| U.S. government kicks off Detroit auto showMarketWatch - 14 minutes agoDETROIT (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. government, a deep-pocketed investor in the car business these days, made its presence known early at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, much like a man with skin in the car game, delivered the first rah-rah presentation of the day while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is slated to close Monday's showcase on the main stage. Ford Fusion Hybrid wins Car of the Year CNN Supreme Court Blocks TV Coverage of Gay Marriage TrialChicago Tribune - 12 minutes agoWashington - The U.S. Supreme Court , acting on an appeal from conservative defenders of 's ban on same-sex marriage, overruled a federal judge in today and blocked video coverage of the trial on . In a brief order, the justices said they were halting the move by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker "permitting real-time streaming" of the trial, "except as it permits streaming to other rooms within the confines of the courthouse in which the trial is to be held." U.S. Supreme Court blocks video coverage of Prop. 8 trial Los Angeles Times | |
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Obama: No plan to deploy to YemenLos Angeles Times - 9 hours agoWashington - President Obama says he has no intention of sending American troops to Yemen or Somalia. Obama told People magazine in an interview to be published Friday that he still believes the center of Al Qaeda activity is along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama Plays Down Military Role in Yemen New York Times Race Riots Grip Italian Town, and Mafia Is SuspectedNew York Times - 14 hours agoROME — More than a thousand African workers were put aboard buses and trains in the southern Italian region of Calabria over the weekend and shipped out to immigrant detention centers, following some of the country’s worst riots in years. Rioting by immigrants, mostly African, in Rosarno on Friday was some of Italy's worst in years. Pope condemns 'exploitation' of immigrants UK Telegraph CIA director defends agency after Afghanistan suicide blastChristian Science Monitor - 18 hours agoThe director of the Central Intelligence Agency has spoken out to defend the agency against accusations that lax security allowed a Jordanian man to kill seven CIA agents and agency contractors when he blew himself up in Khost Province, Afghanistan on Dec. 30. In an opinion piece published in Sunday's Washington Post, Leon Panetta stridently denied reports that the deaths were made possible by the agency???s ???poor tradecraft.??? Bomber triggers switch before pat-down Denver Post |
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Swedish diplomat arrested, freed in IranCNN - 22 hours agoStreet protests took place in Iran two weeks ago during observances of the holy day of Ashura. (CNN) -- A Swedish diplomat in Iran was arrested and accused of participating in Iranian protests during observances surrounding the Muslim holy day of Ashura, two semi-official news agencies reported Sunday, citing members of Iran's parliament. Iran frees Syrian journalist held during protests Reuters Karzai offers new Cabinet lineupLos Angeles Times - 2 days agoReporting from Kabul, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai snubbed two prominent warlord figures in a new Cabinet lineup unveiled today but unexpectedly offered a ministerial spot to the leader of a political party founded by a key Pakistan-based insurgent commander. The list of Cabinet nominees also included three female ministers, including a prominent women's-rights activist chosen as minister of women's affairs. Rejected cabinet picks omitted from new Karzai list Reuters |
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Sri Lanka rejects U.N. execution video reportReuters - 3 days agoCOLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Friday rejected the findings of a trio of United Nations-appointed investigators who said they doubted a video showing apparent executions by Sri Lankan soldiers was fake. The reaction came after Philip Alston, U.N. special reporter on extrajudicial executions, on Thursday urged an independent inquiry after a forensic pathologist, a forensic video analyst and a firearms expert concluded the video was likely real. U.N.: Execution video seems authentic CNN |
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Japan Said to Distance JAL From Delta and AmericanNew York Times - 6 hours agoDelta Air Lines and will not be invited to invest in Japan Airlines until after a new management has been put in place, if ever, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The government has sounded out Kazuo Inamori, the 77-year-old honorary chairman of electronics components maker , about becoming JAL’s new chief executive officer and overseeing its restructuring, the report added. Japan fund leaning towards JAL delisting - source Reuters Vietnam's Qantas/Jetstar probe to last monthsReuters - 13 hours agoCANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd ( QAN.AX ) expects an investigation into loss making fuel-hedging in its Vietnamese joint venture airline to run for months after two executives were barred from leaving the country. Jetstar Pacific Chief Operating Officer Daniela Marsilli and Chief Financial Officer Tristan Freeman are unable to leave Vietnam as authorities investigate trades that resulted in a $31 million loss for the airline in 2008-09. Qantas CEO: Employees Are Innocent Wall Street Journal West mulls Iranian fuel swap offerPolitico - 16 hours agoThere are signs that negotiations with Iran over a nuclear fuel swap have resumed despite the expiration of the end-of-year deadline for a deal set by President Barack Obama. While the Obama administration has stepped up talk of expanding sanctions on the regime’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iranian news reports and U.S. official sources say that Iran has recently returned a formal counter offer to swap low enriched uranium, or LEU, in exchange for nuclear fuel cells produced in the West. Senators say unrest in Iran could mark the beginning of the end for the Tehran government Chicago Tribune |
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Debt Plan in Argentina Sets Bank Against the PresidentNew York Times - 14 hours agoRIO DE JANEIRO — A disputed plan by President Cristina Fern?ndez de Kirchner of to use billions of dollars in foreign currency reserves to repay debt has inflamed political tensions in that country, Latin America’s third-largest economy. Mrs. Kirchner’s cash-poor government is seeking to use $6.5 billion of Argentina’s nearly $48 billion in central bank reserves to help cover $13 billion in international debt that is due this year. Argentine Leader in Decisive Battle Wall Street Journal JAL lenders to cave in to bankruptcy plan-sourcesReuters - 2 days agoTOKYO (Reuters) - The main lenders to Japan Airlines plan to accept a restructuring package that would require the carrier to file for bankruptcy, sources said, increasing the likelihood of a state bailout this month. A state-backed turnaround fund plans to establish a credit line of more than 600 billion yen ($6.5 billion) along with a state-owned bank to ensure JAL can keep flying once a bankruptcy is announced, a source with the knowledge of the matter said. Japan government to explain to 35 nations on JAL: report Reuters |
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China again denounces U.S. arms sale to TaiwanReuters - 2 days agoBEIJING (Reuters) - China on Saturday again denounced U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, saying they were an intrusion in Chinese internal affairs that risked undermining its relations with the United States. The latest condemnation by the Chinese Foreign Ministry was directed at a $1.1 billion order received by Raytheon Co for ground-system hardware to support Taiwan's Patriot air defense capability. China complains about arms sales to Taiwan CNN |
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Spain dreams of 'economic government' in EuropeUK Telegraph - 3 days agoThe Spanish government intends to introduce the initiative at an EU summit in Brussels on February 11 which will focus on ways to revive sluggish growth, Prime Minister Jos? Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told reporters on Thursday. In doing so, Madrid is clearly posting its desire to play a leading role in European affairs despite the new leadership dynamic created by the Lisbon reform treaty, under which Belgium's Herman van Rompuy has become the European Union's first permanent president. New Treaty for E.U., but Same Jostling for Power New York Times |
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