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Monday, December 12, 2011 8:31 PM PST

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Former WaMu execs agree to settle FDIC lawsuit: report Lawmakers reach tentative deal to fund government Syria death toll exceeds 5,000: U.N. rights chief Lawmakers freeze $700 million to Pakistan Japan urges EU to make more convincing efforts Yet another school bus crash sparks fury in China U.S. to mothball gear to build top F-22 fighter Profile: Belgium's Central Bank Governor Luc Coene Japan likely to pick F-35 fighter this week: media USTR faults China WTO record in 1Oth annual report Congress moves ahead with new detainee rules House-Senate panel agrees new sanctions on Iran Canada first nation to pull out of Kyoto protocol Papua New Guinea awakes to two prime ministers, calls for calm Senate confirms one ambassador, blocks another White House says supports embattled nuclear regulator Gloves stay on in Gingrich-Huntsman N.H. debate Brazil's Lula is beating cancer, doctors say China school bus crash kills at least 15 children: report Republican Keystone, tax cut bill expect to pass on Tuesday Congress cannot accelerate Keystone decision: State Department Candidate Gingrich vows fidelity to wife U.N. rights chief Pillay says Syria toll over 5,000 Police unsure of tabloid role in key UK hacking case Factbox: Payroll tax cut areas of compromise Medtronic settles U.S. probe over doctor kickbacks Gingrich, Romney turn up the heat in New Hampshire More than 9 million in Sahel face food crisis: Oxfam Mexico's navy captures Zetas leader "El Lucky" Obama says U.S. will be loyal partner for Iraq Ouattara coalition leads in Ivorian poll count Medtronic settles probe over doctor kickbacks Police unsure of tabloid role in key UK hacking case Police unsure of tabloid role in key hacking case Trump debate still on, says conservative U.S. publisher U.N. rights chief Pillay says Syria toll over 5,000 Romney, gay vet meet, differ in New Hampshire Putin ally wants new liberal party after Russia protests Canada says invoking right to quit Kyoto protocol Explosion rips through Syria gas pipeline: witness Former WaMu execs agree to settle FDIC lawsuit: report Mon,12 Dec 2011 08:24 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Former Washington Mutual Inc executives agreed to settle a lawsuit for less than 10 percent of the $900 million originally sought by the FDIC for their role in the biggest bank failure in U.S. history, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation. A large portion of the payout, which is expected to total less than $75 million, would come from insurers and the bank's estate, and not from the former executives, the Journal said. ... Full Story Top Lawmakers reach tentative deal to fund government Mon,12 Dec 2011 08:11 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers moved closer to a deal on Monday to fund the government through next year, potentially avoiding a shutdown that would have further damaged Congress' tattered reputation ahead of the 2012 election. The group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers tentatively agreed on how to fund a wide range of government functions from homeland security to protecting the environment, congressional aides said. ... Full Story Top Syria death toll exceeds 5,000: U.N. rights chief Mon,12 Dec 2011 08:01 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - More than 5,000 people have been killed in nine months of unrest in Syria, the U.N. human rights chief said, as an insurgency begins to overshadow what had been mostly peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad. The latest figure reported to the U.N. Security Council by Navi Pillay is 1,000 higher than the one she announced just 10 days ago. The toll includes civilians, army defectors and those executed for refusing to shoot civilians, but not soldiers and other security personnel killed by opposition forces, she said. ... Full Story Top Lawmakers freeze $700 million to Pakistan Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:55 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The leaders of a U.S. House-Senate negotiating panel have agreed to freeze $700 million in U.S. aid to Pakistan until it offers to help in the fight against improvised explosive devices in the region, exerting more pressure on a troubled strategic ally. Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign aid, and the cutback announced is only a small proportion of the billions in civil and military assistance it gets a year. ... Full Story Top Japan urges EU to make more convincing efforts Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:26 PM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi on Tuesday urged Europe to make further efforts to convince markets of its resolve to overcome the region's debt crisis and expressed caution about any potential Japan contribution to a rescue fund through the IMF. Azumi said Japan would cooperate where it can but only after Europe comes up with a thorough scheme and resources needed to build a fire wall and prevent contagion of the debt crisis. ... Full Story Top Yet another school bus crash sparks fury in China Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:19 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - At least 15 children were killed when a school bus crashed in China's eastern province of Jiangsu, state media said on Tuesday, the latest in a string of traffic accidents that has triggered public fury across the country. The bus fell into a ditch as it veered off the road to avoid a pedicab, the official Xinhua news agency said. At least eight children were injured in the accident, which happened after school on Monday. Xinhua had conflicting accounts on the number of children on board the bus but all reports suggested the bus was not overloaded. ... Full Story Top U.S. to mothball gear to build top F-22 fighter Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:18 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even as the last F-22 fighter jet rolls out of flag-draped doors at a Lockheed Martin Corp assembly plant on Tuesday, the Air Force has taken steps that leave open an option to restart the premier plane's production relatively cheaply. The Air Force is preserving the hardware used to build the jet, not scrapping it, although it insists this is solely to sustain the fleet over its projected 30-plus years' "lifecycle. ... Full Story Top Profile: Belgium's Central Bank Governor Luc Coene Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:15 PM PST Reuters - Position: Belgian Central Bank Governor Incumbent: Luc Coene Date of birth: March 11, 1947 Term: Has been in office since April 2011, replacing Guy Quaden, who had served for 12 years. Key Facts: - Coene was a senator with the pro-free market Flemish liberal (Open VLD) party and a member