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Monday, September 30, 2013

Goodbye to all that centrism

Goodbye to all that centrism

Goodbye to all that centrism

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:37 PM PDT

Italy's former PM Berlusconi waves as he arrives at the lower house of parliament in RomeBy John Lloyd How much longer will the political center hold in Europe? Its erosion, years in the making, is only picking up speed. In Italy, the latest political crisis presages the collapse of the centrist left-right coalition. In Austria, a recent election barely gave a similar coalition enough votes to continue governing. The European Union nations are hurtling toward elections next spring for the European parliament, which will bring real debate and divide to what has been a largely consensual assembly. ...

Biden: Iran sanctions most effective in history

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:36 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden says U.S.-led sanctions against Iran have been the most effective sanctions regime ever.

More babies share parents' beds despite SIDS risks

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:34 PM PDT

CHICAGO (AP) — The government's latest infant bed-sharing numbers show a troubling trend: the percentage of U.S. babies sleeping with parents or another child more than doubled since the early 1990s, despite public health messages linking the practice with sudden infant death syndrome.

US stocks fall as government shutdown looms

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:32 PM PDT

A specialist works at the Barclays post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange just after the closing bell July 24, 2013New York (AFP) - US stocks Monday retreated as a partial US government shutdown loomed due to Washington political gridlock over a new budget.

US Senate rejects House budget, shutdown imminent

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:29 PM PDT

Washington (AFP) - The United States was just hours from a potentially devastating shutdown of key federal government agencies Monday as lawmakers failed to agree stopgap budget measures.

Obama: 'Not at all' resigned to a shutdown

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:27 PM PDT

President Barack Obama answers a question about the looming federal government shutdown from a reporter during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he's "not at all" resigned to a government shutdown. He says he expects to speak to congressional leaders during the day and in ensuing days to address budget and debt impasses.

Shutdown impact: Tourists, homebuyers hit quickly

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:27 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government shutdown would have far-reaching consequences for some, but minimal impact on others.

Stocks sink as government heads toward shutdown

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:26 PM PDT

The morning sun illuminates the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, as the government teeters on the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight unless Congress can reach an agreement on funding. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks sank Monday as Wall Street worried that a budget fight in Washington could lead to an event far worse for the economy— a failure to raise the nation's borrowing limit.

Feds defend plan to drop gray wolf protection

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:24 PM PDT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Federal officials offered a staunch defense Monday of their proposal to drop legal protections for the gray wolf in most of the country, as opponents rallied in the nation's capital before the first in a series of public hearings on the plan.

Slave descendants fighting tax hikes on Ga. coast

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:21 PM PDT

DARIEN, Ga. (AP) — Residents of one of the few remaining Gullah-Geechee communities on the Southeast coast opened new appeals Monday against soaring property values that brought them big tax hikes, fearful they could be forced off lands their families have owned since their ancestors were freed from slavery.

Ashton, asked about Iran sanctions, says she wants best atmosphere for talks

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:21 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top EU official, asked if new sanctions should be imposed on Iran as talks about its nuclear program unfold, said she wanted to go to the October 15-16 talks with Iran in Geneva with "the best possible atmosphere." "I am not in the business of telling Congress what to do," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in response to a question at a Washington think tank about whether Congress, or others, should impose additional sanctions on Iran. ...

Keep the Iran sanctions, Netanyahu urges Obama

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:17 PM PDT

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. The White House said the two leaders would discuss negotiations with the Palestinians, developments in Syria and Iran. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite soothing assurances from Iran's new leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored President Barack Obama on Monday to keep punishing sanctions in place against Tehran — and even tighten them if the Islamic republic advances its nuclear programs while negotiating with the U.S.

Berlusconi faces obstacles in bid to topple government

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:16 PM PDT

Italy's former PM Berlusconi arrives at the lower house of parliament in RomeBy Giselda Vagnoni ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi on Monday faced dissent within his People of Freedom Party, complicating his plans to bring down Prime Minister Enrico Letta's coalition government. But even if Letta survives a confidence vote on Wednesday the prospects for stability and reform in Italy look more fragile than ever as he will face a larger and stronger opposition backed by Berlusconi's media empire. ...

Italy's Berlusconi struggles to unite party against govt

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:13 PM PDT

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi smiles as he arrives for a meeting of his group at the Italian Deputy Chamber on September 30, 2013 in RomeRome (AFP) - Silvio Berlusconi on Monday struggled to bridge divisions among supporters over his bid to topple the government, as the heightened political instability hit Italy on the financial markets.

