World

Top Stories:

• Will Indian gang-rape death lead to reforms?

  In response to the death of a young woman after a violent sexual attack in India, protestors are taking to the streets. They have also submitted a petition asking for politicians facing charges of similar crimes to be removed from office.

• Chavez opponents demand 'the truth'

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez remains in Cuba following an operation he had there last month. His critics expressed concerns that the Venezuelan people aren't getting the full story about the president's health.

• For Egypt's satirists, Morsi's power is no joke

  Bassem Youssef, whose Daily Show-inspired satirical program propelled him to stardom, is the latest target of Egypt's attempts to silence government critics.

• 5 female teachers killed: Pakistan aid work imperiled

  The daylight killing of the five teachers and two health workers stokes worries that public health campaigns will suffer and lead to a resurgence of diseases like polio.

• Myanmar launches airstrikes on Kachin rebels

  The Myanmar government has carried out airstrikes this week against ethnic rebels in northern Kachin state, raising fresh concerns about reforms and a fragile peace processes.

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USA

Top Stories:

• Congress will vote on Sandy aid this week, says Boehner

  House Speaker John Boehner rescheduled a vote on Sandy relief funding for Friday at the urging of lawmakers from the storm's hardest hit regions. The funding is slated to go toward immediate relief for victims as well as rebuilding efforts.

• Sandy Hook students will resume classes

  Sandy Hook Elementary School, the site of the December 14 shootings, is still an active crime scene accessible only to police. Survivors of the shootings will begin classes at the nearby former Chalk Hill Middle School on Thursday.

• Hillary Clinton released from hospital

  The Secretary of State's physicians expect she will recover fully from a blood clot. Hillary Clinton left the hospital on Wednesday, after several days of treatment in New York.

• 'Fiscal cliff' deal: Will the Tea Party find renewed strength?

  Some, including members of the Tea Party, are dissatisfied with the recently agreed upon deal relating to the fiscal cliff. Tea Party groups are looking toward the next election in hopes of replacing less conservative Republican members of Congress with Tea Party candidates.

• Judge dismisses case involving targeted killing of Americans overseas

  The ACLU and New York Times had sought access to government documents explaining the legal justification for a US drone strike that killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen and suspected Al Qaeda operative in Yemen.

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Commentary

Top Stories:

• Love it or loathe it, the 'fiscal cliff' deal brought compromise

  As unsatisfying as the bargain is in substance, its achievement reaffirms an essential element of America’s democracy – the need for compromise. That aspect of the 'fiscal cliff' deal will be needed as the US approaches the debt ceiling and debate on spending cuts and tax reform.

• Who forced a 'fiscal cliff' deal? Try foreign investors.

  Washington is now all too aware that foreign creditors and investors will punish it for any macroeconomic mismanagement. American competitiveness was at stake in the fiscal cliff negotiations.

• India gang rape: Why US should ratify UN treaty on women's rights

  The gang rape and death of a student in India, which has sparked protests there to change cultural views on women, should remind the United States why it’s high time to ratify the UN 'bill of rights' for women. American criticism of the treaty is based on misconceptions.

• For journalists and Internet, 2013 must not repeat 2012

  Record assaults on journalists in 2012 and official moves to censor the Internet show how much authoritarian regimes fear the truth. Perhaps in 2013, truth-tellers will start to win.

• Readers Write: Obamacare should keep religious exemption narrow. What has Obama done for Palestinians?

  Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of Dec. 31, 2012: The religious exemption to Obamacare's contraceptive mandate should remain narrow, so few groups have the right to deny employees insurance coverage for contraception. President Obama should stop support for Israel's West Bank takeover and bring US foreign policy in line with American democratic principles.

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Business

Top Stories:

• A mixed November for construction

  Residential construction spending increased 0.39 percent from October. Non-residential construction spending declined 0.7 percent since October.

• Social life breaking the bank? Find frugal friends.

  The number of frugal things people can do together and have fun is almost infinite, Hamm writes.

• After the fiscal cliff comes the debt ceiling

  The battle over the fiscal cliff was only a prelude to the coming battle over raising the debt ceiling – Reich writes – a battle that will likely continue through early March, when the Treasury runs out of tricks to avoid a default on the nation’s debt.

• Stock markets leap after 'fiscal cliff' compromise, but problems lurk

  The House of Representatives passed the budget bill late Tuesday night, a contentious exercise because many Republicans had wanted a deal that did more to cut government spending.

• 2013 Ford Fusion Energi gets best fuel efficiency rating for US sedans

  2013 Ford Fusion Energi becomes America's most fuel-efficient sedan, with a rating of 108 MPGe in city driving, Ingram writes. At $39,495 in SE trim, the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi costs $350 more than the Chevy Volt.

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Energy/Environment

Top Stories:

• Unconventional wisdom: 5 possible energy surprises for 2013

  Cobb lists potential surprises in the energy world that conventional wisdom has judged rather unlikely to happen in 2013.

• Water for uranium: A Faustian bargain at Wyoming ranch?

  Conflict over whether to allow more uranium mining at a Wyoming ranch exemplifies tensions between the feverish drive for domestic energy and the need to protect future water resources.

