The very purpose of spirituality is self-discipline. Rather than ...

Criticize others, or criticize yourself. One will get you results, the other just annoys people. Be constructive in your self-criticism, and then do something about it.

What does that mean?
Recently, I was riding in a car when the driver criticized the driver we were following for their driving style. To me, that was exactly what this quote was about.

They were criticising others for something they didn?t even know they did, and did so in their absence. Without them being present, there would be no way of them understanding what had happened, or altering their behavior.

Instead, the quote urges us to evaluate what we could do to better adapt to the situation, and criticize ourselves and our behaviors. It is implied, at least in my mind, that after we criticize ourselves, we then do something about it, and act to remedy our deficiencies.

Why is fixing ourselves first important???
To me, this quote is mostly about developing the self-discipline necessary to be able to improve ourselves. Lacking that level of self-discipline, we cannot push ourselves to do the work necessary to get better at much of anything. And that?s not much of a life, is it?

It is easy enough to criticize others, for some reason, that just comes natural to most of us. However it is usually much more difficult to even notice a defect, much less criticize it, when we are dealing with ourselves. Again, that just doesn?t seem to be the way it works.

However, with some effort, we can turn the focus to ourselves as the first place to examine when something isn?t quite right. As we are the only person whom we can actually make change. If we can remember that fact, we can more easily make the change.

Where can I apply this in my life?
What are some of the things which others do which annoy you to the point of criticizing others? That might be a clue that there is something you could try to change in yourself. Can you take a moment and consider what rule of yours that they are breaking?

Once you know what the rule is that they are breaking (or bending), you can try to determine where that rule comes from, and if it still serves you. Is it something you learned as a child, but isn?t useful anymore? Is it a rule you learned from your parents or a teacher, which is no longer useful?

Is it something unrealistic in this day and age? Is it even proper, given the change in societal standards over the past few decades? Are you tilting at windmills, or otherwise behaving in an anachronistic manner? Perhaps you could change just a little bit, right?

In the case of the driver mentioned above, they have a certain set of habits that the other driver didn?t know, and wasn?t likely to have developed on their own. Without any communication of common ground rules, there was little chance that the other person would do what was expected.

This would be a prime case for changing our rules for just a little while, so as not to get angry or frustrated with the other driver, right? Then everyone can arrive happy and relaxed, not angry and frustrated. How much of a change do you think it would take to accommodate the quirks of the other person?

Grab some paper and write down a few of the things that annoy you. Once you have a couple of them listed, try to figure out what is the rule that people are breaking that causes each of the annoyances. Now write down what some of the reasons why you have those rules.

Pick one of the items on your list where you want to make a change. The first thing to determine is if this is a life-long change, or just a rule you need to relax for a while under certain circumstances. For a life-long change you?ll need to completely dismantle the rule, as well as replacing all the old reasons with new reasons which support the new rule.

If all you have to do is put up with someone?s quirks for the duration of a trip, a holiday gathering, or a weekend away, all you need to do is come up with reasons to temporarily relax your rule until things are more or less back to normal for you.

Either way, you will have to spend some time carefully examining your life and your reasons for being the way you are. ?I?ve always been that way.? may be a good excuse, but it is not a reason. Until you can find the beliefs and examples that support your rules, you will forever be subject to them.

Whether you believe in spirituality or not, I believe the very basis of civilization is self-discipline. Without it, society and even families break down rapidly. When this is combined with the realization that we cannot force others to change, we can come to realize the power of this quote. I hope you chose to live it, as I am trying to do.

From: Twitter,?@DalaiLama
confirmed at : it?s his own feed?
Photo by?korona-pl

Source: http://philosiblog.com/2012/12/30/the-very-purpose-of-spirituality-is-self-discipline-rather-than-criticizing-others-we-should-evaluate-and-criticize-ourselves/

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Newton-Wellesley's breast center honored by American Cancer Society

The Auerbach Breast Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital was recognized by the American Cancer Society for their efforts supporting breast cancer patients, while also supporting the society?s mission. The special presentation took place at the society?s 20th anniversary Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Boston on Oct. 14 at the DCR Hatch Shell.

The center was one of eight Massachusetts breast health facilities recognized and celebrated at Making Strides for their dedication and commitment to serving breast cancer patients and caregivers.

For cancer information any time day or night, contact your American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

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Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/x1783188139/Newton-Wellesleys-breast-center-honored-by-American-Cancer-Society

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Hackulous Shuts Down, Taking Its iOS Piracy App Installous With It

Hackulous, the company behind the popular (and controversial) app Installous which let people easily download pirated apps on jailbroken iOS devices, has shut down. In what iDownloadBlog's Sebastien Page has called "a small victory against app piracy," the Installous app is also no longer available for use.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/LXqs2C8fbxo/

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Ex-Times editor Rees-Mogg, who supported Mick Jagger, dies

LONDON (Reuters) - William Rees-Mogg, a former editor of Britain's Times newspaper who famously backed Mick Jagger when the Rolling Stones singer was jailed for a drug offence, has died at the age of 84.

On its website, the Times said Rees-Mogg, a former chairman of the Arts Council and vice-chairman of the BBC, had been suffering from oesophageal cancer.

Rees-Mogg became editor of the paper in 1967 and, despite establishment credentials built up at independent school and Balliol College, Oxford, soon showed a rebellious streak.

In July of that year, he published a celebrated leading article criticizing the jailing of Jagger for a minor drugs offence, headlined: "Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel?"

Later Rees-Mogg, in an article in the Times after he had stepped down as editor, described John Major, Conservative prime minister for most of the 1990s as "over-promoted, unfit to govern and lacking self-confidence".

"His ideal level of political competence would be deputy chief whip or something of that standing," he added, in a contemptuous reference to Britain's behind-the-scenes political party managers.

However Rees-Mogg stubbornly defended former U.S. President Richard Nixon against all the Watergate evidence filed by the Times' Washington staff as the scandal that led to Nixon's resignation in 1974 unfolded.

The Times was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in January 1981, at which point Rees-Mogg, who had backed the Murdoch purchase, resigned to make way for one of Britain's most celebrated editors, Harold Evans, who became Reuters editor-at-large in 2011.

The paper's website carried a tribute from Murdoch on Saturday.

"William Rees Mogg was a distinguished editor of the Times for 14 years, during which time he modernized the paper, reaching out to a younger readership with expanded coverage of news, sport and features," Murdoch wrote.

"It is to his great credit that he retained the intellectual integrity of the paper while attracting a broader based and markedly more female readership for the paper.

"He gave me invaluable support when I acquired Times Newspapers in 1981, and remained someone on whom I could always count for impartial counsel."

(Reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-times-editor-rees-mogg-supported-mick-jagger-143310991--finance.html

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Faith Leonard, Arizona Teacher, Drives To Newtown To Spread Holiday Cheer

Charlotte Bacon, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> They were supposed to be for the holidays, but finally on Friday, after hearing much begging, Charlotte Bacon's mother relented and let her wear the new pink dress and boots to school. It was the last outfit the outgoing redhead would ever pick out. Charlotte's older brother, Guy, was also in the school but was not shot. Her parents, JoAnn and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, JoAnn's brother John Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday. "She was going to go some places in this world," Hagen told the newspaper. "This little girl could light up the room for anyone."

Daniel Barden, 7

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Daniel's family says he was "fearless in the pursuit of happiness in life." He was the youngest of three children and in a statement to the media, his family said Daniel earned his missing two front teeth and ripped jeans. "Words really cannot express what a special boy Daniel was. Such a light. Always smiling, unfailingly polite, incredibly affectionate, fair and so thoughtful towards others, imaginative in play, both intelligent and articulate in conversation: in all, a constant source of laughter and joy," the family said.

Rachel D'avino, 29

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP: </a>Days before the Connecticut shooting rampage, the boyfriend of Rachel D'Avino had asked her parents for permission to marry her. D'Avino was a behavioral therapist who had only recently started working at the school where she was killed, according to Lissa Lovetere Stone, a friend who is handling her funeral planned for Friday. D'Avino's boyfriend, Anthony Cerritelli, planned to ask her to marry him on Christmas Eve, Lovetere Stone said.

Olivia Engel, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Images of Olivia Rose Engel show a happy child, one with a great sense of humor, as her family said in a statement. There she is, visiting with Santa Claus, or feasting on a slice of birthday cake. Or swinging a pink baseball bat, posing on a boat, or making a silly face. Olivia loved school, did very well in math and reading, and was "insightful for her age," said the statement released by her uncle, John Engel. She was a child who "lit up a room and the people around her." Creative with drawing and designing, she was also a tennis and soccer player and took art classes, swimming, and dance lessons in ballet and hip hop. A Daisy Girl Scout, she enjoyed musical theater.

Josephine Gay, 7

Josephine Gay was nicknamed "Boo" because she looked so much like the character of the same name in the movie "Monsters, Inc.," the <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22201501/sandy-hook-shooting-victim-josephine-gay-profile">Denver Post reported.</a> She would set up lemonade stands in the summer, enjoyed riding her bike in the street, and celebrated her 7th birthday only three days before the shooting.

