Scene and heard at Sundance Film Festival

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• Scene and heard at Sundance Film Festival
• Hollande partner leaves hospital after affair scandal
• Romney attends Sundance premiere of 'MITT'
• Voters overwhelmingly back new Egypt constitution
• Christie leaves NJ behind for Fla. fundraisers
• Sundance premiere 'Camp X-Ray' uncovers Gitmo life
• Tucson police look at potential tips in abduction
• IMF, UN officials among 21 killed in Kabul suicide attack
• Clashes, bombings kill 30 people in Iraq
• Former NFL star Sharper arrested in Los Angeles
• Police: 2nd Philly school suspect surrenders
• Obama fuels reform on some but not all NSA spying
• Mayor: Christie aides tied Sandy funds to project
• Arsenal stay top, technology aids City surge
• AP: Borgata ends fake chip-tainted NJ poker match
• Berlusconi agrees to help rival leader in Italy
• Many remain wary of W.Va. water as smell lingers
• Syrian opposition to attend peace conference
• Brady faces Manning once more with SB on line
• 49ers, Seahawks just belong in this game
• Report: NASCAR considering radical Chase changes
• French first lady leaves hospital after resting
• Turkey purges regulators, state TV in graft probe backlash
• SAG Awards to offer window into Oscar race
• Dramas illustrate rapid change in television
• Egypt approves constitution by 98% as Sisi eyes presidency
• Mickelson surges in Abu Dhabi; McIlroy penalized
• Syrian opposition agrees to attend international peace talks
• Turkish police break up violent Internet protest
• Teen surrenders in Philadelphia school shooting
• Cuba sees "major role" for foreign investment
• Egypt: 98.1 percent of voters approve constitution
• Feds deny state bids to tighten voter registration
• Clashes, bombings kill 20 people in Iraq
• Some food aid reaches besieged Damascus suburb
• Tech industry: Obama's NSA reforms 'insufficient'
• New coach has high goals for Vanderbilt Commodores
• Madonna apologizes for racial slur
• FARC appeals for rebel leader's release from US prison

Scene and heard at Sundance Film Festival Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:54 PM PST PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Associated Press reporters at the Sundance Film Festival share what's in their notebooks:

Hollande partner leaves hospital after affair scandal Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:51 PM PST President Francois Hollande's partner emerged from a week's stay in the hospital Saturday as the French leader faced calls to clear up his personal life after his affair with an actress was made public. De facto First Lady Valerie Trierweiler left the Paris hospital where she was admitted on January 10 suffering from nervous exhaustion and low blood pressure for a presidential residence in Versailles, a source in her office told AFP. In her first public comments since the scandal over Hollande's affair broke, Trierweiler tweeted her thanks to her supporters. Concern had been mounting for Trierweiler, 48, after she fell ill following the revelation that Hollande, 59, had been having an affair with 41-year-old actress Julie Gayet.

Romney attends Sundance premiere of 'MITT' Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:49 PM PST PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Mitt Romney surprised filmgoers when he came to the Salt Lake City premiere of "MITT," the documentary that tracks his run for the presidency. But he declined to share what he thought about the movie afterward, even with the filmmaker behind it.

Voters overwhelmingly back new Egypt constitution Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:48 PM PST CAIRO (AP) — Almost everyone who cast ballots supported Egypt's new constitution in this week's referendum, results announced Saturday show, but a boycott by Islamists and low youth turnout suggest the country is still dangerously divided.

Christie leaves NJ behind for Fla. fundraisers Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:46 PM PST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie left a political scandal back home to raise money for fellow Republicans in Florida this weekend.

Sundance premiere 'Camp X-Ray' uncovers Gitmo life Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:44 PM PST PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Kristen Stewart endures a fair share of abuse in her latest film.

Tucson police look at potential tips in abduction Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:39 PM PST A door-to-door effort launched this week in the case of a Tucson girl who disappeared from her bedroom more than 18 months ago has yielded some possible tips, police said Saturday

IMF, UN officials among 21 killed in Kabul suicide attack Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:35 PM PST By Jessica Donati and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing 21 people including three United Nations staff and the International Monetary Fund's top representative in Afghanistan. Gunmen burst into the Lebanese restaurant spraying diners with bullets after the bomber blew himself up near the entrance around 7:30 p.m. local time on Friday, just as people had sat down for dinner. The U.S. State Department said three U.S. private citizens were killed. The American University of Afghanistan said two of its U.S. employees died in the attack on La Taverna du Liban, a popular dining spot whose charismatic owner, Kamal Hamade, was also killed.

Clashes, bombings kill 30 people in Iraq Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:35 PM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Violence across Iraq, including a series of car bombings and fighting between militants and government troops over control of the country's contested Anbar province, killed at least 30 people Saturday, officials said.

Former NFL star Sharper arrested in Los Angeles Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former NFL star defensive back Darren Sharper has been arrested on suspicion of rape, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Police: 2nd Philly school suspect surrenders Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:26 PM PST A boy charged with aggravated assault and related crimes surrendered to police Saturday in connection with a shooting that wounded two students inside a Philadelphia high school gymnasium, authorities said.

