Obama Sees 'Potential' for Averting the Fiscal Cliff

President Obama says he sees "potential" for averting the "fiscal cliff" in 28 days, but that no deal will get done unless Republicans consent to raise income-tax rates on the top 2 percent of U.S. earners."We're going to have to see the rates on the top 2 percent go up and we're not going to be able to get a deal without it," Obama told Bloomberg TV in his first televised interview...

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NATO warns Syria not to use chemical weapons

BRUSSELS/BEIRUT (Reuters) - NATO told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday that any use of chemical weapons in his fight against encroaching rebel forces would be met by an immediate international response. The warning from NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen came as U.S. government sources said Washington had information that Syria was making what could be seen as preparations...

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Pregnant Kate 'feeling better' after second day in hospital

LONDON: Prince William's pregnant wife Kate was feeling better on Tuesday after a second day of hospital treatment for acute morning sickness, palace officials said.William spent most of the day at his wife's bedside as congratulations poured in from around the world after Monday's announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 30, are expecting their first child -- a new royal...

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CBI to probe graft charges in road project

NEW DELHI: The CBI has started an investigation into the multi-crore highway development fraud in the World Bank funded Lucknow-Muzaffarpur stretch. The investigation agency on Tuesday sought details from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in connection with the case. Sources said CBI swung into action eight months after the department of economic affairs sent a copy of the report sent...

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CDC says US flu season starts early, could be bad

NEW YORK (AP) — Flu season in the U.S. is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade — and it could be a bad one.Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types. It is particularly hard on the elderly."It looks like it's shaping up to be a bad flu season, but only time will tell,"...

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Boehner Makes Fiscal Cliff Counter-Offer

Dec 3, 2012 3:19pm House Speaker John Boehner today sent President Obama a counter-proposal on how to cut the deficit that he called a “credible plan” to break the stalemate in negotiations to keep the country from going off the “fiscal cliff.”In the plan, Republicans offer a total of $2.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. That would give lawmakers...

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Israel says will stick with settlement plan despite condemnation

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel rejected concerted criticism from the United States and Europe on Monday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expand settlement building after the United Nations' de facto recognition of Palestinian statehood. Washington urged Israel to reconsider its plan to erect 3,000 more homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying the move...

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Syria mixing chemicals for sarin gas: US official

WASHINGTON: Syria has begun mixing chemicals that can be used to make deadly sarin gas, a US official told AFP Monday, amid fears that President Bashar al-Assad's forces could attack rebels with chemical weapons."We've picked up several indications which lead us to believe that they're combining chemical precursors," the official said, on condition of anonymity, adding that the operation...

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Unitech MD: Not sold our stock to Telenor

NEW DELHI: Ajay Chandra, brother of Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra who is himself an MD with the firm, on Monday told a special CBI court that Unitech had not sold a "single share" to Norwegian firm Telenor after the foreign company invested in it. Sanjay is facing trial in the 2G scam case. Deposing as a CBI witness in the 2G scam case, Ajay said that after getting 2G licences in 2008, eight...

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Fossil fuel subsidies in focus at climate talks

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Hassan al-Kubaisi considers it a gift from above that drivers in oil- and gas-rich Qatar only have to pay $1 per gallon at the pump."Thank God that our country is an oil producer and the price of gasoline is one of the lowest," al-Kubaisi said, filling up his Toyota Land Cruiser at a gas station in Doha. "God has given us a blessing."To those looking for a global response to climate...

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