Dawn Hochsprung, 47

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP: </a> Dawn Hochsprung's pride in Sandy Hook Elementary was clear. She regularly tweeted photos from her time as principal there, giving indelible glimpses of life at a place now known for tragedy. Just this week, it was an image of fourth-graders rehearsing for their winter concert; days before that, the tiny hands of kindergartners exchanging play money at their makeshift grocery store. She viewed her school as a model, telling The Newtown Bee in 2010 that "I don't think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day." She had worked to make Sandy Hook a place of safety, too, and in October, the 47-year-old Hochsprung shared a picture of the school's evacuation drill with the message "safety first." When the unthinkable came, she was ready to defend. Officials said she died while lunging at the gunman in an attempt to overtake him.

Madeline Hsu

<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324481204578181244231543014.html">Madeline Hsu was "very upbeat and kind," </a>a neighbor told the Wall Street Journal, remembering the young girl's love of bright, flowery dresses.<a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/18/massacre-victim-madeleine-hsu-lit-up-around-dogs/"> Hsu's face would "light up" </a>when she got off the bus and saw the neighbor's golden retriever each day, the woman told CBS.

Catherine V. Hubbard, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Catherine V. Hubbard, aged six, one of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, who was shot by Adam Lanza, 20, and died in hospital. Catherine's parents released a statement expressing gratitude to emergency responders and for the support of the community. "We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy," Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard said. "We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy."

Chase Kowalski, 7

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Chase Kowalski was always outside, playing in the backyard, riding his bicycle. Just last week, he was visiting neighbor Kevin Grimes, telling him about completing ? and winning ? his first mini-triathlon. "You couldn't think of a better child," Grimes said.

Nancy Lanza, 52

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP: </a>She once was known simply for the game nights she hosted and the holiday decorations she put up at her house. Now Nancy Lanza is known as her son's first victim. Authorities say her 20-year-old son Adam gunned her down before killing 26 others at Sandy Hook. The two shared a home in a well-to-do Newtown neighborhood, but details were slow to emerge of who she was and what might have led her son to carry out such horror. Kingston, N.H., Police Chief Donald Briggs Jr. said Nancy Lanza once lived in the community and was a kind, considerate and loving person. The former stockbroker at John Hancock in Boston was well-respected, Briggs said.

Jesse Lewis, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Six-year-old Jesse Lewis had hot chocolate with his favorite breakfast sandwich ? sausage, egg and cheese ? at the neighborhood deli before going to school Friday morning. Jesse and his parents were regulars at the Misty Vale Deli in Sandy Hook, Conn., owner Angel Salazar told The Wall Street Journal. "He was always friendly; he always liked to talk," Salazar said. Jesse's family has a collection of animals he enjoyed playing with, and he was learning to ride horseback. Family friend Barbara McSperrin told the Journal that Jesse was "a typical 6-year-old little boy, full of life."

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> A year ago, 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene was reveling in holiday celebrations with her extended family on her first trip to Puerto Rico. This year will be heartbreakingly different. The girl's grandmother, Elba Marquez, said the family moved to Connecticut just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook's sterling reputation. The grandmother's brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town and said the child's 9-year-old brother also was at the school but escaped safely.

James Mattioli, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> James Mattioli especially loved recess and math, and his family described him as a "numbers guy" who came up with insights beyond his years to explain the relationship between numbers. He particularly loved the concept of googolplex, which a friend taught him. He was born four weeks before his due date, and his family often joked that he came into the world early because he was hungry. They wrote in his obituary that 6-year-old James, fondly called `J,' loved hamburgers with ketchup, his Dad's egg omelets with bacon, and his Mom's french toast. He often asked to stop at Subway and wanted to know how old he needed to be to order a footlong sandwich. He loved sports and wore shorts and T-shirts no matter the weather. He was a loud and enthusiastic singer and once asked, "How old do I have to be to sing on a stage?"

Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7

Grace McDonnell, 7, was a "girly girl" who loved playing dress-up and wearing pink, her grandmother Mary Ann McDonnell told <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Little-angel-Grace-McDonnell-remembered-by-family-after-Newtown-massacre-183767921.html"> Irish Central.</a> "Grace was like a little doll. She was utterly adorable," said neighbor Dorothy Werden.

Anne Marie Murphy, 52

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP: </a>A happy soul. A good mother, wife and daughter. Artistic, fun-loving, witty and hardworking. Remembering their daughter, Anne Marie Murphy, her parents had no shortage of adjectives to offer Newsday. When news of the shooting broke, Hugh and Alice McGowan waited for word of their daughter as hours ticked by. And then it came. Authorities told the couple their daughter was a hero who helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets. As the grim news arrived, the victim's mother reached for her rosary. "You don't expect your daughter to be murdered," her father told the newspaper. "It happens on TV. It happens elsewhere."

Emilie Parker, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP: </a>Quick to cheer up those in need of a smile, Emilie Parker never missed a chance to draw a picture or make a card. Her father, Robbie Parker, fought back tears as he described the beautiful, blond, always-smiling girl who loved to try new things, except foods. Parker, one of the first parents to publicly talk about his loss, expressed no animosity for the gunman, even as he struggled to explain the death to his other two children, ages 3 and 4. He's sustained by the fact that the world is better for having had Emilie in it. "I'm so blessed to be her dad," he said.

Jack Pinto, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Jack Pinto was a huge New York Giants fan. New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said he talked to Pinto's family, which is considering burying the 6-year-old boy in Cruz's No. 80 jersey. Cruz honored Jack Sunday on his cleats, writing on them the words "Jack Pinto, My Hero" and "R.I.P. Jack Pinto." "I also spoke to an older brother and he was distraught as well. I told him to stay strong and I was going to do whatever I can to honor him," Cruz said after the Giant's game with the Atlanta Falcons. "He was fighting tears and could barely speak to me." Cruz said he plans to give the gloves he wore during the game to the boy's family, and spend some time with them. "There's no words that can describe the type of feeling that you get when a kid idolizes you so much that unfortunately they want to put him in the casket with your jersey on," he said. "I can't even explain it." Jack's funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday at the Honan Funeral Home in Newtown, followed by burial at the Newtown Village Cemetery.

Noah Pozner, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP:</a> Noah was "smart as a whip," gentle but with a rambunctious streak, said his uncle, Alexis Haller of Woodinville, Wash. Noah's twin sister Arielle, assigned to a different classroom, survived the shooting. He called her his best friend, and with their 8-year-old sister, Sophia, they were inseparable. "They were always playing together, they loved to do things together," Haller said. When his mother, a nurse, would tell him she loved him, he would answer, "Not as much as I love you, Mom." Haller said Noah loved to read and liked to figure out how things worked mechanically. For his birthday two weeks ago, he got a new Wii. "He was just a really lively, smart kid," Haller said. "He would have become a great man, I think. He would have grown up to be a great dad."

Caroline Previdi, 6

Caroline Previdi is remembered as a "sweet" and "precious" girl, <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22204448/sandy-hook-shooting-victim-caroline-previdi-profile">the Denver Post reported.</a> She loved to draw and dance, and her smile brought happiness to everyone around her, according to her <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newstimes/obituary.aspx?n=caroline-previdi&pid=161771763#fbLoggedOut">obituary.</a>

Jessica Rekos, 6

"Jessica loved everything about horses," her family said in a statement, <a href="http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/12/16/meet-jessica-rekos/">MSNBC reported,</a> adding that they planned on getting their daughter her own horse when she turned 10. "She was a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane," the statement reads. She spent time writing in her journals, making up stories, and doing ?research? on orca whales ? one of her passions after seeing the movie Free Willy last year. She said her dream was to see a real orca. Thankfully her dream was realized in October when she went to SeaWorld.

Lauren Rousseau, 30

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html?utm_hp_ref=crime">From the AP: </a>Lauren Rousseau had spent years working as a substitute teacher and doing other jobs. So she was thrilled when she finally realized her goal this fall to become a full-time teacher at Sandy Hook. Her mother, Teresa Rousseau, a copy editor at the Danbury News-Times, released a statement Saturday that said state police told them just after midnight that she was among the victims. "Lauren wanted to be a teacher from before she even went to kindergarten," she said. "We will miss her terribly and will take comfort knowing that she had achieved that dream." Her mother said she was thrilled to get the job. "It was the best year of her life," she told the newspaper.

Mary Sherlach, 56

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> When the shots rang out, Mary Sherlach threw herself into the danger. Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, said Sherlach and the school's principal ran toward the shooter. They lost their own lives, rushing toward him. Even as Sherlach neared retirement, her job at Sandy Hook was one she loved. Those who knew her called her a wonderful neighbor, a beautiful person, a dedicated educator. Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times that Sherlach rooted on the Miami Dolphins, enjoyed visiting the Finger Lakes, relished helping children overcome their problems. She had planned to leave work early on Friday, he said, but never had the chance. In a news conference Saturday, he told reporters the loss was devastating, but that Sherlach was doing what she loved. "Mary felt like she was doing God's work," he said, "working with the children."

Victoria Soto, 27

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> She beams in snapshots. Her enthusiasm and cheer was evident. She was doing, those who knew her say, what she loved. And now, Victoria Soto is being called a hero. Though details of the 27-year-old teacher's death remained fuzzy, her name has been invoked again and again as a portrait of selflessness and humanity among unfathomable evil. Those who knew her said they weren't surprised by reports she shielded her first-graders from danger. "She put those children first. That's all she ever talked about," said a friend, Andrea Crowell. "She wanted to do her best for them, to teach them something new every day." Photos of Soto show her always with a wide smile, in pictures of her at her college graduation and in mundane daily life. She looks so young, barely an adult herself. Her goal was simply to be a teacher. "You have a teacher who cared more about her students than herself," said Mayor John Harkins of Stratford, the town Soto hailed from and where more than 300 people gathered for a memorial service Saturday night. "That speaks volumes to her character, and her commitment and dedication."

