Barroso says Italy vote must not stop reform drive

ROME (Reuters) - Early elections in Italy must not hinder the economic reforms of Prime Minister Mario Monti, the head of the European Commission was quoted as saying on Sunday, in a sign of growing international concern over the political crisis in Rome.Monti's surprise announcement on Saturday that he intended to resign early once next year's budget is approved has opened the prospect of an election...

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Bangladesh police fire tear gas at election protest

DHAKA (Reuters) - Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse armed protesters staging blockades across Bangladesh on Sunday as part of an opposition push to get an independent administration to oversee next year's general election.Activists from the country's two main political parties hurled homemade bombs and threatened to use guns and other weapons, Reuters witnesses and local television...

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Obama: Republicans blocking middle-class tax cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Saturday that Republicans in the House are blocking a bill that would prevent a tax increase on the first $250,000 of income earned by all Americans.The Democratic-controlled Senate has approved the measure, but Obama said House Republicans have "put forward an unbalanced plan that actually lowers rates for the wealthiest Americans." Obama supports a...

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Democrats want jobless benefits in 'cliff' deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hovering in the background of the "fiscal cliff" debate is the prospect of 2 million people losing their unemployment benefits four days after Christmas. "This is the real cliff," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. He's been leading the effort to include another extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed in any deal to avert looming tax increases and massive spending cuts...

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Boustany trounces Landry for La congressional seat

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany, a veteran Republican allied with House Speaker John Boehner, has trounced freshman GOP incumbent Jeff Landry in an attack-heavy runoff race.The two incumbents were forced into the same district when Louisiana lost a congressional seat because of anemic population growth in the latest federal census. The state will have six U.S. House...

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