A Florida judge on Friday denied Republican Rep. Allen West’s request for a recount of early votes in one key county, throwing a wrench into his effort to challenge the count that showed him losing to Democrat Patrick Murphy. Attorneys for the Tea Party-backed congressman, who was elected in the 2010 Republican wave, argued that all 37,000 ballots cast during… Read more →
Argentina’s bond yields are eclipsing those of Greece for the first time since the European nation’s debt restructuring in March, as speculation increases the South American country will opt to default rather than settle with its so-called holdout creditors. Yields on Argentina’s euro-denominated bonds due in 2033 surged 4.15 percentage points to a five-month high of 16.93 percent after a U.S. court… Read more →
Iran is ready to double the output at its underground uranium enrichment facility, the UN nuclear watchdog says. A leaked report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there were 2,784 centrifuges at Fordo, and that Iran could soon double the number operating from 700 to 1,400. The development is likely to fuel Western suspicions that Iran is seeking… Read more →
Rancher Kevin Kester works dawn to dusk, drives a 12-year-old pick-up truck and earns less than a typical bureaucrat in Washington D.C., yet the federal government considers him rich enough to pay the estate tax — also known as the “death tax.” And with that tax set to soar at the beginning of 2013 without some kind of intervention from… Read more →
President Barack Obama’s administration rejected a request from the governors of eight U.S. states to waive requirements for blending corn-based ethanol into gasoline, said a person familiar with the decision. Market conditions don’t justify such a move, said the person, who declined to be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak for the Environmental Protection Agency. Gasoline refiners will be required… Read more →
JERUSALEM – Two rockets landed in open fields outside of Jerusalem after air raid sirens sounded in the city sending Israelis running for cover. It is the first time the holy city has ever been targeted by rockets fired by Gaza militants. There does not appear to be any damage, or any reports of causalities. Israeli media say the rocket… Read more →
(Reuters) – Major banks have announced some 160,000 job cuts since early last year and with more layoffs to come as the industry restructures, many will leave the shrinking sector for good as redundancies outpace new hires by roughly two-to-one. A Reuters analysis of job cuts announced by 29 major banks showed the layoffs were much bigger in Europe than in Asia… Read more →
Air-raid sirens sounded for a second day in Tel Aviv and an explosion was heard in the city asIsrael extended its bombing of Gaza and militant groups fired rockets at the Jewish state. Egypt’s prime minister, Hisham Qandil, visited Gaza today and called for an international effort to end the violence there, saying that “the world should take responsibility in stopping… Read more →
CAIRO — Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi ordered his prime minister and top security officials to visit the Gaza Strip on Friday to show support for Palestinian residents in the face of what he called an “unacceptable” bombing campaign by Israel. State television said Thursday that Prime Minister Hesham Kandil would lead the high-level mission aimed at meeting the “urgent needs”… Read more →
(Reuters) – Ireland’s government pledged on Thursday to clarify its abortion laws after an Indian woman who was refused a termination died from blood poisoning in an Irish hospital. Thousands took to the streets to protest on Wednesday after news broke of the death of Savita Halappanavar of septicaemia following a miscarriage 17 weeks into her pregnancy. Activists in the… Read more →