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html">From the AP:</a> Music surrounded Benjamin Wheeler as he grew up in a household where both his mother and father were performers. They left behind stage careers in New York City when they moved to Newtown with Benjamin and his older brother Nate. "We knew we wanted a piece of lawn, somewhere quiet, somewhere with good schools," Francine Wheeler told the Newtown Bee in a profile. She is a music educator and singer-songwriter. Sometimes the musical mother would try out tunes on her own children, with some tunes that she made up for Ben as a baby eventually finding their way onto a CD, she told the newspaper. In writing songs for children, melodies needn't be simplified, she said. "I try to make it my mission to always present good music to kids." Benjamin's father, David, a former film and television actor, writes and performs still, according to a profile on the website of the Flagpole Radio Cafe theater, with which he's performed in Newtown. The family are members of Trinity Episcopal Church, whose website noted that Nate, also a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was not harmed in Friday's shooting.

Allison Wyatt, 6

<a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Allison-Wyatt-Made-the-World-a-Better-Place--184002071.html">Allison Wyatt "loved to laugh</a> and was developing her own wonderful sense of humor that ranged from just being a silly six-year old to coming up with observations that more than once had us crying with laughter,? her family wrote in a statement obtained by NBC. She was talented and wanted to be an artist, and would often "surprise [her family] with random acts of kindness -- once even offering snacks to a complete stranger on a plane."

Victoria Soto's Sister, Jillian

Jillian Soto uses a phone to get information about her sister, Victoria Soto, a teacher at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 after a gunman killed over two dozen people, including 20 children. Victoria Soto, 27, was among those killed. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Emilie Parker, 6

This photo posted to the Emilie Parker Fund Facebook page shows Emilie Parker and her father Robbie Parker. Fighting back tears and struggling to catch his breath, Robbie Parker the father of 6-year-old Emile Parker who was gunned down in Friday's school shooting in Connecticut told the world about a little girl who loved to draw and was always smiling, and he also reserved surprising words of sympathy for the gunman. (AP Photo/Emilie Parker Fund)

Robbie Parker

Robbie Parker, the father of six-year-old Emilie who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, fights back tears as he speaks during a news conference, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Victoria Soto's Mother, Donna

STRATFORD, CT - DECEMBER 15: Donna Soto (R), mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, leans on her son Matthew while mourning their loss at a candlelight vigil in honor of Victoria at Stratford High School on December 15, 2012 in Stratford, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire in the school. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza was found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Emilie Parker, 6

This photo posted to the Emilie Parker Fund Facebook page shows Emilie Parker and her father Robbie Parker. Fighting back tears and struggling to catch his breath, Robbie Parker the father of 6-year-old Emile Parker who was gunned down in Friday's school shooting in Connecticut told the world about a little girl who loved to draw and was always smiling, and he also reserved surprising words of sympathy for the gunman. (AP Photo/Emilie Parker Fund)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/faith-leonard-newtown_n_2376470.html

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Venezuela VP in Cuba to visit ailing Chavez

HAVANA (AP) ? Venezuela's vice president arrived in Havana to visit President Hugo Chavez as he recovers from cancer surgery, Cuban official media said early Saturday.

Communist Party newspaper Granma published online a photo of Vice President Nicolas Maduro being greeted at the airport in the Cuban capital by the island's foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez.

"From there, (Maduro) went directly to the hospital where President Hugo Chavez Frias is receiving treatment to greet his family members and Venezuelan Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza Monserrat, and to discuss with doctors the adequate moment to visit the President the same day," the paper said.

Granma added that Maduro was accompanied by Venezuelan Attorney General Cilia Flores.

The previous night in Caracas, Venezuela, Maduro did not specify how long he would be away but said Energy Minister Hector Navarro would be in charge of government affairs in the meantime.

Maduro's trip comes amid growing uncertainty about Chavez's health.

The Venezuelan leader has not been seen or heard from since undergoing his fourth cancer-related surgery Dec. 11, and government officials have said he might not return in time for his scheduled Jan. 10 inauguration for a new six-year term. There have been no updates on Chavez's condition since Maduro announced Monday night that he had received a phone call from the president who was up and walking.

Maduro is the highest ranking Venezuelan official to visit Chavez since the surgery. Bolivian President Evo Morales traveled to Cuba last weekend in a quick trip that only added to the uncertainty surrounding Chavez's condition. Morales has not commented publicly on his visit or even confirmed that he saw Chavez while he was there.

Earlier Friday, Maduro read a New Year message from Chavez to Venezuelan troops, though it was unclear when the president composed it.

"I have had to battle again for my health," Chavez said in the message. He expressed "complete faith in the commitment and loyalty that the revolutionary armed forces are showing me in this very complicated and difficult moment."

A group of opposition candidates demanded Friday that Maduro provide an official medical report on Chavez's health. Lawmaker Dinorah Figuera said the country needs "a medical report from those who are responsible for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of the president."

"The Venezuelan people deserve official and institutional information," Figuera told Venezuelan media.

Before leaving for Cuba, Chavez acknowledged the precariousness of his situation and designated Maduro as his successor, telling supporters they should vote for the vice president if a new presidential election was necessary.

A legal fight is brewing over what should happen if Chavez, who was re-elected in October, cannot return in time for the inauguration before the National Assembly.

National Assembly Diosdado Cabello insisted Monday that Venezuela's constitution allows the president to take the oath before the Supreme Court at any time if he cannot do it before the legislature on Jan. 10.

Opposition leaders argue the constitution requires that new elections be held within 30 days if Chavez cannot take office Jan. 10. They have criticized the confusion over the inauguration as the latest example of the Chavez government's disdain for democratic rule of law and have demanded clarity on whether the president is fit to govern.

___

Orsi reported from Havana and Sanchez reported from Caracas, Venezuela.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-vp-cuba-visit-ailing-chavez-094728353.html

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Obama, top lawmakers meet over fiscal cliff

President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returns early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returns early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer of Md., pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, where he urged House Republicans to end the pro forma session and call the House back into legislative session to negotiate a solution to the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks to the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year.

Success was far from guaranteed in an atmosphere of political mistrust ? even on a slimmed-down deal that postponed hard decisions about spending cuts into 2013, and pessimism vied with optimism in a Capitol where lawmakers grumbled about the likelihood of spending the new year holiday in the Capitol.

"The clock is ticking," Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in remarks on the Senate floor as Obama and congressional leaders were meeting several blocks away at the White House. "My message to them is simple. We can do this. We can get this done, and we must," added the Montana Democrat.

Congressional Democrats said Obama was ready with a revised offer to present.

But that drew a denial from a person familiar with the talks, who said the president would review his proposal from a week ago, when he urged lawmakers to preserve tax cuts for most while letting rates rise above incomes of $250,000 a year. At the same time, Obama said lawmakers should extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. The person was unauthorized to discuss the private meeting publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The meeting lasted a little over an hour and neither the president nor the four lawmakers spoke with reporters before or immediately after the session.

The guest list included two Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell; as well as Democrats Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, her party's leader in the House.

The same group last met more than a month ago and emerged expressing optimism they could strike a deal that avoided the fiscal cliff. At that point, Boehner had already said he was willing to let tax revenues rise as part of an agreement, and the president and his Democratic allies said they were ready to accept spending cuts.

Since then, though, talks between Obama and Boehner faltered, the speaker struggled to control his rebellious rank and file, and Reid and McConnell sparred almost daily in speeches on the Senate floor. Through it all, Wall Street has paid close attention, and in the moments before the meeting, stocks were trading lower for the fifth day in a row.

The core issue is the same as it has been for more than a year, Obama's demand for tax rates to rise on upper incomes while remaining at current levels for most Americans. He made the proposal central to his successful campaign for re-election, when he said incomes above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples should rise to 39.6 percent from the current 35 percent.

Boehner refused for weeks to accept any rate increases, and simultaneously accused Obama of skimping on the spending cuts he would support as part of a balanced deal to reduce deficits, remove the threat of spending cuts and prevent the across-the-board tax cuts.

Last week, the Ohio Republican pivoted and presented a Plan B measure that would have let rates rise on million-dollar earners. That was well above Obama's latest offer, which called for a $400,000 threshold, but more than the speaker's rank and file were willing to accept.

Facing defeat, Boehner scrapped plans for a vote, leaving the economy on track for the cliff that political leaders in both parties had said they could avoid. In the aftermath, Democrats said they doubted any compromise was possible until Boehner has been elected to a second term as speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3.

Apart from income tax rates, congressional officials in both parties said a handful of other issues were the subject of private talks in the Capitol. These included the Alternative Minimum Tax, which would effectively raise taxes on millions of upper-middle-class families unless Congress acts; as well as taxes on capital gains, dividends and estates.

In addition, benefits for the long-term unemployed are due to expire in the next few days, and doctors face the prospect of a deep cut in the fees they receive for treating Medicare patients unless legislation is passed to prevent it.

