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| North Korean leader says purge was a cleansing of 'filth' Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:48 PM PST  By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first reference to the execution of his powerful uncle in a New Year's address, saying the reclusive state's ruling party had become stronger after it was purged of "factional filth." And as he called for better relations with South Korea, he warned that another war on the Korean peninsula would cause a massive nuclear disaster that would hit the United States. Kim, the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, did not refer by name to his uncle Jang Song Thaek, who was executed last month in a rare public purge for crimes against the ruling Workers' Party and harming national interest. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. justice grants exemption in contraception mandate challenge Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:46 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Church-affiliated organizations on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to block implementation of a part of the Obamacare healthcare law that requires employers to provide insurance policies that cover contraception. Catholic University of America and nonprofits in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to temporarily exempt them from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which is due to take effect for the organizations on January 1, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance. The court did not immediately respond to the applications. Full Story | Top |
| Gay couple to exchange vows on Rose Parade float Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:27 PM PST By Dana Feldman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A gay Los Angeles couple plans to exchange wedding vows on a flower-covered float trundling through Pasadena during the nationally televised Tournament of Roses Parade on Wednesday, capping a momentous year for same-sex marriage in the United States. The planned nuptials of Danny Leclair, 45, and Aubrey Loots, 42, who have been together for 12 years and own a chain of hair salons, will mark the first same-sex marriage on a Rose Parade float in the 125-year history of the annual event, organizers say. But it won't be the only wedding ever to have been performed on one of the Rose Parade's flower petal-bedecked floats on national television. Leclair and Loots plan to make it official aboard a float shaped like a wedding cake coated in white coconut chips, accented with red kidney beans and festooned with 12,000 roses and other floral decorations, said Ged Kenslea, a spokesman for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Full Story | Top |
| China's factory growth slower but resilient at year end Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:18 PM PST  Growth in China's factories slowed slightly in December as export orders and output weakened, official data showed on Wednesday, adding to views that while the world's second-largest economy remains resilient, it lost some steam in late 2013. The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), published by the National Bureau of Statistics, dipped to 51.0 in December. Many economists have said China's economy was likely to show weaker momentum in the final three months of 2013 after a rebound between July and September, due to slowing credit growth and a fall-off in restocking demand. Domestically, tight liquidity is weighing on factory output and orders," said Li Heng, an economist at Minsheng Securities in Beijing. Full Story | Top |
| Obama closes 2013 with 'shave ice' Hawaii treat Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:14 PM PST  KAILUA, Hawaii (Reuters) - President Barack Obama celebrated the end of 2013 on Wednesday with a favorite Hawaii treat, a flavored icy dessert known as shave ice. Obama, his children and some friends traveled down the coastline from their vacation rental to buy the treat before returning to spend New Year's Eve at home. "I hope you guys have a great 2014," Obama told a small group of people who gathered to watch. The president's shave ice flavor was cherry and lemon-lime. (Reporting by Ikaika Hussey; Editing by Bill Trott) Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan government, rebels set for New Year's Day talks Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:02 PM PST  By Carl Odera and Aaron Maasho JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's government and rebels are set for New Year's Day peace talks in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to thrash out a ceasefire to end weeks of ethnic bloodletting in the world's newest state. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday, mediators said, but fighting between government troops and militias loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar raged in Bor, the capital of the vast Jonglei state and site of an ethnic massacre in 1991. "I'm worried that the continued fighting in Bor might scupper the start of these talks," said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom, who is chairman of the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) bloc that is mediating the talks. Western and regional powers have pushed both sides to end the fighting that has killed at least 1,000 people, cut South Sudan's oil output and raised fears of a full-blown civil war in the heart of a fragile region. Full Story | Top |
| Former first lady Barbara Bush hospitalized in Houston Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 06:15 PM PST  (Reuters) - Former first lady Barbara Bush has been hospitalized in Houston for treatment of early signs of a "respiratory-related issue," her husband's office said on Tuesday. Bush, 88, one of only two women to be both the wife and mother of U.S. presidents, was admitted on Monday to Methodist Hospital in Houston's Texas Medical Center, the statement said. "She is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family, and is receiving fantastic care," the office of former President George H.W. Bush said in a written statement. Bush is the wife of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president, and mother of George W. Bush, the 43. Full Story | Top |
