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Friday, December 16, 2011 8:51 PM PST

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Iraqi pleads guilty to trying to kill U.S. troops Kazakh oil firm says some employees afraid to work White House welcomes tax deal in Congress Obama backs tax deal but pipeline now in doubt Pilot error may have caused Iran drone crash Football underdog "Rudy" sacked for stock fraud Canada court won't suspend Wheat Board law for now Britain, France clash over economic performance Obama, pushing back at Republicans, defends Israel Clegg says will not try to bar new EU group from institutions Obama taps Berner for new Financial Research job Romney warms up tepid South Carolina campaign Three dead and 257 wounded in Egyptian clashes U.N. sanctions lifted on Libya's central bank U.S. hands over last detainee to Iraq Suspected WikiLeaks source appears in court Obama, pushing back at Republicans, vows support for Israel Romney back in front-runner mode in Republican race Iraqi pleads guilty to trying to kill US troops U.S. lifts sanctions on post-Gaddafi Libya Draconian to suspend Canada Wheat Board law: judge Film reveals Paris crackdown of 1961 Algeria protest Congo's top court declares Kabila election winner Football underdog "Rudy" sacked for stock fraud US court sides with unions in airline dispute Judge mulls overturning federal marriage law Egyptian soldiers battle protesters, three dead Christian Bale roughed up in bid to visit Chinese activist Analysis: Russia's Syria shift a bid to guard image, interests Barry Bonds gets 2 years probation in steroids probe Fed has no plans to help Europe, Dudley says Monti wins vote, says not in despair about Italy UK, France clash over their economic performance Syrians protest against Assad after Russia U.N. move CBO raises TARP cost estimate to $34 billion Analysis: Rating threat adds to Ontario budget pressure Justice Department says Seattle police used excessive force "Rudy" inspiration charged with securities fraud Berenson to return to U.S. for first time after jail in Peru China sends campaigning rights lawyer back to jail Iraqi pleads guilty to trying to kill U.S. troops Fri,16 Dec 2011 07:54 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iraqi living in Kentucky pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that he tried to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, aided al Qaeda operatives there and taught how to make roadside bombs, the Justice Department said. Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, pleaded guilty to a 23-count indictment in a federal court in Kentucky - a case that drew harsh criticism from Republicans in the U.S. Congress who argued that such terrorism suspects should be tried in military courts at the American military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ... Full Story Top Kazakh oil firm says some employees afraid to work Fri,16 Dec 2011 07:39 PM PST Reuters - ALMATY (Reuters) - KazMunaiGas Exploration Production said on Saturday that some of its employees had failed to show up for work at its Uzenmunaigas unit due to fears for their own safety and that of their families after violent clashes in a nearby city killed 10. The London-listed company said Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry was providing armed security at key oil production units following the clashes in the city of Zhanaozen on Friday. KazMunaiGas EP said in a statement it was maintaining daily oil production levels by keeping employees working round-the-clock. ... Full Story Top White House welcomes tax deal in Congress Fri,16 Dec 2011 06:07 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House hailed a compromise deal on extending payroll taxes for two months as a "significant victory" for the American people and the U.S. economy, even though it fell short of President Barack Obama's original push for broader tax relief. "Failing to extend this tax cut would have had a damaging effect on our recovery and job growth," White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said. "The president urges Congress now to finish up their business. ... Full Story Top Obama backs tax deal but pipeline now in doubt Fri,16 Dec 2011 05:54 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama supports a compromise payroll tax deal reached in Congress on Friday but Republican insistence on including a demand to speed a decision on a controversial Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline means it almost certainly will not be built, a senior administration official said. The Obama administration believes that while an agreement to extend payroll tax breaks for just two months is not ideal, it would be inconceivable that Republicans would consent to that and later refuse to renew the cuts for rest of the year. ... Full Story Top Pilot error may have caused Iran drone crash Fri,16 Dec 2011 05:33 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is investigating a combination of pilot error and mechanical failure as possible causes for the crash of a classified U.S. drone in Iran and does not believe Iran brought down the plane, according to two U.S. government officials. The unmanned RQ-170 Sentinel drone, which had been on a sensitive CIA surveillance mission over Iran, crashed and was apparently reassembled by Iran before being put on display in Tehran, said one of the officials, who was speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the investigation. ... Full Story Top Football underdog "Rudy" sacked for stock fraud Fri,16 Dec 2011 05:25 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Daniel Ruettiger, the legendary Notre Dame football underdog who inspired the 1993 movie "Rudy," couldn't do an end run around the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC on Friday charged Ruettiger and 12 others with running a stock scam associated with Rudy Nutrition - a company Ruettiger founded to try to compete against Gatorade in the sports drink market. ... Full Story Top Canada court won't suspend Wheat Board law for now Fri,16 Dec 2011 05:04 PM PST Reuters - WINNIPEG/OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Manitoba judge rejected a request on Friday by former directors of the Canadian Wheat Board to suspend immediately a new law ending the board's grain marketing monopoly. While Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz celebrated the newly opened market for sales of western wheat and barley, the CWB's former chairman and farmer directors launched a court challenge. "You're asking for a fairly draconian remedy," Judge Shane Perlmutter said of their request to have the law suspended. ... Full Story Top Britain, France clash over economic performance Fri,16 Dec 2011 04:40 PM PST Reuters - LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain and France clashed over credit ratings on Friday, adding to tensions that erupted over British Prime Minister David Cameron's veto of a treaty on euro zone fiscal integration. British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told French Prime Minister Francois Fillon French criticism of the British economy was unacceptable and called for a cooling of the rhetoric. World Bank President Robert Zoellick said he was "deeply troubled" by exchanges between Britain and France over resolving the euro zone debt crisis. ... Full Story Top Obama, pushing back at Republicans, defends Israel Fri,16 Dec 2011 04:19 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama assured Jewish voters on Friday he remains committed to Israel's security and a two-state solution with the Palestinians as he defended himself against attacks on his policy from Republican presidential challengers. Obama, who has been criticized by Republicans and some in the American Jewish community for being too tough on a close ally, insisted his administration has done more than any other to protect Israel and called his commitment "unshakeable. ... Full Story Top Clegg says will not try to bar new EU group from institutions Fri,16 Dec 2011 04:09 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will not try to stop other European Union countries from using EU institutions to enforce tighter fiscal rules for the euro zone, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was quoted on Friday as saying. The Guardian quoted Clegg as telling it in an interview that Britain would not block or legally challenge the 26 nations that have signed up to the new pact from using institutions such as the European Commission or the European Court of Justice. ... Full Story Top Obama taps Berner for new Financial Research job Fri,16 Dec 2011 04:07 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON - Dick Berner, an official at the U.S. Treasury Department and former Morgan Stanley chief economist, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to head the new Office of Financial Research, the Obama administration said on Friday. The Office of Financial Research, created by last year's Dodd-Frank Wall Street overhaul law, is a new Treasury Department division with broad powers to collect and analyze data from financial firms to help check for systemic risk. Berner currently works as a counselor in the Office of Research and Quantitative Studies at the Treasury Department. ... Full Story Top Romney warms up tepid South Carolina campaign Fri,16 Dec 2011 04:05 PM PST Reuters - GREENVILLE, South Carolina (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney warmed up his tepid campaign in South Carolina on Friday with the endorsement of Republican Governor Nikki Haley, winning a key ally for a tough fight. "We've been hoping for this for a long, long time," Romney said at a campaign event in Greenville with the Tea Party champion Haley standing at his side as he started a two-day tour of the early-voting state. ... Full Story Top Three dead and 257 wounded in Egyptian clashes Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:59 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Three people were killed as troops fought daylong battles with protesters, showing the tensions seething in Egypt nine months after Hosni Mubarak's fall, even in the midst of polls meant to herald a promised transfer to civilian rule. The Health Ministry said 257 people had also been wounded in the clashes in Cairo on Friday, where anger at the actions of the security forces turned the city centre into a smoke-filled battleground shortly after two days of mostly peaceful voting. ... Full Story Top U.N. sanctions lifted on Libya's central bank Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:47 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council lifted sanctions on Libya's central bank and a subsidiary on Friday, clearing the way for tens of billions of dollars they hold overseas to be unfrozen to ease an acute cash crisis. The Central Bank of Libya and the Libyan Foreign Bank (LFB), an offshore institution wholly owned by the central bank, were taken off the council's sanctions list drawn up earlier this year amid civil war in the Arab state. ... Full Story Top U.S. hands over last detainee to Iraq Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:45 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States handed over its last detainee in Iraq to Iraqi authorities on Friday, the White House said, after months of failed efforts to convince Baghdad to extradite him because of his suspected role in the killing of Americans. White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told Reuters the United States had received assurances that Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative, would be tried for his crimes. But initial reaction from Congress was fierce. ... Full Story Top Suspected WikiLeaks source appears in court Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:34 PM PST Reuters - FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - An American Army intelligence analyst suspected of being behind the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history made his first court appearance on Friday, sitting stone-faced as military prosecutors launched their case against him. Private First Class Bradley Manning, 23, faces charges including aiding the enemy, which could send him to prison for life. He is suspected of being the source of documents that eventually were released on the Internet by WikiLeaks -- data dumps that Washington said jeopardized national security. ... Full Story Top Obama, pushing back at Republicans, vows support for Israel Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:24 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama assured Jewish voters on Friday he remains committed to Israel's security and a two-state solution with the Palestinians as he defended himself against attacks on his policy from Republican presidential challengers. Obama, who has been criticized by Republicans and some in the American Jewish community for being too tough on a close ally, insisted his administration has done more than any other to protect Israel and called his commitment "unshakeable. ... Full Story Top Romney back in front-runner mode in Republican race Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:18 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential contender Mitt Romney, once the leader and presumed nominee, is back in front-runner mode. Less than three weeks before Iowa kicks off the state-by-state Republican battle to find a challenger to President Barack Obama, polls show support for main rival Newt Gingrich may already be softening. Romney also won an important endorsement on Friday from South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. ... Full Story Top Iraqi pleads guilty to trying to kill US troops Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:17 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iraqi living in Kentucky pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that he tried to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, aided al Qaeda operatives there and taught how to make roadside bombs, the Justice Department said. Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, pleaded guilty to a 23-count indictment in a federal court in Kentucky - a case that drew harsh criticism from Republicans in the U.S. Congress who argued that such terrorism suspects should be tried in military courts at the American military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ... Full Story Top U.S. lifts sanctions on post-Gaddafi Libya Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:15 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday lifted most of the economic sanctions it had in place against Libya before the fall of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi. "After careful consultation with the new Libyan government, the United States rolled back most U.S. sanctions on the government of Libya to keep our commitment to the Libyan people," the White House said in a statement. Gaddafi's 42-year rule collapsed when his forces fled Tripoli in August and the last of the fighting in Libya ended in October when he was captured and killed by rebels. The U.S. ... Full Story Top Draconian to suspend Canada Wheat Board law: judge Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:08 PM PST Reuters - WINNIPEG/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Former directors of the Canadian Wheat Board asked a Manitoba court on Friday to suspend a new law ending the board's grain marketing monopoly, but faced skepticism from the judge. While Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz celebrated the newly opened market for sales of western wheat and barley, the CWB's former chairman and farmer directors pressed ahead with their court challenge. "You're asking for a fairly draconian remedy," Judge Shane Perlmutter said of their request to have the law suspended. ... Full Story Top Film reveals Paris crackdown of 1961 Algeria protest Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:04 PM PST Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - When Yasmina Adi got access to archives documenting the 1961 repression of Algerian protesters in Paris, she was shocked to uncover a trove of material relating to gaps in the story of one of the most contested events in recent French history. As Algeria's battle for independence spilled into France, Paris police chief Maurice Papon ordered police to crack down on thousands of Algerian protesters who defied a curfew on October 17 1961. Dozens of bodies were later pulled from the River Seine. ... Full Story Top Congo's top court declares Kabila election winner Fri,16 Dec 2011 02:45 PM PST Reuters - KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's Supreme Court confirmed the incumbent Joseph Kabila on Friday as the winner of a disputed November 28 presidential election, rejecting opposition demands for the vote to be annulled over