2009-06-21 02:35:02 -

Below is a list of feature stories that The Associated Press plans to move in the coming week. Questions about the stories may be addressed to the North America Desk supervisor in New York at 212-621-1650 (fax 212-621-5449 or e-mail amidesk@ap.org) or to individual bureaus in your country or region.
We will update this digest daily, adding new features as available. Feature stories that moved in the previous three days are included at the bottom for editors who may not have seen them.
Sunday, June 21
Ruler with 45 homes among world's most corrupt
LIBREVILLE, Gabon _ When the world's longest ruling head of state died last week, he left little in the country he had governed for 42 years. But Omar Bongo's legacy includes at least 66 bank accounts in France, 45 homes and 19 luxury cars _ including a rare model Bugatti worth more than $1 million. Despite the fact that he robbed his country dry, the Gabonese refer to him as a beloved father, underscoring a long African tradition of strongman rule. BC-AF-FEA--Gabon-Death of a Dictator. By Rukmini Callimachi. AP Photos XJD101-109
Taliban gains money, al-Qaida finances recovering
PESHAWAR, Pakistan _ Middle-aged trucker Ghadr Gul says the choice is easy: Pay the Taliban in money or fuel for safe passage, or die. As militants gain power in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Taliban's money is coming mostly from extortion, crime and drugs, an AP investigation into financial networks has found. Al-Qaida, in the meantime, has a more diverse funding base, from new recruits to honey dealers who belong to the same Wahabi sect of Islam. BC-AS-FEA--Pakistan-Terrorist Warchests. By Kathy Gannon. AP Photos NY334-336
Lawsuit brings murky West Bank land deals to light
OFRA SETTLEMENT, West Bank _ Though it reads like a standard real estate contract, the document, which surfaced in an Israeli court, offers a rare look at the bureaucratic smoke screen that helps ensure a strong Jewish presence on lands Palestinians want for a future state. It shows that the highly respected World Zionist Organization, acting as an agent of Israel's government, turned over private Palestinian land to Jewish settlers, even though Israel had declared the property off-limits to settlement. BC-ML--FEA-Israel-Disputed Deal. By Amy Teibel. AP Photos NY316-319
Guns from America fuel Jamaica's gang wars
KINGSTON, Jamaica _ While attention focuses on the flow of U.S. weapons into Mexico's drug wars, Jamaica's rampant gang violence has also emerged as a problem. While the volume of illegal guns reaching the island is much smaller than in Mexico's case, here too the U.S. government is stepping up anti-smuggling efforts. BC-LT-FEA--Jamaica-Gun Smuggling. By Mike Melia. AP Photos NY320-328
Monday, June 22
Dead Sea peril: sinkholes swallow up the unwary
EIN GEDI, Israel _ Geologist Eli Raz was peering into a narrow hole the Dead Sea shore when the earth opened up, pulling him down 30 feet. Unsure he would ever be found, he scribbled his will on an old postcard. Rescued after 14 hours, Raz has since made it his mission to map the other sink holes that dot the shores of a fabled saltwater lake and are blamed on the encroachments of industry and tourism. BC-ML-FEA--Israel-Dead Sea Sinkholes. By Joseph Marks. AP Photos NY348-350
Drug cartels in Mexico killing street dealers
TIJUANA, Mexico _ Meth dealer Hector Rodriguez Estrada knew he was a target, after his boss was beaten to death and an underling turned up headless in a soccer field. Mexican cartels are battling for an exploding number of local consumers, and street-corner drug dealers like Rodriguez are filling the body bags in gang warfare reminiscent of the U.S. crack epidemic. BC-LT-FEA--Mexico-Drug War: Street Dealers. By Elliot Spagat. AP Photos NY360-372
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Excuse me! Lobby wins on burps
WASHINGTON _ One contributor to global warming that is bigger than coal mines, landfills and sewage treatment plants is being left out of efforts by the Obama administration and House Democrats to limit greenhouse gas emissions. It's cow burps. The belching and flatulence of the nation's 170 million cows, sheep and pigs produce about one-quarter of the methane released in the U.S. each year. In part because of an adept farm lobby campaign warning that government regulation might mean a cow tax, the gas farm animals pass is exempt from legislation being considered by Congress to limit greenhouse gas emissions. BC-US--FEA-Climate Bill-Cow Tax. By Dina Cappiello. AP Photos WX201-202
Farmers cut cows' emissions by altering diets
