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Monday, December 12, 2011 12:08 AM PST

Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Insight: The day Europe lost patience with Britain U.S.-listed firms told to reveal Syria, Iran links: FT Pakistani government denies talks with Taliban EU summit may not calm investors for long Obama says to keep standing up to Congress on taxes McConnell expects bipartisan deal on tax cut Medvedev orders Russia poll inquiry, gets insults New U.N. climate deal struck, critics say gains modest Ex-Panama strongman Noriega returns home to prison Dutch architects apologize for 9/11 blast look-alike design Airport search complaints prompt calls for on-site advocates Online spending stays strong in early December Analysis: Cameron puts Britain offside and offshore in Europe Former Panama strongman Noriega heads home to prison French government warns opponents on EU treaty delay Medvedev orders Russia poll inquiry, gets insults Insight: The day Europe lost patience with Britain Analysis: Coal's bridge to future might lie in the past France points finger at Syria for Lebanon attack Greece braces for troika scrutiny and creditor talks Long-term jobless eye bleak future as benefits end Analysis: As U.S. leaves, Iraqi forces still under construction Iran says EU will not impose oil sanctions Mexico drug gangs up ante with high-tech tunnels Mugabe wins party vote but challenged by age, ill health Gingrich fights off rivals in Iowa debate Former Panama strongman Noriega heads home to prison Argentine leader vows to fine-tune model in second term Romney's $10,000 bet falls flat in Iowa debate Strong earthquake rattles Mexico, killing two Thousands of Russians protest against Putin Provocative U.S. nuclear chief faces political test Yemen leader will choose war, not quit: Nobel winner Amateur Athletic Union probes abuse charges against ex leader Yemen leader will choose war, not quit: Nobel winner Peru's Humala picks ex-army officer to lead Cabinet Gunmen free American teenager in southern Philippines Libya leaders send U.N. new appeal to unfreeze funds U.N. climate talks agree pact to slow global warming 47 arrested after police clear Boston protest camp Insight: The day Europe lost patience with Britain Sun,11 Dec 2011 07:43 PM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It was billed as a summit to save the euro. It may be remembered as the day Europe lost patience with Britain, as most of the continent threw its lot in with EU founding members France and Germany and committed to binding their economies ever more tightly. There was plenty of talk of history in the making in the week before the Dec 8/9 gathering of European Union leaders - the eighth this year. ... Full Story Top U.S.-listed firms told to reveal Syria, Iran links: FT Sun,11 Dec 2011 07:43 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - At least a dozen U.S.-listed companies have been told by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose business activity in and with Syria, Iran and others deemed "state sponsors" of terror by the state department, the Financial Times said on Sunday. The inquiries are part of SEC reviews of companies' investment risks to security holders. Sony Corp, Caterpillar Inc, American Express, Aecom Technology, Iridex and Veolia Environnement are among the companies that received letters from the SEC's corporate finance division, the report said. ... Full Story Top Pakistani government denies talks with Taliban Sun,11 Dec 2011 08:41 PM PST Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's interior minister and prime minister have both denied the government is holding peace talks with its homegrown Taliban, according to media, saying it would do so only if the militants first disarmed and surrendered. The deputy commander of the Pakistan Taliban, who have been waging a four-year war against the government in Islamabad, said Saturday that the two sides were holding talks, a move that could further fray the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. But both Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik denied the reports. ... Full Story Top EU summit may not calm investors for long Sun,11 Dec 2011 11:15 PM PST Reuters - Berlin (Reuters) - Last week's EU summit went a long way towards forging the closer economic ties needed to prevent future debt crises but markets are likely to judge it as too little and too late to solve the current one. As on previous occasions, the measures are unlikely to calm investors for long. European Union (EU) leaders ended the summit with a historic agreement to draft a new treaty for deeper integration in the euro zone, but analysts and policymakers remained skeptical such long-term steps could solve the crisis that has shaken Europe for two years. ... Full Story Top Obama says to keep standing up to Congress on taxes Sun,11 Dec 2011 04:01 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama defended his leadership style on Sunday and said he would keep standing up to Congress as another stand-off over taxes and deficits brewed on Capitol Hill. In an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," Obama suggested his wife, Michelle, had mixed feelings about their time in the White House but said he had no hesitation about seeking re-election next year, saying he wanted to finish the job of putting the U.S. economy on stronger, and fairer, footing. ... Full Story Top McConnell expects bipartisan deal on tax cut Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:02 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell predicted on Sunday that Congress will renew a popular payroll tax cut, but it remained unclear how lawmakers will resolve deep differences before the December 31 deadline. While he did not unveil a new deal, McConnell signaled that he and others anticipate having one soon. "We're going to reach an agreement," McConnell told "Fox News Sunday," noting there is "bipartisan support" for extending the tax cut. The 4.2 percent payroll tax that workers pay to fund the Social Security retirement system will return to 6. ... Full Story Top Medvedev orders Russia poll inquiry, gets insults Sun,11 Dec 2011 04:39 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev ordered an investigation on Sunday into allegations of fraud in Russia's parliamentary election, one day after tens of thousands of protesters demanded it be annulled and rerun. Medvedev responded on his Facebook site to the protesters' complaints that the December 4 election, won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia, was slanted in its favor. But he did not mention their calls for an end to Putin's rule and received one insult after another on his Facebook site from people who made clear his reply was insufficient. ... Full Story Top New U.N. climate deal struck, critics say gains modest Sun,11 Dec 2011 11:57 AM PST Reuters - DURBAN (Reuters) - Countries from around the globe agreed on Sunday to forge a new deal forcing all the biggest polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but critics said the plan was too timid to slow global warming. A package of accords agreed after marathon U.N. talks in South Africa extended the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - the only global pact enforcing carbon cuts - allowing five more years to finalize a wider pact which has so far eluded negotiators. ... Full Story Top Ex-Panama strongman Noriega returns home to prison Sun,11 Dec 2011 10:05 PM PST Reuters - GAMBOA, Panama (Reuters) - Manuel Noriega, Panama's drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, was extradited back to the country on Sunday and taken straight to prison to serve a 20-year sentence for the murders of opponents during his rule. Noriega, now 77, was toppled in a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 and has spent the last two decades behind bars, first in Florida and then in France after being convicted for drug trafficking and money laundering. ... Full Story Top Dutch architects apologize for 9/11 blast look-alike design Sun,11 Dec 2011 06:25 PM PST Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - A Dutch architectural firm has apologized for its design of twin skyscrapers in central Seoul which resemble the exploding World Trade Center towers in New York and have infuriated families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The blueprint for the luxury apartment buildings was released last week and shows a structure which juts out at the middle to accommodate pools, restaurants, cafes and a gym. Relatives of victims of al Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States have expressed outrage, according to U.S. ... Full Story Top Airport search complaints prompt calls for on-site advocates Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:43 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two New York politicians urged the Transportation Security Administration on Sunday to provide passenger advocates on site at airport screenings after four elderly women complained of intrusive searches by security agents in recent months. Senator Charles Schumer and State Senator Michael Gianaris told Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano and TSA Administrator John Pistole in a letter that an on-site passenger advocate would help strike the right balance between security and protecting vulnerable travelers. ... Full Story Top Online spending stays strong in early December Sun,11 Dec 2011 12:51 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Online spending remained strong in early December, a period that usually marks a lull in the U.S. holiday shopping frenzy, comScore said on Sunday. For the week ending December 9, consumers spent $5.9 billion online, up 15 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to comScore, which tracks Internet activity. E-commerce spending for the first 39 days of the 2011 holiday season reached $24.6 billion, also up 15 percent versus the corresponding days last year, comScore added. Earlier in the season, the day that has become known as "Cyber Monday" saw a record $1. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Cameron puts Britain offside and offshore in Europe Sun,11 Dec 2011 04:06 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - David Cameron has put Britain offside and offshore in Europe. In his failed last-minute quest for special treatment over financial regulation, the prime minister has taken Britain out of the room where decisions on the future of Europe will be shaped. The consequence could well be a prolonged, bitter parting of the ways between the British and the rest of the European Union, culminating in an acrimonious divorce in which both sides lose. ... Full Story Top Former Panama strongman Noriega heads home to prison Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:53 PM PST Reuters - PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Manuel Noriega, Panama's drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, left Paris early on Sunday, headed for a prison in