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| United States avoids calamity in "fiscal cliff" drama Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:58 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States averted economic calamity on Tuesday when lawmakers approved a deal to prevent huge tax hikes and spending cuts that would have pushed the world's largest economy off a "fiscal cliff" and into recession. The agreement hands a clear victory to President Barack Obama, who won re-election on a promise to address budget woes in part by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. His Republican antagonists were forced to vote against a core tenet of their anti-tax conservative faith. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan launches major dam to boost agricultural production, investment Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:52 PM PST ROSEIRIS, Sudan (Reuters) - Sudan launched a major dam project on Tuesday to boost power supply and agricultural irrigation, a plan officials hope will foster farmland exports and attract more Gulf investment to the African country as it battles an economic crisis. Faced with the loss of most of its oil reserves with South Sudan's secession in 2011, Sudan plans to increase exports of agricultural goods, such as wheat, fruits, oil seeds and gum arabic. Oil was the primary source of income for the country's budget as well as dollars needed to fund imports. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gambian leader says to build herbal AIDS-cure hospital Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:39 PM PST  BANJUL (Reuters) - AIDS patients would be offered an herbal cure at a 1,111-bed hospital in Gambia that the president said on Tuesday he plans to build despite medical concerns the treatment is dangerous. President Yahya Jammeh said in 2007 he had found a remedy of boiled herbs to cure AIDS, stirring anger among Western medical experts who claimed he was giving false hope to the sick. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ethiopian court convicts 10 men of plotting attacks Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:36 PM PST ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ten men were found guilty by an Ethiopian court on Tuesday of plotting attacks against political and economic targets in the Horn of Africa country with the help of Islamist militants from neighbouring Somalia. Ethiopia waged an ill-fated war in Somalia in 2006-2009 and sent troops back in 2011 to fight the al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab group, opening a third front alongside Kenyan troops and an African Union mission. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rival Sudans hold summit on Friday, signal concessions Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:34 PM PST  KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) - The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan will meet on Friday to discuss how to improve border security and resume vital oil flows, both sides said on Tuesday as the feuding African neighbours signalled possible concessions. The countries, which fought one of Africa's longest civil wars ending with a peace deal in 2005, signalled concessions ahead of the summit. Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir accepted an invitation from Ethiopia to meet in Addis Ababa, spokesmen for both governments said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian army says 14 die in gun battle with Boko Haram Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:34 PM PST  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military killed 13 members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and lost one soldier on Tuesday in a gun battle in Maiduguri, the group's northeastern stronghold, the army said. Boko Haram, which is loosely based on the Afghan Taliban, killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose sharia, or Islamic law, in Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: In era of gridlock, Congress "created a monster" Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 10:03 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Setting a looming deadline to avert self-created calamity has become a frequent device for the U.S. Congress to get things done in recent years. When all else fails, as it often does, it's supposed to frighten members into action. That was the idea when Congress created the "fiscal cliff" in August, 2011 to resolve a partisan struggle, also with a deadline and also self-created, over raising the federal debt ceiling. ... Full Story | Top |
| House skips vote on Sandy aid, angering members from storm-hit states Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:53 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives adjourned on Tuesday night without acting on a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill, prompting angry denunciations from members from the states hardest hit by the storm. "I have just been informed that we will be having perhaps no further votes in this Congress," said Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "I am deeply disappointed at that information. We have millions of our fellow citizens who have been badly damaged by a storm called Sandy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Passage of bill to avoid "cliff" should bolster Wall Street Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:16 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks are poised for gains to begin the year after the late passage of a bill to avoid harsh tax hikes that would have hit most Americans and crimped economic growth. However, harsh reality awaits any euphoria that comes from avoiding the "fiscal cliff". In two months, battles over further spending cuts and, in particular, the U.S. federal debt limit will come to a head. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fiscal plan averts "dairy cliff," buys time for farm bill Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 09:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal approved by the U.S. Congress late 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 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 |
| Factbox: Key points in bill passed by Congress to avert "fiscal cliff" Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:52 PM PST (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a Senate bill on Tuesday night to avert $600 billion in automatic tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." Here are details: Postpones the first installment of automatic spending cuts for two months while Congress works on a plan replace them. Raises $620 billion in revenue over 10 years through a series of tax increases on wealthier Americans. Permanently extends tax cuts enacted in 2001 under former Republican President George W. Bush for income below $400,000 per individual, or $450,000 per family. ... Full Story | Top |
| After fiscal win, Obama warns Congress on debt fight Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:51 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Speaking after winning a "fiscal cliff" victory, President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to avoid a repeat of last year's divisive fight with Congress over an extension of the nation's borrowing authority. "While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up," Obama said in remarks in the White House. He urged "a little less drama" in coming budget talks about cutting government spending. (Reporting by Alistair Bell; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top |