fraud allegations. The court's president, Jerome Kitoko, said Kabila had won 48.95 percent of the vote. "In consequence, Joseph Kabila is proclaimed president-elect of the republic with a simple majority," he said at the Justice Ministry. The court said the opposition had failed to provide proof of their allegations. ... Full Story Top Football underdog "Rudy" sacked for stock fraud Fri,16 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Daniel Ruettiger, the legendary Notre Dame football underdog who inspired the 1993 movie "Rudy," couldn't do an end run around the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC on Friday charged Ruettiger and 12 others with running a stock scam associated with Rudy Nutrition - a company Ruettiger founded to try to compete against Gatorade in the sports drink market. ... Full Story Top US court sides with unions in airline dispute Fri,16 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld a hotly contested change in federal labor law that can make it easier for unions to organize, potentially clearing the way for Congress to approve long-delayed aviation legislation. Rejecting a challenge to the new policy by the biggest airlines, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed a lower court decision, by a 2-1 margin. ... Full Story Top Judge mulls overturning federal marriage law Fri,16 Dec 2011 02:29 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge appeared sympathetic to a lesbian federal employee's bid to strike down a law denying health-insurance benefits to her spouse, in the first hearing since the Obama administration decided to quit defending the statute. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White heard two hours of arguments on Friday at a hearing on a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. "The court is faced with enforcing the equal protection clause in the context of a fundamental right - that is marriage," White said. The judge did not make any rulings from the bench. ... Full Story Top Egyptian soldiers battle protesters, three dead Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:57 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and 257 wounded in Cairo on Friday as troops fought demonstrators in the worst violence since Egypt began its first free election in six decades. In a pattern that has recurred during nine months of army rule since President Hosni Mubarak's overthrow in February, the confrontation swiftly grew as more people took to the streets. The Health Ministry said three people had been killed and 257 wounded in the unrest in the city centre. A third died from gunshot wounds, a worker at a makeshift field hospital said. ... Full Story Top Christian Bale roughed up in bid to visit Chinese activist Fri,16 Dec 2011 03:08 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Actor Christian Bale was roughed up by Chinese security guards as he attempted to visit a blind legal activist whose detention has sparked a domestic and international outcry, CNN reported on Friday. Bale, who plays crime-fighting superhero Batman, and a camera crew from CNN were jostled by men in plainclothes in Dongshigu village in eastern Shandong province, where activist Chen Guangcheng has been under house arrest for 15 months, according to a video released by CNN on its website. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Russia's Syria shift a bid to guard image, interests Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:50 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's offer of a new U.N. Security Council resolution on the violence in Syria is a pragmatic step by a country increasingly isolated in its support for a widely discredited leader. The shift allows Russia to look less recalcitrant without giving ground on its opposition to sanctions or foreign military interference, which it has vociferously opposed since the NATO operation in Libya. ... Full Story Top Barry Bonds gets 2 years probation in steroids probe Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:49 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Home-run king Barry Bonds avoided a prison sentence on Friday over a single criminal conviction related to an investigation of steroids in sports, a punishment one prosecutor called a slap on the wrist. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sentenced Bonds to two years probation, along with 30 days of home confinement, 250 hours of community service, and a $4,000 fine. Illston handed down the punishment at a hearing in a San Francisco federal court, and she immediately stayed it pending appeal. U.S. ... Full Story Top Fed has no plans to help Europe, Dudley says Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:47 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Europe's financial crisis poses a threat to U.S. banks and the economy but it is up to the continent's leaders -- not the Federal Reserve -- to find a resolution, a top official at the central bank said on Friday. New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley defended the Fed's decision to lower the cost of dollar funds for overseas banks stressed by Europe's debt crisis as an important step to safeguard the U.S. economy, but he told lawmakers no further intervention was planned. ... Full Story Top Monti wins vote, says not in despair about Italy Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:47 PM PST Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, boosted by a parliamentary confidence vote on his tough austerity package, said on Friday he was "absolutely not in despair" about Italy's prospects of getting out of its debt crisis. Speaking in a mostly impromptu address to the lower house, Monti also said he hoped the 33 billion euro ($43 billion) package would be the "last sacrifice" Italians would have to bear. Italian media had quoted Monti's predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, as saying that Monti was "in despair. ... Full Story Top UK, France clash over their economic performance Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:47 PM PST Reuters - LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain and France clashed over credit ratings on Friday, adding to tensions that erupted over British Prime Minister David Cameron's veto of a treaty on euro zone fiscal integration. Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told French Prime Minister Francois Fillon French criticism of the British economy was unacceptable and called for a cooling of the rhetoric. World Bank President Robert Zoellick said he was "deeply troubled" by exchanges between Britain and France over resolving the euro zone debt crisis. ... Full Story Top Syrians protest against Assad after Russia U.N. move Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:21 PM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces killed 13 people on Friday during widespread protests against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, a day after Syria's big power ally Russia sharpened its criticism of Damascus in a draft United Nations resolution. Most of the deaths were in the city of Homs, they said, a hotbed of resistance to a crackdown on nine months of protests which has killed 5,000 people according to the United Nations and provoked Western and Arab League sanctions on Damascus. ... Full Story Top CBO raises TARP cost estimate to $34 billion Fri,16 Dec 2011 01:16 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - The Congressional Budget Office said on Friday it was raising its estimate of the cost of the Troubled Asset Relief Program to $34 billion, primarily because of a drop in the market value of government investments in GM and AIG. The new estimate is $15 billion more than the CBO calculated in its previous report. But it is still "well below what was originally envisaged" when Congress created the $700 billion fund in 2008 to aid banks threatened by a rapidly unfolding financial crisis, it said. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Rating threat adds to Ontario budget pressure Fri,16 Dec 2011 12:54 PM PST Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Moody's threat to downgrade Ontario's debt rating will likely spur the Canadian province to take bolder moves to rein in its C$16 billion ($15.4 billion) deficit. Analysts said the credit rating agency's move, similar to the downgrade threats facing many euro zone nations, will give Ontario's minority Liberal government cover to implement unpopular moves like deeper spending cuts or tax increases. ... Full Story Top Justice Department says Seattle police used excessive force Fri,16 Dec 2011 12:28 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seattle police officers used excessive force over the last two years and were too quick to resort to using their batons and other weapons, but were not guilty of systematically victimizing minorities, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. The city's police have been criticized for their practices, especially after a native American woodcarver was shot dead by an officer without appearing to pose a threat. Police were also caught on video stomping on and threatening to beat a prone suspect. ... Full Story Top "Rudy" inspiration charged with securities fraud Fri,16 Dec 2011 12:24 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators on Friday charged Daniel Ruettiger -- the inspiration behind the 1993 movie "Rudy" -- and 12 others with running a scheme to deceive investors into buying stock in Ruettiger's sports drink company. Rudy Nutrition, which is no longer in business, provided false and misleading statements about the company to investors, the Securities and Exchange Commission said. The scheme generated more than $11 million in illicit profits, the SEC said. "Investors were lured into the scheme by Mr. ... Full Story Top Berenson to return to U.S. for first time after jail in Peru Fri,16 Dec 2011 12:23 PM PST Reuters - LIMA (Reuters) - Lori Berenson, a New Yorker who spent 15 years in Peruvian prisons for aiding Marxist insurgents, will visit the United States as early as this weekend for the first time since her 1995 arrest, officials and her family said on Friday. Berenson, 42, the mother of a 2-year-old boy, was paroled last year after serving most of a 20-year sentence. At the time of her release, Peru's government resisted calls to commute the rest of her sentence so she could return permanently to the United States. Peruvian officials say she must return to Lima by January 11. ... Full Story Top China sends campaigning rights lawyer back to jail Fri,16 Dec 2011 12:03 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China has sent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng back to jail, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, ending his probation in what was the first official account of his whereabouts in the last year. Gao, however, appears never to have escaped secretive confinement in the first place. A combative rights advocate who tackled many causes anathema to the ruling Communist Party, Gao was sentenced to three years' jail in 2006 for "inciting subversion of state power", a charge often used to punish critics of one-party rule. ... Full Story Top

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