Further compounding the year-end maneuvering, there are warnings that the price of milk could virtually double beginning next year.

Congressional officials said that under current law, the federal government is obligated to maintain prices so that fluid milk sells for about $20 per hundredweight. If the law lapses, the Department of Agriculture would be required to maintain a price closer to $36 of $38 per hundredweight, they said. It is unclear when price increases might be felt by consumers.

______

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-28-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-64be6a0dd4804def82ae61a60542ff76

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Self Improvement Advice You Can Use Now | Stumble Peach

Engaging in self help is a smart way to change your life in a positive manner. It can make you think about what in your life needs to be changed. This article offers proven advice for creating your own successful self improvement plan.

Put in maximum effort to reach your personal development goals. Passion leads to greatness, so be sure to be passionate. The fact of the matter is we are never going to be the best at every little thing, but we are able to be a great inspiration to many in our certain field. Try to boost your worth in your field of work, and enjoy the benefits your self-esteem will get from it.

Realizing your own self-worth is a crucial component of personal development. You need to be aware that you owe that to yourself. Your ending will sure to be free of regret when you can look back and see that you gave it your all.

None of us can say that we haven?t made mistakes from time to time. One of the biggest mistakes that we often choose to ignore is our choice in foods. Try to do better next time, and don?t worry about that cheesecake you had last night. Today is a new day.

You will miss opportunities if you avoid making important decisions. Even if your knowledge is not what it could be, have the courage to make choices. When you make the right decisions, you will increase personal development. If you make mistakes, take the time to analyze what you did wrong, and learn from them. You?ll make a better decision next time.

As this article has discussed, to help yourself you need to research, work and to make an effort to start changing your life today. You must also show a dedication and perseverance if you want to gain the maximum benefits from your efforts. These tips will help you transform your life.

Source: http://stumblepeach.com/self-improvement-advice-you-can-use-now/

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FBI removes many redactions in Marilyn Monroe file

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? FBI 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 communist-leaning acquaintances who drew concern from government officials and her own entourage.

But the files, which previously had been heavily redacted, do not contain any new information about Monroe's death 50 years ago. Letters and news clippings included in the file show the bureau was aware of theories the actress had been killed, but they do not show that any effort was undertaken to investigate the claims. Los Angeles authorities concluded Monroe's death was a probable suicide.

Recently obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act, the updated FBI files do show the extent the agency was monitoring Monroe for ties to communism in the years before her death in August 1962.

The records reveal that some in Monroe's inner circle were concerned about her association with Frederick Vanderbilt Field, who was disinherited from his wealthy family over his leftist views.

A trip to Mexico earlier that year to shop for furniture brought Monroe in contact with Field, who was living in the country with his wife in self-imposed exile. Informants reported to the FBI that a "mutual infatuation" had developed between Field and Monroe, which caused concern among some in her inner circle, including her therapist, the files state.

"This situation caused considerable dismay among Miss Monroe's entourage and also among the (American Communist Group in Mexico)," the file states. It includes references to an interior decorator who worked with Monroe's analyst reporting her connection to Field to the doctor.

Field's autobiography devotes an entire chapter to Monroe's Mexico trip, "An Indian Summer Interlude." He mentions that he and his wife accompanied Monroe on shopping trips and meals and he only mentions politics once in a passage on their dinnertime conversations.

"She talked mostly about herself and some of the people who had been or still were important to her," Field wrote in "From Right to Left." ''She told us about her strong feelings for civil rights, for black equality, as well as her admiration for what was being done in China, her anger at red-baiting and McCarthyism and her hatred of (FBI director) J. Edgar Hoover."

Under Hoover's watch, the FBI kept tabs on the political and social lives of many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Charlie Chaplin and Monroe's ex-husband Arthur Miller. The bureau has also been involved in numerous investigations about crimes against celebrities, including threats against Elizabeth Taylor, an extortion case involving Clark Gable and more recently, trying to solve who killed rapper Notorious B.I.G.

The AP had sought the removal of redactions from Monroe's FBI files earlier this year as part of a series of stories on the 50th anniversary of Monroe's death. The FBI had reported that it had transferred the files to a National Archives facility in Maryland, but archivists said the documents had not been received. A few months after requesting details on the transfer, the FBI released an updated version of the files that eliminate dozens of redactions.

For years, the files have intrigued investigators, biographers and those who don't believe Monroe's death at her Los Angeles area home was a suicide.

A 1982 investigation by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office found no evidence of foul play after reviewing all available investigative records, but noted that the FBI files were "heavily censored."

That characterization intrigued the man who performed Monroe's autopsy, Dr. Thomas Noguchi. While the DA investigation concluded he conducted a thorough autopsy, Noguchi has conceded that no one will likely ever know all the details of Monroe's death. The FBI files and confidential interviews conducted with the actress' friends that have never been made public might help, he wrote in his 1983 memoir "Coroner."

"On the basis of my own involvement in the case, beginning with the autopsy, I would call Monroe's suicide 'very probable,'" Noguchi wrote. "But I also believe that until the complete FBI files are made public and the notes and interviews of the suicide panel released, controversy will continue to swirl around her death."

Monroe's file begins in 1955 and mostly focuses on her travels and associations, searching for signs of leftist views and possible ties to communism. One entry, which previously had been almost completely redacted, concerned intelligence that Monroe and other entertainers sought visas to visit Russia that year.

The file continues up until the months before her death, and also includes several news stories and references to Norman Mailer's biography of the actress, which focused on questions about whether Monroe was killed by the government.

For all the focus on Monroe's closeness to suspected communists, the bureau never found any proof she was a member of the party.

"Subject's views are very positively and concisely leftist; however, if she is being actively used by the Communist Party, it is not general knowledge among those working with the movement in Los Angeles," a July 1962 entry in Monroe's file states.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-removes-many-redactions-marilyn-monroe-file-131729814.html

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If US falls off 'fiscal cliff,' economy could get soft landing ? or dizzy dive onto the rocks (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273190920?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Russia's Putin suggests he will sign U.S. adoption ban

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he saw no reason not to sign a bill into law that would ban Americans adopting Russian children and promised measures to improve care of his country's orphaned youngsters.

Although Putin said he would need to study the final text of the bill, the comments were the strongest indication yet that he will approve the adoption ban legislation, which has strained U.S.-Russia relations.

Parliament gave its final approval on Wednesday to the bill that would also bring in other measures in retaliation for new U.S. legislation designed to punish Russians accused of human rights violations.

"So far I see no reason not to sign it, although I have to review the final text and weigh everything," Putin said in televised remarks at a meeting of senior federal and regional officials.

"I am ready to sign not only the law ... but also a presidential decree that will modify the support mechanisms for orphaned children ... especially those who are in a difficult situation, by that I mean in poor health," Putin said.

Critics of the bill say Russia is playing politics with the lives of children. Child rights advocates say children in Russia's crowded and troubled orphanage system will have less of a chance of finding homes if the bill becomes law.

(Reporting By Alexei Anishchuk; Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Steve Guttermann and Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russias-putin-suggests-sign-ban-u-adoptions-121936243.html

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Russia Adoption Ban Against U.S. Sent To Putin After Unanimous ...

MOSCOW ? Defying a storm of domestic and international criticism, Russia moved toward finalizing a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, as Parliament's upper house voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of a measure that President Vladimir Putin has indicated he will sign into law.

The bill is widely seen as the Kremlin's retaliation against an American law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. It comes as Putin takes an increasingly confrontational attitude toward the West, brushing aside concerns about a crackdown on dissent and democratic freedoms.

Dozens of Russian children close to being adopted by American families now will almost certainly be blocked from leaving the country. The law also cuts off the main international adoption route for Russian children stuck in often dismal orphanages: Tens of thousands of Russian youngsters have been adopted in the U.S. in the past 20 years. There are about 740,000 children without parental care in Russia, according to UNICEF.

All 143 members of the Federation Council present voted to support the bill, which has sparked criticism from both the U.S. and Russian officials, activists and artists, who say it victimizes children by depriving them of the chance to escape the squalor of orphanage life. The vote comes days after Parliament's lower house overwhelmingly approved the ban.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it regretted the Russian parliament's decision.

"Since 1992, American families have welcomed more than 60,000 Russian children into their homes, providing them with an opportunity to grow up in a family environment," spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement from Washington. "The bill passed by Russia's parliament would prevent many children from enjoying this opportunity ...

"It is misguided to link the fate of children to unrelated political considerations," he said.

Seven people with posters protesting the bill were detained outside the Council before Wednesday's vote. "Children get frozen in the Cold War," one poster read. Some 60 people rallied in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city.

The bill is part of larger legislation by Putin-allied lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Although Putin has not explicitly committed to signing the bill, he strongly defended it in a press conference last week as "a sufficient response" to the new U.S. law.

Originally Russia's lawmakers cobbled together a more or less a tit-for-tat response to the U.S. law, providing for travel sanctions and the seizure of financial assets in Russia of Americans determined to have violated the rights of Russians.

But it was expanded to include the adoption measure and call for a ban on any organizations that are engaged in political activities if they receive funding from U.S. citizens or are determined to be a threat to Russia's interests.

Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov told the Interfax news agency that 46 children who were on the verge of being adopted by Americans would stay in Russia if the bill is approved ? despite court rulings in some of these cases authorizing the adoptions.

