at the Spirit Awards honouring independent film, along with awards for best actress for Natalie Portman and director for Darren Aronofsky.

James Franco was picked as best actor for the survival story 127 hours, while the Ozarks crime story Winter's Bone earned both supporting-acting prizes, for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey.

All three films are up for best picture at Sunday's Academy Awards, where Portman is considered the favourite to win the best-actress Oscar and Franco is a co-host.

With plenty of overlap among nominees at the Oscars, the Spirit Awards are a warmup for Hollywood's biggest party.

The British monarch saga The King's Speech, the best-picture front-runner at the Oscars, won the prize for best foreign film at the Spirit Awards, handed out Saturday in Santa Monica, Calif.

Christy Clark voted B.C. Liberal leader

Christy Clark waves after being elected as the party's new leader in Vancouver. ((Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press))

Christy Clark voted B.C. Liberal leader

Radio talk show host and former deputy premier Christy Clark has won the B.C. Liberal leadership on the third ballot and will succeed Gordon Campbell as premier.

Clark, who billed herself as a Liberal party outsider, won the party's leadership contest by beating former cabinet ministers Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and Mike de Jong.

It took three rounds of the preferential ballot to decide who would replace Campbell, who resigned last fall over his party's disastrous unveiling of the harmonized sales tax.

In a speech following the announcement, Clark addressed the people of British Columbia.

"I want you to be my partners in change in Victoria. I want you to be my partners in bringing open government. You can count on me to listen, you can count on me to engage, and you can count on me to make sure government really does include you. I have specific ideas on how to do these things but I also need to hear from you," she said.

"My top priority will be to put families first. In British Columbia we are blessed with families of all shapes and sizes, families as diverse as our great province. This is the foundation of our communities. This is the building block of our future."

Clark said her government's top priorities will be job creation and fighting poverty, and she vowed to focus on innovation and rural B.C.

The Liberals have not said when Campbell will step down and transfer power, but the departing leader was nowhere near the leadership convention Saturday night — organizers noted he was in Washington, D.C.

More than 57,000 Liberal party members cast their ballots, out of nearly 92,000 eligible voters.




Liberals pledge unity

All three unsuccessful leadership candidates — Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and Mike de Jong — said the B.C. Liberal Party would unite under Christy Clark, despite a heated leadership race.

Abbott told CBC News he was proud of his campaign, had no regrets and wouldn't change anything but the result.

"It is absolutely imperative that the B.C. Liberal Party be united as we move forward over the next year towards, hopefully, a May 2013 election," he said.

"I think we've got a lot of work to do in terms of the public and rebuilding trust and confidence in our party … so we've got lots of work to do."

Falcon, who finished second, pledged his support for Clark.

"We're a big family and when you have a race in a family it creates what looks like divisions but at the end of the day, we are a family," he said.

"It was a very close race, it was exciting. I think that's great for our party, our government, and Christy won and I congratulate her completely and we'll all get behind her now and make sure we keep this great family together."

Mike de Jong said he had no regrets and would run again in a heartbeat.

"I mean, why wouldn't I? To have the chance to travel around, to meet with British Columbians, to watch the party grow and contribute to that, to compete with three ... talented individuals who all brought something to the debate, sure. Why wouldn't I?"

Christy Clark voted B.C. Liberal leader

Christy Clark waves after being elected as the party's new leader in Vancouver. ((Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press))

Christy Clark voted B.C. Liberal leader

Radio talk show host and former deputy premier Christy Clark has won the B.C. Liberal leadership on the third ballot and will succeed Gordon Campbell as premier.

Clark, who billed herself as a Liberal party outsider, won the party's leadership contest by beating former cabinet ministers Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and Mike de Jong.

It took three rounds of the preferential ballot to decide who would replace Campbell, who resigned last fall over his party's disastrous unveiling of the harmonized sales tax.

In a speech following the announcement, Clark addressed the people of British Columbia.

"I want you to be my partners in change in Victoria. I want you to be my partners in bringing open government. You can count on me to listen, you can count on me to engage, and you can count on me to make sure government really does include you. I have specific ideas on how to do these things but I also need to hear from you," she said.

"My top priority will be to put families first. In British Columbia we are blessed with families of all shapes and sizes, families as diverse as our great province. This is the foundation of our communities. This is the building block of our future."

Clark said her government's top priorities will be job creation and fighting poverty, and she vowed to focus on innovation and rural B.C.

The Liberals have not said when Campbell will step down and transfer power, but the departing leader was nowhere near the leadership convention Saturday night — organizers noted he was in Washington, D.C.

More than 57,000 Liberal party members cast their ballots, out of nearly 92,000 eligible voters.


Liberals pledge unity

All three unsuccessful leadership candidates — Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and Mike de Jong — said the B.C. Liberal Party would unite under Christy Clark, despite a heated leadership race.

Abbott told CBC News he was proud of his campaign, had no regrets and wouldn't change anything but the result.

"It is absolutely imperative that the B.C. Liberal Party be united as we move forward over the next year towards, hopefully, a May 2013 election," he said.

"I think we've got a lot of work to do in terms of the public and rebuilding trust and confidence in our party … so we've got lots of work to do."

Falcon, who finished second, pledged his support for Clark.

"We're a big family and when you have a race in a family it creates what looks like divisions but at the end of the day, we are a family," he said.

"It was a very close race, it was exciting. I think that's great for our party, our government, and Christy won and I congratulate her completely and we'll all get behind her now and make sure we keep this great family together."

Mike de Jong said he had no regrets and would run again in a heartbeat.

"I mean, why wouldn't I? To have the chance to travel around, to meet with British Columbians, to watch the party grow and contribute to that, to compete with three ... talented individuals who all brought something to the debate, sure. Why wouldn't I?"