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| U.S. drone strike kills important Taliban commander: sources Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 10:53 PM PST  WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike killed a Taliban commander, his deputy and eight others in northwest Pakistan, intelligence sources and tribal leaders said Thursday, weeks after he was wounded in a bomb attack believed to have been launched by Taliban rivals. Maulvi Nazir Wazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, was killed on Wednesday night when missiles struck a house in Angoor Adda, near the capital of Wana, South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, intelligence sources and residents said. His deputy, Ratta Khan, was also killed, sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nominee to be Libyan foreign minister turns down the job Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 10:41 PM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The man proposed as Libya's foreign minister has rejected the post despite being cleared by an Integrity Commission which was asked to examine his ties to deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. Ali Aujali, Libya's former ambassador to the United States was among eight of the 27 ministers nominated by Prime Minister Ali Zeidan who were referred to the commission, which studies the backgrounds of public officials, after protests outside congress over the make up of his cabinet. ... Full Story | Top |
| Algerian diplomats appeal to president to help free them: TV Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 10:40 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - A pan-Arab satellite channel on Wednesday broadcast footage of three Algerian diplomats held hostage by suspected Islamist militants in Mali in which they appealed to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to secure their release. The men were among seven diplomats seized in April while working at the Algerian consulate in Gao in northern Mali. The Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television said the footage, showing three men looking in good health and sporting beards, had been broadcast by a Mauritanian news channel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jordanian peacekeepers kidnapped in Darfur freed Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 10:36 PM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Two Jordanian peacekeepers abducted in Darfur four months ago were freed on Wednesday, the international force overseeing the conflict-torn region said. A plane carrying the pair landed at Khartoum airport, the force led by the African Union and United Nations said in a statement that did not identify the kidnappers or say where the soldiers were released and whether a ransom was paid. Conflict has raged in Darfur since insurgents took up arms against Sudanese government forces in 2003, complaining that Khartoum had neglected the vast, arid region. The U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Uganda throws out case against British gay play producer Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 10:36 PM PST  KAMPALA (Reuters) - A Ugandan court threw out a case on Wednesday against a British theatre producer accused of staging a play about homosexuality in the religiously conservative east African country, the producer said. David Cecil, 35, was arrested in September after he put on 'The River and The Mountain', a comedy-drama about a gay businessman, in the capital, Kampala. Cecil was charged with disobeying a public official but the trial was halted due to a lack of evidence. "The magistrate has given me back my passport and said you can go," Cecil told Reuters. "I left the court with a big grin. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Congress will take fresh crack at old problems Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 10:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new 113th U.S. Congress, which convenes on Thursday, is set to take a fresh crack at a number of old, and highly contentious, issues, such as gun control, immigration, the record debt, tax reform and the farm bill. Here's a look: GUN CONTROL President Barack Obama vows to crack down on gun violence in the wake of the school massacre last month in Newtown, Connecticut, the latest in a series of shooting rampages over the past decade. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bigger fights loom after "fiscal cliff" deal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 09:44 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans face even bigger budget battles in the next two months after a hard-fought "fiscal cliff" deal narrowly averted devastating tax increases and spending cuts. The agreement, approved late on Tuesday by the Republican-led House of Representatives and signed by Obama on Wednesday, was a victory for the president, who had won re-election in November on a promise to address budget woes, partly by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama signs "fiscal cliff" legislation: White House Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 09:19 PM PST HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed on Wednesday "fiscal cliff" legislation that raises tax rates for top earners and extends tax cuts for the middle class, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| Sandy Hook kids head to school for first time since attack Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 09:03 PM PST  NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Hundreds of the children who escaped the harrowing attack on their elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, last month head back to classes on Thursday for the first time since a gunman killed 20 of their schoolmates and six staff members. School officials are preparing for droves of anxious parents to join the fleet of buses carting children to a disused middle school in the neighboring town of Monroe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google's Schmidt plans North Korea trip: AP Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 08:28 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, will travel this year to reclusive North Korea, where Internet use is subject to some of the world's tightest controls, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Schmidt, one of the highest-profile leaders of the U.S. technology industry, could visit as early as this month, the AP said. The announcement was made days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the third member of his family to rule the country since its inception in the Cold War, signaled a willingness to improve relations with South Korea. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three dead in Swiss shooting, suspect wounded, arrested Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 08:20 PM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and two wounded late on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire in the Swiss village of Daillon, Swiss police said on Thursday. The suspect threatened police when they tried to arrest him, and officers shot and wounded him before taking him into custody, police of the Swiss canton of Valais said in a statement. No police officers were wounded. Swiss website 20minutes.ch reported that the gunman was a resident of the village aged about 30 who was armed with an assault rifle and had been drinking heavily. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Republicans start new Congress bruised and divided Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 08:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the wake of bruising fights in their own ranks over the "fiscal cliff" and aid for victims of superstorm Sandy - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives open a new Congress on Thursday more divided than ever. While their leader, Speaker John Boehner, seems in no danger of losing his position because of the divisions, his ability to speak for his membership in the House appears greatly diminished. That could not come at a worse time for Republicans as they prepare for their next attempt to get more spending cuts out of President Barack Obama. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Korea budgets for sunnier ties with reclusive North Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 07:55 PM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has increased its budget to fund North Korea-related projects this year, government data showed on Thursday, with a new president seeking closer relations due to take office in Seoul and signs of an opening from Pyongyang. The two Koreas remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended with a truce, not a treaty, and relations plunged under South Korean President Lee Myung-bak who cut aid dramatically after the shooting of a South Korean tourist in the North in 2008. ... Full Story | Top |
| Governor sues NCAA over Penn State sex scandal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 06:03 PM PST  (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit on Wednesday demanding that sanctions imposed on Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal be thrown out, saying they threatened to devastate the state's economy. Corbett called the sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine, "overreaching and unlawful. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 5-Governor sues NCAA over Penn State sex scandal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 06:00 PM PST Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit on Wednesday demanding that sanctions imposed on Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal be thrown out, saying they threatened to devastate the state's economy. Corbett called the sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine, "overreaching and unlawful. ... Full Story | Top |
| Child support claim rankles sperm donor to lesbian couple Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:47 PM PST KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) - A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple so they could have a child said on Wednesday he is shocked the state is now trying to make him pay child support. William Marotta, 46, donated sperm to Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer under a written agreement that he would not be considered the father of the child nor liable for child support. A daughter, now 3, was born to Schreiner. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tax break extension breathes new life into U.S. wind power Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:28 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. wind industry is powering up once again after Congress extended a critical tax credit that wind companies say will save tens of thousands of domestic jobs and allow more clean energy projects to ramp up this year. About half of the sector's 75,000 jobs in the United States had been expected to disappear if the wind production tax credit had been allowed to expire at the end of last year, according to trade group the American Wind Energy Association. ... Full Story | Top |
| Illinois lawmakers begin considering approval of gay marriage Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:26 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois lawmakers began considering a measure on Wednesday that would make President Barack Obama's home state the 10th in the nation to legalize gay marriage. Supporters and opponents furiously lobbied lawmakers as a leading sponsor of the proposal pressed for a quick vote in the state Senate. The "lame duck" session is the final meeting before a newly elected legislature takes office later in January. ... Full Story | Top |
| After "fiscal cliff," U.S. conservatives eye Republican primaries Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:22 PM PST  CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress prevented hefty tax hikes and spending cuts with a "fiscal cliff" deal this week, but grassroots conservatives are already seeking 2014 primary challengers for high-profile Republican lawmakers who backed the deal. Few challengers have yet come forward. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boehner sets House votes on Sandy aid after Republican attacks Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 04:43 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Speaker John Boehner abruptly reversed course on Wednesday and set a timetable to approve $60 billion in Superstorm Sandy relief, after fellow Republicans including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie heaped scorn on his cancellation of an earlier vote. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives will now vote on Friday on a $9 billion down payment for storm-related support to the National Flood Insurance Program. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton discharged from hospital, doctors expect full recovery Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 04:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from a New York hospital on Wednesday after being treated for a blood clot near her brain and her doctors expect her to make a full recovery, the State Department said. Clinton, who has not been seen in public since December 7, was at New York-Presbyterian Hospital under treatment for a blood clot behind her right ear that stemmed from a concussion she suffered in mid-December, the department said on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel to examine CIA contacts with "Zero Dark Thirty" filmmakers Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 04:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After the Senate Intelligence Committee's chairwoman expressed outrage over scenes that imply "enhanced interrogations" of CIA detainees produced a breakthrough in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the panel has begun a review of contacts between the makers of the film "Zero Dark Thirty" and CIA officials. In the latest controversy surrounding the film, Reuters has learned that the committee will examine records charting contacts between intelligence officials and the film's director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pennsylvania suit against NCAA a long shot: experts Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:55 PM PST  (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett faces serious obstacles to winning his antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA over the harsh sanctions it imposed on Penn State in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, legal experts said on Wednesday. While targeting the National Collegiate Athletic Association may be popular politically in a state where Penn State football is widely loved, the federal court handling the case might rule that the state lacks standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place, experts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pennsylvania suit against NCAA a long shot, experts say Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:52 PM PST Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett faces serious obstacles to winning his antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA over the harsh sanctions it imposed on Penn State in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, legal experts said on Wednesday. While targeting the National Collegiate Athletic Association may be popular politically in a state where Penn State football is widely loved, the federal court handling the case might rule that the state lacks standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place, experts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google's executive chairman plans North Korea trip - AP Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:52 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, one of the highest-profile leaders of the U.S. technology industry, will travel to North Korea this year, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Schmidt's visit, which AP said might take place as soon as this month, comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called this week for an end to confrontation with South Korea, with which the country is technically still at war. It was unclear whom Schmidt will meet or what his agenda might be, the AP reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's opposition demands "whole truth" about Chavez health Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:52 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition on Wednesday demanded the government tell "the whole truth" about the health of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez, who has not been heard from in three weeks after undergoing a grueling operation in Cuba. Officials have acknowledged the usually garrulous former soldier's health is delicate after his fourth cancer surgery in 18 months, but they have offered scant details on his condition. He has not spoken in public in more than three weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY newspaper hires armed guards after publishing gun permit names Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:49 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A suburban New York newspaper that ignited a furor by publishing the identities of thousands of residents who hold gun licenses has hired armed security to guard its staff after receiving an intimidating e-mail, a police report said. Among a "large amount of negative correspondence" that White Plains, New York-based Journal News has received since publishing permit holders' names was one e-mail in which the sender "wondered what would get in her mail next," according to a Clarkstown, New York, police report obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago couple eagerly awaits Illinois gay marriage vote Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:45 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Theresa Volpe and Mercedes Santos' 8-year-old daughter, Ava, has learned about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in school. So her school friends understand when she tells them her two moms are fighting for their civil rights to marry -- it's just hard to explain it to grown-ups sometimes, Volpe and Santos say. "This is really for our kids," said Volpe, who along with Santos are plaintiffs in a lawsuit demanding same sex marriage in Illinois. "It's important for them to be treated fairly. We're just as much a family as any other family. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hillary Clinton discharged from N.Y. hospital: State Department Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from hospital on Wednesday after being treated for a blood clot in a vein behind her right ear, and her doctors expect her to make a full recovery, a State Department spokesman said. "Her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery," said Philippe Reines in a statement. "She's eager to get back to the office, and we will keep you updated on her schedule as it becomes clearer in the coming days," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| CEOs pan fiscal cliff deal, vow to continue debt fight Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:36 PM PST  (Reuters) - U.S. executives largely panned the congressional deal to steer America away from the "fiscal cliff," saying Washington wasted an opportunity to address the nation's long-term debt, but said they would continue to agitate for a better budget plan. While CEOs expressed relief that $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts will not kick the fragile economy in the gut, their gratitude was salted with insults. "I think this deal's a disaster," said Peter Huntsman, chief executive of chemical producer Huntsman Corp. "We're just living in a fantasy land. ... Full Story | Top |
