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• Hope and fear in gay marriage cases at high court
• Obama, Boehner meet to discuss 'fiscal cliff'
• End may be sight for FBI's unloved Hoover building
• Nigerian forces arrest 28 suspected Islamists in Kano
• Ghana's Mahama wins election in first round - official
• Ghana's Mahama wins election, opposition cries foul
• Ghana's Mahama wins election - electoral body's Facebook page
• Obama met Boehner on Sunday over fiscal cliff: aides
• Bavarians promise Greeks solidarity instead of scorn
• Dozens of same-sex couples wed in Washington state for first time
• Bahrain should charge officials behind violations: U.S. official
• Nigerian finance minister's mother kidnapped
• Obama met with Boehner on Sunday over fiscal cliff: aides
• Analysis: The rise of Narendra Modi, a double-edged sword for India's BJP
• Venezuela's Chavez suffers cancer again, names potential heir
• As "fiscal cliff" nears, market complacency sets in
• French actor Depardieu seeks Belgian residency - mayor
• Greece mulls reopening debt buyback invitation-sources
• Canada won promises from China in backing Nexen deal - minister
• As Tibetan self-immolations rise, Beijing tightens grip
• Analysis: North Korea a looming problem for whoever wins South vote
• Analysis: As China's clout grows, sea policy proves unfathomable
• Italy parties begin campaigning, supporters press Monti
• NJ mayor Booker to decide soon on governor's bid
• Greek PM: Debt buy back procedure went "very well"
• Romania government headed for parliament majority
• NJ Democrat Cory Booker weighing runs for governor or U.S. Senate
• Clashes rage in Lebanon's Tripoli as bodies returned
• Fed's monetary stimulus meets 'fiscal cliff'
• Romania PM says his alliance won stable mandate
• Egypt's opposition rejects constitutional referendum
• Three killed in shooting on California Indian reservation
• Arabs offer Palestinians $100 million a month "financial safety net"
• Casamance rebels free eight Senegalese prisoners
• Romania governing alliance set for majority - exit polls
• Egypt opposition coalition "rejects" constitutional referendum
• U.S. and Russia still back Syria settlement: UN envoy

Hope and fear in gay marriage cases at high court Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:57 AM PST Gay marriage supporters see 41 reasons to fret over the Supreme Court's decision to take up the case of California's ban on same-sex unions.

Obama, Boehner meet to discuss 'fiscal cliff' Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:16 PM PST President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Sunday at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impending "fiscal cliff," the first meeting between just the two leaders since Election Day.

End may be sight for FBI's unloved Hoover building Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST Just six blocks from the White House, the FBI's hulking headquarters overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue has long been the government building everyone loves to hate. The verdict: It's an ugly, crumbling concrete behemoth, an architectural mishap — all 2.4 million square feet of it.

Nigerian forces arrest 28 suspected Islamists in Kano Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:53 PM PST KANO (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces said they arrested 28 suspected members of Islamist sect Boko Haram over the weekend, in a series of dawn raids on their hideouts. "Our plan is to choke the (militants), to suffocate them and we are getting the desired results," said a spokesman for joint military and police forces in Kano, Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha. Boko Haram has become the main security threat to Africa's leading energy producer. ...

Ghana's Mahama wins election in first round - official Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:40 PM PST ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana incumbent President John Dramani Mahama won a new term with 50.7 percent of ballots cast in the West African state's election, the head of the Electoral Commission announced on Sunday. "Based on the results, I declare President John Dramani Mahama president elect," Kwadwo Afari-Gyan told a news conference in the capital Accra. Mahama was up against main opposition challenger Nana Akufo-Addo, whose party said earlier on Sunday that it believed the election results were rigged. (Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Bate Felix)

Ghana's Mahama wins election, opposition cries foul Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:40 PM PST ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's electoral authorities said incumbent leader John Dramani Mahama won a new term as president in the West African state in an election the opposition said was marred by tampering. Mahama, who replaced former president John Atta Mills after his death in July, took 50.7 percent of the ballots cast - just enough to avoid a run-off with his chief rival Nana Akufo-Addo. "Based on the results, I declare President John Dramani Mahama president elect," Ghana Electoral Commission President Kwadwo Afari-Gyan told a news conference in the capital Accra. ...

Ghana's Mahama wins election - electoral body's Facebook page Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:40 PM PST ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana incumbent President John Dramani Mahama was elected to a new term with 50.7 percent of votes cast, according to results posted on the Electoral Commission's Facebook page on Sunday. It was not immediately possible to verify the results with an Electoral Commission official. Mahama, who became president in July after the death of ex-leader John Atta Mills, was facing top rival Nana Akufo-Addo - who took 47.4 percent of the vote, according to the Electoral Commission's Facebook page. http://www.facebook. ...

