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Senate Majority leader Harry Reid is applauded by medical students and a former healthcare worker as he arrives for a news conference on healthcare reform legislation at the Capitol, November 19, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Healthcare reform faces challenges in Senate

Sun Nov 22, 2:36 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's U.S. healthcare overhaul plan has cleared an important Senate hurdle but lawmakers warned on Sunday of challenges ahead in winning support for passage, even among Obama's own Democrats.

  • EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran. An Iranian Tondar missile is ready for launch during a test at an unknown location in central Iran September 27, 2009. REUTERS/Fars News/Ali Shayegan
    Iran launches war games to protect nuclear sites Sun Nov 22, 6:16 AM ET

    TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's armed forces launched large-scale air defense war games on Sunday to show off the country's deterrence capabilities in the face of pressure from the West over its nuclear program.

  • Rescuers prepare to enter the Xinxing coal mine to search for survivors following a gas explosion at the mine in Hegang, Heilongjiang Province November 22, 2009. REUTERS/Aly Song
    China mine explosion death toll reaches 92 7 minutes ago

    HEGANG, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China's latest coal mine disaster reached 92 on Sunday, state television said, and hopes dimmed that more survivors would emerge after a gas blast at a colliery in the nation's far northeast.

  • Israeli President Shimon Peres speaks during a news conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo November 22, 2009. REUTERS/Tarek Mostafa
    Israeli president plays down settlement work Sun Nov 22, 11:56 AM ET

    CAIRO (Reuters) - Israel's president said on Sunday expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank was a "marginal" issue blocking resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.

  • Greenpeace activists hang banners at the Sagrada Familia Temple, designed by Antoni Gaudi, in Barcelona November 2, 2009. REUTERS/Albert Gea
    Denmark says 65 leaders enrolled for climate talks Sun Nov 22, 10:38 AM ET

    COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Sixty-five world leaders have confirmed they will attend next month's U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen which Danish officials hope will bring strong political commitment for a new treaty to combat global warming.

  • Iraqi parliament fails to reach election deal Sun Nov 22, 10:01 AM ET

    BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi parliament on Sunday failed to resolve an impasse threatening to delay the country's election in January, which could affect the U.S. military's plans for a partial pullout next year.

  • Michael Jackson's glove sells for $350,000 at auction 1 hour, 41 minutes ago

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's famous white glove sold for $350,000 at a memorabilia auction on Saturday, soaring far past pre-sale estimates, while a black jacket he wore during a 1989 world tour fetched $225,000.

  • Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai arrives at Ataturk International airport for the 25th Meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Istanbul November 8, 2009. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
    Militants could be invited to Afghan "Jirga" Sun Nov 22, 7:52 AM ET

    KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai could invite militants to attend a "Loya Jirga," or grand council meeting, aiming to seek peace and reconciliation with the Taliban, a spokesman said on Sunday.

  • Rescuers check recovered bodies of victims of a sunken ferry, on a ship at port in Karimun island, Riau province November 22, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer
    Indonesian ferry sinks; 29 dead, most survive Sun Nov 22, 10:45 AM ET

    JAKARTA (Reuters) - An overloaded ferry sank in bad weather off Indonesia's Riau islands on Sunday, killing 29 people, while 245 passengers survived the accident, officials said.

  • The Linac 2 (Linear Accelerator 2) is pictured at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva October 16, 2008. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Files
    "Big Bang" experiment advancing fast Sat Nov 21, 8:39 AM ET

    GENEVA (Reuters) - After a year's delay, scientists at the world's biggest accelerator have restarted an experiment to recreate "Big Bang" conditions that had sparked suggestions the earth would be sucked in by millions of black holes.

  • U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a rally with troops at Osan Air Base in South Korea, November 19, 2009. REUTERS/Jim Young
    Obama asks for patience on economy Sat Nov 21, 6:02 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to show patience over the economy and argued that his just-concluded Asia trip was critical for U.S. exports, countering criticism he had returned empty-handed.

  • U.S. troops attend a ceremony in Kabul November 21, 2009. The U.S. training mission for the Afghan army and police was merged with the new NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) under a single NATO command. The new training mission will be headed by Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell and will aim to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
    NATO takes command of Afghan army, police training Sat Nov 21, 9:54 AM ET

    KABUL (Reuters) - NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police on Saturday to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

  • Jailed suspect Amanda Knox sits in the courtroom during a break in her murder trial session in Perugia November 21, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
    Prosecutor seeks life for Knox in Italy murder trial Sat Nov 21, 11:31 AM ET

    PERUGIA, Italy (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors on Saturday called for a life sentence for American university student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the 2007 murder of Briton Meredith Kercher.

  • FILE - In this April 2, 2009 file photo President Barack Obama meets with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the G-20 summit at the ExCel Centre in London. India has watched with wariness as President Barack Obama's administration has lavished attention on rivals Pakistan and China. Now, Obama is trying to ease Indian worries by honoring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday Nov. 24, 2009 with the first state visit of his presidency. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
    Suspected militants blow themselves up in Pakistan Sat Nov 21, 9:41 AM ET

    MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three suspected Taliban militants blew themselves up on Saturday as police chased them in Pakistani Kashmir, police said.

  • Allene Diaz (L), 11, and her mother, Christina, wait in line for the H1N1 vaccine in Haltom City, Texas October 30, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi
    Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come Sun Nov 22, 5:51 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.