Yahoo! News: Politics News

---

• Senate deal forged in flurry of final negotiations
• GOP leader Cantor opposes Senate 'cliff' bill
• Dems want House vote on Senate-passed 'cliff' deal
• Not solved yet: GOP wants more cliff spending cuts
• Gambian leader says to build herbal AIDS-cure hospital
• Iraq PM warns Sunni protesters, makes small concession
• House Republicans balk at "fiscal cliff" deal
• Senate would refuse changes to fiscal cliff bill: aide
• RPT-UPDATE 1-Singapore economy grew by 1.2 pct in 2012 - PM
• House Republicans meeting to mull "fiscal cliff" options: aide
• Senate roll call on 'fiscal cliff' deal
• Senate roll vote on 'fiscal cliff' deal
• Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill adds $4 trillion to deficits: CBO
• Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill packed with sweeteners
• Rival Sudans hold summit on Friday, signal concessions
• Factbox: Key points in the Senate's deal to avert "fiscal cliff"
• Nigerian army says 14 die in gun battle with Boko Haram
• 'Cliff' bill to House, but doubts on spending cuts
• Analysis: Young, urban Indians find political voice after student's gang rape
• Republicans concerned about lack of spending cuts in "fiscal cliff" bill
• Sudan, South Sudan leaders to hold summit on Friday
• Cantor says he doesn't back Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill
• North Korean leader, in rare address, seeks end to confrontation with South
• Bill to avert fiscal cliff heads to House
• Fiscal plan may avert "dairy cliff," buy time for farm bill
• Egypt satirist faces probe for insulting president
• Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot
• What 'Cliff' Deal Would Do
• A Bitter End for House Republican Freshmen
• Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drill: report
• New Egyptian party set to split Islamist vote further
• White House Sees 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal as Game Changer
• India rape victim's ashes scattered, more attacks stoke debate
• Connecticut attorney general says Newtown legal claim misguided
• Details of Senate bill averting 'fiscal cliff'
• Bomb kills two, injures 50 in Pakistani city of Karachi
• Biden will discuss "fiscal cliff" deal with House Democrats

Senate deal forged in flurry of final negotiations Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:44 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — They had 80 hours to finish or fail.

GOP leader Cantor opposes Senate 'cliff' bill Posted: 01 Jan 2013 12:31 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The No. 2 Republican in the House leadership says he opposes a Senate-passed measure to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.

Dems want House vote on Senate-passed 'cliff' deal Posted: 01 Jan 2013 12:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leaders are pressing Speaker John Boehner to let the House vote on the Senate-approved bipartisan compromise that would avert much of the impact of the so-called fiscal cliff.

Not solved yet: GOP wants more cliff spending cuts Posted: 01 Jan 2013 03:05 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Emergency legislation to avoid the economy-threatening fiscal cliff ran into vehement New Year's Day opposition from House Republicans, casting doubt on the divided government's ability to prevent widespread tax increases and painful, across-the-board federal spending cuts.

Gambian leader says to build herbal AIDS-cure hospital Posted: 01 Jan 2013 03:03 PM PST BANJUL (Reuters) - AIDS patients would be offered an herbal cure at a 1,111-bed hospital in Gambia that the president said on Tuesday he plans to build despite medical concerns the treatment is dangerous. President Yahya Jammeh said in 2007 he had found a remedy of boiled herbs to cure AIDS, stirring anger among Western medical experts who claimed he was giving false hope to the sick. ...

Iraq PM warns Sunni protesters, makes small concession Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:52 PM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has warned he will not tolerate Sunni anti-government rallies indefinitely, but made a concession to their demands by promising to free some women prisoners. Thousands of Sunnis have been taking to the streets of Iraq for more than a week in protest against Maliki, whom they accuse of discriminating against their sect and being under the sway of their non-Arab Shi'ite neighbor Iran. ...

