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African mineworkers clash with police

Two people have been killed so far in confrontations between Guinean police and striking mineworkers. The demonstrators — whose walkout has halted production of bauxite, the country's most lucrative export — demand the removal of ailing president Lansana Conté.

- AP

| Guardian | Independent Online, South Africa |

ObamaRama: White House in 2008?

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) formed a presidential exploratory committee this week, the first step toward candidacy for the 2008 elections. Obama will announce on Feb. 10 whether he'll vie — possibly against Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) — for his party's nomination.

- CF

| NPR | New York Times |

Ecuador veers left with Correa

Rafael Correa became Ecuador's eighth president of the last ten years on Monday, promising constitutional reform on a populist model. The leftist, US-educated economist opposes a free-trade agreement with Washington and is a close ally of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.

- CF

| Washington Post | Jurist |