Tiny Cyprus, Malta Join Euro, As Tough Expansion Lies Ahead. EU newcomers Cyprus and Malta adopted the euro Tuesday, tying two tiny countries on the edge of Europe to its core institutions ? but raising consumer fears of higher prices.
Iowa Voters Says They Received Push-Polls About Democratic Candidates. In the final days of a close campaign, likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa report receiving phone calls providing unflattering information about all three of the party's major presidential hopefuls.
(Updates close with more on Research in Motion's gain for the year in paragraph 15, adds latest Nasdaq volume figure)
Edwards Says Iowa Victory Would Erase His Money Gap for the Longer Haul. Democrat John Edwards has parlayed years of grass-roots campaigning into momentum when it counts the most ? just as Iowa launches the presidential nominating season.
NAIROBI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - The United States and Britain are pressuring Kenya to investigate possible voting irregularities in an election that returned President Mwai Kibaki to power and triggered rioting in which more than 100 people have died.
Presidential Primary Voting Is Already Under Way in 11 States, by Absentee Ballot. While candidates stump in Iowa, voters already have opened the 2008 presidential race by casting absentee ballots in nearly a dozen other states.
Deep Problems, High Uncertainty Face Voters _ and They'll Still Be There for Next President. A deeply unsettled nation takes the first step this week in choosing a president to confront a world of challenges that have flummoxed the current administration and undermined Americans' confidence in government.
Stewart Sets Sun Bowl Record With 253 Rushing Yards As Oregon Tops South Florida 56-21. Jonathan Stewart set a Sun Bowl record with a career-high 253 yards rushing and Justin Roper threw four touchdown passes in his first start as Oregon beat South Florida 56-21 on Monday.
Japanese Prime Minister Pledges Quick Return to Anti-Terrorism Naval Mission in Indian Ocean. Japan's prime minister pledged Tuesday to resume naval operations near Afghanistan after he resolves a political dispute over Tokyo's role in the global fight against terrorist groups.
Young Irish Actress Saoirse Ronan Makes Mark for Her Role in 'Atonement'. Her role in "Atonement" earned Saoirse Ronan a Golden Globe nomination, but she hasn't read the Ian McEwan novel the movie is based on. Ronan is only 13, and the book deals with sexual themes.
UN Chief Warns Kosovo Progress at "Serious Risk," Political Solution Needed Soon. The political impasse over Kosovo's future cannot last much longer without "putting at serious risk" all the United Nations has achieved there, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cautioned Security Council members Monday.
Richard Hamilton Scores 22 Points As the Pistons Rout the Bucks 114-69 for Ninth Straight Win. Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Chauncey Billups added 13 points and 12 assists, helping the Detroit Pistons rout the Milwaukee Bucks 114-69 Monday for their ninth straight win.
A drunken driver went about four miles down a highway in the wrong direction before his pickup truck slammed into a minivan, killing a woman and four children and injuring three others, police said Monday.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 finished up 3.53 percent for 2007.
Syrian State Media Calls for US to Launch a Direct Dialogue. State-run media called Monday on the United States to begin a direct dialogue with Syria, a day after an influential U.S. senator said Washington could "bridge the gap" between Israel and Syria.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp was awarded a $498.2 million contract to supply F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, the U.S. Pentagon said Monday, as Pakistani officials mulled whether to go ahead with a Jan. 8 election after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
Marine Ordered to Stand Trial on Manslaughter Charges in Haditha Massacre. A Marine will be court-martialed on reduced charges in the killings of 24 Iraqi men, women and children in the town of Haditha in 2005, the Marine Corps announced Monday.
KAPALUA, Hawaii, Dec 31 (Reuters) - American Brandt Snedeker has set his sights on golf's biggest events in 2008 after being voted PGA Tour rookie of the year in his maiden campaign.
News Group Says Foreign Reporters Still Face Problems Working in China Despite Rule Change. Foreign journalists working in China face continued harassment despite new reporting rules brought in for the Olympic Games this summer, the Beijing-based Foreign Correspondents Club of China said Tuesday.
Passport Card Technology Is Approved by Government, Criticized by Privacy Advocates. Passport cards for Americans who travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will be equipped with technology that allows information on the card to be read from a distance.
With Fading Time and Clout, Bush Focuses His Efforts on Several Lingering Issues. President Bush's final-year agenda is a stripped-down list of what he can realistically hope to get done, since the clout he once touted is fading away.
Illinois Health Experts Hope New Public Smoking Ban Will Encourage Smokers to Quit. New Year's resolution or not, health experts are hoping Illinois' new smoking ban provides smokers the kick-start they need to ditch the habit. Starting Jan. 1, the Smoke-Free Illinois Act will make it illegal to light up in virtually any public place in the state. But experts caution smokers still need more than just willpower ? and a new state law ? to break nicotine's hold.
Missouri Ethanol Mandate Takes Effect in New Year, but Many Stations Already Offer It. Pushing the button for regular 87-grade octane, Steve Smith said he thought he was filling his SUV with ethanol-free gasoline. "I don't buy super unleaded, knowing that it's ethanol," Smith said, citing concerns about how ethanol could affect his vehicle.
RAMALLAH, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas Islamists on Monday to agree to early elections and to open a "new page" by ceding control of the Gaza Strip and holding reconciliation talks with his Fatah faction.
