Obama Suggests Any 'Cliff' Deal Would Be Small

Obama Suggests Any 'Cliff' Deal Would Be Small

With less than two days remaining for Congress to reach a budget agreement that would avoid the so-called " fiscal cliff," President Obama today suggested that a small deal remains the best hope to avoid the perilous package of spending cuts and tax increases.

In an interview aired this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press" the president said if Republicans agreed to raising taxes on top income earners it should be enough to avoid the triggers that would execute the $607 billion measure. Economists agree that going over the cliff would likely put the country back in recession.

"If we have raised some revenue by the wealthy paying a little bit more, that would be sufficient to turn off what's called the sequester, these automatic spending cuts, and that also would have a better outcome for our economy long-term," he said.

Saying the "pressure is on Congress to produce," the president did not specify what income level his party would deem acceptable as the cutoff for those who would see their tax rates remain at current levels. The president has called for expiration of the "Bush-era" tax cuts to affect household earnings over $250,000 since the campaign, but has reportedly floated a $400,000 figure in past negotiations. Speaker John Boehner once offered a $1 million cut-off in his failed "Plan B" proposal, which failed to garner enough support among the House Republicans.

"It's been very hard for Speaker Boehner and Republican Leader McConnell to accept the fact that taxes on the wealthiest Americans should go up a little bit as part of an overall deficit reduction package," the president said.

Domestic programs would lose $55 billion in funding should sequestration pass, including $2 billion to Medicare and unemployment benefits. The Pentagon would take a $55 billion loss as well, or 9 percent of their budget.

Repeating remarks he made Friday after a meeting with congressional leaders, Obama said that should negotiations fail he has asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to introduce a stripped- down proposal to Congress for a straight up-or-down vote - if it isn't blocked.

"If all else fails, if Republicans do in fact decide to block so that taxes on the middle class do in fact go up on January 1, then we'll come back with a new Congress on January 4, and the first bill that will be introduced on the floor will be to cut taxes on middle-class families," he said of the worst case scenario. "I don't think the average person is going to say, 'Gosh, you know, that's a really partisan agenda.'"

The interview was taped Saturday while Reid and his GOP counterpart Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky scrambled to their offices for a solution behind closed doors. Press staking out Capitol Hill reported little public activity from the leaders or their surrogates. If negotiations are successful, the lawmakers could introduce a bill for vote this afternoon.

Republican leaders bit back at the president's remarks. In a written statement Speaker Boehner said casting blame was "ironic, as a recurring theme of our negotiations was his unwillingness to agree to anything that would require him to stand up to his own party. "

"In an effort to get the president to agree to cut spending - which is the problem - I put revenues on the table last year, and I put them on the table again last month," he wrote. "Republicans made every effort to reach the 'balanced' deficit agreement that the president promised the American people, while the president has continued to insist on a package skewed dramatically in favor of higher taxes that would destroy jobs."

Senator McConnell's office issued this response to the NBC appearance:

"While the President was taping those discordant remarks yesterday, Sen. McConnell was in the office working to bring Republicans and Democrats together on a solution. Discussions continue today."

Regardless of outcome, talk of a comprehensive budget deal is gone and any bill would likely set up a series of smaller partisan roadblocks in the weeks and months to come. For example, if any hypothetical legislation managed to dodge tax increases for the middle class it may still not address the looming debt ceiling, which Treasury can avoid using accounting tricks for approximately two months.

A small deal may also not address the estate tax, another central point of the brinkmanship. Currently standing at 35 percent, Republicans want to leave that rate as-is after exempting the first $5 million in estate value. Meanwhile Democrats have called for a 45 percent tax after a $3.5 million exemption. Should negotiations fail, it would climb to 55 percent after a $1 million exemption after the New Year.

ABC's Sunlen Miller and the Associated Press contributed to this report, which has been updated.

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Senate adjourns to Monday, eve of ‘fiscal cliff’

Senate adjourns to Monday, eve of ‘fiscal cliff’

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks on the Senate floor. (Reuters/C-SPAN/Handout)Bottom line: Still no "fiscal cliff" deal. And none seems imminent.

The U.S. Senate on Sunday ended the day still sharply divided over how to avoid the automatic? income-tax hikes and deep government spending cuts set to kick in Jan. 1 that could plunge the economy into a new recession.

Despite pleas from President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner for the Senate to resolve the stalemate, Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, announced lawmakers would not return to work until 11 a.m. on Monday -- New Year's Eve -- for one last chance to avoid going over the so-called fiscal cliff.

Reid tried to sound a note of optimism, saying closed-door discussions would carry on.

“There is still significant distance between the two sides, but negotiations continue,” he said. “There is still time left to reach an agreement and we intend to continue negotiations.”

But senators on both sides sounded less than optimistic as they emerged from separate closed-door meetings -- one for Democrats, one for Republicans.

"We've all been told not to make plans for New Year's Eve," Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill told reporters.

Some said they remained hopeful.

The Senate's number two Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois,? told reporters he was "definitely" encouraged that Republicans had dropped a demand for reducing Social Security benefits as a condition for extending unemployment benefits set to expire for some two million Americans. Obama has said extending the unemployment benefits is one of his top priorities for any deal.

"Now that they’re backing off of it, maybe we can make some progress -- ?I hope," Durbin said.

Obama had previously offered to index Social Security benefits with a "chained" consumer price index -- essentially adopting a less generous measure of cost-of-living increases -- but only with safeguards for the poorest beneficiaries and only as part of a broader deficit-reduction plan.

Earlier, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell complained that Democrats had not yet given him a counteroffer to a GOP proposal delivered at 7 p.m. Saturday night. And McConnell spoke by telephone at least twice with Vice President Joe Biden in an effort to "jump-start" the stalled negotiations.

Even if McConnell and Reid could put together a last-minute compromise, that deal would still need to clear the Senate and the House of Representatives -- no mean feat with time running very short.

The two sides have been starkly at odds for the last year over which Bush-era income tax cuts to extend past their Jan. 1 expiration. Obama campaigned on letting taxes rise on income above $250,000, Republicans aim to set the threshold higher.

And the income tax threshold was far from the only bone of contention.

Obama and most Democrats want to extend unemployment benefits, but Republicans linked that request to the “chained CPI” for Social Security. With that change off the table, it was not clear what would happen to the jobless help, Durbin said.

Obama and most Democrats want to see the estate tax paid on large inheritances rise. Republicans want to exempt more estates from what they call the “death tax.”

The two sides are also looking at sparing millions of Americans from suddenly having to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax and eyeing a way to keep the reimbursement rate paid to doctors on Medicare-covered treatment from being slashed.

Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe on Sunday blasted the last-minute negotiations as a "travesty" that had left American taxpayers disgusted and scared.

"It starts with beginning of this Congress -- in the last two years we’ve seen historic failure after historic failure," Snowe said.? "Both parties and both branches of government ... it imposes a tremendous hardship and burden on the average American."

Snowe, who is retiring after 34 years in Congress, has said the intense partisanship in Washington largely drove her decision to leave.

Obama endorses gay marriage proposal in Illinois

Obama endorses gay marriage proposal in Illinois
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(Reuters) - President Obama is endorsing a proposal by the Illinois legislature to legalize gay marriage, a White House spokesman told Reuters on Sunday.

It's an unusual move by a president - most of whom rarely weigh in on state legislative matters. Obama served in the Illinois state senate.

Obama, who said earlier this year that he supports same-sex marriage, believes "it's wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships and want to marry, from doing so," said White House spokesman Shin Inouye.

"Were the president still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois couples equally," Inouye said.

Chicago state Senator Heather Steans will introduce a gay marriage proposal this week, said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton. She added that Democratic leaders are confident they have the votes to win approval - possibly even before the legislature's newly elected Democratic super-majority takes office on January 10.

If it passes, that would make Illinois the tenth state to approve same-sex nuptials.

Passage in President Barack Obama's home state would be a symbolic victory for gay rights activists, particularly after the president endorsed same-sex marriage in May.

One issue to be resolved is whether Illinois should allow religious groups the option of declining to perform same-sex marriages. New York granted such an exception in 2011 in order to secure the legislative votes to legalize gay marriage there.

No Midwest state has approved gay marriage by a vote of its legislature. Iowa's Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that same-sex marriage was legal, a decision some opponents have been trying to overturn ever since.

In June, 2011, Illinois legalized civil unions, which grant some of the rights of marriage to same sex partners. But gay rights activists said that did not go far enough.

All prominent Democrats in Illinois have endorsed gay marriage, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn, as well as 260 Illinois faith leaders who published a letter supporting same-sex marriage last week.

The Catholic Conference of Illinois, which represents Catholic bishops in the state, said on its website that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman.

Nine of the 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, have already legalized gay marriage. Another 31 states have passed constitutional amendments banning it.