of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's cabinet until he moved to the central bank as deputy governor in 2003. - Coene has called for a reform of Belgium's system of indexation, under which salaries, rents and prices for a wide range of items, from energy to tram tickets, are adjusted in line with inflation. ... Full Story Top Japan likely to pick F-35 fighter this week: media Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:14 PM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is likely to pick Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of F-4 Phantom fighters, reaffirming strong security ties with the United States, Japanese media reported on Tuesday. The government will choose between two U.S. models -- the F-35 and the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet -- and Europe's four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon, at a meeting of the national security council on Friday, the Nikkei business daily said. ... Full Story Top USTR faults China WTO record in 1Oth annual report Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:48 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ten years after joining the World Trade Organization, China still does not fully embrace many fundamental free market principles of the global trade body, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Monday in an annual report to Congress. "In 2011, the prevalence of interventionist policies and practices, coupled with the large role of state-owned enterprises in China's economy, continued to generate significant concerns among U.S. stakeholders," the USTR said. ... Full Story Top Congress moves ahead with new detainee rules Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:46 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress sought to avoid a showdown with the White House over detainee policy in the war against al Qaeda on Monday, with a panel approving new rules for handling terrorism suspects after adding changes wanted by the administration. Leaders from the House and Senate Armed Services Committees said they were not certain the changes they included in the National Defense Authorization Act would be enough to avert a threatened veto by President Barack Obama, but they said they hoped they had addressed his concerns. ... Full Story Top House-Senate panel agrees new sanctions on Iran Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:29 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of a U.S. House and Senate negotiating panel on Monday said they had agreed to compromise legislation imposing new sanctions that target Iran's central bank, despite Obama administration misgivings over the measure. They said they hoped to pass it this week. The lawmakers, the leaders of armed services committees from both political parties, said they had made some changes sought by the administration. These added some flexibility in the treatment of foreign institutions that trade with Iran's central bank, Democratic Senator Carl Levin said. ... Full Story Top Canada first nation to pull out of Kyoto protocol Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:27 PM PST Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada on Monday became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty. Environment Minister Peter Kent broke the news on his return from talks in Durban, where countries agreed to extend Kyoto for five years and hammer out a new deal forcing all big polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions. ... Full Story Top Papua New Guinea awakes to two prime ministers, calls for calm Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:23 PM PST Reuters - s PORT MORESBY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea was in a political deadlock on Tuesday with two prime ministers claiming the right to govern the resource-rich South Pacific nation, prompting calls for calm in the capital Port Moresby. PNG's Supreme Court on Monday night ruled the government led by Peter O'Neill illegal and ordered Sir Michael Somare, toppled while receiving medical treatment in Singapore, be reinstated as prime minister. ... Full Story Top Senate confirms one ambassador, blocks another Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:05 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. ambassadors on the verge of being forced to return home met opposite outcomes on Monday, as the Senate voted to block one and allow the other to continue serving in his post. President Barack Obama's nominee for U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte, fell 11 votes short of the 60 she needed to break through Republican opposition. The nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, Norman Eisen, succeeded in a similar procedural vote, 70-16. ... Full Story Top White House says supports embattled nuclear regulator Mon,12 Dec 2011 05:54 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has confidence in the embattled chairman of the nuclear safety regulator, and the top officials at the agency continue to do their jobs despite a bitter internal dispute, William Daley, chief of staff to President Barack Obama, said on Monday. Daley expressed his support in a letter to Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the four commissioners at the agency, who had complained Jaczko had created a hostile work environment. ... Full Story Top Gloves stay on in Gingrich-Huntsman N.H. debate Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:30 PM PST Reuters - MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The gloves didn't have to come off on Monday night in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate between Republican rivals Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman, who found more agreement than strife on foreign policy issues. The debate pitted the current Republican front-runner against the former Utah governor who is trailing in the dead-last zone among the pack of candidates running to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in November 2012. ... Full Story Top Brazil's Lula is beating cancer, doctors say Mon,12 Dec 2011 05:41 PM PST Reuters - SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A 75 percent reduction in the size of a tumor in former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's throat has surprised his doctors and could put the popular showman back on the active political roster as early as March. The medical team treating Lula at the Hospital Sirio-Libanes said they were "impressed" with his recovery, as the 66-year-old former union boss started his third and final round of chemotheropy on Monday. ... Full Story Top China school bus crash kills at least 15 children: report Mon,12 Dec 2011 05:26 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - At least 15 children were killed when a school bus crashed in China's eastern province