his home country to serve a 20-year term for the murders of opponents during his rule. Noriega, now 77, was toppled in a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 and has spent the last two decades behind bars, first in Florida and then in France after being convicted for drug trafficking and money laundering during his time in power. ... Full Story Top French government warns opponents on EU treaty delay Sun,11 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France's imminent election campaign could throw the newly agreed EU plan for budget policy coordination into disarray, the French budget minister said on Sunday, warning that President Nicolas Sarkozy's opponents may stall necessary legislation. "Speed is vital to restore confidence," Valerie Pecresse told Europe 1 radio. "France has to set the example. It has been at the origin of this treaty with Germany and it would be a paradox if it was blocked for three months because there is a presidential election. This is a call for national unity. ... Full Story Top Medvedev orders Russia poll inquiry, gets insults Sun,11 Dec 2011 12:18 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev ordered an investigation on Sunday into allegations of fraud in Russia's parliamentary election, one day after tens of thousands of protesters demanded it be annulled and rerun. Medvedev responded on his Facebook site to the protesters' complaints that the December 4 election, won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia, was slanted in its favor. But he did not mention their calls for an end to Putin's rule and received one insult after another on his Facebook site from people who made clear his reply was insufficient. ... Full Story Top Insight: The day Europe lost patience with Britain Sun,11 Dec 2011 03:24 PM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It was billed as a summit to save the euro. It may be remembered as the day Europe lost patience with Britain, as most of the continent threw its lot in with EU founding members France and Germany and committed to binding their economies ever more tightly. There was plenty of talk of history in the making in the week before the Dec 8/9 gathering of European Union leaders - the eighth this year. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Coal's bridge to future might lie in the past Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:06 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As futuristic projects designed to capture carbon from coal-burning industries and store it underground have failed, the two largest consumers of the fuel, the United States and China, hope answers to limiting emissions blamed for global warming lie in the past. Power-generators, coal miners and policy makers had put faith in projects to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired plants and pump it directly underground into geologic formations for permanent storage. ... Full Story Top France points finger at Syria for Lebanon attack Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:47 PM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Sunday Paris believed Syria was behind attacks on its troops in Lebanon earlier this week. A roadside bomb wounded five French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Friday, in the third attack this year on United Nations forces deployed near the frontier with Israel. "We have strong reason to believe these attacks came from there (Syria)," Juppe said on RFI radio. "We think it's most probable, but I don't have proof." France - with Britain, Germany and the United States - has been pushing for the U.N. ... Full Story Top Greece braces for troika scrutiny and creditor talks Sun,11 Dec 2011 09:28 AM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Inspectors for Greece's international lenders and private creditors kick off a round of meetings with the government on Monday to prepare for a new 130-billion euro ($173.75 billion) bailout plan and bond swap scheme to keep the country afloat. Greece narrowly averted bankruptcy this month after foreign lenders agreed to release an 8-billion euro tranche of aid, but remains at risk of ending the year with a deeper-than-expected hole in its finances as a recession hits targeted tax revenue. ... Full Story Top Long-term jobless eye bleak future as benefits end Sun,11 Dec 2011 03:19 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - George Parks has been out of work for 21 months and his unemployment benefits will run out at the end of the month. At 60, he fears his prospects of getting a job are very slim, even though he has a degree in civil engineering and has vast experience in project management. A similar story is recounted by John Jones, 52, a fellow resident of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Jones lost his teaching job last July as the Pennsylvania state government tried to close a funding shortfall. ... Full Story Top Analysis: As U.S. leaves, Iraqi forces still under construction Sun,11 Dec 2011 08:07 AM PST Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Nearly nine years after the United States threw out Saddam Hussein and dissolved his feared security machine, Iraq's rebuilt military is a long way from matching up with regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel. With little air defense, marginal control of its borders and a tenuous grip on Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias, Iraq may depend on American military help for years to come, even as most U.S. troops leave Iraqi soil