Federal workers prepare for shutdown process

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 01:04 PM PDT

With hours to go until a possible government shutdown, visitors tour the Rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Capitol officials said today that if a shutdown goes into effect, all organized tours of the Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center will be suspended. The Senate has the next move on must-do legislation required to keep the government open, and the Democratic-led chamber is expected to reject the latest effort from House Republicans to use a normally routine measure to attack President Barack Obama's signature health care law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal workers will still have to report to work for about four hours Tuesday even if the government shuts down.

Senate clears bill to pay military in shutdown

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:59 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has adopted a bill to pay members of the military in case the government shuts down.

Italian government sees hope of survival

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:54 PM PDT

Italian premier Enrico Letta speaks during a video appearance at the Italian State RAI TV program "Che Tempo che Fa", in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Sunday backpedaled somewhat in his strategy aimed apparently at collapsing Italy's fragile coalition government and triggering early elections, after some key supporters chafed at his orders to quit the Cabinet in a show of solidarity ahead of a Senate vote to strip him of his seat because of his tax-fraud conviction and prison sentence.(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)ROME (AP) — The Italian government's chances of survival rose on Monday as some of former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's longtime loyalists vowed they would not support his attempt to bring down the fragile coalition.

Under fire, 'Obamacare' going live — with glitches

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:54 PM PDT

ObamaWASHINGTON (AP) — Contentious from its conception, President Barack Obama's health care law has survived the Supreme Court, a battle for the White House and rounds of budget brinkmanship. Now comes the ultimate test: the verdict of the American people.

Tornado tops stormy NW weekend

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:52 PM PDT

This NOAA satellite image taken Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, at 02:00 AM EDT shows an expansive area of cloudiness over the Pacific Northwest associated with a large area of low pressure over coastal British Columbia. Heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms will continue across the region as the system pushes inland. High pressure over the southwestern United States brings mostly sunny skies. (AP Photo/Weather Underground)SEATTLE (AP) — The National Weather Service confirms the winds that damaged industrial buildings in western Washington, including a Boeing factory, were a tornado.

Filmmaker scraps Hillary Clinton CNN documentary

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:47 PM PDT

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting on September 25, 2013 in New York CityWashington (AFP) - An Oscar-winning filmmaker has abandoned a planned documentary on Hillary Clinton, following an outcry from Republicans who argued the film would promote the former secretary of state's presidential run.

Deadlocked Congress brings government to edge of shutdown

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:45 PM PDT

By David Lawder and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress, still in partisan deadlock on Monday over Republican efforts to halt President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms, was on the verge of shutting down most of the government starting on Tuesday morning. With the law funding thousands of routine government activities set to expire at midnight, U.S. Senate Democrats killed a proposal by the Republican-led House of Representatives to delay Obamacare for a year in return for temporary funding of the federal government beyond Monday. ...

Paris prosecutor probing fortune of Assad's uncle

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:43 PM PDT

PARIS (AP) — The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation Monday into the real estate holdings of Syrian President Bashar Assad's uncle after watchdogs accused him of corruption.

Life in prison for NJ chemist who poisoned husband

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:42 PM PDT

Trianle Li weeps after speaking in Judge Michael Toto's courtroom at State Superior Court in New Brunswick, NJ, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, after she was sentenced to life in prison for the poisoning murder of her husband. Tianle Li won't be eligible for parole for more than 62 years for the killing of Xiaoye Wang, a computer software engineer, in early 2011. The 42-year-old Li was convicted in July of murder and hindering apprehension. She continues to deny any role in her husband's death, said her attorney, Steven Altman. (AP Photo/Home News Tribune, Thomas P. Costello, Pool)NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A Chinese-born chemist who worked for a decade for one of America's biggest pharmaceutical companies was a cold, calculating murderer who poisoned her husband rather than let him divorce her, a judge said Monday as he sentenced her to life in prison.

