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| Fiscal plan may avert "dairy cliff," buy time for farm bill Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 11:09 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal reached by the Senate on Tuesday to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" also includes measures to avert the "dairy cliff" - a steep increase in milk prices. The tax agreement, which could face a vote by the House of Representatives as early as Tuesday, contains a nine-month fix for expiring farm subsidy programs by extending a 2008 farm law. That gives lawmakers time to come up with a new five-year replacement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rival Sudans signal border concessions before summit Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:44 AM PST  ROSEIRIS, Sudan/JUBA (Reuters) - Sudan and South Sudan said on Tuesday they wanted to set up a demilitarized border zone, signaling possible concessions ahead of a summit which will test whether they can mend ties and restore vital oil flows. Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir are expected to hold a summit this month hosted by the African Union to discuss how to secure their disputed border after the neighbors came close to war April. Both nations agreed in September in Ethiopia to resume oil exports from the landlocked South through Sudan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt satirist faces probe for insulting president Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:43 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian satirist who made fun of President Mohamed Mursi on television will be investigated by prosecutors following an accusation that he undermined the leader's standing, a judicial source said on Tuesday. Bassem Youssef's case will increase worries about freedom of speech in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, especially when the country's new constitution includes provisions criticized by rights activists for, among other things, forbidding insults. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" moves to House, timing and outcome uncertain Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:58 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington's last-minute scramble to step back from a recession-inducing "fiscal cliff" shifted to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday after the Senate approved a bipartisan deal to avoid steep tax hikes and spending cuts. In a rare late-night show of unity, the Senate voted 89 to 8 to raise some taxes on the wealthy while keeping income taxes low on more moderate income voters. The bill's prospects were less certain in the House, where a vote had not yet been scheduled. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drill: report Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:32 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has warned off foreign surveillance planes that have tried to approach its forces during naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesman said on Tuesday. The drills, which began on Friday, are aimed at showcasing Iran's military capability in the shipping route through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass. Iran has threatened to block the strait if it comes under military attack over its disputed nuclear program. The United States has said it would not tolerate any obstruction of commercial traffic through the strait. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Egyptian party set to split Islamist vote further Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:22 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Leading members of Egypt's hardline Islamist movement unveiled a new political party on Tuesday, pointing to new rivalries that could split the Islamist vote in an impending parliamentary election. The creation of the al-Watan ('Homeland') Party is part of a political landscape that was dominated by a variety of Islamist parties in the last election a year ago, but is still evolving. ... Full Story | Top |
| India rape victim's ashes scattered, more attacks stoke debate Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:10 AM PST  LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) - The ashes of an Indian student who died after being gang-raped were scattered in the Ganges river on Tuesday as reports of more attacks stoked a growing national debate on violence against women. The death of the 23-year-old woman, who has not been named, prompted street protests across India, international outrage and promises from the government of tougher punishments for offenders. Police on Tuesday confirmed they would push for the death penalty for her attackers - the force can recommend prosecutors pursue particular punishments in Indian trials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Connecticut attorney general says Newtown legal claim misguided Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:51 AM PST  (Reuters) - A $100 million claim filed against the state of Connecticut in the wake of a school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead two weeks ago is misguided, Connecticut's attorney general said in a statement on Monday. Last week, a New Haven-based attorney filed an intention to sue the state on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor of the December 14 attack - the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Under Connecticut law, any claim against the state must be approved by the state claims commissioner before it can move forward. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bomb kills two, injures 50 in Pakistani city of Karachi Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:44 AM PST  KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a crowded area of Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding 50, police said. Two of the injured were in a critical condition, police spokesman Imran Shaukat said. The bomb appeared to have been planted on a motorbike. It was not immediately clear who or what was the target of the blast in the Aisha Manzil area of Karachi, although a political rally was happening nearby. The explosion was heard several kilometers (miles) away. ... Full Story | Top |
| Biden will discuss "fiscal cliff" deal with House Democrats Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:25 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden will meet with fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to discuss the "fiscal cliff" deal that he forged with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a Democratic aide said. The meeting is to be held at the Capitol at 12:15 p.m. ET (1715 GMT). Biden needed to help sell Senate Democrats on the deal before they joined Republicans at about 2 a.m. ET (0700 GMT) in approving the measure. The Republican-led House may vote on the bill as early as later in the day. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Vicki Allen) Full Story | Top |