House Republicans balk at "fiscal cliff" deal Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last-minute efforts to step back from the "fiscal cliff" ran into trouble on Tuesday as Republicans in the House of Representatives balked at a deal that would prevent Washington from pushing the world's biggest economy into a recession. House Republicans complained that a bill passed by the Senate in a late-night show of unity to prevent a budget crisis contained tax hikes for the wealthiest Americans but no spending cuts. Some conservatives sought to change the bill to add cuts. ...

Senate would refuse changes to fiscal cliff bill: aide Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:48 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If the House of Representatives makes changes to a Senate-passed bill aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff," the Senate would not take up that legislation, a Senate Democratic leadership aide said on Tuesday. Early on Tuesday, the Senate approved, with broad bipartisan support, legislation to avoid $600 billion in potentially harmful tax increases and spending cuts. Republicans in the House, saying they are unhappy with the lack of spending cuts in the bill, are considering amending the Senate-passed measure. ...

RPT-UPDATE 1-Singapore economy grew by 1.2 pct in 2012 - PM Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:40 PM PST (Repeats from Monday with no changes to text) SINGAPORE, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Singapore's economy grew by1.2 percent in 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said onMonday, indicating the city-state slipped into a recession inthe last three months of the year. Credit Suisse economist Michael Wan, in a note to clients,estimated that 1.2 percent growth for the year implies theeconomy "contracted sequentially by 2 percent quarter-on-quarterannualised in the fourth quarter." "Following the minus 5. ...

House Republicans meeting to mull "fiscal cliff" options: aide Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives are meeting to consider how to move forward with the Senate's plan to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts, a congressional aide said on Tuesday. The 5:15 p.m. (2215 GMT) meeting was called about two hours after a number of House Republicans panned a Senate bill that would raise taxes on household incomes over $450,000 a year. It was unclear whether Republican leaders had made a decision on how to proceed with the Senate bill. (Reporting by Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Senate roll call on 'fiscal cliff' deal Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:39 PM PST The 89-8 roll call Tuesday by which the Senate passed the Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012, which broke the "fiscal cliff" stalemate.

Senate roll vote on 'fiscal cliff' deal Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:38 PM PST The 89-8 roll call Tuesday by which the Senate passed the Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012, which broke the "fiscal cliff" stalemate.

Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill adds $4 trillion to deficits: CBO Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday said Senate-passed legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff" would add nearly $4 trillion to federal deficits over a decade, largely because it would extend low tax rates for almost all Americans. The congressional scorekeeper's analysis was released as a number of Republicans in the House of Representatives voiced opposition to the bill, and considered amending it with deeper spending cuts. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and others complained the bill's spending cuts would do little to curb trillion-dollar deficits. ...

Senate's "fiscal cliff" bill packed with sweeteners Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:37 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate packed an eclectic mix of handouts and takebacks into its last-minute deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff," including a measure to repeal part of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul and a string of special interest tax breaks. At the center of the 157-page bill adopted early Tuesday are provisions to raise taxes on the wealthiest households and to make permanent Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. ...

Rival Sudans hold summit on Friday, signal concessions Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:26 PM PST KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) - The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan will meet on Friday to discuss how to improve border security and resume vital oil flows, both sides said on Tuesday as the feuding African neighbors signaled possible concessions. The countries, which fought one of Africa's longest civil wars ending with a peace deal in 2005, signaled concessions ahead of the summit. Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir accepted an invitation from Ethiopia to meet in Addis Ababa, spokesmen for both governments said. ...

Factbox: Key points in the Senate's deal to avert "fiscal cliff" Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:25 PM PST (Reuters) - The Senate on Tuesday approved a deal to avert $600 billion in automatic tax increases and spending cuts in the "fiscal cliff" that could hobble the economy if allowed to start taking effect this week. The bill has moved to the Republican-led House of Representatives for consideration. Here are details of the Senate-passed deal: * Postpones for two months the start of $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts over 10 years, known as the "sequester." For those two months, $24 billion in savings would be substituted. ...

Nigerian army says 14 die in gun battle with Boko Haram Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military killed 13 members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and lost one soldier on Tuesday in a gun battle in Maiduguri, the group's northeastern stronghold, the army said. Boko Haram, which is loosely based on the Afghan Taliban, killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose sharia, or Islamic law, in Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims. ...