Court in Amanda Knox trial allows new DNA test

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:36 PM PDT

Francesco Sollecito, father of co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito, talks to reporters as he arrives for the start of U.S. student Amanda Knox's second appeals trial in her British roommate's murder, in Florence, Italy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Italy's highest court ordered a new trial for Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, overturning their acquittals in the gruesome 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher with a harsh assessment of an appeals court acquittal in 2011. The Court of Cassation said the acquittal was full of "deficiencies, contradictions and illogical" conclusions. (AP Photo/Francesco Bellini)FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — The Florence appellate court hearing U.S. student Amanda Knox's third trial in her roommate's murder agreed Monday to run additional DNA tests on the presumed weapon, but rejected more than a dozen other defense requests for new testimony or evidence.

Car bombs kill 54 in Shi'ite districts of Baghdad

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:34 PM PDT

Photos of the day - September 30, 2013By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Car bombs killed at least 54 people in mostly Shi'ite Muslim areas of Baghdad on Monday as suspected Sunni Muslim militants pursued a campaign to plunge Iraq back into sectarian strife. Altogether 14 bombs shook Baghdad, the deadliest of them in Sadr City, where a white car blew up near where men had gathered to seek work, killing seven people, including two soldiers. "The driver said he would move the car soon, but it exploded a few minutes later," said Abu Mohammed, a worker at the scene, where bits of molten metal lay among cars wrecked in the blast. ...

Sheriff: Rape report filed before slaying

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:31 PM PDT

This photo released by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office shows Woodrow Karey, Jr. after being charged in the shooting death of Pastor Ronald J. Harris, Sr., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. Police said a gunman walked into the Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center in Lake Charles and shot Pastor Ronald J. Harris Sr. "as he was preaching." Harris was pronounced dead at the scene. Karey, 53, of Lake Charles, is charged with second-degree murder and was held in the parish jail Saturday. (AP Photo/Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office)The wife of a Louisiana man charged with killing a preacher had filed a rape complaint against the pastor two days before the shooting, but it's not yet clear if there was an assault or a consensual sexual relationship, a sheriff said Monday.

Lysacek has torn labrum, will miss Skate America

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:29 PM PDT

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — This isn't quite the way Evan Lysacek wanted to break into acting.

Some in House GOP seek new Obamacare delay

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:28 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some House Republicans want their next volley in a battle over curbing the president's new health care law to be a delay in requiring people to buy health insurance. That would be the GOP's new condition for keeping the government open after a midnight deadline.

Mall shopkeepers suspect Kenyan troops in thefts

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:27 PM PDT

This photo taken Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 and made available Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, shows the scene at the Dormans coffee shop on the ground floor of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya. The four-day siege, which included the collapse of part of the mall, left 67 people dead, according to officials. (AP Photo)NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Jewelry cases smashed. Mobile phones ripped from displays. Cash registers emptied. Alcohol stocks plundered.

Once infertile, woman gives birth after surgery

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:26 PM PDT

In this Dec. 28, 2012 photo provided by Dr. Kazuhiro Kawamura of the St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan, Kawamura holds a newborn baby whose 30-year-old mother was treated for primary ovarian insufficiency, sometimes called premature menopause, in Tokyo. The mother was one of the five women out of 27 treated who were able to produce usable eggs for in vitro fertilization, Kawamura said. The new technique, described in a report published Monday, Sept. 30, 2013 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raises the promise of a woman with the condition having a baby with her own eggs. (AP Photo/Kazuhiro Kawamura)NEW YORK (AP) — A 30-year-old infertile woman gave birth after surgeons removed her ovaries and re-implanted tissue they treated in a lab, researchers report.

Nickelodeon entra a la radio con Clear Channel

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:23 PM PDT

En esta foto del 3 de septiembre del 2013, la cantante Ariana Grande canta en el programa "Today" de NBC en Nueva York. Nickelodeon unió fuerzas con Clear Channel Media and Entertainment para crear su propia emisora de radio en el servicio en línea de Clear Channel iHeartRadio. Nick Radio debutó el lunes 30 de septiembre con la cantante de Grande como DJ invitada junto con Big Time Rush. (Foto por Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, Archivo)NUEVA YORK (AP) — Nickelodeon está incursionando en el negocio de la radio.

'Breaking Bad' finale draws record ratings, illegal download surge

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:22 PM PDT

Actor Bryan Cranston (centre) and members of 'Breaking Bad' pose in the press room during the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California on September 22, 2013Los Angeles (AFP) - The final episode of "Breaking Bad" drew the cult US television show's biggest ever ratings with 10.3 million viewers tuning in, figures released Monday showed.