of Jiangsu, state media said on Tuesday, the latest in a string of traffic accidents that has drawn public ire across the country. The bus fell into a ditch following a failed attempt to veer off the road to avoid a pedicab, Xinhua news agency said. At least eight children were injured in the accident, which happened in the early evening on Monday. Xinhua had conflicting accounts on the number of children on board the bus but all reports suggested the bus was not overloaded. ... Full Story Top Republican Keystone, tax cut bill expect to pass on Tuesday Mon,12 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican bid to force President Barack Obama to speed up approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline project looked set to pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday but will likely stall in the Democratic-controlled Senate, aides said. Republicans have linked the proposed Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline to President Barack Obama's efforts to extend a payroll tax cut for workers. Some economists warn that allowing the tax cut to expire could damage a fragile U.S. economic recovery. ... Full Story Top Congress cannot accelerate Keystone decision: State Department Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:59 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department warned on Monday that a plan by congressional Republicans to fast track the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline decision would violate environmental laws and force it to withhold approval. "Should Congress impose an arbitrary deadline for the permit decision ... the department would be unable to make a determination to issue a permit for this project," the State Department said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Candidate Gingrich vows fidelity to wife Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:45 PM PST Reuters - DES MOINES (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich pledged on Monday to remain faithful to his third wife, fighting back against rivals who have raised his past infidelity as an issue. Gingrich made the vow on a day his poll numbers in Iowa declined slightly, although he still has a substantial lead with three weeks to go before Iowa holds the first U.S. presidential nominating contest of the 2012 election year. ... Full Story Top U.N. rights chief Pillay says Syria toll over 5,000 Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:38 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The death toll in Syria's nine-month crackdown on an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has now passed 5,000, United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay told the Security Council on Monday. The figure represents a sharp increase over the more than 4,000 that she cited just 10 days ago. "Today I have reported that the figure exceeds 5,000," Pillay told reporters after briefing the council in closed session on what she called the "intolerable situation" in Syria. ... Full Story Top Police unsure of tabloid role in key UK hacking case Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:34 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - British police said on Monday there was no evidence that journalists from Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid had deleted a murdered schoolgirl's mobile phone messages, a claim that led to public revulsion and the closure of the paper. It was a report last July that the paper's journalists had deleted voicemails on the phone of Milly Dowler in 2002, giving her parents false hope she was still alive, that lit a fire under a simmering scandal over phone hacking. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Payroll tax cut areas of compromise Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:33 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Lawmakers are trying to clinch a deal extending a popular payroll tax cut, working against a year-end deadline to avoid imposing an effective tax hike on 160 million Americans. While Republican leaders agree with Democrats on the need to extend the tax cut, they disagree on how to fund the $120 billion cost. Below are areas of contention and potential compromise. KEYSTONE PIPELINE The biggest bargaining chip for Republicans is their proposal to speed approval of TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL pipeline project between the United States and Canada. ... Full Story Top Medtronic settles U.S. probe over doctor kickbacks Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:23 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc has agreed to pay $23.5 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors to encourage them to use its pacemakers and defibrillators, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday. The company was accused of seeking physicians to participate in studies and registries and paying doctors fees of between $1,000 to $2,000 per patient for information and data collected as long as they used Medtronic's devices, according to the Justice Department. ... Full Story Top Gingrich, Romney turn up the heat in New Hampshire Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:53 PM PST Reuters - HOLLIS, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The tense campaign between Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney heated up further on Monday in New Hampshire, where Romney's lead in opinion polls has shrunk in recent weeks. The frontrunners for the 2012 Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama campaigned near to each other in the Manchester area. Their biting remarks about one another reflected how New Hampshire - long seen as a lock for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor - now has the look of a competitive primary. ... Full Story Top More than 9 million in Sahel face food crisis: Oxfam Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:49 PM PST Reuters - DAKAR (Reuters) - More than nine million people in five countries in Africa's Sahel region face food crisis next year, following low rainfall, poor harvests, high food prices and a drop in remittances from migrants, aid agency Oxfam said on Monday. People in Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad, are at particularly high risk, with national food reserves dangerously low and prices of some key cereals as much as 40 percent higher than the five-year average. ... Full Story Top Mexico's navy captures Zetas leader "El Lucky" Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:38 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's navy captured a leader of the Zetas drug cartel, Raul Fernandez, President Felipe Calderon said on Monday via his Twitter account. Fernandez, who is also known as "El Lucky" (The Lucky One), had a bounty of 15 million pesos ($1.09 million) on his head, operated in the