(Writing by Karen Brooks; editing by Todd Eastham)

Teenagers Who Set Puppy on Fire Face Minimal Prison Time

Teenagers Who Set Puppy on Fire Face Minimal Prison Time

New York State Assemblyman Sean M. Ryan announced this week that he’s proposing tougher animal abuse penalties. The legislation, which is being called, “Phoenix’s Law,” is named for a Jack Russell Terrier who was burned alive by two teenagers in October. “Phoenix” lived through the ordeal, but is still in a Buffalo animal hospital recovering from burns and broken bones.

According to a police investigation, on Oct. 29, two teenagers who had spent the previous weeks torturing a neighbor’s puppy, finally doused it in lighter fluid and set it on fire. Diondre L. Brown, 17, and his uncle, Adell Zeigler, 19, have both been indicted on felony charges, but under current law, neither can receive more than two years in prison for the felony attack.

MORE: Ethan the Jack Russell Terrier Survives Being Buried Alive

WIVB reports that Assemblyman Ryan’s proposed increases would mean that those convicted of felony aggravated animal cruelty would receive up to four years in jail instead of two, and pay a fine of up to $10,000.

“We’re hoping that, just as Phoenix rises from the ashes, we can have something positive that can come out of this heinous act,” Ryan said in his interview with the The Buffalo News.

Details of how Phoenix was rescued are unclear, but he sustained severe burns to more than 50 percent of his body. Over the last two months, Phoenix has undergone multiple skin grafts, had his ears amputated and one of his legs is still in a cast.

According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, New York's current animal abuse laws are fairly lenient in their punishments. The Empire State currently ranks in 38th place for animal protections. ?While New York carries a two-year maximum sentence, most states carry four-year sentences. But many are even more strict than that. In Idaho, felony animal abuse can send you away for 15 years, while a felony conviction in Colorado will earn you six years in prison, and a half-a-million dollar fine.? The most lax states are North and South Dakota where animal abuse doesn’t even rank as a felony.

Perhaps most frightening of all is the lack of remorse shown by the defendants, each of whom blames the other for setting Phoenix on fire. TakePart has previously reported on the well-documented patterns of animal abusers; they are as much a danger to other people as they are to pets. And when we treat their violence towards animals as somehow “less than,” we ignore crucial warning signs to our own safety.

As Phoenix continues to heal, The Buffalo Small Animal Hospital reports to local newspapers that it’s been flooded with offers of donations and adoptions for the invincible little dog.

What do you think should happen to the boys who burned Phoenix alive? Let us know in the Comments.

Related Stories on TakePart:

??Dog Dragged Behind Truck on Freeway, Rescued by Hero Motorist

??Dog Rescued From Death Row Dedicates Her Life to Disabled Boy

??When Owls Attack: Boxer Saves Tiny Dog From Rare Ariel Assault

A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades previously worked as a fashion industry journalist and medical writer.??In addition to reporting the weekend news on TakePart, she volunteers as a webeditor for locally-based nonprofits and works as a freelance feature writer for?TimeOutLA.com. Email Andri | @andritweets?| TakePart.com

First gay Anglican bishop reflects on tenure in NH

First gay Anglican bishop reflects on tenure in NH

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson says he chafed for several years at being branded the first openly gay bishop of the Anglican Church until he realized that he was wasting a pulpit from which he could advocate for equality.

"I'd been given this really remarkable opportunity and it would be selfish of me not to be the best steward of that opportunity," he recently told The Associated Press in an interview as he prepares to retire in January. "We went from my consecration, which set off this international controversy, to nine years later seeing gay, lesbian and transgender congregants welcome at all levels of the church, including bishop."

Robinson's election in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican church created an international uproar and led conservative Episcopalians to break away from the main church in the United States.

Robinson, 65, will hand the pastoral staff to his successor, A. Robert Hirschfeld, in a ceremony at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Concord on Jan. 5.

As he prepared to retire after nearly a decade as bishop, Robinson reflected on the crucibles and crusades of his tenure.

He was publicly shunned by church elders, targeted with death threats and says he struggled to strike a balance between being the "good bishop" and the "gay bishop." In the end, he says, they became one and the same.

He is a self-described "off-the-end-of-the-scale extrovert" who bounds across stages and television studios, whether promoting causes or his new book, "God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage."

Robinson said it pained him deeply to be excluded in 2008 from a gathering of Anglican bishops and clergy that occurs every 10 years in England, known as the Lambeth Conference. He said it was the first time since 1867 that a bishop had not been invited.

He traveled to England despite the snub to make his presence known and minister to anyone who wanted his counsel.

"It was probably the hardest thing I've done — to go and bear up under that quite intentional exclusion," Robinson said. "It took me a long time to get over it."

A month before the conference, he entered into a civil union with his long-time partner Mark Andrew. Robinson chuckles that columnists in religious publications speculated he did it to thumb his nose at the conference.

Robinson said it was a coincidence, one he and Andrew didn't realize until after the date was set, and said the timing of the ceremony was driven by far more somber reasons.

"The point was to put in place the protections a civil union would provide if someone made good on these death threats ... before I put myself in harm's way," Robinson said. "I wanted Mark to be as protected as he could be."

Their civil union automatically converted to a marriage when New Hampshire legalized gay marriage in 2010.

Months after the Lambeth Conference, Robinson delivered the invocation at the Lincoln Memorial that kicked off festivities leading up to the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

"That was an enormous honor," Robinson said.

Robinson said he has learned to live with the threats he's received and refuses to turn their rural home into a fortress.

For him, New Hampshire, where he has worked in the Episcopal Diocese for 27 years, has been a safe haven.

"New Hampshire was the one place where I wasn't the gay bishop," he said. "I'm just the bishop. That's been terrific and kind of lifesaving in way."

He has spent every Christmas Eve of the past decade ministering at New Hampshire's women's prison. He calls it his Christmas present to himself.

"I do church work 24-7, but I never feel more like I'm doing God's work than when I'm there," said Robinson, who is giving donations he got for his retirement from the congregation to the chaplain's program at the prison.

Robinson said he would have stayed on as bishop until the mandatory retirement age of 72 had he remained the sole gay voice in the nearly 300-member House of Bishops worldwide. Mary Glasspool, the first openly gay woman to serve as bishop, was elected to lead the diocese of Los Angeles in 2009.

"I never thought about retirement until she was elected," Robinson said. "Now I can move on to do other things."

Robinson will be a part-time senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank founded by John Podesta, former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton. Robinson intends to spend two weeks a month in Washington and focus on immigration and health care reform, poverty and LGBT issues.

After a brief vacation in Palm Springs, Calif., he said he and Andrew will head for Washington to attend Obama's second inauguration as the guest of Rep.-elect Annie Kuster.

"I leave this job loving it more than when I started," Robinson said. "I think the excitement about the future is finally outweighing the grief over the loss."

Iran may open military site to UN nuclear watchdog

Iran may open military site to UN nuclear watchdog

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian official is saying the country may open a controversial military site to inspectors of the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

A Thursday report by independent Mardomsalari daily quotes Deputy Foreign Minister Hasan Qashqavi as saying the inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency may visit Parchin military site "if the foreign threats weaken". He did not elaborate.

As high government officials rarely speak out on such sensitive issues, Qashqavi's remarks were seen as echoing the views of Iran's leadership.

Earlier this month IAEA inspectors on a trip to Tehran failed to visit Parchin, where they believe Iran has carried out some nuclear experiments.

Iran says Parchin is only a conventional military site and denies the West's claims its nuclear program has a military dimension.

Three Afghans dead in new blast at U.S. base in Afghan east

Three Afghans dead in new blast at U.S. base in Afghan east

KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed three people in an attack on a U.S. base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the same base that is believed to be used by the CIA and which a suicide bomber attacked three years ago killing seven CIA employees.

The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in the eastern town of Khost, saying they had sent a suicide bomber driving a van packed with explosives to the base.

"The target was those who serve Americans at that base," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

Afghanistan's NATO-led force said the bomber did not get into the base nor breach its perimeter. Police said the three dead were Afghans who were outside the base, which is beside a military airport.

The al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, widely regarded as the most dangerous U.S. foe in Afghanistan, is active in Khost province, which is on the Pakistani border.

After more than a decade of war, Taliban insurgents are still able to strike strategic military targets, and launch high-profile attacks in the capital, Kabul, and elsewhere.

Three years ago, an al Qaeda-linked Jordanian double-agent killed seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer in a suicide bombing at the same base in Khost, known as Forward Operating Base Chapman.

It was the second deadliest attack in CIA history.

Afghan police official General Abdul Qasim Baqizoy, the Khost police chief, said no CIA agents were hurt on Wednesday.

Afghan authorities are scrambling to improve security across the country before the U.S. combat mission ends in 2014.

Besides pressure from the Taliban, U.S.-led NATO forces also face a rising number of so-called insider attacks, in which Afghan forces turn their weapons on Western troops they are supposed to be working with.

