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Senate Republicans to oppose some nominees for hobbled labour board

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans said Thursday they would not support five nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, raising the possibility the troubled agency could be rendered mostly inoperable later this year. The board has already been working under a cloud since January, when a federal appeals court said the president violated the Constitution by filling vacancies on the board through recess appointments without Senate confirmation.

Obama says treasury secretary requested and received resignation of acting IRS commissioner

WASHINGTON - Obama says treasury secretary requested and received resignation of acting IRS commissioner.

US Treasury to halt sales of securities to state, local gov'ts to avoid breaching debt limit

WASHINGTON - The government says it will temporarily suspend sales of U.S. Treasury securities to state and local governments at noon on Friday, the first step to avoid breaching the nation's borrowing limit. The move announced by Treasury officials is expected to be followed by other bookkeeping manoeuvrs, all of which have the same goal: To keep the government functioning until Congress decides whether to raise the $16.39 trillion borrowing limit.

Afghan village gold mine lures modern-day prospectors

After scrambling up a steep mountainside in north Afghanistan, Morad Ali crouches beside a gap cut in the slope and touches some reddish-brown rock. "The gold is in here," he says. Ali was one of generations of local men who used chisels and pickaxes to extract small amounts of gold from the forbidding peaks above the village of Qara Zaghan on the edge of the Hindu Kush mountains.

Turnout remains low in B.C. as observers continue to point to young voters

VANCOUVER - This week's provincial election in British Columbia was the first chance 18-year-old Merwa Almalike had to vote since she became eligible almost a year ago. But like so many people her age, she didn't. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure whether she was even old enough to cast a ballot. "I felt too lazy — I don't really pay attention to politics," said Almalike, while out for a walk through downtown Vancouver on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. "I'm sure it affects me, but at the same time, I don't really notice it."

Funerals held for eight victims of Italy port crash

Funerals for eight of the nine victims of a container ship crash in the port of Genoa last week were held in Italy on Wednesday, as prosecutors said the vessel's engine was broken. The Jolly Nero ploughed into a dock during a reverse manoeuvre to exit the port on May 7, toppling a 50-metre (164-foot) control tower that oversaw shipping for the whole northwest of Italy. Salvage workers at the site are still searching the rubble for the ninth victim's body.

Romania names new anti-corruption prosecutor

Romania, whose justice system is closely monitored by the European Union, Wednesday announced the appointment of a new anti-corruption prosecutor after months of controversy over the key post. President Traian Basescu appointed Laura Codruta Kovesi, 40, to the job by decree. She has drawn praise from the EU for her previous work as Romania's prosecutor general, a job she took on aged 33. She will be replaced in her own old job by Tiberiu Nitu, a controversial prosecutor whose previous appointment was rejected by the magistrates' supreme council.

Russia blasts US over 'crude and clumsy' spying

Russia on Wednesday accused the United States of "crude and clumsy" spying on its territory after a suspected CIA agent was caught in Moscow seeking to recruit an agent while disguised in a blonde wig. The foreign ministry issued an official protest to the US ambassador who it summoned to an early morning meeting, but signs also grew that neither side wanted the Cold War-style incident to develop into a full scale crisis.

Haiti's Duvalier calls for ex-leaders' conference

Ex-Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, who is facing charges of corruption and human rights abuses, called Wednesday for a conference of former heads of state to forge a national consensus. "I remain convinced of the urgent need for unity, and only a national consensus can enable us to overcome our countless challenges," Duvalier wrote in a statement on his Facebook page. On Tuesday, President Michel Martelly voiced support for the idea of a meeting of former leaders of the island.
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