Gulf state of Veracruz as well as the central state of Puebla and Oaxaca state in the south, Calderon said. ... Full Story Top Obama says U.S. will be loyal partner for Iraq Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:37 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Iranian influence and Syria's instability looming over Iraq as U.S. troops pack up to go, President Barack Obama assured Baghdad on Monday the United States would remain a strong partner beyond the withdrawal. The removal of almost all U.S. forces from Iraq by December 31 has created uncertainty at a time when the region remains roiled by the Arab Spring, and amid fear that a bloody anti-government revolt in Syria could spread sectarian strife into neighboring Iraq. ... Full Story Top Ouattara coalition leads in Ivorian poll count Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:29 PM PST Reuters - ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara's ruling coalition led in partial results from Sunday's legislative election, according to a small sample of preliminary results released on Monday. Ouattara's ruling coalition appears set for a landslide win based on voting patterns during the first round of last year's presidential polls. A sweeping win in the West African state's first parliamentary poll in a decade would strengthen Ouattara's hand governing a country fresh from a power-struggle that killed more than 3,000 people. ... Full Story Top Medtronic settles probe over doctor kickbacks Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:22 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc has agreed to pay $23.5 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors to encourage them to use its pacemakers and defibrillators, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday. The company was accused of seeking physicians to participate in studies and registries and paying doctors fees of between $1,000 to $2,000 per patient for information and data collected as long as they used Medtronic's devices, according to the Justice Department. ... Full Story Top Police unsure of tabloid role in key UK hacking case Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:13 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - British police said on Monday there was no evidence that journalists from Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid had deleted a murdered schoolgirl's mobile phone messages, a claim that led to public revulsion and the closure of the paper. It was a report last July that the paper's journalists had deleted voicemails on the phone of Milly Dowler in 2002, giving her parents false hope she was still alive, that lit a fire under a simmering scandal over phone hacking. ... Full Story Top Police unsure of tabloid role in key hacking case Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:11 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Police said on Monday there was no evidence that journalists from Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid had deleted a murdered schoolgirl's mobile phone messages, a claim that led to public revulsion and the closure of the paper. It was a report last July that the paper's journalists had deleted voicemails on the phone of Milly Dowler in 2002, giving her parents false hope she was still alive, that lit a fire under a simmering scandal over phone hacking. ... Full Story Top Trump debate still on, says conservative U.S. publisher Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:05 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Conservative publisher Newsmax said it is going ahead with a planned December 27 Republican presidential "debate" moderated by Donald Trump and featuring candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, despite controversy generated by one of its star attractions. ... Full Story Top U.N. rights chief Pillay says Syria toll over 5,000 Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:04 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay told the Security Council on Monday the death toll in Syria's nine-month crackdown on protesters had now risen to over 5,000. The figure compares with more than 4,000 that she cited just 10 days ago. "Today I have reported that the figure exceeds 5,000," Pillay told reporters after briefing the 15-nation council on the situation in Syria. ... Full Story Top Romney, gay vet meet, differ in New Hampshire Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST Reuters - MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney probably expected a different scenario in a Manchester diner on Monday when he tucked into a booth to make small talk with an older man wearing a "Vietnam Vet" baseball cap. Romney has been vocal in opposing cuts to U.S. military spending, and chatting up a veteran would seem like an easy warm-up to a day on the campaign trail. But military spending wasn't on the mind of Bob Garon, who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Garon is gay, and a newlywed. ... Full Story Top Putin ally wants new liberal party after Russia protests Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:32 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - A longtime ally of Vladimir Putin called on Monday for the creation of a liberal party to fill a void in Russian politics exposed by mass protests against the prime minister's 12-year rule, and cast himself as its potential leader. Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin's proposal, if it gains support, could offer a way for Putin to channel discontent and reduce the threat posed by the biggest opposition protests since he took power in 1999. ... Full Story Top Canada says invoking right to quit Kyoto protocol Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:31 PM PST Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will formally withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, Environment Minister Peter Kent said on Monday. "As we've said, Kyoto for Canada is in the past ... We are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto," he told reporters. (Reporting by David Ljunggren and Louise Egan; editing by Rob Wilson) Full Story Top Explosion rips through Syria gas pipeline: witness Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:25 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - An explosion ripped through a gas pipeline near the town of Rastan in the central Syrian province of Homs and flames were seen rising from the site, a witness said on Monday, the second reported blast at an energy pipeline in Homs in a week. The region has been the focus a crackdown by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on a pro-democracy protest movement, and increased fighting has been reported in the area between the army and insurgents in the last few weeks. ... Full Story Top

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