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| House chooses Boehner as speaker again despite dissent Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 05:14 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite a rocky few weeks during the "fiscal cliff" fight, John Boehner won re-election as speaker of the House of Representatives on Thursday and will again lead Republicans as they take on the White House over federal spending. Boehner defeated House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi 220-192 in a vote on the opening day of the 113th Congress and vowed to use his second term to shrink the national debt of $16 trillion to prevent it from "draining free enterprise. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Geithner's planned departure puts Obama in tough spot Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 07:21 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plans to leave near the end of January put the White House in a tricky spot, depriving the Obama administration of its longest-serving economic adviser for its next fiscal showdown with Congress. Geithner, who spent his years as Treasury secretary battling the financial crisis and then fighting with Republican lawmakers in 2011 over raising the U.S. debt ceiling, has wanted to leave government service for some time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: "Fiscal cliff" fracas: From smiles to distrust to rancor Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 10:10 PM PST  (Note: includes graphic language) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It began so optimistically. On November 16, after their first "fiscal cliff" session with President Barack Obama, the four leaders of Congress had stood in the driveway of the White House shoulder-to-shoulder for what is a rare photo these days, Republicans and Democrats together, smiling. There they were at the microphone, talking about a "framework" for tax reform and deficit reduction. ... Full Story | Top |
| As Newtown students return to school, more worry for parents Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 08:43 PM PST  NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - The roar of school buses and the sight of bundled-up youngsters dashing out of them for home made a welcome return on Thursday in a neighborhood of Newtown, Connecticut, scarred by the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history three weeks ago. Classes resumed on Thursday for more than 400 students at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But even as the community inched back to normal, reminders of the December 14 massacre that claimed the lives of 20 first-graders and six adults were everywhere. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hiring seen edging up, recovery grinds on Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 09:01 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers likely stepped up hiring a touch in December as retailers and other businesses took on more staff for the holidays, but the gain will probably not be enough to make inroads in the country's still high unemployment rate. Payrolls outside the farming sector are expected to have grown by 150,000 last month, a modest increase from November's 146,000 job gain, according to a Reuters poll of analysts. The employment reading, due to be released by the Labor Department on Friday at 8:30 a.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Same-sex marriage bill heads to Illinois state Senate floor Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 08:48 PM PST  SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - A panel of Illinois lawmakers voted on Thursday to send legislation legalizing gay marriage in President Barack Obama's home state to the floor of the state Senate, setting up a possible vote on the issue next week. The 8-5 vote by the Senate Executive Committee fell along party lines, with the panel's Democratic majority supporting the measure and its Republican minority opposing it. Although the Democratic-controlled Senate adjourned late on Thursday, lawmakers said the bill likely would be called on Tuesday when the Senate returns for a special session. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. ends long Google probe with only mild reprimand Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 04:09 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major victory for Google Inc, U.S. regulators on Thursday ended their investigation into the giant Internet company and concluded that it had not manipulated its Web search results to hurt rivals. The Federal Trade Commission did, however, win promises from Google that it would end the practice of "scraping" reviews and other data from rivals' websites for its own products, and to allow advertisers to export data to independently evaluate advertising campaigns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flood program to run dry without congressional action: FEMA Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:58 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The flood insurance program will run out of money to pay claims for Hurricane Sandy and other disasters in coming days unless Congress lets it borrow more funds, the national emergency agency said on Thursday. The warning from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) came a day ahead of a vote by the House of Representatives on a $9 billion payment on storm-related support for the National Flood Insurance Program. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic president refuses to leave power, defying rebels Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 07:07 AM PST  BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic President Francois Bozize will refuse to leave power during talks with rebels, his spokesman said on Thursday, rejecting the insurgents' main demand and raising the prospect of a return to fighting. The Seleka rebel alliance, which has accused Bozize of reneging on a past peace deal, advanced to within striking distance of the mineral-rich nation's capital this week before bowing to international pressure to start negotiations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eleven dead in Damascus gas station blast Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 05:27 PM PST  AZAZ, Syria (Reuters) - At least 11 people were killed and 40 wounded when a car bomb exploded at a crowded petrol station in the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, opposition activists said. The station was packed with people queuing for fuel that has become increasingly scarce during the country's 21-month-long insurgency aimed at overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad. The semi-official al-Ikhbariya television station showed footage of 10 burnt bodies and Red Crescent workers searching for victims at the site. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide car bomber kills 27 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 09:29 AM PST HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 27 Shi'ite Muslims at a bus station in the Iraqi town of Mussayab on Thursday, police and medics said, as they were gathering to return home from a religious rite. The attack, which also wounded at least 60, underlines sectarian tensions that threaten to further destabilize the country a year after U.S. troops left. ... Full Story | Top |