Obama met Boehner on Sunday over fiscal cliff: aides Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:34 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama met with Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner on Sunday at the White House to negotiate ways to avoid the "fiscal cliff," according to White House officials and a congressional aide. The two sides declined to provide further details about the unannounced meeting. Obama and Boehner aides used the same language to describe it. "This afternoon, the president and Speaker Boehner met at the White House to discuss efforts to resolve the fiscal cliff," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. ...

Bavarians promise Greeks solidarity instead of scorn Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:28 PM PST MUNICH (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras visited Bavaria on Sunday, charming former critics of Greece in the southern German state who once wished to eject his country from the euro zone, and departing with pledges of solidarity and support. Samaras' visit to Munich and dinner with Bavaria's State Premier Horst Seehofer on Sunday night was another sign of the new thaw in Greek-German relations that started when Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Athens in October and was convinced of Athens' commitment to painful reforms. ...

Dozens of same-sex couples wed in Washington state for first time Posted: 09 Dec 2012 02:06 PM PST SEATTLE (Reuters) - Hundreds of well-wishers braved cold and rain to celebrate 140 weddings at Seattle City Hall on Sunday, marking the first day that same-sex couples can marry in Washington state. Washington, Maine and Maryland last month became the first U.S. states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by a popular vote, in a leap forward for gay rights. "It means that I can use the word husband without question or explaining," said Corianton Hale, a 34-year-old graphic designer, who was one of the first to tie the knot at City Hall. He married freelance copywriter Keith Bacon, 44. ...

Bahrain should charge officials behind violations: U.S. official Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:56 PM PST MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain needs to prosecute officials responsible for human rights violations during its Arab Spring protests to make reconciliation with the opposition possible, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labor Michael Posner said on Sunday. Bahrain is an important ally for Washington and hosts the American navy's Fifth Fleet, stationed here as a bulwark against Iran, but activists have accused the U.S. of not pressing the government on concerns over human rights. ...

Nigerian finance minister's mother kidnapped Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:54 PM PST ABUJA (Reuters) - Kidnappers snatched the mother of Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from her home in southeast Nigeria on Sunday, security sources and the minister's senior aide said. The abductors took the septuagenarian Kamene Okonjo from the family home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, the minister's special adviser Paul Nwabuikwu said in a statement. Okonjo is the wife of the traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku. ...

Obama met with Boehner on Sunday over fiscal cliff: aides Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama met with Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner on Sunday at the White House to negotiate ways to avoid the "fiscal cliff," according to White House officials and a congressional aide. The two sides declined to provide further details about the unannounced meeting. Obama and Boehner aides used the same language to describe it. "This afternoon, the president and Speaker Boehner met at the White House to discuss efforts to resolve the fiscal cliff," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. ...

Analysis: The rise of Narendra Modi, a double-edged sword for India's BJP Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:38 PM PST NEW DELHI (Reuters) - As the prosperous, coastal Indian state of Gujarat goes to the polls this week, few doubt Narendra Modi will win a fourth successive term as its chief minister. What is not clear is whether the popular, but divisive 62-year-old will win a big enough mandate to secure the backing of his party to lead the charge against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition in a general election due by 2014. ...

Venezuela's Chavez suffers cancer again, names potential heir Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:33 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returns to Cuba on Sunday for more surgery after a recurrence of cancer led him to name a successor for the first time in case the disease ends his 14-year dominance of the OPEC nation. Singing, praying and waving Chavez election posters from just two months ago, throngs of red-clad supporters gathered in squares across the South American country to show solidarity with the 58-year-old socialist leader. ...

As "fiscal cliff" nears, market complacency sets in Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:32 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Like many on Wall Street, investor Todd Petzel cringed when U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said this past Wednesday that he was ready to let the economy go over the "fiscal cliff" if Republicans would not agree to higher tax rates on the rich. "I didn't think good things would come out of the comment," said Petzel, the chief investment officer at Offit Capital Advisors in New York. "But nothing happened. ...

French actor Depardieu seeks Belgian residency - mayor Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:27 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - Actor Gerard Depardieu has become the latest Frenchman to look for shelter outside his native country after a series of tax hikes by Socialist President Francois Hollande on the wealthy. The "Cyrano de Bergerac" star has bought a house in the Belgian village of Nechin near the French border, local mayor Daniel Senesael told French media on Sunday, adding he had also enquired about procedures for acquiring Belgian residency. ...

