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Government and politics

THE RESET: Obama faces major foreign policy tests
Debate over the looming "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and spending cuts is consuming most of the political oxygen in Washington lately.
Military begins planning for massive budget cuts
The Defense Department says it has begun planning for the roughly $500 billion in personnel and program cuts that will be needed if Congress and the ...
Hungary foreign minister slams anti-Jewish remark
Hungary's foreign minister said Wednesday that calls by an extreme-right politician to register the country's Jews as potential security risks were ...
US factory orders up 0.8 percent in October
Orders to U.S. factories rose modestly in October, helped by a big gain in demand for equipment that reflects business investment plans.
Belarusian ruler introduces forced employment
Vladimir Dodonov wants to flee Belarus for neighboring Russia before it becomes illegal to leave his job at a wood-processing plant.
Growth of US service firms accelerated last month
U.S. service companies grew at a slightly faster pace in November because sales and new orders rose, a good sign for the economy. The Institute for ...
Official: Militants kill 12 soldiers in Somalia
Islamist extremists attacked an army post in northeastern Somalia, killing 12 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks in recent months by the ...
Boehner calls for Obama response on "cliff" offer
The top Republican negotiator in talks with President Barack Obama on avoiding economy-jarring tax increases and spending cuts says it's time for the ...
Survey: Sandy slows hiring in November to 118K
A private survey shows that U.S. businesses added fewer workers in November, mostly because Superstorm Sandy shut down factories, retail stores, and ...
Officials: Serbia's NATO ambassador leaps to death
Serbia's ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to ...
Georgian president and premier in battle of wills
It is a battle of egos that could not be more visible: The shining palace of the president and the lavish glass villa of the new billionaire prime ...
Poland cuts interest rates to help slowing economy
The National Bank of Poland has cut its key interest rate a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25 percent to support the slowing economy.
Clinton: Missile decision is a message to Syria
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says NATO's decision to send Patriot missiles to Turkey is a clear message to Syria: Turkey is backed ...
Clinton: Egypt's unrest shows need for dialogue
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Egypt's unrest shows the urgent need for dialogue between President Mohammed Morsi's government and ...
More donors freeze aid to Uganda over corruption
An audacious scam in which up to $13 million in donor money was embezzled in the office of Uganda's prime minister has brought several European donors ...
French budget chief denies claim of Swiss account
French Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac is filing a legal complaint against a website that claims he has hidden money from French tax authorities in ...
Eurozone retail sales slump in October
Retail sales across the 17 European Union countries that use the euro slumped far more than anticipated in October, largely due to a huge drop in ...
US tells allies to make good on Afghan pledges
The Obama administration pressed its European allies on Wednesday to follow through on their pledges to Afghanistan's security after most ...
Class of 2012: Young Europeans trapped by language
Maria Menendez, a 25-year-old caught in Spain's job-destroying economic crisis, would love to work in Germany as a veterinarian. Germany, facing an ...
Hearing on WikiLeaks suspect's confinement resumes
Military prosecutors are slowly working up the chain of command of a Marine Corps brig to show the government was justified in keeping an Army private ...
Spain pays mostly lower rates in debt sales
Spain has raised €4.2 billion ($5.5 billion) in debt auctions at mostly lower interest rates, indicating improving investor confidence as the ...
Korea, Qatar airlines interested in Czech carrier
Korean Airlines and Qatar Airways have shown a preliminary interest in acquiring the troubled Czech national carrier, CSA. Czech Prime Minister Petr ...
Islamist sect in Nigeria grows more deadly
The radical Islamist fighters gather around piles of weapons and ammunition they've stolen and shout praises to God as they shoot into the expanse of ...
World Bank: Arab World hit hard by climate change
The Middle East and North Africa will be especially hard hit by climate change in the coming decades, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday, ...
Highlights of White House, GOP budget plans
The Obama administration and House Republicans have unveiled their opening offers in talks to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. Details are scant but ...