'Cliff' bill to House, but doubts on spending cuts Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:06 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate-approved compromise to avert the "fiscal cliff" ran headlong into opposition from the No. 2 House Republican and other GOP lawmakers Tuesday, raising questions about how — and in what form — Congress might be able to give final approval to the measure.

Analysis: Young, urban Indians find political voice after student's gang rape Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:03 PM PST NEW DELHI (Reuters) - When Preeti Joshi heard of the gang rape of a fellow student, she joined a movement of thousands of outraged young Indians who have taken to the streets of New Delhi almost every day protesting for justice and security for women. Beaten and raped by five men and a teenager on a moving bus in the capital on December 16, the 23-year-old student died from her injuries on Saturday, her plight shaking the conscience of many urban middle class Indians who consider gender rights as important as poverty alleviation. ...

Republicans concerned about lack of spending cuts in "fiscal cliff" bill Posted: 01 Jan 2013 12:47 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voiced concerns at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday about "the lack of spending cuts" in the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill, a senior aide said. The more than two-hour meeting ended with no decision on when the House may consider the bill and on what changes Republicans may offer. "Conversations with members will continue throughout the afternoon on a path forward," said Rory Cooper, a spokesman for Republican leader Eric Cantor, the party's No. 2 in the House. ...

Sudan, South Sudan leaders to hold summit on Friday Posted: 01 Jan 2013 12:43 PM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan will meet on Friday in Ethiopia to discuss how to improve border security and resume cross-border oil flows, both governments said on Tuesday. The African Union will host the summit between Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, spokesmen for both governments said. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing and Khalid Abdelaziz; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Cantor says he doesn't back Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill Posted: 01 Jan 2013 12:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eric Cantor, the Republican leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, said on Tuesday he does not support the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" bill, further raising questions about how Congress will address automatic spending cuts and tax increases that began to take effect just after midnight. Cantor expressed his unhappiness with the measure to reporters as he left a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republicans. It remains unclear when the House will consider the Senate bill and what if any changes it will seek. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Bill Trott)

North Korean leader, in rare address, seeks end to confrontation with South Posted: 01 Jan 2013 12:04 PM PST SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, technically still at war in the absence of a peace treaty to end their 1950-53 conflict, in a surprise New Year's broadcast on state media. The address by Kim, who took power in the reclusive state after his father, Kim Jong-il, died in 2011, appeared to take the place of the policy-setting New Year's editorial published annually in the past in leading state newspapers. ...

Bill to avert fiscal cliff heads to House Posted: 01 Jan 2013 11:21 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Squarely in the spotlight, House Republicans were deciding their next move Tuesday after the Senate overwhelmingly approved compromise legislation negating a fiscal cliff of across-the-board tax increases and sweeping spending cuts to the Pentagon and other government agencies.

Fiscal plan may avert "dairy cliff," buy time for farm bill Posted: 01 Jan 2013 11:09 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal reached by the Senate on Tuesday to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" also includes measures to avert the "dairy cliff" - a steep increase in milk prices. The tax agreement, which could face a vote by the House of Representatives as early as Tuesday, contains a nine-month fix for expiring farm subsidy programs by extending a 2008 farm law. That gives lawmakers time to come up with a new five-year replacement. ...

Egypt satirist faces probe for insulting president Posted: 01 Jan 2013 10:43 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian satirist who made fun of President Mohamed Mursi on television will be investigated by prosecutors following an accusation that he undermined the leader's standing, a judicial source said on Tuesday. Bassem Youssef's case will increase worries about freedom of speech in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, especially when the country's new constitution includes provisions criticized by rights activists for, among other things, forbidding insults. ...

Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot Posted: 01 Jan 2013 10:42 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to recover in a New York hospital where she's being treated for a blood clot in her head.

