Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Romney calls Obama's health care requirement a tax
• Obama climbs back on the campaign bus in Ohio, Pa.
• Scalia critics say justice too political last term
• Mexico recounts votes from over half of polling booths
• India to give free generic drugs to hundreds of millions
• Visitors turn out despite high temperatures in DC
• Diamond admits "reprehensible" behaviour at Barclays
• Diamond admits traders' behavior "reprehensible"
• Obama urges immigration reform at July 4 citizen ceremony
• Provincial cash crunch triggers strike in Argentina
• France slaps 7 billion euros in taxes on rich and big firms
• French PM says gas prices to rise less than inflation
• Romney calls Obama's health care requirement a tax
• Fate of detainees is early test for Egyptian leader
• Colombian rebels kill five oil workers in south
• Sudan opposition calls for strikes, protests
• Axelrod Tweet Burst Hits Romney for 'Bermuda Tax Shelter'
• Bus driver's caffeine defense for groping girls
• Advancing radical Islamists lay waste to religious heritage
• Algeria, France tussle over archives 50 years after split
• Iran says can destroy U.S. bases "minutes after attack"
• Engine woes again force A400M out of air demo: sources
• NEWSMAKER - Former IMF chief Rodrigo Rato faces court probe
• Romney, Family in Tow, Steals the Show at the Wolfeboro Parade
• Former IMF-chief Rodrigo Rato faces court probe
• Merkel tells Italy benefits of reforms take time
• Syria pummels rebels as battered city collects bodies
• Turkey locates bodies of pilots of downed jet
• Romney Calls Individual Mandate a Tax, Contradicts His Top Aide
• In California, immigration bill designed as the "anti-Arizona"
• Romney settles it: health care mandate is a tax
• Libya PM in talks over fate of ex-Gaddafi spy
• Oman protests suggest jobs, reform pledges fall short

Romney calls Obama's health care requirement a tax Posted: 04 Jul 2012 01:45 PM PDT Mitt Romney on Wednesday said requiring all Americans to buy health insurance amounts to a tax, contradicting a senior campaign adviser who days ago said the Republican presidential candidate viewed President Barack Obama's mandate as anything but a tax.

Obama climbs back on the campaign bus in Ohio, Pa. Posted: 04 Jul 2012 08:04 AM PDT It's the kind of trip President Barack Obama relishes — one that plays to his natural political abilities by taking him outside of Washington to mix it up with Americans in small towns and casual settings.

Scalia critics say justice too political last term Posted: 04 Jul 2012 08:16 AM PDT Justice Antonin Scalia drew unusually critical attention during this past Supreme Court term for comments he made in court and in his writing that seemed to some more political than judicial.

Mexico recounts votes from over half of polling booths Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:51 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's election officials on Wednesday recounted votes from more than half the polling booths in Sunday's presidential and congressional elections, responding to claims of fraud and requests for recounts in areas where the race was tight. Officials with the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) said the recount would not significantly change preliminary results of the presidential vote, which showed Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) winning with more than 38 percent of the vote, 6.5 points clear of his nearest rival. ...

India to give free generic drugs to hundreds of millions Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:48 PM PDT MUMBAI (Reuters) - India has put in place a $5.4 billion policy to provide free medicine to its people, a decision that could change the lives of hundreds of millions, but a ban on branded drugs stands to cut Big Pharma out of the windfall. From city hospitals to tiny rural clinics, India's public doctors will soon be able to prescribe free generic drugs to all comers, vastly expanding access to medicine in a country where public spending on health was just $4.50 per person last year. The plan was quietly adopted last year but not publicized. ...

Visitors turn out despite high temperatures in DC Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:31 PM PDT One word could describe visitors to the Capitol Fourth Concert Wednesday night: sweaty.

Diamond admits "reprehensible" behaviour at Barclays Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:31 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - The chastened former head of Barclays apologised for the "reprehensible" behaviour of his traders who fixed interest rates, but told British lawmakers on Wednesday his bank had been unfairly singled out after coming forward to admit wrongdoing. Bob Diamond, 60, quit this week after Barclays agreed to pay nearly half a billion dollars in fines for manipulating the interest rates at the heart of the global financial system. British politicians have seized on the case as a symbol of a culture of greed that has poisoned the entire financial industry. ...

Diamond admits traders' behavior "reprehensible" Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - The chastened former head of Barclays apologized for the "reprehensible" behavior of his traders who fixed interest rates, but told British lawmakers on Wednesday his bank had been unfairly singled out after coming forward to admit wrongdoing. Bob Diamond, 60, quit this week after Barclays agreed to pay nearly half a billion dollars in fines for manipulating the interest rates at the heart of the global financial system. British politicians have seized on the case as a symbol of a culture of greed that has poisoned the entire financial industry. ...

Obama urges immigration reform at July 4 citizen ceremony Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:22 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama used an Independence Day ceremony in which immigrants serving in the U.S. military became citizens on Wednesday to renew his election-year call for new immigration laws popular with an important part of his political base. Wearing a red tie to celebrate the July 4th holiday at the White House, Obama addressed about two dozen foreign-born military personnel who were taking advantage of a program that offers them citizenship in return for their service. ...

