Omanis hope first local vote is stepping stone towards change

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Hoping for jobs and democratic change, voters in Oman cast ballots in their first municipal election on Saturday, a sign of modest reform in response to protests inspired by the Arab Spring.The small Gulf oil producer, ruled since 1970 by Sultan Qaboos, sits opposite Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for nearly a fifth of globally traded petroleum.Its only other elections...

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Netanyahu lauds Kerry nomination for U.S. secretary of state job

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday welcomed the appointment of his personal friend John Kerry as U.S. secretary of state and described him as "a known supporter of Israel's security".President Barack Obama nominated Kerry on Friday, calling the veteran U.S. senator the "perfect choice" as America's top diplomat.Netanyahu said in a statement: "I congratulate...

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Pope pardons Vatican butler

Pope Benedict XVI granted his former butler a Christmas pardon Saturday, forgiving him in person during a jailhouse meeting for stealing and leaking his private papers in one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times.After the 15-minute meeting, Paolo Gabriele was freed and returned to his Vatican City apartment where he lives with his wife and three children. The Vatican said he couldn't...

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Russia says it won't host Assad but others welcome

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's foreign minister says Moscow would welcome any country's offer of a safe haven to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but underlined that Moscow itself has no intention of giving him shelter if he steps down. Russia has repeatedly used its veto right along with China at the U.N. Security Council to protect its old ally from international sanctions, but it has increasingly sought...

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Iran a central issue for my next term: Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran's perceived nuclear threat against Israel will be the central issue concerning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if he is re-elected in a month's time, the Israeli leader said on Saturday.Netanyahu has set out a mid-2013 "red line" for tackling Iran's uranium enrichment project. The West says this programme is aimed at developing the means to build atomic bombs....

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Escape Villas Offers Family Vacation Rentals for the Holidays

Trade the cold winter weather in North America for a tropical Christmas vacation in Costa Rica, where travelers can spend their holidays enjoying outdoor family adventures in the comfort of an Escape Villa family vacation rental. Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (PRWEB) December 19, 2012 As the holiday season approaches, more Americans are planning to travel for Christmas compared to 2011, according to...

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Shiny Reputation Highlights Airbnb for their Focus on Local Neighborhood Information

Shiny Reputation proclaims their opinion on the recent launch of Airbnb’s Neighborhoods program, in which they are looking to narrow the focus of their site to concentrate on services in local neighborhoods where rental properties are located.San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012Shiny Reputation has issued an announcement about the launch of the Airbnb Neighborhood program, which seeks to give...

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KSL Cars Adds Contact At Once! Live Chat in Ads

Utah Dealerships Can Integrate Chat to Connect with Potential BuyersAtlanta (PRWEB) December 19, 2012Contact At Once!, the leading live chat provider connecting online and mobile car shoppers to auto dealers, today announced that it has been selected by KSL Cars, Utah’s leading online marketplace, as its exclusive provider of live chat for automotive advertising. KSL Cars will bundle Contact At Once!...

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BedEd.org Launches Blog for Mattress Reviews, Education, Consumer Tips & More

New blog, BedEd.org announces launch; to promote consumer awareness via buying guides, shopping tips, product reviews, and information related to mattresses and sleep.Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 19, 2012BedEd.org launches mattress education blog designed to offer consumer resources including reviews, buying guides, shopping tips, and more.Shopping for a new bed can seem like a daunting task with so...

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Five Star Service Award for SIPP Providers Dentons Pensions

Dentons Pensions are the only Bespoke SIPP Providers to be Awarded 5 Stars at Financial Adviser Service Awards – the benchmark for service levels in the retail financial marketplace.Godalming Surrey (PRWEB UK) 20 December 2012Hosted by comedian Stephen K Amos, The Financial Adviser Service Awards were held on 22 November 2012 at The Natural History Museum. Dentons Pensions were the only bespoke SIPP...

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Kenya police: 28 people killed in clashes

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A police official says 28 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in south-eastern Kenya.Anthony Kamitu, who is leading police operations to prevent the attacks, said Friday that the Pokomo tribe of farmers raided a village of the Orma herding community, called Kipao, at dawn in the Tana River Delta.The latest deaths in a tit-for-tat cycle of killings may...

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FBI: 1 of 2 bank robbers who escaped federal Chicago jail arrested after dayslong manhunt

CHICAGO - Police say one of two bank robbers have been arrested after the pair's brazen escape from a high-rise federal jail in downtown Chicago sparked a dayslong manhunt.FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde says Joseph Banks was captured late Thursday.Banks fled the Metropolitan Correctional Center early Tuesday with Kenneth Conley by apparently smashing a hole in a wall at the bottom of a narrow cell window...

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Raid on Kenyan coastal village leaves 28 dead

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Raiders killed villagers and burnt homes in an early morning attack in Kenya's volatile coastal Tana Delta region that left 28 people dead, police said on Friday.They said the raid appeared to have been a revenge attack following clashes between farmers from the Pokomo tribe and semi-nomadic Orma tribesmen, who have fought for years over access to grazing, farmland and water...

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French leader: Al-Qaida link to Nigeria kidnapping

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — President Francois Hollande says a French engineer kidnapped in northern Nigeria was "without a doubt" seized by a group linked to al-Qaida's north African wing, or its jihadist affiliates.The French leader told Europe-1 radio on Friday that "powerfully armed" assailants captured the engineer two days earlier.Nigerian police have said that about 30 attackers stormed the French...

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Bernard Madoff's brother gets 10-year sentence

NEW YORK (AP) -- Peter Madoff was "frankly, not believable" when he claimed he was as surprised as anyone to learn his brother had blown $20 billion of investor money in a massive Ponzi scheme that lasted for decades, a judge said as she sentenced him to 10 years in prison.The disbelief was a recurring theme at the sentencing proceeding Thursday for the 67-year-old former chief compliance officer...

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