What 'Cliff' Deal Would Do Posted: 01 Jan 2013 10:35 AM PST The fiscal cliff deal passed by the Senate and under consideration in the House today is 48 pages of legislative legalese, but here are the key points of what is in the bill — and what is not in the bill. Raise the income tax...

A Bitter End for House Republican Freshmen Posted: 01 Jan 2013 09:50 AM PST It's not the end note the members of the freshman class of House Republicans could have imagined when they were sworn into the 112th Congress two years ago.

Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drill: report Posted: 01 Jan 2013 09:32 AM PST DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has warned off foreign surveillance planes that have tried to approach its forces during naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesman said on Tuesday. The drills, which began on Friday, are aimed at showcasing Iran's military capability in the shipping route through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass. Iran has threatened to block the strait if it comes under military attack over its disputed nuclear program. The United States has said it would not tolerate any obstruction of commercial traffic through the strait. ...

New Egyptian party set to split Islamist vote further Posted: 01 Jan 2013 09:22 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Leading members of Egypt's hardline Islamist movement unveiled a new political party on Tuesday, pointing to new rivalries that could split the Islamist vote in an impending parliamentary election. The creation of the al-Watan ('Homeland') Party is part of a political landscape that was dominated by a variety of Islamist parties in the last election a year ago, but is still evolving. ...

White House Sees 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal as Game Changer Posted: 01 Jan 2013 09:14 AM PST It's hard to find anyone in Washington happy about the outcome of the "fiscal cliff" brinksmanship. But inside the Obama White House, senior officials are elated by what they call a significant presidential achievement:  breaking longstanding Republican intransigence on taxes. The deal passed by the...

India rape victim's ashes scattered, more attacks stoke debate Posted: 01 Jan 2013 09:10 AM PST LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) - The ashes of an Indian student who died after being gang-raped were scattered in the Ganges river on Tuesday as reports of more attacks stoked a growing national debate on violence against women. The death of the 23-year-old woman, who has not been named, prompted street protests across India, international outrage and promises from the government of tougher punishments for offenders. Police on Tuesday confirmed they would push for the death penalty for her attackers - the force can recommend prosecutors pursue particular punishments in Indian trials. ...

Connecticut attorney general says Newtown legal claim misguided Posted: 01 Jan 2013 08:51 AM PST (Reuters) - A $100 million claim filed against the state of Connecticut in the wake of a school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead two weeks ago is misguided, Connecticut's attorney general said in a statement on Monday. Last week, a New Haven-based attorney filed an intention to sue the state on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor of the December 14 attack - the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Under Connecticut law, any claim against the state must be approved by the state claims commissioner before it can move forward. ...

Details of Senate bill averting 'fiscal cliff' Posted: 01 Jan 2013 08:49 AM PST Highlights of a bill approved Tuesday by the Senate aimed at averting wide tax increases and budget cuts scheduled to take effect in the new year. The measure would raise taxes by about $600 billion over 10 years compared with tax policies that were due to expire at midnight Monday. It would also delay for two months across-the-board cuts to the budgets of the Pentagon and numerous domestic agencies.

Bomb kills two, injures 50 in Pakistani city of Karachi Posted: 01 Jan 2013 08:44 AM PST KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a crowded area of Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding 50, police said. Two of the injured were in a critical condition, police spokesman Imran Shaukat said. The bomb appeared to have been planted on a motorbike. It was not immediately clear who or what was the target of the blast in the Aisha Manzil area of Karachi, although a political rally was happening nearby. The explosion was heard several kilometers (miles) away. ...

Biden will discuss "fiscal cliff" deal with House Democrats Posted: 01 Jan 2013 08:25 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden will meet with fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to discuss the "fiscal cliff" deal that he forged with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a Democratic aide said. The meeting is to be held at the Capitol at 12:15 p.m. ET (1715 GMT). Biden needed to help sell Senate Democrats on the deal before they joined Republicans at about 2 a.m. ET (0700 GMT) in approving the measure. The Republican-led House may vote on the bill as early as later in the day. (Reporting By Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Vicki Allen)

You are subscribed to email updates from Politics News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610