The ombudsman supported the bill, saying that foreign adoptions discourage Russians from adopting children. "A foreigner who has paid for an adoption always gets a priority compared to potential Russian adoptive parents," Astakhov was quoted as saying. "A great country like Russia cannot sell its children."

Russian law allows foreigners to adopt only if a Russian family has not expressed interest in a child being considered for adoption.

Some top government officials, including the foreign minister, have spoken flatly against the adoption law, arguing that the measure would be in violation of Russia's constitution and international obligations.

But Senator Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Council's foreign affairs committee, referred to the bill as "a natural and a long overdue response" to the U.S. legislation. "Children must be placed in Russian families, and this is a cornerstone issue for us," he said.

Margelov said that a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement binds Russia to give notice of a halt to adoptions 12 months in advance. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that the president would consider the bill within the next two weeks.

The measure has become one of the most debated topics in Russia.

By Tuesday, more than 100,000 Russians had signed an online petition urging the Kremlin to scrap the bill.

Over the weekend, dozens of Muscovites placed toys and lit candles in front of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament after it approved the bill on Friday, but security guards promptly removed them. Opposition groups said they will rally against the bill on Jan. 13, and several popular artists publicly voiced their concern about the legislation.

While receiving a state award from Putin on Wednesday, film actor Konstantin Khabensky wore a badge saying "Children Are Beyond Politics." Veteran rock musician Andrey Makarevich called on Putin Monday to stop "killing children."

During a marathon Putin press conference Thursday, eight of the 60 questions the president answered focused on the bill. Responding angrily, Putin claimed that Americans routinely mistreat children from Russia.

The bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. A Russian television report showed Yakovlev's blind grandmother who claimed that the U.S. family that adopted her grandson forged her signature on documents allowing them to take the boy outside Russia.

Russian lawmakers argue that by banning adoptions to the U.S. they would be protecting children and encouraging adoptions inside Russia.

In a measure of the virulent anti-U.S. sentiment that has gripped parts of Russian society, a few lawmakers went even further, claiming that some Russian children were adopted by Americans only to be used for organ transplants and become sex toys or cannon fodder for the U.S. Army.

Americans involved in adoption of Russian children find the new legislation upsetting.

Bill Blacquiere, president of New York City-based Bethany Christian Services, one of the largest adoption agencies in the U.S., said he hopes Putin won't sign the bill.

"It would be very sad for kids to grow up in orphanages," Blacquiere said. "And would hurt them socially, psychologically and mentally. We all know that caring for children in institutions is just not a very good thing."

Joyce Sterkel, who runs a Montana ranch for troubled children adopted abroad and has adopted three Russian children herself, said she is concerned for the estimated 700,000 children who live in state-run institutions in Russia.

"I would prefer that the Russians take care of their own children. I would prefer that people in the United States take care of their own children," Sterkel said Wednesday. "But if a suitable home cannot be found in that country, it seems reasonable that a child should be able to find a home outside."

___

Associated Press writers Matt Volz in Helena, Montana, and Libby Quaid in Washington, contributed to this report.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/russia-adoption-ban-against-us_n_2364481.html