• Stranded Alaska oil rig: Example of safe practices or Arctic risks? (+video)

  A floating oil rig, carrying about 143,000 gallons of diesel fuel, doesn't appear to be leaking. But the oil rig, stranded off the coast of Alaska, has raised safety concerns: 'Oil companies keep saying they can conquer the Arctic, but the Arctic keeps disagreeing with the oil companies,' Congressman Ed Markey, said.

• Food vs. fuel debate: It's about much more than corn

  Cellulosic biofuels aren't ready for prime time. So the EPA should reduce the 2013 mandates for biofuels, not only for cellulosic but also for corn and other food-based biofuels.

• Why is world using more coal? The China trade.

  International trade – especially the addition of China to the World Trade Organization in 2001 – has sharply boosted coal mining.

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Innovation

Top Stories:

• A very techy Christmas: 50 million new phones and tablets activated

  Christmas week saw a record 50 million iOS and Android devices activated, and more than 1.7 billion apps downloaded, according to analytics firm Flurry. On Christmas Day alone 17.4 million new devices were unwrapped.

• FCC paves the way for better in-flight broadband

  The FCC approved new rules on Friday that will make it easier for companies to offer broadband Internet on airplanes. The FCC has authorized in-flight Internet on an ad hoc basis since 2001, but the new rules will provide a framework for licensing companies to provide it.

• Digital reading rises, while books fade

  Share of adult Americans reading an e-book jumps from 16 to 23 percent in a year, Pew survey finds, while traditional book reading falls from 72 to 67 percent.

• Next Mac Mini might be 'Made in USA'

  Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier in December that the company would produce some Mac computers in the US in 2013, but he didn't say which ones. A new rumor from Taiwanese tech magazine DigiTimes says the Mac Mini will be moved stateside.

• Netflix Christmas outage: Amazon to blame

  Netflix outage affected customers in the US, Canada, and Latin America.

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Science

Top Stories:

• Quadrantid meteor shower: Will moon wash out the show?

  Quadrantid meteor shower-watchers will have to deal with a three-quarter-full moon, but the event peaks overnight Wednesday, meaning the show will go on.

• Quandrantid meteor shower: The best time to catch it

  Quadrantid meteor shower: With a bright gibbous moon, the best time to view the Quandrantid meteor shower is between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST, before the sun rises.

• California meteorite reveals secrets thanks to crowdsourcing (+video)

  Recently published research describes a collection of meteorite pieces that landed in California in April. The study came about through a group effort dubbed "crowdsourcing" by the lead scientist.

• Four planets in 'habitable zones' spotted within spitting distance of Earth

  Astronomers say they used a new statistical technique to find four possible super-Earths orbiting in the habitable zone of two stars within 22 light-years of Earth, Gliese 667C and tau Ceti.

• 'Extinct' whale found: Odd-looking pygmy whale traced back 2 million years

  Extinct whale found? Well, sort of. Scientists have traced the lineage of the pygmy right whale back to an ancient family of whales called cetotheres, who were thought to be extinct.

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The Culture

Top Stories:

• Hollywood's record haul: why 2012 was a great year for movies

  Hollywood set a box-office record in 2012, raking in $10.8 billion. Franchises like James Bond and 'The Avengers' ruled a year that signaled some important trends in the industry.

• Linguine with Ragu Bianco and nose-to-tail tales

  Ground pork and pork liver are cooked with mushrooms, shallots, garlic, fennel, and thyme, then finished with cream in this traditional Italian pasta sauce.

• Justin Bieber paparazzo killed: Lessons from this tragedy?

  Justin Bieber paparazzo killed: On Tuesday, a photographer was killed by a vehicle while chasing pop star Justin Bieber. In today's celebrity-driven culture, how can paparazzo tragedies like this be avoided?

• Taylor Swift, Psy perform for New Year's Eve in Times Square

  Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, and others performed for New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square in New York City.

• Sperm donor fights Kansas request to pay child support

  Kansas is trying to force a sperm donor to pay child support for the child conceived through artificial insemination for a lesbian couple now having trouble supporting it.

• 'Fiscal cliffs' and debt ceilings: learning lessons

  A Christian Science perspective.

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Books

Top Stories:

• Neil Gaiman says this summer may mark his last book-signing tour

  Neil Gaiman explained via his blog that the very long lines for his book signings – and the lengthy delays for readers – mean that the experience is "no fun for anybody."

• 'Fiscal cliff': banished for overuse

  Lake Superior State University's 2012 list of terms that need to be removed from the English language was topped by 'fiscal cliff,"

• Doris Kearns Goodwin on her bestselling books and the movie adaptation of 'Lincoln'

  Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about her book 'Team of Rivals,' and what it was like to see her work come to life in Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln.'

• The World Until Yesterday

  Relying on his vast knowledge of New Guinea, Jared Diamond asks what moderns like us can learn from traditional societies.

• The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm

  Despite some noteworthy shortcomings, Paul Reid's examination of the last third of Churchill's life gives us the British statesman in all his robust complexity.

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