AP Top News at 7:13 a.m. EST

November 16:

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Eager to deflect the lame-duck label, President Barack Obama touted his unexpectedly productive swing through the Asia Pacific as a "strong week for American leadership" that resulted in deals with China and other regional powers on issues like climate change, trade and economic growth. But even before Air Force One departed Australia, where Obama attended the Group of 20 economic forum, the president already was eyeing confrontations in Washington with congressional Republicans on immigration and the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A surgeon who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone continued treatment Sunday at a biocontainment unit In Nebraska where two other people with the disease have been successfully treated. Dr. Martin Salia, who was diagnosed with Ebola on Monday, landed at Eppley Airfield in Omaha on Saturday afternoon and was taken by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center.

LA PORTE, Texas (AP) — Four workers were killed and one was injured Saturday during a hazardous chemical leak at a DuPont industrial plant in suburban Houston, company officials said. The chemical, methyl mercaptan, began leaking from a valve around 4 a.m. in a unit at the plant in La Porte, about 20 miles east of Houston. Plant officials said the release was contained by 6 a.m.

TAURANGA, New Zealand (AP) — AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was the toast of this quiet New Zealand coastal community when he celebrated the launch of his surprise solo album at his marina restaurant, Phil's Place. Even the mayor was there. Less than three months later, posters promoting the album plaster the windows of his waterfront home, protecting his privacy, after police raided it earlier this month and filed serious charges against him. The fans who came to support him after the raid, singing AC/DC songs into the night, have left, and the 60-year-old has become a virtual prisoner in a town that for years had seemed to accept him and his excesses with a knowing wink.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The second sign-up season under President Barack Obama's health overhaul opened, with hopes that this time consumers will have a positive experience. Obama says about a half-million people logged into the federal government's website on Saturday, the first day of open enrollment. But the fear is that entrenched political opposition and renewed legal challenges may yet collapse the program that's bringing health care to millions of previously uninsured Americans. The administration can't afford another technology meltdown.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A grieving father who sang the Beatles' ballad "Blackbird" as his infant son clung to life told mourners that he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayers and support after a video of the tender moment gained widespread Internet attention. Chris Picco said Saturday at a memorial service for his wife, Ashley, and their son, Lennon, that he didn't have enough words to express his gratitude to those who reached out to him, including strangers apparently touched by his story.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — It's a bicyclist's dream: a bike that can't be stolen. The "Yerka," a prototype designed by three young Chilean engineering students, is the latest entry in a recent trend of bikes that can be locked using some of their own parts. They include Brooklyn-based "Seatylock," which uses its saddle seat as a lock, and Seattle-based "Denny," which is locked with its detachable handlebars.

There will be a new No. 1 when the College Football Playoff rankings come on next week. It might just be Alabama — and the Crimson Tide's gain might work out just fine for the Southeastern Conference in the long run.

Source:  www.goupstate.com/article/20141116/APA/311169835?