NC Republicans vow to fight US DOJ over voter laws

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:19 PM PDT

FILE - In a June 30, 1982 file photo, President Ronald Reagan signs an expansion of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. The Justice Department will sue the state of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination over tough new voting rules, the latest effort by the Obama administration to fight back against a Supreme Court decision that struck down the most powerful part of the landmark Voting Rights Act and freed southern states from strict federal oversight of their elections. North Carolina has a new law scaling back the period for early voting and imposing stringent voter identification requirements. It is among at least five Southern states adopting stricter voter ID and other election laws. (AP Photo, File)RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's Republican governor and GOP lawmakers are vowing to fight a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department challenging the state's tough new elections law on the grounds it disproportionately impacts minority voters.

Gunmen kill 2 police, 1 soldier in Egypt's Sinai

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:18 PM PDT

FILE - This undated file photo released by NASA, taken from 175 miles up by Gemini II, shows the Sinai Peninsula, center, in Egypt. Gunmen killed several security forces in Egypt's northern Sinai on Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, officials said, in the latest attack to hit the volatile peninsula.(AP Photo/NASA, File)EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Gunmen killed two policemen and a soldier in the north of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Monday, officials said, the latest apparent attack by Islamic militants in the volatile desert region.

Small number of schools drop out of lunch program

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:14 PM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2013, file photo, students at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood eat free lunches consisting of a sandwich with meat, a vegetable dish, a piece of fruit, and milk. The Agriculture Department says that around half a percent of schools _ or 524 schools out of around 100,000 _ have dropped out of the federally-subsidized national school lunch program since the government put new standards for healthier foods in place last year. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department says 524 schools — out of about 100,000 — have dropped out of the federally subsidized national school lunch program since the government introduced new standards for healthier foods last year.

Greek PM vows to eradicate far-right Golden Dawn

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:11 PM PDT

A pedestrian passes anti-fascist graffiti in Athens, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Greece's government is submitting legislation to Parliament aimed at cutting state funding to the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party, whose leadership was arrested over the weekend on charges of acting as a criminal organization. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's prime minister said Monday his government will do "whatever it takes" to completely eradicate the extreme-right Golden Dawn party, whose neo-Nazi leaders have just been arrested.

Weapons experts kick off complex Syria mission

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:03 PM PDT

The convoy of a U.N. team of weapons inspectors, who concluded its almost week-long mission in Syria, arrive at Rafik Hariri international airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. The inquiry determined that the nerve agent sarin was used in the Aug. 21 attack on a Damascus suburb in Syria, but it did not assess who was behind it. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Inspectors charged with the enormous task of overseeing the destruction of Syria's deadly chemical weapons stockpiles kicked off their mission Monday, racing to meet tight deadlines against the backdrop of civil war.

Chinese teenager to take on Woods, McIlroy

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:03 PM PDT

Guan Tianlang of China walks across the 17th green at Muirfield Village Golf Club on May 31, 2013 in Dublin, OhioBeijing (AFP) - Chinese prodigy Guan Tianlang, 14, will take on world number one Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in a "skills challenge" before an 18-hole showdown between the two pros, organisers said Monday.

Netanyahu to Obama - Tighten sanctions if Iran defies West

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 12:03 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in WashingtonBy Matt Spetalnick and Dan Williams WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to step up sanctions on Iran if it pursues its disputed nuclear drive while negotiating with the West. Seeking to ease Israeli concerns about U.S. diplomatic engagement with Iran, Obama said Tehran must prove its sincerity with actions, insisted that Washington would not ease sanctions prematurely and reaffirmed U.S. readiness to resort to military action if all else fails. ...

New York spreading wireless access across city

Posted: 30 Sep 2013 11:55 AM PDT

One World Trade Center and the lower New York City skyline, including the Brooklyn Bridge, are seen from the air over New York on May 13, 2013New York City (AFP) - Free Internet access will be given to more neighborhoods across New York as the Big Apple aims to build a "wireless corridor" designed to boost business, officials announced Monday.
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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Egypt's ex-VP calls campaign against him "fascist"

Egypt's ex-VP calls campaign against him "fascist"

Egypt's ex-VP calls campaign against him "fascist"

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:41 PM PDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 24, 2013 file photo, leading democracy advocate Mohammed ElBaradei speaks to a handful of journalists including the Associated Press, at his home on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's former vice president and democracy advocate Mohammed ElBaradei has lashed out Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 against what he called a "fascist" security-organized media campaign against him because of his calls for an inclusive political process.(AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell, File)CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's former vice president and democracy advocate Mohammed ElBaradei lashed out Sunday against what he called a "fascist" security-organized media campaign against him because of his calls for an inclusive political process.

