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Government and politics

Katrina's scars harder to see as Super Bowl looms
New Orleans has celebrated plenty of milestones on its slow road to recovery from Hurricane Katrina, but arguably none is bigger than hosting its ...
IMF tells Romania to push on with reforms
The International Monetary Fund has called on the Romanian government to implement deeper structural reforms and to apply for more European Union ...
Lombardy stars as kingmaker in national elections
One region looms large over Italy's upcoming election: Lombardy. The nation's industrial powerhouse and home to its financial capital, Milan, the ...
British man gets 6 years in Bali drug trial
An Indonesian court sentenced a Briton to six years in prison Tuesday for his role in a cocaine-smuggling case that led to a death sentence last week ...
Smog thick enough to cancel flights hits Beijing
Thick, off-the-scale smog shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines to cancel flights because of poor ...
NYC pulling down 'Don't Honk' signs
New York City's "Don't Honk" signs are coming down, but it's still against the law to blow a car horn unnecessarily. The city Department of ...
Karzai: Afghan government should lead peace talks
Afghanistan's president warned on Tuesday that all efforts at peace talks with the Taliban should go through the government, and appealed on the ...
Wash. vows to try to keep weed in state - but how?
So far, no one is suggesting checkpoints or fences to keep Washington state's legal pot within its borders. But Gov. Jay Inslee insists there are ways ...
Israel angered over Argentina-Iran bombing probe
Israel summoned the Argentinian ambassador on Tuesday in protest over an agreement between Iran and Argentina to jointly investigate the bombing 19 ...
China urged to face Philippines at UN tribunal
A senior U.S. lawmaker meeting with Philippine officials said Tuesday that China should agree to face the Philippines before a U.N.
Obama says he'll sign $50.5B Sandy aid bill soon
President Barack Obama said he'll sign a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims as soon as it lands on his desk.
India cuts key interest rate by quarter point
India's central bank cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 7.75 percent Tuesday, aiming to boost flagging growth in Asia's ...
Mayor: New Orleans deserves Super Bowl spotlight
A 20-story-high mural of the Lombardi Trophy, affixed to the glass exterior of a bustling hotel that was once a shattered symbol of Hurricane ...
Police push for background checks on gun purchases
Law enforcement leaders who met with President Barack Obama Monday urged him to focus on strengthening gun purchase background checks and mental ...
Guatemala ex-dictator to stand trial on genocide
A former U.S.-backed dictator who presided over one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's civil war will stand trial on charges he ordered the ...
Philippine dictatorship victims to be compensated
Almost four decades after he was arrested and tortured and his sister disappeared into a maze of Philippine police cells and military houses, ...
Congress passes $50.5B Superstorm Sandy aid bill
Three months after Superstorm Sandy ravaged coastal areas in much of the Northeast, Congress on Monday sent a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure ...
Authorities: NY judge opens door to Swiss records
A federal judge on Monday authorized the Internal Revenue Service to require UBS AG to produce records about U.S. taxpayers who may hold bank accounts ...
Immigration overhaul? GOP, Dem senators vow action
Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer ...
Lawyer fired in 9/11 case at Guantanamo
A Guantanamo Bay prisoner charged in the Sept. 11 attacks fired one of his military attorneys Monday in an apparent sign of distrust of his ...
US fighter jet missing on training mission
U.S. and Italian aircraft on Monday searched the Adriatic Sea after losing contact with a U.S. fighter jet believed to have crashed during a training ...
Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicating, son will be king
The Netherlands' Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she is ending her reign after 33 years and passing the crown to her eldest son, who has long been ...
Arrests along US borders up in last year
A year after Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal border crossers plunged to the lowest levels in nearly 40 years agents have seen a slight increase ...
Newtown parents urge enforcement of gun laws
Parents of children killed in the Newtown school shooting called for better enforcement of gun laws and tougher penalties for violators Monday at a ...
Chicago reaches 40 homicides in January
A bloody weekend in which seven people were killed and six wounded has put an abrupt end — at least for now — to hopes that Chicago was at least ...