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Syria: U.N. warns of civil war as shelling resumes in Homs

2012-02-14T09:23:39Z

After a relatively quiet weekend that saw nearly 50 people killed, heavy shelling resumed this morning in the neighborhood of Bab Amr in the city of Homs, Syria.

Bangkok blast wounds Iranian attacker, 4 others

2012-02-14T13:36:44Z

An Iranian man carrying grenades blew off his own legs and wounded four civilians in a trio of blasts Tuesday in Bangkok, Thai authorities said.

Rick Perry: I’ll be back

2012-02-14T02:33:20Z

Spinners and Winners caught up with the former Republican presidential candidate at the annual gathering of conservatives in Washington over the weekend.

Whitney Houston's death: Family plans to lay singer to rest

2012-02-14T12:59:18+00:00

Houston may be laid to rest at a memorial on Friday at the Prudential Center.

New Jersey 100-year-olds celebrate love on Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T19:23:35Z

Clarence and Grayce Dwyer, Irish immigrants, survived the death of their fathers on same day.

Obama, China's Xi to tread cautiously in White House talks

2012-02-14T10:41:58Z

Xi will have a chance to show he is capable of steering his country's crucial relationship with Washington.

Is Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show dissing shelter dogs?

2012-02-13T23:25:58Z

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is on TV Monday night, and the humans and canines in our household remain eager to see which breeds win. The hound group leads off the evening, followed by the toy group, the non-sporting group, and the herding group. Best of Show won’t be crowned until Tuesday night.

Israel accuses Iran as the culprit behind bomb attacks

2012-02-14T10:00:00Z

An assassin on a motorcycle reportedly slapped a magnetic bomb on a car on Monday afternoon and rode away as the occupants scrambled to escape the vehicle.

Washington gov signs gay marriage bill into law

2012-02-14T10:04:55Z

Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law a measure that makes Washington state the seventh to legalize same-sex marriage, but opponents almost immediately filed a referendum to challenge the new law, meaning voters likely will have the final say.

Highlights of Obama's $3.8 trillion budget

2012-02-14T13:44:25+00:00

Highlights of the 2013 budget that President Barack Obama sent to Congress on Monday:

United fan sells land to block City expansion

2012-02-14T12:09:04Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A Manchester United fan aims to block rival Manchester City's "goals of football domination" by selling off thousands of parcels of a site earmarked by the world's richest club for a 100-million-pound training complex. Businessman Shaun O'Brien has divided the land at his vehicle recovery company, OB Trucks, near City's Etihad Stadium, into 18,500 square-foot plots for sale in a bid to disrupt a proposed council order to make him sell it. ...

Pakistan releases U.S. man after "bullets found in baggage"

2012-02-14T10:41:30Z

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. embassy employee was released after being held for questioning in Pakistan on Tuesday when airport security officials discovered bullets in his luggage, police said. The American was about to fly from the northwestern city of Peshawar to the capital Islamabad when he was taken into police custody, said Tahir Ayub, a senior police superintendent. He was released after four hours when officials from the U.S. consulate in Peshawar produced documents to show the man worked at the consulate. "He's been released to the consulate," a U.S. ...

Santorum Calls Occupy Movement 'Intolerant' as Protestors Interrupt Him

2012-02-14T06:38:17Z

TACOMA, Wash. - Rick Santorum said on Monday that the Occupy movement represents "true intolerance" after he was faced with a handful of angry protestors who shouted through his entire event, ultimately resulting in a handful of arrests.

Personal papers depict Jacqueline Kennedy's first lady tenure

2012-02-14T07:52:14+00:00

BOSTON (Reuters) - An initial set of personal papers from Jacqueline Kennedy's time as first lady were released on Monday, offering a glimpse into the inner workings of her office and major projects she undertook during the presidency of her husband John F. Kennedy. The historic records, released by the Kennedy presidential library, range from her efforts to restore the state rooms of the White House to notes detailing changes to the CBS script for her televised tour of the first family's home. ...

Poll: Americans Split on Concern For Very Poor

2012-02-14T06:26:17Z

As the debate over the federal budget resumes, a new United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll shows that most Americans are concerned about growing dependency on federal entitlements, but still resist major spending cuts in programs benefiting the poor and the elderly.