4 Days of Rain Save Atlanta Area From Driest-Year-On-Record Title; Reservoir Level Rises. This year was almost one for the record books, but then it rained for four days straight. With Thursday through Sunday's rainfall totals, the water level in a key reservoir rose for the first time in months and 2007 barely missed becoming Atlanta's driest year on record. That dubious honor stayed with 1954, when only 31.80 inches of rain fell.
Josh Carter and DeAndre Jordan Lead Aggies to 68-41 Win Over Rice for Sixth Straight Win. Josh Carter and DeAndre Jordan scored 16 points apiece, and No. 12 Texas A&M beat Rice 68-41 Monday for its sixth straight win. Jordan, a 7-foot freshman, also had 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Hedo Turkoglu Hits Late Jumper As the Magic Defeat the Bulls 112-110 in OT. Hedo Turkoglu hit a fadeaway jumper with seven-tenths of a second left in overtime, and the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 112-110 Monday. The Bulls lost for the first time in three games since Jim Boylan became interim head coach following the firing of Scott Skiles.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - All three major U.S. stock indexes finished higher for 2007. Below is the performance for various indexes for the year as well as industry sectors for the Standard & Poor's 500.
Dec 31 (Reuters) - Kenyan police battled protesters in blazing slums on Monday after disputed elections returned President Mwai Kibaki to power and triggered rioting.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - People with restless legs syndrome or RLS are twice as likely to have a stroke or heart disease and those with the most severe symptoms are at greatest risk, U.S. researchers said Monday.
Billick Fired After 9 Seasons in Baltimore. Brian Billick never came close to duplicating the success he enjoyed early in his career as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and it finally cost him his job.
Texas Man Charged for Allegedly Stealing Neighbor's Panties From Her House. Police arrested a neighbor after a woman reported some of her undergarments had been stolen from her house. Charles Michael Clark, 30, has been charged with burglary and is free on $20,000 bond. Sgt. Eric Bruss said the woman had been out of town when she returned home and found a barefoot man in the living room. Bruss said the man fled.
Summary Box: NASA Releases Information on Unprecedented Survey of Pilots. HANDING IT OVER: NASA grudgingly released some results Monday from an $11.3 million federal air safety study it previously withheld from the public.
Gerald Wallace Scores 36 Points to Help the Bobcats Rally Past Pacers 107-103 in OT. Gerald Wallace led a furious comeback in the fourth quarter and took charge in overtime, finishing with 36 points and giving the Charlotte Bobcats a 107-103 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Charlotte snapped a four-game losing streak by rallying from a 13-point deficit with under 6 minutes left in regulation behind a series of spectacular plays from Wallace.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sara Jane Moore, one of two women who tried to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in a three-week span in 1975, was freed on parole Monday after almost 32 years in prison, a U.S. government spokesman said.
Summary Box: US Gave Bhutto 'Steady Stream' of Threat Info, Security Advice Before Killing. BHUTTO AID: The United States provided a steady stream of intelligence to Benazir Bhutto about threats against her before the former Pakistani prime minister was assassinated, U.S. officials said Monday.
All-American Running Back Darren McFadden Ruled Eligible to Play for Arkansas in Cotton Bowl. Darren McFadden will play in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day after the university reviewed a media report linking the All-America running back and an agent to the purchase of a vehicle and found no reason to make him ineligible.
DaJuan Summers, Jonathan Wallace Lead No. 8 Georgetown to 82-55 Rout Over Fordham. DaJuan Summers had 15 points and nine rebounds, Jonathan Wallace reached a pair of milestones in a 19-point effort and No. 7 Georgetown closed out its nonconference schedule with an 82-55 victory against Fordham on Monday.
VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia, (Reuters) - A delicate mission to free three hostages held by Colombian guerrillas was close to collapse Monday as the government and rebel leaders accused each other of trying to kill the deal.
NEW YORK(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell Monday, but the market managed to make a modest advance in 2007 after gains in energy and technology offset the dramatic sell-off in financials from the mortgage market meltdown.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The past few weeks may have meant Christmas shopping for some, but the next few could be all about where and how Wall Street bonuses will be spent.
WASHINGTON/LONDON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - The United States and former colonial power Britain expressed concern on Monday over the conduct of Kenya's presidential election, and urged the ruling and opposition parties to work together for a resolution. Incumbent Mwai Kibaki has been declared the winner of the election, but accusations of vote-rigging from both main parties have triggered a frenzy of violence, much of it along ethnic lines, in which over 100 people are reported to have died.
DeSean Jackson, Robert Jordan Help Cal Rally to Beat Air Force 42-36 in Armed Forces Bowl. DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan returned from their first-quarter benchings and caught touchdown passes to help California rally from a three-TD deficit and beat Air Force 42-36 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Monday. California (7-6), ranked No. 2 in the nation in October before losing six of seven games, managed to finish with its sixth straight winning season.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Deep, restful sleep may be important for keeping type 2 diabetes at bay, U.S. researchers said Monday.
NAIROBI, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Kenyan police battled protesters in blazing slums on Monday after disputed elections returned President Mwai Kibaki to power and triggered turmoil thought to have killed more than 100 people.
