| | |
| Senate leaders work to avoid New Year's "fiscal cliff" Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 11:11 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional negotiators burrowed into their Capitol offices on Saturday to see if they can stop the economy from falling off of a "fiscal cliff" in just three days when the biggest tax increases ever to hit Americans in one shot are scheduled to begin. Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell were expected to work through the day on a possible compromise that would set aside $600 billion in tax increases and across-the-board government spending cuts that are set to kick in next week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Death of India rape victim stirs anger, promises of action Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 11:01 AM PST  NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A woman whose gang rape provoked protests and rare national debate about violence against women in India died from her injuries on Saturday, prompting promises of action from a government that has struggled to respond to public outrage. The unidentified 23-year-old medical student suffered a brain injury and massive internal damage in the attack on December 16 and died in hospital in Singapore where she had been taken for treatment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi says Monti plotting with Italy's centre left Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 10:41 AM PST  ROME/MILAN (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday that outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti was plotting with the left in his centrist alliance's bid to win Italy's national election in February, but centrist leaders denied any secret accord. Monti, who replaced Berlusconi as prime minister last year when Italy was scrambling to avert a financial crisis, said on Friday he wanted to unite a broad coalition of factions around a reform agenda aimed at easing the country's economic woes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria doomed to "hell" without political deal: envoy Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 10:40 AM PST  MOSCOW/AZAZ, Syria (Reuters) - The international mediator touting a peace plan for Syria warned on Saturday of "hell" if the warring sides shun talks, and Moscow accused enemies of President Bashar al-Assad of blocking negotiations. U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said in Moscow that responsible people inside and outside Syria should "help the Syrians stop their descent into more and more bloodshed, into more and more chaos and perhaps a failed state". ... Full Story | Top |
| Four killed when Russian airliner crash lands Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 09:55 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian airliner flying without passengers broke into pieces after it slid off the runway and crashed onto a highway outside Moscow upon landing on Saturday, killing four of the eight crew on board and leaving smoking chunks of fuselage on the icy road. The crash during peak holiday travel ahead of Russia's New Year's vacation, which runs from Sunday through January 9, cast a spotlight on the country's poor air-safety record despite President Vladimir Putin's calls to improve controls. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rebels extend reach in Central African Republic ahead of peace talks Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 08:07 AM PST  BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebels in Central African Republic took control of a strategic town north of the capital on Saturday after soldiers defending it withdrew, ramping up tensions ahead of planned peace talks. The three-week-old uprising by SELEKA rebels poses the biggest threat yet to President Francois Bozize's near ten-year rule over the former French colony - a nation plagued by poverty and turmoil despite its rich natural resources. ... Full Story | Top |
| SyriaAir cancels flight from Cairo to Aleppo Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 08:06 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Syria's national airline cancelled a flight from Cairo to Aleppo on Saturday due to poor security conditions around the airport, Cairo airport officials said. Rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last week they would target Aleppo's international airport and opposition activists said on Saturday there had been a big explosion near the complex overnight. The SyriaAir flight had been due to fly to Aleppo before continuing to Damascus. ... Full Story | Top |
| Only political process can save Syria from "hell": envoy Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 07:11 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syria faces "hell" if no deal is struck to end 21 months of bloodshed, an international mediator said on Saturday, but his talks in Russia brought no sign of a breakthrough after a week of intense diplomacy. U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov both said there was still a chance for a negotiated solution to the conflict, which has killed more than 44,000 people and set world powers against one another. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt lets building material cross its border into Gaza Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 06:45 AM PST  ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Islamist-led Egypt allowed building materials into Gaza via the Rafah crossing on Saturday for the first time since Hamas seized control of the Palestinian enclave in 2007, an Egyptian border official said. It was part of a shipment of building materials donated by the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, which has pledged $400 million to finance reconstruction in Gaza. The Islamist group Hamas has run Gaza since driving out its rivals in the Palestinian Authority. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arab officials visit cash-strapped Palestinian territory Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 06:08 AM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Top Arab officials paid a rare visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday to discuss a Palestinian financial crisis that President Mahmoud Abbas hopes will be eased by Arab donations. Arab League Chief Nabil Elaraby and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr congratulated the Palestinians on a successful United Nations status upgrade last month, but stopped short of promising the badly-needed funds. "Palestine is in need of material and political support," Elaraby told a news conference in the Palestinians' de facto capital of Ramallah. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spaniard convicted in Cuban dissident death returns home Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 05:53 AM PST MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish political activist who was convicted in the death of prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya in a car crash in Cuba in July arrived in Spain on Saturday to serve out his four-year prison sentence, media reports said. Angel Carromero, a leader of the youth wing of Spain's ruling People's Party, was tried in Cuba and found guilty of reckless driving in the accident which killed one of the most important leaders of Cuba's small opposition community. ... Full Story | Top |