Obama fuels reform on some but not all NSA spying Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's orders to change some U.S. surveillance practices have put the burden on Congress to deal with a national security controversy that has alarmed Americans and outraged foreign allies.

Mayor: Christie aides tied Sandy funds to project Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:12 PM PST TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The mayor of a New Jersey city that sustained severe flooding from Hurricane Sandy claims the Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in recovery grants because she refused to sign off on a politically connected development.

Arsenal stay top, technology aids City surge Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:10 PM PST Arsenal preserved their lead in the Premier League by beating Fulham 2-0 on Saturday, while goal-line technology assisted Manchester City as they overcame Cardiff City. Arsenal knew that anything less than victory might allow City to gazump them, but it was not until Santi Cazorla claimed a quick-fire brace mid-way through the second half that they put paid to Fulham at the Emirates Stadium. Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg had frustrated Arsenal in the first half, but he was beaten in the 57th minute when Cazorla slid a shot past him after a neat interchange involving Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere.

AP: Borgata ends fake chip-tainted NJ poker match Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:07 PM PST ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Saying they have confirmed that one or more people used "a significant number of counterfeit chips" at an Atlantic City poker tournament, state casino regulators on Saturday canceled the tainted match and ordered all prize money frozen until an investigation is complete.

Berlusconi agrees to help rival leader in Italy Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:03 PM PST ROME (AP) — Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, booted out of Parliament last year after his tax fraud conviction, met Saturday with his chief political foe, the leader of the main government coalition party, and agreed to back reforms to finally make Italy more governable.

Many remain wary of W.Va. water as smell lingers Posted: 18 Jan 2014 12:03 PM PST CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The smell lingers — the slightly sweet, slightly bitter odor of a chemical that contaminated the water supply of West Virginia's capital more than a week ago. It creeps out of faucets and shower heads. It wafts from the Elk River, the site of the spill. Sometimes it hangs in the cold nighttime air.

Syrian opposition to attend peace conference Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:44 AM PST ISTANBUL (AP) — The main, western-backed Syrian opposition group voted Saturday in favor of attending a coming peace conference aimed at ending the country's bloody civil war, paving the way for the first direct talks between the rival sides in the nearly three-year conflict.

Brady faces Manning once more with SB on line Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:43 AM PST DENVER (AP) — Only one of them can be the greatest.

49ers, Seahawks just belong in this game Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:42 AM PST SEATTLE (AP) — From the first kickoff back in September, the 49ers and Seahawks seemed destined to meet for the NFC title.

Report: NASCAR considering radical Chase changes Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:41 AM PST CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A 16-driver championship field that would be whittled down to create a winner-take-all season finale is among radical changes reportedly being considered by NASCAR.

French first lady leaves hospital after resting Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:35 AM PST PARIS (AP) — France's first lady has ended a more than weeklong stay at a hospital where she went to rest after a gossip magazine's report about an alleged affair between President Francois Hollande and an actress.

Turkey purges regulators, state TV in graft probe backlash Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:29 AM PST By Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has extended a purge of official bodies to the banking and telecoms regulators and state TV, firing dozens of executives in moves that appear to broaden Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's backlash against a corruption investigation. The authorities have already reassigned thousands of police officers and about 20 prosecutors, and fired some state television officials in response to the corruption investigation, the biggest challenge to Erdogan's 11-year rule. Investigators are believed to have been looking into allegations of corruption and bribery involving trade in gold with Iran and big real estate projects, although full details of their charges have not been made public. They are changing the whole system and people in various positions to protect the government," said Akin Unver, assistant professor of International Relations in Istanbul-based Kadir Has University.

SAG Awards to offer window into Oscar race Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:23 AM PST Oscar tea-leaf reading doesn't get any better than at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Dramas illustrate rapid change in television Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:23 AM PST PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Creators of two of the most indelible dramas on network television last decade, "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," are making programs for cable networks now, and they speak with the zeal of the happily converted.

Egypt approves constitution by 98% as Sisi eyes presidency Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:22 AM PST Egyptian voters have approved a new constitution by 98.1 percent, the elections chief said Saturday, in what the government declared a popular endorsement of the army's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The result of the Tuesday-Wednesday vote had never been in doubt, as Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists boycotted it, but the authorities wanted a large turnout in the first democratic test since the ouster in July. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who led the overthrow, had been monitoring the outcome for an indication of support for a possible presidential bid, military officials said. The new charter replaces an Islamist-inspired one adopted in a December 2012 referendum under Morsi with about two-thirds of the vote and a 33 percent turnout.

Mickelson surges in Abu Dhabi; McIlroy penalized Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:21 AM PST ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Phil Mickelson surged up the leaderboard with a 9-under 63 to put himself in second place after the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, while Rory McIlroy was hit with a two-shot penalty for a rules infraction that dropped him into a tie for fourth.