| Budget deal leaves U.S. defense sector in limbo Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon officials and weapons makers on Wednesday expressed relief after Congress approved a two-month delay in huge budget cuts, but warned that a longer-term fiscal solution is urgently needed to lift the uncertainty hanging over the sector. "Congress has prevented the worst possible outcome by delaying sequestration for two months. Unfortunately, the cloud of sequestration remains," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement. "Congress cannot continue to just kick the can down the road. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. lifts Syria death toll to "truly shocking" 60,000 Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:58 PM PST  AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 60,000 people have died in Syria's uprising and civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dramatically raising the death toll in a struggle that shows no sign of ending. In the latest violence, dozens were killed in a rebellious Damascus suburb when a government air strike turned a petrol station into an inferno, incinerating drivers who had rushed there for a rare chance to fill their tanks, activists said. "I counted at least 30 bodies. They were either burnt or dismembered," said Abu Saeed, an activist who arrived in the area an hour after the 1 ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" deal extends New York rebuilding bonds Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional lawmakers added a provision into legislation on avoiding the U.S. "fiscal cliff" that extends for two years issuance of Liberty Bonds, the debt authorized after the September 11, 2001, attacks to help rebuild New York, according to a copy of the bill. Liberty Bonds are unlike many sold in the $3.7 trillion tax-exempt municipal bond market - they are issued by the New York Liberty Development Corporation to make loans to companies and they are solely secured by loan payments from those companies. ... Full Story | Top |
| New FAA head among appointments approved by Senate Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate late on Tuesday approved a number of key White House nominations to regulatory agencies, including the president's choice for the top job at Federal Aviation Administration that had been vacant for over a year. Michael Huerta was confirmed as FAA administrator for a five-year term after acting in that role since December 2011, when his predecessor resigned after being arrested and charged with drunk driving. ... Full Story | Top |
| Moody's says more steps needed to save U.S. credit rating Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:31 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States must do more than the recently passed "fiscal cliff" measures if the country is to rescue its Aaa debt rating from its current negative outlook, rating agency Moody's Investors Service said on Wednesday. Standard & Poor's said the deal does not affect its negative view of the U.S. credit outlook, and said more work remains ahead for policymakers. The last minute deal passed on Tuesday to avert potentially devastating tax hikes and spending cuts clarifies the medium-term deficit and debt trajectory of the federal government, Moody's said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 3-Governor sues NCAA over Penn State sex scandal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:28 PM PST Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said on Wednesday he is seeking to have the costly sanctions levied by the NCAA against Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal thrown out, saying the punishment threatens to cause devastating damage to the state's residents and economy. The sanctions, which included an unprecedented $60 million fine, are "overreaching and unlawful," he said at a news conference in State College where the university is located. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY Times loses bid to uncover details on drone strikes Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:18 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday rejected The New York Times' bid to force the U.S. government to disclose more information about its targeted killing of people it believes have ties to terrorism, including American citizens. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan said the Obama administration did not violate the law by refusing the Times' request for the legal justifications for targeted killings, a strategy the Times said was first contemplated by the Bush administration soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street starts new year with a bang after "cliff" deal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:06 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks kicked off the new year with their best day in over a year on Wednesday, sparked by relief over a last-minute deal in Washington to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts that threatened to derail the economy's growth. In 2013's first trading session, the S&P 500 achieved its biggest one-day gain since December 20, 2011, pushing the benchmark index to its highest close since September 14. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gun checks soar 39 percent, set new record: FBI Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of FBI background checks required for Americans buying guns set a record in December, indicating that more people may purchase one after the Connecticut school massacre stirred interest in self-defense and prompted renewed talk of limits on firearms, according to FBI data. The FBI said it recorded 2.78 million background checks during the month, surpassing the mark set in November of 2.01 million checks - about a 39 percent rise. The latest monthly figure was up 49 percent over December 2011, when the FBI performed a then-record 1.86 million checks. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. economy to row against austerity tide in 2013 Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington has steered clear of severe austerity measures for now, reducing the risk of recession, but a clutch of U.S. tax hikes will nevertheless be a drag on economic growth this year. The U.S. Congress approved a deal late on Tuesday to scale back some $600 billion in scheduled tax hikes and government spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." Analysts said the package at least marked a temporary reprieve for the economy, and investors charged into U.S. stocks, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 up 2.5 percent on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
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