Karzai's U.S. visit a time for tough talk

The last time Presidents Obama and Karzai met was in May in Kabul, when they signed a pact regarding U.S. troop withdrawal.STORY HIGHLIGHTSAfghan President Karzai meeting with President Obama in Washington this weekFelbab-Brown: Afghan politics are corrupt; army not ready for 2014 troop pulloutShe says Taliban, insurgents, splintered army, corrupt officials are all jockeying for powerU.S. needs to...

Read More..

More turbulence for Dreamliner

Chicago-based Boeing Co. has "extreme confidence" in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the plane is "absolutely 100 percent safe...

Read More..

Venezuela court endorses Chavez inauguration delay

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's top court endorsed the postponement of Hugo Chavez's inauguration this week and ruled on Wednesday that the cancer-stricken president and his deputy would continue in their roles, despite a cacophony of opposition complaints. Critics had argued the 58-year-old's absence from his own swearing-in ceremony on January 10 meant a caretaker president must be...

Read More..

Wall Street indexes slide, AT&T down

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Tuesday ahead of what is expected to be a weak earnings season, as investors retreated from last week's rally on the "fiscal cliff" deal in Washington. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> unofficially ended down 55.14 points, or 0.41 percent, at 13,329.15. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> slipped 4.75 points, or 0.32 percent,...

Read More..

Saban quickly turns to challenges of 2013 season

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It's becoming a familiar January scene for Nick Saban.The Alabama coach plastered a smile on his face for a series of posed photos next to the various trophies awarded to college football's national champions and then proceeded to talk about the challenges facing his team.Maybe Saban let the Gatorade dry from the celebratory drenching before thinking about the 2013 season....

Read More..

It’s So Hot in Australia That They Added New Colors to the Weather Map

See that deep purple in the middle of this acne-red weather report from Down Under? That right there represents 129.2° F or 54 °C — it’s a brand-new shade that the Australian bureau of meteorology was forced to add to its heat index because their country is, you know, kind of on fire. “The scale has just been increased today and I would anticipate it is because the forecast coming from the...

Read More..

Iran faces oil revenue problem

By John Defterios, CNNJanuary 8, 2013 -- Updated 1535 GMT (2335 HKT)With elections in June, it remains unclear how energy policy will evolve after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's eraSTORY HIGHLIGHTSThe IEA has suggested Iraq surpassed Iran in output for the first time in over 20 yearsThe Iranian people are faced with spiralling inflation and job layoffs within the state sectorIranian oil revenues...

Read More..

Quinn urges compromise on pension plan

Gov. Pat Quinn this afternoon floated a desperation plan on pension reform, throwing his support behind a bill that would set...

Read More..

Wall Street retreats from five-year high as focus shifts to earnings

A $20,000 diamond ring found in a tanning salon in St. Charles, Mo., appears to be at the center of a legal dispute over "finders keepers." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch attempts to explain murky statutes revolving around found property versus stealing. After Bonnie Land found the expensive ring and agreed to return it weeks later, she was arrested. She subsequently sued the ring's owner for $66,500...

Read More..

Redskins' RG3 to have more tests on ACL

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Robert Griffin III will get more tests on his injured right knee after an MRI proved inconclusive because of a previous ACL tear.Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that the rookie quarterback will travel Tuesday to see orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations.Griffin tore his ACL while playing at Baylor in 2009, and Shanahan said sometimes an old injury...

Read More..