On Monday, an Afghan policewoman killed a U.S. police adviser at the Kabul police headquarters, raising troubling questions about the direction of the war.

It appeared to be the first time that a woman member of Afghanistan's security forces carried out such an attack.

On Tuesday, Afghan officials said the woman has an Iranian passport and moved to Afghanistan 10 years ago. There was no suggestion that Iran was involved in the attack on the American.

Officials suspect she may have been recruited by al Qaeda or the Taliban, and had intended to also kill Afghan police officials.

(Reporting by Elyas Wahdat; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Syria envoy calls for political change to end conflict

Syria envoy calls for political change to end conflict
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Article: Russia says time running out for Syria peace deal

8 hrs ago

Article: Russia's Lavrov says world must seek peaceful solution for Syria

9 hrs ago

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The international envoy seeking a negotiated solution to Syria's 21-month-old conflict said on Thursday political change was needed to end the violence which has killed 44,000 people.

Speaking in Damascus at the end of a five-day trip during which he met President Bashar al-Assad, Lakhdar Brahimi called for a transitional government to rule until elections and said only substantial change would meet demands of ordinary Syrians.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added to the envoy's call for a peaceful solution when he told a senior Syrian diplomat that only a "broad inter-Syria dialogue and political process" could end the crisis.

Brahimi's push for a transitional government suggested he was trying to build on an international agreement in Geneva six months ago which said a provisional body - which might include members of Assad's government as well as the opposition - should lead the country into a new election.

But the mainly Sunni Muslim Syrian rebels have seized the military initiative since the Geneva meeting in June and the political opposition has ruled out any transitional government in which Assad, from Syria's Alawite minority, plays a role.

Rebel fighters resumed attacks on Thursday against the military base of Wadi Deif, which lies next to Syria's main north-south highway linking Aleppo with Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based opposition group which monitors the violence, said rebels also clashed with Assad's forces inside the Minakh air base in Aleppo province after several days of fighting outside its perimeter, although the army still controlled the base itself.

Around the capital, Assad has used artillery and air strikes for weeks to try to dislodge rebels from suburbs which ring the east and south of the city.

"Certainly it was clear in Geneva, and it's even clearer now that the change which is needed is not cosmetic or superficial," Brahimi told a news conference in Damascus before leaving Syria.

"I believe the Syrian people need, want and aspire to genuine change and everyone knows what this means," he said.

"A government must be created ... with all the powers of the state," Brahimi added. He said it should hold power for a transitional period until elections - either for a new president or a new parliament - are held.

"This transitional process must not lead to the ... collapse of state institutions. All Syrians, and those who support them, must cooperate to preserve those institutions and strengthen them," he said.

Radwan Ziadeh of the opposition Syrian National Council dismissed Brahimi's proposal as "unrealistic and fanciful" and said a transitional government could not be built on the same "security and intelligence structure as the existing regime".

TOO SOON FOR COMPLETE PLAN

Russia's Lavrov met Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Makdad in Moscow on Thursday. Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying the chances of forging a solution based on the Geneva agreement were decreasing, but it was necessary to keep seeking a peaceful solution because the alternative is "bloody chaos".

"The longer it continues, the broader its scale and the worse (it will be) for everyone," it quoted Lavrov as saying.

Syrian and Lebanese sources said Makdad had been sent to Moscow to discuss details of a peace plan proposed by Brahimi.

Brahimi is due in Moscow on Saturday and said he also expected to have a third joint meeting with U.S. and Russian officials soon following two rounds of talks earlier this month. But he denied the existence of a U.S.-Russian plan to end the crisis and said it was too soon to present a "complete plan".

"What is preferred is that we don't present such a plan until we feel that all sides have agreed to it. That way, implementing it is easy. If that doesn't happen, the other solution could be to go to the (United Nations) Security Council to issue a binding resolution for everyone," he said.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman also denied any joint initiative between Moscow and Washington.

World powers remain divided over what has become an increasingly sectarian struggle, with Sunni Muslim states such as Turkey and the Gulf Arab countries supporting the rebels while Shi'ite Iran and Hezbollah have backed Assad, whose Alawite community has its roots in Shi'ite Islam.

Syria's struggle "has taken a vicious form of sectarian confrontation", Brahimi said. "Syrian officials foremost, as well as the international community, must not let Syria slide down this very dangerous path which threatens the future of Syria."

Deep differences between Western powers opposed to Assad - led by the United States - and Russia and China which have supported his government, have left the U.N. Security Council paralyzed and largely sidelined throughout the conflict.

The political stalemate has helped transform a once-peaceful uprising into a civil war in which rebels have grown in military strength and taken control of swathes of territory in the north, leaving Assad increasingly reliant on air power to curb them.

Activists in the central province of Hama, where rebels launched an offensive last week to extend their control southwards towards the capital, reported on Thursday that rebels shot down a MiG fighter near the town of Morek.

The Syrian Observatory said air force fighters launched three raids on rebel forces around Wadi Deif. The British-based group also reported fierce clashes in the area.

The violence has been accompanied by an escalation in apparently sectarian attacks between the Sunni Muslim majority and minorities such as Assad's Alawite sect, which has largely supported the president.

Activists in Hama uploaded a video of what appeared to be Assad soldiers and shabbiha militia members stabbing the body of a dead man and setting it on fire. The man looked as if he had been beaten to death.

"This is a terrorist, a brother of a whore, one of those trying to destroy the country," one of the men shouted. Two men in camouflage uniforms and army helmets stood by watching. Samer al-Hamawi, an activist from Hama, said rebels in his area found the video on the phone of a soldier they captured this week.

The video emerged a day after Islamist rebel units released footage showing the bodies of dozens of Assad's fighters along a highway near an Alawite town in Hama.

(Additional reporting by Marwan Makdesi in Damascus and Steve Gutterman in Moscow; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Pope's Christmas message focuses on Mideast, China

Pope's Christmas message focuses on Mideast, China
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — In his Christmas message to the world Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI called for an end to the slaughter in Syria and for more meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, while encouraging more religious freedom under China's new leaders.

Delivering the traditional speech from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Benedict also encouraged Arab spring nations, especially Egypt, to build just and respectful societies.

The pope prayed that China's new leadership may "esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each other" to help build a "fraternal society for the benefit of that noble people."

It was a clear reference to the Chinese government's often harsh treatment of Catholics loyal to the pontiff instead of to the state-sanctioned church. Earlier this month, the Vatican refused to accept the decision by Chinese authorities to revoke the title of a Shanghai bishop, who had been appointed in a rare show of consensus between the Holy See and China.

As the 85-year-old pontiff, bundled up in an ermine-trimmed red cape, gingerly stepped foot on the balcony, the pilgrims, tourists and Romans below backing St. Peter's Square erupted in cheers.

Less than 12 hours earlier, Benedict had led a two-hour long Christmas Eve ceremony in the basilica. He sounded hoarse and looked weary as he read his Christmas message and then holiday greetings in 65 languages.

In his "Urbi et Orbi" speech, which traditionally reviews world events and global challenges, Benedict prayed that "peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict that does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims."

He called for easier access to help refugees and for "dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict."

Benedict prayed that God "grant Israelis and Palestinians courage to end long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path to negotiation."

Israel, backed by the United States, opposed the Palestinian statehood bid, saying it was a ploy to bypass negotiations, something the Palestinians deny. Talks stalled four years ago.

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said that in a meeting with the pope last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "emphasized our total readiness to resume negotiations." The Palestinians have not dropped their demand that Israel first stop settlement activities before returning to the negotiating table.

Hours earlier, in the ancient Bethlehem church built over the site where tradition holds Jesus was born, candles illuminated the sacred site and the joyous sound of prayer filled its overflowing halls.

Overcast skies and a cold wind in the Holy Land didn't dampen the spirits of worshippers in the biblical West Bank town. Bells pealed and long lines formed inside the fourth-century Church of the Nativity complex as Christian faithful waited to see the grotto that is Jesus' traditional birthplace.

Duncan Hardock, 24, a writer from MacLean, Virginia, traveled to Bethlehem from the republic of Georgia, where he had been teaching English. After passing through the separation barrier Israel built to ward off West Bank attackers, he walked to Bethlehem's Manger Square where the church stands.

"I feel we got to see both sides of Bethlehem in a really short period of time," Hardock said. "On our walk from the wall, we got to see the lonesome, closed side of Bethlehem ... But the moment we got into town, we're suddenly in the middle of the party."

Bethlehem lies 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Jerusalem. Entry to the city is controlled by Israel, which occupied the West Bank in 1967.

For those who couldn't fit into the cavernous Bethlehem church, a loudspeaker outside broadcast the Christmas day service to hundreds of faithful in the square.

Their Palestinian hosts, who welcome this holiday as the high point of their city's year, were especially joyous this season, proud of the United Nations' recognition of an independent state of Palestine just last month.