by mid-December. ... Full Story Top Iran says EU will not impose oil sanctions Sun,11 Dec 2011 11:41 AM PST Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - The European Union "definitely" will not impose sanctions on OPEC member Iran's oil exports because such a measure would harm the global crude market, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on Sunday. EU leaders called on Friday for more sanctions against Iran by the end of January, in an effort to increase pressure on Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. "Our policy is sustainable supply of oil to Europe ... Iran is a major oil producer and any sanctions on our oil export would harm the global market," Qasemi told a news conference. ... Full Story Top Mexico drug gangs up ante with high-tech tunnels Sun,11 Dec 2011 06:57 AM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Reuters) - When architect Felipe de Jesus Corona built Mexico's most powerful drug lord a 200-foot-long tunnel under the U.S.-Mexican border with a hydraulic lift entrance opened by a fake water tap, the kingpin was impressed. The architect "made me one f---ing cool tunnel" Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman said, according to court testimony that helped sentence Corona to 18 years in prison in 2006. Built below a pool table in his lawyer's home, the tunnel was among the first of an increasingly sophisticated drug transport system used by Guzman's Sinaloa cartel. U.S. ... Full Story Top Mugabe wins party vote but challenged by age, ill health Sun,11 Dec 2011 05:12 AM PST Reuters - HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was endorsed again by his party to stand for elections expected next year, but analysts say even for a veteran political survivor, the 87-year-old leader will find it harder to convince voters to extend his rule after 32 years in power. Mugabe, they said, would face young voters, many born after independence from Britain in 1980, who may not be overly impressed with his party's tales of its leadership role in the liberation struggle and are instead desperate to find jobs in the country which has the world's highest unemployment rate. ... Full Story Top Gingrich fights off rivals in Iowa debate Sat,10 Dec 2011 09:05 PM PST Reuters - DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Surging frontrunner Newt Gingrich fought off heavy attacks in a presidential debate in Iowa on Saturday from Republican rivals who portrayed him as a Washington insider and questioned his judgment. Gingrich, described by some critics as rash and petulant, kept his cool as his Republican rivals criticized him for making up to $1.6 million from housing giant Freddie Mac, for saying Palestinians were an "invented" people and for his troubled marital past. ... Full Story Top Former Panama strongman Noriega heads home to prison Sun,11 Dec 2011 01:47 PM PST Reuters - PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Manuel Noriega, Panama's ruthless drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, is to be returned home on Sunday, headed for a jungle prison to serve a 20-year term for the murders of opponents during his rule. Noriega, now 77, was toppled in a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 and has spent the last two decades behind bars, first in Florida and then in France after being convicted for drug trafficking and money laundering during his time in power. ... Full Story Top Argentine leader vows to fine-tune model in second term Sun,11 Dec 2011 04:32 AM PST Reuters - BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Cristina Fernandez began a second term as Argentine president on Saturday, vowing to make the economy more competitive by fine-tuning the offbeat, high-growth policies that please voters but spook investors. The center-left leader won a landslide re-election in October to four more years in office on the back of sizzling economic growth and a wave of sympathy following the death last year of her husband and predecessor as president, Nestor Kirchner. ... Full Story Top Romney's $10,000 bet falls flat in Iowa debate Sat,10 Dec 2011 07:58 PM PST Reuters - DES MOINES (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney put his money where his mouth was on Saturday in a quip at a presidential debate that may have backfired. Romney, a multi-millionaire and a frontrunner for the Republican nomination, offered a $10,000 bet to opponent Texas Gov. Rick Perry in an argument over what Romney wrote about healthcare in his book "No Apologies." Former Massachusetts governor Romney tried to bet that he had not supported implementing an individual healthcare mandate, mistrusted by conservatives. "Rick, I'll tell you what: 10,000 bucks?," Romney said. ... Full Story Top Strong earthquake rattles Mexico, killing two Sat,10 Dec 2011 09:27 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday, killing at least two people, knocking out lights in parts of the capital and sending people rushing into the streets. There were no immediate reports of severe damage or injuries in Mexico City but emergency services said an 18-year-old man was killed when a roof collapsed in Iguala, a small city between the capital and the tourist resort of Acapulco. ... Full Story Top Thousands of Russians protest against Putin Sat,10 Dec 2011 12:13 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people in Moscow and thousands more in cities across Russia demanded an end to Vladimir Putin's rule and a rerun of a parliamentary election on Saturday in the biggest opposition protests since he rose to power 12 years ago. Potesters waved banners such as "The rats should go!" and "Swindlers and thieves - give us our elections back!" in cities from the Pacific port of Vladivostok in the east to Kaliningrad in the west, nearly 7,400 km (4,600 miles) away. ... Full Story Top Provocative U.S. nuclear chief faces political test Sat,10 Dec 2011 02:46 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The embattled chief of the U.S. nuclear safety regulator found some powerful political support on Saturday ahead of Capitol Hill hearings next week that will scrutinize his bid to enact sweeping safety reforms. Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is locked in a bitter battle with fellow regulators over how to move forward on expensive changes for the nation's 104 nuclear reactors - reforms prompted by Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident in March. ... Full Story Top Yemen leader will choose war, not quit: Nobel winner Sun,11 Dec 2011 01:32 AM PST Reuters - OSLO (Reuters) - The world's conscience should be haunted for its failure to help the democratic uprising in Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh will choose civil war rather than quit, said an activist accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday. Speaking after receiving the prize at a ceremony in Oslo, 32-year-old Yemeni journalist Tawakul Karman said Saleh, who promised last month to stand down by February, "will not leave. He wants to (push) the country into civil war. ... Full Story Top Amateur Athletic Union probes abuse charges against ex leader Sat,10 Dec 2011 02:35 PM PST Reuters - NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - The Amateur Athletic Union, one of the nation's largest youth sports groups, said on Saturday it was "shocked and deeply concerned" about allegations of child sex abuse made against former President Robert W. "Bobby" Dodd. Full Story Top Yemen leader will choose war, not quit: Nobel winner Sat,10 Dec 2011 10:45 AM PST Reuters - OSLO (Reuters) - The world's conscience should be haunted for its failure to help the democratic uprising in Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh will choose civil war rather than quit, said an activist accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday. Speaking after receiving the prize at a ceremony in Oslo, 32-year-old Yemeni journalist Tawakul Karman said Saleh, who promised last month to stand down by February, "will not leave. He wants to (push) the country into civil war. ... Full Story Top Peru's Humala picks ex-army officer to lead Cabinet Sat,10 Dec 2011 06:19 PM PST Reuters - LIMA (Reuters) - President Ollanta Humala replaced his prime minister on Saturday with a former army officer who was his instructor in the military in a surprise shake-up that could signal a more authoritarian governing style in Peru. Oscar Valdes, who had been Humala's interior minister, will replace Salomon Lerner, a businessman who was the most powerful centrist in the government and helped Humala shed his left-wing image to win election in June. ... Full Story Top Gunmen free American teenager in southern Philippines Sat,10 Dec 2011 08:15 PM PST Reuters - MANILA (Reuters) - Gunmen freed late on Saturday an American teenager after holding him for nearly five months on a troubled southern island in the Philippines, security officials said. Kevin Eric Lunsmann, 14, who was abducted with his Philippine-born mother and a cousin while on holidays in July, was found by soldiers walking in a village outside Lamitan town on Basilan island, army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph Cabangbang told reporters. "He is safe and is now with our troops in Lamitan," Cabangbang said, but did not mention if ransom was paid. ... Full Story Top Libya leaders send U.N. new appeal to unfreeze funds Sat,10 Dec 2011 02:12 PM PST Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Senior figures in Libya's new leadership have written a letter to the United Nations asking it to release funds still frozen three months after the country's civil war ended, the central bank chief said on Saturday. When a rebellion broke out in February against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, the U.N. Security Council froze Libyan assets estimated at $150 billion, but the bulk of that sum remains beyond the reach of the new Libyan rulers. ... Full Story Top U.N. climate talks agree pact to slow global warming Sat,10 Dec 2011 07:32 PM PST Reuters - DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - U.N. climate change talks agreed a pact on Sunday that for the first time would force all the biggest polluters to take action to slow the pace of global warming. The deal follows years of failed attempts to impose legally-binding, international cuts on emerging giants, such as China and India. Full Story Top 47 arrested after police clear Boston protest camp Sat,10 Dec 2011 09:10 AM PST Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Police cleared an anti-Wall Street tent camp in Boston's financial district early on Saturday morning, arresting 47 people in one of the few remaining major U.S. cities where authorities had not yet evicted demonstrators. In a mostly peaceful action, more than 100 police officers swept into the area before sunrise, when many of the campers were asleep, and sealed off the streets. Boston police said 33 men and 14 women were arrested, mostly for trespassing. ... Full Story Top

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