| Colorado girds for first-ever retail marijuana sales on New Year's Day Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 05:05 PM PST  By Keith Coffman NORTHGLENN, Colo. (Reuters) - Inside a warehouse tucked away in this blue-collar suburb north of Denver a trio of workers feverishly rolled hundreds of marijuana cigarettes by hand in preparation for Colorado's opening of recreational pot stores on New Year's Day. "We expect to have 2,000 joints ready to go by the time we open on January first," said Robin Hackett, 51, co-owner of Botana Care, one of about a dozen newly licensed retailers cleared by state regulators to sell recreational pot starting on Wednesday. Hackett and fellow marijuana proprietors in Colorado are pioneers in a new chapter of America's drug culture that marks the first time cannabis will be legally produced, sold and taxed under a special system many states have long established for alcohol sales. One of Hackett's joint rollers, Skyler Hall, 23, moved to Colorado from South Carolina several months ago and began volunteering at the store before he was hired. Full Story | Top |
| Catholic groups ask U.S. Supreme Court to block contraception coverage Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 04:50 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Church-affiliated organizations on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block implementation of a part of the Obamacare healthcare law that requires employers to provide insurance policies that cover contraception. Catholic University of America and non-profits in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to exempt them temporarily from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which is due to take effect for the organizations on January 1, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance. The court did not immediately respond to the applications. Full Story | Top |
| Wal-Mart offers 30 days of prescriptions to backlogged Obamacare enrollees Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 04:50 PM PST  (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it will provide a month's supply of certain prescriptions at no upfront cost to participants of U.S. President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law who have not yet received a plan identification number. The move by Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, comes a day after Walgreen Co instituted a similar practice. Wal-Mart said it will fill up to a 30-day supply of prescriptions through the end of January for customers who have enrolled in Obamacare, but do not have an ID yet from an insurer. It was not immediately clear if Wal-Mart would seek reimbursement once customers obtain their Obamacare IDs, though Walgreen said it would do so. Full Story | Top |
| Anti-Assad monitoring group says Syrian death toll passes 130,000 Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 03:56 PM PST The death toll in Syria's civil war has risen to at least 130,433, more than a third of them civilians on both sides of the conflict, but the real figure is probably much higher, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday. The conflict in Syria began in March 2011 as peaceful protests against four decades of rule by President Bashar al-Assad's family, but turned into an armed insurgency whose sectarian dimensions have reverberated across the Middle East. The anti-Assad Observatory, based in Britain but with a network of sources across Syria, put the number of women and children killed in the conflict so far at 11,709. It said the death toll among rebels fighting the Assad government was at least 29,083. Full Story | Top |
| Utah seeks U.S. Supreme Court suspension of gay marriage ruling Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 03:48 PM PST By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Utah on Tuesday took its fight against gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking Justice Sonia Sotomayor to suspend a lower court ruling that allowed same-sex weddings to go ahead in the heavily-mormon state. Sotomayor, who handles emergency legal applications from Utah and surrounding states, asked the plaintiffs in the case, three gay and lesbian couples, to respond to the application by 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT) on Friday. Utah is seeking to block a judge's decision to strike down the state's 2004 ban on gay marriage on grounds it violates the rights of same-sex couples to equal treatment under the law. Hundreds of gay couples in Utah have received marriage licenses since the December 20 ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby. Full Story | Top |
| Federal Judge largely upholds NY state ban on assault rifles Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 03:14 PM PST The New York Safe Act, approved in January 2012, expanded the state's assault weapons ban to include semi-automatic weapons with characteristics of assault weapons, added background-check requirements and put limits on ammunition. The law, which was approved one month after a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that killed 20 children and six adults and forced a national discussion about gun rights, was one of the toughest gun control laws in the country. U.S. District Judge William Skretny, a federal judge in Buffalo, rejected the claim brought by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in a lawsuit filed in April that the law violated the second amendment right to bear arms. A spokesman for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. chief justice calls for end to judiciary funding cuts Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 03:04 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts asked Congress on Tuesday to ensure the judiciary has sufficient funding in the coming year following recent budget cuts. In his annual report on behalf of the federal judiciary, Roberts warned of the ongoing impact of the automatic spending cuts that went into affect on March 1, known as the sequester, unless Congress takes action. Congress restored some of the judiciary's funding in October, which Roberts welcomed. He also praised the recent budget deal passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on Dec 26. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge releases dying lawyer convicted of aiding terrorism Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 02:52 PM PST  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday granted Lynne Stewart, a former defense lawyer convicted of aiding terrorism, a "compassionate" release from prison because she is dying of cancer. Stewart, 74, has been serving a 10-year sentence over her 2005 conviction for helping a client, blind Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, smuggle messages from prison to Egypt's Islamic Group, which the U.S. government had listed as a terrorist organization. Earlier this year, Stewart asked U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan for early release under a Federal Bureau of Prisons program for terminally ill inmates. Koeltl, who in August had denied the request, noting that the Bureau of Prisons had not supported it, on Tuesday granted the request, following a recommendation for release from the Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. justice asks for plaintiffs' response in Utah gay marriage case Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 02:27 PM PST U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday gave proponents of gay marriage until Friday to respond to a request by the state of Utah to temporarily block a lower court ruling allowing gay marriage to go ahead in the state. Earlier on Tuesday the state sought the stay from Sotomayor, who has the role on the court of overseeing emergency applications from Utah and surrounding states. Full Story | Top |
| Boy Scouts ready for move to allow gay scouts from 2014 Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 02:27 PM PST By Marice Richter DALLAS (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America will allow openly gay scouts for the first time as of January 1, with the century-old group facing conservative dissent from within for making the change and criticism from rights groups for not going far enough. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has also taken a financial hit, with some prominent corporate sponsors withdrawing support over the group's decision to keep in place a ban on homosexuals from serving as adult leaders. BSA spokesman Deron Smith said the group is still strong, with only a few breaking away from its ranks. "We're pleased that the overwhelming majority of our members, families and chartered organizations remain committed to the Boy Scouts of America," Smith told Reuters. Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen blast natgas pipeline in Sinai: security sources Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 02:08 PM PST Unknown assailants attacked a natural gas pipeline in the Sinai on Tuesday, Egyptian security sources told Reuters, raising concerns of instability as the country pushes through with a roadmap for political transition to democracy. The blast took place in the central region of Sinai on a pipeline that carried natural gas to an industrial area. There were so far no reports of casualties and security forces are scanning the area to investigate the cause of the blast, the sources said. Egypt has been struggling to maintain stability in the country of 85 million people since the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, the country's first elected leader, on July 3 following mass protests against his rule. Full Story | Top |
| NY City's new labor official vows respectful stance with unions Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:48 PM PST By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio on Tuesday named a new city labor director who immediately vowed to take a sympathetic stance toward public workers when the nation's biggest city renegotiates expired contracts with its workforce. Bob Linn, the new director of labor relations, pointedly weighed in on a national debate that has raged from New Jersey to Wisconsin over how teachers, firefighters and other public workers should be compensated. While it has become fashionable to attack public workers, "you will never hear that from any of us," he said. Public-employee unions in New York are demanding up to $8 billion in retroactive pay increases as part of new contracts that outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left for de Blasio, a liberal Democrat who takes office on Wednesday. Full Story | Top |
| Judge strikes down Florida law mandating drug tests for welfare Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:42 PM PST (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday struck down a Florida law requiring drug screening for welfare recipients, saying that it violated the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches. Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican who campaigned on a promise to expand drug testing, said he would appeal the ruling. The law took effect in July 2011 and required parents to undergo and pay for urine tests for illegal drugs when they applied for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a federal-state program that helps poor people with children pay for food, shelter and necessities. Enforcement of the law was temporarily halted in October 2011 after the American Civil Liberties Union sued, arguing that mandatory testing of people who were not suspected of using drugs violated the constitutional prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. Full Story | Top |
