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Obamas: 'Let's move' against obesity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife looking on, signed a memorandum Tuesday setting up a federal task force to tackle childhood obesity.

During the signing ceremony, Obama recognized the groundwork first lady Michelle Obama and several Cabinet secretaries "have done in trying to tackle one of the most urgent health issues that we face in this country, and that is the increase of childhood obesity."

Michelle Obama later kicked off "Let's Move," an effort involving public and private sectors to coordinate public information available to help parents get their children to be more physically active and eat healthier foods. The Web site, LetsMove.gov, also was unveiled as a one-stop resource for parents.

"Let's Move is a campaign that will rally our nation to achieve a single but ambitious goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity in a generation, so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight," the first lady said.

Overcoming childhood obesity is not a political or government issue, she said, and it depends on "commonsense steps we can take in our families and communities to help our kids lead active, healthy lives."

Obama said the initiative includes working with companies such as Walt Disney Co., NBC Universal and Viacom to start a public awareness campaign and working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure doctors regularly measure children's body mass index.

Noting many kids consume up to half of their daily calories at school, the White House also said it is seeking an additional $10 billion over 10 years to improve school meals.

Another part of the initiative would invest $400 million a year into Healthy Food Financing, a public-private plan that would bring grocery stores to underserved areas and get healthier foods into convenience stores.

Let's Move also has gotten commitments from many professional sports organizations to help encourage physical activity among children.

An independent foundation, Partnership for a Healthier America, will help oversee the "nationwide movement that continues long after we're gone," Michelle Obama said.

"Rarely in the history of this country have we encountered a problem of such magnitude and consequence that is so eminently solvable," she said. "So let's move -- let's move to solve it."

Obama, Dems, GOP discuss economy, jobs

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, acting on his call for bipartisanship to face the nation's ills, met Tuesday with congressional Democratic and Republican leaders.

"I think it's fair to say that the American people are frustrated with the lack of progress on some key issues," Obama said before meeting with House and Senate majority and minority leaders. "And although the parties are not going to agree on every single item, there should be some areas where we can agree and we can get some things done even as we have vigorous debates on some of those issues that we don't agree on."

Tuesday's discussions were on jobs and the economy, Obama said.

"I think there are some ideas on both the Republican and Democrat side that allow us to potentially, for example, lower rates for small businesses on their taxes, to help spur on some growth," he said, adding that he hoped to see legislation eventually move through Congress that could "provide a jump start to hiring and start lowering the unemployment rate."

He said he also hoped Democrats and Republicans could find some agreement on gaining control of the federal deficits and debt.

"Both parties have stated their concerns about it; I think both parties recognize that it's going to take a lot of work," the president said.

He said he hoped such bipartisan meetings would be more than "a rare situation."

"I'm confident that if we move forward in a spirit of keeping in mind what's best for the American people that we should be able to accomplish a lot," Obama said.

Haiti missionaries ask for more U.S. help

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The 10 U.S. missionaries held in Haiti on child trafficking charges say they wish the U.S. government would do more on their behalf.

"Help us," one of the detainees, Carla Thompson, told the New York Times in an article published Tuesday. "That's the message I would give to (U.S. President Barack) Obama and the State Department. Start helping us."

Another detainee, Corinna Lankford, said she has faith in God, but "maybe the U.S. government could help a little more, too."

The 10 Baptists, who arrived in Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake ravaged the Caribbean island nation, were detained as they tried to take 33 Haitian children the missionaries said were orphans into the Dominican Republic. Some children said they had parents. Haitian prosecutors charged the Americans with kidnapping and criminal association, hinting the 10 may have been part of a child-trafficking system. The detainees said they were on a humanitarian mission.

Asked whether they believe their situation has created a distraction for quake disaster relief efforts, several prisoners told the Times they believed so.

"We came here to help, and now there is all this attention on us," Lankford added.

The group's original attorney was dismissed during the weekend after he allegedly tried to win the missionaries' release from jail through bribery, an accusation he denied. The group secured new representation.

Investigating judge Bernard Saint-Vil said he planned to hear from the detainees individually and as a group.

The group's leader, Laura Silsby, told the Times the only thing they have been told was that the judge would hear each person's story and if their stories were consistent, they would be released.

"I'm not sure if anyone from the government is doing anything for us," she said.

Tymoshenko won't concede Ukraine election

KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Ukrainian Prime Minster Yulia Tymoshenko won't concede the country's presidential election to pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich, local media reported Tuesday.

Tymoshenko, who according to official vote tallies lost to Yanukovich by 3 percentage points in Sunday's runoff election, told Ukrainian television she has decided not to concede, Euronews.net reported.

Her Web site also reported she has instructed her attorneys to challenge the results of an election praised by foreign monitors as mostly free and fair, Euronews reported.

It said critics contend Tymoshenko, a veteran of the 2004 Orange Revolution, can't bear to surrender power to Yanukovich, who was derided by the movement as an incompetent puppet of Russia.

Experts told The New York Times Tymoshenko's defeat may indicate a rejection of the revolution, but an election declared free and fair has reminded Ukrainians the revolution has given them more political freedom than Russians have. They will reject any moves by Yanukovich to roll it back, experts say.

"Ukrainians did not gain much of what they were promised in the social or economic spheres in 2004, but at the same time, they are enjoying democracy," Olexiy Haran of Kiev Mohyla University told the Times.

Possible mudslides prompt evacuations

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- More than 500 homes in mudslide-prone areas of Los Angeles County were under mandatory evacuations Tuesday as a line of rainstorms approached.

Sheriff's officials notified residents in some areas of La Crescenta, La Canada, Acton, Soledad Canyon and Aliso Canyon that they needed to leave as a precaution in advance of rain forecast Tuesday and Wednesday, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, reported.

The new round of soggy weather comes after heavy weekend downpours triggered mudslides that damaged more than 40 homes in the La Canada-Flintridge area, officials said.

The National Weather Service said thunderstorms that could bring up to an inch of rain should arrive Tuesday evening. The storms could produce heavy snow in upper elevations, as well as high winds and threats of tornadoes, hail and flash flooding.

Forecasters said the weather has created dangerous conditions along the coast.