Bombs kill 23 across Iraq as sectarian strife grows

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 23 people were killed and 87 wounded in attacks across Iraq on Monday, police said, underlining sectarian and ethnic divisions that threaten to further destabilize the country a year after U.S. troops left. Tensions between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq's power-sharing government have been on the rise this year. Militants strike almost daily...

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Stock futures edge higher as "cliff" talks continue

(Reuters) - Equity futures were slightly higher on Sunday night as talks continued in Washington over resolving the "fiscal cliff." While the Senate will not vote Sunday night on any bill to avoid a series of $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts, as many had hoped, negotiations continued between lawmakers and the White House. The Senate will reconvene on Monday after...

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Peterson, Vikings top Pack 37-34 to make playoffs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Adrian Peterson picked up the Minnesota Vikings and gave them a ride to the playoffs, where the first stop on this improbable journey is, yes, Green Bay.Peterson came up 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record, but he still powered the Vikings past the Packers 37-34 Sunday with 199 yards to set up a rematch next weekend in a first-round playoff game.Peterson...

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Nobel scientist Levi-Montalcini dies in Rome, 103

ROME (AP) — Rome‘s mayor says biologist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who conducted underground research in defiance of Fascist persecution, and went on to win a Nobel Prize for helping unlock the mysteries of the cell, has died at her home in the city. She was 103.Italy’s so-called “Lady of the Cells,” who died on Sunday, lived through anti-Semitic discrimination and Nazi invasion, becoming one of her country’s...

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Stories for 2013: Syria to 'post-Gangnam'

Among the few virtual certainties of 2013 is the ongoing anguish of Syria and the decline of its president, Bashar al-Assad.STORY HIGHLIGHTSLook for more unrest amid power transitions in the Middle EastDisputes and economic worries will keep China, Japan, North Korea in the newsEurope's economy will stay on a rough road, but the outlook for it is brighterEvents are likely to draw attention to cyber...

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Senate adjourns for day with no deal on 'fiscal cliff'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers pushed the country to the edge of the "fiscal cliff" on Sunday as they struggled to reach a...

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Venezuela's Chavez suffered more complications after surgery: Maduro

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suffered more complications linked to a respiratory infection that hit him after his fourth cancer operation in Cuba, the vice president said in a somber broadcast on Sunday. Vice President Nicolas Maduro flew to Cuba to see Chavez in hospital as supporters' fears grow for the ailing 58-year-old socialist leader, who has not been seen...

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Wall Street ends sour week with 5th straight decline

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell for a fifth straight day on Friday, dropping 1 percent and marking the S&P 500's longest losing streak in three months as the federal government edged closer to the "fiscal cliff" with no solution in sight. President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders met at the White House to work on a solution for the draconian debt-reduction measures set...

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NHL makes new offer; lockout enters critical stage

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL made a new offer to the players' association, hoping to spark talks toward ending the long lockout and saving the hockey season.Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Friday the league presented its proposal Thursday and was waiting for a response. The sides haven't met in person since a second round of talks with a federal mediator broke down Dec. 13.The lockout has reached its...

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Photos: Blizzard Hits Indiana the Day After Christmas

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — All of our five kids, along with their spouses and grandchildren, were at our house celebrating Christmas. Two families were getting ready to leave for Ohio and Virginia when the TV show was interrupted with a warning from the National Weather Service.Central Indiana was now under a Blizzard Warning with the snow to start that night. Up to one foot of snow was predicted along with...

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