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Sunday, January 1, 2012 8:32 PM PST

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Pope Benedict XVI to visit Cuba March 26-28 China dissident-lawyer Gao jailed in far west: brother Colombian police kill leader of powerful drug gang S. Korea manufacturing shrinks most in 3 years Fiji to lift emergency laws: military ruler With 48 hours left, Romney eyes Iowa breakthrough With 48 hours left, Romney eyes Iowa breakthrough Romney runs strong, but can he connect with voters? Bachmann seeks miracle in presidential race Syria bloodshed defies Arab monitor mission Israel, Palestinians to meet Tuesday; prospects hazy Exxon wins less than expected from Venezuela dispute Egypt's army hastens end of parliamentary election Egypt denies trying to stifle human rights movement Boat capsizes off Lamu in Kenya, at least 7 dead Tunisian president says liberties to be protected U.S. consumer in the slow lane Nigeria ends fuel subsidies, angering unions Funeral of Bahrain youth turns into street protest Workers at Tripoli's decaying port go on strike Iran reports nuclear progress as sanctions loom Iceland's president says he will step down in May Crisis talk, austerity calls mark euro anniversary Gunmen attack bars in northeast Kenya, 5 dead Nigeria regulator announces end to fuel subsidies Fixing poses threat to 2012 Games, says Minister Fixing poses threat to 2012 Games - Olympics Minister Bashir urges Darfur rebels to seek peace after leader Troops, tanks patrol in northeast Nigeria Nine die, 50 hurt in botched Congo jail break Libya militia says holds Gaddafi supporters over plot Libya militia says holds Gaddafi supporters over plot Two die, 561 hurt in Italian New Year celebrations North Korea calls for "human shields" to protect new leader Factbox: Three early voting states in presidential election Iraqi civilian deaths in December lowest level in 2011 Nine die, 50 hurt in botched Congo jail break Troops, tanks patrol in northeast Nigeria Iran successfully tests domestically made nuclear fuel rods: TV Romney runs strong, but can he connect with voters? Pope Benedict XVI to visit Cuba March 26-28 Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:45 PM PST Reuters - HAVANA (Reuters) - Pope Benedict XVI will visit Cuba on March 26-28 and perform two open-air masses on the communist island as part of his upcoming trip to Mexico and Cuba, Roman Catholic Church officials said on Sunday. The 84-year-old pontiff was to fly from Mexico and arrive in the eastern city of Santiago, where he will be met by President Raul Castro, and then go on to Havana on March 27. ... Full Story Top China dissident-lawyer Gao jailed in far west: brother Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:30 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have jailed the prominent dissident-lawyer Gao Zhisheng in the remote far west, his brother said Monday, the first confirmation of Gao's whereabouts in nearly two years in a case that has fanned criticism about secretive detentions. Gao has been imprisoned in the Shaya County Prison in Xinjiang region on charges of "inciting subversion of state power," his brother, Gao Zhiyi, told Reuters by telephone from his home in Shaanxi province, citing a court notice. ... Full Story Top Colombian police kill leader of powerful drug gang Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:10 PM PST Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian police killed the leader of a powerful drug cartel that supplied tons of cocaine to Mexican gangs, the government said on Sunday. Police killed Juan de Dios Usuga, the head of the Urabenos criminal gang in the northwestern department of Choco, near the border with Panama. Usuga had a bounty on his head of $2.5 million and was wanted by the United States for drug trafficking. "The police put down in Choco alias Usuga, head of the Urabenos and captured various of his accomplices. ... Full Story Top S. Korea manufacturing shrinks most in 3 years Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:08 PM PST Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's manufacturing sector shrank the most in nearly three years in December as global demand cooled, a survey showed on Monday, but President Lee Myung-bak cited inflation as a bigger risk in a year of big elections. Lee admitted in a televised new year speech that the global economy has entered a period of prolonged low growth but said fighting rising prices was still his top policy priority as the poor suffer from high living costs. "The waves (of economic difficulty) will likely be much higher this year. ... Full Story Top Fiji to lift emergency laws: military ruler Sun,1 Jan 2012 04:27 PM PST Reuters - SUVA (Reuters) - Fiji's military ruler Commodore Frank Bainimarama has announced that emergency laws in place since a 2009 political crisis will be lifted this week, government officials said on Monday. In a New Year speech, Bainimarama also said consultations would start in February on a new constitution to replace one annulled in 2009, at the height of a political crisis over his rule. Government officials in Suva confirmed the content of the speech to Reuters by telephone. ... Full Story Top With 48 hours left, Romney eyes Iowa breakthrough Sun,1 Jan 2012 04:02 PM PST Reuters - DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The Republican White House hopefuls launched a two-day dash to the finish in Iowa on Sunday, with front-runner Mitt Romney poised for a strong showing that could set him on the path to the nomination. Romney holds a slight edge over rival Ron Paul in recent polls in Iowa's first contest in the state-by-state battle to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012. "I'm pretty confident we'll have a good night. I don't know who's going to win," Romney told supporters at a packed restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa, adding he was "energized" ahead of Tuesday's ... Full Story Top With 48 hours left, Romney eyes Iowa breakthrough Sun,1 Jan 2012 03:57 PM PST Reuters - DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The Republican White House hopefuls launched a two-day dash to the finish in Iowa on Sunday, with front-runner Mitt Romney poised for a strong showing that could set him on the path to the nomination. Romney holds a slight edge over rival Ron Paul in recent polls in Iowa's first contest in the state-by-state battle to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012. "I'm pretty confident we'll have a good night. I don't know who's going to win," Romney told supporters at a packed restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa, adding he was "energized" ahead of Tuesday's ... Full Story Top Romney runs strong, but can he connect with voters? Sun,1 Jan 2012 03:56 PM PST Reuters - DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's crowds are larger now. And with the Iowa caucuses looming on Tuesday, it seems inevitable that the former Massachusetts governor will do well in, if not win, the first contest in the race for the Republican nomination for president. ... Full Story Top Bachmann seeks miracle in presidential race Sun,1 Jan 2012 03:55 PM PST Reuters - OSKALOOSA, Iowa (Reuters) - Facing colossal odds in the Republican nomination race, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann cast her struggle in Biblical terms on Sunday in a late attempt to win over conservative voters. Bachmann spoke from the pulpit of a small church in rural Iowa, telling the congregation about a small group of Israelites who emerged victorious from a battle in which they were outmatched in numbers and weaponry. ... Full Story Top Syria bloodshed defies Arab monitor mission Sun,1 Jan 2012 03:43 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian security forces killed eight more protesters and an Arab League organization urged Arab monitors to leave Syria, saying unrelenting bloodshed made a mockery of their mission. President Bashar al-Assad's forces, keen to prevent huge protest rallies under the monitors' eyes, have killed at least 286 people since December 23, the day before the mission's leader arrived in Syria, according to activists who tally casualties. Some of Sunday's eight deaths occurred when security forces fired on protesters in the Damascus suburb of Daria, they said. ... Full Story Top Israel, Palestinians to meet Tuesday; prospects hazy Sun,1 Jan 2012 03:04 PM PST Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet this week after more than a year of deadlock in peacemaking, officials said Sunday, but both sides played down prospects of any imminent resumption of talks. Yitzhak Molcho of Israel and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet Tuesday in Jordan alongside representatives of the Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. "This aims at reaching a common ground to resume direct talks between the two sides and to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord ... ... Full Story Top Exxon wins less than expected from Venezuela dispute Sun,1 Jan 2012 02:43 PM PST Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - An arbitration panel has awarded U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp $908 million in compensation for Venezuela's 2007 nationalization of its assets, less than 10 percent of what the company sought in a long legal battle with the OPEC nation. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez likely will celebrate the ruling as a vindication of his nationalist confrontation with oil companies aimed at increasing revenue from the industry to boost funding for state-led anti-poverty programs. ... Full Story Top Egypt's army hastens end of parliamentary election Sun,1 Jan 2012 02:23 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army rulers issued a decree on Sunday to hasten the conclusion of parliamentary elections after deadly clashes in Cairo last month raised pressure for a quicker handover to civilian control. Final run-offs to the assembly's upper house will end on February 22 instead of March 12 as previously planned, the ruling military council said in a statement, and the house will hold its first sitting on February 28. Fifty-nine people were killed in confrontations in late November and December between security forces and protesters demanding the military leave power sooner. ... Full Story Top Egypt denies trying to stifle human rights movement Sun,1 Jan 2012 02:23 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's government on Sunday denied accusations from human rights groups that it was trying to smother some of the ruling military council's most vocal opponents when it raided the offices of 17 non-governmental organisations last week. Angered by the swoops, Washington called on Egyptian authorities to halt "harassment" of staff of the groups involved, which included the U.S.-funded National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. The U.S. government also hinted it could review the $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Cairo if the raids continued. ... Full Story Top Boat capsizes off Lamu in Kenya, at least 7 dead Sun,1 Jan 2012 01:49 PM PST Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - At least seven people died and many more were feared missing after a boat carrying dozens of passengers hit another vessel and capsized off the Kenyan island of Lamu on Sunday evening, the Kenya Red Cross said. Nelly Muluka-Oluoch, a Kenya Red Cross spokeswoman, said 20 survivors had been found so far and the boat may have been carrying up to 80 passengers. She said rescue teams were searching for more survivors into the night. The boat was taking people from Lamu Island to the nearby mainland when it hit the other vessel. ... Full Story Top Tunisian president says liberties to be protected Sun,1 Jan 2012 12:31 PM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's new constitution is likely to contain provisions on women's rights and individual liberties, and the country will need a constitutional council to uphold it, new president Moncef Marzouki said in an interview published on Sunday. Marzouki, a political prisoner under ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, was elected president as part of a power-sharing deal with the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, the winner of Tunisia's first democratic election, held last October. ... Full Story Top U.S. consumer in the slow lane Sun,1 Jan 2012 12:03 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - It's up to the consumer to drive the U.S. economy and lift world growth in 2012, and the outlook is far from encouraging. Over the past three and half years, growth in U.S. consumer spending has averaged a paltry 0.2 percent adjusted for inflation, the weakest in the post-World War II period, Morgan Stanley says. While the employment picture is gradually brightening, wage growth is going in the opposite direction, keeping a lid on consumer behavior. ... Full Story Top Nigeria ends fuel subsidies, angering unions Sun,1 Jan 2012 11:58 AM PST Reuters - ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian authorities scrapped fuel subsidies with immediate effect on Sunday, prompting unions to call for a repeat of the strikes and street protests that thwarted previous attempts to end the scheme. Many Nigerians see cheap fuel as the only benefit they get from living in Africa's top crude oil exporter. A statement by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) announced the "formal removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit. ... Full Story Top Funeral of Bahrain youth turns into street protest Sun,1 Jan 2012 11:13 AM PST Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahraini police fired tear gas and sound grenades after hundreds of Shi'ite youths demonstrated on Sunday over the death of a 15-year-old protester a day earlier in the Sunni-ruled Gulf island kingdom, residents and activists said. Confrontations between security forces and protesters take place almost daily in areas populated by majority Shi'ites, who led anti-government protests that were crushed last year. "After the funeral, many of the mourners started protesting and the police began using tear gas and sound bombs. ... Full Story Top Workers at Tripoli's decaying port go on strike Sun,1 Jan 2012 10:21 AM PST Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Port workers in Libya's capital Tripoli went on strike on Sunday to demand better working conditions and government investment to fix major damage caused by war and decades of negligence. The port, Libya's largest non-oil harbor, was damaged during the civil war that ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule. In May, NATO sank eight Libyan warships there and intercepted a fuel tanker it believed was destined for Gaddafi's military forces. The port's decay predates the conflict, and it was held up as an example of poor management by the Gaddafi government. ... Full Story Top Iran reports nuclear progress as sanctions loom Sun,1 Jan 2012 10:16 AM PST Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - - Iran announced a nuclear fuel breakthrough and test-fired a new radar-evading medium-range missile in the Gulf on Sunday, moves that could further antagonize the West at a time when Tehran is trying to avert harsh new sanctions on its oil industry. U.S. President Barack Obama signed a law on Saturday imposing tougher financial sanctions to penalize Iran for a nuclear research programme that the West suspects is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. The move could for the first time hurt Tehran's oil exports, and the European Union is due to consider similar steps soon. ... Full Story Top Iceland's president says he will step down in May Sun,1 Jan 2012 09:39 AM PST Reuters - REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who twice called a referendum to bring down a debt settlement deal with the Netherlands and Britain, said on Sunday he would step down this year after 16 years in office. Grimsson said in his yearly televised New Year address that he would not run for re-election in May. One of the president's few formal powers is to refuse to sign a bill passed in parliament, which must then be put to a referendum. Grimsson is the only Icelandic president to have used the power. ... Full Story Top Crisis talk, austerity calls mark euro anniversary Sun,1 Jan 2012 09:33 AM PST Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Policymakers marked the 10th anniversary on Sunday of the introduction of euro notes and coins by urging governments in the currency bloc to save and consolidate to overcome their debt crisis. While German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble called the euro "a clear success story" and pledged the currency