Greece mulls reopening debt buyback invitation-sources Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:26 PM PST ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece may ask for additional offers from bondholders in a debt buyback plan that forms part of its international bailout, Greek officials said on Sunday, but the country's prime minister said the transaction was running smoothly. The invitation might be renewed on Monday to top up the offers already received, three officials close to the proceedings told Reuters. "It's possible," a senior government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Another government official and a banker confirmed the move was under consideration. ...

Canada won promises from China in backing Nexen deal - minister Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:18 PM PST TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada wrested "significant" commitments from China's CNOCC on issues of corporate governance and transparency as part of its approval of the acquisition of a swath of Canada's valuable oil sands reserves, Industry Minister Christian Paradis said on Sunday. Defending the $15.1 billion takeover of Nexen, one of Canada's largest independent oil companies, in the face of grumbles from the left, Paradis said that Canada won "significant undertakings" from CNOOC. Canada announced on Friday that, after months of study, it would allow CNOOC's $15. ...

As Tibetan self-immolations rise, Beijing tightens grip Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:14 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - As the number of self-immolations in restive Tibetan regions rises sharply, Beijing appears to be tightening rules against the anti-China protests despite hopes the new leadership may take a softer line against Tibet. Some experts have said Communist Party chief Xi Jinping -- whose former vice premier father had a close bond with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama -- might adopt a more reformist approach to the troubled mountainous region when he takes over as president in March. ...

Analysis: North Korea a looming problem for whoever wins South vote Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST SEOUL (Reuters) - Whoever wins South Korea's December 19 presidential election will likely find that spiky and unpredictable North Korea is as ready to strike as it is to negotiate. The main contenders in the South's election have said they would hold talks with Kim Jong-un, the youthful ruler of one of the world's most heavily armed states, in a bid to end the chill that has descended on relations under South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak, whose mandatory single term ends in February. ...

Analysis: As China's clout grows, sea policy proves unfathomable Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:05 PM PST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Imagine if the U.S. state of Hawaii passed a law allowing harbor police to board and seize foreign boats operating up to 1,000 km (600 miles) from Honolulu. That, in effect, is what happened in China about a week ago. The tropical province of Hainan, home to beachfront resorts and one of China's largest naval bases, authorized a unit of the police to interdict foreign vessels operating "illegally" in the island's waters, which, according to China, include much of the heavily disputed South China Sea. ...

Italy parties begin campaigning, supporters press Monti Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:03 PM PST ROME (Reuters) - Italy's political parties began manoeuvring on Sunday before elections expected in February as supporters of technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti tried to persuade him to stay in politics and continue his economic reform agenda. Monti has previously said he would be available to serve if needed but did not intend to stand as a candidate, although potential allies in the smaller centrist parties noted that he has not definitively ruled out the idea. ...

NJ mayor Booker to decide soon on governor's bid Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:49 PM PST Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., a prominent figure in his party, said Sunday that he'll decide within two weeks whether to challenge Republican Gov. Chris Christie next year.

Greek PM: Debt buy back procedure went "very well" Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:48 PM PST MUNICH (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Sunday during a trip to the southern German state of Bavaria a Greek debt buy back that forms part of its international bail out had gone "very well". Asked during a press conference whether Greece's buy back of bonds with a face value of about 30 billion euros had run smoothly, Samaras said: "the procedure went very well." By Monday or Tuesday he would be able to say "with great certainty" that the process had done well, he added. A deadline for bondholders to submit offers expired on Friday. ...

Romania government headed for parliament majority Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:35 PM PST BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Exit polls showed Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta's alliance won a clear victory in a Sunday election, putting him in a strong position in a power struggle with the rightist president. Ponta's leftist Social Liberal Union (USL) won 54-58 percent of votes according to three exit polls and is headed for a majority, but his opponent President Traian Basescu has the power to ask someone else from the USL to form a government. ...

NJ Democrat Cory Booker weighing runs for governor or U.S. Senate Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:33 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Newark Mayor Cory Booker is giving serious thought to challenging Chris Christie when the New Jersey governor runs for re-election next year and will announce his plans within two weeks, Booker said on Sunday. "I am absolutely considering running for governor, as well as giving other options some consideration," said Booker, one of the state's leading Democrats and an early favorite to challenge Christie next November. Booker, appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation" program, said he is also weighing a run for the U.S. Senate. "Life, ultimately, is not about a position. ...

