Aboriginal leaders to launch national protest in Ottawa today demanding change

OTTAWA - Aboriginal leaders are set to march through the streets of Ottawa today after meeting with a chief who is on a hunger-strike.The leaders are taking part in a national protest march and rally organized by the movement dubbed Idle No More, which opposes the Harper government's omnibus budget legislation, Bill C-45.On the eve of the protest, Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence repeated...

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Mandatory minimums may face tough year in the courts with various challenges

TORONTO - The coming year could bring some clarity to the murky legal waters of the federal Conservatives' law-and-order agenda, particularly mandatory minimum sentences, even as new complications are added to the mix.One of the government's omnibus crime bills churned through the courts in 2012, with several planks falling victim to declarations of unconstitutionality. Meanwhile, a new slew of provisions...

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The Note's Must-Reads for Friday, December 21, 2012

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.comCompiled by ABC News' Amanda VanAllen, Ben Waldron and Jordan MazzaCOREY BOOKER ABC News' Sarah Parnass and Shushannah Walshe: " Newark Mayor Cory Booker to Explore Run for Senate in 2014? Popular Newark Mayor Cory Booker...

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UK banking review urges 'electrified' ringfence

LONDON (AP) -- The U.K. government needs to get tougher in its proposals to isolate banks' high-street activities from their riskier business, Britain's Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards says.The commission reported Friday that the government's proposals for a "ring-fence" to protect retail banks needs to be "electrified."Commission chairman Andrew Tyrie says that would mean giving regulators...

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Iraq's Sunni leaders accuse PM of crackdown

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Sunni leaders accused Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of a political crackdown after troops raided the finance minister's office and home, threatening to reignite a crisis a year after the last American troops left.The raids and detention of the Sunni minister's staff came hours after President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who often mediated among the fractious Sunni, Shi'ite...

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More Canadian employers seen hiring in 2013 first quarter: Manpower

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian employers have a brighter outlook for adding jobs in the new year, with transportation and public utility companies the most bullish, but a cautious mood on the economy still prevails, according to a survey released on Tuesday.In a quarterly survey of more than 1,900 Canadian employers by staffing firm Manpower Inc, a net 13 percent expected to add new jobs in the first...

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Asia stocks wane as US budget talks drag on

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets lost some steam Tuesday as efforts by U.S. leaders to reach a budget deal before the year's end appeared deadlocked and fears lingered that a leadership change in Italy could derail Europe's efforts to tackle its financial crisis.Markets in Asia appeared to take in stride news that HSBC, the British banking giant, will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering...

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Japan's LDP, partner on track for big election win: surveys

TOKYO/TAKATSUKI (Reuters) - Conservative former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's opposition Liberal Democratic Party  (LDP) and its smaller ally are heading for a resounding victory in Sunday's election, winning more than 300 seats in parliament's 480-member lower house, media surveys showed on Tuesday.Abe, 58, who resigned abruptly as premier in 2007 after a troubled year in office, is pushing the...

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2013 rings in more dovish Fed and maybe some dissent

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve  may tip toward doing even more to boost the U.S. economy in 2013 as two outspoken advocates for a super-easy monetary stance rotate into voting spots on its policy panel.The annual shuffle of voters also raises the possibility of more dissents, analysts said, but not enough to offset the small but noticeable dovish shift.Incoming voters Charles Evans,...

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Brent eases to near $107 as US, Italy rattle investors

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude edged down towards $107 a barrel on Tuesday as a stalemate over fiscal talks in the United States and political uncertainty in Italy rattled investors, even as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East supported prices.Investors shied away from riskier assets as U.S. politicians squabbled over ways to reduce debt, while Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's decision...

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