| No decision when House will vote on fiscal cliff bill: Cantor Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:10 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday no decision has been made on when his chamber will vote on the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill. "We have not made a decision yet," House Republican Leader Eric Cantor told Reuters at the U.S. Capitol. Cantor said such a decision would be made soon, however. It could come as early as later in the day. The House was to reconvene at noon ET/1700 GMT. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Bill Trott) (This story was corrected to drop reference to Cantor emerging from Boehner office) Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans should accept Senate "cliff" deal: Tom Cole Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:54 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Representative Tom Cole said his colleagues in the House of Representatives should vote on Tuesday on the "fiscal cliff" deal passed by the Senate, without adding amendments. ""We ought to take this deal right now, and we'll live to fight another day, and it's coming very soon on the spending cut," Cole said on MSNBC. "We know the essential details and I think putting to bed this thing before the markets is really a pretty important thing to do." (Reporting By Karey Wutkowski) Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood cell detained in UAE: paper Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:53 AM PST ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has arrested an "Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood cell" that trained local Islamists in how to overthrow Arab governments, a Sharjah-based newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source familiar with the investigation. The oil-rich Gulf state - of which Sharjah is one part - has previously voiced strong distrust of the Islamist political movement which after long years of being banned took power in free elections in Egypt last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans to meet to mull Senate-passed fiscal cliff deal Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:42 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives will meet at 1 p.m. ET/1400 GMT Tuesday to discuss "a path forward" after Senate passage of a bipartisan "fiscal cliff" bill, a senior aide said. The meeting could help Republicans leaders decide when to begin consideration of the White House-backed measure. A vote could come as soon as later in the day. (Reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Bill Trott) Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen in Pakistan shoot dead seven aid workers near capital Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:42 AM PST  PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Gunmen ambushed and shot dead six Pakistani women aid workers and a male doctor on Tuesday, police said, and the charity they worked for said it suspected the attacks were linked to recent murders of polio vaccination workers. Their vehicle was raked with gunfire as they returned home from work at a children's community center run by Pakistani charity Ujala, or Light, said district police officer Abdur Rashid Khan. Their driver was seriously wounded in the attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian government forces go on attack on first day of year Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:41 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Government war planes bombed opposition-held areas of Syria and President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels fought on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on New Year's Day on Tuesday. A year ago, many diplomats and analysts predicted Assad would leave power in 2012. But despite international pressure and rebel gains, he has proved resilient. His inner circle remains largely intact and retains control of the armed forces, even if it relies on air strikes and artillery power to hold back the rebels fighting to overthrow him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: U.S. arms sales to Asia set to boom on Pacific "pivot" Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:17 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. sales of warplanes, anti-missile systems and other costly weapons to China's and North Korea's neighbors appear set for significant growth amid regional security jitters. Strengthening treaty allies and other security partners is central to the White House's "pivot" toward a Pacific region jolted by maritime territorial disputes in China's case, and missile and nuclear programs, in North Korea's. ... Full Story | Top |
| Watch Night marks 150th anniversary of Lincoln's proclamation Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:06 AM PST  CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Congregants at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church cried out in testimony, prayer and song at a New Year's Eve service recalling the vigils held by blacks 150 years ago as they awaited President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The document that helped end slavery in the United States resonated deeply in Charleston, where thousands of enslaved Africans arrived in America from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. The first shots of the Civil War also were fired in Charleston in 1861. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraqi civilian deaths rise in "low-level war": study Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:01 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A total of 4,471 civilians died in Iraq's festering "low-level war" with insurgents in 2012, the first annual climb in the death toll in three years, campaigners said on Tuesday. The deaths, up from 4,059 in 2011, showed militant fighters were still bent on carrying out large-scale bomb attacks, said rights group Iraq Body Count (IBC) in its annual report. Tensions between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq's power-sharing government have been on the rise this year and the civil war in neighboring Syria is whipping up sectarian tension across the region. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street ends 2012 riding high on "cliff" deal optimism Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 06:27 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed out 2012 with their strongest day in more than a month, putting the S&P 500 up 13.4 percent for the year, as lawmakers in Washington closed in on a resolution to the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. The S&P 500's gain for the year marks its best performance since 2009, as stocks navigated through debt crises in Europe and the United States that dominated the headlines. Still, with numerous issues involving budget talks unresolved, markets could still be open to a shock should the deal break down unexpectedly. ... Full Story | Top |