Provincial cash crunch triggers strike in Argentina Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Public-sector workers in Argentina's largest province went on strike over pay on Wednesday in a challenge to the popular, centrist governor seen as a potential successor to President Cristina Fernandez. The one-day walkout highlights the dire state of provincial finances in Buenos Aires, which is home to more than a third of Argentina's 40 million people and accounts for about 40 percent of gross domestic product. ...

France slaps 7 billion euros in taxes on rich and big firms Posted: 04 Jul 2012 01:53 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - France's new Socialist government announced tax rises worth 7.2 billion euros on Wednesday, including heavy one-off levies on wealthy households and big corporations, to plug a revenue shortfall this year caused by flagging economic growth. In the first major raft of economic measures since Francois Hollande was elected president in May promising to avoid the painful austerity seen elsewhere in Europe, the government singled out large companies and the rich. An extraordinary levy of 2.3 billion euros ($2.90 billion) on wealthy households and 1. ...

French PM says gas prices to rise less than inflation Posted: 04 Jul 2012 01:53 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Wednesday that gas prices in France would not rise more than the rate of inflation and that the government was preparing a plan to make gas and electricity more affordable for consumers. Last week, French utility GDF Suez made a formal request to France's energy regulator to have gas prices raised by 5 percent, a request which it subsequently lowered to 4.1 percent, according to the Journal du Dimanche weekly newspaper. ...

Romney calls Obama's health care requirement a tax Posted: 04 Jul 2012 01:45 PM PDT Mitt Romney on Wednesday said requiring all Americans to buy health insurance amounts to a tax, contradicting a senior campaign adviser who days ago said the Republican presidential candidate viewed President Barack Obama's mandate as anything but a tax.

Fate of detainees is early test for Egyptian leader Posted: 04 Jul 2012 01:01 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian revolutionaries piled pressure on new President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday to free protesters jailed by military courts, as he tried to forge a government strong enough to make a difference to a frustrated population. The popular uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak last year delivered Egypt's first free leadership vote but sparked an economic crisis and a chaotic spell of army rule that saw thousands of civilians given military trials and thrown in jail. ...

Colombian rebels kill five oil workers in south Posted: 04 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's leftist guerrillas on Wednesday killed five oil contractors working for the state-run petroleum company Ecopetrol, hurting the country's image as a prime destination for oil and mining investment. Despite a decade-long offensive against Marxist rebels, Latin America's No. 4 oil producer is facing increased attacks on economic infrastructure, especially in remote jungle areas where many oil contractors search for heavy crude. ...

Sudan opposition calls for strikes, protests Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:55 PM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's main opposition parties on Wednesday called for strikes, sit-ins and demonstrations to topple the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, throwing their weight behind anti-austerity protests. The Arab-African country has been mired in an economic crisis since oil-producing South Sudan seceded a year ago, and tough spending cuts aimed at plugging a budget gap prompted protests across the country about two and a half weeks ago. ...

Axelrod Tweet Burst Hits Romney for 'Bermuda Tax Shelter' Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:47 PM PDT Senior Obama strategist David Axelrod today offered something of a fireworks display on Twitter, launching a barrage of messages meant to draw attention to two reports that highlight Mitt Romney's stake in a Bermuda company that has never been listed on his state or federal...

Bus driver's caffeine defense for groping girls Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:44 PM PDT July 4, 2012 SEATTLE – We have heard of temporary insanity, diminished capacity, the abuse excuse and even the Twinkie defense but a caffeine defense might be pushing it.  Nevertheless, that is what Kenneth Sands, 52, is attributing his incident involving him groping five females...

Advancing radical Islamists lay waste to religious heritage Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:32 PM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - The grim sacking of Sufi shrines in Timbuktu is the latest chapter in an assault on prized religious heritage across the Muslim world that has picked up over the past decade with the spread of radical Islamism. The world got a first taste of this iconoclasm in 2001, when Afghanistan's ruling Taliban blew up two huge 6th-century statues of Buddha despite an international outcry. Since then, radical Islamists have also struck holy sites of other faiths, especially Christian churches. ...

Algeria, France tussle over archives 50 years after split Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:28 PM PDT ALGIERS (Reuters) - When French soldiers and administrators left Algeria after more than a century of colonial rule, they did not go empty-handed. They took historical artifacts, books and maps, a national heritage that still sits in French libraries and archives today and which Algeria says its former colonial master should return. France and Algeria this week mark the 50th anniversary of the July 5, 1962, independence declaration that ended French rule. Each side will reflect on the problems that entangle them. ...

Iran says can destroy U.S. bases "minutes after attack" Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:54 AM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has threatened to destroy U.S. military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day. Israel has hinted it may attack Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has mooted military action as a last-resort option but has frequently nudged the Israelis to give time for intensified economic sanctions to work against Iran. ...

