China enlists amateurs in quest for U.S. arms tech
Beijing “floods the zone with buyers” for smuggled American military gear, leading to a 50 percent spike in arms trafficking cases since 2010, Reuters has found. Full Article | Full Coverage
Housing starts jump to near six-year high in November
WASHINGTON - U.S. housing starts surged to their highest level in nearly six years in November, a sign of strength in the housing market that could give the Federal Reserve ammunition to start cutting back its bond purchases.
- FedEx second-quarter profit misses estimate; revs drop at biggest unit
- German data lifts shares as Fed decision approaches
- Egypt sends Mursi, others, to trial for international conspiracy
- Fighting spreads to near flashpoint South Sudan town
- Exclusive: Iranian linked to Setad wanted by U.S. for attempted arms smuggling
India's diplomatic row with U.S. deepens
NEW DELHI - India announced retaliatory measures against the United States, including revising work conditions of Indians employed in U.S. consulates and a freeze on duty-free alcohol, in an escalating row over the arrest of a diplomat in New York. Full Article
Ukrainian president under pressure over bailout
KIEV - Ukraine's president faced calls to resign over a $15-billion bailout from Russia which the opposition and protesters said had sold the country out to its former Soviet masters in Moscow. Full Article | Video
Senator demands CIA report on torture
WASHINGTON - A senator disclosed the existence of a secret Central Intelligence Agency document that some legislators believe supports their conclusions in a study highly critical of "waterboarding" and other harsh counterterrorism practices. Full Article
Euro zone agrees on bank closure funding
BRUSSELS - Euro zone finance ministers made progress on some details of a plan to close banks, paving the way for completion of a euro zone 'banking union' that is to restore confidence in the financial sector and boost growth. Full Article
China tightens curbs on bitcoin trade
BEIJING - A Chinese bitcoin exchange platform has stopped taking Chinese yuan deposits, sending the price of the virtual currency down sharply as China broadened its crackdown on domestic bitcoin trading. Full Article
South Sudan clashes kill 400-500
Dec. 18- The UN says hundreds of people have died in clashes in the South Sudanese capital Juba after fighting between rival groups of soldiers over the last few days. Sarah Toms reports.
Latest Headlines
Fed Decision
Fed faces tough call on bond buying
WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve will decide whether the economy is resilient enough to withstand less policy support. Full Article
The EU's soft power and the big carrot
Europe uses “soft power,” defined as the power to influence other countries without force or money by drawing people to it who, by “admiring its values, emulating its example, aspiring to its level of prosperity and openness -- want to follow it.” Commentary
Should the U.S. force citizens to save?
Nudging - defaulting people into a saving plan - has been proven extremely effective at increasing participation in pension accounts. Commentary
Profiling John Miller
Let's hear CBS correspondent John Miller talk about the trade-off between being a reporter covering what others are doing versus being one of the doers. Commentary
Obama, Castro, and the perversity of the Cuban embargo
So long as the doddering Castro brothers are in charge, Cuba is ripe for another revolution. But this time it will be a free market revolt, not a plunge into further darkness. Commentary
On secular stagnation
We must acknowledge the possibility that the American and global economies cannot rely on normal market mechanisms to assure full employment and strong growth without sustained unconventional policy support. Commentary
Iran: More than Persia
In the multi-ethnic state that is Iran, the political meaning of the population’s diversity will have serious consequences as political normalization with the West continues. Commentary
Bucking Australia's commodities trend
Australia’s thriving commodities sector has pushed up the currency, making other exporters less competitive. But one food company is bucking the trend. Video















