Obama Appointees Fight May Change Senate Rules

Obama Appointees Fight May Change Senate Rules
Cuomo Urges Lopez to Resign Over Allegations
US 'saw Syria chemical evidence'
Syrian rebels demand weapons before talks
Israel to authorize four West Bank settler outposts
Russian FSB says U.S. sought to recruit spies despite warning
Topless protest disrupts opening of Barbie house in Berlin
Obama names acting head of US tax agency
Protests disrupt Barbie exhibition in Berlin
Europe Tunes Up for Song Contest
Iraq Violence Kills at Least 21
Jakarta Governor Attracts Following
Protests Target Chinese Chemical Plant
Energy Costs Move Up Europe's Agenda
Obama to Name Budget Official as Acting I.R.S. Chief
Matter: Dogs: From Fearsome Predator to Man’s Best Friend
China warns EU against telecoms probe
City Room: World Trade Center May Be Isolated Again, This Time by Security Measures
Teen describes being trapped in rubble
At White House, Obama confronts woes

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:58 PM PDT

Harry Reid, the majority leader, has been trying to gauge whether there is sufficient support among Democrats to limit the filibuster on presidential nominees.

Cuomo Urges Lopez to Resign Over Allegations

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:57 PM PDT

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he had been upset by the "sad, unfortunate, disturbing" allegations of sexual harassment against Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, a Brooklyn Democrat.

US 'saw Syria chemical evidence'

Posted: 16 May 2013 01:11 PM PDT

President Barack Obama says the US has seen evidence of chemical weapons being used in Syria, after talks with Turkey's prime minister.

Syrian rebels demand weapons before talks

Posted: 16 May 2013 01:10 PM PDT

BEIRUT — The Syrian opposition is demanding access to arms before next month's planned peace talks, amid a growing consensus that it may take a shift in the balance of power on the battlefield before any meaningful negotiations can take place.

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Israel to authorize four West Bank settler outposts

Posted: 16 May 2013 01:17 PM PDT

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel plans to declare legal four unauthorized West Bank settler outposts, a court document showed on Thursday, days before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry returns to the region to try to restart peace talks.

Russian FSB says U.S. sought to recruit spies despite warning

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:56 PM PDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia warned the United States in 2011 to stop trying to recruit its security agents as spies and expelled a CIA operative in January this year after Washington ignored the warning, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.

Topless protest disrupts opening of Barbie house in Berlin

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:51 PM PDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - Women's rights protesters disrupted the opening of a giant pink doll's house in Berlin on Thursday, saying the Barbie "Dreamhouse Experience" objectified women.

Obama names acting head of US tax agency

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:44 PM PDT

Decision comes after former IRS boss resigned over allegations that agency targeted conservative groups.

Protests disrupt Barbie exhibition in Berlin

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:52 PM PDT

Feminist activists protest against opening of Europe's first life-sized 'Barbie Dreamhouse', slamming it as sexist.

Europe Tunes Up for Song Contest

Posted: 16 May 2013 01:02 PM PDT

With a euro-zone debt crisis lingering and hopes of a near-term recovery fading, it's time for Europe to party.

Iraq Violence Kills at Least 21

Posted: 16 May 2013 11:45 AM PDT

Car bombs hit Shiite neighborhoods of the Iraqi capital for the second day in a row, part of a series of attacks across the country that left 21 people dead.

Jakarta Governor Attracts Following

Posted: 16 May 2013 10:32 AM PDT

Though evidence is scant so far that Joko Widodo, the governor of Jakarta, can fix the capital's problems, he has attracted intensive media coverage and is even mentioned as a strong presidential contender in 2014.

Protests Target Chinese Chemical Plant

Posted: 16 May 2013 09:03 AM PDT

Protests against a planned oil refinery and petrochemicals facility broke out in southwest China for the second time this month, as pressure mounted on local leaders over environmental effects of the project.

Energy Costs Move Up Europe's Agenda

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:39 PM PDT

Some executives at the annual European Business Summit say the real challenge for the EU is to prevent a further deindustrialization of the continent.

Obama to Name Budget Official as Acting I.R.S. Chief

Posted: 16 May 2013 12:30 PM PDT

Daniel I. Werfel will replace Steven Miller, who is at the heart of the controversy over the agency's targeting of conservative groups.

Matter: Dogs: From Fearsome Predator to Man’s Best Friend

Posted: 16 May 2013 04:00 AM PDT

Scientists are zeroing in on some of the genes that were crucial to the rewiring of canine brains in the transition from wolves to domesticated dogs.

China warns EU against telecoms probe

Posted: 16 May 2013 11:19 AM PDT

Beijing threatens to retaliate if EU opens investigation into alleged Chinese anti-competitive behaviour.

City Room: World Trade Center May Be Isolated Again, This Time by Security Measures

Posted: 16 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT

Planners and residents of Lower Manhattan imagined a new World Trade Center that would be integrated in the neighborhood, but now they fear that security measures will keep it isolated as ever.

Teen describes being trapped in rubble

Posted: 16 May 2013 11:35 AM PDT

In an extended one-on-one interview, a Bangladeshi teen describes how she spent 17 harrowing days buried underground in pitch-black darkness. "I'd crawl, tire and sleep. I would wake up and crawl again," Reshma said.