(AP) Egypt transfers tons of building materials to GazaBy ASHRAF SWEILAMAssociated PressEL-ARISH, EgyptThousands of tons of building materials such as cement and steel began crossing into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said, temporarily easing a five
Former US president George H.W. Bush is on the mend and has been released from intensive care, a spokesman said Saturday. Earlier in the week, McGrath said Bush had taken a turn for the worse, with a “series of setbacks”
(AP) French panel overturns 75 percent tax on ultrarichPARISA French constitutional panel has thrown out a plan to tax the ultrawealthy at a 75 percent rate, saying it was excessive. The constitutional council ruled Saturday that the highly contentious tax,
France’s highest constitutional authority on Saturday struck down the 75 percent tax rate on earnings over one million euros, one of the centerpieces of Socialist President Francois Hollande’s 2013 budget adopted by parliament. The Constitutional Council also also rejected new
(AP) Will retailers rebound after weak holiday season?By DANIEL WAGNERAP Business WriterWASHINGTONAs signs emerge that holiday sales this year grew at the weakest pace since 2008, investors are dumping retail stocks. Analysts are crowing about the missing “consumer engine” without
(AP) Guest lineups for the Sunday news showsWASHINGTONGuest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows: NBC’s “Meet the Press” _ President Barack Obama. ___ ABC’s “This Week” _ Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. ___ ___ CBS’ “Face
(AP) All eyes on them, Senate leaders seek fiscal dealBy JIM KUHNHENN and DAVID ESPOAssociated PressWASHINGTONSenate leaders rushed to assemble a last-ditch agreement to avoid middle-class tax increases and possibly delay steep spending cuts in an urgent attempt to find
(AP) Environmentalist drowns at Mexican resort beachSAN FRANCISCOThe executive director of San Francisco-based environmental group Rainforest Action Network has died in a swimming accident at a beach near Mexico’s Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta, police said Friday. Rebecca Tarbotton,
President Barack Obama enacted a law to counter Iran’s alleged influence in Latin America, through a new diplomatic and political strategy to be designed by the State Department. The Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act, passed by lawmakers earlier
The Senate approved a five-year extension of a George W. Bush-era surveillance law that allows US spy agencies to conduct wiretapping on foreign citizens without a warrant. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, approved by the House of Representatives in September,
(AP) ‘Tragic number’: Chicago reaches 500 homicidesCHICAGOChicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says the city has logged its 500th homicide of the year. McCarthy issued a statement Friday calling the milestone a “tragic number that is reflective of the gang violence
By DERRIK J. LANGAP Entertainment WriterLOS ANGELESHarry Carey Jr., a character actor who starred in such Westerns as “3 Godfathers” and “Wagon Master,” has died. He was 91. His daughter, Melinda Carey, said he died Thursday of natural causes surrounded
Top US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Friday he was “hopeful and optimistic” about a possible deal to avert the fiscal cliff after a meeting with President Barack Obama and senior lawmakers.
WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama held out hope for a last-minute agreement to avoid the “fiscal cliff” of tax increases and spending cuts after a meeting with congressional leaders, scolding Congress for leaving the problem unresolved until
(AP) LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles police say actor Nick Stahl has been arrested for investigation of lewd conduct. The 33-year-old “Terminator 3” star was arrested about 8 p.m. Thursday on Hollywood Boulevard. He was booked on a misdemeanor count
CNN talker Piers Morgan may not have many viewers, but he does have one prominent backer for his nightly gun control rants. Michael Moore, the far-left filmmaker who recently said the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary School defined us
In an interview earlier this month, Suha Arafat admitted in a televised interview that the 2000 Palestinian terror attacks were premeditated and not a spontaneous intifada as is widely claimed. “Yasser Arafat had made a decision to launch the intifada,”
The Disney Channel’s new ad campaign pays tribute to a young filmmaker speaking out against bullying. The network is also promoting the lad’s “two moms” with its “Make Your Mark” spot. The clip includes a very short look at the young
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has plans to deploy armed volunteers to guard Phoenix area schools. The move comes in following the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Arpaio told KTVK he has the authority to mobilize a
By ANTHONY McCARTNEYAP Entertainment WriterLOS ANGELESFBI files on Marilyn Monroe that could not be located earlier this year have been found and re-issued, revealing the names of some of the movie star’s acquaintances who drew concern from government officials and
On Thursday, the California Supreme Court upheld two state laws allowing labor unions to picket on privately owned property. Justice Joyce L. Kennard justified the state’s interference in protests on private property because “the state’s interest in promoting collective bargaining
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned Friday of a “very tough” year ahead for the recession-struck economy but said he hoped for an improvement in the second half of 2013. The Spanish leader spoke to the media after the last
Outgoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who fell ill in early December and hasn’t been seen in public since, will be back at her desk on Monday, her closest aide said. Clinton, 65, has been off work sick since
(AP) Syrian rebels step up siege of northern airbaseBy BASSEM MROUEAssociated PressBEIRUTSyrian rebels stepped up their siege of a military base in north of the country Friday as government warplanes bombed surrounding areas to support the defenders, activists said. The
(AP) Putin signs anti-US adoptions billBy JIM HEINTZAssociated PressMOSCOWPresident Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children, part of a harsh response to a U.S. law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Although