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Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/russia/ en-USCopyright (c) 2012 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reservedMon, 24 Dec 2012 13:18:56 -05005http://news.yahoo.com/russia/ http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gif<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syria-envoy-meets-assad-discuss-solutions-crisis-093917470.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qnw_mt05o8hO2YPzZWsNxw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T125507Z_1_CBRE8BN0ZW000_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-SYRIA-CRISIS-ENVOY.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Syria&#039;s President Bashar al-Assad meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus" align="left" title="Syria&#039;s President Bashar al-Assad meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kuwait will host an international conference next month to tackle Syria&#039;s humanitarian crisis, the ruling emir said on Monday, as foes of President Bashar al-Assad voiced frustration with international efforts to end the civil war. In Damascus, special international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Assad but the Syrian opposition vented its anger at what it called a &quot;silence&quot; over the unabated killing of civilians by government forces, most recently in the central town of Halfaya. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/syria-envoy-meets-assad-discuss-solutions-crisis-093917470.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 13:18:56 -0500Reuterssyria-envoy-meets-assad-discuss-solutions-crisis-093917470<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syria-envoy-meets-assad-discuss-solutions-crisis-093917470.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qnw_mt05o8hO2YPzZWsNxw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T125507Z_1_CBRE8BN0ZW000_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-SYRIA-CRISIS-ENVOY.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Syria&#039;s President Bashar al-Assad meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus" align="left" title="Syria&#039;s President Bashar al-Assad meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kuwait will host an international conference next month to tackle Syria&#039;s humanitarian crisis, the ruling emir said on Monday, as foes of President Bashar al-Assad voiced frustration with international efforts to end the civil war. In Damascus, special international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Assad but the Syrian opposition vented its anger at what it called a &quot;silence&quot; over the unabated killing of civilians by government forces, most recently in the central town of Halfaya. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-central-banker-named-first-deputy-pm-082729620.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/N3._NbDiFqBgTgIRnCIphQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T145700Z_2_CBRE8BN0NHW00_RTROPTP_2_UKRAINE-CBANK-CHAIRMAN.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Arbuzov attends a session of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev" align="left" title="Arbuzov attends a session of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev" border="0" /></a>KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich on Monday named a member of his inner circle, central bank head Serhiy Arbuzov, as deputy prime minister, making him an important player in upcoming talks with the IMF. The appointment to the number-two government position also makes Arbuzov a likely successor to Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. The first major task of the new cabinet will be to secure a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-central-banker-named-first-deputy-pm-082729620.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 09:57:00 -0500Reutersukraine-central-banker-named-first-deputy-pm-082729620<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-central-banker-named-first-deputy-pm-082729620.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/N3._NbDiFqBgTgIRnCIphQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T145700Z_2_CBRE8BN0NHW00_RTROPTP_2_UKRAINE-CBANK-CHAIRMAN.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Arbuzov attends a session of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev" align="left" title="Arbuzov attends a session of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev" border="0" /></a>KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich on Monday named a member of his inner circle, central bank head Serhiy Arbuzov, as deputy prime minister, making him an important player in upcoming talks with the IMF. The appointment to the number-two government position also makes Arbuzov a likely successor to Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. The first major task of the new cabinet will be to secure a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-india-sign-weapons-deals-worth-billions-093848131--finance.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/MUPO8RZnieeU_3Ji7sXibA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5d4f3de01de79924240f6a7067008898.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, before a meeting at his residence in New Delhi, India, Monday, December 24, 2012. (AP Photo/ Mustafa Quraishi, Pool)" align="left" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, before a meeting at his residence in New Delhi, India, Monday, December 24, 2012. (AP Photo/ Mustafa Quraishi, Pool)" border="0" /></a>NEW DELHI (AP) ? Russia and India signed weapons deals worth billions of dollars Monday as President Vladimir Putin sought to further boost ties with an old ally.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russia-india-sign-weapons-deals-worth-billions-093848131--finance.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 06:08:27 -0500Associated Pressrussia-india-sign-weapons-deals-worth-billions-093848131--finance<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-india-sign-weapons-deals-worth-billions-093848131--finance.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/MUPO8RZnieeU_3Ji7sXibA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5d4f3de01de79924240f6a7067008898.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, before a meeting at his residence in New Delhi, India, Monday, December 24, 2012. (AP Photo/ Mustafa Quraishi, Pool)" align="left" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, before a meeting at his residence in New Delhi, India, Monday, December 24, 2012. (AP Photo/ Mustafa Quraishi, Pool)" border="0" /></a>NEW DELHI (AP) ? Russia and India signed weapons deals worth billions of dollars Monday as President Vladimir Putin sought to further boost ties with an old ally.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/india-russia-seal-defense-deals-trumpet-partnership-105228158--finance.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/0XvI3zn21bwsdW2q_OG5VQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T105321Z_1_CBRE8BN0U8100_RTROPTP_2_INDIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russia&#039;s President Putin shakes hands with India&#039;s Prime Minister Singh after a press statement following signing ceremony in New Delhi" align="left" title="Russia&#039;s President Putin shakes hands with India&#039;s Prime Minister Singh after a press statement following signing ceremony in New Delhi" border="0" /></a>NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India agreed to buy dozens of Russian military helicopters and kits for the assembly of Sukhoi jets at a summit in New Delhi on Monday, where the leaders of both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership. India, traditionally one of Moscow&#039;s top arms clients, said the two sides would also set up a joint venture to manufacture Russian-model helicopters and a $2 billion fund to invest in trade and economic cooperation projects. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/india-russia-seal-defense-deals-trumpet-partnership-105228158--finance.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 05:53:21 -0500Reutersindia-russia-seal-defense-deals-trumpet-partnership-105228158--finance<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/india-russia-seal-defense-deals-trumpet-partnership-105228158--finance.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/0XvI3zn21bwsdW2q_OG5VQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T105321Z_1_CBRE8BN0U8100_RTROPTP_2_INDIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russia&#039;s President Putin shakes hands with India&#039;s Prime Minister Singh after a press statement following signing ceremony in New Delhi" align="left" title="Russia&#039;s President Putin shakes hands with India&#039;s Prime Minister Singh after a press statement following signing ceremony in New Delhi" border="0" /></a>NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India agreed to buy dozens of Russian military helicopters and kits for the assembly of Sukhoi jets at a summit in New Delhi on Monday, where the leaders of both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership. India, traditionally one of Moscow&#039;s top arms clients, said the two sides would also set up a joint venture to manufacture Russian-model helicopters and a $2 billion fund to invest in trade and economic cooperation projects. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-investigates-protest-leader-theft-party-funds-085922279.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/bQJwpFmNSE8zWXma9z3Oqw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T100834Z_1_CBRE8BN0S6E00_RTROPTP_2_RUSSIA-OPPOSITION.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Opposition leader Navalny speaks during the first meeting of the Russian opposition Coordination Council in Moscow" align="left" title="Opposition leader Navalny speaks during the first meeting of the Russian opposition Coordination Council in Moscow" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities have opened a third criminal investigation into opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying on Monday that the critic of President Vladimir Putin is suspected of stealing millions of dollars from a political party in 2007. Navalny, 36, the most prominent leader of large street protests that erupted last December against Putin&#039;s nearly 13-year rule, already faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted on existing charges of theft from a state timber company. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russia-investigates-protest-leader-theft-party-funds-085922279.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 03:59:22 -0500Reutersrussia-investigates-protest-leader-theft-party-funds-085922279<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-investigates-protest-leader-theft-party-funds-085922279.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/bQJwpFmNSE8zWXma9z3Oqw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T100834Z_1_CBRE8BN0S6E00_RTROPTP_2_RUSSIA-OPPOSITION.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Opposition leader Navalny speaks during the first meeting of the Russian opposition Coordination Council in Moscow" align="left" title="Opposition leader Navalny speaks during the first meeting of the Russian opposition Coordination Council in Moscow" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities have opened a third criminal investigation into opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying on Monday that the critic of President Vladimir Putin is suspected of stealing millions of dollars from a political party in 2007. Navalny, 36, the most prominent leader of large street protests that erupted last December against Putin&#039;s nearly 13-year rule, already faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted on existing charges of theft from a state timber company. ...</p><br clear="all"/>NEW DELHI (AP) ? India and Russia held talks Monday intended to help cement Russia's position in the growing Indian market and reinvigorate political ties.http://news.yahoo.com/putin-focus-economic-ties-trip-india-064327549--finance.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 02:00:10 -0500Associated Pressputin-focus-economic-ties-trip-india-064327549--financeNEW DELHI - Russian President Vladimir Putin is in India for talks intended to help cement Russia's position in the growing Indian market and reinvigorate political ties.http://news.yahoo.com/russian-leader-putin-india-talks-focusing-trade-reinvigorating-064617936.htmlMon, 24 Dec 2012 01:46:17 -0500Associated Pressrussian-leader-putin-india-talks-focusing-trade-reinvigorating-064617936BEIRUT - A government airstrike Sunday on a bakery in a rebel-held town in central Syria killed more than 60 people, activists said, casting a pall over a visit by the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country's civil war.http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-airstrike-kills-dozens-international-envoy-pushes-peace-043015885.htmlSun, 23 Dec 2012 23:30:15 -0500Associated Presssyrian-airstrike-kills-dozens-international-envoy-pushes-peace-043015885<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syria-jets-kill-tens-international-envoy-visits-193506243.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/QviWkEl5K6.0JbuWBm2iCA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/4b07a63405968724240f6a70670042a3.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Al-Zoubi said, the Syrian government?s line that it is fighting terrorist groups backed by foreign powers who seek to destroy Syria, he equated the rebels with al-Qaida and denied that they had taken over any territory and said the government was willing to engage in dialogue but said the other side wasn?t. (AP Photo/SANA)" align="left" title="In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Al-Zoubi said, the Syrian government?s line that it is fighting terrorist groups backed by foreign powers who seek to destroy Syria, he equated the rebels with al-Qaida and denied that they had taken over any territory and said the government was willing to engage in dialogue but said the other side wasn?t. (AP Photo/SANA)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? A government airstrike Sunday on a bakery in a rebel-held town in central Syria killed more than 60 people, activists said, casting a pall over a visit by the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country&#039;s civil war.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/syria-jets-kill-tens-international-envoy-visits-193506243.htmlSun, 23 Dec 2012 22:03:26 -0500Associated Presssyria-jets-kill-tens-international-envoy-visits-193506243<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syria-jets-kill-tens-international-envoy-visits-193506243.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/QviWkEl5K6.0JbuWBm2iCA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/4b07a63405968724240f6a70670042a3.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Al-Zoubi said, the Syrian government?s line that it is fighting terrorist groups backed by foreign powers who seek to destroy Syria, he equated the rebels with al-Qaida and denied that they had taken over any territory and said the government was willing to engage in dialogue but said the other side wasn?t. (AP Photo/SANA)" align="left" title="In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Al-Zoubi said, the Syrian government?s line that it is fighting terrorist groups backed by foreign powers who seek to destroy Syria, he equated the rebels with al-Qaida and denied that they had taken over any territory and said the government was willing to engage in dialogue but said the other side wasn?t. (AP Photo/SANA)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? A government airstrike Sunday on a bakery in a rebel-held town in central Syria killed more than 60 people, activists said, casting a pall over a visit by the international envoy charged with negotiating an end to the country&#039;s civil war.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/putin-visits-india-eyes-arms-sales-trade-political-000545367.