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| Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. commander in Gulf War, dies at 78 Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 07:44 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., the hard-charging U.S. Army general whose forces smashed the Iraqi army in the 1991 Gulf War, has died at the age of 78, a U.S. official said on Thursday. The highly decorated four-star general died at 2:22 p.m. EST (1922 GMT) at his home in Tampa, Florida, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The cause of death was not immediately known. Schwarzkopf, a burly Vietnam War veteran known to his troops as Stormin' Norman, commanded more than 540,000 U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan's new government sticks to three-year nuclear safety goal Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 07:37 PM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's new government said on Friday it hoped to stick to a three year deadline to decide whether to restart all nuclear reactors after safety checks, despite the country's newly formed nuclear regulator saying the deadline was impossible to meet. Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is also responsible for energy policy, said reactors would be restarted as units received the all-clear from the atomic regulator. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former President George H.W. Bush remains in intensive care Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 07:34 PM PST  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former President George H.W. Bush remained in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital on Thursday, but his longtime chief of staff issued a reassuring message, urging the media and the public to "put the harps back in the closet." Bush, 88, a Republican who during his one term in office led a coalition of nations that ejected Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991, was admitted to Methodist Hospital November 23 for bronchitis. He was transferred to intensive care on Sunday after setbacks including a persistent fever, family spokesman Jim McGrath has said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers, Obama in last chance talks on "fiscal cliff" Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 07:14 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and lawmakers are launching a last-chance round of budget talks days before a New Year's deadline to reach a deal or watch the economy go off a "fiscal cliff." Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will meet congressional leaders from both parties at the White House on Friday at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) to try to revive negotiations to avoid tax hikes and spending cuts - together worth $600 billion - that will begin to take effect on January 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Utah teachers get free gun training in response to Newtown shooting Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 06:52 PM PST (Reuters) - Kasey Hansen, a special education teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, says she would take a bullet for any of her students, but if faced with a gunman threatening her class, she would rather be able to shoot back. On Thursday, she was one of 200 Utah teachers who flocked to an indoor sports arena for free instruction in the handling of firearms by gun activists who say armed educators might have a chance at thwarting deadly shooting rampages in their schools. ... Full Story | Top |
| CAR appeals for French help against rebels, Paris balks Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 06:02 PM PST  BANGUI (Reuters) - The president of the Central African Republic appealed on Thursday for France and the United States to help push back rebels threatening his government and the capital, but Paris said its troops were only ready to protect French nationals. The exchanges came as regional African leaders tried to broker a ceasefire deal and as rebels said they had temporarily halted their advance on Bangui, the capital, to allow talks to take place. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. suspends embassy operations in rebel-hit Central African Republic Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 05:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it was suspending operations at its embassy in the Central African Republic as rebels appeared poised to move on the capital of the impoverished but resource-rich nation. U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. embassy had temporarily suspended operations and that the U.S. ambassador and other embassy personnel had left the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans say resigned to tax hike in fiscal cliff Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 05:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are resigned to seeing some sort of income tax increase in legislation to avoid a "fiscal cliff," but such efforts could be doomed in the absence of spending cuts, some Republican lawmakers say. Congress and President Barack Obama are gearing up for a last-ditch attempt to avoid $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts that could halt progress in the U.S. economy, which lately has been showing signs of gaining ground. ... Full Story | Top |
| Secret files lift lid on Thatcher-Reagan Falklands contacts Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 05:06 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wrote an emotional letter to U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1982 Falklands War calling him the "only person" who could understand her position, formerly secret documents showed on Friday. Newly declassified files from 1982 lift the lid on contacts between the two leaders over the crisis and reveal the extent of the pressure Thatcher felt she was under when Argentina invaded the remote South Atlantic archipelago to reclaim what it said was its sovereign territory, triggering a 10-week war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan voters back new PM cabinet, economy top priority Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 04:42 PM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - More than half of Japanese voters support new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet, media surveys published on Friday showed, with the country's stagnant economy topping the list of problems voters want the hawkish new leader to tackle. Abe took office on Wednesday, after his conservative Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) landslide election victory this month, promising to revive the world's third-biggest economy with bold monetary easing and big spending by the debt-laden government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Democratic Congressman Markey to run for Kerry's Senate seat Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 04:33 PM PST  (Reuters) - Longtime Democratic Congressman Edward Markey said on Thursday he would pursue John Kerry's seat if the Massachusetts senator is confirmed as President Barack Obama's secretary of state. Recent events including superstorm Sandy, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and the showdown over the fiscal cliff "have all made clear that Massachusetts needs a Senator with the right priorities and values," Markey said in a statement on Thursday. "I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate because this fight is too important," he added. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to meet congressional leaders on Friday: aide Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 04:21 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will host a meeting on Friday with the four top congressional leaders, a White House aide said on Thursday, as the president and lawmakers rush to break a deadlock over the so-called fiscal cliff days before a year-end deadline. The president will meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Secret UK files lift lid on Thatcher-Reagan Falklands contacts Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 04:07 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wrote an emotional letter to U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1982 Falklands War calling him the "only person" who could understand her position, formerly secret documents showed on Friday. Newly declassified files from 1982 lift the lid on contacts between the two leaders over the crisis and reveal the extent of the pressure Thatcher felt she was under when Argentina invaded the remote South Atlantic archipelago to reclaim what it said was its sovereign territory, triggering a 10-week war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Celebrity bad science: Dried placenta pills and oxygen shots Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 04:03 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Pop guru Simon Cowell carries pocket-sized inhalable oxygen shots, America's "Mad Men" actress January Jones favors dried placenta pills, and British soap star Patsy Palmer rubs coffee granules into her skin. Celebrities rarely shy away from public peddling of dubious ideas about health and science, and 2012 was no exception. In its annual list of the year's worst abuses against science, the Sense About Science (SAS) campaign also named former U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago sued for alleged discrimination against black teachers Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 03:56 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Chicago Teachers Union has sued the nation's third largest school district, saying Mayor Rahm Emanuel's campaign to reform or close underperforming public schools discriminates against African-American teachers and staff. The federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday and announced on Thursday is the latest battle with the city since teachers staged a week-long strike in September. It alleges that more than half of the tenured teachers fired in the most recent round of school closings and turnarounds were African American. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jackson to step down as Obama's environmental chief Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 03:54 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson, who spearheaded the Obama administration's crackdown on carbon emissions, said on Thursday she will step down after almost four years of battles with Republican lawmakers and industry over proposed regulations. Under her leadership, the agency declared for the first time that carbon dioxide was a danger to human health and could be regulated under the Clean Air Act, leading the EPA to develop a new regulatory regime to limit carbon emissions. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY's top court to hear challenge to Bloomberg taxi plan Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 03:42 PM PST  ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - The New York Court of Appeals has agreed to review a decision that blocked New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to raise over $1.4 billion by selling 2,000 new taxi medallions. Three taxi groups in May sued to overturn the plan, saying it would destroy the livelihoods of thousands of drivers. In August, the State Supreme Court's Acting Justice Arthur Engoron found that the Bloomberg administration violated the state constitution's "home rule" provisions by asking state lawmakers, instead of the City Council, to pass the taxi plan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers set up 11th-hour bid on "fiscal cliff" Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 03:30 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers on Thursday gave themselves a last chance to prevent the United States from plunging off a "fiscal cliff" by setting up a late session in Congress a day before taxes are due to rise for most working Americans. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives told their members to be back in Washington from the Christmas holiday break on Sunday in case they need to vote on budget measures. ... Full Story | Top |
| After Newtown, Americans want their guns, with some restrictions Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 03:29 PM PST  (Reuters) - Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the idea of placing strong or moderate limits gun ownership following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Thursday. But laws that permit citizens to carry concealed weapons or use lethal force for protection while in public were just as popular, the poll said. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which surveyed 1,477 Americans online between December 23 and 27, highlighted the difficulty U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq war veteran charged with killing his Wisconsin cop wife Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 02:37 PM PST MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A decorated U.S. Iraq War veteran was charged on Thursday with gunning down his wife, a Wisconsin police officer, in a parking lot as she was on patrol duty the day before Christmas. Benjamin Sebena, 30, who faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide, is accused of shooting his wife, Jennifer, 30, five times outside a fire station in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa early Monday. Benjamin Sebena "laid in wait" for his wife for several hours and when she left the building, he shot her, according to the criminal complaint. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria says destroys bomb factory, kills 5 gunmen Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 02:23 PM PST KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - The Nigerian army said soldiers killed five "suspected terrorists" and destroyed a bomb making factory on Thursday in the northern city of Kaduna where the Islamist sect Boko Haram is active. Kaduna, in the mainly Muslim north, has been the target of several attacks by Boko Haram since the group's low-level insurgency intensified over two years ago. "On the approach to the factory, some suspected terrorists opened fire and also threw already primed Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) at the troops," Kaduna Army spokesman Sani Kukasheka Usman said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michigan governor signs bill giving local governments fiscal options Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 02:01 PM PST  (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed into law on Thursday a bill that gives options to cities and school districts for dealing with severe financial problems, including bankruptcy. The law, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month, allows local elected officials to choose between Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy, if the move is approved by the governor; an emergency manager; arbitration with a neutral party; or a consent agreement laying out terms for fixing the government's finances. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York City faces $811 million budget gap in FY 2014: report Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:57 PM PST  (Reuters) - New York City faces an $811 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2014 and lowered revenue projections in part because of Superstorm Sandy, the city's Independent Budget Office said on Thursday. The city's tax revenue collections are likely to grow by just 3.4 percent in fiscal 2014 to $44.8 billion. That figure is $347 million lower than the IBO projected in May, it said. The dimmer outlook is due to slower expected economic growth, particularly in the banking and securities industries, the IBO said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Timeline: America's long stumble toward the "fiscal cliff" Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:31 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The long, bumpy road to America's "fiscal cliff" on December 31 has been traveled over many years by Congress and a series of U.S. presidents, including Democrat Barack Obama. Some of the steps taken along the way had good intentions; some had no intention other than to put off hard decisions, while ideological divisions on fiscal policy steadily hardened. On Thursday, Congress seemed to be headed toward another crucial deadline unable again to do much more than muddle through. And even that might be overly optimistic. ... Full Story | Top |
| Georgian leader vetoes amnesty bill in duel with parliament Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:19 PM PST  TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili vetoed on Thursday a bill that would free 3,500 prisoners, some considered political prisoners by the parliament dominated by his opponents, adding to a bitter power struggle in the former Soviet republic. Georgia's parliament last week passed an amnesty law that would release many prisoners jailed under Saakashvili, whose party was ousted by an opposition coalition led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili in an October 1 election. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: "Fiscal cliff" tax, budget provisions in detail Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:16 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The "fiscal cliff" is only days away and efforts to avert it are making little progress, with some U.S. lawmakers predicting the tax increases and federal spending cuts involved will start taking hold in January, unless a deal comes together very quickly. If these jolts to the economy are allowed to occur, a recession could follow, economists have forecast. Consumer spending power suddenly would be reduced if the nation tumbles over the "cliff." The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Corporate tax breaks in play at "cliff" and beyond Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:15 PM PST (Reuters) - The White House and the U.S. Congress are sizing up a range of corporate tax breaks as part of the "fiscal cliff" debate and a possible comprehensive revamping of the tax code next year. No major changes are likely before January 1, when a host of sharp tax increases and federal spending cuts will begin to take effect unless lawmakers move quickly to avoid the "fiscal cliff," according to Capitol Hill aides and lobbyists. But the Obama administration has said it would support corporate tax reform under a "fiscal cliff" deal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: EPA chief Lisa Jackson sought to tighten pollution rules Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As President Barack Obama's nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson vowed that the United States would enter a "new world of carbon dioxide control" with planned regulations for power plants, industrial facilities, refiners and vehicles. During her confirmation hearing in January, 2009, Jackson laid out an ambitious EPA agenda, using the Clean Air Act to begin regulating U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senator McConnell says still time to avert "fiscal cliff" Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell, on Thursday said that there is still time to avert the "fiscal cliff" and a "wholly preventable economic crisis." In a speech on the Senate floor McConnell warned, however, that Senate Republicans "aren't about to write a blank check for anything Senate Democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. ... Full Story | Top |
| House sets Sunday session as "fiscal cliff" deadline nears Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 01:00 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives will return to Washington on Sunday night, just over a day before income tax rates are set to spike higher, in a last-ditch chance to avert the year-end "fiscal cliff." Senior Republican aides confirmed that House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday told members to be back in Washington in time for a 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT) legislative session on Sunday. The House may then stay in session until January 2, the final day of the current Congress, according to a Twitter message from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. ... Full Story | Top |