| CAR rebels occupy Sibut after army withdraws: resident, official Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 05:49 AM PST BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebels in Central African Republic took control of the town of Sibut, 190 km (115 miles) north of the capital Bangui, after national army and Chadian soldiers stationed there withdrew, a resident and the head of the pro-government youth movement said on Saturday. "The rebels arrived at around 9 a.m. on two trucks and several motorcycles and took positions at strategic points in the town, firing their guns," said Yvon Jolier Bema, a Sibut resident who fled to Bangui. "The national army and the Chadians had left on Friday in the direction of Bangui. ... Full Story | Top |
| Macedonian opposition rallies to demand early elections Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 05:43 AM PST  SKOPJE (Reuters) - Several thousand people rallied in front of the headquarters of Macedonia's rightist ruling party on Saturday demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and early elections. The rally was the culmination of days of smaller countrywide protests provoked by an incident last week when the opposition was ejected from the parliament after a disagreement and a brawl over the size of next year's budget. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian jet splits apart after landing, none killed: airport Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 05:38 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian jet with 11 crew and no passengers board went off a runway and split into three pieces after landing at Moscow's Vnukovo airport but nobody was killed, an airport spokeswoman said. There may have been injuries among crew of the Tupolev Tu-204 jet, spokeswoman Yelena Krylova said in televised comments. (Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Writing by Steve Gutterman) Full Story | Top |
| Passenger jet goes off runway outside Moscow, catches fire: Ifax Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 05:01 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - A passenger plane ran off an airport runway outside Moscow on Saturday and caught fire, the Interfax news agency reported, citing police. There was no immediate word on the type of plane or how many people were aboard. An initial report from Interfax said the plane had landed hard on a highway. (Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| Assad's forces seize Homs district from rebels: activists Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 04:39 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces have pushed rebels from a district in Homs after several days of fierce fighting in the strategically important city, opposition activists said on Saturday. The army moved into Deir Ba'alba, a neighborhood on the northeastern edge of Homs, they said, leaving the rebels controlling just the central neighborhoods around the old city and the district of Khalidiyah, immediately to the north. ... Full Story | Top |
| Shock, heartbreak for U.S. parents adopting Russian kids Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 04:21 AM PST  (Reuters) - For months, life for Ann and Kurt Suhs has been a whirlwind of assembling documents, getting fingerprinted and scheduling evaluations of their Atlanta-area home in preparation for welcoming a Russian child into their family for a second time. Now, the couple - who adopted their son Ben, now 7, from Russia at age 13 months - say they were blindsided by news that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday banning Americans from adopting Russian children effective next Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Six held over rape of woman in India charged with murder: police Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 03:08 AM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Six suspects held in connection with the rape of a women in India have been charged with murder after she died on Saturday of injuries sustained in the attack, police said. "They have been charged (with murder)," said Rajan Bhagat, a spokesman for New Delhi police. The woman, who was gang-raped on a New Delhi bus on December 16, died in hospital in Singapore. The attack has sparked protests and a national debate about violence against women. All six suspects in the rape have been arrested and are in custody. (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Robert Birsel) Full Story | Top |
| Central Africa states to up troops in Central African Republic ahead of peace talks Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 01:41 AM PST LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Central African Republic's neighbors have agreed to increase the number of troops stationed there to help defend against rebels threatening to overthrow the government. The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) - which already has more than 500 peacekeepers in CAR - announced its decision overnight in Gabon's capital Libreville, ahead of peace talks planned between the SELEKA rebels and the government in early January. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian deputy finance minister Savatyugin resigns Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 01:24 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Savatyugin, who oversees the financial markets, banking and insurance sectors, has submitted his resignation. He published a photo of the letter on Twitter, asking Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to accept his resignation from January 9. Savatyugin, who has been in the job since 2010, declined to comment to Reuters on his future job plans. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greece uncovers tourism scam, looks for unaccounted millions Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 01:20 AM PST  ATHENS (Reuters) - Three Greeks were arrested on suspicion of trying to defraud the national tourism board, police said on Saturday, and the finance ministry is investigating a suspected 12-million-euro hole in the state agency's books. Tourism is one of cash-strapped Greece's few remaining money-spinners and the EOT tourism board is in charge of funding several promotion campaigns and subsidy programs for the industry. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian police free child hostage, kill seven militants in Dagestan Friday, Dec 28, 2012 10:31 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian security forces killed seven militants and freed a 6-year-old girl taken hostage in the restive Dagestan region of Russia's volatile North Caucasus on Saturday, a national anti-terrorism committee official told Interfax news agency. The incident took place in an apartment building in the provincial capital of Makhachkala, according to the Interfax report. The militants broke through a wall, entered an apartment and took the girl hostage, according to the report. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: U.N. confronts failure of diplomacy in Syria Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:42 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Attempts by the United Nations to end the bloody 21-month-old Syrian conflict through diplomacy have been a resounding failure and there is little reason to expect a quick change given the Russian-U.S. rift on Syria. After a year of intensive diplomatic efforts by the world body, U.N.-Arab League peace mediator Lakhdar Brahimi of Algeria has made no more progress than his predecessor, former U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate leaders to make last-ditch "fiscal cliff" effort Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:49 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and congressional leaders agreed on Friday to make a final effort to prevent the United States from going over the "fiscal cliff," setting off intense bargaining over Americans' tax rates as a New Year deadline looms. The focus now turns to the Senate, where Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader, and Mitch McConnell, who heads the Republican minority, will try to come up with a deal that can then be approved in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives before the end of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| India gang-rape victim dies in Singapore hospital Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:42 PM PST  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Indian gang-rape victim whose assault in New Delhi triggered nationwide protests died in hospital on Saturday of injuries suffered in the attack, a Singapore hospital treating her said. The death of the 23-year-old medical student could spawn new protests and possibly fresh confrontations with the police, especially in the Indian capital, which has been the focus of the demonstrations. "We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4:45 a.m. on Dec 29, 2012 (15:45 a.m. ET Friday). ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama: "modestly optimistic" fiscal cliff deal can be reached Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:42 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama held out hope for a last-minute agreement to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts after a meeting with congressional leaders, scolding Congress for leaving the problem unresolved until the eleventh hour. "The hour for immediate action is here," he told reporters at the White House. "I'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate leaders aim to craft "fiscal cliff" bill by Sunday Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:16 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders are working to craft legislation by Sunday that averts the year-end "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts, but many details needed to be worked out after a crucial meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday. U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell, termed the meeting "constructive" and "positive" and said they would keep working on trying to find a solution over the weekend. After adjourning on Friday, Reid he would probably not call the Senate back into session until about 1 p.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Alleged militants detained in Djibouti charged by U.S. court Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:00 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a sign of evolving U.S. legal tactics in counter-terrorism operations, two Swedish citizens and a former British citizen detained in Africa in August have been charged in a U.S. court with supporting Somali-based Islamist militants. The charges were filed in Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York, even though court papers and a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office make no specific allegation that the three - all of whom are of Somali extraction - posed threats to Americans or U.S.-related targets. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan says president ready to meet Sudan's Bashir Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:41 PM PST  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is willing to meet his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan al-Bashir to sort out conflicts and resume vital oil flows, a South Sudanese minister said on Friday after Bashir agreed to hold a summit. The neighbors agreed in September to set up a demilitarized border zone and resume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan. Oil is the lifeline of both economies. Neither country has yet withdrawn its army from either side of the border, a precondition to resume oil flows. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" impasse doesn't affect U.S. sovereign rating: S&P Friday, Dec 28, 2012 01:19 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said on Friday it does not expect U.S. lawmakers' negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" to have an impact on the sovereign credit ratings of the U.S. federal government. The credit ratings agency said it believes the same general conditions under which it downgraded the U.S. credit rating to AA-plus/A-1-plus from AAA in August 2011 continue to exist. S&P said the additional tax revenues and lower government spending that will come into force if no deal is reached to avert the fiscal cliff "would likely result in the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Monti says will lead centrists in Italian vote Friday, Dec 28, 2012 12:55 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Friday he would lead a centrist alliance in an election in February, ending weeks of speculation over his political future and confirming his bid for a second term. The announcement clears up some of the uncertainty hanging over election and puts Monti in a three-way contest for power with the center-left Democratic Party (PD), which is leading in the polls, and Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hunger strike pressures Canada PM, aboriginal protests spread Friday, Dec 28, 2012 12:18 PM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian aboriginal chief in the third week of a hunger strike is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to "open his heart" and meet with native leaders angered by his policies as small impromptu protests spread beyond Canada's borders. Chief Theresa Spence from the remote northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat has been fasting since December 11 and has vowed to continue until Harper commits to talks on a litany of complaints, including new legislation that she says will harm native lands. "He's a person with a heart but he needs to open his heart. ... Full Story | Top |
| Would-be adoptive parents look beyond Russia Friday, Dec 28, 2012 12:16 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Russia's new ban on U.S. adoptions is the latest setback for hopeful American parents as countries increasingly impose restrictions. Other countries, including China and Guatemala, have erected hurdles for adoptive families as they create their own domestic adoption programs. The signing of the Hague Convention on adoption in 2008 drastically improved regulation of the process, which had been rife with corruption. But it has also led to a slowdown in adoptions or shutdowns in some countries. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment