| | |
| Afghan policewoman kills coalition contractor in Kabul: NATO Monday, Dec 24, 2012 03:11 AM PST  KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan woman wearing a police uniform shot dead on Monday a civilian contractor working for Western forces in the police chief's compound in Kabul, NATO said. The incident is likely to raise troubling questions about the direction of an unpopular war. It appeared to be the first time that a woman member of Afghanistan's security forces carried out such an attack. There were conflicting reports about the victim. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said a U.S. police adviser was killed by an Afghan policewoman. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ambushed NY firemen shot dead; two police killed elsewhere Monday, Dec 24, 2012 05:53 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gunman, who spent 17 years in prison for murder, ambushed and killed two volunteer firefighters and wounded two others on Monday near Rochester, New York, as they responded to a house fire he deliberately set, police said. William Spengler, 62, shot and killed himself after a gunfight with a police officer in Webster, a Rochester suburb, Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said. "It was a trap set by Mr. Spengler, who laid in wait and shot first responders," Pickering told a news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. General Assembly voices concern for Myanmar's Muslims Monday, Dec 24, 2012 08:18 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly expressed serious concern on Monday over violence between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar and called upon its government to address reports of human rights abuses by some authorities. The 193-nation General Assembly approved by consensus a non-binding resolution, which Myanmar said last month contained a "litany of sweeping allegations, accuracies of which have yet to be verified." Outbreaks of violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and the Rohingyas have killed dozens and displaced thousands since June. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers play waiting game with 'fiscal cliff' deadline in sight Monday, Dec 24, 2012 08:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With only a week left before a deadline for the United States to go over a "fiscal cliff," lawmakers played a waiting game on Monday in the hope that someone will produce a plan to avoid harsh budget cuts and higher taxes for most Americans from New Year's Day. Though Republicans and Democrats have spent the better part of a year describing a plunge off the cliff as a looming catastrophe, the nation's capital showed no outward signs of worry, let alone impending calamity. The White House has set up shop in Hawaii, where President Barack Obama is vacationing. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. approves new debate on arms treaty opposed by U.S. gun lobby Monday, Dec 24, 2012 06:13 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Monday to restart negotiations on a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global trade in conventional arms, a pact the powerful U.S. National Rifle Association has been lobbying hard against. U.N. delegates and gun control activists have complained that talks collapsed in July largely because U.S. President Barack Obama feared attacks from Republican rival Mitt Romney before the November 6 election if his administration was seen as supporting the pact, a charge U.S. officials have denied. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwait to host Syria crisis meeting, envoy meets Assad Monday, Dec 24, 2012 10:18 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kuwait will host an international conference next month to tackle Syria's humanitarian crisis, the ruling emir said on Monday, as foes of President Bashar al-Assad voiced frustration with international efforts to end the civil war. In Damascus, special international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Assad but the Syrian opposition vented its anger at what it called a "silence" over the unabated killing of civilians by government forces, most recently in the central town of Halfaya. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dockworkers at Northwest ports reject pact offer Monday, Dec 24, 2012 07:51 PM PST SEATTLE (Reuters) - Dockworkers at four U.S. Pacific Northwest ports moved closer to a possible labor clash with grain shippers on Monday, as parties in a larger, separate dispute at 15 East and Gulf coast ports agreed to mediation ahead of strike deadline set for December 30. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced nearly 3,000 of its members had voted to reject a contract proposal that management called its "last, best and final" offer. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt to announce result of constitution vote on Tuesday Monday, Dec 24, 2012 11:53 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will announce on Tuesday the official results of a vote on its new constitution, the head of the elections committee told state media on Monday, a step which paves the way for the formation of a new parliament in about two months. The creation of a new constitution is a vital step in Egypt's transition to democracy almost two years after the fall of military-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak. But the opposition says the text, crafted mostly by President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies, fails to guarantee personal freedom and the rights of women and minorities. ... Full Story | Top |
| India clamps down on gang rape protests, PM appeals for calm Monday, Dec 24, 2012 09:31 AM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian authorities throttled movement in the heart of the capital on Monday, shutting roads and railway stations in a bid to restore law and order after police fought pitched battles with protesters enraged by the gang rape of a young woman. In an unusual televised address, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for calm following the weekend clashes in New Delhi and vowed to punish the rapists for their "monstrous" crime. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa's Mandela to remain in hospital for Christmas Monday, Dec 24, 2012 08:05 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela continues to respond to treatment more than two weeks after being taken to hospital in Pretoria and will remain there for Christmas Day, the presidency said on Monday. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero and Nobel Peace laureate has been treated for a lung infection and gallstones after being hospitalized on December 8. President Jacob Zuma said in a statement that Mandela "will recover from this episode with all our support... We also humbly invite all freedom loving people around the world to pray for him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Monti urges debate on Italy election as rivals open fire Monday, Dec 24, 2012 08:02 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti posted his reform agenda online on Monday, urging Italians to join a debate on their country's future as potentially bitter election campaign gets underway two months before Italy goes to polls. Following weeks of hesitation, Monti declared his availability on Sunday to lead a reform-minded centrist alliance to seek a second term to complete the economic reform program begun when he took office just over a year ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers play waiting game with "fiscal cliff" deadline in sight Monday, Dec 24, 2012 10:52 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With only a week left before a deadline for the United States to go over a "fiscal cliff," lawmakers played a waiting game on Monday in the hope that someone will produce a plan to avoid harsh budget cuts and higher taxes for most Americans from New Year's Day. Though Republicans and Democrats have spent the better part of a year describing a plunge off the cliff as a looming catastrophe, the nation's capital showed no outward signs of worry, let alone impending calamity. The White House has set up shop in Hawaii, where President Barack Obama is vacationing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: How U.S. retailers are building up their online muscle Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 10:33 PM PST  MARTINSBURG, West Virginia (Reuters) - The brave new world for U.S. retailers can be found in small cities like Martinsburg, West Virginia. That's where department store chain Macy's Inc recently opened a facility the size of 43 football fields - big enough to stock 1 million pairs of shoes - just to fulfill orders made online. The $150 million building, its third one dedicated primarily to supporting macys.com, has already been handling 60,000 orders on a busy day this holiday season. Macy's expects that figure to triple in two years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Ethnicity and ICC cases heat up Kenya presidential race Monday, Dec 24, 2012 01:11 AM PST  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Alliances forged by Kenya's main presidential contenders for elections in March are lining up a repeat of a largely ethnic-based contest for political power which exploded into bloodshed in the 2007 vote. Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya's founder president, lead the two main opposing camps for the March 4 presidential and parliamentary elections. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ambushed NY firemen shot dead; 2 police killed elsewhere Monday, Dec 24, 2012 02:36 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gunman who spent 17 years in prison for murder ambushed and killed two volunteer firefighters and wounded two others on Monday near Rochester, New York, as they responded to a house fire he deliberately set, police said. William Spangler, 62, shot and killed himself after a gunfight with a police officer in Webster, a Rochester suburb, Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said. "It was a trap set by Mr. Spangler, who laid in wait and shot first responders," Pickering told a news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fragile Egypt economy overshadows Mursi's vote win Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 11:12 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will have little time to savor victory in pushing through a new constitution as it may have cost the Islamist leader broader support for urgent austerity measures needed to fix the creaking economy. By fast-tracking the constitution through to a referendum that the opposition said was divisive, he may have squandered any chance of building a consensus on tax rises and spending cuts that are essential to rein in a crushing budget deficit. Unofficial tallies from Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood showed the charter was approved by a 64 percent ... Full Story | Top |
| Air strike kills dozens of Syrians waiting to buy bread Monday, Dec 24, 2012 04:59 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Dozens of people were killed and many more wounded in a Syrian government air strike that hit a bakery where a crowd was queuing for bread on Sunday, activists said. If confirmed, the attack on Halfaya in central Syria, which was seized by rebels last week, would be one of the deadliest air strikes of Syria's civil war. Videos uploaded by activists showed dozens of bloodstained corpses lying amid rubble and shrapnel. An adolescent boy with both his feet blown off lay flailing in the middle of a road. "When I got there, I could see piles of bodies all over the ground. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment