Iraq's Sunni leaders accuse PM of crackdown

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Sunni leaders accused Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of a political crackdown after troops raided the finance minister's office and home, threatening to reignite a crisis a year after the last American troops left.The raids and detention of the Sunni minister's staff came hours after President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who often mediated among the fractious Sunni, Shi'ite...

Read More..

World stocks fall as US budget negotiations stall

BANGKOK (AP) -- Heightened uncertainty about the outcome of budget negotiations in Washington among President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican lawmakers drove world stock markets lower Friday.If a compromise is not in place by Jan. 1, the Bush-era tax cuts will expire and spending cuts will kick in automatically — a one-two punch to the economy that many experts fear will...

Read More..

55 people drowned or missing off Somali coast

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says 55 people have drowned or are missing after an overcrowded boat capsized off the Somali coast.UNHCR said the incident late Tuesday represented the biggest loss of life in the Gulf of Aden since February 2011, when 57 Somali refugees and migrants drowned while attempting to reach Yemen.The U.N. says five people survived Tuesday's accident. The survivors...

Read More..

ECB's Weidmann sees no "big leap" toward EU fiscal union

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - European Central Bank Governing Council member Jens Weidmann expects little progress toward a European fiscal union because there is little political will to relinquish national sovereignty, he was quoted as saying in an interview."I do not see the big leap toward fiscal union," Weidmann said in an interview with German magazine Wirtschaftswoche published online.Weidmann, who...

Read More..

Malala asks Pakistan not to rename college for her

MINGORA, Pakistan (AP) — A 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for promoting girls' education has urged Pakistan to reverse a decision to rename a college in her honor to avert militant attacks on students, an official said Friday.Malala Yousufzai, who became a symbol of youth resistance to the Taliban, made the request after students broke into the school, tore down Malala's pictures...

Read More..

OU positioned for BCS; SEC plays for title spot

Before the Southeastern Conference sorted out who will play Notre Dame for the national championship, Oklahoma positioned itself be part of the BCS lineup — one way or another.No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia played in Atlanta for the SEC title and a trip to Miami to face the top-ranked Fighting Irish in the BCS title game Jan. 7.Earlier, the 12th-ranked Sooners won 24-17 at TCU to finish the regular...

Read More..

Georgia Tech claims spot in ACC title game at 6-5

ATLANTA (AP) — A team that was routed at home by Middle Tennessee and fired its defensive coordinator at midseason will get a chance to play for a BCS bowl bid.Georgia Tech (6-5) automatically claimed a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Monday when Miami self-imposed a postseason ban for the second straight year, looking to lessen the sanctions from an NCAA investigation...

Read More..

For coaches, no sleep 'til BCS championship game

NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Kelly and Nick Saban expect many restless nights between now and the BCS championship game on Jan. 7.Kelly and top-ranked Notre Dame play Saban and No. 2 Alabama in Miami. The coaches appeared together at a news conference on Wednesday at the Nasdaq stock exchange in Times Square."And in keeping with the venue where we are, you have two blue chip stocks that are going to go...

Read More..

Oil down over US budget, China growth concerns

BANGKOK (AP) — Oil prices were weighed down Tuesday by concerns about an apparent deadlock among U.S. leaders to strike a budget deal before year's end and growing uncertainty about the strength of China's economic recovery.Benchmark crude for January delivery was down 11 cents to $85.45 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell...

Read More..

Heritage Woods of Huntley To Host Holiday Shopping Bonanza

 Heritage Woods of Huntley, a BMA assisted living community in Huntley, Illinois, is hosting a Holiday Shopping Bonanza on Dec. 14. Crafts, jewelry and purses will be among the items available for purchase.Bradley, Illinois (PRWEB) December 08, 2012Heritage Woods of Huntley is hosting a Holiday Shopping Bonanza from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, at the assisted living community, which is located...

Read More..