Obama's $858 billion tax-cut plan heads to House | Reuters

"(Reuters) - A deal that President Barack Obama struck with Republicans to extend tax cuts for nearly every working American and spur job growth moves to the House of Representatives for passage as early as Thursday.

Many of Obama's fellow Democrats in that chamber strongly oppose the measure as favoring the wealthy, and are still angry with him for cutting the deal with Republicans without them.

'We have a situation where we have a proposal before us that gives 6,600 families in America $25 billion and holds the rest of the provisions in the bill, (such as) low-income tax cuts, hostage to that blackmail,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday, referring to a provision on the estate tax.

Still, most analysts believe the deal, which has already received overwhelming bipartisan approval in the Senate, will pass the House with substantial backing from Republicans and some Democrats.

The legislation would extend for two years income tax cuts enacted under Republican former President George W. Bush, with Democrats backing off their earlier fervent opposition to extending the cuts for the richest Americans. The Bush-era cuts are due to expire at the end of 2010 unless Congress acts."

Obama's $858 billion tax-cut plan heads to House | Reuters:

Warming temps in South, but winter storm hammers upper Plains

Atlanta, Georgia Temperatures were slowing warming Thursday across the South, where freezing rain glazed roads with ice, but a sprawling winter storm system remained in place across the upper Plains states.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and advisories for more than a dozen states. The brunt of the system is poised to hit Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, but several inches of snow are forecast for portions of Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as Minnesota and the Dakotas. Winter weather advisories stretched into Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In Kentucky, up to a quarter-inch of ice could accumulate on roadways, the weather service warned, in addition to previously fallen snow. Three to six inches of snow were forecast for eastern Virginia.

The low pressure system laid down an icy path across northern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi on Wednesday. Scores of traffic accidents were reported Wednesday night and early Thursday.

Warming temps in South, but winter storm hammers upper Plains - CNN.com

WikiLeaks' Assange granted bail

"London (CNN) -- WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange was granted bail by a London court Thursday, meaning he is free to leave jail until his next scheduled court hearing in January.
He must stay at the mansion of a supporter outside London, report to the police daily, wear an electronic tag to monitor his location, and put up 200,000 pounds (about $310,000) in bail money, plus two further 20,000-pound sureties (about $31,500 each), the judge ruled.
Judge Duncan Ouseley said he did not regard Assange as a fugitive and there was no concrete evidence to believe he'd abscond.
Assange 'clearly has some desire to clear his name,' the judge said, adding that if he failed to appear in court, the 'charges would always be hanging over his head.'"

WikiLeaks' Assange granted bail - CNN.com:

Housing starts rise in November, but permits drop | Reuters

"(Reuters) - Housing starts rose slightly more than expected in November, but a surprise drop in permits for future home construction to a 1-1/2 year low indicated continued weakness in the housing market even as the economic recovery gains traction.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday housing starts rose 3.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000 units. October's starts were revised up to a 534,000-unit pace from the previously reported 1-1/2 year low rate of 519,000 units.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected housing starts to rise to a 550,000-unit rate.

Despite last month's pick-up in residential construction, housing remains weak as a 9.8 percent unemployment rate weighs on demand and homeowners' ability to hang on to their properties, lagging an acceleration in broader economic activity."

Housing starts rise in November, but permits drop | Reuters:

Nepal’s former crown prince freed on bail - Arab News

"KATMANDU, Nepal: Nepal’s former crown prince was freed on bail Thursday after being detained for firing a gun into the air after an argument, officials said.

Paras Shah had been held by police since Tuesday after firing his gun into the air following a weekend argument with two guests at a restaurant in a jungle resort in Chitwan, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the capital, Katmandu.

Chitwan’s chief government administrator, Basanta Raj Gautam, said Shah was released on bail and flown out on a helicopter. He did not give details about the conditions of the release.

Shah, the only son of deposed King Gyanendra, has admitted firing his gun after the argument Saturday but defended his action, saying he could not bear to hear insults against his family and country.

He said in a statement earlier this week that the two guests had made “baseless and provocative remarks against his role and the institution he represented.” Shah said he left the restaurant, returned half an hour later and fired his gun into the air once, without harming anyone or causing damage."

Nepal’s former crown prince freed on bail - Arab News:

Official: Bomb hits Afghan minibus, killing 14

KABUL, Afghanistan: A roadside bomb destroyed a crowded minibus Thursday in western Afghanistan, killing 14 passengers who were all members of an extended family, a provincial official said.

Violence has been on the rise across much of Afghanistan, even as the White House released a generally positive review of its military strategy here.

Rafi Behrozan, the spokesman for the Herat governor, said four others were wounded in the powerful morning blast in the Kushk Kuhna district of Herat province. Two additional bombs were found nearby on the same road but were defused by Afghan policemen, he added.

“The explosion was very strong and the vehicle was destroyed. The majority of these aboard were killed,” Behrozan said.

The US government review released Thursday said that President Barack Obama’s expansion of the war in Afghanistan has eroded the power of the Al-Qaeda terrorists who attacked America in 2001 and the resurgent Taleban militants who gave them cover.

But the picture on the ground is more complicated.

There have been numerous successes with rounding up those seen as ringleaders, but violence and insecurity have also increased in areas outside of the Taleban heartland in the south.

The international Red Cross said Wednesday that it saw the country deteriorating into a much more violent state overall, with a proliferation of armed groups that made it difficult for the organization to get aid out.

Official: Bomb hits Afghan minibus, killing 14 - Arab News