Lioness kills South African zoo employee

2012-02-14T08:58:38Z

A lioness has attacked and killed a South African zoo employee at a rural lion farm, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

North Koreans mythologize Kim Jong Il on his birthday

2012-02-14T08:44:53Z

North Korea's grief has taken on a supernatural air: Mountains glow crimson, lakes shake, a family of bears weeps by the side of a road, hundreds of shrieking magpies hover over mourning sites.

Hefner's son arrested in domestic violence case

2012-02-14T08:09:19Z

The 2011 Playmate of the Year on Monday sought a restraining order against the 21-year-old son of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, after the son was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, the Pasadena Star-News reported.

Greece rushes to meet lender demands

2012-02-14T12:53:09Z

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's government rushed on Tuesday to find 325 million euros in budget cuts to satisfy euro zone finance ministers deciding whether to sign off on a rescue package to save the country from a chaotic default. Squeezed between skeptical European capitals and deep anger in Greece, political leaders must also produce written commitments to stick to the terms of the 130 billion euro ($172 billion) bailout before the ministers meet on Wednesday. Greek lawmakers endorsed 3. ...

Britain frees radical cleric Abu Qatada

2012-02-13T22:42:56Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A radical cleric once described as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe" was freed from a British prison to live under virtual house arrest on Monday after a court ruled that his detention without trial was unlawful. The Jordanian preacher known as Abu Qatada must wear an electronic tag to allow the police to keep track of him, spend 22 hours a day at his family home and is banned from using the Internet and mobile phones. ...

Judge: Sandusky can have local jury, see grandkids

2012-02-14T13:25:21Z

A judge rejected requests by prosecutors that jurors be brought in from outside the State College area to hear the child sex-abuse case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

AT&T customers surprised by 'unlimited data' limit

2012-02-13T20:25:36Z

Mike Trang likes to use his iPhone 4 as a GPS device, helping him get around in his job. Now and then, his younger cousins get ahold of it, and play some YouTube videos and games.

House GOP have backup on payroll tax

2012-02-14T00:14:18Z

In an abrupt about-face, House GOP leaders announced Monday that they are willing to extend the two percentage point cut in the payroll tax through the end of the year and add the approximately $100 billion cost to the nation's $15 trillion-plus debt.

Defense: Midwest militia more like 'social club'

2012-02-14T08:20:25Z

A Midwest militia whose members prosecutors say were willing "to go to war" against the U.S. government was more like a "social club" whose talk was little more than fantasy, defense attorneys say.

Australian man fined for mooning Queen Elizabeth

2012-02-14T02:16:51Z

A Sydney man has been fined 750 Australian dollars ($800) for mooning Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, during a royal visit to Australia.

Assad's forces attack opposition on fronts across Syria

2012-02-14T12:44:45Z

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces attacked opponents of President Bashar al-Assad on several fronts on Tuesday, sending residents fleeing from one town near the capital and bombarding the city of Homs for an 11th day running, activists said. Citizens of Homs - Syria's third largest city with one million people - faced a humanitarian crisis. Food and fuel were scarce and most shops shut due to relentless shelling and rocket fire that have trapped people in their homes. ...

Greece rushes to meet lender demands

2012-02-14T12:53:09Z

Obama, China's Xi to tread cautiously in White House talks

2012-02-14T10:41:58Z

Xi will have a chance to show he is capable of steering his country's crucial relationship with Washington.

Exclusive: EU to punish Spain for deficits, inaction

2012-02-14T11:57:21Z

BRUSSELS/MADRID (Reuters) - The European Union is likely to take action against Spain's newly installed government by May for delaying austerity measures ahead of a regional election next month, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. A final decision still has to be made, but the European Commission believes the new government overstated the deficit figures for 2011 so the current year's data would look better. Spain is also not addressing quickly enough the deterioration in public finances expected in 2012, risking the country's longer-term growth, three senior EU officials said. ...

Bahrain set for fresh protests on revolt anniversary

2012-02-14T13:16:52Z

MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahraini protesters dissatisfied with the government's reform moves prepared for a fresh attempt to retake a landmark roundabout on Tuesday, the first anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising crushed by the Gulf Arab kingdom. Unrest among majority Shi'ite Muslims has revived, posing a sensitive new challenge to the Sunni Muslim ruling elite who have been an important strategic ally of the West by hosting the U.S. Fifth Fleet to counter Shi'ite Iran across the Gulf. ...