| State Department made "grievous mistake" over Benghazi: Senate report Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 06:26 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department made a "grievous mistake" in keeping the U.S. mission in Benghazi open despite inadequate security and increasingly alarming threat assessments in the weeks before a deadly attack by militants, a Senate committee said on Monday. A report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee on the September 11 attacks on the U.S. mission and a nearby CIA annex, in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans died, faulted intelligence agencies for not focusing tightly enough on Libyan extremists. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thousands march against Hong Kong's leader Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 06:16 AM PST  HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of thousands in Hong Kong protested on Tuesday against the city's leader Leung Chun-ying as pressure mounts against the Beijing-backed politician who has been embroiled in an illegal construction scandal since taking office in July. Thronging the streets on New Year's Day, crowds of people, some dressed in black with colorful banners and wearing long-nosed Pinocchio masks, chanted "Leung Chun-ying step down" in a rally that snaked several kilometers towards government headquarters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Expats who bounce cheques may no longer risk prison in UAE: paper Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 05:53 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Newspapers printed contradictory reports on Tuesday on whether the United Arab Emirates was ending prison terms for foreign nationals living in the Gulf Arab state who write bad cheques. The UAE's tough penalties for defaulting on cheques were relaxed for Emirati citizens in October after a royal decree, but the threat of jail for the country's large expat population remains. In the UAE writing cheques that bounce is a criminal offence instead of a civil one. ... Full Story | Top |
| CAR president urges rebels to let him finish his term Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 05:45 AM PST  BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic President Francois Bozize on Tuesday urged rebels threatening to enter the capital to lay down their arms and let him complete the last three years of his term. Fighters encamped within 75 km (45 miles) of the capital Bangui accuse Bozize of reneging on a 2007 deal to give money and jobs to former rebels, and their leaders are now split over whether to accept an offer of new talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Korean unification may cost South 7 percent of GDP: ministry Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 04:55 AM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - Unification of the two Koreas could cost the South up to 7 percent of annual GDP for a decade though the South would benefit in various ways such as cheap labor and the North's resources, South Korea's Finance Ministry said on Wednesday. Korea has been divided since the end of World War Two and the Stalinist North and capitalist South have been fierce rivals since the 1950-53 Korean war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Economy would dodge bullet for now under fiscal deal Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 04:26 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal worked out by Senate leaders to avoid the "fiscal cliff" was far from any "grand bargain" of deficit reduction measures. But if approved by the House of Representatives, it could help the country steer clear of recession, although enough austerity would remain in place to likely keep the economy growing at a lackluster pace. The Senate approved a last-minute deal early Tuesday morning to scale back $600 billion in scheduled tax hikes and government spending cuts that economists widely agree would tip the economy into recession. ... Full Story | Top |
| US State Dept made 'grievous mistake' over Benghazi-Senate report Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 03:33 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department made a "grievous mistake" in keeping the U.S. mission in Benghazi open despite inadequate security and increasingly alarming threat assessments in the weeks before a deadly attack by militants, a Senate committee said on Monday. A report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee on the September 11 attacks on the U.S. mission and a nearby CIA annex, in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans died, faulted intelligence agencies for not focusing tightly enough on Libyan extremists. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korean leader seeks end to confrontation with South Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 03:31 AM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, technically still at war in the absence of a peace treaty to end their 1950-53 conflict, in a surprise New Year speech broadcast on state media. The address by Kim, who took over power in the reclusive state after his father, Kim Jong-il, died in 2011, appeared to take the place of the policy-setting New Year editorial published in leading state newspapers. ... Full Story | Top |
| IMF says welcomes Egypt's effort to safeguard reserves Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 02:09 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it welcomed steps that Egypt has taken to stop a drain on its international reserves, which had let the Egyptian pound hit record lows. "We welcome the measures taken by the Central Bank of Egypt to ensure that the country will continue to maintain a level of international reserves that can support its international trade and payments," an IMF spokeswoman said. "IMF staff is in close contact with the authorities and we remain strongly committed to supporting Egypt. ... Full Story | Top |
| Expats who bounce cheques no longer risk prison in UAE: paper Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 01:39 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates will stop imprisoning expatriates for writing cheques that bounce, Abu Dhabi daily The National reported on Tuesday, citing a senior official. The UAE's tough penalties for defaulting on loans, which is a criminal offence in the Gulf Arab monarchy, were relaxed for Emirati citizens in October after a royal decree. "In line with the directives of Sheikh Khalifa... ... Full Story | Top |