"From this holy place, I invite politicians and men of good will to work with determination for peace and reconciliation that encompasses Palestine and Israel in the midst of all the suffering in the Middle East," said the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal in his annual address.

Back at the Vatican, Benedict offered encouragement to countries after the Arab spring of democracy protests. He had a special word for Egypt, "blessed by the childhood of Jesus."

Without citing the tumultuous politics and clashes in the region, he urged the North African region to build societies "founded on justice and respect for the dignity of every person."

Benedict prayed for the return of peace in Mali and harmony in Nigeria, where, he recalled "savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians."

The Vatican for decades has been worried about the well-being of its flock in China, who are loyal to the pope in defiance of the communist's government support of an officially sponsored church, and relations between Beijing and the Holy See are often tense.

Speaking about China's newly installed regime leaders, Benedict expressed hope that "they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each other, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble people and of the whole world."

Acknowledging Latin America's predominant Christian population, he urged government leaders to carry out commitments to development and to fighting organized crime.

In Britain, the royal family was attending Christmas Day church services at St. Mary Magdelene Church on Queen Elizabeth II's sprawling Sandringham estate, though there were a few notable absences. Prince William is spending the holiday with his pregnant wife Kate and his in-laws in the southern England village of Bucklebury, while Prince Harry is serving with British troops in Afghanistan.

Later Tuesday, the queen delivered her traditional, prerecorded Christmas message, which for the first time was broadcast in 3D.

At Canterbury cathedral, Anglican leader Rowan Williams delivered his final Christmas day sermon as archbishop of Canterbury. He acknowledged how the church's General Synod's vote against allowing women to become bishops had cost credibility and said the faithful felt a "real sense of loss" over the decision.

In the U.S., the Rev. Jesse Jackson brought his message of anti-violence and gun control to a Chicago jail, using his traditional Christmas Day sermon at the facility to challenge inmates to help get guns off the streets.

"We've all been grieving about the violence in Newtown, Connecticut, the last few days," he told reporters after addressing inmates, referring to the school shooting that killed 26 children and adults. "Most of those here today ... have either shot somebody or been shot. We're recruiting them to help us stop the flow of guns."

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Dalia Nammari in Bethlehem, Cassandra Vinograd in London and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

Worried Egypt slaps new controls on travelling with cash

Worried Egypt slaps new controls on travelling with cash

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has banned travelers from carrying more than $10,000 in foreign currency in or out of the country, as officials worry over pressure on its pound currency and a rush by Egyptians to withdraw their savings from banks.

Political turmoil over the past month has raised fears among ordinary citizens and investors that the government - which has pushed back talks to seal IMF funding till January - may not be able to get its fragile finances under control.

The central bank has spent more than $20 billion of its foreign reserves to support the pound since the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. It now has only $15 billion, equal to only about three months of imports cover.

The uprising drove away tourists and foreign investors alike, freezing growth, pushing the state budget deficit into double digits as a percentage of national output and worsening its balance of payments.

On Monday, Standard & Poors' cut Egypt's long-term credit rating and said another downgrade was possible if deepening political turbulence undermined efforts to prop up the economy and public finances.

Presidential spokesman Yasser Ali on Tuesday confirmed the new government currency restriction, which includes U.S. dollars or their equivalent in other foreign currencies. The decision also forbids sending cash through the mail.

The decision prohibits all travelers from "bringing foreign currency into the country or carrying it out to only $10,000".

Any funds over $10,000 must be transferred electronically, Ali added.

Previously, travelers were simply required to declare any amounts above $10,000 to authorities on their way in or out.

The central bank has already limited Egyptians from transferring more than a cumulative $100,000 out of the country since the uprising nearly two years ago unless they can demonstrate a pressing need for the funds.

Many wealthier Egyptians have reached their limit and are no longer able to send funds abroad.

IMF ACCORD

The crisis has complicated a $4.8 billion loan the government is seeking from the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF had been due to approve the loan on December 19, but the government asked for a delay after it cancelled a series of unpopular austerity measures deemed essential for its approval.

Bankers said depositors had been withdrawing greater amounts of cash from their accounts since President Mohamed Mursi issued a constitutional declaration last month that expanded his powers and threw the country into political crisis.

The constitutional declaration has led to occasional street battles between supporters and opponents of Mursi.

"Since the clashes on November 28 and after the announcement that the IMF loan was delayed for a month some dollarization started to take place, mainly through cash transactions," said an official at the treasury of a Cairo-based bank.

Depositors have also been spooked by an unexpected weakening of the Egyptian pound, which the central bank has allowed to fall by about 1 percent over the last month, he added.

Seeking to quell what it called these "public rumors", the central bank on Monday said it was taking all steps needed to safeguard deposits in Egyptian banks whether denominated in local or foreign currencies.

Ayman Osama, father of two young children, said he withdrew the equivalent of $16,000 from his account this week and planned to withdraw more in the coming days.

"I have been hearing that the central bank is going to take over all our bank deposits to pay wages for government employees given the current deteriorating economic situation," he said. "I am not going to put any more money in the bank and neither will many of the people I know."

One Egyptian who wanted to buy $10,000 last week said he had to go to many currency exchange shops before he could find sufficient dollars because most shops had run out.

Bankers said the rush had left banks and money changers short of dollars, but that more bank notes had been ordered from abroad.

"We are having a shortage of dollars these last few days. It therefore may be difficult to pull out money. But the shortage should be solved in a week," an official at one Cairo bank told Reuters.

In a note published last week, EFG Hermes economist Mohamed Abu Basha lowered his forecast for the currency to 6.60 pounds to the U.S. dollar by the end of 2013 from an earlier forecast of 6.40 pounds.

"An extensive delay in the IMF deal will definitely lead to disorderly devaluation, which is likely to take the USD-EGP up to 7.0 pounds, where dollarization would be the crack to the system," Abu Basha wrote.

(Additional reporting Marwa Awad and Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Pravin Char and Patrick Graham)

'Mom' Loses Russian Girl Weeks From Adoption

'Mom' Loses Russian Girl Weeks From Adoption

After a roller coaster week, Kendra Skaggs sat down to vent on her blog. She had used that space to document her 13 month journey of adopting a young girl named Polina from Russia. But now, with that dream just weeks away from fulfillment, she described her frustration, fear and anger as she watched it being snatched away.

"I have no control. I'm on the other side of the world and I can't hold and comfort my daughter as I wait to hear if we will forever be separated," she wrote in a passionate entry

Her writing seemed to speak for hundreds of American parents whose hopes of adopting a Russian orphan were dashed today when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a controversial ban on adoptions to the United States. The move is part of Russia's retaliation for a set of human rights sanctions passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this month. Critics, including the U.S. State Department, say the adoption ban is playing politics with the lives of children.

Russia is the third most popular country for Americans to adopt from, but in recent years the issue has become a political football in Russia. Americans have adopted over 60,000 Russian children since the fall of the Soviet Union, but Russian officials have seized on the cases of 19 children who died after being adopted by Americans.

In 2010, a 7-year-old adopted boy named Artyom was put on a plane back to Russia alone by his adoptive mother from Tennessee with little more than a note saying she did not want him anymore. The case touched off a wave of fury in Russia and adoptions to the United States were nearly halted.

The Many Adventures of Vladimir Putin

Just a week ago Kendra and her husband visited Polina at her orphanage outside Moscow. The bubbly 5-year-old suffers from spina bifida, a condition that has left her numb from the waist down and unable to walk. They showed Polina photos of her new bedroom and told her about her new family. They played together, hugged each other, and promised to see each other soon when they returned in January to bring her home to Arkansas.

The adoption ban legislation, meanwhile, had just been introduced by Russian lawmakers. Kendra had hoped their case, which was nearly completed, would sneak in under the wire. She held out hope again after a Moscow court approved her adoption on Monday. All that was needed was a 30 day waiting period before they could bring Polina home.

It appears even that was too late. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, but Russian officials have said even cases of 52 children who are within weeks of traveling to the United States are now frozen. Authorities have pledged to find new homes for them in Russia.

For the Skaggs family, it is agonizing to be so close to bringing her home, yet so far. Kendra fears Polina will think she was abandoned again.

"It's the fear of what she is going to think, that we forgot her," she said in an interview with ABC News.

"She's out there and I can't take care of her," she said, crying softly. "I can't help her. I can't tell her I love her. So it's really hard."

She also worries what will happen to Polina in Russia, a country with scarce accommodations for the handicapped.

"Russia really isn't set up for people with disabilities. You can't get into the metro even to get around because it's just levels and levels of stairs that you have to go up and down and there's no handicapped access to the buildings," Kendra said.

Putin's Adoption Ban Breaks Kendra Skaggs' Heart

Hundreds of thousands of children languish in what are often described as Russia's under-resourced orphanages. Many of them, like Polina, have special needs, which is one of the reasons they may have been given up at birth. Often those children face an uncertain future once they leave the orphanage system when they turn 18.

Kendra described Polina as a fiercely independent, intelligent, and determined young girl.

"She's very loving, very kind. She loves to sing and dance to music and listen to the music," she said.

In a home video that Kendra and her husband took with their cell phones, a beaming Polina proudly counts to 10 in English. In another she waves hello to her new grandparents. An overjoyed look envelops her face as she realizes that she will soon have grandparents. In another she tells Kendra she loves her.

With no way of contacting Polina, Kendra said she wishes she could send her a simple message.

"I would tell her we love her and to be strong and that were going to do everything we can to come back and get her. Everything that's in our power. We want to bring her home with us and have her to be our daughter," she said.

"I'd give anything to go see her and just wrap her in my arms and tell her I love her and to bring her home," she said.

At the end of their last visit, Kendra, mindful of the pending legislation, broke down in tears as she said goodbye. This time it was Polina who comforted her.

"Don't cry mommy, be strong,'" she said.

Also Read

Illinois could be next state to legalize gay marriage

Illinois could be next state to legalize gay marriage

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois could become the next U.S. state to legalize gay marriage with a bill set to be introduced in the state Senate in early January, even before a new legislature takes office with a super-majority of Democrats in both houses.

Buoyed by November election referendum victories for gay marriage in Maryland, Maine and Washington state, gay marriage supporters in Illinois said they plan to press for approval in the Democrat-majority legislature. If it passes, that would make Illinois the tenth state to approve same sex nuptials.

Approval in President Barack Obama's home state would be a symbolic victory for gay rights activists after the president endorsed same sex marriage in May.

Chicago state Senator Heather Steans will introduce a gay marriage proposal next week, said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.

"The Senate president and Senator Steans are confident they have the votes to pass a same-sex marriage bill," Phelon said.

Even if Illinois lawmakers fail to approve gay marriage before a newly-elected legislature takes office on January 10, there is a reasonable chance of passage later in the year because Democrats gained seats in the November election and will have super-majorities in both chambers.

No Midwest state has approved gay marriage by a vote of its legislature. Iowa's Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that same sex marriage was legal, a decision some opponents have been trying to overturn ever since.

In June, 2011, Illinois legalized civil unions, which grant some of the rights of marriage to same sex partners. But gay rights activists said that did not go far enough.

All prominent Democrats in Illinois have endorsed gay marriage, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn.

One issue to be resolved is whether Illinois should allow religious groups the option of declining to perform same-sex marriages. New York granted such an exception in 2011 in order to secure the legislative votes to legalize gay marriage there.

A bill introduced in the Illinois House, where support is not as strong as in the state Senate, offers such a religious exemption. Democrats hold a majority in the House too.

Last week, at least 260 Illinois faith leaders including representatives of several Jewish congregations and Protestant denominations, published a letter supporting same sex marriage.

"There can be no justification for the law treating people differently on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity," the letter says.

But the Catholic Conference of Illinois, which represents Catholic bishops in the state, said on its website that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman.

In addition to the three states which voted in November to legalize gay marriage, six others allow it - Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire, plus the District of Columbia.

(Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Claudia Parsons)

FBI removes many redactions in Marilyn Monroe file

FBI removes many redactions in Marilyn Monroe file
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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 friends who drew concern from government officials and her own entourage.

But the records, 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 files 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

Duh! 12 Obvious Science Findings of 2012

Duh! 12 Obvious Science Findings of 2012

For scientists, an answer to a question, or solution to a problem, is not true until proven so. And sometimes that means revealing what mere mortals already knew, like, say the fact that getting to the hospital quicker can save heart-attack victims, or, the seemingly far-fetched idea that exercise is good for you.

Here are a few of the most obvious findings of 2012.1. Good partners make good parents Perhaps not the most shocking news in the world: Marry a good, secure partner, and you can expect them to become a good, secure parent.The same skills that make people good in romantic relationships make them good at building relationships with their kids, researchers reported Dec. 6 in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Among the key traits are cooperation and communication. [10 Scientific Tips for Raising Happy Kids]While this may seem self-evident, researchers say that empirically linking the same skills to the two types of relationships may translate to better self-help and therapy. Fix one relationship, and you may fix them both.2. We all want to date a hottieSure, you may say you look for a good sense of humor and a sweet disposition, but deep down, you have to admit a pretty face wouldn't go amiss.Both men and women unconsciously desire a sexually attractive partner, a study released in January found.Using a high-speed word association test, the researchers found that people responded faster to words linked to sexiness, no matter how low they claimed to prioritize the physical. The mismatch between what we say we want and what we want may be why online dating meet-ups sometimes go astray, the researchers said.3. Pre-gamers drink moreDo the math: If you drink before you go out and then drink while you go out, you end up drinking more than if you hadn't had anything to drink before you went out. In other words, those who "pre-game" get drunker than those who just belly up to the bar, according to research published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research."Pre-drinking is a pernicious drinking pattern that is likely to lead people to cumulate two normal drinking occasions — one off-premise followed by one on-premise — and generally results in excessive alcohol consumption," study researcher Florian Labhart of Addiction Switzerland, where the study was conducted, said in a statement. "Excessive consumption and adverse consequences are not simply related to the type of people who pre-drink, but rather to the practice of pre-drinking itself."4. People with more experience make better decisionsOkay, so pre-drinking is a bad decision — and thus, a choice the more experienced would automatically avoid, according to a study released in December in the journal Organizational Decision Making and Human Decision Processes. People with more experience in a field (in this case, basketball or designer goods), were better at making intuitive judgments about that field than newbies, the study found. But the experienced were no better at making decisions than amateurs when told to reason out their choices analytically. In other words, it’s okay to go with your gut — but only if you know what you're talking about.5. Keeping guns out of the hands of troubled individuals saves livesIn a report that would tragically prove very timely this year, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found that keeping guns away from high-risk individuals prevents gun violence. These individuals include criminals, those with a history of domestic violence, the mentally ill, people under age 21 and substance abusers.The report also found that the availability of high-capacity magazines increased deaths in mass shootings. [The 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors]"Mass shootings bring public attention to the exceptionally high rate of gun violence in the U.S., but policy discussions rarely focus on preventing the daily gun violence that results in an average of 30 lives lost every day," said study author Daniel Webster, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. "Addressing weaknesses in existing gun laws by expanding prohibitions for criminals, perpetrators of domestic violence, youth, and drug abusers, and closing the loopholes that allow prohibited persons to obtain guns can be effective strategies to reduce gun violence. It is important to note that making these changes to our gun laws would not disarm law-abiding adults."6. Exercise is good for youIf you haven't heard by now that getting moving is good for you, you might want to get with the times. Perhaps also not new news to those who enjoy a good endorphin buzz: Exercise improves mental health as well as physical.A study published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science in September found that both the improved body image that came with exercise and the social interaction inherent in organized sports made teens less likely to suffer from mental problems such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse. The study controlled for factors such as socioeconomic background, age and gender. ??7. Calling an ambulance improves heart attack survivalThink you're having a heart attack? Dial 911. Believe it or not, paramedics really do save lives.Research presented at the Acute Care Cardiac Congress in October found that only 29 percent of Turkish patients having heart attacks went to the hospital by ambulance, despite the fact that this service is free in Turkey. Taking a cab or driving one's own car was slower than an ambulance ride and delayed crucial treatment, the study found.8. Guys are more into their girl friends than vice versaApparently some stereotypes about guys and sex are true. It turns out that college-age guys report more sexual interest in their platonic female friends than vice versa, though these crushes are usually described as more of a burden than a boon. [Busted! 6 Gender Myths in the Bedroom & Beyond]In post-college-age adults, about half of the participants in the study, which was released in May, spontaneously mentioned attraction as a burden to their cross-sex friendships. Nevertheless, study researchers said, male-female friendships can be successful.9. Smoking a lot of pot can make your mind fuzzy

Yes, science has done it again: Heavy marijuana use can mess with a teen's brain. The study, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that of the 1,000 New Zealanders followed, those who started using pot as teenagers and used it for years afterward lost some of their smarts; more specifically, they had an average decline in IQ of 8 points, between age 13 and age 38.

"The simple message is that substance use is not healthy for kids," study researcher Avshalom Caspi, a psychologist at Duke University and the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, said in a statement. "That's true for tobacco, alcohol, and apparently for cannabis."10. Driving when drunk is unsafe

Drinking and driving really is dangerous. A study out this year showed that as a person's blood-alcohol level increased so did their risk of being killed or involved in a fatal crash, regardless of their age. For instance, compared with sober drivers of the same age, individuals who were ages 16 to 20 with a blood alcohol between 0.02 and 0.05 were nearly three times as likely to be involved in a fatal crash. The study, detailed in May in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, also found that more underage females who have been drinking alcohol are at risk for being in a fatal car crash compared with 2007. The researchers aren't sure what's behind the increase, but speculate girls are taking more risks nowadays.11. High heels are bad for your feet

Cramming your feet into tight-fitting shoes with inches-long heels on the bottom can hurt your feet. The new finding out this year? High heel-wearing is linked to ingrown toenails. So who would've guessed that wearing tight-fitting shoes with a steep slope down is one of the most common causes a foot problem in which the toes get compressed so much that the big toenail grows into the skin? But seriously, while often an ingrown nail is just an annoyance, it can get infected and even require surgical removal of the entire nail.