Austrian coalition scrapes majority as far-right gains

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:38 PM PDT

Austrian chancellor Werner Faymann delivers a speech after the exit polls at his campaign headquarter in Vienna, Austria on September 29, 2013Vienna (AFP) - Austria's two main centrist political parties scraped together a majority in elections Sunday, enough for their unloved coalition to continue but with a resurgent far-right snapping at their heels.

AP PHOTOS: A look at the career of NY's Mo Rivera

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:37 PM PDT

File-This Sept. 26, 2013 file photo shows New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera, left, handing the ball to Andy Pettitte as Derek Jeter, right, watches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Rays defeated the Yankees 4-0 in Rivera's final home game with the team. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)After nineteen stellar seasons and a record 652 saves, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has pitched in his last game.

Marlins' Alvarez throws crazy no-hitter vs Tigers

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:45 PM PDT

Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander pitches to the Miami Marlins in the first inning of an interleague baseball game on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)MIAMI (AP) — Henderson Alvarez pitched one of baseball's most bizarre no-hitters, celebrating in the on-deck circle when the Miami Marlins scored on a two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the AL Central champion Detroit Tigers 1-0 Sunday.

Russian court jails 8 more Greenpeace activists

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:30 PM PDT

In this photo provided by Greenpeace International, a Russian Investigation Committee, inspects the Greenpeace International ship, Arctic Sunrise, in a closed part of Murmansk port, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. Greenpeace said on Friday it will appeal the Russian court rulings that sent its activists to jail for a protest at an offshore drilling platform in the Arctic. (AP Photo/Greenpeace International, Dmitri Sharomov)MOSCOW (AP) — A court in the northern Russian city of Murmansk on Sunday sent all eight remaining Greenpeace activists to jail for two months, showing no leniency toward any of the 30 people detained for a protest at a drilling platform in Arctic waters.

Capitol building eerily quiet as government shutdown nears

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:29 PM PDT

NBC News handout photo shows Senator Ted Cruz on "Meet the Press" in WashingtonBy David Lawder and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a midnight Monday deadline to avert a federal government shutdown fast approaching, the U.S. Capitol building was eerily quiet on Sunday, with meeting rooms locked, lawmakers not to be found, and both parties waiting for the other to blink. Senate Democrats decided on Sunday not to take up a measure approved in the early morning hours by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives that ties funding for government agencies to a one-year delay of President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law. ...

'Cloudy' sequel tops weekend box office

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:28 PM PDT

This film image released by Sony Pictures Animation shows characters, from left, Earl, voiced by Terry Crews, Flint, voiced by Bill Hader, and Sam, voiced by Anna Faris in a scene from "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." (AP Photo/Sony Pictures Animation)LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" slurped up the box office.

Olympic flame for Sochi Games ready for relay

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:24 PM PDT

Actress Ino Menegaki as high priestess, lights the Olympic Flame from the sun's rays, during the lighting of the Olympic flame at Ancient Olympia, in west southern Greece on Sunday Sept. 29, 2013. Using the sun's rays at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics, organizers carried out a successful ceremony to light the flame for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Feb. 7-23, 2014 in Russia. (AP Photo (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) — Using the sun's rays, the Olympic flame lighting for the Winter Games in Sochi went off without a hitch in southern Greece Sunday, ahead of its journey across Russia's nine time zones and even a trip to space before the Feb. 7-23 games.

Assad says Syria will comply with UN arms resolution

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:23 PM PDT

A picture on the Syrian Presidency Facebook page shows President Bashar al-Assad giving an interview to China's state CCTV in Damascus on September 23, 2013Damascus (AFP) - Syria will comply with a UN resolution to destroy its chemical arsenal, President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday, as weapons experts prepared to head for Damascus to begin the task.

Unmanned cargo ship docks with Space Station

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:20 PM PDT

This photo courtesy of Orbital Sciences Corporation shows the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, as it launches on September 18, 2013, at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, VirginiaWashington (AFP) - An unmanned cargo ship successfully berthed with the orbiting International Space Station on Sunday following a one-week delay due to a technical glitch, NASA said.