| Rebel groups hit with UN sanctions over eastern Congo Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 01:22 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - 'A U.N. Security Council sanctions committee on Monday blacklisted two rebel groups that have been responsible for war crimes in conflict-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations said in a statement. The United States and Britain praised the move, with Washington suggesting further sanctions may be imposed against anyone who continues to cause trouble in eastern Congo. One of the groups added to the blacklist is the so-called M23, a Congolese rebel faction led by Bosco Ntaganda, a warlord indicted by the International Criminal Court. ... Full Story | Top |
| 2012 one of "bloodiest years" for journalists: media body Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:49 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A heavy death toll in war zones such as Syria and Somalia made 2012 one of the bloodiest years for journalists, with 121 killed, an international journalists' group said on Monday. The Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the figure was up from 107 journalists and other media workers killed in targeted attacks, bomb blasts and cross-fire incidents in 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rwanda vows to help on Congo at UN, assails 'blame game' Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:45 AM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Rwanda warned on Monday it will not tolerate attempts to blame it for a rebel insurgency in eastern Congo but vowed to use its two-year U.N. Security Council stint to help put an end to the conflict that has destabilized its much larger neighbor. Rwanda - along with Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg and South Korea - was elected in October as a temporary member of the 15-nation U.N. Security Council for 2013-14. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan willing to withdraw army from Sudan border: president Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:43 AM PST  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan is willing to withdraw its army from the disputed border with Sudan, President Salva Kiir said, signalling a possible compromise at a summit with his Sudanese counterpart. Kiir and Sudan's Omar Hassan al-Bashir agreed in September to withdraw troops from the disputed border as a precondition to resume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan. Oil revenues are vital to both economies. But both countries still have troops 10 km (6 miles) from each other's border, and both accuse each other of supporting rebels on the other's territory. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama calls on House to pass fiscal deal "without delay" Monday, Dec 31, 2012 11:54 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama called on Tuesday for the House of Representatives to follow the Senate's lead and pass a "fiscal cliff" deal to extend tax cuts for middle-class Americans and raise tax rates on top earners. "While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country and the House should pass it without delay," Obama said in a statement after the Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve the legislation. "There's more work to do to reduce our deficits, and I'm willing to do it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves bill to avert "fiscal cliff" Monday, Dec 31, 2012 10:57 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday, two hours after a December 31 deadline had lapsed, approved legislation aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff" by stopping most tax hikes and across-the-board spending cuts that were due to begin with the new year. The House of Representatives still must approve the measure, possibly on Tuesday. (Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Lawder; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Maryland ushers in New Year with its first gay marriages Monday, Dec 31, 2012 10:45 PM PST BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Seven gay couples in Maryland rang in the New Year with wedding bells early Tuesday, the first wave of nuptials since voters in the state backed the legalization of same-sex marriage. The couples were "lawfully married" rather than pronounced "husband and wife" at the 12:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) ceremony on New Year's Day in Baltimore's City Hall. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake officiated at the wedding of the first of the couples, 68-year-old James Scales and 60-year-old William Tasker. Scales and Tasker said they had been together for 35 years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Revelers gather in NY's frigid Times Square on New Year's Eve Monday, Dec 31, 2012 09:42 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Throngs of revelers in and around New York's Times Square bid farewell to 2012 and extended a raucous greeting to 2013 early Tuesday. The crowd in midtown Manhattan, which police expected to approach 1 million, cheered and counted down the final seconds of 2012 as a large lighted crystal ball descended for the last minute of the old year - a tradition started in 1907. Thousands cheered as the new year officially began and a blizzard of colorful confetti fell on the famous square. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top Afghan negotiator optimistic over peace prospects Monday, Dec 31, 2012 09:32 PM PST  KABUL (Reuters) - A top Afghan peace negotiator said he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for reconciliation with the Taliban and that all sides now realized a military solution to the war was not possible. Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai also told Reuters that the Kabul government hoped to transform the Afghan Taliban, who have proved resilient after more than a decade of war against U.S.-led NATO and Afghan troops, into a political movement. ... Full Story | Top |
| House will consider Senate's fiscal cliff bill: Boehner Monday, Dec 31, 2012 08:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives will consider legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff" if the Senate passes such a measure, House Speaker John Boehner said on Monday. "The House will honor its commitment to consider the Senate agreement if it is passed. Decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members ... have been able to review the legislation," Boehner and other House Republican leaders said in a statement. A House vote could come as early as Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
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