To avoid the pesky podiatry problem, Rodney Stuck, a professor of podiatry at the Loyola University Health System, recommended buying less-tight-fitting heels (yes), and ditching the fashion statements on days when you plan to do a lot of walking and standing.12. Screaming at your child is harmful to your child

Psychological child abuse, such as belittling, terrorizing, exploiting and neglecting emotionally, can damage a kid's health.???"We are talking about extremes and the likelihood of harm, or risk of harm, resulting from the kinds of behavior that make a child feel worthless, unloved or unwanted," Dr. Harriet MacMillan of McMaster University said in a statement. MacMillan added that examples would include a mother leaving her infant alone in a crib all day or a father pulling his teen into his own drug habit. Such abuse can be as harmful to children as physical harm, the researchers reported in August in the journal Pediatrics.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.

50 Sultry Facts About Sex The 10 Weirdest Animal Discoveries of 2012 Trippy Tales: The History of 8 Hallucinogens Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Queen delivers 1st Christmas message in 3D

Queen delivers 1st Christmas message in 3D

LONDON (AP) -- Queen Elizabeth II has hailed the holidays in a new dimension, delivering her Christmas message for the first time in 3D.

In the annual, prerecorded broadcast, the monarch paid tribute to the armed forces, "whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends" over the holidays, and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of enthusiasm for her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The queen said she was struck by the "strength of fellowship and friendship" shown by well-wishers to mark her 60 years on the throne.

"It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago," she said as footage showed crowds lining the Thames River in the rain earlier this year for a boat pageant. "People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations."

The queen also reflected on Britain's hosting of the Olympic games in 2012, praising the "skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes" and singling out the volunteers who devoted themselves "to keeping others safe, supported and comforted."

Elizabeth's message aired shortly after she attended a traditional church service at St. Mary Magdelene Church on her sprawling Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Wearing a turquoise coat and matching hat, the monarch rode to church in a Bentley, accompanied by granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie. Her husband, Prince Philip, walked from the house to the church with other members of the royal family.

Three familiar faces were missing from the family outing. Prince William is spending the holiday with his pregnant wife Kate and his in-laws in the southern England village of Bucklebury. Prince Harry is serving with British troops in Afghanistan.

After the church service, the royals usually gather to watch the queen's prerecorded television broadcast, a tradition that began with a radio address by King George V in 1932.

The queen has made a prerecorded Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957. She writes the speeches herself and the broadcasts mark the rare occasion on which the queen voices her own opinion without government consultation.

Her switch to 3D was not the only technological leap for prominent British figures this Christmas.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York chose to tweet their sermons for the first time, in order to bring Christmas to a new digital audience.

In his speech, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said he has been inspired by meeting victims of suffering over the past decade while leading the world's 80 million-strong Anglican Communion.

Delivering his final Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, Williams also acknowledged how a vote against allowing women to become bishops has damaged the credibility of the church.

Still, he said, it was "startling" to see after the vote how many people "turned out to have a sort of investment in the church, a desire to see the church looking credible and a real sense of loss when — as they saw it — the church failed to sort its business out."

Look Up! 13 Must-See Stargazing Events in 2013

Look Up! 13 Must-See Stargazing Events in 2013
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As 2012 comes to a close, some might wonder what is looming sky-wise for 2013.What celestial events might we look forward to seeing??

I’ve selected what I consider the top 13"skylights" (get it?) for the coming year, and have listed them in chronological order. Not all these night sky events will be visible from any one locality (you may have to travel to catch all the eclipses), but you can observe many of them from the comfort of your backyard, weather permitting.

The next year also promises two potentially bright comets: PANSTARRS and ISON. As any astronomer can tell you, comets are notoriously capricious; we can only guess at how bright they will get and how long their respective tails will be. We’ll just have to wait and see.

In general, 2013 promises an action-packed 12 months for stargazers. Hopefully, your local weather will cooperate on most, if not all of these dates. The following list below includes some of the most promising night sky events of the upcoming year!?[100 Best Space Photos of 2012]

Jan. 21: Very Close Moon/Jupiter Conjunction

For North Americans, this is a real head-turner, one easily visible even from brightly lit cities. A waxing gibbous moon, 78-percent illuminated, will pass within less than a degree to the south of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. (For reference, your closed fist held out at arm's length covers 10 degrees of the sky.)

These two bright luminaries will make their closest approach high in the evening sky for all to see. What’s even more interesting is that this will be the closest moon-Jupiter conjunction until the year 2026! [Amazing Photos: Jupiter and the Moon]

Feb. 2 to 23: Best Evening View of Mercury

Mercury, the "elusive" innermost planet, will travel far enough from the glare of the sun to be readily visible in the western sky, soon after sunset. On the evening of Feb. 8, Mercury will skim within less than 0.4 degrees of the much-fainter planet, Mars.?

Mercury will arrive at its greatest elongation from the sun on Feb.16. It will be quite bright (-1.2 to -0.6 magnitude) before this date and will fade rapidly to +1.2 magnitude thereafter.(Astronomers measure the brightness of sky objects using magnitude, a reverse scale in which lower numbers correspond to brighter objects. Negative magnitudes denote exceptional brightness.)

March 10 to 24: Comet PANSTARRS at Its Best!?

Comet PANSTARRS, discovered in June 2011 using the Pan-STARRS 1 Telescope at Haleakala, Hawaii, is expected to put on its best show during this two-week period. During this time, the comet will also be near its closest approaches to the sun (28 million miles, or 45 million kilometers) and Earth (102 million miles, or 164 million km).

While Comet PANSTARRS was a very dim and distant object at the time of its discovery, it has brightened steadily since then. It still appears on target to reach at least first magnitude and should be visible low in the west-northwest sky shortly after sunset. On the evening of March 12, the comet will be situated 4 degrees to the right of an exceedingly thin crescent moon.

April 25: Partial Lunar Eclipse

This will be a very minor partial lunar eclipse, with the moon's uppermost limb merely grazing the Earth's dark, umbral shadow. At mid-eclipse, less than 2 percent of the moon's diameter will be inside the dark shadow. The Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Africa, Australia and most of Asia) will have the best view.

This lunar eclipse will not be visible from North America.

May 9: Annular Eclipse of the Sun

During annular solar eclipse?(also known as a "Ring of Fire" eclipse), the long, umbral shadow cone of the moon is too short to reach the Earth. In angular size, the moon's disk appears about 4.5 percent smaller than the disk of the sun. So, the effect is like placing a penny atop a nickel: a ring of sunlight remains visible surrounding the moon.?

The shadow path from where the ring can be seen runs for thousands of miles, but will get no wider than 107 miles (172 km) at the point of greatest eclipse. Much of the path falls over the Pacific Ocean, but at or soon after local sunrise, it will slice across a part of northern Australia (where it will be the morning of May 10) and the extreme eastern tip of Papua New Guinea, along with some of the nearby Solomon Islands.?

At the point of greatest eclipse, the ring phase will last 6 minutes, 4 seconds. Hawaiians will see a partial eclipse when, at 3:48 p.m. Hawaii time, the moon will obscure about 32 percent of the sun's disk.

May 24 to 30: Dance of the Planets

Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will provide a fascinating show low in the west-northwest twilight sky soon after sunset. They will seemingly shuffle around each other, changing their positions noticeably from one evening to the next. The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter,will be separated by just over 1 degree on May 28, with Venus passing to the northwest (upper right) of Jupiter and shining more than six times brighter than Jupiter.

June 23: Biggest Full Moon of 2013

On June 23, the moon turns full at 7:32 a.m. EDT(1132 GMT),and just 32 minutes earlier it will arrive at its closest point to the Earth in 2013 at a distance of 221,824 miles (356,991 km), making it a so-called supermoon.Expect a large range in ocean tides (exceptionally low to exceptionally high) for?the next few days.?

Aug. 12: The Perseid Meteor Shower

The annual Perseid meteor shower?is considered among the best of the annual displays thanks to its high rates of up to 90-meteors-per-hour for a single observer, as well as its reliability. The shower is beloved by summer campers and often discovered by city dwellers who might be spending time in the country under dark, starry skies.?

This past summer, the moon was a fat waning crescent and presented a minor nuisance during the meteor shower. But in 2013, the moon will be a couple of days before first quarter and will set during the evening hours, leaving the rest of the night dark for prospective observers.

