The Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives says his chamber will vote on a Senate-passed measure to extend for two months a payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year. A vote could come as early as Friday. House Speaker John Boehner told reporters Tuesday the short-term extension is […]
US House to Vote on Payroll Tax Cut Extension
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 9:30 pm (UTC-5)
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Witnesses: 4 Nigerian Security Agents Killed in Blast
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 9:30 pm (UTC-5)
Witnesses say four security agents were killed in northeast Nigeria in a roadside bomb explosion. Reports say the bomb went off Thursday afternoon in the northern city of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state. A local police officer said security forces exchanged fire with gunmen. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the […]
US: Russian Call for Probe of Civilian Deaths from Libyan Airstrikes a ‘Cheap Stunt’
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 8:20 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations Security Council has rejected Russia’s call for an investigation into suspected Libyan civilian deaths from NATO airstrikes. Ambassador Susan Rice called it a “cheap stunt.” She accused the Russians of trying to divert attention from Syria and water down the success NATO had in protecting the Libyan people. French Ambassador Gerard Araud […]
French Authorities to Issue Report on Breast Implants at Center of Health Scare
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
French health officials on Friday are expected to release the results of an inquiry into whether breast implants produced by a now defunct French company might cause cancer. Hundreds of thousands of the implants were used by women, most of them in South America and western Europe, for cosmetic surgery or to replace lost breast […]
Chinese Government Curbs Christmas Celebrations
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 7:55 pm (UTC-5)
As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, some Christian leaders in China complain the government is trying to stop celebrations by religious communities that are not officially sanctioned. Pastor Zhan Gang Qingdao who heads a 300-member Protestant community near Qingdao in eastern Shandong province says China’s religious authorities have warned him against holding […]
US to Boost Aid to Horn of Africa
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 7:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama has announced an additional $113 million in emergency aid to the Horn of Africa, where recent droughts and famine have killed tens of thousands of people. In a statement issued Thursday, the U.S. president said more than 13 million of people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia remain in urgent need of […]
US House to Vote on Payroll Tax Cut Extension
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 7:25 pm (UTC-5)
The Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives says his chamber will vote on a Senate-passed measure to extend for two months a payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year. A vote could come as early as Friday. House Speaker John Boehner told reporters Tuesday the short-term extension is […]
World Bank to Send Up to $5.5 Billion to Pakistan
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 7:10 pm (UTC-5)
The World Bank says it will send as much as $5.5 billion in financial aid to Pakistan over the next two years. A new bank report Thursday said the bank’s strategy to help Pakistan’s economy return to high sustained growth is consistent with Pakistani government priorities. The $5.5 billion will support Pakistan’s poverty reduction and […]
Hamas Says It Is Ready to Join Western-Backed PLO
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 6:30 pm (UTC-5)
The militant Palestinian faction Hamas, which has called for Israel’s destruction, says it is prepared to join forces with the Western-backed Palestine Liberation Organization. A Hamas official said Thursday the group is moving towards non-violent resistance against Israel. Hamas controls the West Bank and launching rocket attacks into Israel has been one of the group’s […]
Turkey Imposes Sanctions After French Parliamentary Approval of Genocide Bill
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 6:25 pm (UTC-5)
Turkey has reacted angrily to a vote in the lower house of the French parliament making it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians nearly a century ago was genocide. Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians were killed during World War I by troops of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire, which historians say was one […]