| Timeline: Key dates ahead as U.S. nears edge of "fiscal cliff" Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sharp U.S. tax increases and government spending cuts will take effect in January as part of the "fiscal cliff" unless Congress and President Barack Obama can agree soon on a deal to avoid it. With few signs at the moment of such an agreement emerging, here are some key dates ahead: * December 27. Senate reconvenes after holiday break. Spends day debating measures unrelated to the fiscal cliff. * December 28. Senate expected to continue debating measures unrelated to the fiscal cliff. * December 30. House of Representatives expected to reconvene. * January 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mubarak moved to army hospital on health concerns Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:44 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian strongman ousted last year after 30 years in power, was moved to an army hospital from a prison hospital on Thursday following a fall that raised fresh concerns about his fragile health. Mubarak, 84, was forced out in a 2011 uprising and sentenced to life in prison in June of this year for his role in killing protesters during the revolt. He was admitted to a prison hospital that month following what security officials called a "health crisis". ... Full Story | Top |
| House may extend session to January 2: Republican aide Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:29 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the House of Representatives may keep the House in session from Sunday evening through January 2, the final day of the current Congress, a senior House Republican aide said on Thursday. The next Congress, elected in November with a slightly diminished Republican majority, will be convened for the first time on January 3. (Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic president urges U.S., France to help fight rebels Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:23 PM PST BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic President Francois Bozize on Thursday urged the United States and former colonial master France to help push back rebel forces who have advanced towards the capital Bangui. "We are asking our cousins the French and the United States, which are major powers, to help us push back the rebels to their initial positions in a way that will permit talks in Libreville to resolve this crisis," Bozize told a crowd at a main square in Bangui. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic appeals for French help against rebels, Paris balks Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:23 PM PST  BANGUI (Reuters) - The president of the Central African Republic appealed on Thursday for France and the United States to help push back rebels threatening his government and the capital, but Paris said its troops were only ready to protect French nationals. The exchanges came as regional African leaders tried to broker a ceasefire deal and as rebels said they had temporarily halted their advance on Bangui, the capital, to allow talks to take place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Americans blame Republicans more than Democrats for "fiscal cliff": Reuters/Ipsos poll Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:17 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans blame Republicans in Congress more than congressional Democrats or President Barack Obama for the current "fiscal cliff" crisis, as the deadline approaches for action to avert big tax increases and spending cuts, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Thursday. When asked who they believed to be more responsible for the "fiscal cliff" situation, 27 percent blamed Republicans in Congress, 16 percent blamed Obama and 6 percent pointed to Democrats in Congress. The largest percentage - 31 percent - blamed "all of the above. ... Full Story | Top |
| Storm-damaged New York hospital partially reopens its doors Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 12:14 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City partially reopened its inpatient facilities on Thursday, nearly two months after it was flooded by Superstorm Sandy and sustained damages that could exceed $1 billion. Storm damage in New Jersey, New York City's outer boroughs and New York state's Long Island captured most of the world's attention after the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history made landfall on October 29, obscuring much of the damage sustained in Manhattan. The emergency department at the Manhattan hospital could remain closed until the end of 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. population projected at 315.1 million on New Year's Day: census Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 11:51 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An estimated 315.1 million people will be living in the United States on New Year's Day, the Census Bureau said on Thursday. That is an increase of 2.3 million people or 0.73 percent from January 1 this year. It is also a gain of 6.3 million people or 2.05 percent since the last census in April 2010. "In January 2013, one birth is expected to occur every eight seconds in the United States and one death every 12 seconds," the Census Bureau said in a statement. (Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| After setbacks, Russia boosts space spending Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 11:43 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - The country that oversaw the launch of the world's first artificial satellite hopes to regain some of its former glory with a big boost in space spending announced by Russia on Thursday after a series of failures. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a plan to spend 2.1 trillion roubles ($68.71 billion) on developing Russia's space industry from 2013 to 2020, state-run RIA news agency reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia's Putin signals he will sign U.S. adoption ban Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 11:40 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signaled on Thursday he would sign into law a bill barring Americans from adopting Russian children and sought to forestall criticism of the move by promising measures to better care for his country's orphans. In televised comments, Putin tried to appeal to people's patriotism by suggesting that strong and responsible countries should take care of their own and lent his support to a bill that has further strained U.S.-Russia relations. "There are probably many places in the world where living standards are higher than ours. ... Full Story | Top |
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