WASHINGTON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 4:14pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pressed the Obama administration on Tuesday to turn over documents that might reveal more about the Federal Housing Administration's shaky finances. "It is imperative that Congress fully understand how and why HUD was unable to anticipate the ...

BAGHDAD | Tue Dec 18, 2012 4:13pm EST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Troops from Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan opened fire on an Iraqi army helicopter on Tuesday, underscoring tensions between Baghdad's Arab-led central government and the Kurdish region, officials said. Iraq's government and self-ruled Kurdistan last month both sent troops from their respective armie...

ROME | Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:37pm EST ROME (Reuters) - Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Tuesday Italy would be forced to leave the euro zone unless the European Central Bank gets more powers to ensure lower borrowing costs. Berlusconi, who announced this month he will again lead his People of Freedom party (PDL) in a national election expecte...

STOCKHOLM | Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:35pm EST STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Korea's Samsung Electronics on Tuesday said it would drop law suits aimed at banning the sale of Apple Inc. products in Europe just a day after scoring a victory in a battle in the United States with the maker of iPhones. Samsung and Apple, the world's top two smartphone makers, have been lock...

By Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:34pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House spelled out some gun control measures on Tuesday that President Barack Obama would support in the aftermath of the Connecticut school massacre, including moves by a Democratic senator to reinstate an assault weapons ban. At a memorial...

LONDON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:31pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - With the imminent opening of its third home venue, St. Petersburg's Mariinsky opera and ballet will ramp up an already prodigious output but may ease back on hectic foreign touring, director Valery Gergiev said on Tuesday. World audiences have come to know Gergiev and his company well as they crissc...

By Dan Williams JERUSALEM | Tue Dec 18, 2012 2:59pm EST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli officials said they would press on with plans this week to build 6,000 homes for settlers on land claimed by Palestinians, defying criticism from Western powers who fear the move will damage already faint hopes for a peace accord. Stung by de facto recognition o...

By Daniel Wallis CARACAS | Tue Dec 18, 2012 2:53pm EST CARACAS (Reuters) - Gathered in the yard of a small home in the Venezuelan countryside, a young man with dreadlocks asks a bearded musician clutching a guitar: "Who can Chavez rely on?" "All of us! Let me tell you who we are," the older man replies, breaking into song over gritty images of wo...

MARSEILLES, France | Tue Dec 18, 2012 2:34pm EST MARSEILLES, France (Reuters) - A French psychiatrist whose patient hacked an elderly man to death was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday in a groundbreaking case that could affect the way patients are treated. A court in Marseilles said Daniele Canarelli, 58, had committed a "grave error" by failing t...

By Jane Sutton Tue Dec 18, 2012 2:24pm EST (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors said on Tuesday they would not file any charges in the Florida cyberstalking investigation of Paula Broadwell, the biographer whose affair with former CIA chief David Petraeus led to his resignation. Anonymous emails that Broadwell sent to Jill Kelley, a Tampa socialite who knew Pe...

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS | Tue Dec 18, 2012 2:21pm EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union set Google an ultimatum on Tuesday, giving it a month to come up with detailed proposals to resolve a two-year investigation into complaints that it used its power to block rivals, including Microsoft. The EU's antitrust chief, Joaquin Almunia, delivere...

Tue Dec 18, 2012 2:21pm EST (Reuters) - Rising healthcare costs are pushing up the amounts states must spend on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, sending some scrambling to find funds, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The report found that spending on Medicaid and other public healthcare progra...

By Hilary Russ NEW YORK | Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:52pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Costs for Medicaid, education and employee retirement benefits are threatening to overwhelm state and local government budgets in New York, a report by a national task force issued on Tuesday found. "Healthcare costs and retirement costs are rising a lot faster than revenu...

By Greg Roumeliotis and Sakthi Prasad Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:28pm EST (Reuters) - The company whose AR-15 type Bushmaster rifle was used in the Newtown school massacre in Connecticut will be immediately put up for sale, its private equity owner Cerberus Capital Management LP said on Tuesday in response to investor concerns. The secretive private equity firm r...

By Jessica Dye NEW YORK | Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:25pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amgen Inc pleaded guilty in a New York federal court on Tuesday for improper marketing practices involving its once top-selling Aranesp anemia drug, and prosecutors said the company has agreed to pay $762 million in a civil settlement and criminal fines. The world's larges...

By Jennifer Saba Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:07pm EST (Reuters) - Nielsen Holdings NV, the largest provider of television viewership ratings, will now dominate radio listening ratings as well. Nielsen on Tuesday struck a deal to acquire its radio counterpart, Arbitron Inc, for $1.26 billion. The deal creates a powerhouse that places the measurement of audience for...

Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:05pm EST (Reuters) - Sprint Corp promised to pay Clearwire Corp a $120 million breakup fee if its $2.2 billion purchase of roughly half of the smaller wireless service provider does not go ahead. At the same time, Clearwire said on Tuesday it agreed to a "no-shop" provision, meaning it cannot seek other offers but could consider unsolicited off...

WASHINGTON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:01pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday rejected House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's "fiscal cliff" backup proposal, saying it fails to meet President Barack Obama's call for a balanced approach and does not put enough of a tax burden on the wealthiest Americans. The White House weighed in af...

By Ben Hirschler LONDON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:41pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - The number of new medicines approved or pending approval is on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic, painting an encouraging picture for the global drugs industry as it emerges from a wave of patent expiries. European regulators said on Tuesday that they expect an increas...

SEATTLE | Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:18pm EST SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp and Google Inc's Motorola phone unit remain millions of dollars apart in their respective valuations of video and wi-fi patents at issue in a pivotal case before a federal judge in Seattle. The outcome, expected sometime next year, could be a key development in the balance of power...

By Paul Sandle LONDON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:03pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Shire's hyperactivity treatment Vyvanse will be available in Europe within months after Britain's drugs regulator backed the amphetamine-based stimulant used to treat millions of U.S. students. The drug, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, has a slow-release action that activates th...

By Ritsuko Ando HELSINKI | Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:48am EST HELSINKI (Reuters) - It's too soon to bet that Nokia's on the road to recovery after its new Lumia smartphones were sold out in many stores across Europe and America, as retailers say supplies have been short ever since their launch. The Lumia 920 and 820, which use Microsoft's latest Window...

WASHINGTON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:37am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday said President Barack Obama's most recent offer to avert the "fiscal cliff" is "not there yet," but he still hopes he can reach a deal with the White House. Republican Boehner spoke to reporters after meeting with his Republican caucu...

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:22am EST CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A pair of NASA moon-mapping probes smashed themselves into a lunar mountain on Monday, ending a year-long mission that is shedding light on how the solar system formed. The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft had be...

LONDON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:19am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Liverpool forward Suso has been fined 10,000 pounds ($16,200) for a comment he posted on Twitter, the FA said on Tuesday. Suso was responding to his team mate Jose Enrique posting a photograph of himself getting his teeth whitened."What the f*** is he doing? This guy is gay...he does everything exc...

Tue Dec 18, 2012 9:12am EST (Reuters) - FactSet Research Systems Inc reported lower-than-expected first-quarter revenue, and the financial information provider forecast current-quarter results largely below estimates as banks and brokerages cut costs. FactSet shares fell 5 percent before the bell on Tuesday.The company, which provides data to portfolio managers, ...

By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES | Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:16am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Slapstick trio The Three Stooges kept Americans laughing for more than 40 years - and gave fan Jim Pauley what has turned into a lifelong obsession. After a quest of more than a decade and hours of old-fashioned sleuthing, Pauley has published "The Three Stooges: Ho...

By Alan Baldwin LONDON | Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:17am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Max Chilton will be Britain's fourth man on the Formula One starting grid next season after back-markers Marussia said on Tuesday the 21-year-old would make his race debut with them in Australia in March. Chilton, the reserve driver this year, will partner Germany's Timo Gloc...

Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:10am EST (Reuters) - Serge Ibaka produced a season-best 25 points and 17 rebounds to spark the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-93 victory over Western Conference rivals San Antonio on Monday. Usually known for his defense and energy, Ibaka dominated the post against Tim Duncan to help the NBA-leading Thunder (20-4) cruise to their 11th s...

Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:26am EST (Reuters) - The New York Jets crashed out of AFC playoff contention with two late-game mistakes in a 14-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday. Driving downfield to Tennessee's 23-yard-line for a comeback in the final two minutes, quarterback Mark Sanchez tossed his fourth and final interception of the night in one of the worst out...

Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:58pm EST (Reuters) - Apple Inc sold more than 2 million iPhone 5s in China in just three days after its launch there on Friday, its best ever smartphone launch in the country, but Apple shares fell on Monday after Citi downgraded the stock. The highly anticipated release in China, Apple's second-biggest market, has not eased worries about stiff...

By Nicholas Vinocur PARIS | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:53pm EST PARIS (Reuters) - French conservatives, whose party has been locked in an acrimonious leadership struggle for months after losing national elections to the Socialists, agreed on Monday to hold a new vote before October. The deal raised the prospect of a return to business as usual for the UM...

CAIRO | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:51pm EST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's new public prosecutor, appointed by President Mohamed Mursi last month, resigned on Monday in a move welcomed by Mursi's opponents as a victory for the independence of the judiciary. Public Prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim stepped down after a furor among judges who said Mursi's decision in November ...

By Mike Collett SAO PAULO | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:48pm EST SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil has problems like most countries but one that appears to be rapidly disappearing is the notion that it will not be ready to host the World Cup in just over 18 months' time. While anxieties remain about the Amazoni...

YENAGOA, Nigeria | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:41pm EST YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped four foreigners and two Nigerians working for South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries in southerly oil-producing Bayelsa state on Monday, the police said. Kidnapping is rife in Africa's top oil producer, making millions of dollars a year for criminal gangs. It is ...

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:38pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A number of obstacles may stand between a person and exercise, and hairstyles may be one of them for African-American women, according to a new study. Researchers found about two of every five African-American women said they avoid exercise because of concerns ...

ROME | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:37pm EST ROME (Reuters) - Whichever party wins Italy's next election must make wide-ranging reforms after opportunities were wasted during the turbulent legislative period now drawing to an end, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said on Monday. "Five years is enough time for the next government" to undertake a series of neede...

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:36pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many women who test negative for gene mutations that heighten the risk of ovarian cancer still get their ovaries removed despite a lack of evidence that it reduces the risk of dying, says a new study. "A higher number than expected went through with the surgery...

By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:57pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended at its highest level in almost two months on Monday on rising hopes that negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" were making progress and that a deal could be reached in days. After weeks of stalemate, President Barack Obama and Republican Hous...

BUDAPEST | Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:31pm EST BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of Hungarian students rallied on Monday, piling pressure on the government to give up plans for cuts in state financing to higher education. The protesters marched through central Budapest to the public radio station which broadcast a summary of demands from the students who sang the n...