| Over 2.1 million have signed up for Obamacare: officials Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:38 PM PST  By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2.1 million people have enrolled in private health insurance plans through new federal and state websites since they were launched in October as part of President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Sign-ups for what has become known as Obamacare gained pace during December as the website's performance improved, and as more Americans focused on getting coverage by the new year. Many of the newly insured under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enrolled just ahead of a December 24 deadline to receive benefits on January 1, giving health insurers a tight framework to create accounts that can be accessed by doctors. About half the 2.1 million signed up for private health insurance on the federal website, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters in a conference call. Full Story | Top |
| Apple says never worked with NSA on iPhone hacks Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:32 PM PST  Apple Inc has never worked with the U.S. National Security Agency and is unaware of efforts to target its smartphones, the company said in response to reports that the spy agency had developed a system to hack into and monitor iPhones. Germany's Der Spiegel reported this week that a secretive unit of the NSA, which is under fire for the extent and depth of its spying programs around the world, makes specialized gear and software to infiltrate and monitor a plethora of computing devices, including mobile phones. (http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-941262.html) The report included an NSA graphic dated 2008 that outlined a system in development called DROPOUTJEEP, described as a "software implant" that allows infiltrators to push and pull and retrieve data from iPhones such as contact lists. In a statement issued Tuesday, the NSA did not comment on any specific allegations but said that its interest "in any given technology is driven by the use of that technology by foreign intelligence targets." "The United States pursues its intelligence mission with care to ensure that innocent users of those same technologies are not affected," the agency added. Full Story | Top |
| World indexes finish vintage year, more gains seen in 2014 Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:20 PM PST  By David Gaffen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks closed 2013 by setting record highs and world equity markets ended at six-year peaks on Tuesday, while benchmark bond yields posted their first annual rise since 2009. Equity strategists see the gains continuing into 2014 as economic growth improves even as the Federal Reserve steadily trims its bond-buying stimulus. "This has been a terrific year, with all the concerns we had in January proving unfounded, and with current economic growth giving us a strong outlook for 2013," said John Carey, portfolio manager at Pioneer Investment Management in Boston. Japan's Nikkei ended the year up 56.7 percent and European shares gained 16 percent. Full Story | Top |
| MSNBC host apologizes for jokes about Romney's grandson Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:13 PM PST  MSNBC television host Melissa Harris-Perry apologized on Tuesday for a recent segment on her show that joked about former U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's adopted African-American grandson. Harris-Perry said that the segment on Sunday's "Melissa Harris-Perry" show was meant to celebrate diversity and not disparage it. "Whatever the intent, the segment proceeded in an unexpected way that was offensive," Harris-Perry said in a statement. "Without reservation or qualification, I apologize to the Romney family and to all families built on loving transracial adoptions." The segment asked a panel to humorously caption a photo from the past year. Full Story | Top |
| Putin vows to annihilate "terrorists" after suicide bombings Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:11 PM PST By Sergei Karpov VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed to annihilate all "terrorists" following two deadly bomb attacks in the southern Russian city of Volgograd that raised security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics. The uncompromising remarks in a televised New Year address were Putin's first public comments since suicide bombers killed at least 34 people in attacks less than 24 hours apart on a railway station and a trolleybus on Sunday and Monday. But after two decades of violence in the North Caucasus, Islamist militants continue to pose a threat beyond their home region. Russia's Olympic Committee chief said no more could be done to safeguard the Games since every measure possible was already in place around Sochi, beneath the Caucasus mountains. Full Story | Top |
| Italy president says won't serve entire term Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 12:58 PM PST  By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said on Tuesday that he would stay on the job only as long as he is needed and "not a day more," eight months after breaking a political deadlock by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term. Napolitano, who some refer to as "King George", used the powers of his office to help guide Italy through a burgeoning debt crisis in 2011 and a political stalemate earlier this year that led to the formation of broad, and sometimes unstable, governing coalition. After replacing an embattled Silvio Berlusconi with Mario Monti in 2011, Napolitano this year handpicked Prime Minister Enrico Letta to form a government to pass badly needed reforms to overhaul the political system - especially with a new electoral law - and to boost economic growth. Opposition parties like Beppe Grillo's 5-Star Movement and Berlusconi's Forza Italia have called for elections in the spring, and have directed a barrage of attacks against Napolitano for opposing them and overplaying his role. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt security forces arrest Brotherhood leader's son Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 12:56 PM PST By Asma Alsharif CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces have arrested the son of a Muslim Brotherhood leader on charges of inciting violence, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, the latest move in a crackdown against the group now branded a terrorist organization. Anas Beltagi was arrested with two others in an apartment in Nasr City, the same district where security forces in August broke up protests calling for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who was ousted by the army in July. They were found in possession of a shotgun and ammunition, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Beltagi's father, Mohamed Beltagi, is in jail facing trial for inciting violence along with other Muslim Brotherhood leaders. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says nuclear deal to be implemented in late January Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 12:50 PM PST By Marcus George DUBAI (Reuters) - World powers and Iran have agreed to start implementing in late January an agreement obliging Tehran to suspend its most sensitive nuclear work, an Iranian official was quoted as saying on Tuesday. There was no immediate confirmation of the agreement from the six powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - or the European Union, which oversees contacts with Iran on behalf of the six. The reported agreement follows nearly 23 hours of talks between nuclear experts from Iran and the six powers held in Geneva on Monday and Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry to push for solutions as Israeli-Palestinian peace talks intensify Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 12:48 PM PST  By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hopes to narrow differences between Israelis and Palestinians in peace talks this week that are intended to guide the sides toward a deal in April, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. Kerry departs for the region on Wednesday in his first trip after a Christmas break. Israel and Palestinians resumed peace talks in July after a three-year break aimed at producing a peace agreement within nine months to end their decades-old conflict. Such a step would also demonstrate to both Israelis and Palestinians that progress is being made. Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan, rebel negotiators to arrive in Ethiopia on Wednesday: minister Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 12:08 PM PST The South Sudanese government and rebel negotiators will arrive for peace talks in Ethiopia on Wednesday, a day later than planned, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said, as fighting raged for the control of the flashpoint town of Bor. "I'm worried that the continued fighting in Bor might scupper the start of these talks," Adhanom, who is the chair of the regional IGAD bloc mediating the talks, told Reuters by phone from the capital Addis Ababa. Full Story | Top |
| Jordan assumes U.N. Security Council chair as conflicts persist Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 11:11 AM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Jordan takes over the U.N. Security Council presidency on Wednesday, the first day of its two-year stint on a 15-nation body struggling to cope with conflicts in Syria, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali and elsewhere. Jordan will join Chad, Chile, Lithuania and Nigeria on the council until December 31, 2015. The U.N. General Assembly elected Amman in early December as a replacement for Saudi Arabia after Riyadh turned down the seat in protest at the council's failure to end the Syrian war and act on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other Middle East issues. Although Jordan was a last-minute stand-in for the Saudi kingdom, Amman's U.N. ambassador, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, has a reputation at the United Nations for his outspoken stance on human rights issues, U.N. diplomats say. Full Story | Top |
| Arkansas lieutenant governor rejects calls to step down Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 10:50 AM PST By Steve Barnes LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr on Tuesday rejected a request from the governor to step down after the state's Ethics Commission found that Darr violated campaign finance rules. Amid a fight that has national political implications, Darr, a Republican and political newcomer, said in a statement his focus was on putting things right with the people of Arkansas. "He will not resign," Amber Pool, Darr's communications director, told Reuters. Darr accepted the Ethics Commission's finding on Monday of 11 violations. Full Story | Top |
| Leader of group linked to al Qaeda held in Lebanon: sources Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 10:45 AM PST (Reuters) - A Saudi militant who allegedly leads a group linked to al Qaeda which operates throughout the Middle East has been arrested by military authorities in Lebanon, according to U.S. national security sources. Two U.S. sources said that media reports from Lebanon that Lebanese Armed Forces had recently captured Majid bin Muhammad al-Majid, leader of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades were credible. Lebanese media reported on Tuesday that Majid had been arrested two days ago. The Long War Journal said that the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, named after a founder of al Qaeda and associate of the late Osama bin Laden, were formed some time after 2005 as a spinoff of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's top prosecutor detains Al Jazeera journalists for 15 days Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 10:45 AM PST  Egypt's general prosecutor on Tuesday detained several journalists for 15 days for broadcasting graphics on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel that damaged the country's reputation. Al Jazeera's Cairo offices have been closed since July 3 when they were raided by security forces hours after the army ousted the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi from the presidency. Qatar was a strong financial backer of the Brotherhood's rule and its relationship with Cairo has deteriorated in recent months as it vehemently opposes the army's overthrow of Mursi and the crackdown on his movement that has followed. Egypt accuses Qatar and Al Jazeera of backing the Brotherhood, which it declared a terrorist organization on December 25 and thousands of whose members it has arrested. Full Story | Top |
