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| Russian police free child hostage, kill seven militants in Dagestan Friday, Dec 28, 2012 10:31 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian security forces killed seven militants and freed a 6-year-old girl taken hostage in the restive Dagestan region of Russia's volatile North Caucasus on Saturday, a national anti-terrorism committee official told Interfax news agency. The incident took place in an apartment building in the provincial capital of Makhachkala, according to the Interfax report. The militants broke through a wall, entered an apartment and took the girl hostage, according to the report. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indian gang rape victim dies; New Delhi braces for protests Friday, Dec 28, 2012 10:23 PM PST  NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - An Indian woman whose gang rape in New Delhi triggered violent protests died of her injuries on Saturday in a Singapore hospital, bringing a security lockdown in Delhi and recognition from India's prime minister that social change is needed. Bracing for a new wave of protests, Indian authorities closed 10 metro stations and banned vehicles from some main roads in the heart of New Delhi, where demonstrators have converged since the attack to demand improved women's rights. About 100 people staged a peaceful protest on Saturday morning. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yale under fire for new campus in restrictive Singapore Friday, Dec 28, 2012 10:05 PM PST  NEW HAVEN (Reuters) - For more than 300 years, Yale University has prided itself on training top students to question and analyze, to challenge and critique. Now, Yale is seeking to export those values by establishing the first foreign campus to bear its name, a liberal arts college in Singapore that is set to open this summer. The ambitious, multimillion-dollar project thrills many in the Yale community who say it will help the university maintain its prestige and build global influence. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: For Senate leaders, a mission impossible from Obama Friday, Dec 28, 2012 10:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Following a Friday meeting with congressional leaders, an impatient and annoyed President Barack Obama said it was "mind boggling" that Congress has been unable to fix a "fiscal cliff" mess that everyone has known about for more than a year. He then dispatched Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, on a mind-boggling mission: coming up with a bipartisan bill to break the "fiscal cliff" stalemate in the most partisan and gridlocked U.S. Congress of modern times - in about 48 hours. ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentina asks U.S. court to block payouts for debt holdouts Friday, Dec 28, 2012 09:44 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Argentina is urging a U.S. appeals court to reverse an order requiring the country to pay $1.33 billion to creditors who did not participate in its two debt restructurings, a legal case that could have huge ramifications for global debt markets. Lawyers for Argentina's government said in court papers filed late on Friday that a trial judge was "wrong to ignore the chorus of voices" who opposed his November order on payments to so-called "holdout" creditors. ... Full Story | Top |
| Maine gets set to ring wedding bells for same-sex couples Friday, Dec 28, 2012 09:17 PM PST  PORTLAND, Maine (Reuters) - Gay and lesbian couples eager to become the first to wed under Maine's newly enacted same-sex marriage law gathered Friday night outside City Hall in Portland, the state's largest city, waiting until the stroke of midnight to exchange their vows. About a half dozen couples huddled with friends and family in freezing temperatures outside the building before the doors to the city clerk's office were opened at 10 p.m. local time, and by 11:30 p.m. the number of prospective brides and grooms had more than doubled and was expected to grow. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nevada murder conviction reversed over dismissal of black juror Friday, Dec 28, 2012 08:34 PM PST (Reuters) - Nevada's top court has overturned the murder conviction of a Las Vegas man sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of his brother-in-law, ruling that a black woman with "Democratic views" was improperly dismissed from the jury pool. As part of its ruling, the three-judge panel of the state Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a new trial for Jermaine Brass, 28, one of two brothers convicted in the slaying of their sister's husband, Ernest Mitchell, in 2009. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. industry presses for duties on shrimp from seven countries Friday, Dec 28, 2012 06:34 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. shrimp producers filed a petition on Friday asking the Commerce Department to impose punitive duties on billions of dollars of shrimp from China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Ecuador to offset what they said were unfair foreign government subsidies. "Today's filing is about the survival of the entire U.S. shrimp industry," C. David Veal, executive director of the Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries, said in a statement. The group represents shrimp fisherman in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas who say they have lost ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy aid bill Friday, Dec 28, 2012 06:19 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion aid package to pay for reconstruction costs from Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, after defeating Republican efforts to trim the bill's cost. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to quickly take up the bill, which includes $12 billion to repair and strengthen the region's transportation system against future storms. "There is no time to waste," Reid said. ... Full Story | Top |