COVENTRY, Vermont _ Vermont dairy farmers Tim Maikshilo and Kristen Dellert, mindful of shrinking their carbon footprint, have changed their cows' diet to reduce the amount of gas the animals burp _ dairy cows' contribution to global warming. Coventry Valley Farm is one of 15 Vermont farms working with Stonyfield Farm Inc., whose yogurt is made with their organic milk, to reduce the cows' intestinal methane by feeding them flaxseed, alfalfa, and grasses high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The gas cows belch is the dairy industry's biggest greenhouse gas contributor, research shows, most of it emitted from the front and not the back end of the cow. BC-US--FEA-Burpless Cows. By Lisa Rathke. AP Photos MR201-206
Austria: Police attack on US man brings up racism
VIENNA _ Mike Brennan, a 35-year-old black American, was getting off a Vienna subway when two undercover police officers pounced on him, mistaking him for a drug dealer. Critics say the incident highlights the discrimination people of color face in Austria. In an April report, Amnesty International said there was considerable evidence that Austrian police have engaged in widespread discriminatory ethnic profiling over the past decade. BC-EU-FEA--Austria-Discrimination. By Veronika Oleksyn. AP Photos NY331-332
Tuesday, June 23
As theft rises, stores step up anti-crime efforts
CINCINNATI _ With shoplifting on the rise _ including organized teams sweeping through stores _ retailers are beefing up plainclothes patrols and video surveillance, and competitors are working together to prevent crime. BC-US--FEA-Crime-fighting Retailers. By Dan Sewell. AP Photos OHPV202, OHPV203, OHPV201.
Large grocers, wholesalers appeal to Latinos
PORTLAND, Oregon _ After moving to the U.S. 10 years ago, Juana Carabarin still wanted to cook Mexican food for her family but often didn't have time to go to specialty shops for the ingredients. BC--US-FEA-Hispanic Groceries. By Sarah Skidmore. AP Photos FLWL601-604, 606-610, GAJB201-202.
Avon, Mary Kay ranks boom as second-job option
NASHVILLE, Tennessee _ Armies of new Avon ladies, Mary Kay representatives and Tupperware sellers are advancing on living rooms across the country, their ranks full of professionals forced to take a second job amid the recession. BC-US--FEA-Makeup Business. By Juanita Cousins. AP Photos TNMH201, TNMH202.
Wednesday, June 24
New net timer could save sea turtles from drowning
BOURNE, Massachusetts _ Fishery managers trying to protect rare sea turtles from dying in fishing nets have tapped a Cape Cod company to build a device they think can help balance turtle protection with profitable fishing. The «tow-time logger» is a 7-inch, silver cylinder that attaches to fishing nets and records how long the net stays underwater. That time is crucial if a turtle gets snared in the nets dragged behind fishing trawlers. Federal research indicates the vast majority of sea turtles survive entanglement _ but only if the net is pulled up in less than 50 minutes. BC-US--FEA-Saving Turtles. By Jay Lindsay. AP Photo BX201
Layoffs and networking: To tweet or not to tweet
NEW YORK _ Do you tell your Facebook network that you've lost your job? Many are facing this dilemma in an era of both high unemployment rates and increased social networking. While there's no definitive etiquette, people do seem to have strong feelings about the practice of using a status update to alert the world that they've gotten the axe. BC-US--FEA-Layoffs and Facebook. By Caryn Brooks. AP Photos NYLS501-502
Thursday, June 25
Grand Canyon fraught with peril for unprepared
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Arizona _ At the Flagstaff Medical Center, officials have a name for the spring and summer months when many tourists travel to the canyon. They call it «Grand Canyon Season.» Emergency workers at the park and hospital officials know they'll start seeing more people with injuries or those who, like Poole, didn't know they had underlying health conditions that surfaced during the strenuous hikes at the canyon. BC-US--FEA-Grand Canyon-Dangers. By Felicia Fonseca. AP Photos NY400-403
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Features already moved
Thursday, June 18


BC-LT-FEA--Vive Mexico
Vive Mexico: Swine flu down, bargains up in Mexico.
BC-US--FEA-Wine Country-on-a-Budget
Sipping and saving in California's wine country.
BC-US--FEA-National Folk Festival.
Butte Folk Festival readies for 2nd year.
Friday, June 19
BC-US--FEA-Transformers-Toys
`Transformers' toys live up to big-screen robots.
BC-US--FEA-Book-Dirty War
Reporting Argentina's Dirty War: an editor's story.
BC-US--FEA-Imagine That
`Imagine That' director also sings on soundtrack.
BC-EU--FEA-REL-Switzerland-Calvin at 500
Calvin '09: Great Reformer's 500th birthday.
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The AP
Saturday, June 20
No features moved.