Israel's Netanyahu warns White House about Iran

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:18 PM PDT

Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Zalman Shoval, listens during an interview with The Associated Press in Jerusalem, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking an unpopular message to the White House and United Nations this week: Don't be fooled by Tehran's new leadership, which is using a campaign of smiles and conciliatory gestures as a ruse to conceal an unabated march toward a nuclear bomb. Shoval, who now serves as an adviser to Netanyahu, said the prime minister would present JERUSALEM (AP) — Mortified that the world may be warming up to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking an unpopular message to the White House and the United Nations this week: Don't be fooled by Tehran's new leadership.

Global Economy: Faith in revival put to test

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:17 PM PDT

A container ship is seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port, part of the newly announced Shanghai Free Trade Zone, south of ShanghaiLONDON (Reuters) - Yet another budget showdown in Washington and yet another government crisis in Italy herald more turbulence for a global economy growing well below trend. On top of these recurrent pitfalls, banks and households in Europe are still shedding debt, several big emerging economies are slowing and markets are struggling to decode the Federal Reserve's policy signals. No wonder that words like 'modest' and 'moderate' pepper many of the latest growth outlooks. ...

HR leader Davis hurts wrist in Orioles' final game

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:16 PM PDT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Major league home run leader Chris Davis left the Baltimore Orioles' regular season finale Sunday in the fourth inning with a sprained left wrist.

Berlusconi party leaders rebel over his strategy

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:13 PM PDT

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013 file photo, former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi addresses supporters during a demonstration in front of his residence in Rome. Government ministers in former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's political party have announced Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013 their intention to resign their posts, a move that raises tension in the uneasy coalition government and increases the possibility of early elections. Vice Premier Angelino Alfano's spokeswoman said Saturday the five ministers from Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom Party have decided to submit their resignations. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, Files)ROME (AP) — Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi appeared to backpedal on Sunday in his strategy aimed at collapsing Italy's fragile coalition government and triggering early elections, after some key supporters chafed at his order to quit the Cabinet.

Marlins' Alvarez flirting with no-hitter

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:09 PM PDT

Miami Marlins' Henderson Alvarez pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning of an interleague baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)MIAMI (AP) — Miami Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarez had not allowed a hit after nine innings Sunday, but the game against the Detroit Tigers was scoreless heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Police: Daughter killed Pa. mom with shotgun

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:05 PM PDT

ASHVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say an estranged daughter killed her mother with a sawed-off shotgun before her father killed her in self-defense, not realizing she was the daughter he hadn't seen in years.

Austrian centrist coalition survives far-right gains

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:04 PM PDT

Austrian Chancellor and leader of the Social Democratic Party Faymann addresses supporters after first projections in the Austrian general election in ViennaBy Michael Shields and Georgina Prodhan VIENNA (Reuters) - The partners in Austria's pro-Europe, centrist coalition scraped a combined majority on Sunday despite recording their worst election results since World War Two and losing support to the far-right Freedom Party and a new liberal party. Chancellor Werner Faymann's Social Democrats (SPO) - who had campaigned on a platform of defending jobs and pensions and redistributing wealth - got 27.1 percent of the vote, down more than two points from 2008, preliminary results showed. ...

Kurt Busch has pit crew shakeup as Chase heats up

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:04 PM PDT

Kurt Busch climbs into his car during practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race, Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)DOVER, Del. (AP) — With the Chase heating up, Kurt Busch has a revamped pit crew at Dover.

HR leader Davis injured in Orioles' final game

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:01 PM PDT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Major league home run leader Chris Davis left the Baltimore Orioles' regular season finale Sunday in the fourth inning with an injury to his left wrist.

Wave of attacks across Iraq kills dozens

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 12:01 PM PDT

A Kurdish policeman passes by destroyed ambulances at the site of a car bomb attack in front of the main security forces headquarters in Irbil, Iraq, 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Baghdad, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. A twin suicide car bombing and ensuing firefight in the capital of Iraq's largely peaceful self-ruled northern Kurdish region killed and wounded dozens of security forces on Sunday, officials said. (AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — Suicide bombings tore through a Shiite mosque south of Baghdad and the relatively safe Kurdish area in the north Sunday as a wave of attacks killed at least 46 people across Iraq, officials said.

Resident: Mali army, rebels exchange fire in Kidal

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:51 AM PDT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian soldiers and separatist rebels exchanged gunfire in the heart of the northern town of Kidal on Sunday, marking a dangerous escalation in violence only days after the rebels said they were suspending their participation in a peace accord signed with the government.