Clashes rage in Lebanon's Tripoli as bodies returned Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:30 PM PST TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanese authorities received on Sunday the first three bodies from a group of 14 Lebanese and Palestinian gunmen killed in Syria, local clerics said, as fighting triggered by the men's death shook the northern port town of Tripoli. A Reuters reporter in the area said clashes with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades killed at least three people on Sunday, raising the total to over 14 dead in a week, and more than 150 wounded. Among the wounded were two soldiers patrolling the city, hit by a grenade. ...

Fed's monetary stimulus meets 'fiscal cliff' Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:04 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The contrast could not be sharper: Economists are all but certain the U.S. Federal Reserve will expand its monetary stimulus this week, but they have no clue how the fiscal battle in Congress will shake out. U.S. central bankers look set to extend their monetary stimulus, known as Quantitative Easing, into the new year at a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Analysts expect the Fed to continue buying $85 billion worth of securities per month. ...

Romania PM says his alliance won stable mandate Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:47 AM PST BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's parliamentary election has given the ruling leftist alliance a mandate for the next four years and the ability to pursue long term projects, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Sunday. His leftist governing Social Liberal Union (USL) won a clear victory in the election and is headed for a majority of seats, exit polls showed. Ponta said it was his responsibility to lead the government again. "We have a huge advantage. Starting tomorrow, we can talk projects for the next four years ... ...

Egypt's opposition rejects constitutional referendum Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:46 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's main opposition coalition rejected on Sunday Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's plan for a constitutional referendum this week, saying it risked dragging the country into "violent confrontation". Mursi's decision on Saturday to retract a decree awarding himself wide powers failed to placate opponents who accused him of plunging Egypt deeper into crisis by refusing to postpone the vote on a constitution shaped by Islamists. ...

Three killed in shooting on California Indian reservation Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:41 AM PST (Reuters) - California police have detained a suspect in a shooting at the Tule River Indian Reservation in which three people were killed and three were wounded, including two young daughters of the suspect, county officials said on Sunday. Hector Celaya, who lived on the central California reservation, fled the scene of the shooting with his daughters and was shot during a low-speed car chase as authorities attempted to take him into custody, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department said. The two girls, ages 5 and 8, also suffered gunshot wounds. ...

Arabs offer Palestinians $100 million a month "financial safety net" Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST DOHA (Reuters) - Arab states agreed to provide the Palestinian Authority with a $100 million monthly "financial safety net" to help President Mahmoud Abbas's government cope with an economic crisis after the United Nations granted de facto statehood to Palestine. Israel has responded to the November 29 U.N. vote by ordering 3,000 Jewish settler homes be built in the occupied West Bank and announced it would hold back payments of customs duties it collects on behalf of the Palestinians to pay an outstanding electricity bill. ...

Casamance rebels free eight Senegalese prisoners Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:27 AM PST DAKAR (Reuters) - Separatist rebels in the south of Senegal released eight prisoners on Sunday in a first positive result from renewed peace talks seeking to end a three-decade-old, low-intensity conflict in the Casamance region. The Catholic Church's Sant'Egidio community, which was asked by Senegal to act as mediator in the conflict, said in a statement that the Movement for the Democratic Forces (MFD) of Casamance, agreed to the release as a goodwill gesture. ...

Romania governing alliance set for majority - exit polls Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:09 AM PST BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's leftist governing Social Liberal Union (USL) won 54-57 percent of votes in a parliamentary election and is headed for a majority of seats, two exit polls showed on Sunday. The electoral system, a mix of constituencies and proportionality, tends to reward larger parties and could give the USL even more seats in parliament than its percentage vote, analysts say. The exit polls were conducted by pollsters GeoPOL and CSOP. (Reporting by Radu Marinas; Editing by Sam Cage)

Egypt opposition coalition "rejects" constitutional referendum Posted: 09 Dec 2012 11:03 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's main opposition coalition announced on Sunday its rejection of a constitutional referendum set by Islamist President Mohamed Mursi for December 15. In a statement read by its spokesman, the National Salvation Front also called for mass protests on Tuesday against a draft constitution that it said lacked consensus and did not properly represent the interests of women and minorities. "The National Salvation Front rejects the referendum to be held on December 15," Hussein Abdel Ghani told a news conference. "We are against this process from start to finish. ...

U.S. and Russia still back Syria settlement: UN envoy Posted: 09 Dec 2012 10:42 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. and Russian officials have given their commitment to a political solution for the deepening Syrian conflict, a United Nations envoy said on Sunday, but Moscow dismissed speculation it was preparing for President Bashar al-Assad's exit. With rebels now fighting on the doorsteps of Damascus, Assad's forces kept up their now daily artillery strikes and air raids on eastern suburbs as well as some rebel-held districts on the capital's outskirts. U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met the U.S. ...

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