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/oxg_bbPaqEi0J5seMNh.jw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T000545Z_1_CBRE8BN009P00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-INDIA-RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian President Putin looks on during a news conference following EU-Russia summit in Brussels" align="left" title="Russian President Putin looks on during a news conference following EU-Russia summit in Brussels" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Arms sales will be on the agenda when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India on Monday to court a country that has traditionally been a top client. Putin&#039;s trip, his first to India since he started a new Kremlin six-year term in May, is a chance to reaffirm Russia&#039;s interest in India, long a regional ally and now a partner in the BRICS group of emerging market nations. In an article for publication in the Indian newspaper The Hindu on Monday, Putin stressed that &quot;deepening friendship and cooperation with India is among the top priorities of our foreign policy&quot;. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/putin-visits-india-eyes-arms-sales-trade-political-000545367.htmlSun, 23 Dec 2012 19:05:45 -0500Reutersputin-visits-india-eyes-arms-sales-trade-political-000545367<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/putin-visits-india-eyes-arms-sales-trade-political-000545367.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/oxg_bbPaqEi0J5seMNh.jw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-24T000545Z_1_CBRE8BN009P00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-INDIA-RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian President Putin looks on during a news conference following EU-Russia summit in Brussels" align="left" title="Russian President Putin looks on during a news conference following EU-Russia summit in Brussels" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Arms sales will be on the agenda when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India on Monday to court a country that has traditionally been a top client. Putin&#039;s trip, his first to India since he started a new Kremlin six-year term in May, is a chance to reaffirm Russia&#039;s interest in India, long a regional ally and now a partner in the BRICS group of emerging market nations. In an article for publication in the Indian newspaper The Hindu on Monday, Putin stressed that &quot;deepening friendship and cooperation with India is among the top priorities of our foreign policy&quot;. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-war-battered-pound-floats-rebel-funds-130143419.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/QThVgxm7RnyCmCr1VQzd7Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-23T130143Z_1_CBRE8BM108D00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-SYRIA-CRISIS-CURRENCY.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A cashier counts Syrian currency notes in Amman" align="left" title="A cashier counts Syrian currency notes in Amman" border="0" /></a>AMMAN (Reuters) - In Syria&#039;s eastern town of Deir al-Zor, a rebel commander flush with cash was swapping his dollars for Syrian pounds to pay fighters battling President Bashar al-Assad&#039;s forces. Money changers said that influx of foreign currency earlier this month helped push the pound&#039;s black market rate in the impoverished town up by at least 10 percent. Hundreds of kilometers away in Damascus, panicked Syrians bracing for more violence sold pounds for dollars, driving the pound, which has lost half its value since the anti-Assad uprising erupted in March last year, the other way. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-war-battered-pound-floats-rebel-funds-130143419.htmlSun, 23 Dec 2012 08:01:43 -0500Reuterssyrias-war-battered-pound-floats-rebel-funds-130143419<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-war-battered-pound-floats-rebel-funds-130143419.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/QThVgxm7RnyCmCr1VQzd7Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-23T130143Z_1_CBRE8BM108D00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-SYRIA-CRISIS-CURRENCY.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A cashier counts Syrian currency notes in Amman" align="left" title="A cashier counts Syrian currency notes in Amman" border="0" /></a>AMMAN (Reuters) - In Syria&#039;s eastern town of Deir al-Zor, a rebel commander flush with cash was swapping his dollars for Syrian pounds to pay fighters battling President Bashar al-Assad&#039;s forces. Money changers said that influx of foreign currency earlier this month helped push the pound&#039;s black market rate in the impoverished town up by at least 10 percent. Hundreds of kilometers away in Damascus, panicked Syrians bracing for more violence sold pounds for dollars, driving the pound, which has lost half its value since the anti-Assad uprising erupted in March last year, the other way. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/israel-says-syria-chemical-weapons-secure-now-074300263.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/9Ft5q3bVo6ly4Sr.IkRyVg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-23T074300Z_1_CBRE8BM0LFW00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-ISRAEL-SYRIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Free Syrian Army fighters pose near a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" align="left" title="Free Syrian Army fighters pose near a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" border="0" /></a>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syria&#039;s chemical weapons are still secure despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday. Amos Gilad told Army Radio that the civil war between Assad and opposition forces fighting to topple him had become deadlocked, but that the Syrian leader showed no signs of heeding international calls to step down. &quot;Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/israel-says-syria-chemical-weapons-secure-now-074300263.htmlSun, 23 Dec 2012 02:43:00 -0500Reutersisrael-says-syria-chemical-weapons-secure-now-074300263<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/israel-says-syria-chemical-weapons-secure-now-074300263.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/9Ft5q3bVo6ly4Sr.IkRyVg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-23T074300Z_1_CBRE8BM0LFW00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-ISRAEL-SYRIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Free Syrian Army fighters pose near a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" align="left" title="Free Syrian Army fighters pose near a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" border="0" /></a>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syria&#039;s chemical weapons are still secure despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday. Amos Gilad told Army Radio that the civil war between Assad and opposition forces fighting to topple him had become deadlocked, but that the Syrian leader showed no signs of heeding international calls to step down. &quot;Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-welcomes-offer-assad-refuge-204207031.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RP9._aJBYFZOjptwYDA8bA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/6382b06bd29d5a23240f6a7067008aa7.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" align="left" title="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Russia would welcome any country&#039;s offer of safe haven for Syrian President Bashar Assad, but has no plans to make one of its own, Moscow&#039;s foreign minister said in the latest comments to suggest a growing distance between the two allies.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russia-welcomes-offer-assad-refuge-204207031.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 16:04:38 -0500Associated Pressrussia-welcomes-offer-assad-refuge-204207031<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-welcomes-offer-assad-refuge-204207031.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RP9._aJBYFZOjptwYDA8bA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/6382b06bd29d5a23240f6a7067008aa7.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" align="left" title="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Russia would welcome any country&#039;s offer of safe haven for Syrian President Bashar Assad, but has no plans to make one of its own, Moscow&#039;s foreign minister said in the latest comments to suggest a growing distance between the two allies.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-wont-host-assad-others-welcome-132325388.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/59qbaT58Z6fo1n66WKLNLg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5a7e8da7ebba6f23240f6a706700dd41.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE- Russia&#039;s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, in this file photo dated Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Lavrov said Saturday Dec. 22, 2012, that the Syrian government has consolidated its chemical weapons to safeguard the arsenal at one or two locations, and also revealed that Russia has military advisers in the country and have kept close watch over its chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe, File)" align="left" title="FILE- Russia&#039;s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, in this file photo dated Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Lavrov said Saturday Dec. 22, 2012, that the Syrian government has consolidated its chemical weapons to safeguard the arsenal at one or two locations, and also revealed that Russia has military advisers in the country and have kept close watch over its chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe, File)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia&#039;s foreign minister says Moscow would welcome any country&#039;s offer of a safe haven to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but underlined that Moscow itself has no intention of giving him shelter if he steps down.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-wont-host-assad-others-welcome-132325388.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 15:12:25 -0500Associated Pressrussia-says-wont-host-assad-others-welcome-132325388<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-wont-host-assad-others-welcome-132325388.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/59qbaT58Z6fo1n66WKLNLg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5a7e8da7ebba6f23240f6a706700dd41.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE- Russia&#039;s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, in this file photo dated Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Lavrov said Saturday Dec. 22, 2012, that the Syrian government has consolidated its chemical weapons to safeguard the arsenal at one or two locations, and also revealed that Russia has military advisers in the country and have kept close watch over its chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe, File)" align="left" title="FILE- Russia&#039;s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, in this file photo dated Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Lavrov said Saturday Dec. 22, 2012, that the Syrian government has consolidated its chemical weapons to safeguard the arsenal at one or two locations, and also revealed that Russia has military advisers in the country and have kept close watch over its chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe, File)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia&#039;s foreign minister says Moscow would welcome any country&#039;s offer of a safe haven to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but underlined that Moscow itself has no intention of giving him shelter if he steps down.</p><br clear="all"/>You usually can judge Vladimir Putin?s dislike of a reporter's question by the intensity of his expression. Such was the case this week at his annual news conference, when he greeted with a hard scowl the subject of pending Russian legislation that would ban Americans from adopting orphaned children. Mr. Putin unleashed invective on the fact that consular representatives aren?t allowed to visit adopted Russian children in the United States.http://news.yahoo.com/deep-emotions-run-beneath-russias-adoption-ban-183659760.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 13:36:59 -0500Christian Science Monitordeep-emotions-run-beneath-russias-adoption-ban-183659760<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-threaten-storm-2-syrian-christian-towns-111223888.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RP9._aJBYFZOjptwYDA8bA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/6382b06bd29d5a23240f6a7067008aa7.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" align="left" title="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Rebels have threated to storm two predominantly Christian towns in central Syria if residents do not &quot;evict&quot; government troops they say are using the towns as a base to attack nearby areas.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-threaten-storm-2-syrian-christian-towns-111223888.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 10:59:13 -0500Associated Pressrebels-threaten-storm-2-syrian-christian-towns-111223888<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-threaten-storm-2-syrian-christian-towns-111223888.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RP9._aJBYFZOjptwYDA8bA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/6382b06bd29d5a23240f6a7067008aa7.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" align="left" title="In this Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Huang)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Rebels have threated to storm two predominantly Christian towns in central Syria if residents do not &quot;evict&quot; government troops they say are using the towns as a base to attack nearby areas.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-target-aleppo-airport-110335105.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/HfYuefLJGHppNEaWmTqUZw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-22T172441Z_1_CBRE8BL1CD700_RTROPTP_2_SYRIA-CRISIS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Free Syrian Army fighters inspect a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" align="left" title="Free Syrian Army fighters inspect a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria&#039;s civil war has reached stalemate and international efforts to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit will fail, Russia&#039;s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday. Mainly Sunni Muslim rebels seeking to overthrow Assad are fighting on the edge of the capital Damascus and expanding southwards from their northern strongholds in Aleppo and Idlib into the central province of Hama. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-target-aleppo-airport-110335105.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 10:42:44 -0500Reuterssyrian-rebels-target-aleppo-airport-110335105<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-target-aleppo-airport-110335105.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/HfYuefLJGHppNEaWmTqUZw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-22T172441Z_1_CBRE8BL1CD700_RTROPTP_2_SYRIA-CRISIS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Free Syrian Army fighters inspect a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" align="left" title="Free Syrian Army fighters inspect a tank after the fighters said they fought and defeated government troops in Al-Latameneh" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria&#039;s civil war has reached stalemate and international efforts to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit will fail, Russia&#039;s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday. Mainly Sunni Muslim rebels seeking to overthrow Assad are fighting on the edge of the capital Damascus and expanding southwards from their northern strongholds in Aleppo and Idlib into the central province of Hama. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-rival-attacks-germanys-soaring-arms-exports-142225233.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/YvkgISQzN_0H_Vtr72_9PA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-22T152722Z_1_CBRE8BL13Y700_RTROPTP_2_GERMANY.