Oct. 18: Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon

The moon?slides through the northern part of the Earth's penumbral shadow during this lunar eclipse event.

At mid-eclipse, 76 percent of the moon's diameter will be immersed in the penumbra, probably deep enough to cause a faint, yet discernible darkening of the moon's lower limb. The region of visibility includes much of Asia, Europe and Africa. The central and eastern portion of North America will get a view of the slightly darkened Hunters' Moon during the early evening hours.

Nov. 3: Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun

This is a rather unusual solar eclipse in that, along its track, which runs for 8,450 miles (13,600 km) across the Earth's surface, the eclipse quickly morphs from annular to total; it is therefore known to astronomers as a "hybrid eclipse."

Truth be told, along most of the track, the eclipse appears as a total, with a very thin annulus (or ring) of sunlight visible near the very beginning of the track. The track of the central line of this eclipse begins in the Atlantic about 545 miles (875 km)southwest of Bermuda. So, along North America's Atlantic Coast, interested viewers (using proper viewing devices, such as pinhole projection or #14 welders glass) will only see the dark disk of the moon exiting the sun's face at sunrise.

The eclipse track will pass south of the Cape Verde Islands, then curve southeastward parallel to the African coastline. The greatest eclipse, with 100 seconds of totality and the path width reaching a maximum of just 36 miles (58 km), occurs approximately 250 miles (402 km) off the coast of Liberia. The shadow track will then sweep across central Africa, passing over sections of Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya, before ending at sunset at the Ethiopia-Somalia border.??

Mid-November Through December: Comet ISON

On Sep. 21, 2012, two amateur astronomers (Vitali Nevski of Belarus and Artyom Novichonok of Russia)used a telescope owned by the International Scientific Optical Network to discover a new comet that was christened using the acronym of the instrument used to find it: Comet ISON.

Orbital calculations indicate that comet ISON will travel closest to the sun, less than 750,000 miles (1.2 million km) above the sun's surface, making it a true "sungrazer," on Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day in the United States).

The comet could eventually be bright enough to be visible in broad daylight around the time of its nearest approach to the sun. It will then travel toward Earth, passing within 40 million miles (64 million km) of our planet a month later.

Since comet ISON will become very well placed for viewing in the morning and evening sky from the Northern Hemisphere during the following weeks, it could become one of the most watched comets of all time.?

December (all month): Dazzling Venus

Venus, the brightest of all the planets, puts on a holiday show all month long, and what a spectacular one it is! Venus is the showiest it will be for all of 2013 and 2014 either in the evening or morning sky. It adorns the southwestern evening sky as much as three hours after sundown at the beginning of the month, and 1.5 hours after sundown by New Year's Eve. A lovely, crescent moon passes well above and to the right of the planeton Dec. 5, and the next night Venus will reach the pinnacle of its brilliance; Venus won’t be as bright an "evening star" again until 2021.?

Dec. 13 to 14: Geminid Meteor Shower

If there is one meteor display guaranteed to put on a very entertaining show, it is the Geminid meteor shower. Most meteor experts now place it at the top of the list, as it surpasses in brilliance and reliability even August's Perseids.?

Unfortunately, in 2013, the moon will be several days before full phase and will light up the sky for much of the night, hiding many of the fainter meteors. But around 4:30 a.m. (your local time), the moon will have finally set, leaving the sky completely dark for about an hour. That will be your chance to make as many as two meteor sightings per minute, or 120 per hour!

So stargazers mark your calendars: 2013 promises to be a great year for skywatching, and if you take an impressive photo of the night sky, let us know!

Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing night-sky photo and would like to share it with SPACE.com for a possible story or gallery, please send images and comments (including your name and the photo's location) to managing editor Tariq Malik at:?spacephotos@space.com.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The?New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.?Follow SPACE.com on Twitter?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

10 Most Popular Skywatching Misconceptions Explained Best Telescopes for Beginners | Telescope Reviews & Buying Guide 6 Stellar Places for Skywatching in the US Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

France says it will protect French interests in Cent. African Republic, not

France says it will protect French interests in Cent. African Republic, not

BANGUI, Central African Republic - The French president says France is in Central African Republic to protect French interests and not "to protect a regime."

The comments from Francois Hollande come Thursday as France faces pressure to help Central African Republic's government fight off a rapid rebel advance.

On Wednesday, protesters threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui, criticizing the former colonial power for failing to do more. Air France confirmed Wednesday that its once-a-week flight to Bangui turned back because of the protests.

Bangui, a city of about 600,000 people, could be the scene of a battle between government forces and rebels who have seized at least 10 towns. The rebels signed a 2007 peace accord, allowing them to join the regular army. But the group's leaders say the deal wasn't fully implemented.

White House urges parties in dock dispute to come to terms

White House urges parties in dock dispute to come to terms

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday urged dock workers, port owners and shippers to resolve a labor dispute that threatens to deteriorate into a strike that could affect 15 ports on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

"Federal mediators are assisting with the negotiations, and we continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the parties to continue their work at the negotiating table to get a deal done as quickly as possible," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said.

Dock workers, port operators and shippers face a deadline on Saturday for resolving the dispute.

The International Longshoremen's Association, the union representing the dock workers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, a group of shippers and port operators, are deadlocked over an employment contract that expired at the end of September but has been extended. The union has said that if the contract expires without a resolution, it could call a strike a day later.

The White House had no comment on whether the president would consider invoking federal law to impose a cooling off period. Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, asked President Obama to invoke the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which allows the president to prevent or interrupt a work stoppage.

The law calls for an 80-day cooling off period and mediation.

(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Did TV Anchor Violate Gun Law?

Did TV Anchor Violate Gun Law?
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NBC’s David Gregory declares his…

Washington police are investigating whether NBC's David Gregory broke the law by holding up what appeared to be a 30-round gun magazine on Sunday's Meet the Press after the network apparently got conflicting opinions about whether it would be legal for him to do so.

It is illegal in the district to possess a "large capacity ammunition feeding device."

Gwendolyn Crump, director of the Office of Communications for the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, told ABC News, "NBC contacted MPD inquiring if they could utilize a high capacity magazine for their segment. NBC was informed that possession of a high capacity magazine is not permissible and their request was denied. This matter is currently being investigated."

But ABC News has learned from an official at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives that NBC had reached out to the federal agency on Friday for advice before displaying the weaponry.

According to the ATF official, the agency noted that ATF doesn't enforce D.C. gun laws, but agreed to put the question to a couple of Washington police officers who've worked with the agency in the past.

The D.C. officers advised the ATF spokesman that Gregory could display the magazine, provided it was empty, the source said.

That turned out to be bad advice, as conservative media and gun rights activists were first to note. The ATF official describes this as a "misunderstanding," and says he hopes DC police will not bring charges.

Another Washington DC police officer and spokesperson Tisha Gant said the situation was "being investigated," but would give no other details including what exactly is under investigation.

A section in the D.C. criminal code says "no person in the District shall possess, sell, or transfer any large capacity ammunition feeding device regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm." The section stipulates that "the term large capacity ammunition feeding device means a magazine," or similar devices.

Gregory held up what looked like a 30-bullet gun magazine when interviewing the National Rifle Association's executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre on Sunday. Gregory pressed the NRA head on whether fewer children would have been killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting on Dec. 14th if the shooter had access to less ammunition.

Since the interview, conservative media and gun rights activists said that Gregory appeared to have violated the district's gun law. Police subsequently confirmed they were investigating.

NBC News declined to comment through a spokesperson.

ABC News' George Sanchez contributed to this report.

Also Read

Making Robots with Mass Appeal

Making Robots with Mass Appeal
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Making Robots with Mass Appeal

Not so long ago, the idea of most people owning a robot seemed far-fetched. But today, not only can consumers buy robots, but they can do so relatively cheaply.

The world of consumer robotics is finally beginning to merge with the world of everyday people, and some products really stand out. But in this growing and cutting-edge field, what makes a robot commercially successful? TechNewsDaily spoke with two creators of successful consumer robots to find out how they make their products click with the masses.

Ian Bernstein, the cofounder and Chief Technology Officer at Orbotix, believes the secret to success is simplicity, at least for now. “[The robot] has to be really simple, because if it’s too complicated, people won’t use it,” Bernstein said. He and his team are responsible for Sphero, a simple robotic sphere with a range of capabilities.

But that simplicity didn’t come easy, said Bernstein. “We were constantly improving to make things intuitive and simplify things. It was so hard to get this thing to work. It was crazy.”

Complicating the challenge of making a straightforward robot, Bernstein also wanted to produce an affordable product, one that would be accessible to a wide audience. Over the last few years, the Orbotix team made that goal a reality.

[Flying and Rolling Robots Work Together]

Users can control Sphero by remote, using an iPhone or Android. But the robot can also function as an onscreen controller to replace traditional gaming controllers, tabletop and multiplayer games, and, most recently, augmented reality games (games that enable users to view the real-word environment along with augmented, machine-generated elements). The ball, which two years ago was simply a concept, became hugely popular, and is now available for $129 at retailers like Brookstone, Apple and Target.