Engine woes again force A400M out of air demo: sources Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:54 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus is pulling Europe's A400M airlifter out of flying displays at next week's Farnborough Airshow due to continued engine problems, forcing it to sit out popular annual stunts for the second year running, industry sources said. The move repeats a decision at last year's equivalent event outside Paris, but is not expected to disrupt plans to deliver it to its first customer, France, around the end of the year. ...

NEWSMAKER - Former IMF chief Rodrigo Rato faces court probe Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:32 AM PDT MADRID (Reuters) - Rodrigo Rato, former head of the IMF and once a powerful economy minister, has suffered a steep fall from grace that mirrors Spain's own fate in the euro zone debt crisis. Rodrigo, an urbane and internationally known official with huge prestige inside the ruling centre-right People's Party, is now under investigation for fraud and other possible crimes in connection with his role during the fall of Spanish bank Bankia . ...

Romney, Family in Tow, Steals the Show at the Wolfeboro Parade Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:24 AM PDT WOLFEBORO, N.H.  - The Romney family vacation hit a peak today as several of  its members paraded down Main Street here in the picturesque New England town, where residents flocked to catch a glimpse of the presumptive GOP nominee. Some had set up chairs at...

Former IMF-chief Rodrigo Rato faces court probe Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:23 AM PDT MADRID (Reuters) - Rodrigo Rato, former head of the IMF and once a powerful economy minister, has suffered a steep fall from grace that mirrors Spain's own fate in the euro zone debt crisis. Rodrigo, an urbane and internationally known official with huge prestige inside the ruling centre-right People's Party, is now under investigation for fraud and other possible crimes in connection with his role during the fall of Spanish bank Bankia . ...

Merkel tells Italy benefits of reforms take time Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:13 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Italians on Wednesday they could not expect to reap the rewards of economic reforms in just a few months but that the experience of her own country showed it was worth persevering. Speaking at a news conference in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Merkel said Germany had gone through tough and unpopular reforms such as raising the retirement age, in order to bring down unemployment and turn around the economy. ...

Syria pummels rebels as battered city collects bodies Posted: 04 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT YAYLADAGI, Turkey (Reuters) - Syrian artillery pounded a northwestern town on Wednesday and areas near the ghost city of Douma, where residents recovered mutilated corpses after a rampage by militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said. They said at least 11 people, including a six-year-old girl and an elderly man, were killed by shelling in the towns of Misraba and Rihan near Douma, and three more were shot dead. ...

Turkey locates bodies of pilots of downed jet Posted: 04 Jul 2012 10:58 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's armed forces command said on Wednesday it had found the bodies of both pilots of an F-4 jet shot down by Syria last month and was trying to retrieve them from the seabed. Relations between Ankara and Damascus hit a new low after Syria shot down the Turkish reconnaissance plane over the Mediterranean on June 22, prompting a sharp rebuke from Turkey, which said it would respond "decisively". Syria says it downed the jet in self-defense when it was inside Syrian airspace. ...

Romney Calls Individual Mandate a Tax, Contradicts His Top Aide Posted: 04 Jul 2012 10:46 AM PDT Mitt Romney steered his campaign message back in line with other top Republicans today, insisting that the health care law's individual mandate that requires most Americans to buy health insurance was  "a tax."  "The majority of the court said it is a tax, and therefore it is...

In California, immigration bill designed as the "anti-Arizona" Posted: 04 Jul 2012 10:21 AM PDT SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - While America's debate over immigration has been dominated recently by crackdowns in states like Arizona and Alabama, California legislators are trying to turn that tide with a bill to protect illegal immigrants that they dub the "anti-Arizona." Last week, the top U.S. court upheld the most controversial aspect of Arizona's immigration statute: a requirement that police officers check the immigration status of people they stop, even for minor offenses such as jay-walking. ...

Romney settles it: health care mandate is a tax Posted: 04 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has settled the debate over what to call President Barack Obama's health care mandate.

Libya PM in talks over fate of ex-Gaddafi spy Posted: 04 Jul 2012 09:37 AM PDT TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib arrived in Mauritania on Wednesday to discuss the potential extradition of Muammar Gaddafi's former spy chief who was captured in the West African state in March. Libyan government spokesman Nasser al-Manee said Keib had arrived in Nouakchott to discuss the extradition. He gave no more details. Abdullah al-Senussi's arrest started a three-way tug-of-war among Libya, France and the International Criminal Court for the extradition of one of the most fear member's Gaddafi's fallen regime. ...

Oman protests suggest jobs, reform pledges fall short Posted: 04 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT MUSCAT (Reuters) - When the "Arab Spring" protests started to threaten - and eventually topple - the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, the sultan of Oman took note and defused his own potential bombshell with promises of jobs and reforms. It seems to have mostly worked: nearly a year after scattered strikes and protests against unemployment and corruption, Oman had yet to experience anything like the anti-government protests in Gulf neighbor Bahrain, or those that paved the way for military intervention in Libya. ...

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