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Top candidate for the 2013 German general elections Steinbrueck of German SPD party addressees news conference in Berlin" align="left" title="Top candidate for the 2013 German general elections Steinbrueck of German SPD party addressees news conference in Berlin" border="0" /></a>BERLIN (Reuters) - Peer Steinbrueck, set to challenge Angela Merkel as German leader next year, criticized her centre-right government on Saturday for letting arms exports surge and vowed to end that if his centre-left opposition wins power. The former finance minister, nominated to lead the Social Democrats (SPD) into September&#039;s election against Merkel, said it was a scandal that Germany has become the world&#039;s third largest arms exporter on her watch. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-rival-attacks-germanys-soaring-arms-exports-142225233.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 10:27:22 -0500Reutersmerkel-rival-attacks-germanys-soaring-arms-exports-142225233<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-rival-attacks-germanys-soaring-arms-exports-142225233.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/YvkgISQzN_0H_Vtr72_9PA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-22T152722Z_1_CBRE8BL13Y700_RTROPTP_2_GERMANY.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Top candidate for the 2013 German general elections Steinbrueck of German SPD party addressees news conference in Berlin" align="left" title="Top candidate for the 2013 German general elections Steinbrueck of German SPD party addressees news conference in Berlin" border="0" /></a>BERLIN (Reuters) - Peer Steinbrueck, set to challenge Angela Merkel as German leader next year, criticized her centre-right government on Saturday for letting arms exports surge and vowed to end that if his centre-left opposition wins power. The former finance minister, nominated to lead the Social Democrats (SPD) into September&#039;s election against Merkel, said it was a scandal that Germany has become the world&#039;s third largest arms exporter on her watch. ...</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-neither-side-win-syrian-civil-war-145512721.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/3rhImqynJqnPDnecGbs8sg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-22T145512Z_1_CBRE8BL15GE00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-SYRIA-CRISIS-RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov speaks during a meeting of President Putin&#039;s trustees in Moscow" align="left" title="Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov speaks during a meeting of President Putin&#039;s trustees in Moscow" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said neither side can win the war in Syria, and that China and Russia would be unable to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit if they tried. Russia has been rowing back since the Kremlin&#039;s Middle East envoy was quoted this month as saying the rebels could defeat Assad and that Russia was preparing for a possible evacuation of its nationals, the strongest signs yet that it was positioning itself for a post-Assad Syria. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-neither-side-win-syrian-civil-war-145512721.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 09:55:12 -0500Reutersrussia-says-neither-side-win-syrian-civil-war-145512721<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-neither-side-win-syrian-civil-war-145512721.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/3rhImqynJqnPDnecGbs8sg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-22T145512Z_1_CBRE8BL15GE00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-SYRIA-CRISIS-RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov speaks during a meeting of President Putin&#039;s trustees in Moscow" align="left" title="Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov speaks during a meeting of President Putin&#039;s trustees in Moscow" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said neither side can win the war in Syria, and that China and Russia would be unable to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to quit if they tried. Russia has been rowing back since the Kremlin&#039;s Middle East envoy was quoted this month as saying the rebels could defeat Assad and that Russia was preparing for a possible evacuation of its nationals, the strongest signs yet that it was positioning itself for a post-Assad Syria. ...</p><br clear="all"/>CAIRO (Reuters) - International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will visit Syria in the next few days and is expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad, government officials and some opposition factions, a source in the Arab League said. The source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters no date for such a visit had been announced but said he expected it would be "during the coming few days". A revolt against four decades of rule by Assad's family has now run for 21 months, killing more than 40,000 people. ...http://news.yahoo.com/syria-crisis-envoy-brahimi-visit-damascus-soon-source-140509370.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 09:05:09 -0500Reuterssyria-crisis-envoy-brahimi-visit-damascus-soon-source-140509370MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia called on South Sudan on Saturday to punish those responsible for shooting down a U.N. helicopter, killing its four Russian crew, and take steps to ensure such incidents do not happen again. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement named the victims and said the "tragic occurrence" in the African nation on Friday underscored the need to provide security for U.N. peacekeeping missions. ...http://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-must-punish-those-downed-u-n-113420743.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 07:48:29 -0500Reuterssouth-sudan-must-punish-those-downed-u-n-113420743<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-syrian-chemical-weapons-under-control-111437169.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/jr.5IakTqwzZqx6b7NzJ0Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/96971bd6d2e65b23240f6a706700d571.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A Syrian carries a revolution flag during a Friday protest in Aleppo, Syria, where young people and children sang songs against Bashar Assad and the Syrian regime, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.(AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)" align="left" title="A Syrian carries a revolution flag during a Friday protest in Aleppo, Syria, where young people and children sang songs against Bashar Assad and the Syrian regime, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.(AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia&#039;s foreign minister says the Syrian government has consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russia-syrian-chemical-weapons-under-control-111437169.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2012 06:14:37 -0500Associated Pressrussia-syrian-chemical-weapons-under-control-111437169<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-syrian-chemical-weapons-under-control-111437169.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/jr.5IakTqwzZqx6b7NzJ0Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/96971bd6d2e65b23240f6a706700d571.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A Syrian carries a revolution flag during a Friday protest in Aleppo, Syria, where young people and children sang songs against Bashar Assad and the Syrian regime, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.(AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)" align="left" title="A Syrian carries a revolution flag during a Friday protest in Aleppo, Syria, where young people and children sang songs against Bashar Assad and the Syrian regime, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.(AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia&#039;s foreign minister says the Syrian government has consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-approves-ban-u-adoptions-105037448.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/F8XDy2niJI3tlmVQqyXHJw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-21T220518Z_2_CBRE8BK0U4Q00_RTROPTP_2_RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A general view shows the Russian State Duma headquarters, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow" align="left" title="A general view shows the Russian State Duma headquarters, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia&#039;s lower house of parliament approved on Friday a proposed law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, in retaliation for U.S. human rights legislation which Vladimir Putin says is poisoning relations. The State Duma overwhelmingly backed a bill which also would outlaw U.S.-funded &quot;non-profit organizations that engage in political activity&quot;, extending what critics say is a clampdown on Putin&#039;s opponents since he returned to the presidency in May. The bill responds to a new U.S. law known as the Magnitsky Act, passed by the U.S. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-approves-ban-u-adoptions-105037448.htmlFri, 21 Dec 2012 17:05:18 -0500Reutersrussian-parliament-approves-ban-u-adoptions-105037448<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-approves-ban-u-adoptions-105037448.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/F8XDy2niJI3tlmVQqyXHJw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-21T220518Z_2_CBRE8BK0U4Q00_RTROPTP_2_RUSSIA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A general view shows the Russian State Duma headquarters, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow" align="left" title="A general view shows the Russian State Duma headquarters, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia&#039;s lower house of parliament approved on Friday a proposed law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, in retaliation for U.S. human rights legislation which Vladimir Putin says is poisoning relations. The State Duma overwhelmingly backed a bill which also would outlaw U.S.-funded &quot;non-profit organizations that engage in political activity&quot;, extending what critics say is a clampdown on Putin&#039;s opponents since he returned to the presidency in May. The bill responds to a new U.S. law known as the Magnitsky Act, passed by the U.S. ...</p><br clear="all"/>JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's army shot down a United Nations peacekeeping helicopter in the restive Jonglei state on Friday, killing the four Russian crew members onboard, U.N. and military officials said. A U.N. source said the helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission in an area where the SPLA, South Sudan's army, has been fighting rebels led by David Yau Yau. U.N. ...http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-says-peacekeeping-helicopter-shot-down-south-171540405.htmlFri, 21 Dec 2012 15:57:35 -0500Reutersu-n-says-peacekeeping-helicopter-shot-down-south-171540405<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-step-attacks-strategic-sites-192951283.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dvPMev2FgDDHqvrW9g_Izg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5b83cc869ecf2823240f6a706700c9f1.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels prepare to make bombs to be used against government forces, at their post in Maaret Misreen, near Idlib, Syria. The new Syrian rebel chief, a defected army general who spent months in exile, says he has begun operating inside Syria to unite autonomous anti-regime militias for what he hopes will be the final push against President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)" align="left" title="In this Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels prepare to make bombs to be used against government forces, at their post in Maaret Misreen, near Idlib, Syria. The new Syrian rebel chief, a defected army general who spent months in exile, says he has begun operating inside Syria to unite autonomous anti-regime militias for what he hopes will be the final push against President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria&#039;s rebels stepped up attacks on strategic sites including a sprawling military complex in the country&#039;s north on Friday, while reports emerged that President Bashar Assad&#039;s forces continued to fire Scud missiles at rebel areas.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-step-attacks-strategic-sites-192951283.htmlFri, 21 Dec 2012 15:51:55 -0500Associated Presssyrian-rebels-step-attacks-strategic-sites-192951283<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-step-attacks-strategic-sites-192951283.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dvPMev2FgDDHqvrW9g_Izg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5b83cc869ecf2823240f6a706700c9f1.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="In this Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels prepare to make bombs to be used against government forces, at their post in Maaret Misreen, near Idlib, Syria. The new Syrian rebel chief, a defected army general who spent months in exile, says he has begun operating inside Syria to unite autonomous anti-regime militias for what he hopes will be the final push against President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)" align="left" title="In this Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels prepare to make bombs to be used against government forces, at their post in Maaret Misreen, near Idlib, Syria. The new Syrian rebel chief, a defected army general who spent months in exile, says he has begun operating inside Syria to unite autonomous anti-regime militias for what he hopes will be the final push against President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria&#039;s rebels stepped up attacks on strategic sites including a sprawling military complex in the country&#039;s north on Friday, while reports emerged that President Bashar Assad&#039;s forces continued to fire Scud missiles at rebel areas.</p><br clear="all"/><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-fight-strategic-town-hama-province-095210843.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/DMeVfznPFh5FHI_39arFkA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-21T203822Z_1_CBRE8BK1KJB00_RTROPTP_2_SYRIA-CRISIS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Free Syrian Army fighters are seen at a front line during fighting with Syrian forces loyal to President Assad at Bustan al-Qasr district" align="left" title="Free Syrian Army fighters are seen at a front line during fighting with Syrian forces loyal to President Assad at Bustan al-Qasr district" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels warned on Friday they will target the international airport of the northern city of Aleppo after firing at an airliner preparing to take off, the first direct attack on civilian a flight in the 21-month-old revolt. Thursday&#039;s attack was another sign of the growing confidence of rebels who are also fighting an offensive in the central province of Hama, pursuing a string of territorial gains to try to cut army supply lines and pressure the capital Damascus to the south. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-fight-strategic-town-hama-province-095210843.htmlFri, 21 Dec 2012 15:38:22 -0500Reuterssyrian-rebels-fight-strategic-town-hama-province-095210843<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-fight-strategic-town-hama-province-095210843.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/DMeVfznPFh5FHI_39arFkA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-12-21T203822Z_1_CBRE8BK1KJB00_RTROPTP_2_SYRIA-CRISIS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Free Syrian Army fighters are seen at a front line during fighting with Syrian forces loyal to President Assad at Bustan al-Qasr district" align="left" title="Free Syrian Army fighters are seen at a front line during fighting with Syrian forces loyal to President Assad at Bustan al-Qasr district" border="0" /></a>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels warned on Friday they will target the international airport of the northern city of Aleppo after firing at an airliner preparing to take off, the first direct attack on civilian a flight in the 21-month-old revolt. T

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