Latest News Clips 2013.01.03

1.      House staves off fiscal cliff, but more money squabbles lie ahead CNN        January 2, 2013

 

Washington (CNN) -- After exhaustive negotiations that strained the country's patience, the House approved a Senate bill to thwart a dreaded fiscal cliff.

The 257-167 vote largely fell along partisan lines: 172 Democrats voted yes and 16 Democrats voted no; 85 Republicans voted yes and 151 Republicans voted no.

Just hours earlier, House Speaker John Boehner pitched to fellow Republicans the idea of amending the Senate-approved bill to add a package of spending cuts. He cautioned about the risk in such a strategy, saying there is no guarantee the Senate would act on it.

But by the end of the night, he was among the Republicans who voted for the bill as written.

Had the House not acted, and the Bush-era tax cuts that were set last decade expired fully, broad tax increases would kick in. In addition, $110 billion in automatic cuts to domestic and military spending would take place.

     

The combined effect could have dampened economic growth by 0.5%, possibly tipping the U.S. economy back into a recession and driving unemployment from its current 7.7% back over 9%.

While the package provides some short-term certainty, it leaves a range of big issues unaddressed.

It doesn't mention the $16.3 trillion debt ceiling that the United States reached Monday.

It also temporarily puts off for two months the so-called sequester -- a series of automatic cuts in federal spending that would have taken effect Wednesday and reduced the budgets of most agencies and programs by 8% to 10%.

This means that, come late February, Congress will have to tackle both those thorny issues.

2.      Hillary Clinton treated for blood clot in her head CNN    January 1, 2013

Hillary Clinton hospitalized          Secretary Clinton has blood clot in head

(CNN) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was treated with blood thinners on Monday at a New York hospital to help dissolve a blood clot in her head and doctors were confident she would make a full recovery.

Clinton was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday due to the clot that was discovered during a follow-up exam related to a concussion she suffered this month, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said.

The clot was located in the vein between the brain and and the skull behind Clinton's right ear and did not result in any stroke or neurological damage, her doctors said in a statement.

Clinton was treated with blood thinners to help dissolve the clot and would be released once the medication dose had been established, they said.

"In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery. She is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff," Clinton's doctors said.

Clinton, 65, was suffering from a stomach virus earlier this month when she fainted because of dehydration, causing the concussion.

Blood clots "are clumps that occur when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid," according to the National Institutes for Health.

Clots can form inside veins or arteries or even the heart, the NIH says. "A blockage in the vein will usually cause fluid buildup and swelling," the NIH website says. Among the possible threats: Sometimes, a "clot can break loose and travel from one location in the body to another."

3.      Indian prime minister calls for calm after violence erupts during anti-rape rallies

CNN      December 23, 2012

New Delhi (CNN) -- India's prime minister called for calm Sunday after clashes erupted between police and demonstrators protesting a gang rape in the country's capital.

"We will make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety to all women in this country," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. "I appeal to all concerned citizens to maintain peace and calm."

Public outrage has surged after the gang rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus on December 16.

The prime minister's comments came after thousands of protesters defied a ban on demonstrations in New Delhi on Sunday.

For a second day, demonstrators were blasted with water cannons. While some dispersed, others huddled tightly in a circle to brave high-pressure streams in the cold December weather.

"We want justice!" the protesters shouted in chorus.

In addition to banners and cardboard placards, many demonstrators carried Indian flags as they scuffled with police. Authorities fired tear gas to try to break up crowds.

Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said "hooligans who had joined the protesters" hurled stones, injuring 78 officers.

At least 65 protesters were also injured, he said.

4.  China Opens Longest High-Speed Railway

The Wall Street Journal   December 26, 2012

European Pressphoto Agency

A worker at a high-speed train maintenance base in Wuhan city, central China’s Hubei province, Dec. 25.

China has became home to what it says is the world’s longest high-speed rail line, a 2,298 kilometer stretch of metal bisecting the country between the capital Beijing in the north and the southern boom city of Guangzhou.

The opening of the line on Wednesday was greeted with much fanfare in state media and even its own  bit of aircraft carrier style . The project signals that China hasn’t given up on its rail ambitions despite major setbacks. Last year’s deadly train crash near the city of Wenzhou laid bare deep problems with China’s high-speed rail surge. China’s Ministry of Railways has also endured hits to its finances. But the new line will help China reach its goal of having 18,000 kilometers of high-speed railway by 2015.

The question for Chinese travelers is whether the route beats the hassle of flying.

Anyone who has taken both in China knows that the process of getting on a train is much easier than getting on a plane – provided, of course, that you already have a ticket and aren’t traveling during the Lunar New Year . The food’s nothing to write home about, unless you like writing home about instant noodles, but the cars tend to be clean and the ride smooth.

In the case of the Beijing-Guangzhou line, a passenger will also need an extra dollop of patience. The ride takes eight hours, a sharp reduction from the previous 20 on the still-operational old-fashioned track between Beijing and Guangzhou. But that’s roughly enough time to fly between the two cities twice with some airport shopping in between. Unlike the traditional line, the new line doesn’t appear to offer an overnight service yet, so it isn’t much of an alternative for a passenger hoping to catch some Zs.