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Wednesday, December 22, 2010 – Daily News – 3B WORLD BRIEFING Obama locks up GOP votes for US-Russia nuclear treaty WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama locked up enough Senate Republican votes Tuesday to ratify a new arms control treaty with Russia that would cap nuclear warheads for both former Cold War foes and restart on-site weapons inspections. Eleven Republicans joined Democrats in a 67-28 proxy vote to wind up the debate and hold a final tally on Wednesday. They broke ranks with the Senate's top two Republicans and were poised to give Obama a win on his top foreign policy priority. "We know when we've been beaten," Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah told reporters hours before the vote. Ratification requires two- thirds of those voting in the Senate and Democrats need at least nine Republicans to overcome the opposition of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Jon Kyl of Arizona, the party's point man on the pact. The Obama administration has made arms control nego- tiations the centerpiece of resetting its relationship with Russia, and the treaty was critical to any rapprochement. 2010 census shows slowing pop growth WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican-leaning states will gain at least a half dozen House seats thanks to the 2010 census, which found the nation's popu- lation growing more slowly than in past decades but still shifting to the South and West. The Census Bureau announced Tuesday that the nation's population on April 1 was 308,745,538, up from 281.4 million a decade ago. The Wall Street Banking, other deals drive stocks higher NEW YORK (AP) — Financial companies led stock indexes to new two- year highs Tuesday after another big banking deal raised hopes that more acquisitions could be on the way. Toronto-Dominion Bank said it is buying Chrysler Financial, the automaker’s old lending arm, from Cer- berus Capital Management LP for $6.3 billion. It was the latest example of a rela- tively healthy Canadian bank buying a U.S. lender battered by the financial cri- sis. Toronto-Dominion bought Commerce Bancorp Inc. in 2008, and just four days ago Bank of Montreal said it would buy Milwau- kee-based bank Marshall & Ilsley Corp. for $4.1 billion. The S&P 500 closed above the level it reached on Sept. 12, 2008, the last trad- ing day before the collapse of Lehman Brothers at the height of the financial crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average is at its highest since Aug. 29, 2008. The Dow rose 55.03, or 0.5 percent, to close at 11,533.16. The Dow is up 4.8 percent so far this month. The S&P 500 index rose 7.52, or 0.6 percent, to close at 1,254.60. The Nasdaq composite rose 18.05, or 0.7 percent, to 2,667.61. Bond prices were rela- tively flat. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 3.30 percent from 3.35 percent late Mon- day. More than two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. 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The Gold Exchange “Your Quality Hometown Jeweler” 423 Walnut St, Red Bluff 528-8000 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sat 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Business Chronology Boxes Published in The Daily News: New Year’s Day – January 1 Space Reservation Deadline: Tuesday, December 28. Rates: $65 per business Includes full run in the January 1 print and digital online edition of the Daily News, plus publication for a full year in online special section “Cavalcade of Local Business – 2011” at no extra cost! “ Add $123 for three additional publications of your Chronology box in the print and online digital daily editions of The Daily News, any edition days through Saturday, January 8. Don’t let YOUR business be left out of this expanded multi-media promotional project! Call your Daily News advertising representative today to make your space reservations. (530) 527-2151 or email advertise@redbluffdailynews.com Mon.-Fri. growth rate for the past decade was 9.7 percent, the lowest since the Great Depression. The nation's population grew by 13.2 percent from 1990 to 2000. Michigan was the only state to lose population during the past decade. Nevada, with a 35 percent increase, was the fastest-growing state. The new numbers are a boon for Republicans, with Texas leading the way among GOP- leaning states that will gain House seats, mostly at the Rust Belt's expense. Following each once-a-decade census, the nation must reapportion the House's 435 districts to make them roughly equal in popula- tion, with each state getting at least one seat. That triggers an often con- tentious and partisan process in many states, which will draw new congressional district lines that can help or hurt either party. Stark challenges ahead for Iraq's new gov’t BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq seat- ed a freely elected government Tuesday after nine months of hag- gling, bringing together the main ethnic and religious groups in a fragile balance that could make it difficult to rebuild a nation devas- tated by war as American troops prepare for their final withdrawal. One of the government's first priorities will be to decide whether to ask the Obama administration to keep thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq after their scheduled depar- ture in December 2011. Prime Minister Nouri al-Mali- ki's new government solidifies the grip that Shiites have held on political power since Saddam Hussein's ouster. It leaves open the question of whether the country's disgruntled Sunni minority will play a meaningful role. Despite tortuous negotiations that threatened to unravel the country's tenuous democratic gains, the public face of the new government will look remarkably like the outgoing one. The prime minister, president and foreign minister will remain the same. The outcome was a huge victory for al-Maliki, who has made more than his share of enemies as prime minister since May 2006. Parlia- ment originally tapped al-Maliki as a compromise candidate to lead Iraq following tumultuous elec- tions in December 2005 during the height of the war. Study shows nearly 1 in 4 high school grads can't pass military exam MIAMI (AP) — Nearly one- fourth of the students who try to join the U.S. Army fail its entrance exam, painting a grim picture of an education system that produces graduates who can't answer basic math, science and reading questions, according to a new study released Tuesday. The report by The Education Trust bolsters a growing worry among military and education leaders that the pool of young peo- ple qualified for military service will grow too small. "Too many of our high school students are not graduating ready to begin college or a career — and many are not eligible to serve in our armed forces," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the AP. "I am deeply troubled by the national security burden created by America's underperforming education system." The effect of the low eligibility rate might not be noticeable now — the Department of Defense says it is meeting its recruitment goals — but that could change as the economy improves, said retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett. "If you can't get the people that you need, there's a potential for a decline in your readiness," said Barnett, who is part of the group Mission: Readiness, a coalition of retired military leaders working to bring awareness to the high ineli- gibility rates. Surge in Palestinian rocket attacks, Israeli airstrikes JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Tuesday launched an unusu- ally heavy series of airstrikes on Gaza in retaliation for Palestin- ian rocket attacks, raising the prospect of a new round of bloody fighting after a relative lull for two years. The military said the Israeli strikes hit seven different tar- gets in Gaza. Palestinian offi- cials said eight militants were wounded. Then the Palestinians fired another rocket at southern Israel, lightly wounding a 16- year-old Israeli girl. The violence followed the deaths of five Gaza militants Saturday in the deadliest Israeli assault on the coastal strip in months, indicating a trend of escalation. Two years ago, inces- sant rocket barrages from Gaza led Israel to launch a punishing three-week invasion that left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead, including many civilians.