U.S. President Barack Obama is trying to increase pressure on the Republican-led House of Representatives to pass a bill extending a payroll tax cut by two months. Mr. Obama said Thursday he is ready to sign the bill into law as soon as it lands on his desk. He said expiration of the tax cut […]
Obama Presses House on Payroll Tax Cut Extension
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Arab League Team Arrives in Syria, Violence Continues
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
An advance team of Arab League observers has arrived in Syria, amid a mounting death toll from a crackdown on opposition unrest. The team arrived on Thursday to lay the groundwork for Arab League monitors who arrive over the coming weeks. The monitors will see whether Syria follows through on a pledge to stop attacks […]
Nigeria Races to Keep Away Worst Offshore Oil Spill in a Decade
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 2:20 pm (UTC-5)
Nigerian authorities are trying to prevent the worst offshore oil spill in a decade from reaching the West African nation’s southern coastline. Officials said the spill from a Royal Dutch Shell oil field about 120 kilometers off the coast was moving toward the shore Thursday, two days after it began. The head of Nigeria’s National […]
Pakistani PM: ‘Conspirators’ Working to Undermine Government
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan’s prime minister said Thursday that conspirators are attempting to undermine his government, as it faces mounting criticism over a secret memo to the U.S. appealing for help in preventing a military coup. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani made his comments as Pakistan’s Supreme Court convened a hearing on the memo and demanded a reply […]
US WikiLeaks Suspect’s Hearing Concludes
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
(( Title: US WIKILEAKS 1st UPD HEAD: US WikiLeaks Suspect’s Hearing Concludes DATE: 12/22/11 PUBLISHED AT: Thursday, December 22, 2011 12:56:03 PM NUMBER: 1776054 AUDIO: VIDEO: WEB: TYPE: CN ) ) The hearing to determine whether a U.S. Army intelligence analyst will be court martialed for allegedly passing classified documents to WikiLeaks has concluded. The […]
Finnish Authorities Find 69 Missiles Aboard Ship
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
Finnish authorities have confiscated 69 Patriot missiles found on a ship that docked in Finland. The surface-to-air missiles were found during a search of the cargo ship Thor Liberty in the Finnish port of Kotka. Explosives were also discovered on the vessel, which is owned by a Danish company. Following the discovery, the anti-crime unit […]
Blasts Kill 63 in Iraq as Political Crisis Continues
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
Iraqi officials say more than a dozen bomb blasts hit the capital, Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and wounding more than 180 others in the worst violence in months. The apparently coordinated blasts from car bombs, roadside bombs and sticky bombs struck across the city Thursday, just days after U.S. troops finished their withdrawal […]
US Senate Republican Leader Calls on House to Pass Payroll Tax Extension
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a two-month extension of a payroll tax cut that the Senate approved last week. McConnell said in a statement Thursday that the House should pass the bill, which would also extend unemployment insurance and some seniors’ access to health care. […]
North Korea Ushers In Kim Jong Un Era
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 1:00 pm (UTC-5)
North Korea proclaimed the beginning of the Kim Jong Un era Thursday, describing the son of deceased leader Kim Jong Il as the “successor” of the nation’s revolutionary undertakings “and leader of its people.” An editorial in North Korea’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Kim Jong Un should move forward on a path of self-reliance, […]
French Lawmakers Pass Armenia Genocide Bill
Posted December 22nd, 2011 at 12:45 pm (UTC-5)
French lawmakers have passed a bill making it a crime to publicly deny as genocide the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago. France’s lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the measure Thursday. The Senate, or upper house, must still pass the measure for it to become law. Armenia […]