| India PM pledges action after rape victim's death Friday, Dec 28, 2012 06:00 PM PST NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday he was deeply saddened by the death of a woman who had been gang-raped in New Delhi and he pledged to channel emotions surrounding the case into concrete action. The case had generated "emotions and energies" among young Indians seeking changes in society, he said in a statement after the announcement of the 23-year-old woman's death in a Singapore hospital. "It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channelize these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate leaders to make last-ditch "fiscal cliff" effort Friday, Dec 28, 2012 05:21 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders agreed on Friday to make a final effort to prevent the United States from going over the "fiscal cliff," setting off intense bargaining over Americans' tax rates as a New Year's Eve deadline looms. With only days left to avoid steep tax hikes and spending cuts that could cause a recession, two Senate veterans will try to forge a deal that has eluded the White House and Congress for months. Obama said he was "modestly optimistic" an agreement could be found. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Timeline for the last days before "fiscal cliff" Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:47 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Midnight Monday is the deadline for the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and across-the board budget cuts mandated under a law enacted in August 2011. With no agreement emerging from a White House meeting on Friday, congressional leaders have now roughly outlined the steps for trying to reach a deal in coming days. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lockheed wins $1.9 billion contract for two U.S. satellites: Pentagon Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:43 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp has won a contract valued at $1.9 billion to build two additional advanced military communications satellites for the U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon said on Friday. The contract, which runs through January 2022, covers production of the fifth and sixth satellites in the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite program. Lockheed welcomed the contract, saying it underscored the government's confidence in the company's work on the program. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: U.N. confronts failure of diplomacy in Syria Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:42 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Attempts by the United Nations to end the bloody 21-month-old Syrian conflict through diplomacy have been a resounding failure and there is little reason to expect a quick change given the Russian-U.S. rift on Syria. After a year of intensive diplomatic efforts by the world body, U.N.-Arab League peace mediator Lakhdar Brahimi of Algeria has made no more progress than his predecessor, former U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Governor signs new law for abortion clinics in Michigan Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:39 PM PST  (Reuters) - Michigan's Republican governor on Friday signed into law new rules for abortion providers that supporters say will protect the health of pregnant women but critics say will shutter clinics and restrict access. The law signed by Governor Rick Snyder increases state oversight of abortion clinics and establishes a screening protocol to make sure women are not being forced to get an abortion. The measure requires health facilities or clinics that perform more than 120 abortions a year to become licensed freestanding surgical outpatient facilities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers rush to finish farm bill extension Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:39 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees are working on a short-term extension to the expired U.S. farm bill, and plan to vote on the extension by Monday, the final day of 2012, lawmakers and aides said. The proposed extension to farm legislation that expired in September could be for six months to a year. If an extension is passed the United States would avoid reverting to 1949 "permanent law" and a potential spike in the retail price of milk to as much as $8 a gallon in 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| Claim seeks $100 million for child survivor of Connecticut school shooting Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:36 PM PST  MERIDEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - A $100 million claim on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor is the first legal action to come out of the Connecticut school shooting that left 26 children and adults dead two weeks ago. The unidentified client, referred to as Jill Doe, heard "cursing, screaming, and shooting" over the school intercom when the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, opened fire, according to the claim filed by New Haven-based attorney Irv Pinsky. "As a consequence, the ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Lockheed gets up to $4.9 billion in further F-35 funding Friday, Dec 28, 2012 04:18 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp on Friday was awarded up to $4.9 billion in additional funding for its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the Pentagon announced on Friday, providing a significant end-of-year boost in orders for the largest U.S. defense contractor. The U.S. Defense Department said it had reached agreement with Lockheed on a preliminary contract valued at up to $3.68 billion for 31 F-35s in a sixth batch of planes to be built for the U.S. military, with details to be finalized the coming year. It also awarded Lockheed additional separate contracts valued at up to $1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate's Reid prepares bill with $250,000 tax-hike threshold Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:59 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Friday he was preparing legislation to prevent middle-class tax hikes for a possible vote by Monday even as he negotiates with top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell for a larger deal to avert the looming "fiscal cliff." "At President Obama's request, I am readying a bill for a vote by Monday that will prevent a tax hike on middle-class families making up to $250,000, and that will include the additional, critical provisions outlined by President Obama," Reid said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street Week Ahead: Cliff may be a fear, but debt ceiling much scarier Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:45 PM PST  (Reuters) - Investors fearing a stock market plunge - if the United States tumbles off the "fiscal cliff" next week - may want to relax. But they should be scared if a few weeks later, Washington fails to reach a deal to increase the nation's debt ceiling because that raises the threat of a default, another credit downgrade and a panic in the financial markets. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers working on last-minute farm bill extension Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:44 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the House and Senate agriculture committees are working on a short-term extension to the expired U.S. farm bill, and plan to vote on the extension by Monday, the final day of 2012, a Congressional source said on Friday. The proposed extension to farm legislation that expired in September would be for "some months" but for less than a year, the source said. If an extension is passed the United States would avoid reverting to 1949 "permanent law" and a potential spike in the retail price of milk to as much as $8 a gallon in 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| India gang-rape victim dies in Singapore hospital Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:42 PM PST  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Indian gang-rape victim whose assault in New Delhi triggered nationwide protests died in hospital on Saturday of injuries suffered in the attack, a Singapore hospital treating her said. The death of the 23-year-old medical student could spawn new protests and possibly fresh confrontations with the police, especially in the Indian capital, which has been the focus of the demonstrations. "We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4:45 a.m. on Dec 29, 2012 (15:45 a.m. ET Friday). ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama: "modestly optimistic" fiscal cliff deal can be reached Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:42 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama held out hope for a last-minute agreement to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts after a meeting with congressional leaders, scolding Congress for leaving the problem unresolved until the eleventh hour. "The hour for immediate action is here," he told reporters at the White House. "I'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate rejects bid to trim Superstorm Sandy bill Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:41 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday rejected a Republican amendment to cut the immediate cost of a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy reconstruction bill by more than half to $23.8 billion. The 54-41 vote cleared the way for final Senate action on the disaster recovery bill. (Reporting By Doug Palmer; editing by Todd Eastham) Full Story | Top |
| Shock, heartbreak for U.S. families adopting Russian children Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:33 PM PST  (Reuters) - For months, life for Ann and Kurt Suhs has been a whirlwind of assembling documents, getting fingerprinted and scheduling evaluations of their Atlanta-area home in preparation for welcoming a Russian child into their family for a second time. Now, the couple - who adopted their son Ben, now 7, from Russia at age 13 months - say they were blindsided by news that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday banning Americans from adopting Russian children effective next Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to discuss "fiscal cliff" on NBC's "Meet the Press" Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:31 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will discuss the last-minute negotiations to avert the "fiscal cliff" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, the network said in a statement. (Reporting By Karey Wutkowski; editing by Todd Eastham) Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate leaders aim to craft "fiscal cliff" bill by Sunday Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:16 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders are working to craft legislation by Sunday that averts the year-end "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts, but many details needed to be worked out after a crucial meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday. U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell, termed the meeting "constructive" and "positive" and said they would keep working on trying to find a solution over the weekend. After adjourning on Friday, Reid he would probably not call the Senate back into session until about 1 p.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Deal reached to avert U.S. port strike for now Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:14 PM PST  (Reuters) - The union representing nearly 15,000 dockworkers at U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast seaports stretching from Boston to Corpus Christi, Texas, reached a tentative contract deal with shipping companies on Friday, averting a strike that threatened to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy. The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance clinched a deal in federally-mediated talks less than two days before a strike deadline set by the union to coincide with expiration of the contract on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tale of two cities: Chicago murder rate spikes, New York falls Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:10 PM PST  CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a sharp contrast between two of the nation's largest cities, Chicago recorded its 499th murder of 2012 on Thursday night while New York reported 414 murders as of Friday even though it has more than three times the population, according to police. Plagued by gang violence, Chicago surpassed last year's murder total of 433 in October and is set for the highest rate of homicide since the third largest U.S. city recorded 512 in 2008. The number is likely to top 500 on the last weekend of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers working on farm bill extension: source Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:07 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees are working on a short-term extension to the expired U.S. farm bill, and hope to vote on the extension by Monday, the final day of 2012, a Congressional source said on Friday. The proposed extension to legislation that expired in September would be for "some months" but less than a year, the source said. If an extension is passed the United States would avoid reverting to 1949 "permanent law" and with it a potential spike in the retail price of milk. (Reporting by Charles Abbott, writing by Ros Krasny) Full Story | Top |
| Alleged militants detained in Djibouti charged by U.S. court Friday, Dec 28, 2012 03:00 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a sign of evolving U.S. legal tactics in counter-terrorism operations, two Swedish citizens and a former British citizen detained in Africa in August have been charged in a U.S. court with supporting Somali-based Islamist militants. The charges were filed in Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York, even though court papers and a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office make no specific allegation that the three - all of whom are of Somali extraction - posed threats to Americans or U.S.-related targets. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House talks don't include NRA: gun group president Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:45 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An effort led by Vice President Joe Biden to find ways to reduce gun violence after the Connecticut school massacre so far has not included talking to the National Rifle Association, the president of the gun rights group said on Friday. NRA President David Keene said neither Biden nor his staff has contacted the organization since President Barack Obama unveiled the effort on December 19. Keene said he was not surprised, given Biden's past support for new gun control laws. "He's not even a friendly antagonist," Keene told Reuters in an interview. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan says president ready to meet Sudan's Bashir Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:41 PM PST  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is willing to meet his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan al-Bashir to sort out conflicts and resume vital oil flows, a South Sudanese minister said on Friday after Bashir agreed to hold a summit. The neighbors agreed in September to set up a demilitarized border zone and resume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan. Oil is the lifeline of both economies. Neither country has yet withdrawn its army from either side of the border, a precondition to resume oil flows. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congress to "keep working" on fiscal cliff deal Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional leaders pledged to keep working on solutions to avert the year-end tax hikes and spending cuts that would come into force if the so-called fiscal cliff is not averted, but details were yet to be decided after a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday. "We have a lot of paths forward, (we) just have to find out which one we can take," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters after the meeting. Senate leaders will try to craft legislation for a "fiscal cliff" deal, said an aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boehner: Senate must act on House bill to avoid fiscal cliff Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:37 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Friday that congressional leaders agreed at a meeting on avoiding year-end "fiscal cliff" spending cuts and tax increases that the next step should be for the Senate to take action, a Boehner aide said. "The Speaker told the President that if the Senate amends the House-passed legislation and sends back a plan, the House will consider it - either by accepting or amending," the aide said. (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal) Full Story | Top |
| Obama to make statement at 5:45 p.m.: White House Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is scheduled to make a statement to the media at 5:45 p.m. ET, the White House said on Friday. The statement follows a meeting with congressional leaders on avoiding fiscal cliff tax increases and spending cuts. The president and lawmakers are working ahead of a January 1 deadline to come up with a compromise to prevent a fiscal shock that economists warn could slow fragile economic growth. (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal) Full Story | Top |
| U.N. to convene pledging conference for Syria aid Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:12 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations will convene a pledging conference in Kuwait next month to try to secure more than $1.5 billion to help save the lives of millions of Syrians facing a "rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation," the world body said on Friday. The conference will take place on January 30 in Kuwait City and will be chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. press office said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Illinois could be next state to legalize gay marriage Friday, Dec 28, 2012 02:08 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois could become the next U.S. state to legalize gay marriage with a bill set to be introduced in the state Senate in early January, even before a new legislature takes office with a super-majority of Democrats in both houses. Buoyed by November election referendum victories for gay marriage in Maryland, Maine and Washington state, gay marriage supporters in Illinois said they plan to press for approval in the Democrat-majority legislature. If it passes, that would make Illinois the tenth state to approve same sex nuptials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lockheed, U.S. agree funding deal for more F-35s: sources Friday, Dec 28, 2012 01:57 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp and the U.S. Defense Department have reached an agreement freeing up preliminary funding for production of a sixth batch of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations. Details of the agreement, which covers 31 of the advanced, radar-evading fighter planes to be built for the U.S. military, will be worked out between the two sides in coming months, said the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street ends sour week with 5th straight decline Friday, Dec 28, 2012 01:46 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell for a fifth straight day on Friday, dropping 1 percent and marking the S&P 500's longest losing streak in three months as the federal government edged closer to the "fiscal cliff" with no solution in sight. President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders met at the White House to work on a solution for the draconian debt-reduction measures set to take effect beginning next week. ... Full Story | Top |
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