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AP Top News at 7:07 a.m. EST -Monday, December 28, 2009

Security reviews under way after airliner attack

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has ordered investigations into the two areas of aviation security - how travelers are placed on watch lists and passengers screened - as critics continued to question how a young man on a watchlist with a U.S. visa in his pocket and a powerful explosive hidden on his body was allowed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. "The investigation will look backwards and figure out if any signs were missed, if any procedures can be changed," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on ABC's "This Week".

Bomb kills 3 at Shiite procession in Karachi

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Police say a bomb blast at a major Shiite Muslim procession has killed three people and wounded several more in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi. Live television footage showed an explosion striking the procession on a main road, and ambulances rushing to and from the scene.

Reports: Iran arrests 7 opposition activists

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian security forces stormed a series of opposition offices on Monday, rounding up at least seven prominent anti-government activists in a new crackdown against the country's reformist movement, opposition Web sites and activists reported. The arrests came a day after at least eight protesters were killed during anti-government marches marking Shiite Islam's most important observance. The bloodshed, some of the heaviest in months, drew an especially harsh condemnation from one opposition leader, who compared the government to the brutal regime that was ousted by the Islamic Revolution three decades ago.

House Democrats pessimistic about public option

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Democrats aren't optimistic that a government insurance plan, a central element of health care legislation passed in their chamber, will survive negotiations with the Senate. While insisting "it's not dead," Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Sunday he recognizes realities in the Senate, where Democrats had to scrape up every vote from their side to pass a bill - even one without a government plan to compete in the private insurance marketplace.

Activist: NKorea apparently detains US missionary

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korean border guards apparently detained an American missionary as soon as he walked into the communist nation in an effort to call attention to Pyongyang's human rights abuses, an activist said Monday. Robert Park, 28, slipped across the frozen Tumen River into the North from China on Christmas Day carrying letters calling on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to shut down the country's political prison camps and step down from power. There has been no word from him since.

Thailand sends Hmong back to Laos

PHETCHABUN, Thailand (AP) - Thailand sent army troops with shields and batons to evict more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers Monday and send them back to Laos despite strong objections from the U.S. and rights groups who fear they will face persecutiontype:bold;. Under tight security, all 4,371 of the Hmong were loaded onto covered military trucks and driven out of the camp by late afternoon toward buses waiting near the Lao border, Thai authorities said. Journalists kept at a distance from the camp could see many children inside the trucks.

Israel to build 700 apartments in east Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel said Monday that it plans to build nearly 700 new apartments in east Jerusalem, drawing tough criticism from both the Palestinians and the United States, which denounced it as an obstacle to peacemaking. The dispute over east Jerusalem is the most intractable - and explosive - in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Stock futures edge higher following gains overseas

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stock futures are creeping higher as investors return from a long holiday weekend to find good news on retail sales. Overseas markets are also higher. The dollar is weaker, giving a boost to commodities prices. Bond prices are lower.

Charlie Sheen accused of using weapon

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) - Authorities say actor Charlie Sheen is accused of using a weapon in an alleged case of domestic violence in Aspen. Sheen spent part of Christmas Day in jail after being arrested at a home in the Colorado ski resort town.

Patriots, Bengals clinch playoff spots; Giants out

New England and Dallas are back in the playoffs. The New York Giants are out. And both AFC wild-card spots are still up for grabs. Tom Brady and the Patriots returned to the postseason with a performance worthy of the team of the decade, a 35-7 rout of Jacksonville on Sunday. Also back after a one-year absence is Green Bay, which secured an NFC wild-card berth with a 48-10 victory over Seattle.

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