would remain stable, he also urged vulnerable debtor states to follow a tough savings course in 2012, boost their competitiveness and work to win back market confidence. ... Full Story Top Gunmen attack bars in northeast Kenya, 5 dead Sun,1 Jan 2012 08:25 AM PST Reuters - GARISSA, Kenya (Reuters) - Gunmen sprayed bullets at New Year revellers in two bars in northeastern Kenya on Sunday, killing five people, a witness and police said, the latest in a wave of attacks near the border with Somalia. Kenyan security forces suspect al Shabaab Islamist rebels, who are fighting the Western-backed government in Somalia, are also behind a string of deadly strikes in the border region. A worker at one of the bars in the town of Garissa said gunmen approached in a vehicle, opened fire and then drove away. "The guys fired from the vehicle. ... Full Story Top Nigeria regulator announces end to fuel subsidies Sun,1 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Reuters - ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian authorities announced on Sunday that a controversial plan to scrap fuel subsidies will be effective from January 1, a move likely to lead to strikes and street protests. The plan is unpopular with Nigerians, many of whom see cheap fuel as the only benefit they get from living in Africa's top crude oil exporter. Previous attempts to remove the subsidy had prompted strike action and street protests, and many expect this one to be no different. ... Full Story Top Fixing poses threat to 2012 Games, says Minister Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:46 AM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The integrity of the London 2012 Olympics could be shattered by the "enormous" threat of illegal gambling rings trying to fix results, Britain's Olympics minister said on Sunday. Event fixing could play "a very real part" at the Olympics, Hugh Robertson said, adding that he was trying to convince other governments to take the threat seriously to avoid a scandal which could scar the reputation of the Games. "We know that there are enormous illegal betting syndicates in both the Indian subcontinent and across the far east," Robertson told Sky News. ... Full Story Top Fixing poses threat to 2012 Games - Olympics Minister Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:42 AM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The integrity of the London 2012 Olympics could be shattered by the "enormous" threat of illegal gambling rings trying to fix results, the Olympics minister said on Sunday. Event fixing could play "a very real part" at the Olympics, Hugh Robertson said, adding that he was trying to convince other governments to take the threat seriously to avoid a scandal which could scar the reputation of the Games. "We know that there are enormous illegal betting syndicates in both the Indian subcontinent and across the far east," Robertson told Sky News. ... Full Story Top Bashir urges Darfur rebels to seek peace after leader Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:22 AM PST Reuters - KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Saturday urged fighters from one of the most powerful rebel groups in Darfur to lay down their weapons and seek peace with the government after their leader was killed. The Western region of Darfur is the scene of an almost decade-long insurgency of non-Arab tribes against the government, which they accuse of political and economic marginalisation. The Sudanese army said last week it had killed Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), as he tried to cross into South Sudan. JEM has confirmed his death. ... Full Story Top Troops, tanks patrol in northeast Nigeria Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:21 AM PST Reuters - MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Heavily armed troops and tanks patrolled the streets of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria on Sunday, witnesses said, after the president declared a state of emergency in parts of the north affected by an Islamist insurgency. President Goodluck Jonathan imposed the state of emergency on the northeast, the conflict-prone central city of Jos, and part of Niger state near Abuja on Saturday, and closed the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger in the northeast. ... Full Story Top Nine die, 50 hurt in botched Congo jail break Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST Reuters - KINSHASA (Reuters) - Nine inmates were killed in a botched prison break in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday after one of them pulled the pin on a grenade but didn't throw it, a police official said. The incident follows a rash of prison violence and escapes in the central African country, including the escape of nearly 1,000 detainees from a high security jail in September. "The civilian (prisoner) did not know how to use a grenade, he pulled the pin out but didn't throw it," the provincial chief of police, General Gaston Luzembo, told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Libya militia says holds Gaddafi supporters over plot Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:11 AM PST Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Libyan militia chief said on Sunday his fighters had captured nine supporters of overthrown leader Muammar Gaddafi who had been plotting to blow up Tripoli's power grid on New Year's eve. "We captured explosives with them that they bought from the black market and now we're interrogating them," the commander of Tripoli's Revolutionist Council Abdullah Naker told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Libya militia says holds Gaddafi supporters over plot Sun,1 Jan 2012 07:09 AM PST Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Libyan militia chief said on Sunday his fighters had captured nine supporters of overthrown leader Muammar Gaddafi who had been plotting to blow up Tripoli's power grid on New Year's eve. "We captured explosives with them that they bought from the black market and now we're interrogating them," the commander of Tripoli's Revolutionist Council Abdullah Naker told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Two die, 561 hurt in Italian New Year celebrations Sun,1 Jan 2012 06:53 AM PST Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Two men were killed and 561 other people were wounded as Italians celebrated the New Year with massive displays of illegal and homemade fireworks, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. Of those wounded, 76 were children under the age of 12. Marking New Year's Eve festivities with fireworks is a deadly Italian tradition. Up to 2,000 cities, towns and villages had banned them this year, but police said they still seized thousands of tonnes of fireworks, including more than a thousand rocket launchers. ... Full Story Top North Korea calls for "human shields" to protect new leader Sun,1 Jan 2012 06:17 AM PST Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong-un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong-il. The North's three main state newspapers said in a policy-setting editorial traditionally published on New Year's Day that Kim Jong-un has legitimacy to carry on the revolutionary battle initiated by his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and developed by his father, the iron-fisted ruler who died two weeks ago. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Three early voting states in presidential election Sun,1 Jan 2012 06:04 AM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Voters kick off the 2012 nominating process to pick the Republican Party's challenger to Democratic President Barack Obama with the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday, followed by primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina on January 10 and January 21. The three contests are some of the most watched events in the election process. Here are a few facts about them. IOWA * Iowa has been first in the nominating process since 1972 when Iowa Democrats changed the date to meet new rules intended to encourage participation. ... Full Story Top Iraqi civilian deaths in December lowest level in 2011 Sun,1 Jan 2012 05:23 AM PST Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The number of civilians killed in violence across Iraq dropped to a year low in December, government figures showed on Sunday, despite bombings that rocked the capital after the pullout of U.S. forces. Tension rose after the December 18 withdrawal of U.S. troops when Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought the arrest of the Sunni vice president on charges he ran death squads and also asked parliament to fire the Sunni deputy prime minister. ... Full Story Top Nine die, 50 hurt in botched Congo jail break Sun,1 Jan 2012 04:46 AM PST Reuters - KINSHASA (Reuters) - Nine inmates were killed in a botched prison break in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday after one of them pulled the pin on a grenade but didn't throw it, a police official said. The incident follows a rash of prison violence and escapes in the central African country, including the escape of nearly 1,000 detainees from a high security jail in September. "The civilian (prisoner) did not know how to use a grenade, he pulled the pin out but didn't throw it," the provincial chief of police, General Gaston Luzembo, told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Troops, tanks patrol in northeast Nigeria Sun,1 Jan 2012 04:27 AM PST Reuters - MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Heavily armed troops and tanks patrolled the streets of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria Sunday, witnesses said, after the president declared a state of emergency in parts of the north affected by an Islamist insurgency. President Goodluck Jonathan imposed the state of emergency on the northeast, the conflict-prone central city of Jos, and part of Niger state near Abuja Saturday, and closed the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger in the northeast. ... Full Story Top Iran successfully tests domestically made nuclear fuel rods: TV Sun,1 Jan 2012 04:21 AM PST Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has successfully produced and tested fuel rods for use in its nuclear power plants, state television reported on Sunday, in a snub to international demands that it halt sensitive nuclear work. The rods, which contain natural uranium, were made in Iran and have been inserted into the core of Tehran's research nuclear reactor, the television reported. Nuclear fuel rods contain small pellets of fuel, usually low-enriched uranium, patterned to give out heat produced by nuclear reaction without melting down. ... Full Story Top Romney runs strong, but can he connect with voters? Sun,1 Jan 2012 04:07 AM PST Reuters - DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's crowds are larger now. And with the Iowa caucuses looming on Tuesday, it seems inevitable that the former Massachusetts governor will do well in, if not win, the first contest in the race for the Republican nomination for president. ... Full Story Top

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