| Obama resumes Hawaii vacation after "fiscal cliff" bill passes Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama departed the White House on Tuesday to resume his Hawaii vacation shortly after Congress approved legislation that raises taxes on the wealthiest Americans and avoids the "fiscal cliff" of across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts. The president left the White House shortly before midnight. He had cut his vacation short on Wednesday to oversee negotiation of a deal before a year-end deadline. (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" deal looks so-so for U.S. businesses on taxes Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 08:30 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The "fiscal cliff" deal that slowly, painfully took shape in the U.S. Congress in recent days fulfills some of corporate America's tax policy goals, but leaves others unmet, including a big one - meaningful deficit and debt reduction. The bill, which received final congressional approval late on Tuesday on a 257-167 bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives, would provide businesses with greater tax certainty in the short term. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York county denies request for names of gun permit holders Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:36 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities in a suburban county north of New York City said on Tuesday they would refuse to release names of local gun permit holders to a newspaper that has been publishing the identities of thousands of license-holding residents. Putnam County Clerk Dennis Sant said he would defy a request for information about pistol permit holders from the White Plains, New York-based Journal News, which has come under criticism for publishing thousands of such identities already. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chavez aware his condition complicated: Vice President Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 07:35 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is aware that his condition is complicated following a fourth cancer operation in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday, as the OPEC nation watches for clues to the socialist leader's health. Maduro said he was returning to Venezuela after spending several days alongside Chavez and members of the president's family. That may help squelch rumors his visit was a sign that the former soldier was near death. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" bill sails through House test vote Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 06:50 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill to avert the U.S. "fiscal cliff" by canceling most scheduled tax hikes and delaying spending cuts cleared a procedural vote in the U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin, indicating strong support for final passage in a vote expected later on Tuesday. The House voted 408-10 to approve a rule allowing for consideration of the fiscal cliff bill that was passed by the Senate early on Tuesday. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Pennsylvania governor to sue NCAA over Penn State sanctions Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 06:05 PM PST  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said on Tuesday he will file a federal lawsuit against the NCAA over sanctions it levied against Pennsylvania State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. Corbett is scheduled to hold a news conference on Wednesday at the Nittany Lion Inn on the Penn State campus to reveal the details of the lawsuit against the governing body of U.S. collegiate sports, his office said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Trade, tax, transparency on June G8 meet agenda - UK Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 05:51 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Trade, tax compliance and promoting greater transparency will be the main focus of the next meeting of leaders of the Group of Eight major economies in June, Britain said on Wednesday as it assumed the group's rotating presidency. Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped the group's seven other member nations - the United States, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany - would join Britain in trying to "fire up economies and drive prosperity". ... Full Story | Top |
| Top House Republican predicts final passage of "fiscal cliff" bill Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 05:44 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives said he expected the chamber to give final approval on Tuesday night to the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill. Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier made the prediction in a brief interview with Reuters after his panel cleared the way for the measure to be brought to the House floor. Dreier said he expected it to pass with bipartisan support, but declined to guess how many Republicans would back it, other than to say, "Quite a few." (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| House to vote on Senate "fiscal cliff" bill Tuesday night: aide Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 05:37 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives will vote later on Tuesday on the Senate "fiscal cliff" bill to avoid massive tax hikes and spending cuts, a congressional aide said. The Senate bill raises taxes on families earning more than $450,000 a year. (Reporting By Kim Dixon, Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| House preparing to vote on Senate "fiscal cliff" bill: Democrat Hastings Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 05:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill, Democratic Representative Alcee Hastings said on Tuesday, increasing the odds that Congress will stave off steep tax hikes and spending cuts. Hastings, a member of the House Rules Committee, said the panel was working out the procedure for voting on the Senate bill that raises taxes on families earning over $450,000 a year. House Republicans had considered changing the Senate bill to add new spending cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: "Fiscal cliff" deal called a dud on deficit front Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 04:05 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the controversy surrounding the "fiscal cliff" issue, it's easy to forget that the origin of the entire debate was a professed desire to reduce swollen federal deficits. Whether the target was $4 trillion over 10 years, as proposed by the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction commission, or in the $2 trillion range, as tossed around by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama, the idea was to rein in total debt that now tops $16 trillion. By those standards, the bill passed by the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans seek $330 billion in spending cuts in fiscal cliff amendment Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 03:50 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are looking to add an amendment to the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" legislation that would cut spending by $330 billion, Republican Representative Darrell Issa said on Tuesday. Republicans are now weighing whether they will be able to get enough votes to pass such an amendment. If not, they will hold an up-or-down vote on the Senate-passed measure, a Republican aide said. (Reporting By Rachelle Younglai; Writing by Kim Dixon; Editing by Peter Cooney.) Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans aim to bring up Senate "fiscal cliff" bill if option fails: aide Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 03:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Republican leaders may bring the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill up for a vote if they determine they do not have enough support to amend it, a senior aide said on Tuesday. The aide said Republican leaders were trying to determine if they could muster the needed 218 votes from their 241 members. If they fall short, the goal is to bring up the Senate-passed bill for a vote as "soon as possible," the aide said. (Reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Senate adjourns until Wednesday at 12 noon EST Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 03:22 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate formally adjourned for the evening on Tuesday, which could further complicate the fate of a Senate-passed bill to avert $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." Democratic Majority leader Harry Reid adjourned the Senate, which hours before passed legislation raising taxes on incomes above $400,000 and other changes to prevent the country from the effects of tumbling over the cliff. House Republicans were meeting on Tuesday to decide whether to act on the bill. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq PM warns Sunni protesters, makes small concession Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 02:52 PM PST  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has warned he will not tolerate Sunni anti-government rallies indefinitely, but made a concession to their demands by promising to free some women prisoners. Thousands of Sunnis have been taking to the streets of Iraq for more than a week in protest against Maliki, whom they accuse of discriminating against their sect and being under the sway of their non-Arab Shi'ite neighbor Iran. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans balk at "fiscal cliff" deal Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 02:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last-minute efforts to step back from the "fiscal cliff" ran into trouble on Tuesday as Republicans in the House of Representatives balked at a deal that would prevent Washington from pushing the world's biggest economy into a recession. House Republicans complained that a bill passed by the Senate in a late-night show of unity to prevent a budget crisis contained tax hikes for the wealthiest Americans but no spending cuts. Some conservatives sought to change the bill to add cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate would refuse changes to fiscal cliff bill: aide Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 02:48 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If the House of Representatives makes changes to a Senate-passed bill aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff," the Senate would not take up that legislation, a Senate Democratic leadership aide said on Tuesday. Early on Tuesday, the Senate approved, with broad bipartisan support, legislation to avoid $600 billion in potentially harmful tax increases and spending cuts. Republicans in the House, saying they are unhappy with the lack of spending cuts in the bill, are considering amending the Senate-passed measure. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans meeting to mull "fiscal cliff" options: aide Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 02:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives are meeting to consider how to move forward with the Senate's plan to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts, a congressional aide said on Tuesday. The 5:15 p.m. (2215 GMT) meeting was called about two hours after a number of House Republicans panned a Senate bill that would raise taxes on household incomes over $450,000 a year. It was unclear whether Republican leaders had made a decision on how to proceed with the Senate bill. (Reporting by Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill adds $4 trillion to deficits: CBO Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 02:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday said Senate-passed legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff" would add nearly $4 trillion to federal deficits over a decade, largely because it would extend low tax rates for almost all Americans. The congressional scorekeeper's analysis was released as a number of Republicans in the House of Representatives voiced opposition to the bill, and considered amending it with deeper spending cuts. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and others complained the bill's spending cuts would do little to curb trillion-dollar deficits. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill packed with sweeteners Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 01:37 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate packed an eclectic mix of handouts and takebacks into its last-minute deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff," including a measure to repeal part of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul and a string of special interest tax breaks. At the center of the 157-page bill adopted early Tuesday are provisions to raise taxes on the wealthiest households and to make permanent Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Key points in the Senate's deal to avert "fiscal cliff" Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 01:25 PM PST (Reuters) - The Senate on Tuesday approved a deal to avert $600 billion in automatic tax increases and spending cuts in the "fiscal cliff" that could hobble the economy if allowed to start taking effect this week. The bill has moved to the Republican-led House of Representatives for consideration. Here are details of the Senate-passed deal: * Postpones for two months the start of $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts over 10 years, known as the "sequester." For those two months, $24 billion in savings would be substituted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Young, urban Indians find political voice after student's gang rape Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 01:03 PM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - When Preeti Joshi heard of the gang rape of a fellow student, she joined a movement of thousands of outraged young Indians who have taken to the streets of New Delhi almost every day protesting for justice and security for women. Beaten and raped by five men and a teenager on a moving bus in the capital on December 16, the 23-year-old student died from her injuries on Saturday, her plight shaking the conscience of many urban middle class Indians who consider gender rights as important as poverty alleviation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republicans concerned about lack of spending cuts in "fiscal cliff" bill Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:47 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voiced concerns at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday about "the lack of spending cuts" in the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill, a senior aide said. The more than two-hour meeting ended with no decision on when the House may consider the bill and on what changes Republicans may offer. "Conversations with members will continue throughout the afternoon on a path forward," said Rory Cooper, a spokesman for Republican leader Eric Cantor, the party's No. 2 in the House. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan, South Sudan leaders to hold summit on Friday Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:43 PM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan will meet on Friday in Ethiopia to discuss how to improve border security and resume cross-border oil flows, both governments said on Tuesday. The African Union will host the summit between Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, spokesmen for both governments said. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing and Khalid Abdelaziz; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
| Cantor says he doesn't back Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eric Cantor, the Republican leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, said on Tuesday he does not support the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill, further raising questions about how Congress will address automatic spending cuts and tax increases that began to take effect just after midnight. Cantor expressed his unhappiness with the measure to reporters as he left a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republicans. It remains unclear when the House will consider the Senate bill and what if any changes it will seek. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Bill Trott) Full Story | Top |
| North Korean leader, in rare address, seeks end to confrontation with South Tuesday, Jan 01, 2013 12:04 PM 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's broadcast on state media. The address by Kim, who took 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's editorial published annually in the past in leading state newspapers. ... Full Story | Top |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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