| Private sector job gains offer hope for labor market Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 01:18 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Private-sector employers shrugged off a looming budget crisis and stepped up hiring in December, offering further evidence of underlying strength in the economy as 2012 ended. While other data on Thursday showed an increase in the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits, the trend remained consistent with steady job growth. "The underlying economy has momentum, and the employment data confirms that. The hope and prayer of the market is that our political leaders don't screw it up," said John Brady, managing director at R.J. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indian rape accused charged; victim's father calls for hanging Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 06:24 AM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Five Indian men were formally charged in court on Thursday with the gang rape and murder of a physiotherapy student in a case that has generated widespread anger about the government's inability to prevent violence against women. The December 16 attack on the 23-year-old student and a male companion provoked furious protests close to the seat of government in New Delhi and has fuelled a nationwide debate about the prevalence of sexual crime in India, where a rape is reported on average every 20 minutes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Geithner's planned departure puts Obama in tough spot Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:55 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plans to leave near the end of January put the White House in a tricky spot, depriving the Obama administration of its longest-serving economic adviser for its next fiscal showdown with Congress. Geithner, who spent his years as Treasury secretary battling the financial crisis and then fighting with Republican lawmakers in 2011 over raising the U.S. debt ceiling, has wanted to leave government service for some time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eleven dead in Damascus gas station blast Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 02:54 PM PST AZAZ, Syria (Reuters) - At least 11 people were killed and 40 wounded when a car bomb exploded at a crowded petrol station in the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, opposition activists said. The station was packed with people queuing for fuel that has become increasingly scarce during the country's 21-month-long insurgency aimed at overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad. The semi-official al-Ikhbariya television station showed footage of 10 burnt bodies and Red Crescent workers searching for victims at the site. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Sandy Hook school opens after attack Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 09:13 AM PST  NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Twenty days after the massacre that left 20 first graders and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, plunging a rural New England town and the nation into grief, classes resumed on Thursday for the more than 400 students who lived through the harrowing assault. Across Newtown's sprawling Sandy Hook neighborhood where the December 14 attack took place, children bundled in heavy winter coats boarded buses decked in green and white ribbons, their school colors, for the seven-mile journey to their new school. ... Full Story | Top |
| House chooses Boehner as speaker again despite dissent Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:53 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite a rocky few weeks during the "fiscal cliff" fight, John Boehner won re-election as speaker of the House of Representatives on Thursday and will again lead Republicans as they take on the White House over federal spending. Boehner defeated House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi 220-192 in a vote on the opening day of the 113th Congress and vowed to use his second term to shrink the national debt of $16 trillion to prevent it from "draining free enterprise. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. ends long Google probe with only mild reprimand Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major victory for Google Inc, U.S. regulators on Thursday ended their investigation into the giant Internet company and concluded that it had not manipulated its Web search results to hurt rivals. The Federal Trade Commission did, however, win promises from Google that it would end the practice of "scraping" reviews and other data from rivals' websites for its own products, and to allow advertisers to export data to independently evaluate advertising campaigns. ... Full Story | Top |
| Private sector job gains offer hope for labor market Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 11:49 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Private-sector employers shrugged off a looming budget crisis and stepped up hiring in December, offering further evidence of underlying strength in the economy as 2012 ended. While other data on Thursday showed an increase in the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits, the trend remained consistent with steady job growth. "The underlying economy has momentum, and the employment data confirms that. The hope and prayer of the market is that our political leaders don't screw it up," said John Brady, managing director at R.J. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republican Boehner wins second term as House Speaker Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 10:49 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Boehner won a second two-year term as speaker of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday. Despite a few Republicans holding back support for him, Boehner beat Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi by 220-192 votes, on the first day of a new Congress. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Monti says political rivals should sideline extremists Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 09:00 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Mario Monti, bidding for a second term as Italy's prime minister, said on Thursday a left-wing party on track to lead the next government should sideline "extreme" elements who hinder vital economic reforms. The 69-year-old former European Commissioner was appointed in November 2011 to lead an unelected right-left government of experts to save Italy from financial crisis after then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi quit. ... Full Story | Top |
| FTC ends long Google probe with mild reprimand Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 10:56 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Regulators on Thursday closed a long-running investigation of Google with a relatively mild agreement that is likely to disappoint rivals and critics of the Web search giant. Under the agreement, Google agreed to end the practice of "scraping" reviews and other data from rivals' websites for its own products, and to allow advertisers to export data to independently evaluate advertising campaigns, the Federal Trade Commission said. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said Google also agreed to license standard patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. ... Full Story | Top |
| Social protest leaders hope to shake up Israel ballot Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:33 AM PST  TEL AVIV (Reuters) - They are young and they are driven. They got half a million Israelis out on the streets demanding social justice. Now they want their votes. The leaders of a grassroots social protest movement that swept Israel in 2011 have shot to the top of a rejuvenated Labour party that polls say will at least double its power in a January 22 general election that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud is forecast to win. "The next stage is to continue what started in the streets, to bring that to the ballot ... ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. drone strike kills key Pakistan Taliban commander: sources Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 03:20 AM PST  WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike killed a key Taliban commander, his deputy and eight others in northwest Pakistan, intelligence sources and tribal leaders said Thursday, deaths that could substantially alter the power balance in the Taliban heartland of Waziristan. Maulvi Nazir Wazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, was killed on Wednesday night when missiles struck a mud house in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, intelligence sources and residents said. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Congress will take fresh crack at old problems Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 11:03 AM 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 |
| Clinton resting, plans to return to the office next week Thursday, Jan 03, 2013 12:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is resting at home in New York after being treated for a blood clot and plans to return to her office next week, the State Department said on Thursday. Clinton, 65, has suffered a series of ailments over the last month including a stomach virus, a concussion and a blood clot in a vein behind her right ear. She was released from New York Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday after a stay of several days during which she was given blood thinners to treat the clot. Her doctors have said they expect her to make a full recovery. ... Full Story | Top |
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