And the Orbotix team has no intention of slowing down. With more and more apps on the way, Bernstein and his group are excited about the future of Sphero, and for new Orbotix creations.

“I think Sphero is a good introduction to gaming robots, and as people get more comfortable with that idea, we can begin to do more complicated things,” said Bernstein. “In fifteen years, we want to be the company building one-and-a-half foot [tall] robots that you buy at Target and battle [with] while you’re jumping around your living room.”

But the current world of consumer robots isn’t limited to entertainment. Jasen Wang, the founder of MakeBlock, believes that the ability to create is an essential piece of the consumer robotics market. His product, what he calls “Legos for adults,” allows consumers to buy parts and build robots for themselves.

“Most people are creative people,” said Wang, “and they have ideas, so now, if they want to, they have the opportunity to realize those ideas.” Like, Bernstein, Wang wanted to create an intuitive product. “Before, if you wanted to produce something, it was very hard on the mechanics side. Our goal is make it easy for people to build robots.”

Admittedly, MakeBlock does require some knowledge of hardware, and Wang believes that the product needs to be simplified even more. But, he explains, just as a child benefits from playing with Legos, adults will learn as they manipulate and play with products like MakeBlock.

In the years to come, Wang believes that knowledge of robotics will become more ubiquitous, allowing more people to design and build their own robots. And he believes MakeBlock can help catalyze that process. “In the future, there will be a lot of makers in the world,” Wang said. And with MakeBlock, “there are no limits on the imagination or what you want to do.”

But for now, according to both Bernstein and Wang, the most important component of a consumer robot is simplicity. Allowing people to acclimate to using robots at home will allow the industry to move forward into a future in which robots play a much larger role, not only as entertainment devices, but as tools in our everyday lives.

This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, sister site to LiveScience.

Top 7 Useful Robots You Can Buy Right Now 10 Sci-Fi Predictions That Came True 10 Animal-Inspired Robots Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sen. Reid: nation appears headed over fiscal cliff

Sen. Reid: nation appears headed over fiscal cliff

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the government appears headed over the so-called fiscal cliff because of a lack of progress in bipartisan negotiations.

The Nevada Democrat says it's up to congressional Republicans to come up with a plan that both houses would pass and President Barack Obama would sign.

Reid says of missing the Dec. 31 deadline to avoid the fiscal cliff, quote: "it looks like that's where we're headed."

Major tax hikes and spending cuts will hit most Americans if Congress and the White House don't reach a compromise by the year's end.

Berlusconi allies fire barbs at Monti, ending Christmas truce

Berlusconi allies fire barbs at Monti, ending Christmas truce

ROME (Reuters) - Italian politicians resumed their bickering on Wednesday, with supporters of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi taking aim at his successor Mario Monti despite a Christmas call from the Pope for political peace.

Just before midnight at the end of Christmas Day, Monti tweeted: "Together, we saved Italy from disaster. Now we have to renew politics. Complaining won't help anything. Rolling up sleeves will. Let's rise to politics!"

That irked center-right supporters of Berlusconi, who resigned last year to let Monti take over and is now scrapping with center-left and pro-Monti centrist blocs ahead of elections due February 24-25.

"Monti did not save Italy, he merely reaped the merits of four year of work by Berlusconi", said Gianfranco Rotondi, a parliamentarian from Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party.

Anna Maria Bernini, also of the PDL, accused Monti of spouting "pure propaganda", adding: "It is shocking to see how a man can present himself as a savior after bringing the country to recession, taking all the merit (for successes) and attributing all the disasters to others."

The mud-slinging took place less than a day after Pope Benedict urged Italian politicians in a Christmas address to "favor the spirit of cooperation for the common good".

Monti resigned last week as promised after the budget was passed, and is staying on in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new government after the elections. Although his exact plans for after the elections are not entirely clear, he is expected to remain influential.

Berlusconi has said it would be "immoral" for Monti to fight the election after governing as an unelected premier with the support of the main parties.

But not all of the center right opposes the prime minister. Italia Libera (A Free Italy), a group of 11 parliamentarians who have defected from Berlusconi's PDL, praised Monti's economic reform plans as "a Copernican revolution for those who are used to something that is as erosive and unproductive as the duel between forces for or against Berlusconi".

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Peter Graff)

Autopsy: NY gunman shot self, not hit by police fire; no positive ID of bod

Autopsy: NY gunman shot self, not hit by police fire; no positive ID of bod

Police say an autopsy shows the U.S. gunman who lured two firefighters to their deaths died of a self-inflicted shot to the head and wasn't hit by return fire from a police officer.

A positive identification of the body found in 62-year-old gunman William Spengler's burned house hasn't been made. Police believe it was his sister.

Police say autopsies Thursday show firefighter Michael Chiapperini died of a single gunshot and Tomasz Kaczowka died of two shots.

Spengler, who killed his grandmother in 1980, set his house in New York state on fire and ambushed the arriving firefighters just before dawn on Christmas Eve. He wounded two other firefighters and a police officer.

Investigators haven't yet said how the ex-convict got the weapons. He was barred from possessing them.

Worried Egypt slaps new controls on travelling with cash

Worried Egypt slaps new controls on travelling with cash

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has banned travelers from carrying more than $10,000 in foreign currency in or out of the country, as officials worry over pressure on its pound currency and a rush by Egyptians to withdraw their savings from banks.

Political turmoil over the past month has raised fears among ordinary citizens and investors that the government - which has pushed back talks to seal IMF funding till January - may not be able to get its fragile finances under control.

The central bank has spent more than $20 billion of its foreign reserves to support the pound since the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. It now has only $15 billion, equal to only about three months of imports cover.

The uprising drove away tourists and foreign investors alike, freezing growth, pushing the state budget deficit into double digits as a percentage of national output and worsening its balance of payments.

On Monday, Standard & Poors' cut Egypt's long-term credit rating and said another downgrade was possible if deepening political turbulence undermined efforts to prop up the economy and public finances.

Presidential spokesman Yasser Ali on Tuesday confirmed the new government currency restriction, which includes U.S. dollars or their equivalent in other foreign currencies. The decision also forbids sending cash through the mail.

The decision prohibits all travelers from "bringing foreign currency into the country or carrying it out to only $10,000".

Any funds over $10,000 must be transferred electronically, Ali added.

Previously, travelers were simply required to declare any amounts above $10,000 to authorities on their way in or out.

The central bank has already limited Egyptians from transferring more than a cumulative $100,000 out of the country since the uprising nearly two years ago unless they can demonstrate a pressing need for the funds.

Many wealthier Egyptians have reached their limit and are no longer able to send funds abroad.

IMF ACCORD

The crisis has complicated a $4.8 billion loan the government is seeking from the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF had been due to approve the loan on December 19, but the government asked for a delay after it cancelled a series of unpopular austerity measures deemed essential for its approval.

Bankers said depositors had been withdrawing greater amounts of cash from their accounts since President Mohamed Mursi issued a constitutional declaration last month that expanded his powers and threw the country into political crisis.

The constitutional declaration has led to occasional street battles between supporters and opponents of Mursi.

"Since the clashes on November 28 and after the announcement that the IMF loan was delayed for a month some dollarization started to take place, mainly through cash transactions," said an official at the treasury of a Cairo-based bank.

Depositors have also been spooked by an unexpected weakening of the Egyptian pound, which the central bank has allowed to fall by about 1 percent over the last month, he added.

Seeking to quell what it called these "public rumors", the central bank on Monday said it was taking all steps needed to safeguard deposits in Egyptian banks whether denominated in local or foreign currencies.

Ayman Osama, father of two young children, said he withdrew the equivalent of $16,000 from his account this week and planned to withdraw more in the coming days.

"I have been hearing that the central bank is going to take over all our bank deposits to pay wages for government employees given the current deteriorating economic situation," he said. "I am not going to put any more money in the bank and neither will many of the people I know."

One Egyptian who wanted to buy $10,000 last week said he had to go to many currency exchange shops before he could find sufficient dollars because most shops had run out.

Bankers said the rush had left banks and money changers short of dollars, but that more bank notes had been ordered from abroad.

"We are having a shortage of dollars these last few days. It therefore may be difficult to pull out money. But the shortage should be solved in a week," an official at one Cairo bank told Reuters.

In a note published last week, EFG Hermes economist Mohamed Abu Basha lowered his forecast for the currency to 6.60 pounds to the U.S. dollar by the end of 2013 from an earlier forecast of 6.40 pounds.

"An extensive delay in the IMF deal will definitely lead to disorderly devaluation, which is likely to take the USD-EGP up to 7.0 pounds, where dollarization would be the crack to the system," Abu Basha wrote.

(Additional reporting Marwa Awad and Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Pravin Char and Patrick Graham)