Syrian opposition agrees to attend international peace talks Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:15 AM PST By Dasha Afanasieva SILIVRI, Turkey (Reuters) - The main Syrian political opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Coalition, said it had agreed on Saturday to attend internationally sponsored peace talks beginning in Switzerland next week. The "Geneva 2" talks with representatives from President Bashar al-Assad's government start in Montreux on Wednesday and are seen as the most serious international effort yet to end the near three-year conflict. The splintered Coalition, based in Turkey, has little influence on the ground in Syria, where many rebels oppose the peace talks. Its military arm, the Supreme Military Council (SMC), has been eclipsed by Islamist rebels and al Qaeda-linked fighters.

Turkish police break up violent Internet protest Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:12 AM PST ISTANBUL (AP) — Riot police on Saturday fired plastic bullets, tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of people in Istanbul protesting a government plan to expand controls over the public's use of the Internet.

Teen surrenders in Philadelphia school shooting Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:11 AM PST By Daniel Kelley PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A 17-year-old boy wanted in connection with a Philadelphia school shooting that wounded two students turned himself in to police on Saturday, a detective said. The two injured students, a boy and a girl both aged 15, were shot in their arms on Friday at the Delaware Valley Charter High School when a teenage boy pulled a handgun in a gymnasium with about seven students in it, police said. The teen sought in connection with the shooting surrendered and was charged with aggravated assault and related offenses, Philadelphia Police Detective Steve Grace said. School shootings such as the one at a Connecticut elementary school in December 2012 that left 26 children and adult staff members dead have intensified a national debate over whether gun control regulations need to be stricter.

Cuba sees "major role" for foreign investment Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:04 AM PST Cuba plans to open its economy to greater foreign investment under a new law to be taken up soon by its legislature, a report in state-run media said Saturday. Outside investment no longer would be merely a "complement" to Cuba's state-run economy but "would occupy a major role" under the proposed law, said Pedro San Jorge, a top official at Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment. The national assembly is take up the bill in March as part of an ongoing overhaul of Cuba's Soviet-style economy under President Raul Castro. San Jorge, who heads the ministry's economic policy office, said it envisions among other things a role for foreign investment in agriculture, which he said was unusual.

Egypt: 98.1 percent of voters approve constitution Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:03 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — Voters overwhelmingly supported Egypt's military-backed constitution in a two-day election, with 98.1 percent supporting it in the first vote since a coup toppled the country's president, the election commission said Saturday.

Feds deny state bids to tighten voter registration Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:03 AM PST WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Election Assistance Commission found Friday that heightened proof-of-citizenship requirements likely would hinder eligible citizens from voting in federal elections, handing down a ruling that denied requests from Kansas, Arizona and Georgia to modify the registration form for their residents.

Clashes, bombings kill 20 people in Iraq Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:02 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Violence across Iraq, including a series of car bombings and fighting between militants and government troops over control of the country's contested Anbar province, killed at least 20 people Saturday, officials said.

Some food aid reaches besieged Damascus suburb Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST A food aid delivery reached a besieged suburb of Damascus on Saturday, resident activists said, badly needed after months of isolation but not enough for thousands of trapped civilian who are malnourished and without medicine. The delivery was the first to the Yarmouk Palestinian district, where 15 people have died of malnutrition and 18,000 are trapped, since forces loyal to President Bashir al-Assad imposed the siege seven months ago. An attempted United Nations aid trip on Monday was aborted when gunfire erupted but a safer route was used on Saturday, residents said. An activist in Yarmouk, who asked to remain anonymous as the topic is sensitive, said that only 50 food parcels had arrived.

Tech industry: Obama's NSA reforms 'insufficient' Posted: 18 Jan 2014 10:46 AM PST SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Technology companies and industry groups took President Barack Obama's speech on U.S. surveillance as a step in the right direction, but chided him for not embracing more dramatic reforms to protect people's privacy and the economic interests of American companies that generate most of their revenue overseas.

New coach has high goals for Vanderbilt Commodores Posted: 18 Jan 2014 10:37 AM PST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Derek Mason wants to make a few things clear: He has plenty of experience recruiting in the South, hopes to finish his career at Vanderbilt and has very high goals for the Commodores — such as playing the Southeastern Conference championship.

Madonna apologizes for racial slur Posted: 18 Jan 2014 10:37 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Madonna is apologizing for using a racial slur to refer to her white son on Instagram.

FARC appeals for rebel leader's release from US prison Posted: 18 Jan 2014 10:23 AM PST FARC rebels appealed Saturday for the immediate release of one of their leaders from prison in the United States, as they resumed peace talks with the Colombian government. "This is an SOS to all organizations defending human rights in the world... to ask for the immediate release of Simon Trinidad," the leader of the rebel delegation, Ivan Marquez, told reporters. Trinidad, 63, whose real name is Juvenal Palmera, was extradited to the United States December 31, 2004 and sentenced to 60 years in prison for the abduction of three US citizens, who were held for four years by the FARC after their capture in Colombia.

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