Italian PM Letta to go before parliament

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:49 AM PDT

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta will go before parliament to chart a possible way out of the country's political crisis, a statement from the Italian President's office said on Sunday. The statement, which came after a meeting between Letta and President Giorgio Napolitano, said the two men had discussed possible solutions after the shock resignation of five ministers belonging to Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party. ...

Italian president hopes to solve political crisis without new vote

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:49 AM PDT

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano waves to reporters at the Quirinale palaceBy Gavin Jones and Stephen Jewkes ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta will meet the president on Sunday to try to chart a way out of a deep political crisis after Silvio Berlusconi pulled his ministers out of the government and called for new elections. President Giorgio Napolitano said he would only dissolve parliament as a last resort but just seven months after the last vote it is not clear if an alternative majority can be found. ...

Iran: More needed than Obama call for full ties

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:37 AM PDT

A protester, left, approaches President Hassan Rouhani's car leaving Mehrabad airport after his arrival from the U.S. in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. Iranians from across the political spectrum hailed Saturday the historic phone conversation between President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart Rouhani, reflecting wide support for an initiative that has the backing of both reformists and the country's conservative clerical leadership. Despite the broad-based praise, the hard-liners opposed to any improved contact with Washington made their objections clear at Rouhani's arrival in Tehran. Several dozen protesters chanted "Death to America" and tried to block Rouhani's motorcade.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran sought Sunday to calm hard-liners worried over groundbreaking exchanges with Washington, saying a single phone conversation between the American and Iranian presidents is not a sign that relations will be quickly restored.

Nairobi morgue's last victim from mall is ID'd

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:35 AM PDT

A gravedigger digs additional graves with a shovel, in anticipation of an increased number of burials both of Westgate Mall attack victims and of those deceased from other causes, at the main cemetery in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. Kenya's military caused the collapse of three floors of the Westgate Mall in the deadly terrorist siege, a top-ranking official disclosed Friday, while the government urged patience with the pace of an investigation that has left key questions unanswered. (AP Photo/David Rising)NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Karen Wambui walked slowly through the Nairobi city morgue's turquoise and yellow iron gates, still trying to process what she had seen inside.

Syria air strike kills 16 in high school

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT

A boy sits next to a heavily damaged school in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on April 17, 2013Beirut (AFP) - An air strike on a high school killed 16 people, most of them students and teachers, in a rebel-held city in northern Syria on Sunday, a monitoring group said.

Italy to face international pressure if crisis drags on

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:28 AM PDT

By Alessandra Galloni and Giselda Vagnoni ROME (Reuters) - Italy could face pressure from international partners if the current political crisis persists and reverberates through the euro zone, Labour Minister Enrico Giovannini said on Sunday. Speaking a day after Silvio Berlusconi pulled his ministers out of the cabinet, Giovannini said the move -- which pulls the rug from under Prime Minister Enrico Letta's government and lurches the country into another political crisis -- is likely to cause some instability on financial markets on Monday. ...

Car bomb kills 40 in northwest Pakistan

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:28 AM PDT

A Pakistani man carrying a child rushes away from the site of a blast shortly after a car exploded in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. A car bomb exploded on a crowded street in northwestern Pakistan Sunday, killing scores of people in the third blast to hit the troubled city of Peshawar in a week, officials said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A car bomb ripped through a crowded street in Peshawar's oldest bazaar Sunday, killing 40 people in the third blast to hit the troubled Pakistani city in a week, officials said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

India, Pakistan leaders say they want better ties but reach no concrete agreements

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:26 AM PDT

Pakistan's PM Sharif shakes hands with India's PM Singh during the United Nations General Assembly in New YorkBy Paul Eckert NEW YORK (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, agreed on Sunday to work to restore a cross-border ceasefire after a spate of shootings in order to improve strained ties, officials said. Singh and Sharif met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, amid heightened tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors over the Kashmir region, sparked by series of fatal clashes on their de facto Himalayan border. ...

SpaceX launches Canadian satellite from California

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:25 AM PDT

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — A SpaceX rocket carrying a Canadian satellite intended to track space weather launched from the California coast Sunday in what was billed as a test flight.

