Reuters World News Highlights at 2100 GMT, Jan 02
TOP STORIES
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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans face even bigger budget battles in the next two months after a hard-fought "fiscal cliff" deal narrowly averted devastating tax hikes and spending cuts.
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AMMAN/GENEVA - More than 60,000 people have died in Syria's uprising and civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dramatically raising the death toll in a struggle that shows no sign of ending.
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CAIRO - The Egyptian pound fell to record lows and debt insurance costs soared on Wednesday despite assurances by the country's Islamist leaders they would not allow the Arab world's most populous nation to slide further into economic crisis.
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DAMARA - Rebels in Central African Republic said they had halted their advance on the capital on Wednesday and agreed to start peace talks, averting a clash with regionally backed troops.
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ROME - Italy's outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti pledged to cut labour taxes to fuel growth on Wednesday as he shed his neutral technocrat stance and fired the opening salvo of his campaign for a second term.
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MADRID - Spanish airline Iberia said on Wednesday it has reached a preliminary agreement with pilots over plans to restructure the loss-making airline by laying off staff and cutting salaries.
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TEL AVIV, Israel - In a matter of months, Yair Lapid has turned from heartthrob television news anchor into a rising star of Israeli politics, leading a new centrist party into elections on Jan. 22.
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RAMAT GAN, Israel - Diamond manufacturing is a dwindling trade in Israel. The country has one of the world's hottest diamond exchanges, but polishers and cutters of the precious stones have been replaced by cheaper workers in newer hubs like India and China.
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LONDON - An Afghan insurgent warlord branded Britain's Prince Harry on Wednesday as a shameless, drunken "jackal" out to kill innocent Afghans while on duty as an attack helicopter pilot for NATO forces in the country.