| China's largest auto parts company makes last-minute Fisker bid Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 10:27 AM PST  China's largest auto parts company made a surprise bid for Fisker Automotive just days before the bankrupt maker of the Karma plug-in hybrid sports car was to be sold to a Hong Kong tycoon, according to court documents. Fisker creditors asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, to scrap Fisker's agreed sale to a company affiliated with Richard Li and instead hold an open auction at which auto parts supplier Wanxiang America Corp plans to bid. Wanxiang has agreed to make an initial bid of $24.725 million and said it will assume some liabilities of Fisker, according to documents filed at late Monday's deadline to object to Fisker's plans. Full Story | Top |
| Don't be blind to refugees and the needy, pope says in appeal Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 10:18 AM PST  Pope Francis urged the people of Rome not to let the beauty of their city to blind them to the growing number of homeless, refugees, and unemployed living among them. Francis, who is also the bishop of Rome, has made appeals for people to reach out to the poor in a personal way a hallmark of his papacy, presided at a solemn vespers ceremony on Tuesday in St. Peter's to mark the end of the year. "Rome is full of tourists but it is also full of refugees," the head of the 1.2 billion member Roman Catholic Church said in his homily at the service known as the "Te Deum" prayers of thanksgiving. According to the Italian Catholic charity group Sant' Egidio, which helps the poor, refugees and immigrants, there are about 8,000 homeless people in Rome and the number has grown by about 10 percent in recent years. Full Story | Top |
| Armed men attack Yemen police headquarters, wounding seven Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 10:00 AM PST  Armed men including a suicide bomber tried to storm police headquarters in southern Yemen's main city on Tuesday, wounding seven policemen, state media reported. The men tried to force their way into the compound in Aden in several cars, with the bomber blowing himself up in one of the vehicles which was packed with explosives, news agency SABA said. They exchanged gunfire with police, who prevented the attackers from entering the building, SABA quoted Najeeb Maghlas, deputy general director of security in Aden, as saying. Security sources earlier told Reuters police averted another suicide bombing attempt on the same building, and they had arrested two people who admitted links to al Qaeda. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. consumer mood brightens, but home price gains slow Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 09:58 AM PST  By Steven C. Johnson NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumers' mood improved as 2013 drew to a close, with many optimistic about their future job prospects, while home prices rose again in October, though the pace of gains slowed. The data releases provided more evidence of strength in the U.S. economy, which appears to have overcome headwinds caused by an autumn government shutdown, higher taxes and rising mortgage rates. We had better GDP growth even though interest rates have gone up with the Fed," said Gus Faucher, senior economist at PNC Financial Services, adding "2014 will be a better year with less fiscal drag." The rise in the Conference Board's index of consumer attitudes to 78.1 in December brought it to within reach of levels last seen before a standoff in Congress over fiscal policy caused the government to shut down in October. "Despite the many challenges throughout 2013, consumers are in better spirits today than when the year began," Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board, said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Bombs across Baghdad kill at least 15, clashes continue in Anbar: sources Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 09:40 AM PST Bombs exploded across the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people, police and medical sources said, a day after police broke up a Sunni Muslim protest camp in a western province. No group immediately claimed responsibility for any of Tuesday's attacks but al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate, which was forced underground in 2006-07, has reemerged this year, invigorated by civil war in Syria and Sunni resentment at home. In the deadliest attack in Baghdad, seven people were killed when two car bombs hit the Shi'ite neighborhood of Zafaraniya. In southeastern Baghdad, three mortar rounds landed near a housing complex, killing four people, medics and police sources said. Full Story | Top |
| Four people found slain in apparent murder-suicide in California Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 09:38 AM PST Two adults and two children believed to be family members were found shot to death in a Southern California home in what police are investigating as a suspected triple murder and suicide, police said on Tuesday. Police were called to the home in Fontana, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, by a 16-year-old boy who is apparently related to the victims and discovered the crime scene when he went to the house on Monday night, Fontana police Sergeant Doug Imhof said. Imhof said the teenager was not a suspect. Full Story | Top |
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