Arizona State ushers out Kiffin era at USC

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT

FILE - Southern California head coach Lane Kiffin shakes hands with Arizona State head coach Todd Graham after an NCAA college football game in a Saturday, Sept. 28 2013 file photo, in Tempe, Ariz. USC has fired football coach Lane Kiffin, the Trojans announced early Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. Kiffin went 28-15 at USC in parts of four seasons, but his club has dropped seven of its last 11 games overall and is winless in a pair of Pac-12 games so far this year. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)Breaking down The Associated Press college football poll after Week 5 of the regular season.

India, Pakistan PMs seek end to Kashmir tension

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:19 AM PDT

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, to meet with President Barack Obama. President Obama is hosting Singh for talks on trade and security in a fragile region, offering a chance to inject new life into the partnership amid concerns that relations have stagnated. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)NEW YORK (AP) — The prime ministers of India and Pakistan met in New York Sunday, and in a step toward easing tension, agreed on the need to stop the recent spate of attacks in the disputed Kashmir region.

USC fires coach Kiffin after 7th loss in 11 games

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:14 AM PDT

In this Sept. 28, 2013 photo, Arizona State University head coach Todd Graham, left, shakes hands with USC head coach Lane Kiffin after ASU defeated USC 62-41 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. USC fired Kiffin early Sunday morning, not long after the team lost 62-41 at Arizona State. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT. NO SALESLOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California fired Lane Kiffin early Sunday morning, ending the coach's tumultuous tenure a few hours after the Trojans lost 62-41 at Arizona State.

Nairobi morgue's last Kenya mall victim ID'd

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT

A gravedigger digs additional graves with a shovel, in anticipation of an increased number of burials both of Westgate Mall attack victims and of those deceased from other causes, at the main cemetery in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. Kenya's military caused the collapse of three floors of the Westgate Mall in the deadly terrorist siege, a top-ranking official disclosed Friday, while the government urged patience with the pace of an investigation that has left key questions unanswered. (AP Photo/David Rising)NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Karen Wambui walked slowly through the Nairobi city morgue's turquoise and yellow iron gates, still trying to process what she had seen inside.

States resist, build nascent insurance markets

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 10:59 AM PDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — With new online health insurance exchanges set to launch Tuesday, consumers in many Southern and Plains states will have to look harder for information on how the marketplaces work than their counterparts elsewhere.

Michael Hill to run Marlins' baseball operations

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 10:56 AM PDT

Miami Marlins' Michael Hill, right, talks to the media at a news conference after being promoted to president of baseball operations as new general manager Dan Jennings, left, looks on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)MIAMI (AP) — Miami Marlins executive Michael Hill was promoted Sunday to president of baseball operations, completing owner Jeffrey Loria's latest franchise shakeup.

Heat signs Spoelstra to multiyear extension

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 10:55 AM PDT

MIAMI (AP) — Erik Spoelstra has been with the Miami Heat for nearly two decades, and their relationship won't be ending anytime soon.

After 100 defeats, Marlins find new leaders

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 10:54 AM PDT

A general view of Marlins Park on March 15, 2013 in Miami, FloridaMiami (AFP) - Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins completed a front-office restructuring on the final day of the season on Sunday as a 100-loss season of futility came to an end.

Suicide bomber kills 40 at Iraq mosque

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 10:49 AM PDT

By Ali al-Rubaie HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - At least 40 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shi-ite Muslim funeral in a southern Iraqi town on Sunday. The blast brought down the ceiling of the mosque in Mussayab, 60km (40 miles) south of the capital Baghdad. Police said some bodies were still trapped beneath the debris. At least 50 people were wounded. Those inside had been mourning the death of a man killed a day earlier by militants. "Until now, we are trying to retrieve bodies from under the debris. Most of the bodies were torn to pieces. ...

Gunmen kill students as they sleep in Nigerian college

Posted: 29 Sep 2013 10:49 AM PDT

TUERIE DANS UN LYCÉE DANS L'ÉTAT DE YOBE AU NIGERIABy Joe Hemba DAMATURU, Nigeria (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants stormed a college in northeastern Nigeria and shot dead around 40 male students, some of them while they slept early on Sunday, witnesses said. The gunmen, thought to be members of rebel sect Boko Haram, attacked one hostel, took some students outside before killing them and shot others trying to flee, people at the scene told Reuters. "They started gathering students into groups outside, then they opened fire and killed one group and then moved onto the next group and killed them. ...
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