Insight: Post-election hangover looms for Venezuela economy

2012-02-14T13:25:49Z

CARACAS (Reuters) - From new homes in slums to cash for struggling mothers, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is unleashing a flood of state spending to try to tip the balance in what looks like the toughest presidential election of his political career. The spending campaign may help win over wavering supporters and overwhelm the good looks and yes-we-can optimism of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. Yet Chavez's cash-driven push ahead of the vote in October will come with a heavy post-election hangover for the OPEC nation's economy. ...

Iranian bomber maimed in blasts in Thai capital

2012-02-14T12:33:07Z

BANGKOK (Reuters) - An Iranian man was seriously wounded in Bangkok Tuesday when a bomb he was carrying exploded and blew one of his legs off, police and government officials said, but they declined to speculate on whether he was involved with any militant group. Shortly before, there had been an explosion in a house the man was renting in the Ekamai area of central Bangkok, and shortly afterwards, another blast on a nearby road. "The police have control of the situation. ...

Pakistan releases U.S. man after "bullets found in baggage"

2012-02-14T10:41:30Z

The Hague makes capital out of criminal courts

2012-02-14T11:43:15Z

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - In a tiny office on Zeestraat 100, Alice Helbing puts the final touches to a script for an imaginary counter-terrorism exercise in the Netherlands. A few doors down the corridor, staff from a legal aid group are digging into real war crimes in Ivory Coast. Nearby at Humanity House, a small museum devoted to raising awareness about aid for the victims of disaster, visitors can find out what it's like to be a refugee - to have to flee your home, leaving dinner on the table, with no money, no mobile phone, no passport, just the clothes you are wearing. ...

Insight: As Myanmar opens, China alliance starts to fray

2012-02-14T01:33:50Z

MANDALAY, Myanmar- When officials first turned up demanding Chen Ching-feng remove the Chinese sign above her clothing shop in Myanmar's biggest northern city, she ignored them. "When they came back a few days later and asked why the Chinese was still there, I said I had been busy," the ethnic Chinese resident of Mandalay said, speaking in Mandarin. "They made me take them down immediately and sign an undertaking not to put them back." Other ethnic Chinese shop-owners report similar requests, though enforcement is patchy. ...

NATO says found Afghan children dead after air strike

2012-02-13T12:43:59Z

KABUL (Reuters) - NATO-led forces in Afghanistan said on Monday they found the bodies of dead children after a coalition air strike that has enraged the Afghan government, and said their deaths may have been linked to an anti-insurgent operation in the area. The air strike took place last Wednesday near the village of Giawa, in eastern Kapisa province, and followed similar bombings that have stoked tension between the government and NATO over a civilian death toll that has risen annually for five years. ...

A year on, only brief home visits for Japan nuclear evacuees

2012-02-13T12:44:33Z

OKUMA, Japan (Reuters) - Back home for just three hours, a tearful Miyoko Takeda sorted through her belongings. She left behind the kimonos she once wore as a traditional dancer, fearful they might be contaminated by radiation. Nearly a year has passed since a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, Okuma town, but the site of the reactors at the centre of the Fukushima nuclear crisis remains off limits for residents, save for short trips to hastily abandoned homes. ...

Asia key as U.S., EU tighten sanctions against Iran

2012-02-13T22:25:41Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Western states hope new oil sanctions will deter Tehran from pursuing its disputed nuclear program but ultimately it will be China, India and other Asian powers that determine their effectiveness impact on already volatile Iranian politics. Both the United States and European Union have introduced tough new restrictions coming into force later this year and designed to effectively choke off Iran's oil exports. But -- unlike rounds of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council -- they are not binding on other countries. ...

Murdoch facing battle with staff in Sun showdown

2012-02-13T19:19:46Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch will face hostile and angry staff when he arrives in Britain this week seeking to face down a growing rebellion within his newspaper business and end the talk that his flagship Sun could close following a string of arrests. Those close to the media mogul expect the 80-year-old to show far more composure and calculation when he addresses journalists on a hostile newsroom floor, compared with his conduct last July when he suddenly shut the News of the World paper in the face of public revulsion over phone hacking. ...

Canada ramps up fight against Volcker rule

2012-02-13T16:48:09Z

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada stepped up pressure on Washington on Monday to rewrite its controversial Volcker rule to remove restrictions on Canadian bank activities that it says do not threaten the U.S. financial system. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, who is also chairman of the Financial Stability Board, a global watchdog set up by the Group of 20 nations, and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty laid out their complaints about the rule, included in the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight law, in letters to their U.S. counterparts. Canada's banks are so interconnected with U.S. ...